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advantages and features of the present invention and methods of accomplishing the same may be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed description of preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings . the present invention may , however , be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein . rather , these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete . in some embodiments , the detailed descriptions of known process steps , element structures , and technologies will be omitted because they may obscure the subject matter of the present invention . like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification . the terminology used therein is for the purpose for only describing particular embodiments and is not intended to limit the present invention . it will be understood that the terms ‘ comprises ’ and / or ‘ comprising ’ when used in the specification specify the presence of stated features , steps , operations , and / or elements , but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features , steps , operations , and / or elements . a method of fabricating a shallow trench isolation ( hereinafter , simply referred to as ‘ sti ’) structure of a semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to fig3 to 10 . in the description of the fabricating method , the schematic descriptions of the process steps widely known to those skilled in the art will be given so as to clearly describe the subject matter of the embodiment of the present invention . fig3 to 6 are cross - sectional views illustrating process steps up to a step of forming a liner the before gap filling process steps . first , referring to fig3 , a pad oxide film 104 and a hard mask nitride film 108 are formed sequentially on an integrated circuit substrate 100 , for example , a silicon substrate . next , an organic anti - reflection coating ( hereinafter , simply referred to as ‘ arc ’) layer ( not shown ) and a photoresist layer 112 are coated on the nitride film 108 . the pad oxide film 104 is formed to reduce stress between the substrate 100 and the nitride film 108 . the pad oxide film 104 has a thickness of about 20 to 200 å . the nitride film 108 is used as a hard mask at the time of etching for forming an sti region . the nitride film 108 is formed by depositing a silicon nitride film at a thickness of 500 to 2000 å . as a deposition method , for example , cvd ( chemical vapor deposition ), sacvd ( sub - atmospheric dvd ), lpcvd ( low pressure cvd ), or pecvd ( plasma enhanced cvd ) can be used . referring to fig4 , a photoresist pattern 112 a is formed to define an active region . then , the nitride film 108 and the pad oxide film 104 are etched by a dry etching method with the photoresist pattern 112 a as a mask , thereby forming a trench mask 110 a having a nitride film pattern 108 a and a pad oxide film pattern 104 a . when etching the nitride film 108 , a fluorocarbon gas is used . for example , a c x f y - based or c a h b f c - based gas , such as cf 4 , chf 3 , c 2 f 6 , ch 2 f 2 , ch 3 f , ch 4 , c 2 h 2 , or c 4 f 6 , or a mixed gas of these gases is used . at this time , an ar gas is used as an atmospheric gas . referring to fig5 , after the photoresist pattern 112 a is removed , the exposed substrate 100 is etched by an anisotropic etching method with the trench mask 110 a as the etching mask , thereby forming trenches 116 of the sti structure for defining the device active regions therebetween . the photoresist pattern 112 a can be removed by a typical method , for example , an organic strip after ashing is performed with oxygen plasma . for the purpose of high integration , the trench 116 of the sti can be formed to have a width of 0 . 2 μm or less . at this time , the trench 116 of the sti is formed to have enough depth so as to provide for sufficient device separation . referring to fig6 , an oxide film 120 is formed on the side walls and on the bottom portion of the trench 116 of the sti . the oxide film 120 is formed to recover silicon lattice defects and damage generated during the dry etching process for forming the trench 116 of the sti and to round corners of the trench 116 of the sti , thereby preventing stress from centering on the corners . the oxide film 120 can be formed , for example , of a thermally grown oxide film , a cvd oxide film , or an ald ( atomic layer deposition ) oxide film . the oxide film 120 can be formed to have a thickness of about 50 to 300 å . a nitride liner 130 is formed on the oxide film 120 along the side walls of the trench 116 . the nitride liner 130 can be formed , for example , of a nitride film or an oxynitride film . the nitride liner 130 operates to absorb stress caused by a difference in thermal expansion coefficient between the substrate 100 and an hdp oxide film to be subsequently filled into the trench 116 of the sti structure , and to prevent defects generated in the active region from diffusing into the inner regions of the sti structure . further , the nitride liner 130 operates to prevent the semiconductor substrate in contact with the sti from becoming oxidized due to the diffusion of oxygen into the inside of the semiconductor substrate of the active region through the sti during a subsequent heat treatment process or oxidization process . in addition , the nitride liner 130 is formed to prevent ions injected into the active region from being diffused in a direction toward the sti . the nitride liner 130 can be formed to have a thickness , for example , of about 50 to 300 å . in fig6 , a case where both the oxide film 120 and the nitride liner 130 are formed has been described . in some cases , however , only the oxide film 120 is formed . next , a gap filling process for filling the inside of the sti trench is performed . the gap filling process in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention can form the hdp oxide film for filling the gap by applying a high bias power , thereby ensuring an excellent gap filling property . further , the process is performed in a manner that mitigates or prevents separation between the oxide film 120 and the liner 130 on the side wall , and further mitigates or prevents the generation of bubble defects in the hdp oxide film . in addition , an additional cvd process , required in some of the conventional approaches outlined above , is not necessary . specifically , the gap filling process in accordance with an embodiment of the invention is performed by using an hdp cvd apparatus , for example , of the type shown in fig7 , that depends on the relationship between time and temperature shown in fig8 . a gap filling oxide film is thereby formed in a section shape as shown in fig9 . referring to fig7 , the hdp cvd apparatus 200 includes a chamber 230 which has an upper chamber 210 and a lower chamber 220 . the upper chamber 210 and the lower chamber 220 are engaged so as to form an enclosed space . the upper chamber 210 is formed in a dome shape , and has a dome - shaped upper electrode 240 on which a plurality of radio frequency ( rf ) coils 245 are provided . a low - frequency rf power is applied to the rf coils 245 from a first rf power generator 280 . the lower chamber 220 has an electrostatic chuck 250 on which the semiconductor substrate 100 is placed . a high - frequency rf power serving as a bias power is applied to the electrostatic chuck 250 from a second rf power generator 290 . side gas ejectors 260 are provided inside the chamber at regular intervals along the circumference of the electrostatic chuck 250 . in the upper chamber 210 in which multiple nozzles are formed , a rotatable upper gas ejector 270 is provided . various modifications of the structures , shapes , and installment positions of the gas ejectors 260 and 270 can be used . fig8 is a graph schematically depicting the relationship between time and temperature at various steps of the gap filling process . referring to fig8 , the gap filling process includes a primary heating step ( s 1 ), an hdp oxide liner forming step ( s 2 ), a secondary heating step ( s 3 ), and a gap filling hdp oxide film forming step ( s 4 ). at the heating steps ( s 1 and s 3 ), the temperature of the substrate is increased by high - density plasma ( hdp ) generated when only the low - frequency rf power is applied to the hdp cvd apparatus shown in fig7 and the applied rf power . during the heating steps , deposition is not performed . on the other hand , during the hdp oxide liner forming step ( s 2 ) and the hdp oxide film forming step ( s 4 ), the deposition is performed by applying the low - frequency rf power and the high - frequency bias rf power to the apparatus while supplying a deposition gas into the apparatus . the individual steps will now be specifically described with reference to fig7 to 9 . first , after the substrate 100 on which the pad oxide film pattern 104 a , the nitride film pattern 108 a , the oxide film 120 , and the nitride liner 130 are formed is loaded onto the electrostatic chuck 250 of the hdp cvd apparatus 200 , the primary heating step ( s 1 ) is performed . specifically , an rf power of about 3000 to 6000 w is applied to an rf coil 245 from the first rf power generator 280 for about 20 to 50 seconds , while maintaining the pressure within the chamber 230 at a low pressure of about 5 to 50 mtorr by operating a vacuum pump ( not shown ) connected to an exhaust line ( not shown ). then , an inert gas such as an ar gas or a he gas is supplied through the gas injectors 260 and 270 . as a result , the hdp is generated in the chamber 230 , and the temperature of the substrate 100 may be increased to about 300 to 400 ° c . so as to be at a first temperature by the generated hdp and the applied rf power . if necessary , an o 2 gas may be further supplied in order to eliminate impurities at the inlets of the gas injectors 260 and 270 . next , the hdp oxide liner forming step ( s 2 ) is performed . specifically , an rf power of about 3000 to 9000 w is applied to the rf coil 245 from the first rf power generator 280 and a bias rf power of about 500 to 2000 w is applied to the electrostatic chuck 250 from the second rf power generator 290 for a short time of 1 to 5 seconds , while maintaining the pressure at the same level within the chamber . further , the deposition gas ( silicon source gas and oxidized gas ) and sputtering gas are supplied through the gas injectors 260 and 270 . a sih 4 gas , an o 2 gas , and a he gas can be used as the silicon source gas , the oxidized gas , and the sputtering gas , respectively . some of the supplied deposition gas and sputtering gas is ionized by the hdp generated in the chamber 230 . on the other hand , the deposition gas and sputtering gas which are ionized by the bias rf power applied to the electrostatic chuck 250 are accelerated to the surface of the substrate . the accelerated ions of the deposition gas form a silicon oxide film , and then sputtering is performed on the deposited silicon oxide film by the accelerated ions of the he gas . as a result , a thin - film hdp oxide liner ( see reference numeral 140 of fig9 ) can be formed on the nitride liner 130 . the hdp oxide liner 140 is formed by applying a first bias power of about 500 to 2000 w which is lower than a second bias power of about 3000 to 6000 w to be applied at the hdp oxide film forming step ( s 4 ) for gap filling . therefore , the amount of defects and the defect size due to collision of the accelerated ions can be reduced . further , since the bias power is low , there occurrence of the lower oxide film 120 and the nitride liner 130 separating from the substrate 100 is mitigated or eliminated . the hdp oxide liner 140 can be formed of a h 2 or a he hdp oxide liner . on the other hand , because the hdp oxide liner 140 is formed by applying a relatively low bias power and a relatively low rf power , a sufficient gap filling property is not exhibited . accordingly , the hdp oxide liner forming step ( s 2 ) is performed in the required amount of time so as to ensure an adequate thickness to accomplish its functioning as a film , for example , 1 to 5 seconds which corresponds to about 1 / 200 to 1 / 10 amount of time of the time needed for the hdp oxide film forming step ( s 4 ) for substantial gap filling . the temperature of the substrate can be substantially equal to the first temperature or increased to a second temperature which is slightly higher than the first temperature , for example , 300 to 450 ° c ., by the applied rf power and bias rf power . specifically , an rf power of about 3000 to 7000 w is applied to the rf coil 235 from the first rf power generator 280 for about 50 to 150 seconds while maintaining pressure at the same level within the chamber 230 . at the time of the start of the secondary heating step ( s 3 ), the bias rf power applied to the electrostatic chuck 250 is turned off , and the supply of the deposition gas ( silicon source gas and oxidized gas ) through the gas injectors 260 and 270 stops . then , an inert gas such as an ar gas or a he gas is supplied through the gas injectors 260 and 270 . like the primary heating step ( s 1 ), if necessary , an o 2 gas may be further supplied . the temperature of the substrate 100 can be therefore increased to a third temperature of about 400 to 600 ° c . by the hdp previously generated within the chamber 230 , the newly generated hdp , and the applied rf power . since the bias rf power is turned off , during the secondary heating step ( s 3 ), the actual deposition of the hdp oxide film is not performed . further , the ions which are undesirably trapped by the hdp oxide liner 140 are outgassed , and thus the defects of the oxide film 120 , the nitride liner 130 , and the hdp oxide liner 140 can be effectively cured . in order to the reduce the defects , preferably the temperature at the secondary heating step ( s 3 ), that is , the third temperature , is higher than the second temperature , but is closer to a temperature of the subsequent hdp oxide film forming step ( s 4 ). next , the hdp oxide film deposition step ( s 4 ) for substantial gap filling is performed . specifically , an rf power of about 3000 to 9000 w is applied to the rf coil 235 from the first rf power generator 280 and a second bias rf power of about 3000 to 6000 w is applied to the electrostatic chuck 250 from the second rf power generator 290 for a time period of 50 to 200 seconds , while maintaining the pressure at the same level within the chamber 230 as the above - described steps ( s 1 , s 2 , and s 3 ) or at a lower level , for example , 5 to 20 mtorr . then , the deposition gas ( silicon source gas and oxidized gas ) and the sputtering gas are supplied through the gas injectors 260 and 270 . an sih 4 gas , an o 2 gas , and a h 2 gas can be used as the silicon source gas , the oxidized gas , and the sputtering gas , respectively . when the hdp oxide film deposition step ( s 4 ) is performed under this process condition , the temperature of the substrate 100 can be increased to about 600 to 800 ° c . the h 2 gas allows the hdp oxide film having an excellent gap filling property to be formed , but requires a relatively high bias power . further , the he gas requires a low bias power , but an inferior gap filling property is obtained , as compared with the h 2 gas . therefore , the formation of the liner and the gap filling property can be optimized by forming the hdp oxide liner 140 and the hdp oxide film 150 with the he hdp oxide liner and the h 2 hdp oxide film , respectively . like the hdp oxide liner 140 forming step ( s 2 ), some of the deposition gas and sputtering gas is ionized by the hdp generated within the chamber 230 , and the deposition gas and sputtering gas which are ionized by the bias rf power applied to the electrostatic chuck 250 are accelerated to the surface of the substrate . the accelerated ions of the deposition gas form a silicon oxide film , and sputtering is performed on the deposited silicon oxide film by the accelerated ions of the h 2 gas . since the deposition is performed in such a manner , as shown in fig9 , the hdp oxide film 150 which fills the gap on the hdp oxide liner 140 is formed . the hdp oxide film 150 has a dense film quality and an excellent gap filling property . further , the profile of the top surface of the hdp oxide film 150 is generally as shown in fig9 . in fig9 , the boundary of the hdp oxide liner 140 and the hdp oxide film 150 is indicated by a dotted line . this is because the liner 140 and the oxide film 150 are substantially formed of the same material , and thus the boundary between them cannot be readily visually recognized . since the hdp oxide liner 140 has been already formed , even though a high bias power is applied when later forming the hdp oxide film 150 , the oxide film 120 and the nitride liner 130 do not become separated from the substrate 100 . therefore , during the hdp oxide film 150 forming step ( s 4 ), a high bias power of about 3000 to 6000 w can be applied . for this reason , the hdp oxide film 150 can be formed for completely filling the sti trench 116 without the presence of voids in the resulting film . in addition , the hdp oxide liner 140 is formed by applying a low bias power and then any defects occurring thereon are cured through the heating steps . the hdp oxide film 150 is formed with the presence of the hdp oxide liner 140 operating as a buffer layer . for this reason , bubble defects do not occur in the resulting hdp oxide film 150 . after a gap filling film 160 including the hdp oxide liner 140 and the hdp oxide film 150 is formed , the substrate 100 is unloaded from the hdp cvd apparatus 200 , and then the gap filling process is completed . finally , as shown in fig1 , formation of the sti structure 170 is completed . with reference to fig1 , first , the gap filling film 160 is planarized at the substantially same level as the top surface of the trench mask 110 a . the planarization can be performed , for example , using a cmp ( chemical mechanical polishing ) process or etchback process . in the planarization process , the nitride pattern 108 a can be used as planarization stopper . for example , when planarizing the hdp oxide film 150 using the cmp process , the nitride pattern 108 a serves as a cmp stopper . as a slurry to be used in the cmp process , a material which can selectively etch the hdp oxide film 150 faster than the nitride film pattern 108 a is preferably selected . therefore , a slurry including a ceria - based abrasive can be used . next , the trench mask 110 a ( see fig4 ) is removed , and then the sti structure 170 is completed . the nitride film pattern 108 a of the trench mask 110 a is removed by applying phosphoric acid , and the pad oxide film pattern 104 a is removed by applying diluted hf or boe ( buffered oxide etchant ) which is a mixture of nh 4 f , hf , and deionized water . subsequently , a step of forming active elements such as transistors and passive elements such as capacitors in the active region defined by the sti structures 170 , a step of forming wiring lines to allow input / output of electrical signals to / from the active elements and the passive elements , a step of forming a passivation layer on the substrate , and a step of packaging the substrate are further performed using conventional fabricating processes , thereby completing fabrication of a semiconductor device including the sti structures formed according to the methods described herein . the schematic descriptions of the subsequent steps will be given because they may obscure the subject matter of the present invention . the results of the fabrication of sti structures under the method of the present invention will now be described by way of the following specific examples . three test substrates on which the thermally grown oxide film having a thickness of 100 å and the nitride film having a thickness of 70 å are formed on the semiconductor substrate are prepared . then , the hdp oxide films are formed under the process conditions shown in table 1 , respectively . in table 1 , the primary heating step is performed by applying an rf power such that the temperature of the substrate becomes about 350 ° c ., while supplying ar and he gas . the hdp oxide liner forming step is performed by applying a bias power of 1500 w and an rf power such that the temperature of the substrate becomes about 400 ° c . while supplying the sih 4 gas , the o 2 gas , and the he gas . the hdp oxide film forming step is performed by applying a bias power of 4900 w and an rf power such that the temperature of the substrate becomes about 700 ° c . while supplying the sih 4 gas , the o 2 gas , and the h 2 gas . fig1 a and 11b are sem photographs of the surfaces of the hdp oxide films fabricated according to the first and second examples . fig1 c is a sem photograph of the surface of the hdp oxide film fabricated according to the comparative example , where no secondary heating step is applied to the substrate . from the photograph of fig1 c showing multiple bubble defects , it can be understood that the bubble defects can be effectively suppressed by performing the hdp oxide liner forming step and the secondary heating step . from the photographs of fig1 a and 11b , it can be understood that the bubble defects can be effectively suppressed as the time duration of the secondary heating step is increased . according to the present invention , the hdp oxide film for gap filling is formed by applying a high bias power , and thus an excellent gap filling property can be ensured , while preventing separation of the oxide film and the liner of the side wall and preventing the occurrence of bubble defects . in addition , the sti can be finished by a simplified process without requiring a cvd process , other than the hdp oxide film forming step . although the present invention has been described in connection with the exemplary embodiments of the present invention , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . therefore , it should be understood that the above embodiments are not limited , but rather are illustrative in all aspects . | 7 |
referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating preferred embodiments of the present invention only , and not for purposes of limiting the same , fig1 prospectively illustrates a baby wipes warmer 10 constructed in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention . as indicated above , the baby wipes warmer 10 is adapted to warm a stack of baby wipes 12 accommodated therein while maintaining the wipes 12 in a substantially moisturized condition and with their original coloration ( i . e ., white ). those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the baby wipes warmer 10 may be formed to have a variety of external housing shapes , configurations , geometries , sizes and textures other than for that shown in the provided figures . referring more particularly to fig1 and 2 , the baby wipes warmer 10 comprises a housing 14 . this housing 14 may be fabricated from any rigid material , but plastic polymer is preferred . the housing 14 is formed having a main body member 16 and a base member 18 . more particularly , the body member 16 is peripherally defined by an exterior - side housing wall 20 with a base end 22 that engages onto the base member 18 . the base member 18 is contemplated to be used for supporting the baby wipes warmer 10 on any provided surface ( e . g ., desktop , floor , night stand , etc .) and may optionally include a plurality of adjustable foot pads 24 for this purpose . the housing 14 of the present baby wipes warmer 10 comprises a pivotally engaged top lid member 26 which is capable of opening and closing relative to the housing 14 . the lid member 26 may open and close utilizing any conventional methods such as using a door spring 28 , for example . when such lid member 26 is closed with respect to the housing 14 , it becomes an upper housing wall as it encloses the interior of the housing 14 from the outside . on the other hand , the opening of the lid member 26 allows access to an inside compartment 30 of the housing which will be discussed in more detail below . by accessing the inside compartment 30 , a stack of baby wipes 12 ( layered or inter - folded stack ) may be inserted and individually withdrawn for use . referring now to fig2 and 3 , a liquid tank assembly 32 is provided within the housing 14 . more specifically , the liquid tank assembly 32 is located between the body and base members 16 , 18 when they are engaged to each other in the manner described above . upon such placement , the upper tank surface 34 of the tank assembly 32 collectively forms the inside compartment 30 with the interior - side housing wall 36 and the lid member 26 of the housing 14 . to describe this aspect in more detail , the upper tank surface 34 becomes vertically surrounded as the tank end 38 of the interior - side housing wall 36 is rested against the upper tank peripheral edge 40 thereof . the upper tank surface 34 is then horizontally closed off by the top lid member 26 forming the closed position . by such structural interaction , the requisite inside compartment 30 may be formed . although fig2 illustrates the liquid tank assembly 32 to be generally rectangular in configuration , it is expressly stated herein that the tank assembly 32 may be configured in other ways without deviating from its operational capabilities . the liquid tank assembly 32 defines a lower tank surface 42 which is positioned beneath the upper tank surface 34 towards the base member 18 . the upper and lower tank surfaces 34 , 42 are connected to each other by a surrounding side tank surface 44 to thereby form a liquid compartment 46 within the tank assembly 32 . this liquid compartment 46 is used for holding any liquid 48 that can evaporate when sufficiently heated and thus produce vapors 49 which are able to moisturize . a type of liquid 48 which is exemplary of this nature is water . however , the use of any fluids which may safely moisturize the baby wipes 12 are foreseeable . because the contained liquid 48 must evaporate upon sufficient heating , the liquid tank assembly 32 should therefore be made from any material that is capable of rising in temperature in reaction to heating . it is preferred that the tank assembly 32 is fabricated from a heat - conducting material such as metal . more preferably , aluminum would be desirable for fabricating the tank assembly 32 as it reacts very well to heating . as shown in fig3 and 3a , the upper tank surface 34 includes a plurality of vapor apertures . 50 extending therethrough which provide fluid communication between the inside and liquid compartments 30 , 46 . the vapor apertures 50 allow the vapors 49 to pass through from the liquid compartment 46 to the inside compartment 30 so as to heat the wipes and maintain the baby wipes 12 in a constant moisturized condition and coloration . preferably , the vapor apertures 50 are formed within the support surface 52 which is surrounded by a ridge 54 formed therearound . the support surface 52 is primarily used for accommodating the baby wipes 12 in which the surrounding ridge 54 confines them in place to prevent side - to - side movement . referring now to fig5 only , an alternative embodiment of the support surface 52 is depicted . in this embodiment , the upper tank surface 34 may instead define an exposed opening 56 between the ridge 54 . a support surface 52 may be disposed within this opening 56 in a manner as to extend substantially thereabout . any structure providing a horizontal flat surface can be defined as the support surface 52 such as a suspension tray , for example . preferably , a sponge material 58 extending through the exposed opening 56 from the liquid compartment 46 is used to removably secure the support surface 52 in place . the sponge 58 is preferred for this purpose as its naturally formed pores may simulate the vapor apertures 50 thereby permitting the vapors 49 to seep therethrough . referring now to fig3 - 5 , a heating element 60 is provided within the housing 14 relative to the lower tank surface 42 . as noted above , the purpose of the heating element 60 is to heat the tank assembly 32 so that portions of liquid 48 are changed into vapors 49 . the heating element 60 may be disposed in various positions to achieve this purpose . one position is to locate the heating element 60 within the liquid compartment 46 so that it is immersed in liquid 48 to substantially extend adjacent the lower tank surface 42 ( best shown in fig4 ). the heating element 60 may also be positioned outside the liquid compartment 48 to extend adjacent the lower tank surface 42 ( best shown in fig3 and 5 ). although the use of various heaters is contemplated , it is preferred that an electrically powered heating pad is utilized . referring now back to fig1 and 2 , a liquid reservoir 62 may optionally be incorporated into the present baby wipes warmer 10 . however , the use of the liquid reservoir 62 is not mandatory as the liquid level within the liquid compartment 46 may be manually refilled . the liquid reservoir 62 is in fluid communication with the liquid compartment 46 . by such communication , the reservoir 62 can provide additional liquid to the liquid compartment 46 when needed . the additional liquid may be provided manually by operation of a valve device which may open and close the liquid flow into the liquid compartment 46 . the liquid reservoir 62 includes a refill cap 64 preferably fabricated from a rubber material for selectively accessing its interior . similar to the heating element 60 , the liquid reservoir 62 may also be located in multiple positions . for example , it can be disposed within the housing 14 adjacent the liquid tank assembly 32 ( shown in fig7 ). alternatively , the liquid reservoir 62 may be exteriorly mounted to the exterior - side housing wall 20 ( shown in fig1 ). irrespective of its positioning , the important concept to be derived is that the reservoir 62 fluid communicates with the liquid compartment 46 for providing additional liquid 48 thereto when needed . to establish fluid communication , any elongated and tubular structure 66 such as a conduit may be used to form a reservoir channel 66 between the reservoir 62 and the liquid compartment 46 . in this respect , the liquid reservoir 62 ensures that the liquid 48 within the liquid compartment 46 is always kept at a certain level which is sufficient to provide adequate evaporation . [ 0039 ] fig6 illustrates a baby wipes warmer 70 which is constructed in accordance with a second preferred embodiment . the second embodied baby wipes warmer 70 is substantially identical to the first embodiment with one major distinction . more specifically , the baby wipes warmer 70 of the second embodiment eliminates the use of the liquid tank assembly 32 . rather , its interior - side housing wall 72 is adapted to define a substantially flattened interior compartment surface 74 which extends generally parallel to the base member 18 . by merely closing the top lid member ( not shown ), an inside compartment 78 is formed . a quantity of liquid 80 is directly contained within this compartment 78 . a support surface 82 which is defined by a suspension tray 84 is disposed within the inside compartment 78 . however , it should be noted that the support surface 82 is positioned above the pool of liquid 80 as it must accommodate the baby wipes 12 thereon . the support surface 82 may be engaged upon the interior . compartment surface 74 through any known process such as bonding or fastening . by utilizing this arrangement , the baby wipes 12 are adequately heated while sustaining their moisture and color through vapors 86 rising from the heated liquid pool 80 disposed immediately underneath the support surface 82 . [ 0041 ] fig7 shows a baby wipes warmer 90 which is made in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the present invention . this warmer 90 is substantially identical to the first embodied baby wipes warmer 10 except that its liquid tank assembly 92 is fabricated in the form of an elongated central channel and is embedded laterally along the interior compartment surface 94 . this elongated central channel serving as the liquid tank assembly 92 includes a sponge 96 within its liquid compartment 98 . the sponge 96 operates to draw the liquid 100 out of the adjacently located liquid reservoir 102 by capillarity . similar to the tank assembly 32 of the first embodiment , its upper tank surface 104 includes a plurality of vapor holes 106 which allow the liquid 100 to evaporate therethrough . the operation of the first embodied baby wipes warmer 10 is described herein which is simultaneously representative for operations of the second and third embodied baby wipes warmers 70 , 90 . first , a stack of baby wipes 12 to be warmed is placed within the inside compartment 30 simply by opening and then closing the lid member 26 . the liquid 48 contained within the baby wipes warmer 10 should be checked to ensure that there is sufficient level present for adequate evaporation . this can be accomplished by visually checking the liquid reservoir ( for the first and third embodiments ) or the liquid level within the inside compartment itself ( for the second embodiment ). thereafter , the baby wipes warmer 10 should be plugged into an electrical outlet ( not shown ) in order to activate the heating element 60 ( if not already done ). by following this easy - to - follow procedure , portions of the liquid 48 can transition into vapors 49 when sufficiently heated which are then provided to the baby wipes 12 so that they may be maintained in constant moisturized condition and coloration . additional modifications and improvements of the present invention may also be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art . thus , the particular combination of parts described and illustrated herein is intended to represent only certain embodiments of the present invention , and is not intended to serve as limitations of alternative devices within the spirit and scope of the invention . | 0 |
for the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention , reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same . it will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended , such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device , and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates . referring now to fig1 a laundry bin 20 according to the present invention is shown having a top end opening 22 and a bottom end opening 24 . also shown is a drop bottom 26 in an open position . drop bottom 26 is normally - closed ; that is , covering bottom end opening 24 . drop bottom 26 fastens in its closed position by clasp 27 . when drop bottom 26 is fastened closed , laundry bin 20 contains laundry via sides 30 and 32 , rear 34 , front 36 , and bottom 25 and drop bottom 26 . laundry bin 20 receives laundry through top end opening 22 and contains the laundry therein until clasp 27 is unfastened and drop bottom 26 is opened . drop bottom 26 is hinged about bottom edge 29 , and when unfastened , drop bottom 26 swings downward under its own weight and under the weight of the laundry contained within laundry bin 20 . upon drop bottom 26 opening downward , laundry is released from bin 20 and falls through bottom opening 24 . drop bottom 26 is also contemplated being hinged about front edge 31 with fastening occurring across edge 29 . similarly , drop bottom 26 can also comprise bottom 25 via an articulating joint at bottom edge 29 , with bottom 25 and drop bottom 26 hinging about bottom edge 35 and fastening across front edge 31 . laundry bin 20 would still contain laundry as previously discussed , however upon unfastening clasp 27 , both bottom 25 and drop bottom 26 would swing downward about bottom edge 35 . laundry bin 20 is also shown with drop bottom 26 at an angle relative to vertical to facilitate installation and usage as discussed in conjunction with fig3 . similarly , laundry bin 20 is also shown having labels 49 for displaying information and holes 47 for ventilation as discussed in conjunction with fig2 . laundry bin 20 can employ a variety of construction techniques and materials to contain laundry . the material chosen is , among other considerations , a function of weight requirements . because bin 20 can be mounted against an interior wall , a lightweight material is preferable to minimize both reinforcement of the wall and the number of anchoring locations required to mount bin 20 . possible materials include plastic or vinyl coated steel wire grids and formed plastics or wood , including laminates and pressed wood composites . similarly , laundry bin 20 can be constructed having a wire frame with canvas looped over and attached around the wire frame , the wire frame supporting the laundry via the canvas . another consideration in choosing a material is the ability of the material to allow for air circulation or breathing to prevent unwanted accumulation of odors . plastic or vinyl coated steel wire grids and canvas directly facilitate ventilation . other more dense plastics and woods , however , should have additional holes incorporated to both reduce their weight and provide for circulation of air . another consideration in choosing a material is the material &# 39 ; s ability to withstand degradation , including peeling , splintering or fading . degradation can result in damage to clothing , such as tearing , pilling or staining of the clothes . laundry bin 20 is constructed having a size or volume which approximates that of a typical load of laundry received by a washing machine . although a variety of shapes and dimensions for laundry bin 20 can achieve a desired common volume , laundry bin 20 is constructed having generally dimensions of 12 inches wide by 18 inches tall by 20 inches deep . of course , these dimensions are but one of many possible sets of dimensions which meet the desired volume to contain a load of laundry while still providing a light weight structure and convenience in use . laundry bin 20 is shown in fig1 elevated above ground or floor level and attached to wall 21 . attachment to wall 21 is provided by a combination of fasteners 23a and brackets 23b and 23c which both support and anchor laundry bin 20 to wall 21 . these fasteners and brackets are typical of those used with drywall , as is the case with many interior walls of a house . laundry bin 20 does not necessarily require attachment to a fixed surface such as a wall or above laundry machinery . for example , laundry bin 20 can also be attached to a wheeled frame which allows transportation of laundry bin 20 while still providing elevation of bin 20 . other means for mounting a laundry bin such as bin 20 above a laundry machine are described further hereinafter in connection with fig5 and 6 . whatever attaching means are employed , laundry bin 20 should be elevated above ground level , thereby reducing bending and lifting of laundry . referring now to fig2 a laundry bin unit 40 is shown as a preferred embodiment of the present invention . unit 40 comprises four laundry bins adjacent to each other and sharing common sides 42 . sides 42 are in essence dividers which separate unit 40 into individual compartments . unit 40 is shown in a typical environment mounted against wall 41 at an elevation above working area 44 . working area 44 can comprise a table for receiving laundry upon drop bottom 26 opening , or as shown , can include laundry machinery such as washing machine 46 and drying machine 48 . unit 40 is constructed from masonite ™, a fiberboard having holes 47 incorporated for both ventilation external to and within unit 40 . unit 40 also displays on front panel 37 labels 49 . labels 49 are instruction cards which describe what each bin contains . these descriptions include whites , permanent press , sheets and towels , hand washables , baby clothes , darks , and athletic clothes . labels 49 can also describe washing instructions associated with the different types of clothing , the washing instructions including washing machine settings for water temperature and length of machine cycles for wash and rinse . labels 49 can also describe the amount of detergent to be used in the washing machine , whether to add bleach and the amount of bleach to be used , washing machine settings such as regular cycle or double rinse , and drying machine settings such as length of drying cycle and temperature of drying cycle . referring now to fig3 a laundry bin unit 50 is shown mounted on back wall 51 of closet 53 . unit 50 incorporates drop bottom 26 at an angle 54 . angle 54 is determined by the height of lid 52 of washing machine 46 when the lid is fully extended . angle 54 provides clearance for lid 52 when open without increasing the height at which unit 50 is mounted to wall 51 . without angle 54 , laundry unit 50 would require additional mounting height to clear lid 52 . if laundry unit 50 is mounted too high , it will be difficult for a launderer to reach top end openings 22 . angle 54 is 45 ° relative to vertical , but can also include a range from 30 ° to 60 ° relative to vertical , depending on the particular installation . note that the embodiment of fig2 has the same angle permitting clearance of the laundry machine lid . referring now to fig4 unit 50 is shown having five bins or compartments stretching across closet 53 . the five bins , when sized for a load of laundry , approximate the length of a typical washing machine and drying machine installation . unit 50 can be designed having both fewer and greater numbers of compartments ; for example , if closet 53 is sized so that it can contain only a washing machine 46 , unit 50 would have two bins or compartments . finally , laundry bin units 40 and 50 can be used in conjunction with other laundry accessories to make working area 44 more efficient , one example being units 40 and 50 used in conjunction with a shelf . the shelf can be either mounted below or adjacent to the unit 50 . similarly , clothes rods or other handling devices for clothes can be mounted either below or adjacent to the unit depending upon the space available . also contemplated are embodiments which employ lids for covering the top end opening . referring now to fig5 - 6 , other laundry bins and bin mounting arrangements are depicted for use mounted above a laundry work area that includes laundry machines . in fig5 individual laundry bins 60 are mounted in pairs to a slatted wall board 61 above a washing machine 62 and drying machine 64 . bins 60 are mounted individually adjacent one another rather than as a multiple bin unit in this embodiment since washing machine 62 is spaced apart from drying machine 64 , such as by a utility sink . similar to bin 20 , each of bins 60 include a top end opening 66 and a bottom end opening 68 closable by a normally - closed drop bottom 70 . when drop bottom 70 is fastened closed , laundry bin 60 contains laundry via side panels 72 and 74 , rear panel 76 , front panel 78 , and bottom panel 80 . drop bottom 70 fastens in its closed position by a simple clip 81 . bins 60 are constructed of a 3 / 16 inch steel wire frame having 1 / 8 inch steel wire panels . the wire frame and panels are painted to protect against corrosion and to provide an aesthetically pleasing finish . in fig6 the means for mounting bin 60 to slatted wall board 61 is shown in greater detail . each of bins 60 includes a generally l - shaped hanging member 82 attached to rear panel 76 . wall board 61 includes generally t - shaped grooves 84 extending horizontally across the wall board and formed by corresponding horizontal t - shaped slats 86 . hanging member 82 is slidably received in grooves 84 and restrained in place supported by slats 86 . as such , bins 60 are adjustable lengthwise along grooves 84 while still being supported by wall board 61 . grooves 84 can include vinyl inserts and the like to reduce friction , as well as aluminum inserts for added reinforcement . in one specific embodiment , wall board 61 is constructed of unicut ™ red oak slotwall available from melvin l . cunningham inc ., 6550 guion road , indianapolis , ind . 46268 . also contemplated are other laundry devices having similar l - shaped hanging members for receipt in grooves 84 supported by wall board 61 . for example , hanger rods , towel racks and simple open bins may be supported by wall board 61 adjacent to both bins 60 and laundry machines 62 and 64 . while the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description , the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character , it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected . | 3 |
fig1 - 2 show a first exercise apparatus 2100 constructed according to the principles of the present invention . the exercise apparatus 2100 includes left and right cranks 2120 rotatably connected to a frame by means of a crank shaft and bearing assemblies 2102 . a larger diameter pulley 2122 is keyed to the crank shaft and rotates together with the cranks 2120 about a common crank axis . a belt 2124 connects the pulley 2122 to a smaller diameter pulley 2126 which is rigidly secured to a flywheel 2128 . the pulley 2126 and the flywheel 2128 are rotatably connected to the frame by means of a flywheel shaft and bearing assemblies 2103 . as a result , the pulley 2126 and the flywheel 2128 rotate at a relative faster rotational velocity than the cranks 2120 and pulley 2122 . a conventional resistance device may be connected to the flywheel 2128 to resist rotation thereof . left and right connector links 2130 have intermediate portions which are rotatably connected to radially displaced portions of respective cranks 2120 . the connector links 2130 have first ends which are rotatably connected to first ends of respective rocker links 2140 , and second , opposite ends which are connected to respective foot supporting members or foot links 2150 . the rocker links 2140 have second , opposite ends which are rotatably connected to the frame by means of frame member 2104 . one end of each foot supporting member 2150 is rotatably connected to a respective connector link 2130 , and an opposite end of each foot supporting member 2150 is rotatably connected to an end of a respective floating crank or intermediate link 2160 . an opposite end of each floating crank 2160 is rotatably connected to a distal end of a respective crank 2120 . left and right foot platforms 2155 are mounted on respective foot supporting members 2150 proximate their pivotal connections with respective connector links 2130 . the floating cranks 2160 and pivoting foot supporting members 2150 cooperate to maintain the foot platforms 2155 in relatively favorable orientations throughout an exercise cycle . optional left and right dampers 2170 are rotatably interconnected between frame member 2105 and intermediate portions of respective foot supporting members 2150 . the arrangement is such that the dampers 2170 tend to resist vertical movement of the foot platforms 2155 without unduly interfering with “ over center ” rotation of the cranks 2120 . fig3 a - 3l show a second exercise apparatus 2200 which is constructed according to the principles of the present invention , and which is similar in many respects to the first exercise apparatus 2100 . for ease of illustration and discussion , only one side of the exercise apparatus 2200 is shown ( with the understanding that opposite side counterparts function in similar fashion , but typically one hundred and eighty degrees out of phase with the depicted parts ). the side of the apparatus 2200 shown in fig3 a - 3l is the right side of the apparatus 2200 , meaning that a user will be encouraged to mount the machine 2200 with his toes extending toward the rocker links 2240 . the exercise apparatus 2200 includes left and right cranks rotatably connected to a frame 2210 by means of a crank shaft and bearing assemblies . as shown in fig3 b and 3c , each crank includes ( 1 ) a first crank arm 2223 having a first end rotatably connected to the frame 2210 at crank axis c , and an opposite , second end rotatably connected to a respective connector link 2230 at a respective connector link axis m ; and ( 2 ) a second crank arm 2226 having a first end rotatably connected to the frame 2210 at crank axis c ( via a rigid connection to the second end of the first crank segment 2223 ), and an opposite second end rotatably connected to a respective floating link or intermediate link 2260 at a respective floating crank axis f . various conventional inertial devices and / or resistance devices many be connected to the cranks ( directly or indirectly ) by means known in the art . the left and right connector links 2230 have intermediate portions that are rotatably connected to the distal ends of respective crank arms 2223 . the connector links 2230 have first ends that are rotatably connected to first ends of respective rocker links 2240 , and second , opposite ends that are rotatably connected to respective foot supporting members or foot links 2250 . the rocker links 2240 have second , opposite ends that are rotatably connected to the frame 2210 . those skilled in the art will recognize that the rocker links 2240 may be described as guides that direct the first ends of the connector links 2230 through respective reciprocal paths , and that this function may alternatively be performed by rollers rotatably mounted on the first ends of the connector links 2230 and rollable along a portion of the frame 2210 . a first portion of each foot supporting member 2250 is rotatably connected to a respective connector link 2230 , and a second portion of each foot supporting member 2250 is rotatably connected to an end of a respective floating crank 2260 . as noted above , an opposite end of each floating crank 2260 is rotatably connected to a distal end of a respective crank arm 2226 . left and right foot platforms 2255 are provided on respective foot supporting members 2250 , and are configured to support a person &# 39 ; s respective feet . the machine 2200 operates in the same general manner as the machine 2100 shown in fig1 - 2 . however , the linkage assembly components on the machine 2200 are configured in a somewhat different manner in order to move the foot platforms 2255 in a manner inconsistent with the “ heel rise ” limitation recited in the claims of the aforementioned miller patents . in this regard , fig3 a - 3l show the right side of the machine 2200 as the right crank 2220 is rotated in thirty degree intervals throughout an exercise cycle . the axis m reaches a rearwardmost , 9 : 00 position in fig3 j ; the axis f reaches a rearwardmost position as the axis m rotates clockwise beyond its 10 : 00 orientation shown in fig3 k ; and the right rocker link 2240 pivots to a rearwardmost position as the axis m rotates clockwise beyond the 10 : 00 position shown in fig3 k . as suggested by the reference lines and associated angular measurements ( where h is horizontal or parallel to the floor , and the other dashed line is parallel to the foot supporting surface on the right foot platform 2255 ), the right foot platform 2255 is not experiencing faster heel rise than toe rise at any time between the 8 : 00 position shown in fig3 i and the 1 : 00 position shown in fig3 b . in other words , the heel portion of the foot platform 2255 does not rise faster than the toe portion of the foot platform 2255 as the forward end of the connector link 2230 begins moving forward from a point at a rearward end of its path . fig4 a - 4l show a third exercise apparatus 2300 which is constructed according to the principles of the present invention , and which also accommodates foot motion that is inconsistent with the “ heel rise ” limitation recited in the claims of the aforementioned miller patents . for ease of illustration and discussion , only one side of the exercise apparatus 2300 is shown ( with the understanding that opposite side counterparts function in similar fashion , but typically one hundred and eighty degrees out of phase with the depicted parts ). the side of the apparatus 2300 shown in fig4 a - 4l is the right side of the apparatus 2300 , meaning that a user will be encouraged to mount the machine 2300 with his toes extending toward the rocker links 2340 . the exercise apparatus 2300 includes left and right cranks rotatably connected to a frame 2210 by means of a crank shaft and bearing assemblies . the cranks rotate about a crank axis d relative to the frame 2310 . each crank includes ( 1 ) a first crank arm having a distal end that is rotatably connected to a respective connector link 2330 at a connector link axis n ; and ( 2 ) a second crank arm 2326 having a distal end that rotatably supports a respective roller or intermediate link 2360 at a roller axis r . a crank extension 2329 is rigidly interconnected between the distal end of the second crank arm 2326 and the distal end of the first crank arm to prevent interference between the parts during operation of the machine 2300 . various conventional inertial devices and / or resistance devices many be connected to the cranks ( directly or indirectly ) by means known in the art . the left and right connector links 2330 have rearward ends that are rotatably connected to the distal ends of respective crank extensions 2329 . the connector links 2330 have opposite , forward ends that are rotatably connected to lower ends of respective rocker links 2340 , and intermediate portions that are rotatably connected to respective foot supporting members or foot links 2350 . the rocker links 2340 have opposite , upper ends that are rotatably connected to the frame 2310 . those skilled in the art will recognize that the rocker links 2340 may be described as guides that direct the first ends of the connector links 2330 through respective reciprocal paths , and that this function may alternatively be performed by rollers rotatably mounted on the first ends of the connector links 2330 and rollable along a portion of the frame 2310 . those skilled in the art will also recognize that the rocker links 2340 may be extended upward beyond their pivot axis , in which case , the upper distal ends of the extended rocker links may be configured for use as handlebars to facilitate upper body exercise together with the lower body exercise . a forward portion of each foot supporting member 2350 is rotatably connected to the intermediate portion of a respective connector link 2330 , and a rearward portion of each foot supporting member 2250 is rotatably supported on a respective roller 2360 . as noted above , each roller 2360 is mounted on a respective crank at the distal end of a respective crank arm 2326 . those skilled in the art will recognize that low friction bearing surfaces and / or telescoping assemblies may be substituted for the rollers 2360 without departing from the scope of the present invention . in any event , each foot supporting member 2350 is provided with a foot platform 2355 configured to support a person &# 39 ; s foot . fig4 a - 4l show the right side of the machine 2300 as the right crank 2320 is rotated in thirty degree intervals throughout an exercise cycle . the axes n and r reach a rearwardmost , 9 : 00 position , in fig4 j ; and the right rocker link 2340 pivots to a rearwardmost position as the axes n and r rotate from the 9 : 00 position in fig4 j to the 10 : 00 position in fig4 k . as suggested by the reference lines and associated angular measurements ( where i is horizontal or parallel to the floor , and the other dashed line is parallel to the foot supporting surface on the right foot platform 2355 ), the right foot platform 2355 is not experiencing faster heel rise than toe rise at any time between the 7 : 00 position shown in fig4 h and the 3 : 00 position shown in fig4 d . in other words , the heel portion of the foot platform 2355 does not rise faster than the toe portion of the foot platform 2355 as the forward end of the connector link 2330 begins moving forward from a point at a rearward end of its path . the foregoing disclosure is directed toward specific embodiments and a particular application with the understanding that persons skilled in the art will be able to derive additional embodiments , modifications , and / or features that nonetheless fall within the scope of the present invention . therefore , the scope of the present invention is to be limited only to the extent of the claims which follow . | 0 |
according to the implementation ( s ) of the present technology , various views are illustrated in fig1 - 5 and like reference numerals are being used consistently throughout to refer to like and corresponding parts of the technology for all of the various views and figures of the drawing . also , please note that the first digit ( s ) of the reference number for a given item or part of the technology should correspond to the figure number in which the item or part is first identified . one implementation of the present technology comprising poppet like mechanism responsive to pressure caused by restricted fluid flow teaches a novel apparatus and method for monitoring reduced fluid flow through a filter . the details of the technology as disclosed and various implementations can be better understood by referring to the figures of the drawing . referring to fig1 a and fig1 b , an apparatus for monitoring reduced fluid flow through a filter is shown 100 including an enclosed open ended channel 102 extending from a facing side 104 of a filter 108 to a trailing side 106 of the filter . the distance between the facing side 104 and the trailing side 106 is the distance d identified by 122 . a shuttle piston 110 is shown slidably fitting within the open ended channel and is configured to resistively reciprocate through the open ended channel from the facing side of the filter to the trailing side of the filter responsive to a fluid flow pressure indicative of a predetermined reduction in a fluid flow 112 . the shuttle piston can be configured with a retention tab 124 to retain the shuttle piston . the shuttle piston 110 can be a member such as a ball , a disk or short cylinder , fitting closely within a channel 102 , such as a duct or a tube , in which it freely or resistively reciprocates back and forth from one end of the channel 114 to an opposing end of the channel 116 ( moves up and down ) against or responsive to a liquid or gas flow or pressure . the member &# 39 ; s movement can be similar to that of a piston valve element that moves freely within the tube . when pressure from a fluid is exerted through an opening on one end it pushes the member towards the opposite end . the pressure on the piston valve increases as the fluid flow is restricted due to a filter being contaminated with debris . the resistance to reciprocation from one end to the opposing end can simply be due to the weight and surface area of the member is such that it will only be moved or caused to be reciprocated when a certain level of pressure is present from the fluid flow that is sufficient to move the particular weight . the shuttle piston will have friction between the shuttle piston surface and the interior surface of the channel where the frictional force will resist the relative movement of the shuttle piston . a dry friction interface or a lubricated friction interface can be utilized . other characteristics can be designed into the shuttle piston to resist movement such as a surface of the shuttle piston 118 in contact with the channel &# 39 ; s interior surface 120 can be roughened or uneven or the exterior surface of the shuttle piston can be constructed of a material that causes a resistive frictional force with contacting surfaces . referring to fig2 , the shuttle piston 110 can be sized or configured where a size and a weight of the shuttle piston is based on one or more of a characteristic fluid flow of the filter , an area size of the facing side 104 of the filter , a distance x 204 from the facing side of the filter to the trailing side of the filter and the fluid flow pressure . further , the shuttle piston has a trailing end , and where said trailing end is configured having a predetermined color providing a visual indicator 206 . the direction of airflow 208 is also illustrated . referring to fig3 , one implementation of the technology includes an apparatus for monitoring reduced fluid flow through a filter , which includes an enclosed open ended channel 102 configured to extend a predetermined length l 302 where said predetermined length is sufficient to extend a distance corresponding to a thickness 304 of a predetermined filter size where the filter size can be defined by the thickness 304 and the facing area 305 which faces the oncoming fluid flow 306 . the material density of the filter and the filtration rating of the filter can also be used to define the size or type of filter . for example , a micron rating is the size of particles which are filtered out by filters at a certain efficiency , such as an efficiency that is at least 98 . 6 %, which filters 98 . 6 % of all particles of micron size . the apparatus can include a shuttle piston slidably fitting within said open ended channel and configured to resistively reciprocate through said open ended channel from a facing side 308 of the open ended channel to a trailing side 310 of the open ended channel responsive to a predetermined fluid flow pressure . the size and a weight of the shuttle piston adjusted and configured based on one or more of a characteristic air flow , and the fluid flow pressure . things that can affect air flow and fluid pressure are filtration rating , filter material density , facing area size of a filter and the filter &# 39 ; s thickness . again , the shuttle piston has a trailing end 310 , and where said trailing end can be configured having a predetermined color providing a visual indicator . when using the technology as disclosed herein with airflow systems , there can be many variations to the air filter design and material configurations being utilized . the design and material configuration variations combined with the variations of efficiencies , flow rates , and merv , will cause variations in the size and construction of the air flow monitor . for example , the size and construction of the monitor can vary depending upon the construction , material , and depth of pleat of an air filter and can vary depending upon air flow in cfm . each filter will need to have a flow monitor made to the filter &# 39 ; s unique construction and unique air flow system environment . the size of the air flow monitor will also be dependent upon the construction of the monitor , and it &# 39 ; s resistance to movement . the air flow monitor measures pressure drop , or static pressure . this pressure drop is the amount of resistance as measured in inches of water ( w . g .). when air moves through an air filter , the filter itself impedes the air flow . as the air filter becomes dirty / clogged the air flow becomes increasingly more impeded . this increases the pressure drop . refer to the graphical illustration in fig5 . energy consumption is a large portion of the cost of operating an airflow system , and pressure drop is an indication of higher energy consumption , which can be caused by a dirty filter . the filter should be changed at the correct time to maintain the operating efficiency of the airflow system . the timing of a filter change depends upon the operating efficiency , which can be determined based upon the pressure drop . energy consumption for an air flow system is based on air flow rate ( m 3 / sec ), average pressure loss , time in operation and fan efficiency . for example , based upon a 500 cfm air flow rate , and a 20 ″× 20 ″ filter , with a clean static pressure of 0 . 2 w . g . and a dirty static pressure of 0 . 8 w . g ., an flow monitor with a 1 ″ radius can be recommended . also , as previously stated , the airflow monitor may vary depending on the construction of the filter . referring to fig4 a and fig4 b , a method for monitoring reduced fluid flow through a filter is illustrated including , extending 402 an enclosed open ended channel 404 extending from a facing side of a filter 406 through to a trailing side of the filter 408 , where said enclosed open ended channel includes a shuttle piston 410 slidably fitting within said open ended channel and configured to resistively reciprocate through 412 said open ended channel from the facing side of the filter to the trailing side of the filter responsive to a fluid flow pressure indicative of a predetermined reduction in a fluid flow 414 . the method can include laterally installing the filter in a duct where the facing side of the filter is orthogonally oriented with respect to a direction of the fluid flow 416 . when the filter becomes contaminated , the rate of fluid flow through the filter will be reduced 414 thereby increasing the pressure at the filter and can even cause the filter to buckle 418 due to increased pressure at the filter . when the pressure has reached a predetermined level , which is sufficient to cause the shuttle piston to reciprocate to the trailing side of the filter thereby providing an indicator that the filter should be removed . the method includes the step of removing and replacing the filter if the shuttle piston has reciprocated to the trailing side of the filter . the method provides an indicator indicative of the filter needing replacement . this can be accomplished by placing a predetermined color on a trailing end of the shuttle piston thereby providing a visual indicator . fig6 a is a cross - sectional side view of another apparatus 600 for monitoring reduced fluid flow through a filter ( e . g ., filter 108 , 406 ) showing the apparatus 600 in a first state . the apparatus 600 may include a housing 610 . the housing 610 may include an outer wall 612 and a trailing wall 614 . the outer wall 612 may be sized and shaped to fit within an enclosed open ended channel ( e . g ., channel 102 , 404 ) of the filter ( e . g ., filter 108 , 406 ). thus , although not shown in the cross - sectional side view of fig6 a , the outer wall 612 may be substantially circular , rectangular , or the like . the outer wall 612 may be secured within the enclosed open ended channel via a friction fit , an adhesive , a fastening device ( e . g ., a screw or bolt ), or the like . the outer wall 612 and / or the trailing wall 614 may be substantially rigid . for example , the outer wall 612 and / or the trailing wall 614 may be made from cardboard , plastic , wood , metal , a composite material , or the like . a rod 620 may be positioned at least partially within the housing 610 . the rod 620 may be positioned within ( e . g ., radially - inward from ) the outer wall 612 and extend through an opening in the trailing wall 614 . the rod 620 may extend through a first guide 630 and / or a second guide 632 . the first guide 630 may be on a facing side of the apparatus 600 , and the second guide 632 may be on a trailing side of the apparatus 600 . for example , the second guide 632 may be coupled to the trailing wall 614 . the rod 620 may be able to move axially within the guide ( s ) 630 , 632 , as described below . the rod 620 is shown in a first position in fig6 a . the rod 620 may have one or more retainers 622 coupled thereto or integral therewith . the retainer 622 may be on a first side of the trailing wall 614 when the rod 620 is in the first position . the retainer 622 may be or include barbs that prevent the rod 620 from moving back through the trailing wall 614 and / or the second guide 632 and into the first position , as described below . a membrane 640 may be coupled to the rod 620 ( e . g ., at a fixed point 642 ) and the housing 610 . as shown , the membrane 640 may be coupled to and extend ( e . g ., radially ) between the rod 620 and the outer wall 612 . the membrane 640 may be made of paper , plastic , fiber , or the like . the membrane 640 may be more flexible than the housing 610 . fluid ( e . g ., air ) may be unable to flow through the membrane 640 . in operation , the apparatus 600 may be inserted into the channel ( e . g ., channel 102 , 404 ) of the filter ( e . g ., filter 108 , 406 ). fluid ( e . g ., air ) may then flow through the filter in a direction 602 from the facing side to the trailing side . the rod 620 may be in the first position , as shown in fig6 a , when the filter is considered clean . over time , as the filter becomes increasingly dirty / clogged with particles , the fluid flow through the filter becomes increasingly more impeded . this increases the pressure drop across the filter , as shown in fig5 . fig6 b is a side view of the apparatus 600 in a second state . when the pressure drop exceeds a predetermined amount , the membrane 640 may move ( e . g ., expand or inflate ) in the direction of the fluid flow 602 , as shown in fig6 b . more particularly , the pressure drop may exert a force on the membrane 640 , causing the membrane 640 to move ( e . g ., expand or inflate ) in the direction of the fluid flow 602 . in at least one implementation , the membrane 640 may stretch when expanding / inflating . in another implementation , the membrane 640 may not stretch when expanding / inflating ( e . g ., like a sail ). as used herein , “ stretch ” refers to elongating or extending . the movement of the membrane 640 may move ( e . g ., pull ) the rod 620 in the direction of the fluid flow 602 into a second position , as shown in fig6 b . in at least one implementation , the rod 620 may be configured to reciprocate through the open ended channel from the facing side of the filter to the trailing side of the filter responsive to a fluid flow pressure that is indicative of a predetermined reduction in a fluid flow through the filter . the rod 620 being in the second position may indicate that the filter is dirty / clogged and should be cleaned or replaced . the retainer 622 may be on a second side of the trailing wall 614 when the rod 620 is in the second position . the retainer 622 may secure the rod 620 in the second position . more particularly , after the retainer 622 passes through the trailing wall 614 and / or guide 632 in the direction 602 , the retainer 622 may not pass back through the trailing wall 614 and / or the guide 632 in the opposing direction . the various implementations and examples shown above illustrate a method and system for monitoring fluid flow through a filter . a user of the present method and system may choose any of the above implementations , or an equivalent thereof , depending upon the desired application . in this regard , it is recognized that various forms of the subject filter monitoring method and system could be utilized without departing from the intent of the present implementation . as is evident from the foregoing description , certain aspects of the present implementation are not limited by the particular details of the examples illustrated herein , and it is therefore contemplated that other modifications and applications , or equivalents thereof , will occur to those skilled in the art . it is accordingly intended that the claims shall cover all such modifications and applications that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present implementation . accordingly , the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense . certain systems , apparatus , applications or processes are described herein as including a number of modules . a module may be a unit of distinct functionality that may be presented in software , hardware , or combinations thereof . when the functionality of a module is performed in any part through software , the module includes a computer - readable medium . the modules may be regarded as being communicatively coupled . the inventive subject matter may be represented in a variety of different implementations of which there are many possible permutations . the methods described herein do not have to be executed in the order described , or in any particular order . moreover , various activities described with respect to the methods identified herein can be executed in serial or parallel fashion . in the foregoing detailed description , it can be seen that various features are grouped together in a single implementation for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure . this method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed implementations require more features than are expressly recited in each claim . rather , as the following claims reflect , inventive subject matter may lie in less than all features of a single disclosed implementation . thus , the following claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description , with each claim standing on its own as a separate implementation . the various filter monitoring examples shown above illustrate a novel apparatus and method . a user of the present technology may choose any of the above implementations , or an equivalent thereof , depending upon the desired application . in this regard , it is recognized that various forms of the subject filter could be utilized without departing from the scope of the present technology as disclosed . as is evident from the foregoing description , certain aspects of the present technology as disclosed are not limited by the particular details of the examples illustrated herein , and it is therefore contemplated that other modifications and applications , or equivalents thereof , will occur to those skilled in the art . it is accordingly intended that the claims shall cover all such modifications and applications that do not depart from the scope of the present technology as disclosed . other aspects , objects and advantages of the present technology can be obtained from a study of the drawings , the disclosure and the appended claims . | 6 |
fig1 is a side view in partial section of outdoor lighting apparatus 10 of the present invention . fig1 a is an enlarged view in partial section taken generally from circle 1 a of fig1 and fig2 is an exploded view of the apparatus 10 of fig1 . for the following discussion , reference will be made to fig1 a , and 2 . in fig1 the outdoor lighting apparatus 10 is shown disposed partially in the ground and partially disposed on and above ground level 2 . the outdoor lighting apparatus 10 includes a ground post 12 , a fixture 20 , an upper post or lens diffuser 30 , and a cylindrical outer post or housing 40 . the ground post 12 is preferably of circular configuration and made of nonconductive material , such as pvc . pvc has advantages in that it is not only nonconductive , but is also virtually impervious to deterioration by weather , sun , etc . the ground post 12 includes a top rim 14 which is disposed a relatively short distance above the surface 2 of the soil or ground 4 . the post 12 also includes a bottom rim 16 . as shown in fig1 and 2 , the bottom rim 16 comprises a slant cut . however , this slant cut is an optional feature and the bottom rim may be generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the ground post , if desired . the top rim 14 is preferably generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the ground post 12 . the fixture 20 is disposed on the top rim 14 . the fixture 20 includes a base 22 with a radially outwardly extending flange 24 . the flange 24 extends radially outwardly from the base and is disposed on the rim 14 . the outer diameter of the flange 24 is preferably about the same as the outer diameter of the post 12 and the diffuser 30 . extending upwardly from the base 22 is a lamp 26 . the lamp 26 is illustrated as a flourescent fixture , and is well known and understood in the art . a fluorescent fixture has advantages , such as low power consumption for the amount of light output . however , an incandescent bulb , or any other type of lamp may also be used . extending from the base 22 are electrical conductors 28 . extending upwardly from the base and disposed on the flange 24 , is the upper post or lens diffuser 30 . the upper post or lens diffuser 30 includes a lower rim 32 which is disposed on the flange 24 . the upper post or lens diffuser 30 may include a slanted upper rim 34 , as illustrated . secured to the slanted upper rim 34 is a lens cover 50 . if the diffuser 30 is located entirely within the outer housing 40 , the diffuser need only be reflective is , however , the diffuser 30 will be seen through the outer housing 40 , as illustrated and discussed below for fig5 a , 5 b , 5 c , 5 d , and 5 e , and fig6 a , 6 b , 6 c , and 6 d , then the diffuser is preferably translucent . disposed about the post or lens diffuser 30 is an outer post or housing 40 . the outer post or housing 40 includes a bottom rim 42 which is disposed on the surface or ground level 2 . the housing 40 also includes a slanted upper rim 44 which is aligned with the slanted upper rim 34 of the upper post or lens diffuser 30 . the outer post or housing 40 may be appropriately secured to the ground post 12 by appropriate fasteners , such as screws ( not shown ). the outer post 40 may also be appropriately secured to the upper post or lens diffuser by similar , appropriate , fastening elements ( not shown ). the lens and cover 50 may also be appropriately secured to the upper post or lens diffuser 30 and to the outer post housing 40 by appropriate fastening elements or means . the outer post or housing 40 is also preferably made out of a nonconductive material , such as pvc , for the same reasons as discussed above for the ground post 12 . the upper post or lens diffuser 30 and the lens cover 50 are preferably made of polycarbonate , or the like , to provide for the desired properties or qualities with respect to the lamp 26 and also for strength purposes . the angles of the slant cuts on the upper post or lens diffuser 30 in the outer post or housing 40 may be as desired with respect to the direction of the light propagation . the configuration of the lens 50 is also in accordance with the desired direction of the light propagation . thus , if desired , the slant cut may be essentially zero , or substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the respective posts , if it is desired to direct the light substantially upwardly , and perhaps outwardly . in such case , the lens 50 may have a concave outer configuration to diffuse the light both upwardly and outwardly . a pair of conduits 60 and 64 are shown in fig1 in the ground 2 and extending upwardly into the bore of the post 12 . electrical supply conductors 62 and 66 extend from the conduits to connect with fixture electrical conductors 28 . fig3 is a view in partial section of an optional weed guard or stabilizer 80 illustrated as disposed about the ground post 12 . the surface of the ground 2 is indicated in fig3 . the weed guard or stabilizer 80 includes a base 82 . the base 82 may include apertures , such as an aperture 84 , for receiving a peg or anchor for securing the weed guard and stabilizer 80 to the ground . in the alternative , the base may be appropriately secured directly to the post 12 . a boss 86 extends upwardly from the base 82 . the boss 86 includes a top rim 88 . a bore 90 extends through both the base 82 and the boss 86 . the ground post 12 extends through the bore 90 . if the apparatus 80 is secured to the post 12 , typically a screw will extend through the boss 86 into the post . in usage , the rim 88 receives the outer post or housing 40 ( see fig1 and 2 ) rather than having the bottom of the outer post or housing 40 disposed on the surface 2 of the ground 4 , as illustrated in fig1 . the purpose of the weed guard or stabilizer 80 is simply to provide extra stability and protection for the apparatus 10 . the weed guard and stabilizer 80 thus prevents a lawn mower , etc ., from directly bumping or hitting the apparatus 10 and provides an extra degree of protection and stability for the apparatus 10 . an alternate embodiment of the apparatus 10 is illustrated in fig4 . fig4 is a view , partially broken away , of a flush mount apparatus 100 . the flush mount apparatus 100 includes a base 102 with a generally flat bottom 104 adapted to be disposed on the surface 2 of the ground or on any appropriate relatively flat surface , such as a deck , etc . extending through the base is shown a pair of apertures 106 . the apertures are shown in dash / dot line . the apertures receive appropriate pegs , or anchor pins , or the like , for securing the apparatus 100 to the surface on which it is disposed . extending upwardly from the base 102 is a relatively short boss 108 . extending upwardly from the boss 108 is a post 110 . the post 110 terminates in a top rim 112 . extending through the base 102 , the boss 108 , and the post 110 is a bore 114 . the bore 114 receives the conductors , and perhaps the upper portion of the conduits , such as illustrated in fig1 . the top rim 112 receives the flange 24 of the fixture 20 , as shown in fig1 . the diffuser is then disposed on the top of the flange 24 , as indicated above and as illustrated in fig1 and 2 . the outer diameter of the boss 108 is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the outer post or housing 40 , and accordingly the outer post housing 40 is disposed on a top surface 109 of the boss 108 . for convenience of illustration , a portion of the flush mount apparatus 100 is shown cut away and the cut away portion is cross hatched for plastic material . thus , the apparatus 100 is , like the apparatus 100 , the apparatus 80 , etc ., preferably made out of pvc , or the like , so as to be resistant to damage by ultraviolet radiation from the sun , and relatively impervious to water damage , as well as being nonconductive . fig5 a , 5 b , 5 c , 5 d , and 5 e comprise alternate embodiments of the outer post or housing 40 of fig1 and 2 . they illustrate different lighting effects which may be achieved by varying the configuration of the outer post 40 . these figures may be contrasted with the apparatus 10 of fig1 and 2 . note that only the above ground portions of the respective lighting apparatuses are shown in fig5 a - 5e and also in fig6 a - 6d . in fig5 a , an outer post 130 is shown disposed about the lower portion of a diffuser 132 . the diffuser 132 is translucent . the diffuser 132 includes a slanted top rim which receives a lens , as discussed above in fig1 and 2 . it will be noted that all of the embodiments of fig5 a - 5e include slanted top rims . in fig5 b , an outer post is shown divided into two portions , a lower portion 140 and an upper portion 142 . the two portions 140 and 142 are spaced apart so that a portion of a translucent diffuser 144 is exposed between them . in fig5 c , the outer post is divided into a lower portion 150 and an upper portion 158 . between the top portion 150 and 158 are three spaced apart ring segments 152 , 154 , and 156 . a translucent diffuser 160 allows light to shine outwardly from between the respective outer portions . in fig5 d , an outer post 170 includes a slant cut rim 172 , with a diffuser 174 extending upwardly from the outer post 170 . the diffuser 174 includes a slat cut rim 176 at which is located a lens . in fig5 e , a longer outer post 180 is shown , again with a slant cut rim 182 , as compared with the outer post 170 of fig5 d . thus , a relatively shorter length of translucent diffuser 184 is exposed . the diffuser 184 also includes a slant cut upper rim 186 , as does the diffuser 174 . while the outdoor light fixtures of fig1 , and 5 a - 5 e are shown with slant cut upper rims , the light fixtures of fig6 a - 6d illustrate flat topped appearing fixtures but with different configurations of outer posts to produce different visual effects . fig6 a shows a relatively short outer post 200 with a rim 202 which is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the post 200 . a diffuser 204 extends upwardly from the post 200 and terminates in a rim 206 which is also perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the post 200 and the diffuser 204 . a lens ( not shown ) is disposed on the diffuser generally perpendicular to the noted longitudinal axis . in fig6 b , an outer post is divided into two spaced apart portions 210 and 214 , with a diffuser 218 showing between the two portions . the rims of the outer post portions are square cut , or generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the cylinder portions 210 and 214 and the diffuser 218 . the rims include rim 212 on the lower cylinder 210 and a top rim 216 and a bottom rim 217 on the upper cylinder portion 214 . the three rims are thus parallel to each other . in fig6 c , an outer post is divided into two major portions , spaced apart from each other , with three rings disposed between the two major portions . the rings are also spaced apart from each other and from their respective adjacent major portions . a lower major outer post portion 230 includes a square cut upper rim 232 . an upper major outer post 234 includes a square cut upper rim 236 and a square cut lower rim 238 . a translucent diffuser 240 is shown between the rims 232 and 238 , spaced apart from each other and the rims 232 and 238 are three rings 242 , 244 , and 246 . the rings 242 , 244 , and 246 are also oriented “ squarely ” or generally perpendicularly to the longitudinal axes of the respective post portions 230 and 234 and of the diffuser 240 . in fig6 d , an outer post 250 includes a slant cut rim 252 . the maximum height of the outer post 250 is less than the height of a diffuser 254 . the diffuser 254 includes a “ square ” rim 256 . the effect of the two different geometric angles is different from any of the other illustrated embodiments . while the drawing figures show circular cylindrical posts and diffusers , it is obvious that other configurations may also be used . square , rectangular , triangular , and other shapes may provide different lighting effects . moreover , while pvc has been described as a preferred material for the post elements , other materials may also be used , such as aluminum , other plastics , etc . while the principles of the invention have been made clear in illustrative embodiments , there will be immediately obvious to those skilled in the art many modifications of structure , arrangement , proportions , the elements , materials , and components used in the practice of the invention , and otherwise , which are particularly adapted to specific environments and operative requirements without departing from those principles . the appended claims are intended to cover and embrace any and all such modifications , within the limits only of the true spirit and scope of the invention . | 5 |
the detailed description and examples will illustrate specific embodiments of the invention will enable one skilled in the art to practice the invention , including the best mode . it is contemplated that many equivalent embodiments of the invention will be operable besides these specifically disclosed . all units are in the metric system and all percentages are percentages by weight unless otherwise specified . although other fatty acid esters are useful in formulating the corrosion inhibiting compositions , preferably the fatty acid ester is a sorbitan ester of a saturated fatty acid having from 16 to 18 carbon atoms . most preferably , the sorbitan fatty acid ester is selected from the group consisting of sorbitan monostearate , sorbitan monopalmitate , sorbitan monooleate , sorbitan sesquioleate , and mixtures thereof . examples of suitable sorbitan fatty acid esters are sold under the following trademarks : span 60 and arlacel 60 ( sorbitan monostearate ), span 40 and arlacel 40 ( sorbitan monopalmitate ), span 80 and arlacel 80 ( sorbitan monooleate ), and arlacel c and arlacel 83 ( sorbitan sesquioleate ). particularly useful as the polyalkylene glycol in formulating the corrosion inhibiting composition are polyethylene glycol , polypropylene glycol , and mixtures thereof , most preferably polyethylene glycol . the polyethylene glycols that are useful in formulating the corrosion inhibiting compositions are prepared according to well known methods , and have an average molecular weight of 200 to 1000 , more preferably from about 300 to 600 , most preferably about 400 . examples of commercially available polyethylene glycols include the carbowax sentry line of polyethylene glycols from dow chemical . the weight ratio of the fatty ester to polyalkylene glycol is typically from about 1 : 1 to 10 : 1 , preferably from about 2 : 1 to about 5 : 1 more preferably about 5 : 1 . the dosage of the corrosion inhibiting composition typically ranges from about 1 ppm to about 200 ppm , preferably from 1 ppm to 60 ppm . in steam and steam condensate treatment we will use 1 to 3 ppm . based upon the amount of active components ( 1 ) and ( 2 ) in the corrosion inhibiting composition . the compositions may contain one or more optional components , for instance thickeners and preservatives . peg polyethylene glycol sold under the trade name carbowax sentry polyethylene glycol nf by dow chemical sme sorbitan monoester of stearic acid , sold by ici under the trade name span 60 . pag - sme oxyethylene adduct of sme prepared by reacting about 20 moles of ethylene oxide with sme , sold under the trade name tween 60 , which is used in the corrosion inhibiting compositions of u . s . pat . no . 5 , 849 , 220 . while the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment , those skilled in the art will understand that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention . in addition , many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof . therefore , it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention , but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims . in this application all units are in the metric system and all amounts and percentages are by weight , unless otherwise expressly indicated . these examples compare sme alone and peg alone to a mixture of sme and peg at a weight ratio of 5 to 1 . the results are summarized in table i . these examples illustrate the synergistic effect of using a mixture of sme and peg rather than sme or peg alone . these examples compare a mixture of sme and peg to a mixture of sme and pag - sme , which is described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 849 , 220 . these examples indicate that the mixture of sme and peg at a 5 : 1 ratio is more effective than the mixture of sme and pag - sme at the same dosage in reducing corrosion . these examples illustrate the effectiveness of a mixture of sme and peg at different ratios of sme to peg . examples 3 - 4 illustrate the effect of using different ratios of sme to peg . the data indicate that the ratio of about 5 : 1 performs the best . the foaming properties of the corrosion inhibiting compositions were also evaluated by a modified “ ross - miles foam test ”. this compares the foaming tendencies of different products or surfactants in water at various temperatures . the method was used to demonstrate / evaluate foaming tendency of products / treatment dosages . 1 . 500 ml . of water ( the water should be representative of the system 1 ) was added to a 1000 ml . graduated cylinder having a cylinder diameter 65 mm . then 18 . 0 ppm ortho phosphate is added to the cylinder as a buffer . the resulting ph was about 10 . 3 and the test was carried out at a temperature of 66 ° c .- 67 ° c . 1 experimental boiler water treated with caustic and sodium phosphate . 2 . the recommended treatment dosage was added to 500 ml . of the water sample from step # 1 to measure foaming tendency . 3 . then cylinder with contents is shaken vertically at the specified temperature ten times ( the times shaken equals the number of cycles ). after the tenth time , the initial foam height ( t = 0 ) is recorded in ml then the foam level at t = 5 minutes and t = 30 minutes is recorded . whether the foam broke in less than a five minute interval is also noted . in these examples , the foaming properties of a mixture of sme and peg was compared to a mixture of sme and pag - sme as described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 849 , 220 . the test conditions and results of the foaming test are summarized in table iv . the foam was measured after 10 cycles . the test results indicate that the composition containing the mixture of sme and peg produced less foam than the prior art composition . this is significant because it is anticipated that , in many systems , small quantities of the corrosion inhibiting composition will return to the boiler with the steam condensate . if it induces foaming , the foam will carry boiler water with its attendant dissolved solids through the steam - water separation equipment typically in the boiler drum . these impurities in the steam typically deposit in downstream equipment and cause damage such as unbalanced turbines , blocked valves and the like as well as corrosion . consequently , minimal foaming tendency is desired . | 2 |
a keeper for coiled items in accordance with the present invention comprises an elongated strap 2 of flexible material having a plurality of fibrous loop elements 4 throughout one surface 6 of the strap 2 and a plurality of fibrous hook elements 8 throughout the opposite surface 10 of the strap 2 . the coil keeper in accordance with this invention may be used with any item that is gathered up into a coil or bundle when not in use , such as an electrical cord , a garden hose or the like . the construction may be the same for all , differing only in size . for purposes of description , reference in this specification will be made to use of the coil keeper with an electrical cord 12 . the coil keeper in accordance with this invention is secured to the electrical cord 12 by a two part interlock 14 comprising a longitudinally extending slot 16 and a laterally extending opposed pair of notches 18 and 20 extending inwardly from opposite side edges 22 and 24 of the strap 2 at a pre - determined spaced apart distance from the intermediate point 26 of the longitudinally extending slot 16 . such pre - determined spaced apart distance is substantially equal to the outer circumference of the electrical cord 12 which is to be received within a loop 28 to be formed in the strap 2 between the longitudinal slot 16 and the laterally extending notches 18 and 20 . when the loop 28 is formed , it fits snugly against and around the electrical cord 12 to keep the strap 2 secured thereto when the cord 12 is uncoiled and in use . the longitudinally extending slot 16 has a longitudinal dimension somewhat greater than the cross - sectional dimension of the strap 2 . a pair of relatively short laterally extending opposed slots 30 and 32 extend outwardly from longitudinal slot 16 at its intermediate point 26 for the respective opposed notches 18 and 20 to intermesh with when loop 28 is formed . when the opposed notches 18 and 20 are intermeshed with the opposed laterally extending slots 30 and 32 , the loop 28 is locked in place and can be neither loosened nor tightened until the strap 2 is twisted in such a way as to release the opposed notches 18 and 20 from the opposed laterally extending slots 30 and 32 . after use of the electrical cord 12 has been completed , it is rolled into a coil 34 as shown in fig5 partially in section , and the strap 2 is wrapped around the coil . the free end 36 of the strap 2 is brought far enough around to overlap a portion of the opposite end region 38 of the strap 2 . at such time , one of the surfaces 6 having the loops 4 or 10 having the hooks 8 of the overlapped free end portion 36 is facing the opposite surface of strap 2 of the overlapped portion of the opposite end region 38 . thus , as shown in fig5 when strap 2 is wrapped around the coil 34 with surface 6 having fibrous loops 4 facing outwardly , the overlapping portion of free end 36 has surface 10 with fibrous hooks 8 facing inwardly to releasably interconnect with fibrous loops 4 on surface 6 which are facing outwardly along the overlapped portion of opposite end region 38 . the fibrous loops 4 and hooks 8 releasably interconnect when pressed into contact with each other to hold the opposite end regions of strap 2 together . when free end 36 of strap 2 is pulled away from the overlapped portion of opposite end region 38 , the fibrous loops 4 and hooks 8 release , thereby opening the large loop 40 formed by strap 2 which extends laterally around the gathered loops 42 of the electrical cord 12 that make up the coil 34 . the electrical cord 12 can then be uncoiled for use . when electrical cord 12 is uncoiled for use , the strap 2 remains attached to electrical cord 12 by means of the interlocked loop 28 . it is thereby available on the electrical cord 12 for use in forming the releasably interconnected large loop 40 to extend around the gathered loops 42 when cord 12 is coiled up for storage and to hold such coil 34 together until the electrical cord 12 is again put in use . as stated above , the coil keeper in accordance with this invention can be used with any item that is rolled up into a coil when not in use and uncoiled when put to use . the strap 2 may be any desired length . the interlockable loop 28 may be any desired size to fit snugly around whatever item the coil keeper is to be used with , by appropriate spacing of the notches 18 and 20 from the intermediate point 26 at which lateral slots 30 and 32 intersect longitudinal slot 16 . the strap 2 may have more than one pair of notches 18 and 20 , each pair spaced at different distances from the intermediate point 26 at which lateral slots 30 and 32 intersect longitudinal slot 16 . fig6 illustrates a modification of that kind , in which strap 2 has a first pair of opposed notches 18 and 20 spaced apart a first predetermined distance from intermediate point 26 , and a second pair of opposed notches 180 and 200 spaced apart a second and farther predetermined distance from intermediate point 26 to fit snugly around a larger diameter item when interlockable loop 28 is formed by intermeshing opposed notches 180 and 200 in lateral slots 30 and 32 . another modified form of the keeper in accordance with this invention is shown in fig7 . the strap 2 has fibrous loops 4 on and extending throughout its surface 6 from its end 36 to its opposite end 38 , and fibrous hooks 8 on and extending throughout its opposite surface 10 from its end 36 to its opposite end 38 . the fibrous loops 4 are releasably interconnectable with fibrous hooks 8 when brought into facing relationship and pressed together . by providing such loops 4 and hooks 8 throughout the entire length of the strap 2 on opposite sides from end to end , the strap 2 can be twisted at any intermediate portion to bring loops 4 on surface 6 into facing relationship with hooks 8 on surface 10 to form a small loop 28 having a peripheral circumference corresponding to that of an electrical cord 12 or other item such as a garden hose and the like , to hold the strap snugly in place thereon . the elongated portions of strap 2 which extend outwardly from the twisted portion that forms the small loop 28 can then be brought around to form a larger loop 40 to laterally surround the gathered loops of a coil of electrical cord 12 or other coiled item . the end 38 of strap 2 is brought around to overlap a portion of strap 2 which extends inwardly from its end 36 . at such time as shown in fig7 surface 6 having loops 4 extending inwardly from end 36 is in facing relationship with surface 10 having hooks 8 on the overlapping portion of strap 2 which extends inwardly thereof from end 38 . the overlapped portions are pressed together whereby the hooks 8 and loops 4 releasably interconnect to hold the large loop in place to keep a coil of electrical cord or other item together in the coil until it is desired to release . when the large loop 40 is released by separating the overlapped portions extending inwardly from ends 36 and 38 of the strap 2 , the small loop 28 remains intact to retain the strap 2 on a portion of the electrical cord or other item until it is desired to use again to form large loop 40 to keep the electrical cord together in a coil . | 8 |
embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 to 3 show changes of a pattern in case where a minute step exists in the vicinity of a pattern corner portion . fig4 to 6 show changes of a pattern in case where no minute step exists in the vicinity of the pattern corner portion . fig1 to 3 show examples in which no minute step exist in the vicinity of the pattern corner portion , fig1 shows a finished pattern shape 12 on a wafer to a design pattern 11 , fig2 shows a mask pattern shape 13 after opc and fig3 shows a finished pattern shape 14 on the wafer after opc . fig4 to 6 show examples in which a minute step exists in the vicinity of the pattern corner portion and fig4 shows the finished pattern shape 12 on the wafer to the design pattern 11 , fig5 shows a mask pattern shape 13 after opc and fig6 shows a finished pattern shape 14 on the wafer after opc . because if no minute step exists as shown in fig1 to 3 , edge division can be implemented to a predetermined position with the corner portion as a starting point , the finished planar shape of the corner portion on the wafer can be finished as desired . to the contrary , if a minute step exists in the vicinity of the corner portion , as shown in fig4 to 6 , the minute step is regarded identical to the corner portion under a conventional method . therefore , the edge cannot be divided at a predetermined position due to the existence of the minute step . as a result , no predetermined shape can be obtained on the wafer , thereby reducing yield rate of the device and mask production . then , according to this embodiment , a design rule is formed so as to exclude such a minute step at the design stage as described below . that is , explaining with reference to a flow chart shown in fig7 , 1 . extracting a corner portion ( vertex ) of a design pattern ( step s 11 ) 2 . extracting an edge extended from the extracted corner portion ( step s 12 ) 3 . measuring the length of the extracted edge ( step s 13 ) 4 . determining the length of the measured edge ( step s 14 ) 5 . if it is determined that the length of the measured edge is shorter than a predetermined value ( when it is determined that it is a minute step ), that is , if the determination result is yes , it is recognized that the design rule is violated ( step s 14 ) and error is outputted . here , the predetermined value mentioned here is less than a minimum value which limits the design pattern . then , by reshaping the pattern of a portion which is determined to be an error , the minute step of the design pattern is excluded ( step s 15 ). next , whether or not all corner portions are extracted is determined ( step s 16 ) and if the result is yes , this procedure is finished . if the determination result is no , the procedure returns to step s 11 for extracting the corner portion of the design pattern . if the determination result is no in step s 14 for determining the length of the extracted edge , whether or not all the corner portions are extracted is determined ( step s 17 ) and if the determination result is yes , this procedure is finished . if the determination result is no , the procedure returns to step s 11 for extracting the corner portion of the design pattern . in the above - described steps , the design pattern is corrected . then , process proximity effect correction is carried out on the design pattern corrected in such a way and a mask is manufactured with the design pattern which has undergone the process proximity effect correction . next , a second embodiment of the invention in which edge division is carried out without affecting the edge division even if a minute step exists in a design pattern will be described with reference to a flow chart of fig8 . 1 - 4 . step s 21 to step s 24 which are the same as step s 11 to step s 14 of the first embodiment are carried out . 5 . if it is determined that the length of the edge is shorter than a predetermined value in step s 24 ( when it is determined to be a minute step ), that is , the determination result is yes , the extracted corner portion ( vertex constituting the minute step ) is not adopted as an edge division start point ( step s 25 ). 6 . if the determination result is no in step s 24 , the extracted corner portion is adopted as an edge division start point ( step s 27 ). 7 . a correction value is allocated for each division unit of the edge and resize is made corresponding to the correction value ( step s 28 ). next , whether or not all corner portions are extracted is determined ( step s 29 ) and if the result is yes , this procedure is finished . if the determination result is no , the procedure returns to step s 21 for extracting the corner portion of the design pattern . if the determination result is yes in step s 24 for determining the length of the extracted edge and the extracted corner portion is not adopted as an edge division start point ( step s 25 ), whether or not all the corner portions are extracted is determined ( step s 26 ) and if the determination result is yes , this procedure is finished . if the determination result is no , the procedure returns to step s 21 for extracting the corner portion of the design pattern . in the above - described steps , the process proximity effect correction is carried out to the design pattern . then , a mask is manufactured with the design pattern which has undergone process proximity effect correction . next , a method for forming a new design pattern by excluding a minute step existing in a design pattern will be described with reference to a flow chart of fig9 . according to this method , following steps are executed . 1 . extracting a corner portion of a design pattern ( step s 31 ) 2 . extracting an edge extended from the extracted corner portion ( step s 32 ) 3 . measuring the length of the extracted edge ( step s 33 ) 4 . determining the length of the extracted edge ( step s 34 ) 5 . if it is determined that the length of the edge is short ( when determined to be a minute step ), coordinates of two vertexes constituting those edges are extracted ( step s 35 ). 6 . the design pattern is reshaped such that the coordinates of the extracted two vertexes coincide each other ( step s 36 ). next , whether or not all corner portions are extracted is determined ( step s 37 ) and if the result is yes , this procedure is finished . if the determination result is no , the procedure returns to step s 31 for extracting the corner portion of the design pattern . if the determination result is no in step s 34 for determining the length of the extracted edge , whether or not all the corner portions are extracted is determined ( step s 38 ) and if the determination result is yes , this procedure is finished . if the determination result is no , the procedure returns to step s 31 for extracting the corner portion of the design pattern . in the above - described steps , a design pattern excluding the minute step is formed . then , the process proximity effect correction is carried out to the formed design pattern and a mask is manufactured using the design pattern which has undergone the process proximity effect correction . fig1 shows a design pattern formed according to a conventional method , namely , a design pattern before the correction of this embodiment is carried out , and fig1 shows an example of the design pattern formed by correction according to this embodiment . fig1 shows the above - mentioned corrected flow chart . as for the design pattern of fig1 , a corner portion q of a pattern 31 is extracted ( step 41 ), and two edges qp and qr extended from the corner portion q are extracted ( step 42 ). the lengths of the two extracted edges qp and qr are measured ( step 43 ). if the lengths of both the qp and qr are a predetermined value or less , it is determined that this portion is a minute step ( step 44 ). two vertex coordinates p and q constituting the edge qp are extracted ( step 45 ), and the design pattern is reshaped such that these coordinates coincide each other ( step 46 ). likewise , two vertex coordinates q and r which constitute the edge qr are extracted ( step 47 ), and the design pattern is reshaped such that these coordinates coincide each other ( step 48 ). the vertex p coinciding with the vertex q and the vertex r coinciding with the vertex q means the vertex p coinciding with the vertex r . therefore , by extending a line other than qp including the vertex p while extending a line other than qr including the vertex r , the two vertexes p , r are matched with a vertex s as shown in fig1 . a hatched area 32 in fig1 obtained in this way is a pattern added portion . that is , according to this embodiment , a pattern having no step can be formed by adding the hatched area 32 as shown in fig1 . fig1 shows a design pattern to be formed according to the conventional method , namely , a design pattern before the correction based on this embodiment . fig1 shows an example of the design pattern to be formed by correction according to this embodiment . fig1 shows a flow chart of the correction . as for the design pattern of fig1 , a corner portion q of a pattern 41 is extracted ( step 51 ), and two edges qp and qr extended from the corner portion q are extracted ( step 52 ). the lengths of the two extracted edges qp and qr are measured ( step 53 ). if the lengths of both the qp and qr are a predetermined value or less , it is determined that this portion is a minute step ( step 54 ). two vertex coordinates p and q constituting the edge qp are extracted ( step 55 ), and the design pattern is reshaped such that these coordinates coincide each other ( step 56 ). likewise , two vertex coordinates q and r which constitute the edge qr are extracted ( step 57 ), and the design pattern is reshaped such that these coordinates coincide each other ( step 58 ). the vertex p coinciding with the vertex q and the vertex r coinciding with the vertex q means the vertex p coinciding with the vertex r . therefore , by extending a line other than qp including the vertex p while extending a line other than qr including the vertex r , the two vertexes p , r are matched with a vertex s as shown in fig1 . a deleted area 43 in fig1 obtained in this way is a pattern deleted portion . that is , according to this embodiment , a pattern having no step can be formed , by deleting the blank area 43 as shown in fig1 . fig1 shows a design pattern formed according to the conventional method , namely , a design pattern before correction based on this embodiment . fig1 shows an example of the design pattern formed by correction according to this embodiment . fig1 shows a flow chart of the correction . as for the design pattern of fig1 , a corner portion q of a pattern 51 is extracted ( step 61 ), and two edges qp and qr extended from the corner portion q are extracted ( step 62 ). the lengths of the two extracted edges qp and qr are measured ( step 63 ). if the lengths of both the qp and qr are a predetermined value or less , it is determined that this portion is a minute step ( step 64 ). two vertex coordinates p , q constituting the edge qp are extracted ( step 65 ), and the design pattern is reshaped such that these coordinates coincide each other ( step 66 ). likewise , two vertex coordinates q , r which constitute the edge qr are extracted ( step 67 ), and the design pattern is reshaped such that these coordinates coincide each other ( step 68 ). the vertex p coinciding with the vertex q and the vertex r coinciding with the vertex q means the vertex p coinciding with the vertex r . therefore , by extending a line other than qp including the vertex p while extending a line other than qr including the vertex r , the two vertexes p , r are matched with a vertex s as shown in fig1 . a blank area 53 in fig1 obtained in this way is a pattern deleted portion . that is , according to this embodiment , a pattern having no step can be formed , by deleting the blank area 53 as shown in fig1 . fig1 shows a design pattern formed according to the conventional method , namely , a design pattern before correction based on this embodiment . fig2 shows an example of the design pattern formed by correction according to this embodiment . fig2 shows a flow chart of the correction . as for the design pattern of fig1 , corner portions p and q of a pattern 61 is extracted ( step 71 ), and an edge pq extended from the corner portions p and q is extracted ( step 72 ). the length of the extracted edge pq is measured ( step 73 ). if the length of the pq is a predetermined value or less , it is determined that this portion is a minute step ( step 74 ). two vertex coordinates p and q constituting the edge pq are extracted ( step 75 ), and the design pattern is reshaped such that these coordinates coincide each other ( step 76 ). that is , by extending a line including the vertex p while extending a line including the vertex q , the two vertexes p , q are matched with a vertex s as shown in fig2 . a hatched area 62 in fig2 obtained in this way is a pattern added portion . according to this embodiment , a pattern having no step can be formed by adding the hatched area 62 as shown in fig2 . according to the embodiments , by detecting the length of an edge forming the corner portion to a design pattern possessing the minute step , the minute step can be extracted . by correcting the design pattern based on the extracted minute step , deterioration of correction accuracy at the corner portion can be prevented , thereby making it possible to form a highly accurate pattern . if a plurality minute steps are disposed continuously as shown in fig2 , the minute steps having an edge length less than a predetermined value can be deleted by executing the processing described above plural times . fig2 shows an original design pattern and fig2 shows a design pattern after the processing indicated by the above embodiments is executed a single time . by applying the above - described processing to the design pattern shown in fig2 again , the minute steps can be deleted . fig2 shows the design pattern after the second processing is carried out . by executing the processing indicated by the embodiments plural times , the minute pattern formed with edges less than the predetermined value can be deleted from the design pattern , so that a highly accurate pattern in which deterioration of the correction accuracy at the corner portion can be formed . next , a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to fig2 - 31 . here , a method of manufacturing a mos ( metal oxide semiconductor ) transistor as an example of semiconductor devices , by using a photo mask provided by the above - described embodiments , will be explained . as shown in fig2 , a gate insulating film 72 is formed on a silicon semiconductor substrate 71 by using a thermal oxidation method , a polysilicon film 73 is formed on the gate insulating film 72 by cvd ( chemical vapor deposition ) method . after that , the polysilicon film 73 and the gate insulating film 72 are subjected to patterning to form a gate structure comprised of the polysilicon film 73 and the gate insulating film 72 . to form this gate structure , a photo resist layer 74 is formed on the polysilicon film 73 , and then the photo resist layer 74 is patterning - processed by lithography to form a photo resist pattern . at this patterning of the photo resist layer 74 , use is made of a mask 75 manufactured by using a design pattern corrected by the design pattern process proximity effect correcting method as described in the second embodiment . to be specific , the mask 75 is mounted above the silicon semiconductor substrate 71 , and light beams are radiated onto the silicon semiconductor substrate 71 via the mask 75 from a light beam source , not shown , to transfer a pattern of the mask 75 to the photo resist layer 74 . subsequently , the transferred pattern is developed so that a photo resist pattern 74 corresponding to the pattern of the mask 75 is formed , as shown in fig2 . next , as shown in fig2 , the polysilicon film 73 and the gate insulating film 72 are patterning - processed to form the gate structure comprised of the polysilicon film 73 and the gate insulating film 72 , by using the photo resist pattern 74 as an etching mask . then , impurities are implanted into the silicon semiconductor substrate 71 to form source / drain regions 76 , by using the photo resist pattern 74 , the polysilicon film 73 ( polysilicon electrode ) and the gate insulating film 72 , as a mask . subsequently , the photo resist pattern 74 is removed by a known method . then , as shown in fig2 , an interlayer insulating film 77 is formed over the silicon semiconductor substrate 71 by cvd method . following this , openings are formed in the interlayer insulating film 77 for contact to the polysilicon electrode 73 and source / drain regions 76 . to form the openings , a photo resist layer 78 is formed on the interlayer insulating film 77 , and then the photo resist layer 78 is patterning - processed by lithography to form a photo resist pattern . at this patterning of the photo resist layer 78 , use is made of a mask 79 manufactured by using a design pattern corrected by the design pattern process proximity effect correcting method as described in the second embodiment . to be specific , the mask 79 is mounted above the silicon semiconductor substrate 71 , and light beams are radiated onto the silicon semiconductor substrate 71 via the mask 79 from a light beam source , not shown , to transfer a pattern of the mask 79 to the photo resist layer 78 . subsequently , the transferred pattern is developed so that a photo resist pattern 78 corresponding to the pattern of the mask 79 is formed , as shown in fig2 . next , as shown in fig3 , the interlayer insulating film 77 is patterning - processed to form the openings for contact to the polysilicon electrode 73 and source / drain regions 76 , by using the photo resist pattern 78 as an etching mask . subsequently , the photo resist pattern 78 is removed by a known method . then , as shown in fig3 , contact metals 80 are formed in the openings for contact to the polysilicon electrode 73 and source / drain regions 76 , and wiring metals 81 contacting the contact metals 50 are formed on the interlayer insulating film 77 by a known method . with the manufacturing method , since use is made in each of the patterning processes of a mask manufactured by using a design pattern corrected by the design pattern process proximity effect correcting method as described in the above described embodiments ( for example , the second example ), desired patterns are formed on the semiconductor wafer with high accuracy , resulting in providing a highly accurate semiconductor device . according to the embodiments of the present invention , it is possible to improve dimensional precision of a resist pattern formed in an exposure technique which forms a liquid film in a local region on a resist film . according to the embodiments of the present invention , the shape of the corner portion in which deterioration of the resolution remarkably appears can be finished as a desired pattern indicates . as a result , the yield of device manufacturing can be greatly improved . the minute steps disposed in the vicinity of the corner portion of the design pattern is an obstacle to forming a desired shape on the wafer for the process proximity effect correction , thereby inducing deterioration of the yield of the device . according to the embodiments of the present invention , by forming a pattern excluding the minute steps and carrying out the process proximity effect correction on the data , the planar shape on the wafer at the pattern corner portion can be finished into a desired pattern . in the meantime , the present invention is not restricted to the above - described respective embodiments but may be modified in various ways within a scope not departing from the gist of the invention . there have been described the design pattern forming method based on the new design rule as the first embodiment , the process proximity effect correcting method as the second embodiment , the design pattern correcting method for correcting the design pattern as the third embodiment , and the method of manufacturing a semiconductor device as the fourth embodiment . the present invention can be applied to the mask pattern forming method for forming a pattern subjected to the process proximity effect correction for the design pattern formed by the first and third embodiments . further , the present invention can be applied to the mask manufacturing method for manufacturing a mask from the mask pattern formed according to the first to third embodiments . in addition , the design pattern correcting method and the design pattern process proximity effect correcting method described in the embodiments can be distributed by storing as a program which can be executed by a computer in a recording medium such as a magnetic disk ( such as floppy ( registered trademark ) disk or hard disk ), an optical disk ( such as a cd - rom or dvd ), an optical magnetic disk ( such as mo ), or a semiconductor memory . any types of recording mediums can be used as long as the program can be recorded in the recording mediums and executed by a computer . the program including a sequence of procedures can be distributed as recording mediums via a communication network such as lan or internet . any types of computers can be used as long as the computers can execute the above - described processing operations by reading the program recorded in a recording medium and controlling an operation in accordance with the program . additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art . therefore , the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described herein . accordingly , various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents . | 6 |
fig1 represents an automotive electrical system 20 including electrical system loads or supplies 21 , 22 , and 23 , generally illustrative of various electrical components such as a radio , vehicle lighting , electric motors , or a voltage regulator . since devices 21 - 23 are connected to the vehicle wiring harness through respective termination connectors 26 - 1 , 26 - 2 , and 26 - 3 , each device is referred to as a termination device . a wiring harness interconnects devices 21 - 23 and other devices ( not shown for clarity of the drawing ). the wiring harness includes a plurality of harness segments each comprised of a wire bundle , some of which are indicated at 28 . segments 28 are interconnected using expansion connectors 25 . termination connectors 26 interconnect the wiring harness with the termination devices of the electrical system . for example , a termination connector 26 - 1 interconnects termination device 21 with the wiring harness . the wiring harness further includes a junction block 27 which connects through expansion connectors to harness segments 28 and which connects directly to some termination devices as shown . segments 28 are shown as single lines although each contain a plurality of individual wires , some of which may leave the wire bundle at the several junction points . fig2 represents a portion of an automotive electrical system 29 including a wiring harness 30 and a dedicated test line 31 according to the present invention . dedicated test line 31 includes a first test point 32 connected to a first harness conductor 33 which enters wiring harness 30 and interconnects with an expansion connector 34 . dedicated test line 31 has corresponding connection pins mating in expansion connector 34 and continues with harness conductor 35 . a termination connector 36 receives conductor 35 and provides a feed - through of the dedicated test line 31 to a harness conductor 37 when the termination device at termination connector 36 is properly interconnected . harness conductor 37 feeds through another termination connector 38 only when its termination device is correctly interconnected . dedicated test line 31 continues in a similar manner through a harness conductor 40 , an expansion connector 41 , a harness conductor 42 , and a termination connector 43 . after feeding through termination connector 43 , dedicated test line 31 includes a harness conductor 44 extending to a second test point 45 . thus , there is a continuous electrical path from test point 32 to test point 45 only when each connector having dedicated test line 31 passing therethrough is properly interconnected . fig2 further includes test apparatus 46 for monitoring an electrical characteristic of dedicated test line 31 . for example , a signal source 47 is interconnected with first test point 32 through a connector or probe 48 . a signal indicator 50 is connected to second test point 45 through a connector or probe 51 . signal source 47 can be a dc voltage supply . thus , test apparatus 46 facilitates determination of electrical continuity between test point 32 and test point 45 . the failure of indicator 50 to show that a signal is received in response to the application of a signal by source 47 results in detection of an interconnection fault in the portion of wiring harness 30 containing dedicated test line 31 . preferably , the portion of wiring harness 30 which includes dedicated test line 31 corresponds to the portions of the electrical system which are considered critical to operation of the vehicle and failure of which would cause the vehicle to quit or operate in an unacceptable manner . fig3 illustrates the inclusion of a dedicated test line 55 into the electrical system of fig1 . thus , dedicated test line 55 may extend from a first test point 56 and through critical electrical system components , including expansion connector 25 - 6 , termination connector 26 - 1 , expansion connector 25 - 5 , expansion connector 25 - 4 , termination connector 26 - 3 , expansion connector 25 - 3 , termination connector 26 - 8 , expansion connector 25 - 2 , and expansion connector 25 - 1 , to a second test point 57 . fig4 shows one embodiment of a pin and socket expansion connector useful in the present invention . an expansion connector 60 includes a first end 61 and a second end 62 . first end 61 receives a test line harness conductor 63 which is connected to a terminal pin 64 . standard device lines 65 of the wiring harness are connected to terminal pins 66 . second end 62 is connected to a test line harness conductor 67 which is joined to a terminal socket 68 . device lines 70 are connected to terminal sockets 71 . insertion of expansion connector ends 61 and 62 results in interconnection of the corresponding pins and sockets . on full insertion , expansion connector ends 61 and 62 are interlocked by means of projections 72 and 73 on first end 61 being received by locking tabs 74 and 75 on second end 62 . fig5 shows a termination connector according to one embodiment of the present invention . a pin and socket termination connector 80 includes a first end 81 at the harness end of the connector and a second end 82 which is at the device end of the connector and which is integral with a termination device 83 . a harness conductor 84 provides a dedicated test line into termination connector 80 and is connected to a terminal pin 86 . a harness conductor 85 provides a dedicated test line out of termination connector 80 and is connected to a terminal pin 87 . device lines 88 from the wiring harness are connected to terminal pins 89 . a terminal socket 90 and a terminal socket 91 in second connector end 82 are joined by a termination conductor 92 for feeding through the dedicated test line between harness conductors 84 and 85 when termination conductor 80 is properly interconnected . upon full insertion of the harness end and the device end of termination connector 80 , the connector is locked by means of projections 94 and 95 on first connector end 81 and locking tabs 96 and 97 on second connector end 82 . fig6 shows a junction block 100 which may be included in the electrical system of the present invention . junction block 100 is comprised of an integral molded block including conductors and interconnection points 101 . junction block 100 also includes a plurality of expansion connectors 102 . likewise , termination devices 103 and 104 are connected directly to junction block 100 . junction block 100 further includes a dedicated test line 105 passing therethrough . dedicated test line 105 is included in expansion connector 106 and passes into junction block 100 . by means of a conductor integral with junction block 100 , dedicated test line 105 passes into an expansion connector 107 and through termination connector 109 including a termination device 108 . dedicated test line 105 reenters junction block 100 through expansion connector 107 and passes through termination device 104 before exiting junction block 100 through an expansion connector 110 . a further embodiment of the fault detection and isolation system of the present invention is shown in fig7 . a dedicated test line 115 extends between a first test point 116 and a second test point 117 . from test point 116 , dedicated test line 115 enters a wiring harness 118 and passes through an expansion connector 120 . dedicated test line 115 passes through a termination connector 121 , a termination connector 124 , an expansion connector 127 , and a termination connector 130 as previously described . to assist in isolation of any faults occurring in the interconnection of the connectors having dedicated test line 115 passing therethrough , test contacts are provided which are in communication with dedicated test line 115 within selected connectors . thus , a test contact 123 is provided in termination connector 121 and is in communication with the termination conductor such that test contact 123 will make available any signal on dedicated test line 115 at that location . likewise , a test contact 126 is provided in termination connector 124 , a test contact 128 is provided in expansion connector 127 , and a test contact 132 is provided in termination connector 130 . when dedicated test line 115 is energized at test point 116 , a voltage may be sensed at test point 123 by means of a voltage probe , for example , as long as expansion connector 120 and termination connector 121 are properly interconnected . a voltage probe can be used to sequentially verify the proper interconnection of the remaining connectors by monitoring the corresponding test contacts . termination device 122 and the device end of termination connector 121 are shown in greater detail in fig8 . termination conductor 111 feeds between terminals 112 and 113 corresponding to the dedicated test line . termination conductor 111 also extends to test contact 123 on the outer surface of termination connector 121 . the fault isolation and detection provided by the present invention can be enhanced by employing a type of connector known as the last - make first - break connector as shown in fig9 . thus , an expansion connector 130 includes a first end 131 and a second end 132 . the dedicated test line includes a harness conductor 133 and a terminal pin 134 . devices lines 135 are connected to terminal pins 136 . in second connector end 132 , terminal socket 137 is connected to harness conductor 138 as the continuation of the dedicated test line . terminal sockets 140 are connected to device conductors 141 . in this embodiment , pin 134 is reduced in length compared to pins 136 and socket 137 is reduced in length compared to sockets 140 such that pin 134 and socket 137 are the last to make contact during interconnection of connector 130 and are the first to break contact during disconnection of connector 130 . since the regular device connection terminals must become more completely interconnected before sufficient connection is made to complete the dedicated test line , whenever the dedicated test line is properly interconnected the remaining terminal connections are more certain to be fully interconnected . thus , the present invention provides a reliable indication of the proper interconnection of critical devices . in addition , the failure of the dedicated test line connection will indicate a partial interconnection failure , such as a failure to securely lock the connector together , even without an electrical failure of the regular device terminals . fig1 shows a termination connector having last - make first - break test line terminals . a first connector end 146 has one test line harness conductor 150 connected to a last - make first - break terminal pin 151 and a test line harness conductor 152 connected to a last - make first - break terminal pin 153 . device lines 154 are connected to device terminals pins 155 which extend longer than terminal pins 151 and 153 . a second connector end 147 includes last - make first - break terminal sockets 156 and 157 interconnected by a terminal conductor 158 for feeding through the dedicated test line . device line terminal sockets 159 extend longer than terminal sockets 156 and 157 . an alternative embodiment of the invention , shown in fig1 , includes a dedicated test line for carrying an optical signal . thus , an expansion connector 160 includes a first end 161 . the dedicated test line includes harness conductor 163 which is comprised of an optical fiber which is in contact with an optical conductor portion 164 in a last - make first - break configuration . a second connector portion 162 includes an optical connector portion 165 for interfacing with optical connector portion 164 and transmitting light therefrom to an optical fiber 166 providing the continuation of the dedicated test line . a test contact 168 is also included in conjunction with a beam - splitter 167 for directing a portion of the light signal passing through the dedicated test line to test contact 168 to be used according to the embodiment of fig7 . fig1 illustrates a further embodiment of the present invention for isolating and detecting faults in the dedicated test line of the present invention . the vehicle wiring harness and dedicated test line are identical to that shown in fig2 . however , in this embodiment the test apparatus includes a control circuit 170 connected to first test point 32 by a connector 174 and to second test point 45 through a connector 175 . the test apparatus further includes an inductive pickup probe 171 connected to control circuit 170 by lines 172 and 173 . control circuit 170 is adapted to produce a time varying test signal which is applied to dedicated test line 31 through connectors 174 and 175 . inductive pickup probe 171 is manually traced along dedicated test line 31 and the inductively received signal from the probe is used to generate an indication of the presence of the time varying signal in the dedicated test line . such indication is then displayed by control circuit 170 . as probe 171 is manually traced along dedicated test line 31 , any interruption in the resulting measured signal indicates a wiring or connector fault at that point . thus , the testing of proper interconnection of the critical electrical system components can be performed without additional mechanical contact to the dedicated test line . while preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described herein , it will be understood that such embodiments are provided by way of example only . numerous variations , changes , and substitutions will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention . accordingly , it is intended that the appended claims cover all such variations as fall within the spirit and scope of the invention . | 6 |
fig5 is a computer rendering of a night vision testing device 100 consistent with a first embodiment of the present disclosure ; fig6 is a section view of the night vision testing device 100 ; fig7 a is a isometric view of a night vision device 200 , shown as a monocular , spaced from the night vision testing device 100 ; and fig7 b is a isometric view of the night vision device 200 inserted into an end of the night vision testing device 100 . the testing device 100 allows identification of image intensifier tube 208 defects and determination of resolution operating in darkness , bright conditions , and high contrast lighting conditions . identification involves determining the zone in which defect appears , the size of defect , and type of defect . the four most common defect types are dark spots , bright spots , scintillation , and chicken wire . the testing device 100 may have a first portion 102 and a second portion 104 that pivots relative to the first portion 102 , for example , they may work like a ball - and - socket joint . the pivot allows the night vision device 200 to be rotated relative to a target 106 a in order to place target features in different areas of the night vision device field of view . in order to maintain a well focused image across the field without requiring mechanical adjustment of the night vision device this pivot is preferably placed close to the center of curvature of the spherically shaped target . on the second portion 104 may be a cover 106 which may house the target 106 a ( see fig8 ). optics 110 may include a optics and / or neutral density filter inserted in an opening 108 of the testing device 100 . the optics and / or neutral density filter may be located close to the entrance aperture of the night vision device 100 and may act to reimage the target 106 a onto the image intensifier tube of the night vision device . the distance at which the target appears to be from the night vision system under test may be configurable through optics 110 . two typical apparent target distances are 30 ″ to mimic the standard dark spot wall chart test and infinity which is the commonly used as a zero diopter setting for test targets . the stop size of optics 110 may be chosen to balance aberrations , diffraction , and light throughput . the neutral density filter may have an optical density of 0 to about 3 . the opening 108 may be sized to accept an objective focus ring 206 of the night vision device 200 . the size of the opening 108 may be such that when the focus ring 206 is inserted into the opening 108 , a user can hold the night vision device 200 in one hand and the first portion 102 of the testing device 100 with the other hand , and when the night vision device 200 is rotated , the focus ring 206 is rotated relative to the night vision device 200 . the user can turn “ on ” the night vision device 200 , look through the eyepiece 202 and rotate the night vision device 200 relative to the first portion 102 to bring the target 106 a into focus . in an alternative embodiment , an insert may be inserted in the opening to change the diameter of the opening to accommodate objective focus rings of differing sizes . in an alternative embodiment , the interface at opening 108 may be an interchangeable component to accommodate different night vision devices . in an alternative embodiment , the user can hold the second portion 104 of the testing device 100 rather than the first portion 102 . the second portion 104 of the testing device 100 may have a curved portion 104 a that cooperates with the first portion 102 ; a middle portion 104 b ; and a base portion 104 c that may hold the cover 106 . the cover 106 may have a curved internal surface having a radius r upon which the target 106 a is disposed . the target 106 a may have a center ring 122 a sized that when viewed through the night vision device 200 corresponds to “ zone 1 ” of an image intensifier tube . zone 1 may be sized to appear as a 0 . 22 inch diameter ring on the entrance of the image intensifier tube in the night vision device 200 . the target 106 a may have a second ring 122 b sized that when viewed through the night vision device 200 corresponds to “ zone 2 ” of an image intensifier tube . zone 2 may be sized to appear as a 0 . 58 inch diameter ring on the entrance of the image intensifier tube in the night vision device 200 . the target 106 a may have a third ring 122 c sized that when viewed through the night vision device 200 corresponds to “ zone 3 ” of an image intensifier tube . zone 3 may be sized to appear as a 0 . 71 ″ inch diameter ring on the entrance of the image intensifier tube in the night vision device 200 . the diameters of the zone may be changed without departing from the invention to match the requirements of different image intensifier tube specifications ( e . g . “ mil - prf - a3256363d ( cr )”). the target 106 a may also have a series of measurement features 124 , for example circles of different sizes . the series of circles , when imaged through night vision device 200 , may range from approximately 0 . 003 ″ in diameter to approximately 0 . 015 ″ in diameter on the entrance of the image intensifier tube . the circles may be solid / filled in or hollow / not filled in . the size of the zones and the sizes of the circles may correspond to typical acceptance criteria for an 18 mm image intensifier tube or a particular image intensifier tube product specification . similar targets may be used to inspect / test other sized image intensifier tubes without departing from the invention . the zones may be used to locate a defect in an image intensifier tube and the circles may be used to measure the size of each defect . the image tube specification may limit the size and quantity of defects by zone . a defect may be a black spot , a bright spot , “ chicken wire ” or scintillations . black spots are cosmetic blemishes in the image intensifier tube , image intensifier tube defects , or dirt or debris in the optical path of a night vision device 200 . black spots that are in the image intensifier can be inherent in the manufacturing processes or the result of damage . black spots may be found when a predetermined amount of ambient light l 1 , natural or artificial , for example from a light source ls , for example a light bulb , travels through the testing device 100 and strikes the target 106 a . black spots are best viewed when most of the ambient light l 1 strikes the target 106 a creating a brightly lit condition . bright spots are defects in the image area produced by the night vision device 200 . this condition may be caused by a flaw in the film on the image intensifier tube microchannel plate . a bright spot is typically a small , non - uniform , bright area that may flicker or appear constant . bright spots are often imperceptible in environments with sufficient illumination for typical night vision device 200 operation . bright spots are best viewed when little or none of the ambient light l 1 strikes the target 106 a creating a darkness condition . scintillations are faint , random , sparkling effect that may be found throughout the image area . scintillation , sometimes called “ video noise ” despite an image intensifier tube not being a video device , is a normal characteristic of image intensifier with a microchannel plate and is more pronounced under typical night vision device 200 low - light conditions . scintillations are best observed when a small amount of light l 2 , simulating starlight or moonlight , strikes the target 106 a creating a high contrast condition . chicken wire is a hexagonal pattern of dark thin lines resembling chicken wire fencing visible in the field of view either throughout the image area or in parts of the image area . if these hexagonal patterns become overly pronounced , replacement of the image intensifier tube may be merited . image intensifier tube specifications contain specifications for the acceptable number , size , and zone location of pronounced chicken wire artifacts . chicken wire is best observed when a small amount of light l 2 , simulating starlight or moonlight , strikes the target 106 a . as noted above , the second portion 104 of the testing device 100 may be made of a diffuse light transmissive plastic , for example polytetrafluoroethylene ( ptfe ) thermoplastic polymer , or other material . the amount of ambient light l 2 that strikes the target 106 a may be varied in a variety of ways including varying the amount of light generated from the light source ls , for example with a light dimmer , by moving the testing device 100 away from the light source ls , or placing a light damper ld between the light source ls and the testing device 100 . an operator may turn the night vision device 200 “ on ” and then insert the focus ring 206 in the opening 108 of the testing device 100 and rotate the night vision device 200 relative to the first portion 102 of the testing device 100 until the target 106 a is in focus . the operator may locate a first defect and then determine what zone it is in by manipulating the night vision device 200 and the first portion 102 of the testing device 100 relative to the second portion 104 of the testing device 100 such that the first ring 122 a , second ring 122 b , and the third ring 122 c are concentric with illuminated field of view of night vision device 200 . the operator may then manipulate the night vision device 200 and the first portion 102 of the testing device 100 relative to the second portion 104 of the testing device 100 and the target 106 a to align the first defect next to one of the series of measurement features 124 . the operator may then compare the defect to the measurement features 124 to determine the defect size . the operator may then similarly determine the size of a second or subsequent defect . resolution is the ability of an image intensifier to distinguish between objects close together and is measured as a spacial frequency , typically using units such as line pairs per millimeter ( lp / mm ). resolution is typically determined from a 1951 u . s . air force resolving power test target . the target is a series of different - sized patterns composed of three horizontal and three vertical lines . a user observes which of the bar patterns is the smallest that can still be distinguished as separate bars ( e . g . not merged into a solid block ). that smallest bar pattern is considered the resolution limit of the night vision device and is identified by the numbers next to the bar patterns ( e . g . row / column numbers or group / element numbers ). because the 1951 usaf bar target requires high precision manufacturing methods to produce and may be difficult to place on a spherical surface , the 1951 usaf targets may be applied to one or more flat glass inserts which may be mechanically secured to the spherical target surface . in an alternative embodiment , an alternative test target such as a radial star , chirp , nbs 1963a or isa / iso may be used rather than a 1951 target . the target 106 a may also have a resolution pattern 130 . the operator may turn the night vision device 200 “ on ” and determine the center resolution of the image tube by manipulating the night vision device 200 and the first portion 102 of the testing device 100 relative to the second portion 104 of the testing device 100 such that the first ring 122 a , second ring 122 b , and the third ring 122 c are concentric with illuminated field of view of night vision device 200 and then by looking through the night vision device 200 and using known resolution techniques determine the appropriate resolution . the center resolution may be determined at any light level , but typically provides the best results when the amount of light l 2 striking the target 106 a is low , simulating star light or moon light illumination levels . fig9 is a computer rendering of a night vision testing device 100 ′ consistent with a second embodiment of the present disclosure ; fig1 a is an isometric end section view of the night vision testing device 100 ′ with a first vane 120 in a first position ; fig1 b is an isometric end section view of the night vision testing device 100 ′ with the first vane 120 in a second position ; fig1 c is an isometric end section view of the night vision testing device 100 ′ with the first vane 120 in a third position ; and fig1 is an end section view of the night vision testing device 100 ′ sliced through a base portion . testing device 100 ′ may differ from testing device 100 in that it has the ability to control the amount of light l 2 that strikes the target 106 a . a plurality of actuators , for example pushbuttons 130 a , 130 b , and 130 c , may control the opening size of a mechanical aperture . image intensifier tubes have automatic gain adjustment ; and adjusting the light level allows the image intensifier tube to be tested under very low gain , high contrast , and very high gain conditions ; which correspond to a brightly lit scene , dimly lit scene ( starlight or moonlight ), and dark scene respectively . the lower portion 104 ′ may diffuse the incoming light causing a more uniform illumination of the target 106 a , and therefore uniform illumination of the image intensifier tube in the night vision device 200 which may improve the ability to identify defects and determine resolution . internal to the second portion 104 ′ may be a first opaque vane 120 and a second opaque vane 126 . the second vane 122 may be fixed to , but spaced from , the second portion 104 ′. the first vane 120 may be movable relative to the second portion 104 ′ and the second vane 126 . actuation of the actuators 130 a , 130 b , and 130 c may move the first vane from a first vane position shown in fig1 a to second vane position shown in fig1 b to a third vane position shown in fig1 c . in the first position , the first vane 120 blocks the least amount of the ambient light l 1 passing through the second portion 104 ′; in the second position , the first vane 120 blocks more of the ambient light l 1 passing through the second portion 104 ′; and in the third portion 104 , the first vane 120 blocks the most ambient light l 1 passing through the second portion 104 ′. the actuators 130 a , 130 b , and 130 c may have a wedge , diamond , or cone shaped protrusion extending inwardly that cooperate with openings in the first vane 120 causing the first vane 120 to rotate relative to the second portion 104 ′ and the second vane 126 . an operator may insert the focus ring 206 of the night vision device 200 in the opening 108 ′ to begin the testing and then manipulate the actuator 130 a , 130 b , or 130 c to adjust the amount of ambient light striking the target 106 a . while several embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated herein , those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of other means and / or structures for performing the functions and / or obtaining the results and / or one or more of the advantages described herein , and each of such variations and / or modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the present invention . more generally , those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters , dimensions , materials , and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters , dimensions , materials , and / or configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the teachings of the present invention is / are used . those skilled in the art will recognize , or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation , many equivalents to the specific embodiments of the invention described herein . it is , therefore , to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that , within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto , the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed . the present invention is directed to each individual feature , system , article , material , kit , and / or method described herein . in addition , any combination of two or more such features , systems , articles , materials , kits , and / or methods , if such features , systems , articles , materials , kits , and / or methods are not mutually inconsistent , is included within the scope of the present invention . all definitions , as defined and used herein , should be understood to control over dictionary definitions , definitions in documents incorporated by reference , and / or ordinary meanings of the defined terms . the indefinite articles “ a ” and “ an ,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims , unless clearly indicated to the contrary , should be understood to mean “ at least one .” the phrase “ and / or ,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims , should be understood to mean “ either or both ” of the elements so conjoined , i . e ., elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in other cases . other elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified by the “ and / or ” clause , whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified , unless clearly indicated to the contrary . | 6 |
the hybridoma cell lines 7bd - 33 - 11a and 1a245 . 6 were deposited , in accordance with the budapest treaty , with the american type culture collection , 10801 university blvd ., manassas , va . 20110 - 2209 on jan . 8 , 2003 , under accession number pta - 4890 and pta - 4889 , respectively . in accordance with 37 cfr 1 . 808 , the depositors assure that all restrictions imposed on the availability to the public of the deposited materials will be irrevocably removed upon the granting of a patent . the hybridoma cell line 11bd - 2e11 - 2 was deposited , in accordance with the budapest treaty , with the american type culture collection , 10801 university blvd ., manassas , va . 20110 - 2209 on nov . 11 , 2003 , under accession number pta - 5643 . in accordance with 37 cfr 1 . 808 , the depositors assure that all restrictions imposed on the availability to the public of the deposited materials will be irrevocably removed upon the granting of a patent . to produce the hybridoma that produce the anti - cancer antibody 7bd - 33 - 11a single cell suspensions of the antigen , i . e . human breast cancer cells , were prepared in cold pbs . eight to nine weeks old balb / c mice were immunized by injecting 100 microliters of the antigen - adjuvant containing between 0 . 2 million and 2 . 5 million cells in divided doses both subcutaneously and intraperitoneally with freund &# 39 ; s complete adjuvant . freshly prepared antigen - adjuvant was used to boost the immunized mice at between 0 . 2 million and 2 . 5 million cells in the same fashion three weeks after the initial immunization , and two weeks after the last boost . a spleen was used for fusion at least two days after the last immunization . the hybridomas were prepared by fusing the isolated splenocytes with sp2 / 0 myeloma partners . the supernatants from the fusions were tested for subcloning of the hybridomas . to produce the hybridoma that produce the anti - cancer antibody 1a245 . 6 single cell suspensions of the antigen , i . e . human breast cancer cells , were prepared in cold pbs . eight to nine weeks old balb / c mice were immunized by injecting 100 microliters of the antigen - adjuvant containing 2 . 5 million cells in divided doses both subcutaneously and intraperitoneally with freund &# 39 ; s complete adjuvant . freshly prepared antigen - adjuvant was used to boost the immunized mice at 2 . 5 million cells in the same fashion three weeks after the initial immunization , two weeks later , five weeks later and three weeks after the last boost . a spleen was used for fusion at least three days after the last immunization . the hybridomas were prepared by fusing the isolated splenocytes with nso - 1 myeloma partners . the supernatants from the fusions were tested for subcloning of the hybridomas . to produce the hybridoma that produce the anti - cancer antibody 11bd - 2e11 - 2 single cell suspensions of the antigen , i . e . human breast cancer cells , were prepared in cold pbs . eight to nine weeks old balb / c mice were immunized by injecting 100 microliters of the antigen - adjuvant containing between 0 . 2 million and 2 . 5 million cells in divided doses both subcutaneously and intraperitoneally with freund &# 39 ; s complete adjuvant . freshly prepared antigen - adjuvant was used to boost the immunized mice at between 0 . 2 million and 2 . 5 million cells in the same fashion two to three weeks after the initial immunization , and two weeks after the last boost . a spleen was used for fusion at least two days after the last immunization . the hybridomas were prepared by fusing the isolated splenocytes with nso - 1 myeloma partners . the supernatants from the fusions were tested for subcloning of the hybridomas . to determine whether the antibodies secreted by hybridoma cells are of the igg or igm isotype , an elisa assay was employed . 100 microliters / well of goat anti - mouse igg + igm ( h + l ) at a concentration of 2 . 4 micrograms / ml in coating buffer ( 0 . 1 m carbonate / bicarbonate buffer , ph 9 . 2 – 9 . 6 ) at 4 ° c . was added to the elisa plates overnight . the plates were washed thrice in washing buffer ( pbs + 0 . 05 % tween ). 100 microliters / well blocking buffer ( 5 % milk in wash buffer ) was added to the plate for 1 hr . at room temperature and then washed thrice in washing buffer . 100 microliters / well of hybridoma supernatant was added and the plate incubated for 1 hr . at room temperature . the plates were washed thrice with washing buffer and 1 / 5000 dilution of either goat anti - mouse igg or igm horseradish peroxidase conjugate ( diluted in pbs containing 1 % bovine serum albumin ), 100 microliters / well , was added . after incubating the plate for 1 hr . at room temperature the plate was washed thrice with washing buffer . 100 microliters / well of tmb solution was incubated for 1 – 3 minutes at room temperature . the color reaction was terminated by adding 100 microliters / well 2m h 2 so 4 and the plate was read at 450 nm with a perkin - elmer hts7000 plate reader . as indicated in table 1 the 7bd - 33 - 11a , 1a245 . 6 , 11 bd - 2e11 - 2 hybridomas secreted primarily antibodies of the igg isotype . after one to four rounds of limiting dilution hybridoma supernatants were tested for antibodies that bound to target cells in a cell elisa assay . three breast cancer cell lines were tested : mda - mb - 231 ( also referred to as mb - 231 ), mda - mb - 468 ( also referred to as mb - 468 ), and skbr - 3 . the plated cells were fixed prior to use . the plates were washed thrice with pbs containing mgcl 2 and cacl 2 at room temperature . 100 microliters of 2 % paraformaldehyde diluted in pbs was added to each well for ten minutes at room temperature and then discarded . the plates were again washed with pbs containing mgcl 2 and cacl 2 three times at room temperature . blocking was done with 100 microliters / well of 5 % milk in wash buffer ( pbs + 0 . 05 % tween ) for 1 hr at room temperature . the plates were washed thrice with wash buffer and the hybridoma supernatant was added at 100 microliters / well for 1 hr at room temperature . the plates were washed three times with wash buffer and 100 microliters / well of 1 / 5000 dilution of goat anti - mouse igg or igm antibody conjugated to horseradish peroxidase ( diluted in pbs containing 1 % bovine serum albumin ) was added . after a one hour incubation at room temperature the plates were washed three times with wash buffer and 100 microliter / well of tmb substrate was incubated for 1 – 3 minutes at room temperature . the reaction was terminated with 100 microliters / well 2m h 2 so 4 and the plate read at 450 nm with a perkin - elmer hts7000 plate reader . the results as tabulated in table 1 were expressed as the number of folds above background compared to the igg isotype control ( 3bd - 27 ). the antibodies from the 7bd - 33 - 11a and 1a245 . 6 hybridoma cell lines bound strongly to all 3 breast lines , with binding at least 6 times greater than background . both antibodies bound most strongly to the mda - mb - 231 cell line . the antibodies from the 11bd - 2e11 - 2 hybridoma cell line also bound most strongly to the mda - mb - 231 cell line , but did not demonstrate binding on the other 2 cell lines greater than background . these results suggest that the epitope recognized by this antibody is not present on mda - mb - 468 or skbr - 3 cells , and is distinct from the epitopes recognized by 7bd - 33 - 11a and 1a245 . 6 . in conjunction with testing for antibody binding the cytotoxic effect of the hybridoma supernatants were tested in the same breast cancer cell lines : mda - mb - 231 , mda - mb - 468 and skbr - 3 . the live / dead cytotoxicity assay was obtained from molecular probes ( eu , or ). the assays were performed according to the manufacturer &# 39 ; s instructions with the changes outlined below . cells were plated before the assay at the predetermined appropriate density . after 2 days , 100 microliters of supernatant from the hybridoma microtitre plates were transferred to the cell plates and incubated in a 5 % co 2 incubator for 5 days . the wells that served as the positive controls were aspirated until empty and 100 microliters of sodium azide and / or cycloheximide was added . 3bd - 27 monoclonal antibody was also added as an isotype control since it was known not to bind to the three breast cancer cell lines being tested . an anti - egfr antibody ( c225 ) was also used in the assay for comparison . after 5 days of treatment , the plate was then emptied by inverting and blotted dry . room temperature dpbs containing mgcl 2 and cacl 2 was dispensed into each well from a multichannel squeeze bottle , tapped three times , emptied by inversion and then blotted dry . 50 microliters of the fluorescent live / dead dye diluted in dpbs containing mgcl 2 and cacl 2 was added to each well and incubated at 37 ° c . in a 5 % co 2 incubator for 30 minutes . the plates were read in a perkin - elmer hts7000 fluorescence plate reader and the data was analyzed in microsoft excel . the results were tabulated in table 1 . differential cytotoxicity was observed with the 3 antibodies . 11bd - 2e11 - 2 demonstrated killing of 39 – 73 %, with the highest cytotoxicity observed in skbr - 3 cells . 1a245 . 6 and 7bd - 33 - 11a demonstrated similar cytotoxicity in mda - mb - 231 cells , but 1a245 . 6 was also cytotoxic to mda - mb - 468 cells , while 7bd - 33 - 11a was not . this indicated the antibody derived form the hybridoma cell can produce cytotoxicity in cancer cells . there was also a general association between the degree of antibody binding and the cytotoxicity produced by the hybridoma supernatants . there were several exceptions to this trend such as the amount of cytotoxicity produced by 11bd - 2e11 - 2 in mb - 468 cancer cells , and skbr - 3 cancers despite a paucity of binding . this suggested that the antibody has a mediating action that was not detected by the cell elisa binding assay in this cell type , or the assay did not detect the binding , which may be due to the constraints of the assay such as cell fixation . finally , there existed yet another possibility , that is , the assay was not sensitive enough to detect the binding that was sufficient to mediate cytotoxicity in this particular situation . the other exception was the relative paucity of cytotoxicity of 7bd - 33 - 11a towards mb - 468 cells despite a 6 fold increase in binding over the background in comparison to an isotype control . this pointed to the possibility that binding was not necessarily predictive of the outcome of antibody ligation of its cognate antigen . the known non - specific cytotoxic agents cycloheximide produced cytotoxicity as expected . monoclonal antibodies were produced by culturing the hybridomas , 7bd - 33 - 11a , 1a245 . 6 , 11bd - 2e11 - 2 , in cl - 1000 flasks ( bd biosciences , oakville , on ) with collections and reseeding occurring twice / week and standard antibody purification procedures with protein g sepharose 4 fast flow ( amersham biosciences , baie d &# 39 ; urfé , qc ). it is within the scope of this invention to utilize monoclonal antibodies which are humanized , chimerized or murine antibodies . 7bd - 33 - 11a , 1a245 . 6 , 11bd - 2e11 - 2 were compared to a number of both positive ( anti - fas ( eos9 . 1 , igm , kappa , 20 micrograms / ml , bioscience , san diego , calif . ), anti - her2 / neu ( igg1 , kappa , 10 microgram / ml , inter medico , markham , on ), anti - egfr ( c225 , igg1 , kappa , 5 microgram / ml , cedarlane , hornby , on ), cycloheximide ( 100 micromolar , sigma , oakville , on ), nan 3 ( 0 . 1 %, sigma , oakville , on )) and negative ( 107 . 3 ( anti - tnp , igg1 , kappa , 20 microgram / ml , bd biosciences , oakville , on ), g155 - 178 ( anti - tnp , igg2a , kappa , 20 microgram / ml , bd biosciences , oakville , on ), mpc - 11 ( antigenic specificity unknown , igg2b , kappa , 20 microgram / ml ), j606 ( anti - fructosan , igg3 , kappa , 20 microgram / ml ), igg buffer ( 2 %)) controls in a cytotoxicity assay ( table 2 ). breast cancer ( mb - 231 , mb - 468 , mcf - 7 ), colon cancer ( ht - 29 , sw1116 , sw620 ), lung cancer ( nci h460 ), ovarian cancer ( ovcar ), prostate cancer ( pc - 3 ), and non - cancer ( ccd 27sk , hs888 lu ) cell lines were tested ( all from the atcc , manassas , va .). the live / dead cytotoxicity assay was obtained from molecular probes ( eugene , oreg .). the assays were performed according to the manufacturer &# 39 ; s instructions with the changes outlined below . cells were plated before the assay at the predetermined appropriate density . after 2 days , 100 microliters of purified antibody was diluted into media , and then were transferred to the cell plates and incubated in a 8 % co 2 incubator for 5 days . the plate was then emptied by inverting and blotted dry . room temperature dpbs containing mgcl 2 and cacl 2 was dispensed into each well from a multichannel squeeze bottle , tapped three times , emptied by inversion and then blotted dry . 50 microliters of the fluorescent live / dead dye diluted in dpbs containing mgcl 2 and cacl 2 was added to each well and incubated at 37 ° c . in a 5 % co 2 incubator for 30 minutes . the plates were read in a perkin - elmer hts7000 fluorescence plate reader and the data was analyzed in microsoft excel and the results were tabulated in table 2 . the data represented an average of four experiments tested in triplicate and presented qualitatively in the following fashion : 4 / 4 experiments greater than threshold cytotoxicity (+++), 3 / 4 experiments greater than threshold cytotoxicity (++), 2 / 4 experiments greater than threshold cytotoxicity (+). unmarked cells in table 2 represented inconsistent or effects less than the threshold cytotoxicity . the 7bd - 33 - 11a and 1a245 . 6 antibodies demonstrated cytotoxicity in breast and prostate tumor cell lines selectively , while having no effect on non - transformed normal cells . both demonstrated a 25 – 50 % greater killing than the positive control anti - fas antibody . 11bd - 2e11 - 2 was specifically cytotoxic in breast and ovarian cancer cells , and did not affect normal cells . the chemical cytotoxic agents induced their expected cytotoxicity while a number of other antibodies which were included for comparison also performed as expected given the limitations of biological cell assays . in toto , it was shown that the three antibodies have cytotoxic activity against a number of cancer cell types . the antibodies were selective in their activity since not all cancer cell types were susceptible . furthermore , the antibodies demonstrated functional specificity since they did not produce cytotoxicity against non - cancer cell types , which is an important factor in a therapeutic situation . cells were prepared for facs by initially washing the cell monolayer with dpbs ( without ca ++ and mg ++ ) . cell dissociation buffer ( invitrogen ) was then used to dislodge the cells from their cell culture plates at 37 ° c . after centrifugation and collection the cells were resuspended in dulbecco &# 39 ; s phosphate buffered saline containing mgcl 2 cacl 2 and 25 % fetal bovine serum at 4 ° c . ( wash media ) and counted , aliquoted to appropriate cell density , spun down to pellet the cells and resuspended in staining media ( dpbs containing mgcl 2 and cacl 2 ) containing 7bd - 33 - 11a , 1a245 . 6 , 11bd - 2e11 - 2 or control antibodies ( isotype control or anti - egf - r ) at 20 micrograms / ml on ice for 30 minutes . prior to the addition of alexa fluor 488conjugated secondary antibody the cells were washed once with wash media . the alexa fluor 488 - conjugated antibody in staining media was then added for 20 minutes . the cells were then washed for the final time and resuspended in staining media containing 1 microgram / ml propidium iodide . flow cytometric acquisition of the cells was assessed by running samples on a facscan using the cellquest ™ software ( bd biosciences ) . the forward ( fsc ) and side scatter ( ssc ) of the cells were set by adjusting the voltage and amplitude gains on the fsc and ssc detectors . the detectors for the three fluorescence channels ( fl1 , fl2 , and fl3 ) were adjusted by running cells stained with purified isotype control antibody followed by alexa fluor 488 - conjugated secondary antibody such that cells had a uniform peak with a median fluorescent intensity of approximately 1 – 5 units . live cells were acquired by gating for fsc and propidium iodide exclusion . for each sample , approximately 10 , 000 live cells were acquired for analysis and the resulted presented in table 3 . table 3 tabulated the mean fluorescence intensity fold increase above isotype control and is presented qualitatively as : less than 5 (−); 5 to 50 (+); 50 to 100 (++); above 100 (+++) and in parenthesis , the percentage of cells stained . representative histograms of 7bd - 33 - 11a antibodies were compiled for fig1 , 1a245 . 6 antibodies were compiled for fig2 , 11bd - 2e11 - 2 were compiled for fig3 and evidence the binding characteristics , inclusive of illustrated bimodal peaks , in some cases . 11bd - 2e11 - 2 displayed specific tumor binding to the breast tumor cell line mda - mb - 231 . both 7bd - 33 - 11a and 1a245 . 6 displayed similar binding to cancer lines of breast ( mda - mb - 231 and mcf - 7 ), colon , lung , ovary , and prostate origin and differential binding to one of the breast cancer cell lines ( mda - mb - 468 ). there was binding of all three antibodies to non - cancer cells , however that binding did not produce cytotoxicity . this was further evidence that binding was not necessarily predictive of the outcome of antibody ligation of its cognate antigen , and was a non - obvious finding . this suggested that the context of antibody ligation in different cells was determinative of cytoxicity rather than just antibody binding . now with reference to the data shown in fig5 and 6 , four to eight week old , female scid mice were implanted with 5 million mda - mb - 231 human breast cancer cells in one hundred microliters injected subcutaneously in the scruff of the neck . the mice were randomly divided into four treatment groups of ten . on the day prior to implantation 20 mg / kg of either 11bd2e - 11 - 2 , 7bd - 33 - 11a , 1a245 . 6 test antibodies or 3bd - 27 isotype control antibody ( known not to bind mda - mb - 231 cells ) were administered intrapertioneally at a volume of 300 microliters after dilution from the stock concentration with a diluent that contained 2 . 7 mm kcl , 1 mm kh 2 po 4 , 137 mm nacl , 20 mm na 2 hpo 4 . the antibodies were then administered once per week for a period of 7 weeks in the same fashion . tumor growth was measured about every seventh day with calipers for up to ten weeks or until individual animals reached the canadian council for animal care ( ccac ) end - points . body weights of the animals were recorded for the duration of the study . at the end of the study all animals were euthanised according to ccac guidelines . there were no clinical signs of toxicity throughout the study . body weight measured at weekly intervals was a surrogate for well - being and failure to thrive . there was a minimal difference in weight for the groups treated with the isotype control , 3bd - 27 , and 7bd - 33 - 11a , 1a245 . 6 , or 11bd - 2e11 - 2 . at day 60 ( 11 days after the cessation of treatment ) tumor volume of the group treated with 1a245 . 6 was 5 . 2 % of the control group ( p = 0 . 0002 ) and demonstrated effectiveness at reducing tumor burden with antibody treatment . those mice bearing cancer treated with 7bd - 33 - 11a antibody were disease free and had no tumor burden . the tumor volume was lower in the 11bd - 2e11 - 2 treatment group ( 45 % of control ) at day 67 ( p = 0 . 08 ). this also demonstrated a lesser tumor burden with cytotoxic antibody treatment in comparison to a control antibody . there was also corresponding survival benefits ( fig6 ) from treatment with 7bd - 33 - 11a , 1a245 . 6 , and 11bd - 2e11 - 2 cytotoxic antibodies . the control group treated with 3bd - 27 antibody reached 100 % mortality by day 74 post - implantation . in contrast , groups treated with 7bd - 33 - 11a were disease free and 1a245 . 6 treated animal displayed 100 % survival and the group treated with 11bd - 2e11 - 2 had 24 % survival . in toto , cytotoxic antibody treatment produced a decreased tumor burden and increased survival in comparison to a control antibody in a well recognized model of human cancer disease suggesting pharmacologic and pharmaceutical benefits of these antibodies ( 7bd - 33 - 11a , 1a245 . 6 , 11bd - 2e11 - 2 ) for therapy in other mammals , including man . five to six week old , female scid mice were implanted with 5 million mda - mb - 231 breast cancer cells in one hundred microliters injected subcutaneously in the scruff of the neck . tumor growth was measured with calipers every week . when the majority of the cohort reached a tumor volume of 100 mm 3 ( range 50 – 200 mm 3 ) at 34 days post implantation 8 – 10 mice were randomly assigned into each of three treatment groups . 7bd - 33 - 11a , 1a245 . 6 test antibodies or 3bd - 27 isotype control antibody ( known not to bind mda - mb - 231 cells ) were administered intrapertioneally with 15 mg / kg of antibodies at a volume of 150 microliters after dilution from the stock concentration with a diluent that contained 2 . 7 mm kcl , 1 mm kh 2 po 4 , 137 mm nacl , 20 mm na 2 hpo 4 . the antibodies were then administered three times per week for 10 doses in total in the same fashion until day 56 post - implantation . tumor growth was measured about every seventh day with calipers until day 59 post - implantation or until individual animals reached the canadian council for animal care ( ccac ) end - points . body weights of the animals were recorded for the duration of the study . at the end of the study all animals were euthanised according to ccac guidelines . there were no clinical signs of toxicity throughout the study . body weight was measured at weekly intervals . there was no significant difference in weight for the groups treated with the isotype control and 7bd - 33 - 11a , or 1a245 . 6 antibodies . as can be seen in fig4 , at day 59 post - implantation ( 2 days after the cessation of treatment ), tumor volume of the group treated with 7bd - 33 - l 1a was 29 . 5 % of the control group ( p = 0 . 0003 ). in this group , there was also a trend toward regression in mean tumor volume when the value for day 59 was compared to day 52 ( p = 0 . 25 ). likewise , treatment with 1a245 . 6 antibody also significantly suppressed tumor growth and decreased tumor burdens . animals with established tumors treated with this antibody had tumor volumes that were 56 . 3 % of the isotype treated control group ( p = 0 . 017 ). in toto , treatment with 7bd - 33 - 11a or 1a245 . 6 antibodies significantly decreased the tumor burden of established tumors in comparison to a control antibody in a well recognized model of human cancer disease suggesting pharmacologic and pharmaceutical benefits of these antibodies for therapy in other mammals , including man . all patents and publications mentioned in this specification are indicative of the levels of those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains . all patents and publications are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference . it is to be understood that while a certain form of the invention is illustrated , it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement of parts herein described and shown . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention and the invention is not to be considered limited to what is shown and described in the specification . one skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objects and obtain the ends and advantages mentioned , as well as those inherent therein . any oligonucleotides , peptides , polypeptides , biologically related compounds , methods , procedures and techniques described herein are presently representative of the preferred embodiments , are intended to be exemplary and are not intended as limitations on the scope . changes therein and other uses will occur to those skilled in the art which are encompassed within the spirit of the invention and are defined by the scope of the appended claims . although the invention has been described in connection with specific preferred embodiments , it should be understood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiments . indeed , various modifications of the described modes for carrying out the invention which are obvious to those skilled in the art are intended to be within the scope of the following claims . | 2 |
the dry , particulate deicer composition of the invention includes dry ground plant material such as dried ground grain , vegetable and / or fruit plant material and particulate deicer salt selected from the group consisting of sodium chloride , magnesium chloride , potassium chloride , calcium chloride and mixtures thereof . plant material includes the stem , leaves and fruit of the plant , and not extracted materials which are extracted from the plant material . as previously described , in an important aspect , the dry ground plant material is plant material which has been dried and ground and which is selected from the group consisting of dried ground alfalfa , wheat , field and / or lawn grass , linseed , malt , barley , milkweed , clover , vetch , plantain , sorghum , soybeans , cannola seeds , carrots , cotton seed , sunflower seeds , linseed , peanuts , citrus fruits and mixtures thereof . as described above , in most circumstances , the dry , solid , particulate deicing composition comprises at least about 0 . 5 weight percent dry ground plant material , based upon the weight of the deicing composition , and at least about 80 weight percent particulate deicer salt , based upon the weight of the deicing composition . in general , the deicing composition comprises from about 0 . 5 to about 50 weight percent dry ground plant material and from about 99 to about 50 weight percent particulate deicer salt , and in an important aspect , from about 0 . 5 to about 20 weight percent dry ground plant material and from about 99 to about 80 weight percent particulate deicer salt . the deicer composition which includes the particulate deicer salt and particulate plant material will have a tendency to segregate and not mix well . this will adversely affect the homogeneity of deicer compositions which include sodium chloride and / or potassium chloride . addition of hygroscopic compositions , such as hygroscopic salts , especially hygroscopic deicer salts in an amount to bind the particulate plant material to the deicer salt and effect substantial homogeneity in the composition are added to the deicer composition . adding hygroscopic magnesium chloride and / or calcium chloride to the deicer composition will not only pick up water , but avoid segregation , and it also will not adversely affect the ability of the deicer composition to deice because of the ability of magnesium chloride and calcium chloride to deice . as discussed , in this aspect the hygroscopic salt such as magnesium chloride and / or calcium chloride should comprise at least about 0 . 1 weight percent , and preferably , from about 0 . 3 to about 0 . 7 weight percent based upon the total weight of the deicing composition . standard alfalfa feed pellets ( 17 % protein ) are ground to a size range of about 1500 - 150 microns . sodium chloride rock salt is blended with 3 % by weight of the ground alfalfa . the corrosivity of the deicer composition is measured by an alternate immersion corrosion test involving the use of 1 &# 34 ;× 2 &# 34 ; s . a . e . 1010 carbon steel panels which are degreased in hexane and dried after a methanol rinse . the steel panels have a 1 / 8 &# 34 ; diameter hole drilled in the center and near the top of the 1 &# 34 ; side . the panels have numbers stamped in each of them . all panels are weighed to the nearest tenth of a milligram after drying . three percent by dry weight basis of deicer solutions are prepared using the above salt / alfalfa composition in a first solution and plain deicing salt in a second solution . four panels are suspended in the 3 % deicer solutions by threads from a glass rod , such that the panels are completely immersed . during two 1 - hour periods each work day , the panels are suspended in air to achieve good contact with oxygen . the other 22 hours of each work day the panels are fully immersed . over weekends , panels are completely immersed . at the end of each week , old solution is removed and replaced with new solution of the same type . at the end of one month , the panels are removed and the solutions cleaned with 1820 g . hot water , 180 g . of concentrated hydrochloric acid and 2 g . of rodine 213 . after exposure to the test solutions for 4 weeks , the average corrosion rate in the solution containing the salt / alfalfa composition is found to be 7 . 3 mils per year , compared to an average corrosion rate of 18 . 0 mils per year in the solution of plain sodium chloride . ice melting capacities of a deicing composition and of plain sodium chloride are compared . a mixture of sodium chloride rock salt with 3 % ground alfalfa and 1 . 75 % magnesium chloride solution ( containing 30 % magnesium chloride by weight ) is applied to ice at 15 degrees f ., and the volume of ice melted is measured after 60 minutes . this procedure is repeated using plain rock salt . plain salt yields 13 . 8 milliliters of melt ( standard deviation = 2 . 8 ). the salt / alfalfa composition yields 13 . 2 milliliters of melt ( standard deviation = 1 . 6 ). | 2 |
a solid fuel stove 1 is shown in the drawings and has a main body 2 standing on legs 3 ; a fire box 4 inside the stove 1 in its upper portion ; an ash chamber 5 inside the stove 1 below the fire - box 4 ; and pre - heating means 6 inside the stove 1 below the ash - chamber 5 and extending up the inside of a front panel 7 of the stove 1 . a dividing wall 17 &# 39 ; separates the fire box from the ash chamber , and a grate 19 is provided in the dividing wall . there is a large door aperture 8 in the upper part of the front panel 7 of the stove 1 which provides access into the fire - box 4 to replace fuel ( not shown ). in the lower part of the front panel 7 is a small aperture 10 beneath the large aperture 8 . the small aperture 10 provides access into the ash - chamber 5 to empty ash created by the combustion of fuel . both of the apertures are closed by a door 35 which is mounted on hinge lugs 9 fixed to the front panel 7 of the stove 1 . the door 35 has a transparent window 36 and an air inlet 37 which can allow air to enter the ash chamber . the air inlet 37 is controlled by aperture control means , such as a &# 34 ; spinner &# 34 ; 38 , which may be thermostat controlled . a sealing band 39 extends around the peripheral edge of the door and seals the closed door to the front panel 7 of the body . the fire - box 4 is in the upper portion of the stove 1 and is formed by the front , back , and side walls of the box 2 , and by the dividing wall 17 &# 39 ;. a back wall 11 of the fire - box 4 is protected from the heat of the fire and the hot solid fuel by an insulating / heat resisting layer 12 . insulation is also provided on the side walls of the fire box . above the insulating / heat resistant layer of the back wall 11 is an exhaust aperture 13 through which the exhaust gases of the fire pass on the way to a chimney ( not shown ). removably mounted on the back wall 11 between the insulating / heat resisting layer 12 and the exhaust aperture is a deflection plate 14 , which extends across the entire width of the fire - box 4 and rests on the insulation on the side walls of the fire - box . the deflection plate 14 stops short of the door 35 and so provides a gap 16 between itself and the front panel of the stove . the deflection plate is inclined , and the edge at the back wall 11 of the fire - box 4 is at a level slightly below the top of the large aperture 8 while the front free edge 15 is at a level slightly above the top of the large aperture 8 . as described earlier , the bottom of the fire - box 17 has a dividing wall 17 &# 39 ;. the dividing wall 17 &# 39 ; is provided with an ash aperture 18 which is covered by a removable grate 19 on which solid fuel can stand . the grate 19 also serves the purpose of allowing communication between the fire - box 4 and the ash - chamber 5 so that waste ash can fall into the ash - chamber 5 and air can rise up through the grate to feed the fire from beneath . the ash - chamber 5 has two apertures , the small aperture 10 and the waste aperture 18 both of which have been mentioned previously . the ash - chamber 5 collects the waste that falls through the waste aperture 18 in a collection pan 20 which sits beneath the grate 19 . the collection pan 20 can be removed from the stove 1 through the small aperture 10 in order to empty the collection pan 20 of waste material . beneath the ash - chamber 5 , occupying a space across the width and depth of the stove 1 is an air chamber 21 which constitutes part of the pre - heating means 6 . the air chamber 21 is at the bottom of the stove 1 inside the body 2 . in the bottom of the body 2 is an air aperture 23 which communicates the air chamber 21 with air outside of the stove 1 . a regulator plate 24 is slidably movable to cover , partially cover , or uncover the air apertures 23 . the regulator plate 24 is moved by a knob 25 which is attached to the plate by a rod 26 . pulling or pushing the knob 25 in or out slides the regulator plate 24 in relation to the air aperture 23 . air delivery means 27 is provided above the large aperture 8 , running across the front panel 7 in the inside of the box 2 . the air delivery means 27 is a passage or chamber that has an exit point or slot 28 along its bottom . the slot 28 is provided next to the top of the door and the top of the large aperture 8 . the air chamber 21 and the air delivery means 27 are connected by communication channels or passageways 30 . the passageways 30 comprise two conduits 30 &# 39 ; that run up either side of the large aperture 8 and cut through the dividing wall 17 &# 39 ;. there is no direct communication between the passageways 30 and the fire box , only through the slot 28 . a continuous air path is formed from the outside of the stove ( beneath the stove ) to the fire - box 4 , through the air aperture 23 , along the flat bed of the air chamber 21 , up the passageways 30 , into the air delivery means 27 and through the slot 28 and into the fire - box 4 . this path is shown by the arrows a of fig1 and 2 . it will be noted that the conduits 30 &# 39 ; pass through the dividing wall 17 &# 39 ;. the stove 1 is supported by legs 3 for its base 32 to be standing above the level of the floor in order for air to be supplied readily to the air aperture 23 . in operation the fire - box 4 is loaded through the large aperture 8 with solid fuel which rests on the grate 19 . the fuel is ignited and once it is burning steadily the door is closed . until this point the fire was fed by air entering through the large aperture 8 , as well as possibly air through the air intake aperture 23 and air through the spinner 38 . the knob 25 is pulled out so that the air aperture 23 is open to its fullest extent . the fire draws air to be combusted and air is sucked through the air aperture 23 into the air chamber 21 to rise up the passageway 30 and into the air delivery means 27 and out of the slot 28 into the fire - box . in this way air is drawn through the system comprising the pre - heating means . during burning , fuel becomes spent and the ash that is created falls into the collection pan 20 in the ash - chamber 5 . the ash is hot and the bottom 31 of the ash - chamber 5 becomes hot . the burning of the fuel heats the fire - box 4 considerably and the walls and the connecting means 5 become hot . the hot air from the combustion process rises upwards . the exhaust air hits the deflection plate 14 and as the air continues to rise , it flows along the deflection plate 14 towards the front panel 7 . as the exhaust air passes the front edge 15 of the deflection plate , it overshoots and plays over the rear face 29 of the air supply means 27 . this may cause a draft in the region of the slot 28 . furthermore , pre - heated air is leaving the slot 28 in a downwards direction . the two airflows mix . fig4 illustrates schematically the airflow which is believed to occur in the fire box . there are three main inputs of air : air rising from the fire itself ( referenced as b ), rising air deflected by the plate 14 ( referenced as c ), and pre - heated air moving downwards from slot 28 ( referenced as d ). as the deflected air c meets the pre - heated air d at the top of the door 35 they mix and cause turbulence e at the region of the window 36 . this turbulence pushes air , and more importantly soot and smoke f rising from the fire away from the window and keeps the window cleaner than in conventional fires . the introduction of pre - heated air also enables a higher temperature to be achieved , which results in less soot and smoke . uncombusted air passing through the pre - heating means 22 is warmed firstly by contacting the bottom 31 of the ash - chamber 5 . the draw on air for combustion takes the air up the connecting conduits 30 &# 39 ; which are by now hot and the air is heated further . the air receives further pre - heating in passing through the slot 28 and some mixing occurs with the rising and escaping air rising from the deflection plate 14 . the draft and / or turbulence caused by the exhaust gases in the region of the front edge 15 of plate 14 may draw air from slot 28 , or assist in doing so . once the fire in the stove is fully burning , it can be controlled by adjusting the knob 25 which controls the amount of air entering into the fire - box 4 . it is an advantage of the stove that it is constructed to intake an air supply from the room . in this way it is very simple to install and it does not require a conduit to have been previously installed in the house . therefore the invention provides a stove that is very cheap . the only connection that needs to be made is to connect the flue of the stove to a suitable system to deal with exhaust gases , for example a chimney . otherwise all that is required is a flat area on which the legs of the stove can stand . a hearth area would be suitable . in addition , the stove is very compact since all of its elements with the exception of the flue can be housed in a small box . the fire is clean , can be seen through the window which does not readily dirty , is efficient , and has a relatively high air flow for its compact size . | 5 |
a pair of wheels are indicated generally at 10 and 11 in fig1 the wheels being part of an automotive vehicle , the balance of which is not shown for purposes of clarity . it will be understood that the wheels are to be toed . a pair of wheel alignment devices are indicated generally at 12 and 13 respectively . wheel alignment device 12 is associated with wheel 10 , sometimes hereafter referred to as the first wheel , and wheel alignment device 13 is associated with wheel 11 , sometimes hereafter referred to as the second wheel . since the wheel alignment devices are alike , a description of one will suffice for a description of both , although on occasion reference will of necessity , have to be made to both . the wheel alignment device includes a pair of housing assemblies , indicated generally at 14 and 15 , and an attachment device , indicated generally at 16 , the purpose of which is to temporarily fixedly secure the housing assembly to the wheel during the toe in procedure . in this instance the wheel attachment device means includes a magnetic mounting clamp 17 , an arm 18 , and a sleeve 19 in which the housing 15 is received . it will be understood that the magnetic mounting clamp 17 includes conventional structure for securely holding the device to the wheel so that the center of the magnetic mounting clamp 17 remains aligned with an extension of the wheel axis 20 throughout the toe in adjustment procedure . the housing assembly includes a heat radiator 22 and a lamp assembly , indicated generally at 23 . an aperture is indicated at 24 at the forward end of the wheel alignment device . it will be understood that the lamp assembly 23 and aperture 24 are part of a conventional optical system contained within housing 15 which functions to project a beam of light outwardly from aperture 24 in each housing assembly 15 , which beam impinges against a target screen 26 or 27 . the light beams , indicated generally at 28 , 29 may take the form of a single shaft of light , which would be reflected as a dot on the target screen which receives it , or as a circle , which is a preferred form . it will be understood that the optical system includes a series of lenses and mirrors , as well as electrical power source 30 , the lenses and mirrors being conventional in construction and therefore not illustrated further herein . suffice to say that light beam 28 emanates from housing assembly 14 impinges on target screen 27 , and light beam 29 emanates from the housing assembly 15 for impingement on target screen 26 . referring now to fig2 target screen 27 is there shown to include a flat surface 32 on which are placed a series of indicia indicated generally at 33 . the indicia take the form of a series of arcs , each of which is struck about a center represented by point 20 which is coincident with wheel axis 20 . near the bottom of the target screen it will be noted that the distance between each arc 33 represents a fixed unit distance which in turn represents a fixed fraction of an inch of toe of the wheel with which the alignment device is used . the target screen is connected at locations 35 , 36 to the underside of its associated housing . in operation , a wheel alignment device is temporarily fixed to a wheel by engagement of the magnetic mounting clamp 17 with the center of the wheel hub in a conventional manner . thereafter , the wheel alignment device is activated and adjusted until it is essentially horizontal , as by , initially , activating the optical system via power source 30 , and focusing the light beam emanating from each housing assembly on to the target screen carried by the opposite housing assembly . thereafter the operator adjusts the position of the wheel to the desired degree of toe . referring to fig3 for example the circle , which represents light beam 28 , represented by reference numeral 37 is shown to be toed in the wrong direction . after suitable adjustment the operator may change the position of wheel 11 , with respect to the ground or reference surface 38 so that light beam 39 is now located at the proper degree of toe which , in this instance has been selected as four - sixteenths of an inch . it will be noted that with respect to both circle 37 and circle 39 , no adjustment need be made to ensure that the circles are projected properly ; the only requirement is that the displacement of wheel 11 be not so great that the light beam circle 37 or 39 falls off target screen 27 . the degree of error that is inherent in a system in which the arcs 33 are replaced by a series of vertical lines can be seen by projecting the end of any arcuate line onto reference line 34 . the distance between ( a ) the intersection of the projection with reference line 34 , and ( b ) the point at which the point crosses reference line 34 , can represent several one - sixteenths of an inch of error in the toe alignment . it will thus be noted that it is not essential for the wheel alignment operator to readjust housing assemblies 14 and 15 to an exactly horizontal orientation after every physical movement of either or both of wheels 10 and 11 ; it is only essential that the wheel alignment devices be located in such position that the light beams 28 and 29 which emanate from housing assembly 14 and 15 respectively are received in the receiving surface represented by the operative portion of target screens 26 and 27 . although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described , it will at once be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and betterments of the invention may be made within the spirit and scope of the inventive concept . it is intended therefore that the scope of the invention be limited not by the scope of the foregoing exemplary description but , rather , by the scope of the hereinafter appended claims when interpreted in light of the pertinent prior art . | 6 |
fig1 shows a block diagram of an interface 1 , here connected to the output of an acoustic transducer , designated by 2 . the interface 1 may be obtained via a hardware circuit of an analog and / or digital type or be implemented by a computer programmed with software or firmware ; in the example described hereinafter , it is provided by a software - programmed computer , without , however , the following description implying any loss of generality . consequently , even though the following description uses the term “ signal ”, this term also covers the digital implementation and in particular refers each time to the processed digital sample or to the sequence of processed digital samples . the acoustic transducer 2 , for example a mems microphone , illustrated schematically herein , comprises two distinct sensitive structures 2 a and 2 b . for instance , the sensitive structures 2 a and 2 b are micromechanical structures provided in distinct dice of semiconductor material or in distinct portions of a same die of semiconductor material , as distinct membranes or diaphragms . alternatively , the two sensitive structures 2 a and 2 b may be formed by a same diaphragm having distinct areas of sensitivity , as described , for example , in wo2012093598 . the sensitive structures 2 a , 2 b are represented schematically in fig1 a respective capacitor having a variable capacitance as a function of the incident acoustic pressure waves , and have different mechanical characteristics , for example as to different stiffness to deformations ( and thus different sensitivity ), which determine different electrical characteristics in the detection of the acoustic pressure waves . the acoustic transducer 2 further comprises an asic 3 , having a first processing element 3 a , coupled to the first sensitive structure 2 a , and supplying at a first output a first sensing signal s_in 1 as a function of the electrical signals transduced by the first sensitive structure 2 a ; and a second processing element 3 b , coupled to the second sensitive structure 2 b , and supplying on a second output a second sensing signal s_in 2 , as a function of the electrical signals transduced by the second sensitive structure 2 b . the sensing signals s_in 1 and s_in 2 are typically digital signals , but may also be analog signals . thus , according to the type of sensing signal s_in 1 , s_in 2 , the processing elements 3 a , 3 b execute sampling , preamplification and / or filtering operations , in a per se known manner . in particular , the first sensitive structure 2 a may be more flexible and thus able to detect lower acoustic signals , having a first maximum sound pressure level , for example an aop ( acoustic overload point ) equal to 120 dbspl , whereas the second sensitive structure 2 b may be more rigid , and thus able to detect higher acoustic signals , having a second maximum sound pressure level , higher than the first maximum level , for example an aop equal to 140 dbspl . furthermore , the two sensitive structures 2 a , 2 b may have a same dynamic noise range dnr . fig2 shows , for example , the dynamic intervals of the sensing signals s_in 1 and s_in 2 of an acoustic transducer 2 having the maximum sound pressure levels referred to above ( different saturation values ) and a same dynamic noise range dnr of 89 db . for a same signal ( i . e ., in the presence of a same spl value ) the first channel 3 a thus generates an electrical signal having a higher value than the second channel 3 b , as may be noted immediately in the case of a sound pressure level of 94 dbspl ( s_in 1 =− 26 dbfs and s_in 2 =− 46 dbfs ). consequently , as explained hereinafter , the interface carries out a level adaptation . for instance , in the embodiment represented in fig1 , the first sensing signal s_in 1 is reduced by a value equal to the level difference at the value of sound pressure level of 94 dbspl , thus generating a first level adapted signal s_in 1 d . alternatively ( as illustrated in fig4 ), it is possible to increase the second sensing signal s_in 2 by the same difference , thus generating a second level adapted signal s_in 2 d . as described in detail hereinafter , the electronic interface 1 carries out a combination of the first and second sensing signals s_in 1 , s_in 2 , for generating a combined signal , in order to widen the dynamic interval and obtain an optimized compromise with the signal - to - noise ratio , preventing undesirable clicks , pops , and fading . in detail , the combination here uses the value of an intensity ( loudness ) signal l that is correlated to a sensing signal , preferably to the first sensing signal s_in 1 , and is compared with a plurality of thresholds , variable as a function of the intensity signal l . in fig1 there are four different thresholds , forming two lower thresholds and two upper thresholds , referred to hereinafter also as a first lower threshold th_ 1 l , a second lower threshold th_ 1 h , a first upper threshold th_ 2 l , and a second upper threshold th_ 2 h , with th_ 1 l & lt ; th_ 1 h & lt ; th_ 2 l & lt ; th_ 2 h . these thresholds are illustrated in fig3 and are used for calculating a reconstructed signal s_r as follows : when , starting from an intermediate value comprised between th_ 1 l and th_ 2 l , the intensity signal l increases until it exceeds the second upper threshold th_ 2 h , the second sensing signal s_in 2 is selected ( stretch a of the curve of fig3 ); when , starting from an intermediate value comprised between th_ 2 h and th_ 1 h , the intensity signal l decreases until it drops below the first lower threshold th_ 1 l , the first sensing signal s_in 1 is selected ( but for an attenuation or reduction of gain , as explained in detail hereinafter ), ( stretch b of the curve of fig3 ); when the intensity signal l has a value comprised between the first lower threshold th_ 1 l and the second upper threshold th_ 2 h , without exceeding these thresholds , a signal is selected , indicated in fig3 as combined signal s_c resulting from a combination of the first and second sensing signals s_in 1 , s_in 2 ( stretch c of the curve of fig3 ). in practice , the system works on the basis of a hysteresis that tends to reduce the number of switchings , maintaining the sensing signal or the combination that had been selected previously even beyond the value of the ( lower or upper ) threshold that determines switching in the opposite direction . in this way , but for a final level adaptation , as explained hereinafter , the interface 1 generates a reconstructed signal s_r as illustrated in fig2 having an increased dynamic , which ranges from the minimum sound pressure level ( spl ) detectable by the first detection structure 2 a , which is more sensitive to the low sound waves , to the maximum sound pressure level ( spl ) detectable by the second detection structure 2 b , which is more sensitive to high sound waves . furthermore , in the present interface , the combination of the first and second sensing signals s_in 1 , s_in 2 is made using a non - linear factor or weight of a self - adaptive type that enables slow and smooth switching between the first and second sensing signals s_in 1 , s_in 2 and the combined signal . then , in the present interface , the combined signal s_c thus obtained is amplified or attenuated using a variable gain for recovering the original amplitude of the low / high signal , thus preventing saturation . to this end , in the implementation represented in fig1 , an expander amplifies the combined signal if this is lower than an amplification threshold and , after this amplification threshold , reduces the amplification gain linearly , down to zero at the full scale value . with reference once again to fig1 , the interface 1 has a first and a second input 1 a 1 b , configured to receive the first and second sensing signals s_in 1 , s_in 2 , respectively , directly from the acoustic transducer 2 , and an output 1 c , supplying an output signal s_o . the electronic interface 1 comprises a first filtering element 5 connected to the first input 1 a ; a first intensity detector 6 , connected to the output of the first filtering element 5 ; a first level adapter 7 , connected to the first input 1 a ; a signal reconstructor 8 , connected to the outputs of the first intensity detector 6 and of the first level adapter 7 and to the second input 1 b of the interface ; a second filtering element 10 connected to the second input 1 b of the interface ; a second intensity detector 11 , connected to the output of the second filtering element 10 ; and a second level adapter 15 , connected to the output of the signal reconstructor 8 and to the output of the second peak detector 11 . the signal reconstructor 8 and the second level adapter 15 form together a recombining engine 16 . the first level adapter 7 has the function of reducing the level of the first sensing signal s_in 1 by a reduction or attenuation value δs for generating a first adapted sensing signal s_in 1 d having , for a sound signal picked up with a sound pressure level of 94 dbspl , an amplitude equal to that of the second sensing signal s_in 2 ( in the example represented in fig2 , thus , δs = 20 db ). the signal reconstructor 8 then receives , on two signal inputs 8 a , 8 b of its own , the adapted sensing signal s_in 1 d and the second sensing signal s_in 2 . the first filtering element 5 has the purpose of reducing the variation rate of the first sensing signal s_in 1 and thus simplifying processing ; it may be formed by any element suited for this purpose . for instance , in a software implementation of the electronic interface 1 , the first filtering element 5 may be formed by an element computing the rms ( root mean square ) value . a first filtered signal s_f 1 is thus present at output of the first filtering element 5 and supplied to the first intensity detector 6 . the first intensity detector 6 is substantially a peak detector , which thus outputs a first peak signal p 1 , used by the signal reconstructor 8 as described hereinafter . in the embodiment of fig9 , the signal reconstructor 8 does not actually generate the four thresholds th_ 1 l , th_ 1 h , th_ 2 l and th_ 2 h described above , but calculates two dynamic thresholds , a lower dynamic threshold th 1 and an upper dynamic threshold th 2 , the value whereof is dynamically and repeatedly calculated for reproducing the above hysteresis behavior described with reference to fig3 , as disclosed in detail hereinafter . in the embodiment of fig1 , the signal reconstructor 8 is basically made up of three parts : an adder 20 , which receives the adapted sensing signal s_in 1 d and the second sensing signal s_in 2 and generates a weighted combination thereof , referred to previously ( and in fig3 ) as combined signal s_c ; a selector 21 , which makes the selection referred to above and then outputs the reconstructed signal s_r according to the criteria set forth above ; and a control portion 22 , which controls the selector 21 and generates a combination factor β for the adder 20 . for instance , the adder 20 may generate the combined signal s_c as : the control portion 22 comprises an equalizer 25 , a threshold computing unit 28 ( see fig9 ), a comparator 26 , and a weight generator 27 . in detail , the equalizer 25 is formed by a filter having the task of further reducing the variation rate of the signal to be compared with the switching thresholds ( intensity signal l ). in particular , the equalizer 25 reacts rapidly while the sound signal increases , but more slowly when the picked up sound signal drops , and thus introduces a delay in this phase . for instance , the equalizer 25 may execute the operations illustrated in fig5 , namely : it resets a previous peak value tslp to a value k 1 ( step 50 ); it calculates a peak decay value tsapf reducing the previous peak value tslp by a decay value k 2 ( step 52 ); it calculates the new sample of the intensity signal l as maximum between the absolute value of the sample of the first peak signal p 1 and the previous peak value tslp ( step 54 ); and it updates the new previous peak value tslp so that this is equal to the new sample of the intensity signal l ( step 56 ). this cycle is repeated for each sample of the first peak signal p 1 , and then the process returns to step 52 . in fig9 , the control portion 22 comprises , in addition to the equalizer 25 , to the comparator 26 , and to the weight generator 27 , a threshold computing unit 28 . the threshold computing unit 28 calculates the dynamic thresholds described above , executing the operations illustrated in fig6 a and 6b . in detail , for calculating the lower dynamic threshold th 1 ( fig6 a ), the threshold computing element 28 : initially sets the lower dynamic threshold th 1 to the first upper threshold th_ 1 h ( step 60 ); if the current combination factor β is equal to 0 ( output yes from verification step 61 of the value of β , which means that now the reconstructed signal s_r is in stretch b of the curve of fig3 ), sets the lower dynamic threshold th 1 to the second lower threshold th_ 1 h ( step 62 ); if the combination factor β is other than 0 ( output no from step 61 ; i . e ., now the reconstructed signal s_r is in stretch c of the curve of fig3 ), sets the lower dynamic threshold th 1 to the first lower threshold th_ 1 l ( step 64 ). for calculation of the upper dynamic threshold th 2 ( fig6 b ), the threshold computing unit 28 : initially sets the upper dynamic threshold th 2 to the second upper threshold th_ 2 h ( step 70 ); if the combination factor β is equal to 1 ( output yes from the verification step 71 ; i . e ., the reconstructed signal s_r is in stretch a of the curve of fig3 ), sets the upper dynamic threshold th 2 to the second lower threshold th_ 2 l ( step 72 ); if the combination factor β is other than 1 ( output no from step 71 ; i . e ., the reconstructed signal s_r is in stretch c of the curve of fig3 ), sets the upper dynamic threshold th 1 to the second upper threshold th_ 2 h ( step 74 ). according to an embodiment of the present device , the combination factor β generated by the weight generator 27 is not fixed , but is a variable self - adaptive value so that the combined signal s_c follows the dynamic of the input signal without discontinuity and has a value close to that of the adapted sensing signal s_in 1 d when the intensity signal l has exceeded the first upper threshold th_ 1 l and a value close to that of the second sensing signal s_in 2 , when the intensity signal l has dropped below the second lower threshold th_ 2 l . for instance , the combination factor β is recalculated for each sample as follows ( see fig7 ): initially , the intensity signal l is compared with the upper dynamic threshold th 2 ( step 80 ); if l ≧ th 2 , the combination factor β is set to 1 ( step 82 ); otherwise , the weight generator 28 verifies whether the intensity signal l is lower than or equal to the lower dynamic threshold th 1 ( step 84 ); if it is , the combination factor β is set to 0 ( step 86 ); if it is not , the distance between the upper dynamic threshold th 2 and the lower dynamic threshold th 1 is calculated ( step 88 ) and the combination factor β is set to the normalized distance between the value of the intensity signal l and the lower dynamic threshold th 1 ( step 89 ). the comparator 26 receives the upper dynamic threshold th 2 , the lower dynamic threshold th 1 and the value of the intensity signal l and generates a digital switching signal s 1 supplied to a control input of the selector 21 , which thus outputs the reconstructed signal s_r . the reconstructed signal s_r thus generated is supplied to the second level adapter 15 , which amplifies it for recovering the original intensity , reduced on account of the first level adapter 7 , but only for the portion due to the first sensing signal s_in 1 . to this end , the intensity of the input signal is measured using the second sensing signal s_in 2 , since the latter contains the information regarding the high part of the sound signal picked up by the transducer 2 , which is not to be amplified . in detail , the second input 1 b of the electronic interface 1 is connected to the second filtering element 10 , which may be made substantially in the same way as the first filtering element 5 and may be formed by an rms calculation element . the second filtering element 10 thus outputs a second filtered signal s_f 2 , supplied to the second intensity detector 11 . the second intensity detector 11 , forming substantially a peak detector , outputs a second peak signal p 2 , supplied to the second level adapter 15 to determine the level of gain intended for the reconstructed signal s_r . the second level adapter 15 operates substantially as an amplifier of the reconstructed signal s_r , which has a constant gain δs ( thus equal to the reduction of the first level adapter 7 , in the example equal to 20 db ) up to a certain level of the input signal ( here up to 120 dbspl , maximum level of the first sensing signal s_in 1 ) and then decreases . in an embodiment of the present device , in the above second interval , the amplitude of the reconstructed signal s_r is reduced linearly down to zero at the maximum detectable level ( in the example considered 140 dbspl ). according to a different embodiment , in this second interval , a maximum gain of the reconstructed signal s_r is reduced linearly to zero at the maximum detectable level ( in the example considered , 140 dbspl ). in practice , in this case , when the second sensing signal s_in 2 exceeds 120 dbspl , the second level adapter 15 calculates the maximum gain on the basis of the following law : gmax represents the maximum gain that may be applied to the output signal without the latter undergoing any saturation or — in other words — without the latter being amplified beyond what is allowed by the residual dynamic of the system ( headroom ). according to an embodiment of the present device , in order not to introduce sharp alterations in the dynamic of the output signal s_o , the gain g actually applied to the reconstructed signal s_r is calculated in an adaptive way that depends upon the maximum gain gmax . in particular , the gain g follows two different dynamics according to whether it is increasing or decreasing ( and thus the second sensing signal s_in 2 and the reconstructed signal s_r are decreasing or increasing ). specifically , here , the gain is increased slowly according to a preset constant , and is decreased in a faster way according to a value linked to the amount of reduction of the maximum gain , implementing a sort of exponential decay . for instance , in the second range of values , the gain g is calculated as illustrated in fig8 . in the example of fig8 , the second level adapter 15 carries out the following operations : it initializes a delay counter d to zero ( step 90 ); it verifies whether the value of the gain g is lower than the maximum gain gmax corresponding to the current value of the second sensing signal s_in 2 ( or of an average of a certain number of samples ) ( step 92 ); if g & lt ; gmax , it increments the delay counter d ( step 94 ); it verifies whether the delay counter d has already reached the intended maximum value ( step 96 ); if it has , it resets the delay counter d ( step 98 ), and increments the gain g by a step - up value su ( step 100 ), and returns to step 92 ; if g is at least equal to gmax ( calculated at the current value or at a value that is an average of a certain number of samples of the second sensing signal s_in 2 ), output no from step 92 , it verifies whether g & gt ; gmax ( step 102 ); if it is not ( i . e ., g = gmax ), it returns to step 92 , without modifying the value of the gain ; if it is ( i . e ., the second sensing signal s_in 2 is decreasing ), it calculates a step - down value sd linked to the increase rate of the second sensing signal s_in 2 ( and thus the decrease rate of the maximum gain gmax ) according to the equation sg = k 3 +( g − gmax )/ k 4 , where k 3 and k 4 are constant ( step 104 ); it increments the gain g by the step - down value sd ( step 106 ), and returns to step 92 . the use , during reconstruction of the signal , of a number of thresholds that take into account the dynamic of the picked up sound signal , with a hysteresis behavior , reduces the number of switchings between the used signals and thus the onset of artefacts and disturbance , such as , in the acoustic field , clicks , pops , or fading . the reduction of artefacts and disturbance , for an increase of the dynamic interval of reproduction of the picked up signal , is enhanced by the other measures implemented by the present interface . in particular , the process of repeated filtering of the low signal ( first sensing signal s_in 1 ) to obtain the intensity signal l that is used for comparison with the reconstruction thresholds of the signal is advantageous since also this solution contributes to reducing repeated switchings at a short distance , as likewise the non - linear dependence of the gain g effectively applied to the reconstructed signal s_r in the high value area . the above improved behavior is also due to the use of self - adaptive weights in the generation of the combined signal s_c , which cause the reconstructed signal s_r to move without discontinuity and smoothly from the previous values to the subsequent ones in all operating conditions . in this way , thanks to the ensemble of solutions described above , even when the picked up signal has sudden level variations , difficult to predict , it is possible to completely eliminate the artefacts , at the same time guaranteeing a wide dynamic interval and high definition . the final level adapter or expander 15 moreover ensures complete recovery of the amplitude of the picked up signal , at the same time preventing saturation of the output . the output signal thus obtained , where just the lower values are amplified and amplification of the higher values is gradually reduced , limits the presence of noise in the output signal in so far as this is not amplified in a troublesome way for the samples having a higher level . finally , it is clear that modifications and variations may be made to the interface and to the reconstruction method described and illustrated herein , without thereby departing from the scope of the present disclosure , as defined in the attached claims . for instance , the interface may work in a dual way for alignment of the signals at the input of the signal reconstructor 8 . a solution of this type is illustrated by way of example in fig4 , which shows an interface altogether similar to that of fig1 , except for the fact that the signal reconstructor 8 receives at input the first sensing signal s_in 1 and a second adapted sensing signal s_in 2 d obtained by amplifying by δs the second sensing signal s_in 2 ( via a third level adapter , here an amplifier 30 , arranged between the second input 1 b and the signal reconstructor 8 ). furthermore , in this embodiment , the output from the signal reconstructor 8 is connected to a fourth level adapter 15 ′, which operates opposite to the second level adapter 15 of fig1 ; i . e ., it maintains the level of the combined signal s_r up to a certain value ( for example , the maximum level of the first sensing signal s_in 1 ) and then reduces the gain ( or the maximum gain ) linearly down to − δs at the maximum level of the second sensing signal s_in 2 . the measurement branch of the intensity signal l may be coupled to the second input 1 b and the measurement branch of the control signal of the second adapter element 15 , 15 ′ may be coupled to the first input 1 a , even though the embodiments described above have the advantage of optimally exploiting the information associated to the first and second sensing signals s_in 1 , s_in 2 . in the examples described above , the control portion 22 works on two dynamic thresholds , the value whereof is automatically calculated for each signal sample or every n signal samples for having in practice four thresholds . according to yet another embodiment , illustrated in fig1 , the control portion may use three thresholds , thereby the thresholds th_ 1 h and th_ 2 l of fig1 become the same . in all cases , the thresholds are programmable in an initial setting step . furthermore , even though the threshold computing unit 28 and the weight generators 27 have been described as different entities , they may be implemented by a same logic unit , possibly as separate routines . likewise , the adder 20 and the selector 21 may be implemented by a single reconstructed signal generator s_r . the present interface may be used for processing audio signals both of a digital type and of an analog type . furthermore , as has been mentioned , the described solution may be usefully applied to signals detected by dual sensors , including non - acoustic ones . the method proposed for managing two signals with different sensitivity in order to create one with greater dynamic interval may in fact be used for different applications , such as for example mems inertial sensors , thermal sensors , or pressure sensors , environmental sensors , chemical sensors , etc . in these cases , the availability of elements with different sensitivity may exploit the advantage of the described interface and method , for supplying more precise information and over a more extensive range of values , without introducing artefacts or alterations in the treated signal . the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments . aspects of the embodiments can be modified , if necessary to employ concepts of the various patents , applications and publications to provide yet further embodiments . these and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of the above - detailed description . in general , in the following claims , the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims , but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled . accordingly , the claims are not limited by the disclosure . | 7 |
the drawing shows an apparatus which includes means 1 for cleaning the seed from impurities like wood , stone and metal . after having passed the cleaning device 1 , any fibres in the raw material are removed e . g . in a fibre removing device 2 . the raw material , which can now be considered to be rather clean , is thereupon preliminarily crushed in rollers 3 . presently , a coarsely crushed product is obtained , that is to say a product consisting of seed particles which at least have been crushed once , but mostly two or three times ; this depends on the size of the seeds . the coarsely broken seeds having a size of 1 or 2 mm are subsequently subjected to a thermal treatment in a shaker conditioning device 4 ( see e . g . netherlands patent application no . 73 , 12094 and the corresponding u . s . pat . no . 3 , 972 , 278 ) in order to improve the extractability of the material . after this treatment , the oil is pressed out by means of a rotary press 5 , see british patent specification no . 958 , 014 , while the oil is discharged through an outlet 12 . apart from the already produced oil , a cake is obtained with an oil content ranging from 15 to 30 % of oil , which cake is discharged from the press 5 via a conveyor 13 to an extraction vessel 6 . here an extraction is effected by means of an extractant , for instance hexane , supplied through a feed line 18 and inlet 14 . for the latter extraction by means of hexane , a variable pressure extraction can be carried out as described in netherlands patent application no . 75 , 11124 and corresponding u . s . application ser . no . 722 , 396 . the flow of solvent with extracted oil produced in the extraction vessel 6 is discharged through a pipe 7 ; the flow of solvent with solid particles is discharged via the discharge pipe 8 and arrives in a solvent remover 9 which construction equals that of the shaker conditioning device . a mixture of water and hexane vapour flows from the solvent remover 9 to a condenser 16 through a vapour discharge duct 15 . from condenser 16 water is discharged through a water discharge pipe 17 while hexane is recovered and supplied to the extraction device 6 through a pipe 18 and inlet 14 . the mixture of water and hexane condensed in the vessel 16 is separated in a decanting vessel 19 , which is connected at its bottom part with a water discharge pipe 17 and at its top with a hexane discharge pipe 18 . extracted meal from the solvent remover 9 is , through a pipe 10 , supplied to a dryer 11 in which drying to the desired humidity takes place . the extracted meal is finally discharged through a discharge pipe 20 . the flow of solvent with extracted oil supplied through the pipe 7 is fed to a separator 21 from which hexane vapours are discharged to a hexane vapour condenser 22 , through a discharge pipe 23 . this pipe 23 connects the condenser 22 with a vaporiser 21 . finally , the residual oil and solvent are separated in the stripper 24 . the present invention presents several advantages with respect to the prior art machines : ( a ) with the energy formerly consumed according to the known method by smooth rolling only for reducing the size of the seed , already a part of the oil is recovered from the raw material , which material can thereupon be easily extracted ; ( b ) owing to the use of a rotary press , the vegetable material supplied to the extractor 6 contains less oil , so that the extractor 6 will be smaller , from which follows that the total flow of solvent with extracted oil is relatively much smaller . this implies less consumption of solvent , less consumption of energy for pumps and subsequently a smaller apparatus for recovering the solvent , which also reduces the consumption of energy ; ( c ) owing to the use of lower temperatures and by shorter residence times of the material to be treated in the respective parts of the present apparatus , the quality of the extracted meal is much improved , whereas the quality of the produced oil is excellent , as the percentage of pressed oil in the rotary press 5 ranges now from 30 - 50 %; ( d ) any capital to be invested in the present apparatus is moderate as special rollers for rolling the pre - treated vegetable material into fine flakes can be omitted , while the extractor device and , consequently , the device for recovery of extractant are much smaller ; ( e ) due to the fact that the rollers for rolling the raw material into flakes , deemed necessary according to the known method , are omitted , the upkeep cost can be considerably reduced because the rotary press and a shaker conditioner require little upkeep . the use of a so - called variable pressure extractor for extracting oil components from oil containing vegetable material is rather effective . it has been found that soja with an oil content of 18 % still contains after treatment in a rotary press 11 % oil . when a variable pressure extractor is used , an extracted meal with an oil precentage of only 0 . 4 % can be obtained from the cake . soja treated with the known direct extraction by means of a solvent yields an extracted meal with about 1 . 5 % of residual oil . a treatment with a variable pressure extractor also allows subjecting seeds with a high oil content to an extraction . extracted meal obtained according to the process in conformity with the invention contains proteins which are better soluble in water than the proteins in meal extracted in the known manner . in the process according to the invention , it is of particular importance that also coarsely crushed seeds can be almost entirely freed from oils or fat which means a considerable economy , particularly when seeds containing little oil are extracted . | 2 |
a first preferred embodiment of a continuous web mixing device 01 in accordance with the present invention is represented in fig1 and comprises two formers 02 , 03 , guide roller pairs 04 , 06 , 18 , two longitudinal cutters 07 , 08 , deflection rollers 09 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 16 , two traction rollers 05 , 10 , as well as a stapler 17 . a folding apparatus 19 is connected to the continuous web mixing device 01 , which folding apparatus 19 comprises a cylinder 21 , such as , for example , a cutting cylinder 21 , a cylinder 22 , such as , for example , a cutting groove , point and folding blade cylinder 22 , as well as a cylinder 23 , such as , for example , a folding jaw cylinder 23 . a first continuous web 24 is pulled through the former 03 in the direction of the draw - in arrow . the first continuous web 24 is constituted of a plurality of parallel running paper webs 24 , which together are processed into tabloid products . in the course of their passage through the former 03 , the longitudinally - cut , parallel running partial webs , running side - by - side over the former 03 , are brought together . following their passage over the former 03 , the folded continuous web 24 , which here is comprised of a plurality of partial webs placed on top of each other , runs over guide rollers 06 and terminates in one or both of the traction rollers 05 , 10 , or in one of the traction roller groups 05 , 10 . after passing through the former 03 , the continuous web 24 therefore consists of twice the number of parallel extending paper webs 24 which paper webs 24 , however , are of a lesser width than was the paper web 24 prior to its entry in the former 03 . the continuous web 24 is conducted over the deflection rollers 14 , 16 to the guide rollers 18 and leaves the continuous web mixing machine 01 via these guide rollers 18 . a different , second continuous web 26 is correspondingly conducted into the other former 02 . this continuous web 26 also consists of a plurality of parallel extending individual paper webs which are assembled after having been longitudinally cut and moved apart . this continuous web 26 can be obtained , for example , together with the continuous web 24 , by longitudinally cutting a double - width web which was previously imprinted in a printing press prior to its entry into the continuous web mixing device 01 . the partial webs of the second continuous web 26 are brought together in the associated former 02 and , after leaving the former 02 , are fed via the guide rollers 04 to one or both of the traction rollers 10 , 05 . leaving the traction roller or rollers 10 , 05 , the second continuous web 26 is conducted to the deflection roller 09 where , in contrast to the first continuous web 24 , it is divided into two partial continuous webs 27 , 28 , such as , for example , partial paper webs 27 , 28 . from the deflection roller 09 , a first partial continuous web 28 is conducted , via the deflection roller 11 , to the guide roller 18 , i . e . to the outlet of the continuous web mixing device 01 . it is combined there with the first continuous web 24 . since the continuous webs 24 and 26 , or the continuous web 24 and the partial continuous webs 27 , 28 are brought together in the area of the guide rollers 18 , the place or location where they are brought together , in the area of the guide rollers 18 , is called an outlet although , strictly structurally considered , this outlet or place of web combination can also be located further downstream with respect to the continuous web . the second partial continuous web 27 runs from the deflection roller 09 to the stapler 17 . the stapler 17 staples each of the paper webs 27 , constituting the partial continuous web 27 , before the second partial continuous web 27 enters the folding device 19 , together along a line between two sides of the printed image generated on them , along which line a transverse fold will later be generated , in the course of the passage of the second partial continuous web 27 through the folding apparatus 19 . after leaving the stapler 17 , the second partial continuous web 27 , now consisting of paper webs 27 stapled together in some places , is also conducted over the deflection rollers 12 , 13 to the guide roller 18 and is united there with the first partial continuous web 28 , as well as with the first continuous web 24 . in this way , a main continuous web 29 , which is composed of the yet not stapled paper webs of the first continuous web 24 , of the yet not stapled paper webs 28 of the first partial continuous web 28 , and of the stapled paper webs 27 of the second partial continuous web 27 , leaves the guide rollers 18 which , as discussed above , constitute the outlet from the continuous web mixing device 01 . this resultant main continuous web 29 now enters between the cutting cylinder 21 and the cutting groove , point and folding blade cylinder 22 of the folding apparatus 19 . a folding jaw cylinder 23 follows the cutting groove , point and folding blade cylinder 22 . the main continuous web 29 is cut , in a generally known manner , into individual products between the cylinders 21 , 22 of the folding apparatus , which cut , individual products are subsequently transversely folded between the cylinders 22 , 23 . the tabloid products produced by the continuous web mixing device 01 depicted in fig1 have an outer , not stapled layer and an inner , stapled layer . it is possible , at the deflection roller 09 , to distribute the individual paper webs consisting of the second continuous web 26 as desired , to form the two partial continuous webs 27 , 28 , and to provide the one paper web 26 corresponding respectively to four pages of the finished printed product , so that the change of the stapled layer into cuts of respectively four pages can be selected as desired . the continuous web mixing device 01 is not limited to the specific embodiment represented in fig1 . for example , it is possible to modify the continuous web mixing device 01 in such a way that the stapler 17 is arranged in the guide path for the first partial continuous web 28 , instead of being arranged in the guide path for the second partial continuous web 27 . in that configuration , the paper webs constituting the first partial continuous web 28 are stapled together at predetermined locations by the stapler 17 , while the paper webs 27 constituting the second partial continuous web 27 remain not stapled . after uniting the first and second partial continuous webs 27 , 28 with the first continuous web 24 , for formation into the main continuous web 29 at the outlet of the continuous web mixing device 01 at the guide rollers 18 , and after passing the formed main continuous web 29 through the folding apparatus 19 , tabloid products are produced by the alternative embodiment of the continuous web mixing device 01 , which tabloid products have three layers , in which tabloid product an outer layer and an inner layer are not stapled , while a layer between these two layers is stapled . the second continuous web 26 could , of course , also be conducted in one piece , possibly together with paper webs branched off from the first continuous web 24 , through the stapler 17 if a larger size is desired for the stapled layer than for the one not stapled . depending on the width of the printing press which is arranged upstream of the continuous web mixing device 01 , the continuous web mixing device 01 can also have more than two formers . the partial continuous web conducted through the stapler 17 can then be a part of a longitudinally cut continuous web coming from one of the formers , or can also constitute this continuous web in its entirety and can additionally contain paper webs from a continuous web coming from an adjoining former . in another embodiment of the present invention , the longitudinal cutter or cutters 07 , 08 is or are not arranged upstream of the respective former or formers 02 , 03 , but is or are located downstream of the respective former or formers 02 , 03 . in this case , the folded continuous web 29 is cut open at the folded spine downstream of the former 02 , 03 . in an embodiment of the present invention , which is represented in fig2 , at least two continuous web guides of the first and second partial continuous webs 28 and 27 are assigned to a former 02 and to the continuous web 26 formed by this embodiment . for this purpose , the continuous web 26 is longitudinally cut , either upstream or downstream of the former 02 , as mentioned above , and is then divided onto the continuous web guides of the first and second partial continuous webs 28 and 27 . at least one of the continuous web guides , however , and in an advantageous manner both of the continuous web guides , here have a stapler 17 along their path . one or both of the partial continuous paper webs 27 , 28 can be stapled before the partial paper webs 27 , 28 are again combined into a product and are further processed in the folding apparatus 19 . as indicated in dashed lines in fig2 , a third partial continuous paper web 31 can also be conducted out of the continuous web 26 and can be stapled by the use of a possibly provided stapler 17 , before it , too , is again combined to form the product 29 . a continuous web guide is also shown in dashed lines in fig2 , wherein a fourth different partial continuous paper web 32 is conducted , for example without being rerouted and / or without being stapled , straight downward to the entry into the folding apparatus 19 . a particular advantage of the embodiment of the present invention , in accordance with fig2 , lies in that it is possible to considerably reduce the number of formers 02 , 03 required in connection with the formation of several “ books ” of a product , which several books have been stapled separately of each other , or , in part , have not been stapled . for example , in connection with a similar variability of the product it is possible to save an additional former , such as a balloon former which would otherwise be arranged upstream of the former 02 . considerable construction costs and structural size can be saved by this elimination of one or more formers . in a third preferred embodiment of the present invention , as seen in fig3 , the two partial continuous paper webs 27 , 28 are conducted from the former 02 around both sides of a former 03 which former 03 is , for example , located underneath the former 02 , via deflection rollers 09 , 09 ′. as was discussed in connection with the first described embodiments , a stapler 17 , which is represented by dashed lines , can be arranged on one of the two , or on both of the continuous web guides of the partial continuous paper webs 27 , 28 . upstream of the folding apparatus 19 , the two partial continuous paper webs 27 , 28 are brought together with the continuous web 24 from the lower former 03 , wherein the continuous web 24 comes to lie between the two partial continuous paper webs 27 , 28 . in an advantageous embodiment of the present invention , as seen in fig3 , a stapler 17 ′ can be arranged in the path of the continuous web guide of the continuous web 24 in addition to , or in place of the stapler or staplers 17 shown in dashed lines in fig3 . in an embodiment of the invention , and which is distinguished by great flexibility , the continuous web guide of the continuous web 24 , as well as at least one of the continuous web guides of the partial continuous paper webs 27 , 28 , which are moving around both sides of the former 03 , each have a stapler 17 , 17 ′. if it is desired to provide an even more variable production capability , the continuous web guides of the three continuous webs 24 , 27 , 28 each have a stapler 17 , 17 ′. additional continuous bypass guides 33 , 34 , as indicated in dashed lines by way of example in fig3 , can be provided in all three of the discussed preferred embodiments , by the use of which , a portion of the , for example , again divided continuous web 24 , 27 , 28 , or the entire continuous web 24 , 27 , 28 can be guided around a stapler 17 , 17 ′, which is located on a continuous guide , without being stapled . in connection with this , only two bypass continuous web guides 33 , 34 , which are schematically represented without deflection rollers , are shown in dashed lines in fig3 . however , these bypass continuous web guides 33 , 34 can be optionally transferred , in a further development , to individual or to several continuous webs 24 , 27 , 28 from the above - described three preferred embodiments . in a fourth preferred embodiment , as seen in fig4 , respectively one stapler 17 , 17 ′ is assigned to each of the two formers 02 , 03 , each former 02 , 03 being provided with a longitudinal cutter 07 , 08 , in the guide path from the respective former 02 , 03 to the outlet of the continuous web mixing device 01 . the continuous web mixing device 01 here has deflection rollers 09 , 14 , 36 , 37 , via which deflection rollers one partial continuous paper web 28 , or the entire continuous web 26 of the one former 02 can be passed , together with a partial continuous web 27 ′, or with the entire continuous web 24 of this second former 03 , 02 , through the stapler 17 ′ which is assigned to the second former 03 , or , in an advantageous embodiment , the web is passed through it . therefore , it is not necessary to determine the correct approach to a former which is already in a superstructure , which is not specifically represented , by turning partial webs . instead , after passing through the formers 02 , 03 , the partial webs can still be assigned to the other partial continuous web 27 ′, or to the continuous web 24 . it is also possible to process all of the partial webs , such as the two folded and cut continuous webs 24 , 26 , into a product through one of the staplers 17 ′, 17 . in the same way , is it possible that a partial continuous paper web 28 , together with a continuous web 24 , or with a partial continuous paper web 27 ′ of the other former 03 , is stapled , while the remaining partial continuous paper web 27 of the first former 02 passes through the assigned stapler 17 without being stapled such as , for example , if i . e . the stapler is not switched on or is out of service . the arrangement discussed above with the above - mentioned reference numerals , is to be applied symmetrically to the opposite guide . by the use of the above - mentioned guide paths over both of the depicted staplers 17 , 17 ′, a main continuous web 29 , at the outlet of the mixing device 01 , can be attained in a first mode of operation , which web 29 has a portion of one or several layers not stapled by passing through , for example , switched - off staplers 17 , 17 ′, and a portion with several layers stapled together , as is represented in fig5 a from the inside to the outside ). in a second mode of operation , as seen in fig5 b , the main continuous web is constituted by two portions , each of which has several layers stapled together , and where the number of layers between the two portions can be variable by utilization of the above mentioned bypass . in an advantageous manner , the continuous web mixing device 01 has further deflection rollers 11 , 16 , over which partial continuous paper webs 28 , 28 ′ of the one and / or of the other former 02 , 03 is or are conducted without passing through one of the staplers 17 , 17 ′. as seen in fig4 , these webs 28 , 28 ′ move along an appropriate guide path between the two staplers 17 , 17 ′. by the use of this , the above - mentioned modes of operation of the present invention , and the products resulting therefrom as the main , continuous web 29 can be expanded in such a way that , in a third mode of operation , an additional portion with one or with several layers , which are not stapled , is introduced , in addition to the previously mentioned sequences between the already mentioned portions , in particular as the two stapled portions of the second mode of operation , as seen in fig5 c . the number and origin of the layer or layers of this last mentioned portion is or are variable . it or they can come from one , from the other , or from both of the formers 02 , 03 . even more flexible , with regard to the product to be produced , the continuous web mixing device 01 can be embodied with additional deflection rollers 09 , 09 ′, 10 , 10 ′, 11 , 12 , all as seen in fig4 , over which additional deflection rollers a partial continuous web 27 , 28 , 27 ′, 28 ′, exiting from at least one of the formers 02 , 03 , can be conducted on an outside of the continuous web mixing device 01 , around the two staplers 17 , 17 ′ to the outlet 18 , without passing through one of the staplers 17 , 17 ′. in fig4 , such an adjoining guide path , identified as bypass continuous web guide 33 , 34 , is provided for each of the two formers 02 , 03 . this makes it possible , in addition to the two first - mentioned modes of operation and also in addition to the third mode of operation , to add to the previously mentioned sequence of portions , a further portion with one or with several layers , which layers have not been stapled , and located on the one and / or on the other exterior continuous web side of the main continuous web 29 now obtained , or to actually add it . thus , for example , in a fourth mode of operation in accordance with the present invention , a sequence of one unstapled portion , a stapled portion , an unstapled portion and a further stapled portion , as shown in fig5 d , and in a fifth mode of operation , an additional unstapled portion , as seen in fig5 e , is made possible or is provided . in a sixth mode of operation , as depicted in fig5 f , there is formed a sequence of an unstapled portion , a stapled portion and a second stapled portion , and in a seventh mode of operation an additional further unstapled portion , as seen in fig5 g , can be achieved or is produced . the above - mentioned deflection rollers 09 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 16 , 36 , 37 are preferably embodied as rollers 09 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 16 , and in particular are provided as friction - driven 09 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 16 . the main continuous web 29 is subsequently transversely cut in the folding apparatus 19 , and the product sections obtained , as a result of this cutting are transversely folded , for example . the transversely folded products , which can be obtained with the above - mentioned modes of operation , are represented , by way of example , in fig5 a to 5 g . in this case , the number of layers per portion , either stapled or not stapled , has been selected only as example . a number of layers in the portion can also be higher or lower than is represented . different portions can have different numbers of layers . particularly in connection with portions which are not stapled , the number of layers can also be 1 . stapling is indicated schematically in fig5 a - 5 m by a line connecting the layers in the area of the folded spine . the products which can be obtained by the different modes of operation of the device in accordance with fig1 are also represented in fig5 . fig5 a shows a product which results where bypassing of a partial continuous paper web 28 , which is not intended to be stapled , takes place . the products produced by different modes of operation of the device in accordance with fig2 can also be seen from fig5 , but not exhaustively . for example , the product in accordance with fig5 a with one stapler switched off and fig5 b with only the partial continuous paper webs 27 , 28 shown in solid lines , can be produced . the arrangement shown in fig5 c can be produced without taking a guidance of the partial continuous paper web 31 into consideration , such as is provided in a basic version of the second embodiment in accordance with fig2 , but with a possibility of the partial continuous paper web 32 . with a left stapler 17 provided , with the center stapler 17 switched off or non - existent , as well as with the right stapler 17 turned on , the configuration shown in fig5 c can also be achieved with the partial continuous web 31 , without guidance of the partial continuous web 32 . with the center stapler 17 additionally turned on , the configuration of fig5 j can be achieved . if , however , the left stapler 17 is not provided or is instead switched off , the configuration of fig5 m can be realized . fig5 h shows a possible product created by the use of all drawn in guides and with the three staplers 17 all turned on . in addition to the products shown in fig5 a to 5 g , and mentioned in the portion of the specification in connection with fig4 , but to be transferred to operating situations with selectively switched - off or not provided staplers 17 , 17 ′, or with used or unused bypasses 33 , 34 , a product in accordance with fig5 i is possible with use of the device in accordance with fig3 taking the bypass 33 and three staplers 17 , 17 ′ into consideration , and without the bypass 33 , but with the bypass 34 , the reverse of the product shown in fig5 h . if all three continuous webs or partial continuous webs 24 , 27 , 28 , drawn in solid lines , have a stapler 17 , 17 ′, the product in accordance with fig5 j can be produced from three portions without a further bypass 33 , 34 . if a stapler 17 ′ is only provided for the continuous web 24 , or selectively only this one of the two or three staplers 17 , 17 ′ is switched on , a product in accordance with fig5 k results . the product sequence in the representation from the inside to the outside can be reversed , either by an appropriate guidance through the continuous web mixing device 01 , or by changing the folding apparatus 19 . it is of particular advantage that , as a rule , the above - mentioned products can be made , at least to a large extent , without turning , and in particular without previous turning of partial webs in a superstructure upstream of the formers 02 , 03 . the partial webs to be assigned to one or to the other continuous web , or the partial continuous web 24 , 27 , 28 , are transferred to the desired location in the continuous web mixing device 01 . while preferred embodiments of a sheet combining device and a method for combining sheets , in accordance with the present invention , have been set forth fully and completely hereinabove , it will be apparent to one of skill in the art that various changes in , for example , the type of printing press used to print the web , the specific drives for the various rollers and cylinders , and the like could be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention which is accordingly to be limited only by the appended claims . | 8 |
the present invention provides a method for extending the known subsequences at one or both of the two ends of double stranded qea fragment inward in the 3 ′ direction by an additional number of nucleotide positions . the general method disclosed herein may be designated “ oligo - competition ,” “ extended oligo - competition ,” or “ trace oligo - competition ”, or similar terms . the extension is accomplished by using as the primer in the amplification step a competing oligonucleotide including an additional base at the 3 ′ end of the originally known subsequence . such an oligonucleotide is termed an “ extended ” oligonucleotide herein . since the identity of the base 3 ′ to the known subsequence is initially unknown , it may be any one of the four possible naturally occurring bases , a , c , g , or t . four separate oligo - competition runs are carried out in parallel , each having either a , c , g , or t at the 3 ′ end of the priming oligonucleotide . since these are unlabeled , the particular one of the four extended oligonucleotide primers providing the diminution or obliteration of the detection of the fragment targeted by the extended oligonucleotides identifies the correct additional base at the 3 ′ end of the original subsequence . the known subsequences may have any length , based on ways known in the art for identifying the subsequences in a sample of genomic dna or cdna . in preferred embodiments these known subsequences are provided by the recognition sequences of various restriction endonucleases . thus , for example , subsequence lengths may range from about 4 nucleotides up to as many as 8 nucleotides . the operation of one cycle of the extended oligo - competition of the present invention at one end of a fragment thus extends the length of the known subsequence by one nucleotide ; for example , an initial known subsequence of four bases becomes an extended known sequence of 5 bases , or an initial known subsequence of 8 bases becomes an extended known sequence of 9 bases . this procedure reduces the ambiguity in the final extended subsequence by a factor of 4 for each cycle at each end of the fragment . [ 0050 ] fig1 depicts a double stranded qea fragment prepared by the pcr procedure described herein . the fragment is labeled at one end , on one strand by a fam label to facilitate detection , and on the second end , on the complementary strand , by a biotin label to facilitate isolation . the subsequences specific for each end are called the j subsequence , corresponding to the recognition sequence for a j - specific restriction endonuclease , and the r subsequence , corresponding to the recognition sequence for an r - specific restriction endonucleases . an important embodiment of extended oligo - competition may be described as follows ( see fig1 ). the qea process ( alternatively termed “ genecalling ™” herein ) involves a ) fragmentation of cdna pools with two different restriction enzymes , b ) ligation of the restriction fragments to a fam - labelled dna adapter ( the j adapter ) at one end of the fragment and a biotin - labeled dna adapter ( the r adapter ) at the second end of the fragment ; c ) polymerase chain reaction ( pcr ) amplification of the ligated dna molecules using primers specific to the sequences contained within the 2 adapter modules , which leads to the production of approximately 300 fluorescent dna fragments ( called quantitative expression analysis bands , or qea bands ); d ) purification of the biotin - labeled fragments on streptavidin - coated magnetic beads ; and e ) determination of the size of the fragments by capillary electrophoresis of the purified qea bands in the presence of a sizing ladder . the electrophoresis step provides the length ( in base pairs within 0 . 2 bp ) of the sequence included in each fragment in the original cdna pool as well as its precise abundance ( as the peak height ). based on the length of the cdna restriction fragment and the identity of the two restriction enzymes used to generate it , a list of potential genes is developed by querying known and proprietary databases for genes predicted to possess this restriction fragment . confirmation of a band &# 39 ; s identity involves a competitive pcr reaction using the qea bands described above with three primers ( see fig3 ): a fam - labeled primer , j23 , a biotin - labeled primer , r23 , and a 50 fold molar excess of a third , unlabelled primer known as a oligo - competition primer . the oligo - competition primer shares a 5 - base overlap with either the j ( in the case of the j oligo - competition primer ) or r primer ( in the case of the r oligo - competition primer ) at its 5 ′ end , followed by the restriction enzyme subsequence , and a 9 - 11 nucleotides region that contains gene - specific sequences at its 3 ′ end . the latter sequences originate from the gene identification provided after the database lookup step described in the preceding paragraph . the competition between fam - labeled j23 and j - oligo - competition primers to participate in the pcr reaction with the r23 primer involves only the genecalled ™ peak in the milieu of approximately 300 other qea fragments . thus , if the genecall is accurate , then the design of the oligo - competition primer would provide an unlabeled pcr product for a specific peak , while the production of all other fam labeled peaks is unaffected . oligo - competition pcr reactions are visualized by comparing the oligo - competition pcr fluorescent traces to their non - competed counterparts ( products of a pcr reaction using only the fam - j23 and biotin - r23 primers ) counterparts . in a successful oligo - competition , all peaks are recapitulated in both traces except for the peak for which the oligo - competition primer was designed . when the genecall of a qea peak are inaccurate , the primer designed is specific to a gene different from that which is contained in the peak . therefore , in an unsuccessful oligo - competition reaction , both the oligo - competed and non - oligo - competed traces are identical . the present invention describes new oligo - competing primers ( called oligo - competition primers ) that extend , in a given cycle of the method , only one nucleotide into the cdna in order to determine the identity of that nucleotide ( see fig5 ). therefore , in a oligo - competition reaction ( called a phasing reaction ) in which the base at the 3 ′ end of the chosen subsequence is , for example , an a , phasing reactions are conducted using oligo - competition primers have either in a , g , c , or t nucleotides at their 3 ′ ends to determine which qea peaks correspond to fragments having an a at their 3 ′ prime ends , all peaks that have this nucleotide as its first nucleotide 3 ′ of the restriction site will be poisoned by the unlabeled primer , and so remain undetected . only the reaction competed by the oligo - competing primer with a at its 3 ′ end will provide a diminished signal , and so a will be identified as the next 3 ′ nucleotide . by setting up 4 parallel phasing reactions ( one each with oligo - competition primers that end in a , c , g , or t at the 3 ′ end ) on the j restriction side , and an additional 4 parallel phasing reactions on the r end , the identity of the nucleotide on 3 ′ side of both restriction enzyme recognition subsequences can be determined . in further cycles , the nucleotides at the second positions removed from the 3 ′ end of each restriction enzyme subsequence site may also be identified by conducting phasing reactions similar to ones described above by using oligo - competition primers that have the dinucleotide xa , xc , xg , or xt at their 3 ′ ends , where x here represents the particular base already identified in the preceding cycle . alternatively , the first nucleotide position may be occupied by any of the four bases , namely , na , nc , ng , or nt at their 3 ′ ends , where n here represents any nucleotide , or a mixture of the four nucleotides . n may also be an ambiguous base or a universally - pairing base such as i . in the present discussion , operation of the method for two cycles at each of the j and r sites of the fragment targeted by the oligo - competing primers provides the identity of four additional nucleotides ( the 2 nucleotides 3 ′ of the j restriction enzymes site , and the 2 nucleotides 3 ′ of the r restriction site ). accordingly , the ambiguity in identifying a fragment as originating from a given gene genecall ™ list for each peak is refined by a factor of 4 4 , or 256 , leading to a nearly unique subsequence - length combination , permitting essentially unambiguous gene identification of the restriction fragment . the invention will be further illustrated in the following examples , which do not limit the scope of the attached claims . table 1 shows all the restriction enzymes tested and their modules that were used in primer design . the modules presented in table 1 are the single strand overhangs resulting from the asymmetric cleavage catalyzed by the given endonucleases . table 2 shows all the restriction enzyme pairs tested along with the identification of which restriction enzyme sites are on the j or the r side . oligo - competition primers . competing primers are unlabeled oligonucleotides composed of a 3 ′ portion of the j - adapter or r - adapter ( fig1 ), fused to a module given by the last 5 nucleotides of the restriction enzyme subsequence , and ending in the 1 or 2 discriminating bases ( see table 3 ). specifically , the sequences of the j - end oligo - competition primers , starting at the 5 ′ end , share the last 14 nucleotides at the 3 ′ end of j joined to the last 5 nucleotides of the restriction enzyme recognition sequence . they end in one of the four discriminating nucleotides ( a , c , g , or t ) for use in a first cycle of competing . phasing primers that investigate the identity of the nucleotide 2 bases removed from the 3 ′ end of the restriction enzyme recognition sequence have an ambiguous mixture of nucleotides ( an equimolar mix of the 4 nucleotides , or n ) at the 3 ′ penultimate position of the oligo - competition primer followed by one of the four discriminating nucleotides ( a , c , g , or t ) at the 3 ′ end . the 16 oligo - competition primers required for extracting 4 base information from a qea reaction involving the restriction enzymes bsphi and bglii is shown in table 3 ; in this example the first cycle applies competing primers that are 21 bases in length , and the second cycle applies competing primers that are 22 bases long . phasing reactions were conducted with 1 ng of qea reaction products , 100 pmol each of fam - j23 and biotin r - 23 primers , 1 nmol of the appropriate j or r oligo - competition primers in a buffer that contains 10 mm kcl , 10 mm nacl , 22 mm tris - hcl , ph 8 . 8 , 10 mm ( nh 4 ) 2 so4 , 2 mm mgso4 , 2 mm mgcl 2 , 0 . 2 mm dithiothreitol , 100 mm betaine ( sigma ) 0 . 1 % triton x - 100 , 0 . 4 mm of each dntp , and 0 . 8 units of deep vent ( exo -) dna polymerase ( new england biolabs ). the pcr program used for the reactions was 96 ° c . for 5 min , followed by 13 cycles of 95 ° c . for 30 s , 57 ° c . for 1 min , and 72 ° c . for 2 mins . the reactions were finished by a step at 72 ° c . for 10 mins . oligo - competition products were purified using magnetic streptavidin coated beads , denatured by heating to 95 ° c . for 5 min to release the strand labeled with fam , mixed with a rox labeled dna sizing ladder and subjected to capillary electrophoresis for size determination using the megabace 1000 system ( molecular dynamics ). oligo - competition reactions were conducted using rat liver qea reactions from a bsphi - bglii double digest . for the first extended position on the j side 4 reactions were conducted , each employing 100 pmols of j23 and r23 primers and , using the nomenclature provided in table 3 , 1 nmol of either m0j1a , m0j1c , m0j1g , or m0j1t . similarly for the first position on the r side we conducted four additional reactions that involved 100 pmols each of j23 and r23 primers and 1 nmol of either i0r1a , i0r1c , i0r1g , or i0r1t . the pcr reactions were conducted , purified and subjected to capillary electrophoresis . the traces from each reaction on the j side and r side are shown in fig6 . the four traces in the top panel of fig6 correspond to qea peaks obtained after competition reactions involving the i0r1a , i0r1c , i0r1g , and i0r1t oligo - competition primers respectively . similarly , the bottom panel shows the qea peaks that are obtained after oligo - competition reactions with the m0j1a , m0j1c , m0j1g , and m0j1t primers . the trace with the lowest height for a given peak identifies the nucleotide on the 3 ′ side of the restriction enzyme site . for example , in this region of the trace , the peak at 88 . 2 bp has a cytosine ( c ) residue 3 ′ of the bglii site ( fig6 top panel ), and a thymine ( t ) residue on the 3 ′ side of the bsphi site ( fig6 bottom panel ). similar designations in the panels of fig6 indicate the base providing the successful competition for other qea peaks in the sized detection . ( the designation “ s ” in the bottom panel of fig6 designates the ambiguity that c and g both appear to compete successfully at this position of this fragment .) for nucleotide oligo - competition at the second position , primers m0j2a , m0j2c , m0j2g , and m0j2t were used in oligo - competition reactions for the bsphi restriction enzyme site on the j side , and primers i0r2a , i0r2c , i0r2g , and i0r2t , for oligo - competition reactions for the bglii restriction site on the r side . fig7 shows , for example , that for the qea peak at 88 . 2 bp , the second nucleotide on the j side is a cytosine ( c ), and on the r side is an adenine ( a ). corresponding results are provided for the other qea peaks in fig7 as well . genecalling lists are refined by a predicted factor of 256 with the additional information provided by oligo - competing for two cycles at both the j and r subsequences . as an example of a practical application of this specificity , a hindiii - bamhi double restriction digest of rat liver cdna provided a 153 . 8 bp fragment for which the original genecalling list has 10 candidate genes whose subsequence - length combinations match the experimental information . of the 10 candidate genes , only one , rat glycogen synthase , matches the oligo - competition data provided by two cycles of phasing for each of the j and r subsequences for this fragment . thus an unambiguous matching of gene to a fragment is provided as a result of the oligo - competing process . this matching is confirmed by a oligo - competition experiment using an oligonucleotide incorporating bases identified by the extended oligo - competition process described for fig6 and 7 and in this paragraph ( see fig8 ). the upper trace at 153 . 8 bp in fig8 is the control trace in the absence of the oligo - competition oligonucleotide , and the lower trace is obtained in the presence of and excess of the oligonucleotide . oligo - competition ( automated or manual or both ) is a process of finding a limited nucleotide sequence of the cdna fragments adjacent to their known cut sites . the sequence of interest is determined by altering the amounts of cdna fragments in the oligo - competition pcr process using one of the four ( for a single position ) sequence - specific oligo - competition primers ( see detailed description and example 2 ) and by analyzing the resulting electrophoresis traces of the oligo - competition pcr products in terms of their intensities as functions of the electrophoresis mobilities expressed in terms of cdna fragment lengths ( bp ). the oligo - competition nucleotides ( oligo - competition sequence ) are identified based on the differences in the oligo - competition pcr amplification , which in turn are determined by the differences in the intensities of the traces in the narrow neighborhood of the peak corresponding to a given cdna fragment of the pcr product . the oligo - competition pcr process may be designed so that the intensity of the poisoned cdna fragments in the oligo - competition pcr product will be reduced ( negative oligo - competition ) or increased ( positive oligo - competition ) with regards to the intensity corresponding to the non - poisoned fragment of the same length and cut sequence . in the following the negative oligo - competition algorithm is described , while the differences pertaining to the positive oligo - competition algorithm are noted in parentheses where applicable . the analysis of the oligo - competition data can be applied to the oligo - competition electrophoresis traces alone ( up to four traces corresponding to four possible nucleotides a , c , g , and t in a given nucleotide position ), or to the oligo - competition electrophoresis traces combined with the electrophoresis traces corresponding to the initial mixture of the cdna fragments used as input into oligo - competition pcr process ( up to five traces ). this analysis may consist of the following steps . the intensity of the electrophoresis trace in principle characterizes the amount of the cdna fragments in pcr product as a function of their length . however , the value of the trace intensity is influenced by several undesired factors acting at different stages of the oligo - competition process . these factors include but are not limited to ( i ) uncertainty in the initial amount of the cdna fragments used in oligo - competition pcr , ( ii ) variations in oligo - competition pcr amplification , which depends on oligo - competition pcr primers , fragment length and other parameters of the pcr process , ( iii ) electrophoresis instrument noise etc . the influence of these factors on the oligo - competition traces is reduced by normalization and scaling ( see wo00 / 41122 ). normalization and scaling can be applied to oligo - competition traces alone or to the oligo - competition traces combined with the traces of initial cdna fragments . the traces refined on step 1 are analyzed to determine the peaks ( local intensity maxima ) that identify cdna by both their cut sequences and length . for each pair of cut sites , possible options include but are not limited to ( i ) analysis of the individual oligo - competition traces , each corresponding to a specific oligo - competition pcr primer , ( ii ) analysis of the composite trace representing the average of all oligo - competition traces , ( iii ) analysis of the composite trace representing the average of all oligo - competition traces and trace of the initial cdna fragments , ( iv ) analysis of the traces of initial cdna fragments . the peak finding algorithm scans a given trace for maxima , identified by a predetermined set of conditions , such as the shape of the trace in a given number of consecutive points , the signal / noise ratio and others . for each of the peaks found on step 2 , the normalized and scaled oligo - competition traces are ranked in ascending ( descending , for positive oligo - competition ) order of their maximum intensities determined within a narrow neighborhood of the position of a given peak . the peak is then considered to be poisoned if certain conditions with regards to the interrelationships of the ranked intensities are met . possible options for these conditions in negative phasecalling include but are not limited to : ( i ) the intensity of n ( n & lt ; 4 ) first ranked oligo - competition traces are at least k - times ( k & gt ; 1 ) lower ( higher , for positive pc ) than that of any other oligo - competition trace within the location of the given peak . the oligo - competition primers corresponding to each of these oligo - competition traces determine 1 to n poisoned nucleotides and their position relative to the cdna fragment &# 39 ; s cut site . ( ii ) the intensity of n ( n 4 ) first ranked oligo - competition traces are at least k - times ( k & gt ; 1 ) lower ( higher , for positive pc ) than that of the trace of the non - pc - treated cdna fragments within the location of the given peak . in this case , the oligo - competition primers corresponding to each of these oligo - competition traces determine 1 to n poisoned nucleotides and their position relative to the cdna fragment &# 39 ; s cut site . the values of n and k can be determined empirically and optimized to better reproduce the sequences of the cdna fragments . in pilot oligo - competition software the values of n and k were fixed at 2 and 1 . 5 correspondingly . [ 0080 ] fig9 and 10 illustrate examples of the oligo - competition algorithm applied to four oligo - competition traces of the negative oligo - competition pcr products for cdna fragments 143 . 8 bp long . the red vertical line identifies the peak of interest , and the numbers identify the ranking order of the oligo - competition traces . in fig9 the intensity of the green oligo - competition trace is 1 . 5 times lower than that of the first trace above it , so that it was determined that this cdna fragment has a nucleotide g immediately adjacent to the cut sequence ( green trace corresponds the oligo - competition primer specific to the g nucleotide in the first position with regards to the cut site ). in fig1 the intensity of both black and red oligo - competition traces are at least 1 . 5 times lower than that of any trace above them , so that it was determined that the cdna fragments , characterized by this particular cut sequence and length , have t and c nucleotides that are located next to the cut sequence ( black and red traces correspond the oligo - competition primer specific to the t and c nucleotides adjacent to the cut site respectively ). a total of ten different trace oligo - competition projects were done in three different organisms as shown in table 4 . additional sequence information of up to four nucleotides adjacent to the restriction enzyme recognition sites of the bands was generated for the bands . this information was used to optimize gene calls for the identified fragments . the gene calls were then compared with results from further confirmations resulting from procedures such as oligo - competition ( see background of the invention ) or sequencing . the confirmation requests were categorized into five groups based on the number of nucleotides added in the trace oligo - competition matches between the bands and their gene calls ( termed “ trace oligo - competition_score ”). the score ranges from 0 to 4 nucleotides added . the effectiveness of this process was assessed by evaluating the percentage of the positive confirmations of referred to the total number of confirmation requests in each category . these ratios were also compared to earlier historical data where confirmations were done without trace oligo - competition . the impact of the trace oligo - competition scores on confirmation efficiency in ten different trace oligo - competition projects is summarized in fig1 . 1828 confirmations were submitted from the ten trace oligo - competition projects . these confirmations were categorized based on the number of trace oligo - competition - nucleotide matches between the bands and their gene calls ( trace oligo - competition scores ). the trace oligo - competition efficiency was measured as the percentage of the trace oligo - competition runs that were confirmed by oligo - competition to the total number of confirmation requests in each category . the results were also compared to the confirmation efficiency of another 1108 historical samples where no trace oligo - competition data was generated . it is seen from fig1 that the overall trace oligo - competition effectiveness increased with the number of nucleotides employed in the trace oligo - competition procedure . with a trace oligo - competition score of 1 , the confirmation efficiency was lower than that when no matches were found or when compared to the confirmation efficiency of the historical data . this may be due to an experimenter &# 39 ; s bias towards the selection of specific band - to - gene associations when trace oligo - competition data was not available ( historical or score = 0 ). on average the trace oligo - competition efficiency increased by 9 . 3 % per base over the full range from 0 to 4 ( 40 . 2 % to 77 . 5 %). this general trend was consistent across all the ten trace oligo - competition projects ( see table 5 , showing a detailed breakdown of trace oligo - competition effectiveness in various projects ). the variation in confirmation efficiency between trace oligo - competition projects for a given trace oligo - competition score can be explained , at least in part , by the quality , tissue specificity and redundancy of the sequence databases . a total of 1073 confirmations that were done in various projects using the gene calls from a curagen corporation proprietary sequence database were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the trace oligo - competition data . among the 1073 confirmations , trace oligo - competition data were available for 688 confirmation requests . the remaining 385 confirmation requests were treated as historical data where confirmations were done only with the proprietary database . the trace oligo - competition data from different trace oligo - competition projects was used to identify the trace oligo - competition score for each confirmation done . as described before , the confirmation efficiency was measured as the percentage of the positive confirmations to the total number of confirmation requests in each category . the results were also compared to the confirmation efficiency of the 385 historical confirmations where no trace oligo - competition data could be used . the overall effectiveness of trace oligo - competition on further improving confirmation efficiency among gene calls from the proprietary database is shown in fig1 . the overall confirmation efficiency using sized seqcalling ™ database in the historical data was 61 % when the proprietary database was used within the same tissue and developmental stage . the confirmation efficiency decreases from 61 % in the historical data to 30 % among confirmations requested having scores = 0 in the trace oligo - competition projects . this reduction is due to the tissue and developmental stage differences between the samples where the proprietary database was generated and those where the gene calls were used for confirmation . the trace oligo - competition effectiveness increases with trace oligo - competition score . with a match of 2 or more nucleotides , the confirmation efficiency was more than the confirmation efficiency observed in the historical data . these results demonstrate that trace oligo - competition complements the use of the proprietary database and further improves the confirmation efficiency . the results were consistent in all the trace oligo - competition projects where confirmations were submitted using the proprietary database ( see table 6 , showing a detailed breakdown of trace oligo - competition effectiveness in various projects ). from the foregoing detailed description of the specific embodiments of the invention , it should be apparent that particular novel compositions and methods involving nucleic acids , polypeptides , antibodies , detection and treatment have been described . although these particular embodiments have been disclosed herein in detail , this has been done by way of example for purposes of illustration only , and is not intended to be limiting with respect to the scope of the appended claims that follow . in particular , it is contemplated by the inventors that various substitutions , alterations , and modifications may be made as a matter of routine for a person of ordinary skill in the art to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims . indeed , various modifications of the invention in addition to those described herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description and accompanying figures . such modifications are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims . | 2 |
in the following detailed description , reference will be made to the accompanying drawing ( s ), in which identical functional elements are designated with like numerals . the aforementioned accompanying drawings show by way of illustration , and not by way of limitation , specific embodiments and implementations consistent with principles of the present invention . these implementations are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention and it is to be understood that other implementations may be utilized and that structural changes and / or substitutions of various elements may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of present invention . the following detailed description is , therefore , not to be construed in a limited sense . in accordance with one aspect of the embodiments described herein , there are provided systems and methods for generating autonomous responses to local conditions or to the changing needs of the larger electric power grid . in various embodiments , the aforesaid responses that might be provided by automatic dispatch in response to sensed grid conditions include power grid optimization and reliability functions for the local residential , industrial , or commercial site . in various embodiments , the aforesaid responses may additionally include local site functions that may help stabilize the wider power grid . the autonomous services and / or autonomous responses referred to throughout the present description are services that may be automatically provided by an evse without directed dispatch by the equipment owner or operator . various embodiments of the described inventive concepts provide several important services to the local site as well as the wider electric grid , through the aforesaid local autonomous response function of the evse . in one or more embodiments , when a plug - in electric vehicle is being charged using the evse , the evse is configured to provide several automatic services , each of which provides value in different ways . services and their automatic responses include one or more of the below - described advanced functionalities , which should note be interpreted in a limited sense . in one exemplary embodiment , the evse or other electrical loads are equipped to enable a dynamic load sharing among themselves . with the aforesaid dynamic load sharing , several evses automatically coordinate between themselves to optimize an electrical circuit . as would be appreciated by persons of ordinary skill in the art , without such dynamic load sharing , the number of evses that may be added to a given circuit and / or feeder is capped by the aggregate maximum current rating of all evses , such that the combined maximum current draw of all evses operating simultaneously at full charging capacity should never exceed the capacity of the electric circuit on which they are installed . this limits the number of evses that can be installed on a circuit . if more evses are desired on a given circuit , the entire electric circuit must be upgraded , which could be expensive and time - consuming . on the other hand , most of the time , provisioning the full rated charging power for all evses on a circuit is not required , as vehicles are either not plugged in to every evse , or the vehicles that are plugged in have already been fully charged . however , as would be appreciated by persons of ordinary skill in the art , there could be relatively rare periods of time when all or substantially all of the evses would be simultaneously used to full or substantially full rated charging capacity resulting in peak electrical loads on the circuit . in one or more embodiments , the limitation on the number of evses on an electrical circuit can be solved by enabling individual evses or groups of evses to automatically reduce their charging current in cases where most or all of the evses are operating simultaneously , such that the group of evses as a whole never exceeds the rated current carrying capacity of the corresponding electric circuit . accordingly , in one embodiment , the inventive evses described herein include the functionality for automatic charging current reduction , based on the awareness of the circuit current limits and the aggregated charging current of the other evses in the evse group . as would be appreciated by persons of ordinary skill i the art , such functionality automatically prevents the peak electrical loads of evse groups from exceeding the rated capacity of the associated electrical circuit and enables increasing the number of evses without the need for expensive circuit upgrade . in another exemplary embodiment , the evse or other electrical loads are equipped to enable a local load control . this capability is similar to the aforesaid dynamic load sharing , described above , wherein individual evses and / or groups of evses automatically reduce their charging loads to optimize the loads on the site . the difference between the two is that , in local load control , individual and / or groups of evses are configured to automatically reduce individual charging loads in coordination with other site loads ( e . g . air conditioning units , lighting ), to maintain an overall site load lower than the limit of the electrical feeder to the site . the main benefit of the aforesaid local load control is that more evses may be added to a specific site than would otherwise be possible under the existing feeder limits . this capability may also be used to reduce the customer retail demand . in another exemplary embodiment , the evse or other electrical loads are equipped to enable load coordination with on - site renewable energy generation equipment . with this capability , evse loads may be automatically varied based upon the output of on - site renewable energy generators to ensure site electrical load stability . in various embodiments , the aforesaid on - site renewable energy generators may include , without limitation , on - site solar ( e . g . photovoltaic ), wind , wave , hydroelectric , biogas , fuel cell , geothermal generators or any other similar equipment . as would be appreciated by persons of ordinary skill in the art , the aforesaid listed types of renewable energy generation equipment is exemplary only and should not be construed in a limiting sense , as the inventive concepts described herein may operate with other similar power generation equipment . in various embodiments , the aforesaid automated coordination of evses may allow increased capture of renewable energy , reduced customer electric costs , and / or reduced current flow to or from the site , as needed to optimize the overall customer electric load and electric costs savings . in yet another exemplary embodiment , the evse or other electrical loads are equipped to enable a conservation voltage reduction . the conservation voltage reduction ( cvr ) is a technology used for reducing energy and peak demand . cvr is implemented upstream of end service points in the distribution system so that the efficiency benefits are realized by consumers and the electric distributor . in one or more embodiments , automated cvr capabilities are added to evses to provide local benefits to the site and electric distributor hosting the charging stations . in yet another exemplary embodiment , the evse or other electrical loads are equipped to enable a frequency response . with this capability , evses are configured to automatically sense a frequency drop on the grid and pause the charging function to help stabilize the grid frequency . as the evses are expected to represent significant grid loads in the future electric power system , the capability to automatically and quickly reduce charging load in response to grid frequency variations can provide great benefits to the grid at a very low cost . in one or more embodiments , to enable one or more of the above - described automated responses to grid and other conditions , individual evses and / or groups of evses are configured to automatically measure any one , some or all of the following parameters : grid frequency , grid voltage , customer electrical load , individual evse load , and aggregated evse load . all of the aforesaid measurements may be performed using conventional electric measuring equipment well known in the art and available commercially . in one or more embodiments , individual evses and / or groups of evses are equipped with on - board logic to automatically ( autonomously ) respond to any , some or all of the above measurements . the aforesaid on - board logic may be implemented using one or more microprocessors and / or microcontrollers appropriately programmed with software implementing the functionality described herein . the aforesaid microprocessors and / or microcontrollers are well known in the art and are available commercially from multiple electronic suppliers . in one or more embodiments , the described on - board logic may seek to optimize supply current delivered by the evses to electric vehicles ( or any other electrical loads ) to enable any , some or all of the following functions : dynamic load sharing , load coordination with on site renewables , conservation voltage reduction , and / or frequency response . in one or more embodiments , individual evses and / or groups of evses are provided with on - board capability to vary their supply current delivered to plug - in electric vehicles in response to the commands issued by the aforesaid on - board logic described above . such capability may be provided using conventional electronic components such as electro - mechanic relays , thyristors , high - power mos transistors , electronic current switches and the like , which are well known in the art and widely available commercially . fig1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a distributed system configuration based on which the functionality described herein may be deployed . various elements shown in fig1 and their respective functions are described in detail below . specifically , in one or more embodiments , the distributed system configuration shown in fig1 incorporates one or more electric meters 110 , configured for reading current , frequency , voltage and / or other parameters from the electric power line ( s ) feeding one or more corresponding individual ev charging stations 150 . in one or more embodiments , the electric meters 110 are appropriately connected to return the measured meter readings via a communication path to one or more ev charging station ( s ) 150 . in an alternative embodiment the meters 110 may be integrated into the corresponding ev charging stations 150 . in one or more embodiments , the distributed system configuration shown in fig1 further incorporates an electric meter 120 , which is connected between various on - site electrical loads ( shown to the right thereof ), including non - ev on - site loads 160 as well as ev charging stations 150 , and the electric grid ( shown to the left thereof ). in one or more embodiments , this electric meter is configured to perform reading of current , frequency , voltage and / or other parameters from the electric supply ( feed ) line to the entire site . in various embodiments , the electric meter 120 is capable of returning the appropriate meter readings via a communication path to one or more ev charging station ( s ) 150 . it should be appreciated that electric meter 120 is optional and not required not required to enable some aspects of the embodiments described herein . in one or more embodiments , the distributed system configuration shown in fig1 further incorporates one or more electric meters 130 for reading current , frequency , voltage and / or other parameters from the electricity line connecting one or more on - site renewable energy generators , such as on - site solar ( e . g . photovoltaic ), wind , wave , hydroelectric , biogas , fuel cell , geothermal generators and / or any other similar power generation equipment . in one or more embodiments , the electric meter ( s ) 130 are capable of returning respective meter readings via a communication path to one or more ev charging station ( s ) 150 . it should be appreciated that electric meter ( s ) 130 is optional and not required not required to enable some aspects of the embodiments described herein . in one or more embodiments , the distributed system configuration shown in fig1 further incorporates a master controller / server 140 . in various embodiments , the master controller / server 140 is implemented based on a computerized data processing system incorporating one or more processors or microcontrollers , memory and communication interface . in various embodiments , the master controller / server 140 functions as an electric vehicle charging controller with one or more of the below - described features . in one or more embodiments , the master controller / server 140 is communicatively coupled , via an appropriate wired or wireless data interconnect , to one or more of the above - described electrical meters 110 , 120 and 130 . as such , the master controller / server 140 is capable of receiving the reading ( s ) from the corresponding electric meters . possible embodiments of the aforesaid data interconnects include wifi communication interface , usb interface , ip - based network interface as well as any other now known or later developed data communication interfaces . it should be appreciated that the embodiments described herein are not dependent on the specific type of the communication interface used for connecting the master controller / server 140 to the electrical meters 110 , 120 and 130 . in one or more embodiments , the master controller / server 140 is communicatively coupled , via an appropriate data communication interconnect , to a user application hosted on a remote server and / or station controls . in one embodiment , the master controller / server 140 sends measurement and / or other data to the aforesaid user application and receives user commands . in one or more embodiments , the master controller / server 140 incorporates a logic to determine appropriate charging output current for one or more ev charging stations 150 and / or other on - site loads in response to one or more readings of the electrical meters 110 , 120 and 130 . in one or more embodiments , the aforesaid logic may be implemented using one or more processors executing one or more software applications embodying the corresponding functionality . in various embodiments , the master controller / server 140 is connected to the internet and has capability to automatically download from an external storage server and install the aforesaid software applications implementing the described logic . in one or more embodiments , the master controller / server 140 further incorporates an interface for directing ev charging stations 150 to vary charging load to one or more electric vehicles based upon the determinations made by the above - described internal logic . in various embodiments , the aforesaid interface may be implemented using any now known or later developed wired or wireless interconnect . finally , in one or more embodiments , the master controller / server 140 incorporates a storage system for storing one or more custom presets and / or other parameters or data associated with the local circuit and / or utility feeder , frequency response requirements , and / or the aforesaid cvr requirements . in one or more embodiments , the aforesaid parameters may be stored in a database executing on one or more processors of the master controller / server 140 . it should be further noted that in one exemplary embodiment , the above - described functionality of the master controller / server 140 may be integrated into one or more of the ev charging stations 150 . in one or more embodiments , the described distributed system configuration shown in fig1 further incorporates one or more ev charging stations 150 with slave control capability . each ev charging station 150 is intermittently connectable to one or more electric vehicles ( evs ) 180 and configured to provide electric charge thereto . these electric vehicles ( evs ) 180 may exist in various states of charge . in various embodiments , the ev charging stations 150 may incorporate one or more of the below - described features . in one embodiment , the ev charging stations 150 have the capability to vary electric vehicle charge and discharge rate according to internal controls , commands received from the master controller / server 140 and / or commands received from user application . in one embodiment , the one or more ev charging stations 150 have the capability to receive vehicle owner &# 39 ; s preferences or user commands via one or more hardware controls disposed directly or indirectly on the ev charging stations 150 or via a user interface co - located with the respective ev charging station 150 . in another embodiment , the ev charging stations 150 are capable of receiving owner &# 39 ; s preferences or commands via a network interface communicable , via an appropriate wired or wireless network , with a mobile application executing on user &# 39 ; s mobile device . in one embodiment , the one or more ev charging stations 150 further have the capability to display directly to the user ( using a co - located user interface or otherwise ) or to communicate to a remote server application or user &# 39 ; s mobile application one or more of the following information items : 1 ) real time charging information ; 2 ) vehicle owner charging preferences ; 3 ) alerts regarding charging status ; 4 ) vehicle state of charge ; and / or 5 ) estimated time to completion of charge . in one or more embodiments , the described distributed system configuration shown in fig1 further incorporates one or more non - ev on - site loads 160 . the aforesaid non - ev on - site loads 160 comprise loads such as air conditioning , lighting , plug loads , etc . it should be noted that , in various embodiments , these loads 160 may be independently metered and / or controlled by the ev charging stations 150 autonomous logic controls . in one or more embodiments , the described distributed system configuration shown in fig1 further incorporates one or more on - site generator ( s ) 170 . the generators 170 may include one or more renewable and / or non - renewable electric energy generators , which may be located behind or in front of the on - site loads within the electric circuit . in various embodiments , the generators 170 may be controllable by the logic of the ev charging station ( s ) 150 . in one or more embodiments , the described distributed system configuration shown in fig1 further incorporates communication path 190 interconnecting the electric meters 110 , 120 and 130 , ev charging stations 150 , master controller / server ( s ) 140 , on - site generators 170 and / or non - ev site loads 160 . this communication path may be implemented using any now known or later developed interconnect . finally , in one or more embodiments , the described distributed system configuration shown in fig1 further incorporates electricity path 195 , which may be comprised of electric power conductors transmitting electrical energy from the electric grid to various on - site loads and generators . fig2 illustrates certain exemplary internal components of the described distributed system shown in the logical diagram of fig1 . specifically , a server system 230 , which may perform the functions of the master controller / server 140 of fig1 , incorporates multiple integral components or modules described in detail below . in one or more embodiments , the server 230 incorporates a data aggregation module 231 configured for receiving and aggregating the measured data from various meters including , without limitation , the electric meters 110 , 120 and 130 . in various embodiments , the server system 230 further incorporates an analytics module 232 for performing analysis of the measured data from various meters including , without limitation , the electric meters 110 , 120 and 130 . the server system 230 may further incorporate a charging module 233 for controlling the charging of one or more electric vehicles 180 by the ev charging stations 150 . in various embodiments , the server system 230 may further incorporate a custom preset limits module 234 storing presets reflecting the operating limits of the ev or other loads requiring charging . in one or more embodiments , the server system 230 may further incorporate a data storage module 235 , storing and managing all of the data collected by multiple electric meters , including , without limitation , the electric meters 110 , 120 and 130 and corresponding to various charging stages and charging events . the server system 230 may further incorporate a user account module 237 for managing one or more user accounts and storing and managing the associated user data , user preferences and other related information . in various embodiments , the aforesaid user account data managed by the user account module 237 may include the user authentication information for authenticating the user , and user preference data representing user charging preferences , such as time and rate of charging . in one or more embodiments , the server system 230 may further incorporate a charger asset module 236 , which is configured to automatically identify each asset which charges electrical vehicles , home energy storage systems , appliances or other loads . the server system 230 may further incorporate a communication module 238 configured to enable communication between the server system 230 , the electric meters 110 , 120 and 130 and the ev charging stations 150 . in one or more embodiments , the charging station 230 , which may function as the aforesaid ev charging station 150 , incorporates a data aggregation module 241 , a charging module 242 , a user account module 243 , a data storage module 244 , a charger asset module 245 and a communication module 246 , which have functions , which are generally similar to the respective functions of the corresponding modules of the server system 230 . fig3 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an automated dispatch method performed by the remote server 140 or the charging station 150 , either of which is being referred to below as “ the system ”. first , at step 313 , the system receives electrical load status information , including , without limitation , the frequency , voltage , current , and amperage readings from a meter , such as the electric meter 130 shown in fig1 . subsequently , at step 312 , the system receives electrical grid status information , including , without limitation , the frequency , voltage , current , and amperage readings from a meter , such as the electric meter 120 shown in fig1 . after that , at step 311 , the system establishes preset limits of the electric circuit , using , for example , the custom preset limits module 234 of the server 230 shown in fig2 or server / controller 140 shown in fig1 . after that , at step 311 , the system establishes grid feeder limits , and stores those limits in the appropriate module of the server / controller 140 illustrated in fig1 . at step 314 , the system receives the output data from the ev charging stations 150 shown in fig1 or other evse . at step 315 , the system receives independent validation of an electric vehicle charging load from , for example , the electric meters 100 shown in fig1 . at step 316 , the system receives the state of charge ( soc ) information from electric vehicles 180 shown in fig1 . at step 317 , the system receives one or more commands from a user , using , for example , the user mobile device 210 shown in fig2 , to define certain predetermined parameters , such as user - specified speed of charge of the ev . at step 330 , the system rationalizes all of the data and other factors received in the aforesaid steps 310 - 317 . at step 340 , the system issues a command for the charging station 150 to take the appropriate action , such as to stop , start , or modulate charging of the asset , such as the ev 180 in fig1 . at step 350 , the system stores all the relevant data and the corresponding data tags . at step 360 , the system causes the charging station 150 to display the taken charging action , such as stopping , starting or modulating the charging , as commanded by the dispatch server using the data tags . as would be appreciated by persons of ordinary skill in the art , the above - described inventive concepts may be applied not only to electric vehicle charging stations , but also to any other systems , which are configured to deliver electric power to electric loads . examples of such systems may include home energy storage systems , heating systems , air conditioning systems , etc . finally , it should be understood that processes and techniques described herein are not inherently related to any particular apparatus and may be implemented by any suitable combination of components . further , various types of general purpose devices may be used in accordance with the teachings described herein . it may also prove advantageous to construct specialized apparatus to perform the method steps described herein . the present invention has been described in relation to particular examples , which are intended in all respects to be illustrative rather than restrictive . moreover , other implementations of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein . various aspects and / or components of the described embodiments may be used singly or in any combination in systems and methods for generating automatic responses to local conditions or to the changing needs of the larger electric power grid . it is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only , with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims . | 8 |
the following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure , application , or uses . with reference to fig1 and 2 , a clutch protection apparatus for a manual transmission is illustrated and generally designated by the reference number 10 . the clutch protection apparatus 10 is associated with a manual transmission 12 having a housing 14 which supports , positions and protects various components of the transmission 12 including the clutch protection apparatus 10 . the transmission 12 includes a main , friction plate clutch 16 which is operably disposed between an output shaft 18 of a prime mover 20 such as a gasoline , flex - fuel or diesel engine or hybrid or electric power plant , a transmission input shaft 22 and a transmission output shaft 24 . the transmission 12 also includes a shift lever 26 which extends into the vehicle passenger compartment ( not illustrated ) and is engageable and moveable by the vehicle operator ( also not illustrated ). alternatively , the transmission 12 may be coupled to the shift lever 26 by levers and cables ( also not illustrated ). the shift lever 26 is operably coupled to a shift gate or location cylinder 30 or similar member . the shift gate or location cylinder 30 is secured to or formed integrally with a shift actuation shaft 32 that is co - axial with the shift gate cylinder 30 . the shift gate cylinder 30 and the shift actuation shaft 32 are supported in suitable apertures , slots or blind openings ( not illustrated ) in the housing 14 so that they may freely translate and rotate about the axis defined thereby in accordance with forces applied thereto by the shift lever 26 . secured to the shift actuation shaft 32 at multiple locations are two or more shift forks 34 that engage and translate synchronizer clutches 36 . each of the synchronizer clutches 36 is associated with one or two gears ( not illustrated ) that are disposed upon countershafts or layshafts 38 and which are first synchronized with such countershafts or layshafts 38 and then directly and positively connected to the countershafts or layshafts 38 by the synchronizer clutches 36 in accordance with conventional manual transmission operation . the shift actuation shaft 32 also includes one or more lockout mechanisms 39 that ensure that more than one gear cannot be engaged at any one time . returning to the shift gate cylinder 30 , it includes a rotation and translation limiting gate assembly 40 . the gate assembly 40 defines a plurality of spaced apart channels or slots 42 a , 42 b , 42 c and 42 d that are arranged circumferentially on the outside surface of the shift gate cylinder 30 and are connected by a continuous axial channel or slot 44 ( or plurality of short channels or slots ) disposed at the circumferential mid - point of the channels or slots 42 b , 42 c and 42 d . a single register or locator pin 46 is mounted to and secured within the housing 14 or to any suitable component thereof and extends radially into the channels or slots 42 a , 42 b , 42 c , 42 d and 44 . the register or locator pin 46 and the rotation and translation limiting gate assembly 40 thus cooperate to control and define the allowed or available motion of the shift gate cylinder 30 and the shift actuation shaft 32 . this motion corresponds to the motion of the shift lever 26 necessary to select and engage the various forward and reverse gears of the manual transmission 12 . typically , though not necessarily , the half slot 42 a will be assigned to and actuate reverse , the upper half of the full left slot 42 b will be assigned to and actuate first gear and the lower half of the full left slot 42 b will be assigned to and actuate second gear . the upper half of the full middle slot 42 c will be assigned to and actuate third gear and the lower half of the full middle slot 42 c will be assigned to and actuate fourth gear . the upper half of the full right slot 42 d will be assigned to and actuate fifth gear and the lower half of the full right slot 42 d will be assigned to and actuate sixth gear . it should be appreciated that the foregoing described shift pattern is exemplary and illustrative only and that other shift patterns and shift patterns having more or fewer slots and gears are well within the scope of this invention . referring now to fig1 , 2 and 3 , preferably disposed at any convenient circumferential remove , e . g ., 90 ° or 180 °, from the location of the register or locator pin 46 are a pair of gate blocking actuator assemblies 50 and 60 . a first gate blocking actuator 52 includes a pin , plunger or stub shaft 54 that is selectively received within a first circumferential slot 56 having a circumferential length at least as long as the right slot 42 d . the first gate blocking actuator 52 may be a solenoid or an electric linear , hydraulic or pneumatic actuator . when the pin , plunger or shaft 54 of the first gate blocking actuator 52 is extended into the first circumferential slot 56 , motion of the shift gate cylinder 30 is restricted to rotation in the right slot 42 d and selection of either ( only ) fifth or sixth gears . as will be explained more fully below , this prevents a downshift into a lower gear that , given current operating conditions , might overspeed the clutch 16 and cause damage thereto . a second gate blocking actuator 62 includes a pin , plunger or stub shaft 64 that is selectively received within a second circumferential “ h ” pattern slot 66 having circumferential lengths at least as long as the slots 42 c and 42 d and identical axial spacing . the gate blocking actuator 62 may also be a solenoid or an electric linear , hydraulic or pneumatic actuator . when the pin , plunger or shaft 64 of the second gate blocking actuator 62 is extended into the second circumferential “ h ” slot 66 , motion of the shift gate cylinder 30 is restricted to rotation in the full middle slot 42 c and the full right slot 42 d and selection of either third , fourth , fifth or sixth gears . note that , as clearly shown in fig3 , the pin or plunger 64 is similarly located in the slot 66 relative to the register pin 46 and the slots 42 c and 42 d , that is , assuming the “ h ” slot 66 corresponds to the slots 42 c and 42 d and relates to third , fourth , fifth and sixth gears , the pin or plunger 64 is disposed to the left in fig3 , in the slot corresponding to third and fourth gears . as will be explained more fully below , this arrangement also prevents a downshift into a lower gear that , given current operating conditions , might overspeed and damage the clutch 16 . in fig4 , an alternate embodiment of a portion of a manual transmission shift assembly according to the present invention is illustrated and designated by the reference number 80 . the alternate embodiment shift assembly 80 includes a shift gate cylinder 30 ′ which is disposed on and secured to the shift actuation shaft 32 or may be formed integrally therewith . not shown in fig4 but included in the shift gate cylinder 30 ′ is the rotation and translation limiting gate assembly 40 of fig1 defining the plurality of spaced apart , interconnected channels or slots 42 a , 42 b , 42 c and 42 d . the shift gate cylinder 30 ′ also includes a second , selectively engageable rotation and translation limiting gate assembly 82 . the gate assembly 82 defines four spaced apart shift or gate patterns 84 , 92 , 98 and 106 that are preferably arranged along a longitudinal axis on the outside surface of the shift gate cylinder 30 ′. each of the shift or gate patterns 84 , 92 , 98 and 106 locks out or prohibits operator selection of certain gears much as described above except that the four shift or gate patterns 84 , 92 , 98 and 106 provide improved and more targeted lockout control and operation . the first shift or gate pattern 84 is associated with a first actuator 86 which may be electric , hydraulic or pneumatic and which includes a pin , plunger or shaft 88 which may be activated or energized to extend into the shift or gate pattern 84 and lockout or inhibit selection of all gears except fifth and sixth . the second shift or gate pattern 92 is associated with a second actuator 94 which may be electric , hydraulic or pneumatic and which includes a pin , plunger or shaft 96 which may be activated or energized to extend into the shift or gate pattern 92 and lockout or inhibit selection of first , second and third gears . the third shift or gate pattern 98 is associated with a third actuator 102 which may be electric , hydraulic or pneumatic and which includes a pin , plunger or shaft 104 which may be activated or energized to extend into the shift or gate pattern 98 and lockout or inhibit selection of first and second gears . the fourth shift or gate pattern 106 is associated with a fourth actuator 108 which may be electric , hydraulic or pneumatic and which includes a pin , plunger or shaft 112 which may be activated or energized to extend into the shift or gate pattern 106 and lockout or inhibit selection of first gear . once again , it should be noted that except for the pin or plunger 88 , the pins or plungers 96 , 104 and 112 are arranged similarly such that they all reside in the same region of the shift or gate pattern corresponding to , in this example , third and fourth gears when the single register or locator pin 46 ( shown in fig1 ) is similarly disposed . referring now to fig5 and the other drawing figures , components relating to operation of the manual transmission clutch protection apparatus 10 and 80 according to the present invention are generally designated by the reference number 120 and will now be described . the components 120 relating to operation include an engine speed sensor 122 and an optional engine temperature sensor 124 . data from the engine speed sensor 122 is provided to a first comparator 126 which determines if the speed of the engine 20 is above or below 1800 r . p . m . or other minimum threshold speed . if it is below 1800 r . p . m ., the first comparator 126 provides a signal to a control module 130 which disables the clutch protection apparatus 10 and 80 . if the speed of the engine 20 is above 1800 r . p . m ., the first comparator 126 provides a signal to a second comparator 136 . the second comparator 136 receives data from a first computational module 138 which receives data regarding both the speed of the engine 20 from the engine speed sensor 122 and the temperature of the engine 20 from the optional engine temperature sensor 124 . the first computational module 138 determines a combined engine speed / temperature value which is provided to the second comparator 136 . if the second comparator 136 determines that the current combined engine speed / temperature value is below a predetermined ( threshold ) value , it provides a signal to the control module 130 which again disables the clutch protection apparatus 10 and 80 . if the second comparator 136 determines that the current combined engine speed / temperature value is above a predetermined ( threshold ) value , it provides a signal to a second control module 140 which enables the clutch protection apparatus 10 and 80 by providing a signal to a second computational module 142 . the second computational module 142 receives data from a vehicle speed sensor 144 and an optional current gear sensor 146 which is typically associated with the shift gate cylinder 30 or 30 ′. based upon this data , the second computational module 142 issues commands to the actuators 52 and 62 in accordance with the lookup table 150 to lockout or block the selection of certain gears by the vehicle operator . in the lookup table , an “ x ” in a column means an actuator is activated and an “ o ” in a column means it is de - activated . for example , if the manual transmission 12 is in fourth gear and the second control module 140 has enabled the apparatus 10 and 80 , the actuator 62 will be activated to prevent or block a shift into first or second gear , that is , into the full left slot 42 b of the rotation and translation limiting gate assembly 40 . it should be appreciated that the determination of the particular gears that are blocked or locked out by the activation of the actuators 52 , 62 , 86 , 94 , 102 and 108 and the conditions under which they are blocked or locked out , will be based upon many factors including engine speed , engine temperature , vehicle speed , the gear ratios of the transmission , the number of gears , the clutch size and clutch safety factor , to name the more significant factors . the description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention . such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 5 |
a fir filter calculates a weighted sum of a finite number of inputs , summing a number of multiplication results , where each multiplication is between a sample and a coefficient . each such multiplication may be referred to as a “ tap .” mathematically , a fir filter may be described as : y k = ∑ i = 0 taps - 1 ci · sk - i where y k is the kth output term , c i is the ith coefficient , s k − i is the ( k − i ) th sample , and taps is the number of taps in the filter . in the case of interpolation , one inserts zeroes between the input samples before filtering . in the case , for example , of interpolation by two , one can fill all odd - numbered samples with zeroes , which introduces a regular pattern of zeroes into the equations . the same circuitry that is used as an ordinary fir filter could be used to perform the interpolation filtering , but it would be idle half the time as the inputs would be zero , which would be wasteful . for interpolation by a higher factor n , the circuitry would be idle for ( n − 1 )/ n cycles . similarly in the case of decimation , no calculation is necessary on n − 1 of every n cycles . again , ordinary fir filter circuitry could be used , computing each cycle and discarding the unneeded results , but that also would be wasteful . the invention will now be described with reference to fig1 - 9 . known 5 - tap filter circuitry 10 of fig1 can be used for either interpolation or decimation . circuitry 10 includes three multipliers 101 , 102 , 103 preferably followed by adder 12 . on the input side preferably are three coefficient memories or registers 13 , one preferably feeding a first input of each multiplier 101 - 103 . an adder 14 preferably is provided at the second input of each multiplier 101 and 102 and input sample chain 15 preferably loops around so that sample s t − 2 is fed to the second input of multiplier 103 , while the sum of samples s t and s t − 4 is fed to the second input of multiplier 101 and the sum of samples s t − 1 and s t − 3 is fed to the second input of multiplier 102 . at the beginning of sample chain 15 , sample interpolation circuitry 16 preferably is provided to insert n − 1 zeroes between each sample for an interpolation factor of n . thus , in a common case of n = 2 , one zero is inserted between each sample . similarly , at the output of adder 14 , result decimation circuitry 17 preferably is provided to delete n − 1 out of every n results for an interpolation factor of n . thus , in a common case of n = 2 , every other result is deleted . while circuitry 10 can perform both interpolation and decimation on demand at run time , it does not take advantage of the zero - sample ( in the case of interpolation ) or zero - result ( in the case of decimation ) instances to reduce the number of multipliers needed . thus , 5 - tap interpolation / decimation filter 10 requires three multipliers . however , review of the mathematics shown in fig2 and 3 reveals that the interpolation circuit 40 of fig4 can be constructed . fig2 shows the eight results of the operation of circuitry 10 starting with an arbitrary sample s 0 ( this actually includes references to samples as early as s − 4 ). as can be seen , a number of terms are reused . specifically , c 0 s n is used in y n and reused four cycles later in y n + 4 . for example , c 0 s 0 is used in y 0 and y 4 . similarly , c 1 s n is used in y n + 1 and reused two cycles later in y n + 3 . in the case of interpolation by a factor of 2 , every other input is going to be zero . this means that instead of using three multipliers for a 5 - tap interpolation filter , one can use two multipliers and spread the computation of each term over two cycles ( because the circuit will otherwise be computing a zero result at that time , based on the zero input ). this is illustrated in fig3 , where on the left , every other sample in the equations of fig2 has been set to zero . the boxes 30 of fig3 represent storage of the intermediate results computed as shown on the right side of fig3 . the values a and b are computed in alternate cycles , while the value a dly represents the value a delayed by two cycles ( i . e ., the value a as computed during the previous cycle in which a was computed ). this is implemented in the circuitry 40 of fig4 . circuitry 40 preferably includes two multipliers 401 , 402 , preferably followed by adder 12 . in addition to feeding adder 12 , the output of multiplier 401 preferably also feeds a register 45 which preferably stores the value b of fig3 , and preferably also feeds a register 460 which preferably stores the value a of fig3 and in turn feeds a register 461 which preferably stores the value a dly of fig3 . registers 45 , 461 preferably feed a multiplexer 47 which preferably can controllably select either register 45 , 461 as appropriate . on the input side , sample chain 41 preferably includes , in this 5 - tap case , three registers 410 , 411 , 412 connected to feed respective first inputs of multipliers 401 , 402 as shown . because in interpolation every other sample s 1 , s 3 , s 5 , etc ., is zeroed out , in accordance with the invention two steps are used to compute the results for the remaining samples , and therefore sample chain 41 preferably is supplied with each remaining sample s 0 , s 2 , s 4 , etc . twice as indicated . the respective second inputs of multipliers 401 , 402 are fed by respective coefficient registers 420 , 421 . in this 5 - tap case , the value in register 420 alternates between coefficients c 0 , c 1 , while the value in register 421 alternates between coefficient c 2 and zero . the cycling of the coefficients occurs at a clock speed that is faster than the input sample rate by the interpolation factor — i . e ., in this example the clock speed is twice the input sample rate . when the coefficients are set to c 0 and c 2 , multiplexer 47 selects register 461 containing the value a dly . when the coefficients are set to c 1 and zero , multiplexer 47 selects register 45 containing the value b . adder 12 adds the output of multiplexer 47 to the products generated by multipliers 401 , 402 to generate the filter output . the decimation case is similar . review of the mathematics shown in fig5 reveals that the decimation circuitry 60 of fig6 can be constructed . fig5 is similar to fig3 , except that different values are stored in b . one can see that in the case of decimation by a factor of 2 , where every other computation is going to be deleted , the remaining computations can be broken in two and accumulated over two cycles , while the previous value is output for two cycles . this means that instead of using three multipliers for a 5 - tap interpolation filter , one can use two multipliers . this is implemented in the circuitry 60 of fig6 . circuitry 60 preferably includes two multipliers 401 , 402 , preferably followed by adder 12 . in addition to feeding adder 12 , the output of multiplier 401 preferably also feeds a register 45 which preferably stores the value b of fig5 , and preferably also feeds a register 460 which preferably stores the value a of fig5 and in turn feeds a register 461 which preferably stores the value a dly of fig5 . registers 45 , 461 preferably feed a multiplexer 67 which preferably can controllably select either register 45 , 461 as appropriate . on the input side , sample chain 61 preferably includes , in this 5 - tap case , three registers 410 , 411 , 412 in series . register 410 preferably is connected to feed the first input of multiplier 401 through multiplexer 62 , as shown . multiplexer 62 also can select the output of register 412 to feed the first input of multiplier 401 . register 412 preferably also feeds the first input of multiplier 402 . the respective second inputs of multipliers 401 , 402 are fed by respective coefficient registers 420 , 421 . in this 5 - tap case , the value in register 420 alternates between coefficients c 0 , c 1 , while the value in register 421 alternates between coefficient c 2 and zero . the cycling of the coefficients occurs at a clock speed that is the same as the input sample rate . in clock cycles in which the coefficients are set to c 0 and c 2 ( these may be referred to as “ odd ” cycles ), samples s t and s t − 2 are needed , and multiplexer 62 selects the output or register 410 . at the same time , multiplexer 67 selects register 461 containing the value a dly . in “ even ” cycles , in which the coefficients are set to c 1 and zero , sample s t − 1 is needed and multiplexer 62 selects the output of register 412 ( it will be appreciated from fig6 , which shows an odd cycle , the by the next even cycle , s t − 1 will have moved into register 412 ). at the same time , multiplexer 67 selects register 45 containing the value b . adder 12 adds the output of multiplexer 67 to the products generated by multipliers 401 , 402 . that sum is accumulated over two cycles using register 63 and adder 64 . the accumulated output is registered at 65 and output on two successive clock cycles as the filter output . as can be seen , circuitry 60 is identical to circuitry 40 except for the addition , in circuitry 60 , of multiplexer 62 between registers 410 , 412 and multiplier 402 , and the addition of output adder 64 and registers 63 , 65 to accumulate the output . thus , in accordance with the present invention , circuitry on a pld , preferably including dsp blocks as discussed above , can be configured as circuitry 70 ( fig7 ), which can function in either interpolation or decimation mode on demand . circuitry 70 is substantially identical to circuitry 60 , with the addition only of output multiplexer 71 to select either the direct output of adder 12 or the accumulated , registered output of register 65 . in interpolation mode , multiplexer 62 always selects register 410 , and output multiplexer 71 selects adder 12 . in decimation mode , multiplexer 62 selects either register 410 or register 412 as in circuitry 60 , and multiplexer 71 selects register 65 . the switch between interpolation mode and decimation mode thus requires only changing the control signals for multiplexers 62 , 71 , which is easily done at run time , as well as adjustments to the timing which also is easily done at run time . circuitry 70 can be implemented in a pld by using the multipliers of a dsp block such as that described in above - incorporated application ser . no . 11 / 447 , 370 . if the dsp block has an input register stage and an input multiplexer stage as described in application ser . no . 11 / 447 , 370 , then registers 411 , 411 , 412 and multiplexer 62 can be implemented inside the dsp block . but if the dsp block does not have an input multiplexer stage , then registers 411 , 411 , 412 and multiplexer 62 would have to be implemented outside the dsp block , in the programmable logic of the pld . multiplexer 47 cannot be implemented in the dsp block of application ser . no . 11 / 447 , 370 . therefore , multiplexer 67 and everything that follows it would have to be implemented outside the dsp block , in the programmable logic of the pld , although there may be a pld having a dsp block in which multiplexer 67 and at least some of the subsequent circuitry can be implemented within the dsp block . c = the number of channels , t = the number of taps , s = 1 for an asymmetric filter , s = 2 for a symmetric filter , n = the interpolation / decimation factor , s = timesharing factor ( i . e ., the number of clock cycles available to the system to process one input or output sample , h is factor that represents whether the case is a fullband case ( h = 1 ) or a halfband case ( h = 2 ) in which all odd coefficients with the exception of the middle coefficent are zero , for a one - channel , fullband , symmetric case without timesharing , this reduces to : thus , for a 5 - tap symmetric filter with an interpolation / decimation factor of 2 , n = int [ 5 / 4 ]+ 1 = int [ 1 . 25 ]+ 1 = 2 . as the number of taps increases , the number of storage elements increases as well , as does the depth of the storage elements ( i . e ., the number of cycles of delay required for each storage element ). thus , for a one - channel , fullband , symmetric 9 - tap fir filter with an interpolation / decimation factor of 2 , n = int [ 9 / 4 ]+ 1 = int [ 2 . 25 ]+ 1 = 3 . in addition to storage elements a and b , two additional storage elements aa and bb would be needed , one of which would have a depth of 3 and the other of which would have a depth of 4 . in general , the depth is equal to the distance from the tap in question to the center tap , meaning , for n taps where n is odd , that the maximum depth of any storage element in the filter would be (( n + 1 )/ 2 )− 1 . this agrees with the example just given , where (( 9 + 1 )/ 2 )− 1 = 4 . in an alternative case of a halfband 11 - tap fir filter , the mathematics of interpolation and decimation by a factor of 2 can be reduced to that shown in fig8 . as can be seen , there is significant overlap between the interpolation case and the decimation case , with the only difference being the terms involving coefficient c 5 . although this overlap only arises in the case of interpolation or decimation by 2 , that is a commonly - used case . thus , in accordance with the present invention , circuitry on a pld , preferably including dsp blocks as discussed above , can be configured as circuitry 90 for performing interpolation or decimation in accordance with fig8 ( i . e ., only in cases where the interpolation or decimation factor is 2 ), as shown in fig9 . circuitry 90 preferably includes two multipliers 401 , 402 , preferably followed by adder 12 . a multiplexer 92 can select either the output of multiplier 402 or the value 0 to input to adder 12 , while multiplier 401 preferably feeds adder 12 directly . on the input side , sample chain 91 preferably includes , in this 11 - tap case , eleven registers 901 - 911 in series . registers 901 and 904 preferably are connected to feed a multiplexer 920 which selects the first input of an adder 930 which feeds a first input of multiplier 401 . registers 910 and 911 preferably are connected to feed a multiplexer 921 which selects the second input of adder 930 . registers 905 and 907 preferably are connected to feed an adder 931 which provides the first input of a multiplexer 922 which feeds a first input of multiplier 402 . the second input of multiplexer 922 is the output of register 907 in the decimation case , or the output of register 906 in the interpolation case , as selected by multiplexer 923 . the respective second inputs of multipliers 401 , 402 are fed by respective coefficient registers 420 , 421 . in this special 11 - tap case with an interpolation / decimation factor of 2 , the value in register 420 alternates between coefficients c 0 , c 2 , while the value in register 421 alternates between coefficients c 4 , c 5 . on the output side , following adder 12 , adder 94 and one - cycle delay 95 allow accumulation of the output of adder 12 . a two - cycle delay 96 is provided on the output of multiplier 402 . output multiplexer 97 selects between accumulator 94 / 95 and delay 96 . for interpolation , the lower sequence of input samples is provided at 98 , and the upper sequence of outputs is generated at 99 , while for decimation , the upper sequence of input samples is provided at 98 , and the lower sequence of outputs is generated at 99 . for decimation , in the first clock cycle , c 0 ×( s t + s t − 10 )+ c 4 ×( s t − 4 + s t − 6 ) is calculated , and stored in the accumulator . in the second clock cycle , c 2 ×( s t − 2 + s t − 8 )+ c 5 × s t − 5 are calculated . by the second cycle , the samples have moved one step to the left in the pipeline of registers 901 - 911 , which is why fig9 shows the use of s t − 3 , s t − 6 and s t − 9 in the latter calculation instead of s t − 2 , s t − 5 and s t − 8 . the results are fed into the accumulator 94 / 95 , where they get added to the result of c 0 ×( s t + s t − 10 )+ c 4 ×( s t − 4 + s t − 6 ) from the previous clock cycle . for interpolation , n the first clock cycle , c 0 ×( s t + s t − 10 )+ c 4 ×( s t − 4 + s t − 6 ) is calculated , and stored in the accumulator , as before . in the second clock cycle , c 2 ×( s t − 2 + s t − 8 ) and c 5 × s t − 4 are calculated . the result of c 2 ×( s t − 2 + s t − 8 ) is added into accumulator 94 / 95 . c 5 × s t − 4 is stored separately in delay 96 , and multiplexer 97 then switches the accumulator 94 / 95 or delay 96 to the output in alternative clock cycles . when delay 96 is selected by multiplexer 97 , multiplexer 923 selects its 0 input . as in the case of circuitry 70 , the selections needed to switch between interpolation and decimation in circuitry 90 are easily performed at run time . circuitry 90 maps better onto a dsp block such as that of application ser . no . 11 / 447 , 370 because there is nothing between multipliers 401 , 402 and adder 12 except multiplexer 923 , which can be provided in that dsp block . moreover , this circuitry follows the expression above for the number of multipliers . thus , in this symmetric halfband case with n = 2 , n = int [ 11 /( 2 × 2 × 2 )]+ 1 = int [ 11 / 8 ]+ 1 = int [ 1 . 375 ]+ 1 = 2 , meaning there should be two multipliers as shown . note that in the fullband symmetric 11 - tap case , n = int [ 11 / 4 ]+ 1 = int [ 2 . 75 ]+ 1 = 3 , meaning there would be a third multiplier , as well as a third register with cycling coefficients , but two - cycle delay 96 would not be needed . thus it is seen that a fir filter structure that can be implemented in a specialized processing block of a programmable logic device , and switched in real time between interpolation and decimation modes , has been provided . a pld 280 incorporating such circuitry according to the present invention may be used in many kinds of electronic devices . one possible use is in a data processing system 900 shown in fig1 . data processing system 900 may include one or more of the following components : a processor 281 ; memory 282 ; i / o circuitry 283 ; and peripheral devices 284 . these components are coupled together by a system bus 285 and are populated on a circuit board 286 which is contained in an end - user system 287 . system 900 can be used in a wide variety of applications , such as computer networking , data networking , instrumentation , video processing , digital signal processing , or any other application where the advantage of using programmable or reprogrammable logic is desirable . pld 280 can be used to perform a variety of different logic functions . for example , pld 280 can be configured as a processor or controller that works in cooperation with processor 281 . pld 280 may also be used as an arbiter for arbitrating access to a shared resources in system 900 . in yet another example , pld 280 can be configured as an interface between processor 281 and one of the other components in system 900 . it should be noted that system 900 is only exemplary , and that the true scope and spirit of the invention should be indicated by the following claims . various technologies can be used to implement plds 280 as described above and incorporating this invention . instructions for carrying out the method according to this invention may be encoded on a machine - readable medium , to be executed by a suitable computer or similar device to implement the method of the invention for programming plds . for example , a personal computer may be equipped with an interface to which a pld can be connected , and the personal computer can be used by a user to program the pld using a suitable software tool , such as the quartus ® ii software available from altera corporation , of san jose , calif . fig1 presents a cross section of a magnetic data storage medium 600 which can be encoded with a machine executable program that can be carried out by systems such as the aforementioned personal computer , or other computer or similar device . medium 600 can be a floppy diskette or hard disk , or magnetic tape , having a suitable substrate 601 , which may be conventional , and a suitable coating 602 , which may be conventional , on one or both sides , containing magnetic domains ( not visible ) whose polarity or orientation can be altered magnetically . except in the case where it is magnetic tape , medium 600 may also have an opening ( not shown ) for receiving the spindle of a disk drive or other data storage device . the magnetic domains of coating 602 of medium 600 are polarized or oriented so as to encode , in manner which may be conventional , a machine - executable program , for execution by a programming system such as a personal computer or other computer or similar system , having a socket or peripheral attachment into which the pld to be programmed may be inserted , to configure appropriate portions of the pld , including its specialized processing blocks , if any , as a filter in accordance with the invention . fig1 shows a cross section of an optically - readable data storage medium 700 which also can be encoded with such a machine - executable program , which can be carried out by systems such as the aforementioned personal computer , or other computer or similar device . medium 700 can be a conventional compact disk read only memory ( cd - rom ) or digital video disk read only memory ( dvd - rom ) or a rewriteable medium such as a cd - r , cd - rw , dvd - r , dvd - rw , dvd + r , dvd + rw , or dvd - ram or a magneto - optical disk which is optically readable and magneto - optically rewriteable . medium 700 preferably has a suitable substrate 701 , which may be conventional , and a suitable coating 702 , which may be conventional , usually on one or both sides of substrate 701 . in the case of a cd - based or dvd - based medium , as is well known , coating 702 is reflective and is impressed with a plurality of pits 703 , arranged on one or more layers , to encode the machine - executable program . the arrangement of pits is read by reflecting laser light off the surface of coating 702 . a protective coating 704 , which preferably is substantially transparent , is provided on top of coating 702 . in the case of magneto - optical disk , as is well known , coating 702 has no pits 703 , but has a plurality of magnetic domains whose polarity or orientation can be changed magnetically when heated above a certain temperature , as by a laser ( not shown ). the orientation of the domains can be read by measuring the polarization of laser light reflected from coating 702 . the arrangement of the domains encodes the program as described above . it will be understood that the foregoing is only illustrative of the principles of the invention , and that various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . for example , the various elements of this invention can be provided on a pld in any desired number and / or arrangement . one skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be practiced by other than the described embodiments , which are presented for purposes of illustration and not of limitation , and the present invention is limited only by the claims that follow . | 7 |
the total radiant output of a blackbody source , such as the pyrotechnic device 34 of beacon 30 shown in fig2 is proportional to the source area , the surface emissivity and the forth power of the absolute temperature of the source . when a blackbody is used as a source for long wavelength radiation , this relationship must be modified to account for the shift in spectral distribution of the radiant energy in the desired bands . increasing temperature causes a shift to shorter wavelength . thus , the radiant output in a given wavelength band increases less than does the total output . fig3 at the line 90 shows that the useful radiance is almost linear with temperature for the structure of this invention . for this curve , the ordinate is the effective radiance in the 8 to 12 micrometer band in ( watts - steradian - 1 - centimeter - 2 )× 10 . curve 92 shows the total radiance of the source in ( watts - steradian - 1 - centimeter - 2 )× 10 - 1 , which varies as the fourth power of absolute temperature . line 94 shows the percent of flux in the 8 to 12 micrometer band and shows the spectral efficiency drops with increasing temperature . curve 90 is the product of curves 92 and 94 . curve 96 has as its ordinate the area in square inches for 10 . 8 watts per steradian output . the required area drops with the temperature increase . curve 96 is the reciprocal of curve 90 . the useful radiant power varies as t minus 700 degrees kelvin while the total radiated power varies as t 4 ( see line 92 ). because of this substantial difference it is desirable to operate at as low a temperature as possible . in addition to energy efficiency , minimizing source temperature reduces problems with materials . in order to maximize the total radiant output , the blackbody radiation source should be made as large as practical . in situations where the lateral area is limited by the size and / or shape of other structures , as in the case of the beacon 30 shown in fig1 the source 30 takes an irregular shape in order to maximize its area . this irregular shape presents an additional constraint on the design of the shutter for interrupting the output radiation . the beacon 30 achieves the goal of maintaining maximum source area by using adjoining divergent surfaces which present reflections of the underlying blackbody 34 when the shutter is open , thus maintaining the effect of a full area emitter . fig2 is an isometric view of beacon 30 with parts broken away on planes through the shutter openings . fig4 shows some of that structure in enlarged detail . pyrotechnic device 34 preferably contains its own fuel and oxidizer and is exothermic when ignited . the pyrotechnic device 34 is contained in a forward housing 36 which extends rearwardly to embrace around outer plate 38 which serves as the main structural member of beacon 30 . housing 36 is closed by radiant source plate 40 which is heated by the pyrotechnic device 34 and radiates rearward , in the upward direction in fig2 toward outer plate 38 . inner optical plate 42 is mounted to the forward side of outer optical plate 38 by a plurality of screws , one of which is shown at 44 in fig2 . shoulder 45 on screw 44 engages against the forward face 46 of the outer optical plate 38 which is the main structural member of beacon 30 . head 47 on screw 44 is thus spaced from forward face 46 . the shouldered shank of screw 44 engages through an opening in the inner optical plate 42 and head 47 serves to constrain the inner optical plate and prevent it from moving farther away from outer optical plate 38 . there are several screws 44 adjacent the edges of plate 38 , and in order to constrain the center portion of inner optical plate 42 , rivets such as rivet 50 are appropriately spaced across the area of inner optical plate 42 . shutter 52 is a thin plate positioned against the forward surface 46 of outer optical plate 38 . shutter 52 has a slot adjacent all screws and rivets passing through the space 54 between the inner and outer optical plates . such a slot is indicated at 56 with respect to rivet 50 in fig2 . at least three such screws or rivets are necessary to maintain the spacing and orientation of the optical plates . a slot is provided in the shutter 52 for all such screws and rivets , or they are positioned laterally of the periphery of shutter 52 . the slots in shutter 52 around the screws and rivets are aligned in the same direction to permit sliding motion of the shutter plate preferably a distance slightly greater than the diameter of the radiating openings described below . in fig2 shutter 52 is shown in an intermediate position between its left - most or closed and open positions . spring 58 is a flat wave spring positioned in the space 54 between inner optical plate 42 and shutter 52 . due to the curved nature of wave spring 58 in the unstressed condition , the wave spring urges shutter 52 rearward to lie against the forward surface 46 of outer optical plate 38 . the purpose of the optical structure of outer optical plate 38 , inner optical plate 42 and shutter 52 is to control the radiation emitted from heated body plate 40 in the rearward direction , upward in fig2 . when the shutter is in the open position , each of the elements at the rear of the beacon mechanism has an opening which is aligned with the openings in the other elements . a plurality of openings is provided , each being similar and spaced from each other , so only one such opening need be discussed . in order to maximize the reflective surface seen from the rear , the cell openings 67 in the outer optical plate 38 are divergent in the direction of the radiant output and adjoin each other as hexagonal cells . one of the cell edges is shown at 69 . this allows the perforated shutter plate 52 between the array of cells in outer optical plate 38 and the emitting source 40 to pass or block radiation by moving the shutter plate 52 by a distance equal to the diameter of the openings 72 in the shutter plate 52 . the reflective cells are all the same so that only the cell 68 need be described in detail . it is formed with mirrored walls to maximize radiation . the cell walls can be formed of any of a variety of shapes as determined by the use and the method of fabrication . a truncated hexagonal pyramid is one appropriate cell shape . a truncated right circular cone may be more easily fabricated . such truncated cones are positioned so that the intersections form a hexagonal array . in addition , such a structure reduces multiple - reflection losses that occur in the corners of a hexagonal pyramid . a still more efficient shape is a truncated parabolic surface of revolution formed by a parabolic curve with the slope at the entrance and exit each chosen to provide a single reflection path to the source from any point in the angular field to be illuminated . this can be achieved for off - axis angles up to 20 °. the lines 80 , 82 and 84 in fig4 indicate rays to an off - axis viewer . throughout the intended field of view , the entire beacon area presents direct view or only single reflection of the source . the radiation source 40 is directly seen between lines 80 and 82 when the field of view is as far away from the line normal to the plane of the shutter as indicated in fig4 . the reflection of the source 40 is seen between lines 80 and 84 , at the same angle . it must be noted that the lines 82 and 84 lie directly adjacent similar lines for adjacent view openings in the outer optical plate . thus , the source is seen directly , or with a single reflection over the entire set of optical openings 68 in the outer optical plate within the angular limits at off - axis angles somewhat beyond that indicated by the lines 80 , 82 and 84 in fig4 . in this way , the full area radiation is visible over a cone angle about the normal . the angle is a function of the size of the shutter depth of the outer optical plate 38 and the size of the reflective openings in the outer optical plate . the openings in the outer optical plate 38 are aligned with openings 71 in inner optical plate 42 . inner optical plate 42 provides mechanical constraint and heat shielding for the shutter 52 . the wave spring 58 with its matching perforations holds the shutter plate in intimate contact with the forward face 46 of the main structural member 38 which is the outer optical plate to cause sharp cut - off . with the shutter held in place , radiation leakage is minimized . furthermore , holding the shutter in place constrains the rise in shutter temperature by maintaining a thermal path to the larger mass of the main plate 38 . it is important that the shutter and inner optical elements be shaped to avoid interference with the paths of radiation reflected by the outer optical array cell walls . the hole diameter and the shape of the divergent openings 68 achieve this purpose . to avoid excessive heating , all elements of the shutter have reflective , low absorptivity surfaces . only the outer optical array surfaces are required to act as specular reflectors . the outer face of the shutter 52 must have low emissivity as it becomes the radiation source when the shutter is closed . the parabolic surface 68 intersects with forward surface 46 to define a circular opening 70 , which is preferably of slightly smaller diameter than the small end opening 64 of the truncated right circular cone 71 in inner optical plate 42 . the openings 64 and 70 are in alignment . opening 70 is the same size as or smaller than opening 72 in shutter 52 . the shutter opening 72 is in alignment with circular opening 70 when the shutter 52 is in the open position as illustrated in fig4 . beacon 30 is turned on and off by moving shutter 52 between the positions where the openings are in alignment and out of alignment . the direction of this shutter motion is controlled by the slots around the screws and rivets , for example , slot 56 . the spacing between the openings 68 is such that the shutter 52 can be moved in the direction of the rightside section plane in fig4 and all of the openings will be completely closed or obscured by the blank space in the shutter 52 between the openings 72 in the shutter plate . of course , when the openings are aligned , radiation from plate 40 is seen from the rear , and when the shutter plate 52 is in the closed position , that radiation is obscured . thus , motion of the shutter causes pulsing of the signal as seen from the rear . the shutter can be operated by any desired actuator . an electromagnetic , pneumatic or hydraulic actuator can be selected for this operation . because the required shutter motion is short even for a large area source , shutter actuation time can be on the order of a few milliseconds . additionally , the shutter plate can be relatively thin to minimize the mass driven by the actuator . the extended source shutter of this invention can be used for chopping or modulation of various sources in the laboratory or in communication . furthermore , in some applications it would be useful as an optical countermeasure source , and as an infrared signature simulator . in addition to the basic advantage of minimizing overall dimensions for a given output , the cellular nature of this shutter permits the shape and spatial variation of intensity of a laterally extended source to be substantially retained when viewed through the shutter . for continuous operation , the outer optical array structure 38 can be built with internal passages for the circulation of coolant fluid so as to maintain shutter temperature sufficiently low to preserve the shutter and maintain a low radiant output in the off state . this invention has been described in its presently contemplated best mode and it is clear that it is susceptible to numerous modifications , modes and embodiments within the ability of those skilled in the art and without the exercise of the inventive faculty . accordingly , the scope of this invention is defined by the scope of the following claims . | 6 |
with specific reference now to the drawings in detail , it is stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the preferred embodiments of the present invention only , and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the invention . in this regard , no attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention , the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the invention may be embodied in practice . before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings . the invention is applicable to other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways . also , it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting . turning now to the figures , fig1 illustrates a network 10 , in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present technique . the network 10 is an exemplary embodiment of a platform on which personalized dynamic videos are created , processed , rendered , stored and provided to multiple users having access to the network 10 . accordingly , network 10 is a communications network adapted for connecting various nodes , such as servers , computer systems and end users , as well as for facilitating the transfer of data between the nodes and end users . furthermore the network 10 may be formed of various dedicated computer system and / or servers , some of which may be functioning as a computer cluster and / or computing cloud for providing and distributing personalized videos in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present technique . more specifically , fig1 illustrates , nodes / endpoints / end users 12 and 14 , as well as , servers 16 , and computing cloud system ( ccs ) 18 . the user 12 and / or 14 may be client computers such as a home or office personal computer ( pc ), a remote client , a thin client or other type of computer and / or processing interface adapted for general data processing and for connecting to the network 10 . although not illustrated by fig1 , the client computers may further be coupled and / or connected to other peripheral devices , such as monitors , keyboards , mice , printers , routers , wireless devices , microphones , speakers , cameras , finger print identifiers , external memory devices , and other devices . the pc 12 may include software platforms and operating systems , such windows , linux - red hat , and other supporting programs . as will be discussed below , the ccs 18 may be part of a computing cloud having multiple servers , processors and the like , adapted to intake original ad digital video data and to perform considerable amount of processing for ultimately rendering creating multiple versions of the original ads so to conform to the personalized desires and preferences of users having access to such video ads . in certain exemplary embodiments , the cloud 18 may utilize various algorithm and techniques in perform parallel and / or other supercomputing operations for rendering , generating , verifying and correcting multiple versions of videos out of the originally obtained advertisement . thus , users having access to the network 10 may be provided with personalized videos as part of any general browsing or searching of the network 10 . it should be borne in mind that the network 10 may be accessed by a plurality of users , such as the users 12 and 14 , formed of various segments , locations , preferences , and / or other attributes characterizing the personal make - up of the network users . for example , users accessing the network 10 may be dispersed over various geographical regions / segments of the network , or the users may make different demographical , gender and / or other segments . by further example , the users , i . e ., users 12 and 14 may have different shopping habits , movie and / or music preferences , and / or other parameters varying in accordance with those users &# 39 ; personal attributes and characteristics . accordingly , as further described herein , as part of their general browsing through the network for performing any of the above - mentioned network related tasks , the various user segments the network may download any otherwise generic advertisement made up a video personalized in accordance with the aforementioned user attributes . in other words , while , for example , both the users 12 and 14 may access a webpage having an advertisement showing a video of a particular vendor , each of the user will receive a version of the video custom tailored to that user personal , demographic and / or geographical preference and / or location , respectively . returning to fig1 , the server 16 and ccs 18 may be adapted for storing , routing and / or communicating data within the network 10 and / or other networks to which the server 16 and ccs 18 may be connected . thus , the server 16 may store information related to material included as part of vendor website , such as those belonging to certain vendors , advertisers , promoters , administrators and so forth . alternatively , the server 16 may store originally created ads , as well as parameters specifying the manner by which personalized should be rendered . as will be described further below , the server 16 is further adapted to employ various algorithms , such as those based on statistical and probabilistic methods , for verifying large amount of personalized videos to ensure those are properly rendered for complying with certain criteria and in accordance with good quality viewing standards . thus , the ccs 18 may be formed of multiple processors , servers , and / or other dedicated devices , such as those used for forming , processing , and / or encoding personalized videos , as implemented by the system illustrated and discussed above . further , in an exemplary embodiment , the server 16 may be of the type available by sun microsystems , hewlett packard , dell , international business machines ( ibm ), and / or other known server vendors and providers . accordingly , the server 16 and the ccs 18 may include various hardware devices , such as microprocessors , memory cards , graphic cards , routers , wireless devices and other modules for receiving , transmitting and / or processing data . in addition , the servers may include various software platforms and packages , such as those providing code written in java , python , ruby , and / or other computer languages , for facilitating the everyday operation and use of the server 16 and ccs 18 as part of the network 10 . it should further be borne in mind that the user nodes 12 and 14 and the servers 16 and ccs 18 are exemplary , and that the network 10 may include many other additional user nodes similar to the users 12 and 14 , as well as , multiple other servers similar to those discussed herein . further , the server 16 may be adapted to store data , such as websites , generally accessible to the user 12 and / or 14 via the network 10 . those skilled in the art will appreciate that each website accessible , for example , to the user may contain multiple web pages which may also be accessible to the users 12 and 14 upon request . for example , the server 16 may store websites of private companies and / or corporations , as well as government and / or other pubic organizations . hence , the server 16 provides access to the user 12 of web pages provided by the above mentioned private or public entities so that the user , for example , can conduct business and / or manage various tasks through the network 10 . for instance , the user 12 may access the server 16 for downloading a webpage belonging to a vendor through which the user 12 may perform financial transactions such as when purchasing consumer items or the like . by further example , the user 12 may access the server 16 for downloading webpages , such as those associated with various public institutions , through which the users 12 and 14 can provide personal and / or other type of information for conducting everyday personal and / or work - related business and so forth . accordingly , the users 12 and 14 may generally form communication sessions during which the user 12 and server 16 exchange information through the network 10 . fig2 is a block diagram a digital item 20 , in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present technique . the digital item / template 20 may generally be part of a structured digital object , a form , or a combination of resources such as videos , audio tracks , images ; or metadata , which may further include items such as descriptors and identifiers ; and structures for describing the relationships between the resources the digital item / object , may include . more specifically and in accordance with an embodiment of the present technique , the digital item 20 forms a digital movie and / or images part of an advertisement , commercial and / or other promotional material accessible to the users 12 and 14 through the network 10 . accordingly , those skilled in the art will appreciate that the depiction shown in fig2 is more of a representation of digital components from which such digital items are formed and therefore , the depiction of such elements are exemplary for illustration purposes included herein to provide a general understating of the present technique . thus , the digital item 20 may form a digital movie part of an advertisement or commercial adapted to be displayed , viewed and / or heard on a computer , such as a home , office or any other type computing device , i . e ., mobile device or a handheld device etc . hence , movie advertisements formed by the digital item 20 may be provided over the internet so that those may be downloadable by the users at various locales , regions and countries at their time of choosing or at designated times , as may be determined by a vendor , advertiser and / or other enterprises wishing to promote and / or disseminate information to the general public . accordingly , such movie commercials may be made up of data forming substantive information and various contents that can be typically played on an internet digital player , spanning a time duration that could last seconds , minutes or longer , depending on choice of the various providers making use digital items , such as the item 20 . as further illustrated by fig2 , the digital item 20 is made up of non - dynamic elements 22 , as well as dynamic elements 24 , including dynamic images 26 , dynamic sounds 28 and dynamic texts 30 . the dynamic elements 24 are further made up of dynamic animations elements 32 and dynamic look and feel elements 34 . the non - dynamic elements / data 22 of the digital item 20 are elements that are usually static and are otherwise not personalized to the specific user to which the commercial formed by the item 20 is intended . in other words , the non - dynamic elements / data 22 form those features of an advertisement that would be provided to all users viewing the advertisement , regardless of the region , demographic , other personalized preference to which the various users belong . thus , non - dynamic elements 22 may be associated with certain objects , features , or other attributes ( see below fig3 and 4 ) shown in each and every version of an advertisement originating from the item 20 , as provided to the user . for example , in one embodiment the elements 22 may form an image or movie of person whose depiction overtime would be identical regardless of where and how the commercial is shown . by further example , the elements 22 may form portions of landscape , trees , grass , buildings and / or other moving or static elements that would be displayed identically in all personalized video commercials . by contrast , dynamic elements 24 are those elements within the commercial or ad intended to be varied and / or modified in accordance with preferences tailored for specific users , for example , located in various regions . thus , dynamic images element 26 may form certain images or portions thereof of a commercial clip that could be specifically custom made to the user viewing the commercial . for example , the element 26 may form background sceneries , conditions or views , such as oceans , trees , roads , bridges and other scenery typifying the general location where certain users may reside , work , or those locations to which certain users may have some relation or affiliation . by further example , element 26 may emulate weather conditions i . e ., sunshine , rain , snow , fall , winter and so forth , normally typifying conditions at a locale of a respective consumer who is viewing the advertisement . hence , the dynamic image elements 16 may emulate various lighting , brightness , shading , and other visual effects and conditions and features to fit various settings in various regions . still by further example , dynamic elements 26 - 34 may include features specific to a particular gender , that is , the elements 24 may incorporate in an otherwise generic videos features adapted to appeal to a specific gender in which certain attributes of the video could accentuate certain features to which the targeted gender can relate . for example , a video displaying an automobile commercial can be personalized to appeal to women by using the dynamic images 26 , and or animation element 32 to form an automobile having color usually likeable to women , such as pink , red , etc . hence , while the aforementioned automobile commercial may originally be created and widely distributed as a generic advertisement having a generic automobile color , i . e ., a color not necessarily adapted to target an audience segment , the present technique may create multiple versions of the advertisement , whereby each version is adapted to accentuate a particular feature bound to appeal to certain users who may find such features interesting or at least worth noting . similarly , dynamic sounds element 28 forms an audible portion of the digital item 20 which can be changed and / or tailored in accordance to consumer location and / or other preferences . thus , the elements 28 can form part of an audible portion adapted for specifying specific locations , such as streets , buildings , parks and / or other landmarks that could be of interest and are specific to the user &# 39 ; s locations and other preferences , such various languages , gender voice , accents , dialects . thus , for example , dynamic sounds element 28 can be used to alter a certain dialect or an accent of a speaker of generic - made commercial to include a dialect appealing to certain population groups . for example , a commercial , originally having an actor / speaker utilizing a particular accent ( i . e ., anglo - american ) can be personalized to show that same speaker talk in a different accent , i . e ., such that shared by spanish - american , so as to provide such a group similar informational content , yet more personalized and appealing to that group . in addition , dynamic texts element 30 provides a portion of digital item 20 having textual portions which , too , can be changed to fit the location and other attributes with which the viewer is associated . hence , the dynamic texts element can form any readable or otherwise viewable contexts such as titles and subtitles , product names , service names , street names , maps , satellite photography and the like . thus , the digital item 20 can be part of a commercial ad advertised , for example , by a chain store or a franchise having multiple stores dispersed in different locations across a country or region , whereby the dynamic text elements 30 are adapted to display , for instance , a general map showing the store location in relation to where the ad or movie commercial is shown . for example , a viewer in los angeles , calif . will view the commercial in which the element 30 is adapted to display a map of the store closest to the viewer located in the la area . similarly , a viewer in miami , fla . will be able to see the same commercial while being provided with substantive content similar to that of the ad shown in the la area , however , the commercial provided to the viewer in the miami area will include a map showing the user where the closest store in that area is located . in so doing , the present technique contemplates using the digital item / template 20 , particularly , the dynamic elements 24 to generate multiple versions of commercial videos , each having similar informational content , yet , each generated to custom fit user ( s ) preferences , such as user locations throughout a given region . fig3 and 4 are depictions of video scenes , in accordance with and exemplary embodiment of the present technique . hence , for example , fig3 depicts a commercial scene 40 , such as one provided by a vendor or chain store , for advertising and promoting various products and / or services . as illustrated , the scene 40 includes various items and objects , such as a house 42 , car 44 , person 46 and ladder 47 . accordingly , the commercial seen 40 may be adapted to promote products , such roofing of the house 42 , ladders ( e . g ., ladder 47 ), and / or services ( e . g ., roofing , landscape and other services ). further , the scene 40 also includes a background 48 , for example , indicative of certain weather winter - like condition , i . e . rain , storms and so forth . as further shown , at the bottom of scene 40 , the illustrated embodiment further includes a portion 50 , including a text box 52 and a map portion 54 . accordingly , text box 52 and map portion 54 are adapted to provide a viewer with location and other details regarding specific stores located within the vicinity of the user . hence , the scene 40 can be generated and custom fitted to include certain information , such as hours of operation , special products , special sales and discounts and other types of promotional material , all specific to the region in which the commercial movie is displayed , as well as specific to other personalized preferences that would enable vendors to appeal to certain segments of users having access to a network on which personalized videos are accessible . in addition , in the illustrated embodiment of scene 40 , the background 48 can be chosen to include weather - like conditions indicative of the conditions observed and experienced in accordance with the where the specific store is advertised . thus , the winter - like conditions 48 of scene 40 can be tailored to fit places such as those located , for example , in the northeastern portions of the united states , where similar conditions may apply and where a consumer may be experiencing similar whether conditions . hence , in providing consumers with video contents tailored to consumers &# 39 ; settings , vendors and / or advertisers can target and better appeal to consumer &# 39 ; s preferences and / or locale conditions that are specific to where such consumers are located . by further example , fig4 shows a scene 70 that is almost identical to the scene 40 of fig3 with exceptions of background 72 , text box 74 , and map portion 76 , all providing similar content and information , yet , specific to a location different from that shown in fig3 . accordingly , in the illustrated embodiment of fig4 , background 72 illustrates a clear , sunny - like day indicative of weather conditions that could otherwise present , for example , in the southwestern portions of the united states . thus , while the scene 70 may be part of a commercial identical to the one provided by the scene 40 , the scene 70 may include content and other information adapted for appealing to consumers located in the aforementioned part of the u . s ., and where corresponding vendor stores and locations are located . thus , text box 74 and map portion 76 correspondingly provide the consumer located in that part of the country information pertaining to location , store hours , products , special sales and other related material specific to where the consumer is located . still by further example , a chain store promoting certain home and related products can use specially tailored made commercials , such as the scene 40 , for advertising certain winter tools , such as snow plows , shovels and other winter items to those populations located in regions where the scene 40 experiencing a winter like - setting . thus , to the extent the user of scene 70 is provided with substantive information similar to that provided in scene 40 , the viewers of the sunny scene 70 will not be provided with the winter - like background and related queues but , instead , the provided with corresponding products adapted for summer and sunny weather , in other words , shading fixtures , barbecues , pools , fountains , and the like . by further example , while car 44 of fig3 may be chosen to be that of a particular make , year , and color i . e ., volkswagen beatle , 2005 flash - green , a favorite among females , the car of fig4 , may be illustrated in the commercial as a corvette , or a jeep , or another type of an automobile favorite among men . thus , while the sense 40 and 70 may be adapted to promote a product ( not necessarily related to the shown cars ), nevertheless , each of the aforementioned scenes can appeal in a varied manner , respectively , to men and women . in other aspects , the two houses 42 of the scenes 40 and 70 can be shown such that their overall design and shape varies in accordance with different population groups . for example , the house of fig3 can be personalized to have victorian - type architecture , such as that appealable to certain conservative or old fashion population segments . by contrast , the house shown in the scene 70 may be personalized to have modern type architecture , thereby appealing to younger population groups . fig5 is a block diagram of a system 100 for providing personalized video over a network , in accordance with an embodiment of the present technique . generally , the system 100 may be considered as a central computing system such as one forming a portion of a communications network , or computing cluster , a cloud computing structure , or a combination thereof . accordingly the system 100 is adapted to connect various nodes , such as servers , computer systems and end users , as well as for facilitating the transfer of data between nodes / end users ( e . g ., users 12 or 14 of fig1 ). further , the system 100 may be part of and / or reside in a general network ( e . g ., network 10 of fig1 ), including an internet network , an intranet , or other types of local , wide and / or global area communications network , such as those formed of a wire line network , wireless network , satellite network , or a combination thereof . as further illustrated , the system 100 includes a feed generator device 110 , a software plug - in device 112 , a rendering engine device 114 , a video verification module 115 , and ad server device 116 . those skilled in the will appreciate that the term device , as used herein , may encompass one , multiple , and / or an ensemble of devices , formed either as stand - alone or a combination of hardware and / or software platforms , each adapted to store and / or execute various algorithms , routines , and various computational tasks for manipulating and configuring digital elements / templates ( e . g ., fig2 ) to ultimately generate and verify personalized digital videos over the internet or other networks , as described above by fig3 and 4 . accordingly , those skilled in the art will appreciate that the system 100 and the devices 110 - 116 may include , either alone or in combination , various microprocessors , servers , such as those available , for example , by sun microsystems , hewlett packard , dell , international business machines ( ibm ), and / or other known processor and server vendors and providers . in addition , the devices 110 - 116 may include , either alone or in combination , hardware devices , memory and storage devices , graphic cards , routers , wireless devices and other modules for receiving , transmitting and / or processing data . in addition , the system 100 , particularly , the devices 110 - 116 may be housed and / or run on a computing cloud , such as that available by amazon . com and / or similar cloud - providing vendors . as such , the system 100 and its various components may be adapted to run various software platforms and packages , such as those providing code written in java , python , ruby on rails , and / or other computer languages , for facilitating the everyday operation and use of the system 100 . in accordance with one embodiment of the present technique , the feed generator 110 may form , for example , an rss feed generator , adapted to intake information , such as a website url , and or other related material included as part of a specific website 118 belonging to particular vendor ( s ). such vendors having the web site 118 may include firm ( s ), commercial companies , or any private or public organization interested in providing the general public with information and content regarding its various products , services , as well as any other general and / or specific information adapted to promote or otherwise enhance the company &# 39 ; s image in the public eye . as will be discussed below , such information may include digital content in a form of a digital movie , such as one that can be downloaded and played by an average home or office user upon throughout a communication session , as may happen when a user generally browses the internet . further , once the system 100 obtains a desired website and url information via the generator 110 , ( that is , from where the url information is stored ) the software plugging device 112 obtains original ads 120 to further process such ads and provide personalized digital video ads adapted to appeal to specific segments , groups , locations , genders and so forth . as mentioned , such movies may include advertising and other promotional material , as promulgated by the vendor of the website 118 . further , the device 112 , particularly , software plug - ins employed therein are adapted to generally analyze digital items form which the digital movie is formed . in so doing , the device 112 finds and determines the position of dynamic elements , elements 16 - 20 ( see fig2 ) so that those can be modified and / or edited in accordance . hence , an animator employing the plug - in device 112 can define and mange dynamic texts , visual animations , images , and voice to fit a specific ad that can be personalized and adapted for specific users segment located therein . more specifically , the device 112 utilizes the non - dynamic elements in conjunction with dynamic elements of the ad , i . e ., movie , whereby dummy texts may be inserted to the ad , via an editing software , ultimately determined by constraints are configured in accordance with a desired implementation . for example , certain portions of the movie including text messages may be designated for dynamic rendering , eventually determined according to the animator &# 39 ; s choice and / or according to specified demands . by further example , the device 112 can be used to insert and configure certain desired images , as well as vary the properties of images existing in an otherwise distributed movie . this may also include designating and configuring dynamic image background features , such opacity , brightness , lighting , object views , text images and other related visual features . these and other operations , as performed by the device 112 , create what may be called a master ad that can be provided to core rendering engine device 114 , adapted to compose all variations of the video ads in accordance with the specified regional and / or other types of preferences to where the ad is intended . in so doing , the rendering engine 114 receives personalized parameters 122 which determine the uniqueness of each ad , as well as the extent to which dynamic elements within each video are varied . accordingly , the engine 114 inserts into the master ad provided by the software plug - ins 112 actual specific data values to create actual videos , where each video is uniquely created to reflect the various changes in an otherwise original ad , modified to create multiple ads that are each adapted to target a certain region , population and so forth . once the rendering engine 114 creates the multiple ad movies , the engine 114 encodes each of the multiple movies according to certain accepted and usable image formats , such as . jpeg , . gif , . mpeg , and other image and / or video well known and used in the industry . in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present technique , once the personalized digital video is rendered and encoded , as performed by the rendering engine 114 , the personalized video undergoes a verification process by the video verification module 115 . the verification module 115 is adapted to detect various failures and / or defects that may have occurred during the rendering and / or encoding processed . such failures may stem , for example , from various multiple software or configuration “ bugs ,” causing images or texts to be displayed incorrectly , or rendering videos not in par with standard videos such as those available on the market . to counter such failures , the verification module 115 employs various algorithms for detecting and rectifying the above - mentioned failures occurring in mass production of personalized videos . accordingly , in an exemplary embodiment , the present technique utilizes a comparison procedure by which generated personalized videos are compared to a specifically chosen pristine standard video that provides a baseline against which other videos are compared . in so doing , for each set of mass produced personalized videos , a pristine version is chosen for that set by examining a subset of videos in that set and determining which personalized videos in the subset has features matching closest all other videos in the subset of personalized videos . such determination may further involve , for example , utilizing maximum likelihood and / or bayesian statistical methods , as well as other averaging methods . hence , the verification module 115 utilizes the aforementioned pristine copy of the personalized video for comparing other similar personalized rendered and encoded videos . more specifically , the comparison performed by the module 115 may be based on employing one or more functions providing a quantitative numerical measure for determining how well the personalized video matches the pristine video of that version of the ad . hence , in one exemplary embodiment , the module 115 separates each of the personalized videos in to its image frames and corresponding soundtrack . thereafter , the video verification module 115 applies , for example , a binary hash function ( e . g ., md5 hash function ) to the soundtrack of each personalized video to determine whether it matches a value provided by applying the hash function to a corresponding portion of soundtrack in the pristine video . thus , for example , if the hash values of portions of a soundtrack of a personalized video undergoing verification do not match the hash values provided by the corresponding version of the pristine video , the module 115 returns a “ false ” notification , thereby indicating the sound track of the personalized video undergoing verification may deviate significantly from the soundtrack of the pristine version in that corresponding portion of the video . accordingly , this provides a further indication that the video undergoing verification may have certain defects , artifacts , or is otherwise corrupt to the extent it may fail to meet required criteria for being acceptable for viewing . similarly , by further example , a visual diff function can be applied to one or more frames of the personalized video to determine and compare similar frames in the pristine videos of those corresponding frames . thus , in an exemplary embodiment , the module 115 can employ a comparison algorithm defining that for each frame n in number of frames of the pristine video p , calculate a visual difference of frame ( n , p ) versus frame ( n , t ), where t indicates the personalized video undergoing verification . thus , for example , when comparing matching frames of the pristine video to that of the video undergoing verification , then if visual diff ( frame ( fn , p ), frame ( fn , t ))& gt ; 0 . 50 , then the module 115 returns a “ false ” indication , thereby indicating that the personalized video undergoing verification may be corrupt or is otherwise not in par with acceptable viewing standards . hence , the diff function , as employed above , evaluates the difference of pixel values between the nth frame of the pristine version and the nth frame of the video version undergoing verification . this may provide a rather standardized and accurate metric for evaluating whether the generated personalized videos meet desired standards . in employing diff functions for evaluating variations in frames between the video undergoing verification and the pristine version , visual differences of two images may be calculated using visual distance algorithm that divides the image , for example , into cells of 8 by 8 pixels . hence , for each pixel cell , the module 115 can separates each pixel into its red , green and blue ( rgb ) values for determining a root - mean - square ( rms ) for each pixel in the cell . accordingly , a comparison between rms values for each pixel in each cell of the verified video and corresponding pixel in the pristine video can be performed such that it is carried throughout all of the pixels in each and every cell of every frame . in so doing , a metric can be obtained having a numerical measure between 0 and 1 , such that a value of 0 indicates that there is no difference between the verified video and the pristine video , while a value of 1 indicates no similarity between frames of the video undergoing verification and the pristine video . after personalized video files are rendered , encoded and verified , as described above , such files are then provided to targeting server 116 adapted to receive request for the videos from multiple locations or with users segmentation parameters . accordingly , upon such requests , the server 116 outputs personalized video ads to multiple end users 124 , 126 and 128 , including home , office , or other users having access to websites , such as the website 118 . in this manner , each of the different users 124 , 126 and 128 may individually receive a personalized video that accommodates and is made to fit the user &# 39 ; s regional or geographical location and setting . thus , while outputs 124 - 128 may generally be formed of the same ad ( see fig3 and 4 ), each sharing similar content information and appearance , those outputs may differ to some extent according to the personalized preferences 122 , defined above . for example , users viewing output 124 in one region may view a video that may be visually identical the output 126 viewed in another region , however , the video 124 may contain textual information ( e . g ., maps , location address , store names , etc .) indicative of the first region while the output 126 may contain textual information indicative of the second region , yet , different from the first region . as mentioned herein , the varied outs 124 - 126 may contain personalized attributes appealable to various user groups , such as gender , groups , demographic groups , cultural groups , age groups , employment groups , social groups , artistic and academic groups , fraternities , hobby and sport clubs , and / or other associations with which general users having access to the network can relate . thus , personalized videos discusses herein can provide an otherwise generic advertisement while tweaking certain images , colors , sceneries , and / or voices , i . e ., dialects , languages and the like to appeal to certain group segments who may find those particular colors and / or accent appealing . in so doing , the present technique creates a multitude of versions of the same ad , each having its own personalized features for targeting a certain population group , while preserving the overall content conveyed by the originally and previously created and distributed ad . fig6 illustrates a system 200 for rendering personalized video , in accordance with an embodiment of the present technique . the system 200 includes various components adapted to receive original webpage data having original ads , as well as components for processing such data for ultimately rendering and encoding personalized videos , such as those described above . furthermore , because the rendering process of the personalized video can be quite computationally demanding , the system 200 may be implemented over a computing cloud or a computing cluster having servers and / or processors , dedicated for processing voluminous data , and adapted for executing and performing various computational tasks in parallel that could otherwise be too overwhelming for conventional computing systems . to the extent resources of the computing cloud are needed for rendering personalized videos , the amount of devices dedicated to such tasks within the cluster could expand or contract as the needs for using such resources changes with time . thus , the disclosed computing cloud / cluster may be continually elastic and dynamic for efficiently accommodating the computational tasks at hand . it should further be borne in mind that the term computing cloud and / or computing cluster as used herein refers to a consolidated remote data and processing system adapted for allocating and provisioning dynamic and scalable virtualized resources . accordingly , computing resources located on the cloud may take a form of ease to access remote computing sites provided by a network , such as an internet , and / or other forms of web - based tools or applications that users can easily attain and use through web browser . in such implementation , the cloud offers a real time emulation of programs and applications as if those were installed locally on the client &# 39 ; s computer . returning to fig6 , the system 200 includes a feed generator 202 adapted to retrieve original ads through network 204 from webpages 206 . from the acquired webpages 206 , the feed generator 202 is further adapted to generate structured data , such as an xml file , including dynamic ad data that is prone to change as part of creating those portions of the video ad that ultimately become personalized and may appeal to certain segment of the network . such data is then provided to the orchestrator 208 which , among other things , functions to oversee the entire rendering operations of the personalized videos generated by the system 208 . hence , the orchestrator 208 obtains from the original ad , those digital elements of the ad defined as static , as well as those elements defined as dynamic , as brought forth above by fig2 . upon receiving such information , the orchestrator 208 prompts change set manger ( csm ) 210 to recognize and identify ongoing computational changes currently occurring or those about to occur in the cloud 200 . thus , if new ads originating from the webpages 206 are provided to the cluster 200 , as may happen at any given moment , the csm 210 provides a real time overview and assessment of resources available to the cluster 200 for performing the current required operations , as well as those resources that would be needed to performing processing and creating new personalized videos based on the newly acquired ads 206 . for example , the csm 210 may identify that certain ads , previously acquired from webpages 206 , are no longer running , outdated , or otherwise unavailable for further processing to create personalized video for distribution across the network . alternatively the csm 210 may recognize the emergence of new ad videos , as may be provided by one or more vendors , requiring processing and rendering for creating multiple versions of personalized videos . thus , cessation or emergence of new videos available for processing in accordance with the present technique may be part of commercial and / or promotional campaigns conducted by one or more vendors attempting to commercialize and bring forth products and / or services to various segments of network users . hence , orchestrator 208 obtains the real time assessment of resources available to the cloud 200 , as provided by the csm 210 , to coordinate further rendering operations , as performed by rendering engine servers 212 , for generating multiple versions of personalized videos . thus , the orchestrator 208 is adapted to time and / or synchronize the operation of servers 212 in accordance with the needs specified to cloud for processing newly acquired ad videos from the webpages 206 . hence , rendering servers 212 may operate in parallel and in capacity that could vary at any point of time depending on varying loads experienced by the cloud 200 . hence , the ability of the computing cloud 200 to tap or release rendering servers 212 and / or other resources at will provides much flexibility for better facilitating a better , efficient and cost effective system for generating multiple versions of personalized videos . furthermore , the ability of the cloud of the orchestrator to distribute and allocate the rendering operation of large scale data may significantly reduce the amount of rendering time allocated for generating each personalized videos . thus , by utilizing the cloud 200 , personalized ad movies normally taking hours to render may be rendered in minutes , thereby leading to substantial reduction of processing time and cost . in further aspects of the present technique , the computer cloud 200 further includes servers , such as servers 214 , adapted to fore encoding the personalized videos , as rendered by the servers 212 . in so doing , orchestrator 208 prompts servers 214 to encode and videos rendered by the serves 212 . accordingly , those skilled in the art will appreciate that the personalized videos may be encoded in accordance with a variety of known digital video formats , such as mpeg , jpeg mmv , and / or other known formats . in so doing , orchestrator 208 may coordinate various operations of available encoding servers 214 so as to expand or contract the computing capacity of the cloud 200 with varying needs . such needs may be specified by the amount of originally acquired videos ads from webpage 206 , as well as by the urgency required to produce and / or make such videos available for distribution across the networks . the cloud 200 further includes video verification module 216 , made up of one or more processors such as those found in servers or other computing devices . the video verification module 216 is adapted to detect any failures or defects within the personalized videos , as rendered and encoded by the servers 212 and 214 , respectively . accordingly , as described above with reference to fig5 , the video verification module 216 within the cloud 200 is adapted to obtain the pristine video file of every version of the personalized videos , so as to form a baseline comparison copy to which other similar versions of the personalized are compared . thus , the module 216 utilizes the above described statistical methods for selecting the pristine version , as well as employing the various hash and differential ( diff ) function for comparing the other personalized videos to the pristine version . in so doing , the video verification module performs various mathematical and algorithmic operations for producing a comparative platform employing certain criteria ( as describe above with reference to module 115 of fig5 ) to determine whether rendered and encoded personalized videos are in par with acceptable viewing standards for users in a network . furthermore , upon receiving notice form the encoding server 214 that a personalized video has been encoded , the orchestrator 208 instructs the video verification module to commence video verification for that personalized video , in accordance with the operation described above . accordingly , upon completing the video verification , the module 216 may return to the orchestrator 208 an indication on whether the personalized video can be released and is acceptable for viewing as or within a personalized advertisement . thus , the module 216 may prove a boolean value , such “ true ” for a valid video which can be viewed and / or be accessed on the network , as opposed to a value of “ false ,” indicating the personalized video is not proper is otherwise too defective for being placed on the network as a personalized ad . it should be appreciated that having the video verification module 216 as an integral part of the computing cloud 200 and the video creation process effected by the cloud 200 provides a significant advantage for handling the verification process of a large number of personalized videos . accordingly , because the present technique ensures that the verification process of each personalized video is embedded within the actual creation process of the personalized video , provides the cloud 200 a real time capacity to inspect frame by frame the personalized video as it is being generated . such on - the - fly capability circumvents any post processing of the videos that would otherwise require reopening video files so as to decompress , decode while performing considerable amount of computation before any validation of the video may commence . fig7 is a block diagram 300 describing a process , in accordance with an embodiment of the present technique . accordingly , the process 300 describes a method for generating personalized videos utilizing computer resources available within a computing cloud . the process begins at block 302 in whereby one or more feed generators of a computing cloud obtains through one and / or more feed generators of a computing cloud , parameters of a digital video . such video may generally be provided to users having access to the network and its various applications . further , the process 300 further includes step 304 whereby the obtained parameters are modified by one and / or more software generators located within the computing cloud . the modification , as obtained at step 304 is based on information relating to segments of the users of the network . hence , this information may relate to various aspects of segments of network , including information on their personal preferences , geographical location , demographic and / or gender make up , and many other aspects . the process 300 further includes step 306 , in which a plurality of versions of the originally obtained video are created based in the modification of the parameters . step 306 may generally be performed utilizing one or more rendering engines located within the computing cloud . in so doing , the present technique utilizes the cloud to perform a significant amount of rendering operations of numerous digital video frames belonging to various digital video ads . the use of the computing cloud provides a robust platform for performing heavy and laborious computing operations , thereby significantly shortening entire rendering operations . in accordance with other aspects of the present technique , the process 300 further includes step 308 whereby the cloud employs computing operations for determining a quality of one or more personalized videos . as described above , such a quality generally pertains to determining whether the personalized videos comply with acceptable viewing standards . such a quality may depend and / or be derived from , for example , a numerical metric that defined a threshold or criteria on whether the video is acceptable for viewing . accordingly , at step 310 , based on the determined quality and its quantitative measure it is determined whether the video is acceptable for viewing . in a still further embodiment of the present invention there is provided a unique system and method for sharing user data between different commercial entities such as vendor , advertisers , etc . the sharing of the user data may be used by any entity to provide bespoke products or services to the user . one such product or service may be personalized advertisements . in accordance with this embodiment of the present invention the creation of the personalized advertisement is carried out as in the embodiments above and will not be described again . the difference with this embodiment relates to how the user data is obtained . this will now be described in further detail below . the system 800 of fig8 operates over the cloud 802 . a first entity 804 and a second entity 806 are connected to the cloud 802 . for simplicity only two entities are shown but there could be many more as will be appreciated in due course . each entity has one of more webpages to which users ( u1 , u2 , and u3 ) are connected . the users connected to the webpages of the first entity at a first time are the same users connected to the webpages of the second entity at a second time . this scenario is used to describe the operation of this part of the invention . however , in reality users may come and go at random . each user connected to the first entity may have an account with the first entity this means the first entity has user data relating to the user . this user data may relate to personal details or preferences and trends . generally a user with an account will have a unique identifier , such as a user id , email address , or any other unique identifier . the user data may include name , address , other contact details and any other relevant personal details . the user data may also include preferences , trends in purchasing , age group , sex and other demographic information . thus there are essentially two types of user information ; personal data and preference data . it will be appreciated that the dividing line between the two types may be fluid and in some cases what would be personal data for one entity may be preference data for another and vice versa . the second entity may be a vendor which supports the display of personalized video advertising from an advertiser 810 . alternatively entity 806 and advertiser 810 may be the same entity and could thus be illustrated by a single box such as box 806 . when the user connects to a website or an app that is associated to the first entity for the first time , the first entity will place a marker on the user &# 39 ; s device , such as a cookie . that marker will be associated in the first entity &# 39 ; s database with this user &# 39 ; s profile . then , when the user connects to a website or an app that is associated with the first entity subsequently , the first entity will be able to identify the user corresponding to the user &# 39 ; s particular profile . when the user connects to a website or an app that is associated to the second entity for the first time , the second entity will also place a marker on the user &# 39 ; s device , such as a cookie . that marker will be associated in the second entity &# 39 ; s database with this user &# 39 ; s profile . then , when the user connects to a website or an app that is associated with the second entity subsequently , the second entity will be able to identify the user corresponding to the user &# 39 ; s particular profile . also connected to the cloud 802 is an intermediary 808 . the intermediary is an entity which provides a service of sharing user data between different entities . the entities establish an account with the intermediary so that the intermediary can share at least a part of the user data with another entity which also has an account with the intermediary . the data shared by the first entity with the intermediary may include all the user data held by the first entity or a sub - set thereof . once the relationship with the intermediary is in place and the user logs onto a website associated to the second entity , the second entity checks not only for the existence of its own marker , but also for the existence of the first entity marker on the user &# 39 ; s browser . it then associates this marker with the user &# 39 ; s profile on the second entity &# 39 ; s database . the second entity then polls the intermediary and requests information about the user by passing on to the intermediary the information in the first entity marker . the intermediary provides this information based on one or both cookies . the information may be some or all of the information held by the intermediary . in one embodiment , the information includes the preferences stripped of the personal information . the advertiser then creates a bespoke personalized advertisement for the user , to be used when the user next logs onto the second entity webpages . next time the user is identified as logging onto the second entity &# 39 ; s webpages the advertiser presents and displays the personalized advertisement . using the above described procedure a number of different videos may be created that are targeted to the same user . the advertiser uses an extensive and well catalogued storage space for storing the videos for a specific user based on a user id or other identifier . the advertiser can log which videos have been played to the user and play a different one each time . the sequence can vary based on any changes in the user preferences . also if a new video is prepared for a particular event , such as christmas this may be shown before others that may be awaiting broadcast from the advertiser . it is clear that certain users may have similar or the same preferences . if this is the case the users can be grouped into segments which have a certain preference in common . this could be age , demographic , choice of car , zip code , favorite color or whatever might be a shared preference of interest to the advertiser . once a segment has been created the same personalized video may be sent to all the users in the segment . in this case the videos may be stored based on the segment and / or the user . referring now to fig9 the method steps 900 carried out by the system will now be described . in a first step 902 entities subscribe to an intermediary which provides services sharing user data and preferences . in a second step 904 a first entity collects user data from user &# 39 ; s subscribed to his webpages . the first entity then shares some or all of the user date with the intermediary in a step 906 . the intermediary then searches for the user on webpages of any other subscribed entity in a step 908 . the intermediary plants a cookie on the user &# 39 ; s computer in a step 910 when the user is identified . in step 912 a second entity reads the intermediary &# 39 ; s cookie . the second entity plants its own cookie at step 914 . the intermediary and second entity exchange information about the user based on one or both cookies at step 916 . the second entity then creates a personalized video based on the shared information in step 918 . the personalized video advertisement is displayed to the user when they next log on to the webpages of the second entity at step 920 . it will be appreciated that there may be many variations to this embodiment and the description above is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention . | 7 |
in the following specification and the claims , a number of terms are referenced that have the following meanings . the singular forms “ a ”, “ an ”, and “ the ” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . “ optional ” or “ optionally ” means that the subsequently described event or circumstance may or may not occur , and that the description includes instances where the event occurs and instances where it does not . approximating language , as used herein throughout the specification and claims , may be applied to modify any quantitative representation that could permissibly vary without resulting in a change in the basic function to which it is related . accordingly , a value modified by a term or terms , such as “ about ”, “ approximately ”, and “ substantially ”, are not to be limited to the precise value specified . in at least some instances , the approximating language may correspond to the precision of an instrument for measuring the value . here and throughout the specification and claims , range limitations may be combined and / or interchanged . such ranges are identified and include all the sub - ranges contained therein unless context or language indicates otherwise . contact slip ring devices are subject to wear and require frequent maintenance or replacement . moreover , the sliding action causes the brushes to abrade and introduce particulate contamination into the system . particulate contamination is generally conductive and can disrupt normal operations of nearby electronics . alternatively , a non - contact slip ring , or rotary transformer , may be utilized in gantry ct systems . it is realized herein that high - frequency rotary transformers utilize frequency boosting components , such as rectifier - inverter circuits to generate the frequencies compatible with the transformer materials . it is further realized herein the x - ray source and x - ray detectors typically utilize direct current ( dc ) or line - frequency , e . g ., 50 hz or 60 hz , alternating current ( ac ) power . consequently , the high - frequency power transmitted through the rotary transformer is converted back to dc or line - frequency at the gantry . the components necessary for these conversions introduce cost , complexity , and size to the ct gantry system . generally , transformers are designed to accept a certain amount of input power to generate a certain amount of output power in an efficient manner . many transformers are also designed to minimize size and weight for a given application . in designing an efficient transformer , the transformer core should have a high magnetic permeability relative to that of a vacuum . this is referred to as relative magnetic permeability , which is a measure of magnetism a material obtains in response to an applied magnetic field . an efficient transformer should also have a high ratio of magnetizing inductance to leakage inductance , such as , for example , 1000 : 1 , to minimize losses in the core and the windings . a high magnetizing inductance is desirable because it generally results in lower magnetizing current and lower conductor losses . conductor losses are reduced by reducing total current in the transformer , and by reducing the number of turns in the winding , which reduces winding resistance . magnetizing inductance in a transformer is proportional to the product of effective permeability and the square of the number of turns in the winding . the voltage induced in a winding is proportional to the rate of change in flux , which , for a fixed area , amounts to a change in flux density . for a given peak flux , the rate of change is proportional to the frequency . consequently , the induced voltage is proportional to frequency . conversely , when the frequency is reduced , a larger increase in flux is necessary to maintain that same voltage in the winding . low leakage inductance , i . e ., low leakage flux , improves voltage regulation . leakage flux degrades the proportional relationship of primary - to - secondary voltage in the transformer , particularly under heavy load . leakage inductance is a function of the number of turns in the windings , which is directly related to the power rating and voltage regulation capability of the transformer . fewer turns in the winding reduces leakage inductance and winding losses . conversely , more turns in the winding increases leakage inductance and winding losses , and further degrades voltage regulation capability . leakage inductance can be reduced by capacitance coupled in series with the windings . it is realized herein the constraints on transformer size and weight are generally relaxed for gantry ct systems , because many x - ray source and x - ray detector components in the gantry demand less power than a transformer of suitable size for the gantry structure would ordinarily provide . consequently , the operating flux density for a line - frequency rotary transformer is generally below saturation . it is further realized herein the air gap in a rotary transformer reduces the magnetizing inductance for the rotary transformer . moreover , the low frequency of a line - frequency rotary transformer further reduces the magnetizing inductance and increases the magnetizing current . it is further realized herein that the losses due to increased magnetizing current can be mitigated by increasing the number of turns in the winding . the increased number of turns reduces the flux necessary to induce a given voltage in the winding . the increased number of turns in the windings increases winding losses and leakage inductance , and degrades the voltage regulation capability of the transformer . the losses from increased magnetizing current are further reduced with the addition of a shunt capacitor across the secondary windings . the shunt capacitor affects a division of the magnetizing current , permitting a reduction in number of turns in the winding . it is realized herein that series capacitances on the primary and secondary windings can mitigate the increased leakage inductance . it is realized herein that a lower ratio of magnetizing inductance to leakage inductance is acceptable in a line - frequency rotary transformer for a gantry ct system than in conventional transformer design . such a ratio may be 3 : 1 or lower in certain embodiments . it is further realized herein the resulting transformer losses and degraded voltage regulation are acceptable in a gantry ct system . fig1 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a gantry ct system 100 having a gantry 102 and a stator 104 . stator 104 includes stationary components of gantry ct system 100 , including a line - frequency power source 106 that powers gantry ct system 100 . gantry 102 is rotatably coupled to stator 104 , facilitating gantry 102 and its components turning about stator 104 . gantry 102 includes an x - ray source 108 and an x - ray detector 110 . x - ray source 108 generates x - ray signals that are used by gantry ct system 100 to interrogate an object . x - ray detector 110 detects the generated x - ray signals as they pass through , pass by , reflect , deflect , or otherwise interact with the object being interrogated . x - ray source 108 and x - ray detector 110 require power to operate . generally , components of gantry 102 , such as x - ray source 108 and x - ray detector 110 , utilize dc or line - frequency ac gantry power 112 . due to the rotating relationship between gantry 102 and stator 104 , gantry power 112 is delivered from stator 104 to gantry 102 through a slip ring 114 . slip ring 114 provides an electrical connection between stator 104 and gantry 102 using a primary ring 116 and a secondary ring 118 . generally , a slip ring provides such an electrical connection using a contact connection or a non - contact connection , such slip rings respectively referred to as contact slip rings and non - contact slip rings . in the exemplary embodiment of fig1 , slip ring 114 is a non - contact slip ring utilizing a rotary transformer to transmit gantry power 112 from primary ring 116 to secondary ring 118 . fig2 is a cross - sectional diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an e - core 200 for a line - frequency rotary transformer for use in gantry ct system 100 ( shown in fig1 ). e - core 200 is preferably manufactured of a material having high relative permeability , such as , for example , silicon steel , metglas , iron , permalloy or other suitable material . e - core 200 includes side posts 202 and a center post 204 . side posts 202 are separated from center post 204 by air gaps 206 , all of which are arranged in the form of the letter “ e .” side posts 202 have a side post width 208 of 1 unit , while center post 204 has a center post width 210 of 2 units . air gaps 206 separating side posts 202 and center post 204 have a gap width 212 of 1 unit . e - core 200 has a total length 214 of 4 units . of total length 214 , side posts 202 and center post 204 have post lengths 216 of 3 units , while a backplane 218 has a backplane length 220 of 1 unit . the precise dimensions of e - core 200 are scalable as each implementation requires and are largely dependent on power requirements . the ratios among the various dimensions are chosen at least partially to simplify manufacturing of e - core laminates . fig3 is a cross - sectional diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a line - frequency rotary transformer 300 for use in gantry ct system 100 ( shown in fig1 ). line - frequency rotary transformer 300 includes a primary core 302 and a secondary core 304 . primary core 302 and secondary core 304 are e - cores separated by an air gap 306 . in certain embodiments , air gap 306 is 0 . 5 millimeters to 5 millimeters . for example , in one embodiment , air gap 306 is preferably 2 millimeters , but may vary from 1 millimeter to 3 millimeters over the entirety of line - frequency rotary transformer 300 . the relative magnetic permeability of air gap 306 is lower than that of primary core 302 and secondary core 304 . consequently , the relative magnetic permeability of line - frequency rotary transformer 300 as a whole is reduced and leakage inductance is increased . more specifically , as air gap 306 widens leakage inductance and losses increase . each of primary core 302 and secondary core 304 include multiple e - core laminates arranged into rings . in certain embodiments , the primary ring is assembled as several arc - sections of e - core laminates . the arc - section construction simplifies assembly of each of primary core 302 and secondary core 304 . in certain embodiments , the multiple e - core laminates of primary core 302 and secondary core 304 are interleaved with non - conductive spacers to reduce the weight of line - frequency rotary transformer 300 . line - frequency rotary transformer 300 includes a primary winding 308 and a secondary winding 310 . primary winding 308 includes primary terminals 312 and , likewise , secondary winding 310 includes secondary terminals 314 . when a line - frequency input voltage 316 is applied to primary terminals 312 , magnetic flux 318 is induced and flows through a magnetic circuit defined by primary core 302 , air gap 306 , and secondary core 304 . magnetic flux 318 induces a line - frequency output voltage 320 at secondary terminals 314 . fig4 is a perspective diagram of an arc - section 400 of line - frequency rotary transformer 300 ( shown in fig3 ). arc - section 400 includes primary core 302 and secondary core 304 , each including multiple e - core laminates 402 . e - core laminates 402 , in certain embodiments , includes silicon steel e - core laminates interleaved with non - conductive spacers . in other embodiments , e - core laminates 402 include only e - core laminates manufactured from silicon steel or any other suitable material having a high relative magnetic permeability . as illustrated in fig4 , primary core 302 and secondary core 304 are separated by air gap 306 . further , arc - section 400 includes primary winding 308 and secondary winding 310 . fig5 is a flow diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a method 500 of providing power to gantry ct system 100 using line - frequency rotary transformer 300 ( shown in fig1 and 3 , respectively ). method 500 begins at a start step 510 . at a stator power step 520 , line - frequency ac input power is provided to a primary side of line - frequency rotary transformer 300 at stator 104 . more specifically , line - frequency input voltage 316 is applied to primary terminals 312 of primary winding 308 , which induces magnetic flux 318 in primary core 302 and secondary core 304 . at an inductions step 530 , magnetic flux 318 flowing through primary core 302 and secondary core 304 induces line - frequency ac output power at a secondary side of line - frequency rotary transformer 300 at gantry 102 . more specifically , line - frequency output voltage 320 is induced across secondary terminals 314 of secondary winding 310 . at a gantry power step 540 , the line - frequency ac output power is supplied to x - ray source 108 and x - ray detector 110 . method 500 ends at an end step 550 . fig6 is a schematic diagram of gantry ct system 100 and line - frequency rotary transformer 300 ( shown in fig1 and 3 , respectively ). gantry ct system 100 includes stator 104 and gantry 102 on opposite side of the schematic , coupled by line - frequency rotary transformer 300 . line - frequency ac power source 106 is illustrated an ac voltage source coupled across primary winding 308 of line - frequency rotary transformer 300 . line - frequency ac power source 106 delivers line - frequency ac input voltage 316 to primary winding 308 . likewise , gantry 102 includes x - ray source 108 and x - ray detector 110 illustrated as loads . line - frequency rotary transformer 300 supplies line - frequency ac output voltage 320 to x - ray source 108 and x - ray detector 110 . gantry 102 further includes a shunt capacitor 610 across secondary winding 310 of line - frequency rotary transformer 300 . gantry 102 and stator 104 further include series capacitors 620 and 630 coupled in series with primary winding 308 and secondary winding 310 . capacitors 620 and 630 mitigate the effects of leakage inductance in line - frequency rotary transformer 300 . an exemplary technical effect of the methods , systems , and apparatus described herein includes at least one of : ( a ) improving gantry power quality by use of a non - contact slip ring for power transmission to the gantry ; ( b ) reducing maintenance cost by use of the non - contact slip ring ; ( c ) reducing necessary rectifiers , inverters , and transformers on the stator and gantry for converting to and from line - frequency ac power ; ( d ) reducing weight on gantry by eliminating rectifiers , inverters , and transformers ; and ( e ) reducing manufacturing costs of the gantry - stator slip ring . exemplary embodiments of methods , systems , and apparatus for line - frequency rotary transformers are not limited to the specific embodiments described herein , but rather , components of systems and / or steps of the methods may be utilized independently and separately from other components and / or steps described herein . for example , the methods may also be used in combination with other non - conventional line - frequency rotary transformers , and are not limited to practice with only the systems and methods as described herein . rather , the exemplary embodiment can be implemented and utilized in connection with many other applications , equipment , and systems that may benefit from increased efficiency , reduced operational cost , and reduced capital expenditure . although specific features of various embodiments of the disclosure may be shown in some drawings and not in others , this is for convenience only . in accordance with the principles of the disclosure , any feature of a drawing may be referenced and / or claimed in combination with any feature of any other drawing . this written description uses examples to disclose the embodiments , including the best mode , and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the embodiments , including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods . the patentable scope of the disclosure is defined by the claims , and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art . such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims , or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims . | 7 |
aspects of the present invention provide improved digital pre - distortion techniques with reduced complexity of volterra approximations without impairing performance . digital pre - distortion is traditionally implemented using non - recursive ( feed - forward ) solutions such as volterra series . aspects of the present invention recognize that for an infinite impulse response ( iir ), a recursive model achieves lower complexity ( in a similar manner to iir relative to fir filters ) and improved performance as an infinite impulse can be approximated . the disclosed dpd scheme approximates the inverse of the power amplifier response using a system of non - linear differential equations of state space variables and input signal . the present invention can be applied in handsets , base stations and other network elements . fig1 illustrates portions of an exemplary transmitter 100 in which aspects of the present invention may be employed . as shown in fig1 , the exemplary transmitter portion 100 comprises a channel filter and digital up conversion ( duc ) stage 110 , a crest factor reduction ( cfr ) stage 120 , a digital pre - distortion ( dpd ) stage 130 and an optional equalization stage 140 . generally , the channel filter and digital up conversion stage 110 performs channel filtering using , for example finite impulse response ( fir ) filters and digital up conversion to convert a digitized baseband signal to an intermediate frequency ( if ). the crest factor reduction stage 120 limits the peak - to - average ratio ( par ) of the transmitted signal . the digital pre - distortion stage 130 linearizes the power amplifier to improve efficiency . the equalization stage 140 employs rf channel equalization to mitigate channel impairments . fig2 illustrates portions of an alternate exemplary transmitter 200 in which aspects of the present invention may be employed . as shown in fig2 , the exemplary transmitter portion 200 comprises two pulse shaping and low pass filter ( lpf ) stages 210 - 1 , 210 - 2 and two digital up - converters 220 - 1 , 220 - 2 which process a complex signal i , q . the exemplary transmitter portion 200 of fig2 does not include the crest factor reduction stage 120 of fig1 , but a cfr stage could optionally be included . the complex input ( i , q ) is then applied to a digital pre - distorter 230 of fig2 and is the focus of the exemplary embodiment of the invention . the digital pre - distorter 230 of fig2 is discussed further below , for example , in conjunction with fig3 and 4 . the output of the digital pre - distorter 230 is applied in parallel to two digital to analog converters ( dacs ) 240 - 1 , 240 - 2 , and the analog signals are then processed by a quadrature modulation stage 250 that further up converts the signals to an rf signal . the output 255 of the quadrature modulation stage 250 is applied to a power amplifier 260 , such as a doherty amplifier or a drain modulator . as indicated above , the digital pre - distorter 230 linearizes the power amplifier 260 to improve the efficiency of the power amplifier 260 by extending its linear range to higher transmit powers . in a feedback path 265 , the output of the power amplifier 260 is applied to an attenuator 270 before being applied to a demodulation stage 280 that down converts the signal to baseband . the down converted signal is applied to an analog to digital converter ( adc ) 290 to digitize the signal . the digitized samples are then processed by a complex adaptive algorithm 295 that generates parameters w for the digital pre - distorter 230 . the complex adaptive algorithm 295 is outside the scope of the present application . known techniques can be employed to generate the parameters for the digital pre - distorter 230 . a digital pre - distorter 230 can be implemented as a non - linear filter using a volterra series model of non - linear systems . the volterra series is a model for non - linear behavior in a similar manner to a taylor series . the volterra series differs from the taylor series in its ability to capture “ memory ” effects . the taylor series can be used to approximate the response of a non - linear system to a given input if the output of this system depends strictly on the input at that particular time . in the volterra series , the output of the non - linear system depends on the input to the system at other times . thus , the volterra series allows the “ memory ” effect of devices such as capacitors and inductors to be captured . in addition , a non - linear system without memory can be expressed as : a volterra can be considered as a combination of the two : in the discrete domain , the volterra series can be expressed as follows : the complexity of a non - recursive volterra series can grow exponentially . aspects of the present invention recognize that for an infinite impulse response ( iir ), a recursive model achieves lower complexity ( in a similar manner to iir relative to fir filters ) and improved performance as an infinite impulse can be approximated . the disclosed dpd scheme approximates the inverse of the power amplifier response using a system of non - linear differential equations of state space variables and input signal . volterra series are to a non - linear system what finite impulse response ( fir ) filters are to linear systems . an fir implementation can be complex and require a large number of taps . in a simple case , a first order system can produce an infinite impulse response ( iir ). hence , for an iir implementation , only one multiplier is required ( as a first order system ). an fir implementation of the same trivial first order system , however , would require an infinite number of taps in theory and a large number of taps in practice . an iir implementation has significantly reduced complexity than an fir implementation in this case . aspects of the present invention extend volterra implementations for digital pre - distortion using a recursive system of non - linear differential equations of state space variables and input signal . fig3 illustrates a frequency response 300 for an exemplary first order resistive - capacitive ( rc ) system . a recursive non - linear system with memory can be expressed by the following non - linear differential equations as follows : ⅆ s ⅆ t ( t ) = f ( s ( t ) , x ( t ) ) y ( t ) = g ( s ( t ) ) where x ( t ) is the input signal ( a scalar ); s ( t ) is the state space signal ( a vector ); y ( t ) is the output signal ( a scalar ) and f and g are non - linear functions . in the discrete time domain , the non - linear differential equations can be expressed as a recursive solution to the differential equations as follows ( euler approximation ): fig4 is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary recursive digital pre - distortion system 400 incorporating aspects of the present invention . the exemplary recursive digital pre - distortion system 400 can be implemented in hardware or software , as would be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art . as shown in fig4 , the recursive digital pre - distortion system 400 comprises a recursive system of non - linear differential equations of state space variables s ( n ) and the input signal x ( n ). the exemplary recursive digital pre - distortion system 400 comprises a first stage 410 embodied as a first order system with a feedback having a memory element 420 and a second stage 450 embodied as a first order system without feedback . the input signal x ( n ) is applied to the first stage 410 together with the feedback state vector s ( n − 1 ). the state vector s ( n ) is also applied to the second stage . the state vector s ( n ) is initialized by setting it to 0 . it is again noted that f and g are multi - dimensional non - linear functions determined by the digital pre - distortion parameter estimation phase . for example , g ( s ( n )=[ g 1 ( s 1 ( n )), g 2 ( s 2 ( n )), g 3 ( s 3 ( n ))] for a more detailed discussion of digital pre - distortion parameter estimation , see , for example , international patent application serial no . pct / us12 / 62179 , entitled “ software digital front end ( softdfe ) signal processing ,” filed oct . 26 , 2012 , and incorporated by reference herein . while exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described with respect to digital logic blocks and memory tables within a digital processor , as would be apparent to one skilled in the art , various functions may be implemented in the digital domain as processing steps in a software program , in hardware by circuit elements or state machines , or in combination of both software and hardware . such software may be employed in , for example , a digital signal processor , application specific integrated circuit or micro - controller . such hardware and software may be embodied within circuits implemented within an integrated circuit . thus , the functions of the present invention can be embodied in the form of methods and apparatuses for practicing those methods . one or more aspects of the present invention can be embodied in the form of program code , for example , whether stored in a storage medium , loaded into and / or executed by a machine , wherein , when the program code is loaded into and executed by a machine , such as a processor , the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention . when implemented on a general - purpose processor , the program code segments combine with the processor to provide a device that operates analogously to specific logic circuits . the invention can also be implemented in one or more of an integrated circuit , a digital processor , a microprocessor , and a micro - controller . it is to be understood that the embodiments and variations shown and described herein are merely illustrative of the principles of this invention and that various modifications may be implemented by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . | 6 |
referring now to fig1 a pair of transducers 10 and 12 are shown installed on the bottom 14 of a stream bed . the transducers are connected by means of cables 16 and 18 to a shore - based electronics unit 20 from which the transducers receive power and to which they supply return signals . the beam patterns are shown as they would exist if visible to one looking upstream . it wll be observed that the patterns , being roughly semicircular , overlap somewhat near the bottom but leave an uncovered area near the surface . this area can be reduced or increased by the placement of the transducers . means are also included for terminating the beam just short of the surface , which is discussed below . fig2 shows one of the transducers as viewed from the side or across the stream and perpendicularly with respect to fig1 . here it will be seen that the transducer beam pattern is very narrow and upwardly directed . also attached to the transducer 12 is a cable 22 supported by a marker buoy 24 which is , in turn , fastened to an upstream anchor 26 by means of another cable 28 . the beam pattern covers a sufficiently large area that most of the fish 30 are illuminated thereby and caused to be counted . fig3 is a top or plan view of the transducer 10 ( transducer 12 is identical ). the acoustic focusing liquid lens transducer includes a spherical housing 32 of an acoustically transparent material such as abs plastic supported on a housing 34 which contains some of the electronic circuitry discussed below . the housings 32 and 34 are supported on a simple stand consisting of three legs 36 which are preferably positioned 120 ° apart to provide a stable platform against current movement , minor collisions with fish or debris , etc . as shown in fig1 and 2 , a cable 16 connects housing 34 with the shore - based electronics unit 20 . since the acoustic focusing liquid lens transducer 32 is of a relatively recent type which may not be well understood by all who may be interested in the present invention , it will be described in some detail . with reference to fig5 the transducer is composed of an acoustic lens which focuses transmitted and received acoustic energy onto many small active electroacoustic transducer elements 38 . the acoustic lens makes it possible to form many separate narrow acoustic beams in a compact size , which enable large areas to be scanned without any mechanical motion of the acoustic device . the beam width and beam orientation are determined by the shape , size and location of the electroacoustic elements and the focusing characteristics of the acoustic lens . the focusing characteristics of the lens are determined by size , shape and index of refraction value of the materials which are located between the electroacoustic elements and the water medium . one such device designed to scan a fan - shaped region consists of a spherically shaped lens with an array of electroacoustic piezoelectric transducer elements 38 , 38a , 38b , 38c , etc ., mounted to the inside surface of the spherical housing 32 which may be of abs plastic and oriented circumferentially along the bottom of the housing . each piezoelectric element in conjunction with the lens forms its own acoustic beam which looks out directly across the sphere . all of the beams together ( typically sixty - four ) from the fan - shaped pattern of fig1 . the number and location of the active elements can be modified as desired to effectively insonify the region where fish may be located . to produce the patterns of fig1 the elements should preferably be arranged in an arc somewhat larger than 180 °, as shown in fig5 . the inside of the lens is filled with low sound velocity fluid which in conjunction with the acoustic window material and its thickness serves to focus the acoustic energy leaving and returning to the transducer onto the piezoelectric elements . the back sides of the piezoelectric elements are acoustically decoupled from the shell by use of a compliant material 40 such as corprene between the acoustic elements and the shell material . the electronics system incorporates a shore - based electronics unit 20 which includes a solar panel 42 which responds to sunlight to continually charge a battery 44 which is connected to the electronics system through a positive direct current line 46 and a ground line 48 . while these power lines are not shown interconnected into the system described below , it will be recognized that battery power ( preferably regulated ) is to be supplied to the various circuits discussed below as required . also forming part of the shore - based unit 20 is a clock which provides a pulse output consisting of a series of timing pulses interspersed at intervals with a wide synchronizing pulse for synchronizing a plurality of sequencers which are actually in the form of bcd ( binary coded decimal ) generators . each of these generators is connected to a switching unit including a large number of electronic switches , each switch of one such unit being connected to one of the many ( 64 ) piezoelectric transducer elements 38 , 38a , 38b , 38c , etc ., and coded to respond to a desired digital signal to connect its particular transducer element to the remainder of the system and other switching units are synchronized to switch corresponding channels in unison , as will appear below . referring now to fig6 a pulse train is shown in a wire 50 supplied from the shore - based electronics unit 20 to a bcd generator 52 and a pulse width discriminator 54 . discriminator 54 senses the periodic extra wide timing pulses on the pulse train and responds by supplying a reset pulse to reset the bcd generator 52 and other bcd generators to zero . the next pulse will then be supplied to cause the bcd generator to generate a binary number one to close the first 56 of the many ( 64 ) switches in the digital switching unit 58 , thus connecting a first transducer element 38 to the system . generator 52 will then respond to a binary number two to open the first switch 56 and close the second such switch 56a to disconnect the first transducer element 38 and connect the second transducer element 38a to the system . the bcd generator 52 will continue to supply coded pulses to the digital switching unit 58 to successively close switches 56b , 56c , 56d , etc ., thereby successively connecting the corresponding transducer elements 36b , 36c , 36d , etc . to the system and disconnecting the previously connected transducer element . fig7 shows an additional part of the electronic circuit including a second bcd generator 60 which is also connected to wire 50 from which it receives the timing pulses from shore - based electronics unit 20 . also connected to wire 50 is a pulse width discriminator 62 which responds to receipt of the wide pulse to provide a reset signal to the reset terminal of bcd generator 60 , as described above . generator 60 operates with an internal binary code to provide binary pulse - coded numbers to the electronic switching unit 64 which is connected to a + 8 - volt power source . generator 60 thus operates to successively connect a series of output lines 66 , 66a , 66b , 66c , 66d , etc ., corresponding to each of the transducers with this voltage source . it will be understood that the individual switches in unit 64 are each closed by means of a signal from bcd generator 60 in the same manner as described above with respect to bcd generator 52 and switching unit 58 . in fig6 a transmitter 68 is shown connected to receive through a wire 70 the timing and reset pulse train on wire 50 . this transmitter responds to the occurrence of each timing pulse to provide on a wire 72 a transmit burst of 30 pulses of approximately 300 khz having a duration of 100 microseconds . because of the action of bcd generator 52 and switching unit 58 , only one of the transducers 38 , 38a , 38b , etc . will be energized with each transmit burst , but all will be energized in sequence to transmit the successive narrow beam patterns which result in the fan - shaped sweep pattern shown in fig1 . following each timing pulse , a timing circuit 74 imposes a delay of approximately one millisecond to permit any transducer &# 34 ; ringing &# 34 ; to decay to an acceptable level , after which a preamplifier 76 is enabled . this preamplifier is connected to receive any sonar return signals which appear on the transducers but will , of course , receive only returns from the transducer which was just previously energized since only its corresponding switching circuit 56 , 56a , 56b , etc . will be closed . also connected to preamplifier 76 is a time - variable gain ( tvg ) circuit 77 which varies the gain of preamplifier 76 with increased time to compensate for increased range of return echoes . signals amplified by preamplifier 76 are then supplied to a buffer 78 and then to an amplifier 80 ( fig7 ) where their level is increased before being supplied to a threshold detector 82 whose reference level is set such that only a signal having a level equal to or greater than the corresponding target strength of the species of fish desired to be counted will pass the detector 82 and actuate a 100 - microsecond monostable multivibrator 84 . each output pulse from the multivibrator 84 , which represents a count of one fish , will be a 100 - microsecond pulse of 8 - volt magnitude ; therefore , at this point all counts passing the threshold detector 82 become the same in terms of duration and signal strength , and all of these appear on a wire 86 which is connected to all of the electronic switches in a switching unit 88 . each of the individual electronic switches 90 , 90a , 90b , 90c , etc . is connected through a wire 92 , 92a , 92b , 92c , 92d , etc . to a corresponding and circuit 94 , 94a , 94b , 94c , 94d , etc . to which the lines 66 , 66a , 66b , 66c , 66d , etc . are also connected . the second input signal to the several and gates is supplied from a plurality of range gates 96 , 96a , 96b , 96c , 96d , etc . which are all connected to receive and be gated &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; by the timing pulses appearing on wire 50 . each range gate includes an individual variable timing adjustment which determines the length of time the gate remains &# 34 ; on &# 34 ;, and therefore the length of time its corresponding and circuit will conduct a signal to switch on the corresponding electronic switch 90 , 90a , 90b , 90c , etc . since the monostable multivibrator 84 conducts all echo pulses of such magnitude as to indicate a return from a fish and these all appear on line 86 , the and gates , which through the action of the clock pulses have their output synchronized with the transmit pulses , operate to switch the electronic switches 90 , 90a , 90b , 90c , 90d , etc . in sequence such that each return pulse is connected through the proper electronic switch to its corresponding pulse counter which is one of a group of counters 98 , 98a , 98b , 98c , etc ., each corresponding to one transducer producing one narrow beam pattern . again , the numbers of wires , and gates , range gates , electronic switches and counters , etc . will correspond to the number of transducer elements ( 64 ) per transducer . in this manner it is possible to determine which beams are receiving the most counts , and this gives an indication of just where in the stream the fish may tend to concentrate . it may also aid in helping to determine how to locate a plurality of transducers so as to minimize lost counts from areas not covered by the sonar . on fig1 it will be observed that there is such an area between the two fan - shaped patterns shown and also that the patterns cut off just below the surface . this is done by setting the individual range gates for beams directed such that they would normally reach the surface to shorter periods so that reflections from the surface will arrive after the range gates have turned off the corresponding and gates . the above describes what may be viewed as the essentials of the fish counter per se since it is obvious that one could simply take readings from the individual counters 98 , 98a , 98b , 98c , etc . and add them up for a total count . it is preferable , however , to provide a convenient and flexible display means for displaying and printing the information contained in the counters . to effect this display , an additional sequencer is provided including bcd generator 100 which is connected to a series of electronic switches 102a , 102b , 102c , 102d , etc ., each of which is connected to an output line from one of the counters 98 , 98a , 98b , 98c , 98d , etc . the bcd generator 100 is not synchronized with the other such generators , but is set by the operator to route the counts on the counters to a printer 104 and a digital numerical display device 106 . either or both of printer 104 and digital numerical display device 106 may be operated as selected by the operator on a printer timer and display selector 108 . when the operator decides to display the accumulated counts in counters 98 , 98 a , 98b , 98c , etc ., he adjusts the controls on the display selector to select whether he wants a numerical display on device 106 or a printout on printer 104 . he may also select a time interval between printouts such as to ask the timer and printer to print out the counts every hour , for example . since sequencer 100 may be connected to a plurality of transducers , such as transducers 10 and 12 , the printer , timer and display selector can also be instructed to cause the printer 104 to successively identify and print out the counter tallies of each of said transducers , successively . in operation , the shore - based electronics unit sends a train of pulses , including the reset pulses , along a wire 50 from whence it is supplied to the sequencers 52 and 60 , the transmitter 68 , and the several range gates 96 , 96a , 96b , 96c , etc ., causing each of these units to operate in synchronism . identical electronic units controlling the operation of other transducers are preferably connected to receive the same timing pulses to initiate transmit signals from corresponding transducer elements since the scanning of a plurality of transducers should be coordinated to avoid having one transducer directly receive the transmitted pulse of another . with reference to fig1 when the transducer element on the far left of transducer 10 transmits the beam which radiates to the right closest to the bottom , the corresponding transducer element of transducer 12 should also be energized , causing a beam to radiate toward the right closest to the bottom . as each successive transducer element in transducer 10 is caused to radiate counterclockwise around the fan - shaped radiation pattern shown , the corresponding element in transducer 12 should also be energized . thus the sweep pattern as one looks at fig1 would be something like the pattern of parallel operating windshield wipers except that when the pattern has once been swept , it returns to the beginning instead of sweeping back clockwise . by synchronizing the timing pulses to the transducers as described , transmitted pulses from neighboring transducers are prevented from appearing as echo signals and being counted by each other . referring now to operation of the system described above and recognizing that identical systems for other transducers will be operated exactly in synchronism from the same pulse train , it will be assumed that a reset pulse has just been received which has set the bcd generators 52 and 60 to zero , and no transmission is taking place . no pulses are being received since all of the electronic switches in switching unit 58 are open . sequencer 100 may or may not be operating to display previously stored counts from the counter . upon receipt of the next timing pulse , the binary one signal from bcd generator 52 is initiated to close switch 56 , and the transmit signal from transmitter 68 is supplied through this switch to transducer element 38 . this timing pulse also initiates a one - millisecond delay by timing circuit 74 , after which the preamplifier 76 is enabled so that echo signals from fish in the sector of transducer 38 will be received and amplified , threshold detected in detector 82 , and used to trigger the 100 - microsecond monostable multivibrator 84 which places a standard return pulse on wire 86 . this same initial timing pulse is supplied to bcd generator 60 which causes it to close switch 64 to supply power to and gate 94 , and said pulse also initiates conduction from range gate 96 which , in conjunction with power from gate 94 , causes and gate 94 to conduct , closing switch 90 and making it possible for any counts passing switch 90 to register on counter 98 . the next timing pulse is supplied to energize the transmitter 68 and range gate 96 and to bcd generators 52 and 60 causing these generators to supply the binary number two signal to close switches 56a and 66a , thereby insonifying the next sector counterclockwise from the one closest to the bottom and opening the receiver to receive reflections from this sector . subsequent timing pulses initiate operation of successive transmit beams as described across the fan - shaped pattern . after receipt of 64 such timing pulses , the sweep is complete and the next pulse will be a wide reset pulse which resets the bcd generators 52 and 62 , causing the sweep pattern to begin anew . there are obviously many possible modifications for the system described above . the number of individual transponders or transponder elements in each transponder used may vary with the desired pattern which it is desired to sweep , the beam width pattern of each transducer element and / or its power handling capability , and the frequency of operation . the bcd generator 52 and switching unit 58 are preferably physically located with the transducer and the structure of fig6 in the stream and the remainder of the system with the shore - based unit . one shore - based unit may contain a plurality of the circuits such as shown on fig7 ( one for each transducer ) all operated with a single clock and with a single display means . it is also possible to position the transducers on the bottom of a boat or a plurality of boats such that the fan - shaped pattern or patterns or a modification thereof sweep downward into the water . | 6 |
the present invention is directed to a user friendly female condom that is low cost , easy to put on , comfortable to wear , convenient for the female user and her partner . referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention only and not for purposes of limiting the same , fig1 ( a ) shows a sliding tampon female condom . the device comprises a balloon sac , a , filled with liquid or air . the balloon sac enwraps a tube , b , which could be made of somewhat flexible material such as silicon or plastic . the tube can be made into solid material or hollow shape . the advantage of the hollow shape is that it allows air to be pumped into or drawn out of the condom through the tube . fig1 ( a ) depicts a liquid balloon made from a liquid rectangle shape folded into a cylinder and sewed to stay as a cylinder by ligated silk , c . fig1 ( b ) illustrates the process of delivering the female condom into a woman &# 39 ; s vagina . first of all , the bottom portion of the balloon a needs to be put into the female condom through the outer ring d while the inside ring e of the female condom is squeezed into an elongated oval shape and tucked into the bottom center of the balloon sac . the inside ring pushes the tube b inside the balloon up toward the top portion of the balloon while the balloon slides down to encapsulate the inside ring . then , the female user can hold the top portion of the balloon including the tube ; slowly and smoothly insert the entire unit into her vagina . the balloon is longer than the woman &# 39 ; s vagina so that after the entire unit is inserted into the vagina , the outer ring and the top of the balloon where the finger is holding are still comfortably outside the vagina . in fig1 ( c ) , the user slowly and gently pushes the tube which could be accomplished alternatively or complimentarily by pumping air via the hollow tube into the condom . this will push the tucked inside ring e out of the balloon a and pop it into the bottom chamber of the vagina , securing the female condom into the vagina . then the balloon can be pulled out together with the tube , leaving the female condom behind . because the balloon is filled with air or liquid , it does not cause discomfort when inserting the entire unit into the vagina . the user uses the balloon aided with the tube to deliver the inside ring into the bottom chamber of the vagina , so she doesn &# 39 ; t have to push her finger ( s ) into her vagina . this is very similar to the usage of a tampon and thus is more acceptable to culturally conservative countries . fig2 is a prototype of the sliding tampon female condom . the balloon was made from a regular balloon filled with water . the tube is a plastic hollow tube . there are many low cost ways to make a liquid balloon sac . this prototype was made with regular banner balloons . flip the bottom of a long banner balloon inside out so that the bottom of the balloon sticks out of the balloon &# 39 ; s top from the inside and the balloon has double walls . fill water between the two walls . cut the bottom of the balloon that sticks out of the balloon top . then seal the two walls together with super - glue or other method in the top so they are water - tight . a 16 cm long plastic tube is inserted into the middle of the double walled balloon . the water in the balloon is fluidic and smooth ; therefore is comfortable and causes no pain . fig3 demonstrates how to use an air pump through the tube to aid the condom insertion process . in fig3 ( a ), balloon sac a is filled with air and enwraps a small plastic tube b , while a silk thread tie , c , at the top of the air balloon prevents air from leaking . in addition , a soft plastic tube connects the small plastic tube with a rubber air ball pump , e , controlled by a switch , f . when the switch f is turned on , e pumps air through soft tube d via plastic tube b into the bottom portion of the air balloon sac . as shown in fig3 ( b ), a female condom a is put onto the air balloon sac one unit of b . not shown in the figure is that the bottom inside ring of the condom is squeezed into oval shape and tucked into the bottom inside of the air balloon sac . then unit b is delivered into the woman &# 39 ; s vagina . after reaching the bottom of the vagina , the switch f is tuned on and the pump e will send high pressure air into the bottom of the air balloon sac , pushing the inside ring out of the balloon sac and depositing the inside ring at the bottom chamber of the vagina . in this embodiment , the balloon sac never touches the vagina and therefore can be used multiple times if the user chooses to do so , therefore decreasing the overall cost even further . fig4 ( a ) explains another embodiment of delivering a condom easily into the vagina . a long cylindrically shaped balloon sac enwraps a plastic tube which has a length equal to or slightly longer than that of the balloon . the balloon sac could be filled with liquid or air . alternatively the long cylinder could be the outer tube of a tampon applicator . a female condom is folded into a small elongated column shape and inserted from the bottom portion of a balloon sac into the center portion of the balloon sac or from back of a tampon applicator outer tube and pushed toward the front of the tube . the folded condom pushes a portion of the plastic tube out of the balloon . alternatively , the outer ring of the condom is folded / bend into an elongated column and pushed through the inner tube of the tampon applicator ( not shown in the figure ). the folded condom is folded and oriented such that its inside ring sits at the bottom portion of the balloon bottom . the whole unit can then be inserted into a user &# 39 ; s vagina by holding the balloon top portion . after reaching the bottom of the vagina , the tube is slowly and smoothly pushed toward the balloon bottom , pushing the inside ring out of the bottom of the balloon , which will pop into the bottom chamber of the vagina , the tube can then be slowly pulled out of the vagina , with the inside ring holding the entire condom in the vagina . since the condom is much longer than the vagina , the outer ring will be left outside the vagina . thus , the whole process is smoothly , comfortable , without inserting the finger into one &# 39 ; s vagina . this usage is very similar to tampon usage . after each use , the balloon needs to be thrown away and can &# 39 ; t be reused . fig4 ( b ) depicts the case when the balloon sac is replaced with the out tube of a tampon applicator where the plastic tube is replaced with the inner tube of the tampon applicator . some people are uncomfortable with the large and hard out ring of the female condom . in addition , its dangling outside the vagina makes the woman feel unattractive . therefore , we have designed a bikini - like condom or condom with strings to improve on this aspect . fig5 is a prototype of the female condom with strings . a female condom without the outer ring may have a much softer outside edge , which could be in ring shape , star fish shape , square , flower pedal shape , heart shape , etc . the prototype here is a female condom with a simple soft outside ring . to prevent the condom getting pushing into the vagina during intercourse and avoid the outside ring dangling unattractively outside the vagina , a few transparent thin and comfortable to the skin strings are attached to the outside ring . in the upper left is a string for right thigh , labeled as r . thin string , with a button at the end . of course , this button can be replaced with other ways to connect or secure the strings . in the upper right is a thin string for the left thigh , labeled as l . thin string , with a button at the end . at the bottom is a thin string loop . fig6 is another design regarding where to place the strings . this embodiment simply had a right thin loop , a left thin loop , and a hanging button . one simply needs to put left thin loop through the left thigh and right thin loop through the right thigh . the left thin loop can be secured by looping through the hanging button in the back . another embodiment is a bikini - like condom to make the condom comfortable to wear and pleasant to look at by everyone . the condom can be worn anytime constantly . when the female needs to urinate , she only needs to open a small covering , which could be artistically designed , without removing the bikini - like condom . fig7 illustrates a bikini - like female condom and how it works . fig7 ( a ) is the back view . as can be seen , dotted lines are the thin strings attached to the condom . in this case , there is a left thigh thin string and a right thigh thin string . in addition , there could be a waist line thin string to further secure the condom into place . fig7 ( b ) is the front view of the bikini - like condom . as shown by the dotted lines to represent the thin strings , there is a left thigh thin string , a right thigh thin string , and a waist thin string . fig7 ( c ) is a bottom view of the bikini - like condom worn by a user . in this case , the female condom has been put into the vagina while the thin left thigh and right thigh strings keep the outside soft edge of the female condom closely attached to the body so it is not flapping around unattractively . if the condom is made into skin color and conforms well to the body , with the thin string essentially invisible , it serves as an effective camouflage . in addition , in fig7 ( c ), the outside ring of the condom is shaped into a rectangle . however , this can be made into any other shapes , for either functional purposes or esthetical effects to please the eyes . for example , the outside edge can be a circle , an upside down heart , a star , a triangle , a flower , a pedal , a smiling face , etc . in one of the embodiments , the edge of the outside ring is made with elastic material so that it stretches smoothly into a relatively flat surface pulled by the strings . with such stretching material as the edge of the outside portion , a smiling face becomes a bigger smile , a circle might become an oval , a flower might become a disproportionate shape , etc ., which could be fun and please to the user and her partner . when the female user needs to go urinate , she can simply adjust the thin strings so that the soft outside ring is pulled forward toward the belly button more to expose the urethra to urinate without removing the bikini - like condom . fig8 is another embodiment of the invention where the female condom is made into a triangle shape such that the cross section is a triangle rather than the typical circle . this makes the condom conform better to the shape of the genital triangle and much easier to attach to the body . the picture show the prototype of the transparent condom made into such triangle shape . the skin colored “ hat ” shape is to illustrate the actual shape of the transparent material which is hard to visualize due to its transparency . there are one string loop on each side of the condom with a total three attached points to the condom . each string loop attaches to the side on one end and jointly attach to the mid - point of the bottom edge of the outside ring . the way , the two strings on the front will fall into the groin area , passing through the iliac crest , then fall on gluteal sulcus , which enables good results of concealment . while the present invention has been described above in terms of specific embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these disclosed embodiments . many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to mind of those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains , and which are intended to be and are covered by both this disclosure and the appended claims . it is indeed intended that the scope of the invention should be determined by proper interpretation and construction of the appended claims and their legal equivalents , as understood by those of skill in the art relying upon the disclosure in this specification and the attached drawings . | 0 |
in a self - timed memory , with the rising edge of the external clock signal , an internal clock signal is generated and latched until a successful operation . in the self - timed memory , the pulse width of the internal clock signal is typically determined by the memory e . g . according to the cut size . for example , the setting of the internal clock latch is done at the rising edge of an external clock signal while resetting is done by an internal reset signal . for example , the reset signal is typically generated after a predetermined time from the start of the internal clock pulse . this reset signal ensures a defined pulse width of an internal clock in order to have a correct operation . also , a soft error on the internal clock latch which may lead to an undesired operation can happen during an active operation or a non - active ( i . e . inactive ) operation . a soft error during an active operation can occur during timing constrained minimum clock high ( tckh ) time , thereby preventing the generation of the internal clock signal and causing a read / write failure . such an error can also occur after tckh time , in which case the internal clock signal is generated but the pulse width , which should normally be determined by the memory reset signal , is disrupted by the soft error , resulting in a spurious / wrong read / write operation . a soft error due to an sbu during a non - active operation can lead to a wrong internal clock signal generation and corrupt the memory . in accordance with a first aspect of an example embodiment , there is provided a circuit for detecting an sbu in a dynamic logic circuit , the circuit configured to generate a flag signal indicative of the sbu in a previous cycle of an external clock signal based on an internal signal indicative of self - timed memory of the dynamic logic circuit . the circuit may comprise a single latch , wherein inputs to the single latch may comprise the resetbar signal and an internal clock signal . the single latch may be configured to set the flag signal at the output of the single latch to logic ‘ 0 ’ by a rising edge of the external clock signal . the single latch may be configured , during an active operation mode , to set the flag signal at the output of the single latch to logic ‘ 1 ’, indicative of a correct previous cycle , only if both the resetbar signal and the internal clock signal are high in a valid sequence . the single latch may be configured , during a non - active operation mode , to set the flag signal at the output of the single latch to logic ‘ 0 ’, indicative of a correct previous cycle , only if both the resetbar signal and the internal clock signal are low . the circuit may comprise two latches , wherein inputs to a first latch may comprise a signal indicative of a rising edge of an internal clock signal and a nand - gate output based on the external clock signal and ck_nand ; and inputs to a second latch may comprise an and - gate output based on the resetbar signal and the internal clock signal , a nand - gate output based on the external clock signal and ck_nand , and an output from the first latch . the first and second latches may be configured to set the flag signal at the output of the second latch to logic ‘ 1 ’, indicative of a correct previous cycle , only if , during an active operation mode , the signal indicative of the rising edge of the internal clock signal is detected and the resetbar signal and the internal clock signal are high in a valid sequence . in accordance with a second aspect of an example embodiment , there is provided a method of detecting an sbu in a dynamic logic circuit , the method comprising using a circuit to generate a flag signal indicative of the sbu in a previous cycle of an external clock signal based on an internal signal indicative of self - time memory of the dynamic logic circuit . the circuit may comprise a single latch , the method may further comprise using the resetbar signal and an internal clock signal as inputs to the single latch . generating a flag signal indicative of the sbu in a previous cycle of the external clock signal may comprise setting the flag signal at the output of the single latch to logic ‘ 0 ’ by a rising edge of the external clock signal . the method may further comprise , during an active operation mode , setting the flag signal at the output of the single latch to logic ‘ 1 ’, indicative of a correct previous cycle , only if both the resetbar signal and the internal clock signal are high in a valid sequence . the method may further comprise , during a non - active operation mode , setting the flag signal at the output of the single latch to logic ‘ 0 ’, indicative of a correct previous cycle , only if both the resetbar signal and the internal clock signal are low . the circuit may comprise two latches , the method may further comprise using a signal indicative of a rising edge of an internal clock signal and a nand - gate output based on the external clock signal and ck_nand as inputs to a first latch ; and using an and - gate output based on the resetbar signal and the internal clock signal , a nand - gate output based on the external clock signal and ck_nand , and an output from the first latch as inputs to a second latch . the method may further comprise setting the flag signal at the output of the second latch to logic ‘ 1 ’, indicative of a correct previous cycle , only if , during an active operation mode , the signal indicative of the rising edge of the internal clock signal is detected and the resetbar signal and the internal clock signal are high in a valid sequence . in one example embodiment , a flag is generated if an undesired operation happens in the memory due to an sbu at the internal clock latch . fig3 shows a schematic circuit diagram illustrating a circuit 300 for detecting an sbu in a dynamic circuit according to an example embodiment . fig4 shows a table summarizing flag status in the circuit of fig3 according to an example embodiment . here , the resetbar signal ( a complementary / inverted version of the reset signal ) is captured by a delayed internal clock signal and transferred as a flag . as shown in fig3 , a resetbar signal and an intck_delayed signal ( a bufferised / delayed version of the internal clock signal intck and having the same polarity with intck ) are provided to a latch 302 , which comprises a plurality of inverters . an output signal from the latch 302 is delayed at delay 304 before generating a flag output flagout . in addition , input signal ckbardelayed ( a complementary / inverted version of the external clock signal ck and having a predetermined amount of delay ) and the external clock signal ck are provided to transistors 306 , 308 for generating the flag output flagout . as illustrated in fig4 , during an active operation mode , the correct flag output at the next ck rising edge is “ 1 ” only if both the resetbar signal and the internal clock signal are high . during a non - active operation mode , the correct flag output at the next ck rising edge is “ 0 ” only if both the resetbar signal and the internal clock signal are low . fig5 shows time - based waveforms of signals in the circuit of fig3 when the memory is in an active operation , e . g . the concrete syntax notation is set to 0 ( csn == 0 ). at each new cycle , e . g . at or around time t 1 , with the rising edge of the external clock signal ck , the flag output is reset to an erroneous state ( e . g . at logic “ 0 ”). if the current cycle is valid , e . g . based on csn information available at the system on a chip ( soc ), the latch 302 captures the resetbar signal , e . g . at time t 2 , and sets the flag output at logic “ 1 ”. at the falling edge of the internal clock signal internal_ck , the flag output remains at logic “ 1 ” and is available for checking at the next rising edge of the external clock signal ck , e . g . at time t 3 . if the flag output is at logic “ 1 ” at that time , the previous cycle is considered a correct cycle . on the other hand , if an sbu causes a wrong transition on the internal clock signal internal_ck during operation , e . g . the internal clock signal closes at time t 4 before the resetbar signal starts , the latch 302 captures logic “ 0 ”, which is the status of the resetbar signal at that time . thus , at the next rising edge of the external clock signal ck , e . g . at time t 5 , this erroneous state informs the user that the previous cycle has been a corrupted / bad cycle . fig6 shows time - based waveforms of signals in the circuit of fig3 when the memory is in a non - active operation , e . g . csn == 1 . during a non - active operation , the flag output remains at logic “ 0 ” and shows the user , e . g . at time tn 1 , that there has been no operation held in the previous cycle . however , if the internal clock is erroneously generated during a non - active cycle , e . g . at time tn 2 , the latch 302 captures logic “ 1 ” because of a non - intended transition on the resetbar signal and the internal clock signal . thus , the flag output is set to logic “ 1 ” which shows the user at the next rising edge of the external clock signal ck , e . g . at time tn 3 , that the previous cycle has been corrupted , since during a non - active operation there should not be any internal clock generation and the flag output should remain at logic “ 0 ” as shown in fig4 . fig7 a shows a schematic circuit diagram illustrating a circuit 700 for detecting an sbu in a dynamic circuit according to an alternate embodiment . in this embodiment , the circuit comprises a first latch 702 connected in series to a second latch 704 . as shown in fig7 , the first latch 702 comprises a plurality of inverters while the second latch 704 comprises a plurality of inverters and a nand logic gate . inputs to the first latch 702 include the external clock signal ck , the ck_nand signal ( a nand output of a delayed external clock signal ck and the csn value ) and the intck_rising signal which comprises short pulses tracking the rising edge of the internal clock signal . in one example embodiment , inputs ck and ck_nand are passed through a nand gate a before being provided to the first latch 702 . an output req_b from the first latch 702 is then provided to the second latch 704 . additionally , other inputs to the second latch 704 include the resetbar signal , the internal clock signal intck , the external clock signal ck and the ck_nand signal . in one example embodiment , the resetbar signal and the internal clock signal intck are passed through an and gate b before being provided to the second latch 704 . also , the external clock signal ck and the ck_nand signals are passed through a nand gate c before being provided to the second latch 704 . the use of signals ck / ck_nand in this embodiment allows coverage of instances where the internal clock does not start , e . g . during inactive cycles . fig7 b shows time - based waveforms illustrating an example flag output of the circuit of fig7 a . in one example embodiment , the flag output ck_co is set to logic “ 1 ” only if three conditions are met , i . e . an operation is expected ( csn ==“ 0 ” and ck == rising ), internal clock signal intck is properly triggered and closed by resetbar pulse . for example , at the beginning of each cycle , the flag output ck_co is reset to logic “ 0 ” after rising edge of the external clock signal ck , e . g . at 712 . at the same time , the first latch 702 captures the output of the nand logic gate a , which is “ 0 ” for an active operation and “ 1 ” for an inactive operation . this latched value is transferred to the flag output ck_co only if the resetbar signal is overlapping with the internal clock signal intck ( i . e . the internal clock is closed by the resetbar signal ). in case of a soft error occurring on the internal clock latch , the flag output ck_co stays at logic “ 0 ”, e . g . at 714 , and is set to “ 1 ” again only after a correct cycle , e . g . at 716 . in an active cycle , the effect of a soft error can be an internal clock pulse that is too short or even no internal clock pulse , and the latched value is not shifted / transferred to the output . in an inactive cycle , the effect can be an unexpected working operation but the latched value , which is shifted , confirms the flag ( failing ) state . the circuit according to this example embodiment can thus detect sbu even if there are two operations within the same cycle , one due to normal operation and another due to a soft error ( during tckl time ). with reference to fig8 a - 8 c , some example detections of sbu events are now described . fig8 a shows time - based waveforms of signals in the circuit of fig7 a illustrating detection of a first failure mode . in fig8 a , an sbu causes an internal clock pulse to be generated one more times between two external clock cycles while the memory is in an active operation mode . here , the first pulse of intck is valid and the second pulse is erroneous . however , such sbu is detected by the output of the gate a which is captured as the wrong status for the second intck pulse generated by sbu . the detection is exemplified by a drop in the flag signal ck_co from logic “ 1 ” to logic “ 0 ” in fig8 a ( the flag signal co_ck should remain at logic “ 1 ” if the sbu does not occur ). fig8 b shows time - based waveforms of signals in the circuit of fig7 a illustrating detection of a second failure mode . in fig8 b , an sbu causes an erroneous internal clock pulse to be generated when the memory is in a non - active state ( csn == 1 ). however , such sbu is detected by the latch circuit because in this case the pulse is generated when csn == 1 ( i . e . the condition csn == 0 is not satisfied ). the detection is exemplified by a drop in the flag signal ck_co from logic “ 1 ” to logic “ 0 ” in fig8 b ( the flag signal co_ck should remain at logic “ 1 ” if the sbu does not occur ). fig8 c shows time - based waveforms of signals in the circuit of fig7 a illustrating detection of a third failure mode . in fig8 c , an sbu causes the internal clock pulse to close early before the resetbar signal is generated . however , such sbu is detected by the latch circuit because in this case the resetbar signal does not overlap the internal clock signal . the detection is exemplified by the flag signal ck_co continuing at logic “ 0 ” in fig8 c ( the flag signal ck_co should change to logic “ 1 ” if the sbu does not occur ). fig9 shows a flow chart 900 illustrating a method of detecting a single bit upset in a dynamic logic circuit according to an example embodiment . at step 902 , a circuit is used to generate a flag signal indicative of the single bit upset in a previous cycle of an external clock signal based on an internal signal indicative of self - timed memory of the dynamic logic circuit . it will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that numerous variations and / or modifications may be made to the present invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described . for example , the designation of logic “ 0 ” or “ 1 ” for the flag output may be reversed , as compared to the example embodiments described . also , any delay can be adjusted depending on the operation requirements . the present embodiments are , therefore , to be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive . | 7 |
in the following detailed description , certain specific terminology will be employed for the sake of clarity and a particular embodiment described in accordance with the requirements of 35 usc 112 , but it is to be understood that the same is not intended to be limiting and should not be so construed inasmuch as the invention is capable of taking many forms and variations within the scope of the appended claims . referring to fig1 , the apparatus 10 according to a first embodiment of the invention includes a contour sensor arrangement supported by a support member , here shown as comprised of an elongated sensor bar 16 which mounts a series of height or thickness sensors 38 extending along the length of the sensor bar 16 . sensor bar support posts 20 , 22 are provided at each end of the manually movable sensor bar 16 , a handle 18 provided at one end to enable convenient manual movement by a user . the posts 20 , 22 locate the sensor bar 16 at a predetermined height above a support surface defined by a table 12 . a motion detector arrangement is provided to generate signals corresponding to the extent and direction of motion of the sensor bar 16 , during manual stroking of the sensor bar 16 over the surface of the table 12 and along an item 14 to be portioned resting on the table 12 . in this embodiment , the motion detector arrangement includes motion detectors 40 , 42 located at the bottom end of each support post 20 , 22 , respectively . as described in the cross referenced co - pending application , a contour sensing arrangement comprised of a linear series of height sensors 38 installed extending along the length of the sensor bar 16 which produce signals corresponding to the height of the upper surface of the item 14 above the support surface defined by the table 12 at points along the cross section of the item 14 aligned with the sensor bar 16 . alternatively , sensors 38 may sense the thickness of the item 14 at points along the section of the item lying below the sensor bar 16 , as described in the co - pending cross - referenced application . this contour sensor arrangement generates signals corresponding to the cross sectional contour of the item 14 at each section lying below and aligned with the sensor bar 16 at successive positions thereof along the item 14 . the height or thickness sensors 38 can be of various types , as described in detail in the cross - referenced co - pending application , such as optical or sonic sensors emitting and receiving light or sound waves respectively and receiving reflections thereof from the item 14 , or penetrating the item 14 and reflecting from the surface of the table 12 . the motion detector and sensor arrangement signals are transmitted to a signal processor 24 which may be a programmable microprocessor contained in a casing 26 as shown in fig2 , which computes the total volume of the selected segment of the item 14 from the motion detector and contour sensor arrangement signals . this calculated volume is converted into a corresponding numeric value , usually the weight or a price based on the weight of a selected segment of the item 14 . this numeric value is displayed substantially contemporaneously in an upright display 30 which may be mounted to the casing 26 as shown in fig1 and 2 . the motion detectors 40 , 42 each generate electronic signals corresponding to the direction and extent of horizontal motion of the bottom end of each support post 20 , 22 respectively as the sensor bar 16 is moved in either direction along the item 14 from a starting or reference position over any selected section of an item 14 to be portioned to reach a position over another selected section of said item 14 . as the sensor bar 16 is moved along the item 14 on the table surface 12 , the bottom end of each support post 20 , 22 is intended to be kept in constant contact with the surface of the table 12 . according to the present invention , the signals generated by each of the motion detectors 40 , 42 are processed to determine the displacement and direction of displacement of the bottom of each post 20 , 22 respectively . the motion detectors 40 , 42 are each preferably comprised of accelerometers included therein , and preferably of accelerometers of a type known as “ mems ” ( micro electro - mechanical systems ) accelerometers . mems accelerometers may be based on various designs and sensing methods some of which are described in an article titled “ design of padless mouse system with mems accelerometers and analog read - out circuitry ” ( by seungbae lee , gi - joon nam , junseok chae , and hanseup kim , department of eecs , university of michigan , usa ). this article discusses some mems accelerometer sensing technologies including piezoelectric , tunneling , and capacitive . other technologies include ( but are not limited to ) strain gauge sensing . this article is hereby incorporated by reference into this application in its entirety . mems accelerometer devices are well known and are also described in u . s . published application 2004 / 0211258 , and u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 392 , 650 ; 5 , 006 , 487 ; 4 , 945 , 765 ; 4 , 699 , 006 ; and 4 , 512 , 192 , also incorporated herein by reference . as described in the referenced article , the use of two such mems accelerometers mounted orthogonally to each other enables the determination of the positions in a plane of a member that is moved over a 2 - dimensional flat surface . also , as described , the use of three orthogonally arranged mems accelerometers enables the determination of the positions in space of a member that is moved about in that space . thus , in a three dimensional implementation , if a member that is moved over a flat surface is lifted off the flat surface or tilted , the three axis arrangement of mems accelerometers will enable detection of that occurrence . each of the motion detectors 40 , 42 associated with the respective sensor bar support posts 20 , 22 may consist of an orthogonal arrangement of two mems accelerometers that enables the sensing of the accelerations of the respective sensor bar support posts 20 , 22 about two orthogonal axes as the sensor bar 16 traverses the table 12 with the support posts 20 , 22 staying in constant contact with the surface of the table 12 . the corresponding generated signals are communicated to and processed by a signal processor 24 to derive signals corresponding to displacements of the end of each sensor bar support post 20 , 22 as the sensor bar 16 is moved along the item 14 . an orthogonally arranged cluster of three mems accelerometers may also be employed as motion detectors 40 , 42 that are associated with the respective sensor bar support posts 20 , 22 . the use of three clustered mems accelerometers enables the detection of three axes of acceleration of the lower free end of each of the respective sensor bar support posts 20 , 22 as the sensor bar 16 is moved along and above the item 14 . the detector signals are communicated to and processed by the signal processor 24 to determine the displacements of the end of each sensor bar support post 20 , 22 as the sensor bar 16 is moved along the item 14 on the table surface 12 . the resultant ability to detect vertical axis accelerations allows detection of lift off of one or both of the sensor bar support posts 20 , 22 from the surface of the table 12 such as when an operator inadvertently lifts one or both of the support posts off the table 12 when passing the sensor bar 16 over the item 14 . an audible alarm 28 ( fig2 ) in the display case 26 may be sounded when this occurs , thus alerting the operator of the need to start over in scanning the item 14 in order to ensure accurate results . the use of a single axis mems accelerometer aligned to sense vertical movement of the sensor bar 16 may also accomplish this same purpose . the sensor bar 16 and support posts 20 , 22 should be consistently held in a substantially vertical orientation . the determination of the support post motion in three axes may be utilized to detect tilting of the sensor bar 16 . for this determination , alternative higher locations of the motion detectors 40 a , 42 a ( as exemplified in fig1 a ) or 40 b , 42 b ( as exemplified in fig1 b ), are preferred , as an out - of - plumb sensor bar 16 position would usually cause a greater sensor bar vertical axis positional change at the top of the support posts 20 , 22 or the sensor bar 16 itself than at the bottom thereof . thus slight tilting will be more easily detectable . an out - of - plumb alarm or indicator 34 ( fig2 ) in the case 26 may be triggered responsive to an excessive tilted orientation of the sensor bar 16 as detected by the motion detectors , 40 a , 42 a , 40 b , 42 b . this arrangement also supplements or could eliminate the need for a separate spirit level 36 ( fig2 ) or other tilt indicator . the orientation of the sensor bar 16 may also be used to mathematically compensate when calculating the weight or price of a selected segment of the item 14 when the sensor bar 16 is tilted , instead of merely activating a tilt alarm 34 . thus , the preferred mems based accelerometers used in the motion detectors 40 a , 42 a or 40 b , 42 b are those that are comprised of a three axis cluster of mems accelerometers that enables the determination of the orientation of the sensor bar 16 as the sensor bar 16 is traversed over the table surface 12 , enables a determination if one or both of the sensor bar support posts 20 , 22 has lifted off of the table surface 12 , and enables the determination of the extent and direction of motion of each of the support posts 20 , 22 . the unlimited variety of locations for the mems accelerometer based motion detectors enables these detectors to be placed in the most secure / stable locations that are less subject to vibrational , physical , or other stresses , thus avoiding possible false readings or displacement detector damage . such stresses would often occur at the lower ends of sensor bar support posts 20 , 22 as this area is in constant contact with the surface of the table 12 as the sensor bar 16 traverses the surface of the table 12 . this versatility in motion detector placement enables a more flexible sensor bar design in order to meet the demands of various applications , manufacturing requirements , or aesthetic requirements . the use of multiple axis clustered accelerometer versions of mems motion detectors 40 , 42 enables detection of lift up of one or both of the support posts 20 , 22 off the table surface 12 by detecting vertical motion thereof . this offers clear advantages over the displacement detectors described in the above cross referenced parent utility application . although optical based displacement detectors described therein can detect a loss of reflected light from the surface of the table 12 due to the lifting of displacement support posts 20 , 22 off the surface of the table 12 , such loss of reflected light can also result from other conditions such as a dirty or dull finished surface of the table 12 . although electromagnetic based displacement detectors also described in the parent application may also detect when sensor bar support posts are lifted off of the surface of the table 12 by sensing the absence of magnetic fields , the use of those displacement detectors requires a specialized digitizer tablet type table surface instead of an off - the - shelf conventional cutting board as can be used with the mems accelerometer motion detectors 40 , 42 . similarly , although previously described firm - pointed stylus pressure sensitive based displacement detectors may detect when support posts 20 , 22 are lifted off the surface of the table 12 by sensing the lack of pressure from the pointed stylus , the use of such displacement detectors requires a specialized pressure sensitive tablet based table surface whereas an off - the - shelf conventional cutting board can be used with the mems accelerometer based motion detectors 40 , 42 . alternatively , separate mems accelerometer based motion detectors that each contain only a single axis mems accelerometer may be placed elsewhere on or in the sensor bar 16 , or carried on or in other components on the sensor bar 16 to determine if the sensor bar 16 has moved upwards ( indicating one or both of the sensor bar support posts 20 , 22 has moved upwards off of the table surface 12 ). mems accelerometer based motion detectors may be utilized in all sensor bar configurations such as those described in this application as well as the cross referenced parent application in place of displacement detectors based on other technologies such as optical , optical - mechanical , electromagnetic , pressure - sensitive tactile , etc . for example , the moiré fringe optical displacement detector described in the parent application may be replaced with one or both of the mems accelerometer based motion detectors 44 a or 44 b as illustrated in fig3 . that is , either one or both of motion detectors 44 a or 44 b may be mounted to respective sides of either upright 46 or 48 as shown in fig3 . alternatively , a single mems accelerometer based motion detector 44 a , 44 b may be mounted to only one of the uprights 46 , 48 or to the connected portion of the sensor bar 16 a to sense single axis motion only along the direction of constrained movement across the table 12 a since the sensor bar 16 a is itself constrained to move along a single axis over the table 12 a . both detectors 44 a , 44 b may be used for the sake of redundancy or to detect skewing caused by bearing wear , etc . the mems based accelerometers 44 a , 44 b are each comprised of a single axis mems accelerometer as only the determination of the extent and direction of linear motion is required . the mems accelerometer based motion detectors used to replace other displacement detectors in the cross referenced co - pending application may incorporate either a combination of two orthogonally oriented mems based accelerometers to sense movements along two orthogonal axes in the plane of the item support surface or a cluster of three orthogonally oriented mems based accelerometers to detect motion along three orthogonal axes in the plane of the item support surface and the space above the support surface . each of the mems accelerometer based motion detectors 40 , 42 , 40 a , 42 a , 40 b , 42 b , 44 a , 44 b are preferably encased in a sealed housing isolated from the environment whereby they are not subject to damage by debris , water , dirt , oils , cleaning products , or other contaminants . furthermore , this sealed environment isolates the mems accelerometer based displacement detector from physical damage ( e . g ., chipping , cracking , scratching , or frictional induced damage ) caused by contact with either the table surface 12 or other materials , surfaces , equipment , or utensils and thus can better withstand operator abuse or neglect such as a standard knife or other kitchen utensil may encounter . mems accelerometer based motion detectors 40 , 42 , 40 a , 42 a , 40 b , 42 b , 44 a , 44 b also do not have any macro moveable components that are subject to macro frictional wear . furthermore , due to the sealed housings and maintenance free aspect of the mems accelerometer based motion detector , the disassembly , removal , or special handling of the motion detectors is not required prior to or during cleaning of the sensor bar 16 . as mems accelerometer based motion detectors 40 , 42 , 44 a , 44 b do not interact with the surface of the table 12 , their operation is independent of the type of table employed as well as the condition of the table surface 12 . hence , acceptable tables may be constructed out of virtually any type of material such as wood , plastic , marble , etc . acceptable surfaces for the table 12 may also be smooth , rough , reflective , non - reflective , greasy , oily , wet , slippery , dusty , etc . the lower ends of the sensor bar support posts 20 , 22 easily maintain constant contact with virtually any table surfaces 12 as they are able to glide on smooth , rough , reflective , non - reflective , greasy , oily , wet , slippery , or dusty surfaces as the sensor bar 16 ( or other sensor arrangement support ) traverses the table surface 12 . these just described surface conditions are common in many situations where for example portioning of fish filets is carried out . as is fully described in the apparatus described in the cross referenced co - pending application , as the sensor bar 16 ( or other sensor arrangement support implementations ) traverses the table surface 12 , the displacement of the sensor bar 16 is continually determined from the signals generated by the motion detectors 40 , 42 employed . such determinations of displacements are required in order to carry out calculations to determine the volume of a segment and thus the weight or price of any selected segment of the item 14 defined between any two selected sections of the item lying below the sensor bar 16 in two positions thereof as described in the cross referenced co - pending u . s . patent application . as described in the cross referenced co - pending patent application , a linear displacement sensor based on a photoelectric reflection array may be used to measure the vertical displacement of plungers 50 shown in fig4 which are used as a sensor arrangement for determining the cross sectional contour of successive sections of the item 14 , or for marking , scoring , or cutting of the item 14 . a linear displacement sensor may also be used to determine when a plunger 50 rests on the top surface of the item 14 , or to determine when a plunger 50 has been fully withdrawn into its retracted position inside of the sensor bar 16 b . each such linear displacement sensor based on photoelectric reflection array technology may be replaced with a mems accelerometer based linear motion detector that utilizes a single axis mems accelerometer , to determine vertical displacements . each mems accelerometer based linear motion sensor detector 52 is shown mounted within the lower end of plunger 50 in fig4 and 6 . another acceptable location of a mems accelerometer based linear motion sensor 52 a ( fig5 ) is between the plunger stem 47 and main plunger body 54 . only one of the single axis motion sensors 52 , 52 a would normally be mounted to each plunger 50 . the use of the mems type accelerometers in detectors 52 , 52 a enables the sensing of the vertical z axis acceleration of the plunger 50 as the plunger 50 moves up and down ( and possibly stops ) through the cavity 58 formed by the solenoid coil windings 56 . as illustrated in fig5 and 6 , by utilizing mems accelerometer based linear motion detectors , 52 , 52 a , the optical components associated therewith described in the cross referenced co - pending application is eliminated , and the plungers 50 may completely occupy the cavity 58 formed by the solenoid coil windings 56 . mems accelerometer based linear motion detectors 52 , 52 a also do not require that the springs 60 have a matte finish . the signals corresponding to the acceleration of the plungers 50 generated by the associated mems accelerometer 52 , 52 a are transmitted to the signal processor 24 ( fig2 ) to compute the relative vertical or z axis displacement of each plunger 50 as the plunger 50 moves up and down ( or stops ) within the above described cavity 58 . the signal processor 24 contained in case 26 ( fig2 ) processes those signals to calculate the cross sectional contour of the section of the item 14 under the sensor bar 16 b , or to determine when a plunger 50 has settled ( without movement ) onto the top surface of the item 14 , or to determine when a plunger 50 has settled ( without movement ) into its fully retracted position inside of the sensor bar 16 b . as the mems accelerometer based linear motion detectors 52 , 52 a are each contained within or otherwise associated with the plunger 50 , the plunger 50 is a one - piece unit which is contained within the cavity 58 formed by solenoid windings 56 . this one - piece construction simplifies the construction of the overall plunger assembly . since the mems accelerometer detector 52 , 52 a of this one - piece unit acts independently of surrounding assemblies or mechanisms , the possibility of misalignment during installation and use is minimal . furthermore , as exemplified by the location of the detectors 52 or 52 a in fig5 and 6 , the mems accelerometer motion detectors 52 , 52 a may be placed in various locations . this provides for flexibility of design and manufacturing and also enables the mems accelerometer motion detectors 52 to be placed in areas less subject to physical and vibrational stresses as undergone at locations near the bottom end of plungers 50 . each of the mems accelerator based linear motion detectors 52 , 52 a are preferably encased in a sealed housing isolated from the environment whereby they are not subject to damage by debris , water , dirt , oils , cleaning products , or the other contaminants . when the position of a sensor bar 16 is used to visually indicate to an observer the sections of the item 14 which define an item segment of interest , it may be desirable to make it easier to see the bounds of the segment of the item as it corresponds to the numeric display . since the sensor bar 16 may have appreciable thickness and is spaced above the item 14 , the exact item section lying directly beneath the sensor arrangement associated with the sensor bar 16 may not be easily ascertained by an onlooker . similarly , the viewing angle of an observer such as a customer or operator may affect his or her ability to determine the exact location of that section . when plungers 50 are used , this is not a problem , but with non - contact sensors it may be desirable to provide a clearer indication to the observer of the exact item segment corresponding to the display . a more accurate discernment of the segment bounds may be enabled by projecting an elongated pattern , i . e ., a narrow band of visible light onto the item 14 extending across the section which contour is being determined from the signals generated by the sensors 38 . this is shown in fig7 where a selected start reference section of the item 14 is temporarily indicated by a curved wire marker element 63 positioned on the surface of the table 12 by the weight of attached blocks 61 , or by magnetic attraction of magnetized blocks 61 to a magnetic support surface 12 . the marker element 63 , is placed in alignment with a narrow light band projected from the sensor bar 16 onto item 14 at a start or reference position of the sensor bar 16 . the sensor bar 16 is then shifted to a second position where a narrow visible light band 62 is projected to impinge onto the item 14 extending across a section spaced from the start position . the light band is projected from the underside of a sensor bar 16 c , 16 d ( fig8 , 9 ). the weight or cost of a segment of the item 14 defined between the start section below wire marker element 63 and the offset section at the light band 62 in the second position of the sensor bar 16 c , 16 d will be numerically shown by display 30 . this provides a more readily seen visual indication of the bounds of the particular segment of the item 14 corresponding to the displayed weight or cost .” fig8 shows one arrangement for producing the projected narrow visible light band 62 . a series of lamps , visible light emitting diodes or other visible light emitters 64 is mounted along the underside of a sensor bar 16 c , suitably masked and focused to project downwardly from the sensor bar 16 c the narrow light band 62 aligned with the sensors 38 on the sensor bar 16 c so that the light band 62 lies on the same item 14 section which is housing its cross sectional contour determined from the sensor 38 signals . thus , the numeric value displayed at any time will correspond to the segment bounded on one side by the light band 62 . the light band 62 is readily visible on the surface of the item 14 to an observer even if he or she is standing some short distance away . this indication removes any problems with parallax effects and is precise enough to satisfy the interests of the on - looking person being served or the server . the sensor bar 16 c will also mount for example , acoustic , optical or other sensors ( not shown ) as described in the cross referenced patent application for determining the cross sectional contours of sections of the item 14 in order to enable calculation of volumes of selected segments of the item described therein . the narrow visible light band should be located to be aligned with the item section which is being scanned at that time by the contour sensors 38 in order to provide an accurate correspondence therebetween . an example of such an arrangement is shown in fig9 where visible light emitters 66 on the underside of a sensor bar 16 d are aligned with and placed between optical triangulation emitter - receiver 68 of a type described in the cross referenced co - pending application or other types of height or thickness sensors . it would also be possible to use visible light in the optical contour measuring sensors 68 themselves therein to project the readily seen narrow band of visible light onto the item 14 . | 0 |
in the first embodiment shown in fig1 a jet nozzle 3 has an outlet that is spaced laterally a short distance from the longitudinal edge 1 of a fiber or paper web 2 . the jet nozzle 3 is swivelably supported upon a swiveling axis 4 . this axis is held stationary relative to the machine support . a pressure cylinder 5 is connected to the nozzle 3 for controllably swiveling the jet nozzle . swiveling axis 4 extends parallel to the direction of movement of the fiber web 2 . the axis is also arranged outside the fiber web width and outside the fiber web plane . the web plane is the plane of the portion of the web that is then moving past the nozzle 3 . as shown in fig1 the swiveling axis 4 lies above the fiber web plane , but it could , of course , alternatively be arranged below this plane . the result of this placement of nozzle 3 and axis 4 is that the liquid or water jet 6 projected from nozzle 3 travels from the near longitudinal edge 1 of the web 2 across the fiber web 2 to the remote longitudinal edge 7 . the jet 6 cuts the fiber web across the fiber web plane when the nozzle 3 is swiveled from its illustrated solid line initial position around swiveling axis 4 in the direction of arrow 8 into its dash - dot - line final position , at which the jet nozzle is designated 3 &# 39 ;. a further result of the placement of the nozzle 3 and the axis 4 is that the water jet 6 from nozzle 3 strikes the fiber web near longitudinal edge 1 at a maximum angle to the fiber web plane , where the danger of a curling of the just cut fiber web edge is greatest . this striking angle decreases as the water jet 6 is moved across the fiber web 2 . as a result , with the single water jet , a very large fiber web width can be covered , without the cut - loose fiber web end being turned over or curled . it is important for the invention that the jet nozzle 3 eject a focused and practically unscattered liquid or water jet . the design details of the nozzle are not shown , however , because such jets are well known . for relatively greater fiber web widths , a jet nozzle 3 of the above described type is arranged at both sides of the fiber web 2 . in fig1 such an additional jet nozzle 30 faces the opposite fiber web longitudinal edge 7 . nozzle 30 is the same type as and is supported on a respective supporting axis in the same manner as nozzle 3 . nozzle 30 is , therefore , shown without any associated further details . jet nozzles 3 and 30 are arranged to face each other and are simutaneously mutually swivelable . the fiber web 2 moves continuously in the direction of arrow 9 in fig2 . because of the relative motion between the movement of the water jet 6 across the web and of the fiber web 2 along the length of the web , the line of separation and / or intersection 10 between cut sections of the web does not run perpendicular to the web moving direction 9 , but instead slants rearward or counter to the direction of web motion . on using two jets 3 and 30 , they are placed so that and move so that both lines of separation 10 according to fig2 meet approximately at the center of fiber web 2 . particular separations can be obtained by a timing adjustment of the jet swiveling speed to web speed . in fig2 the jet nozzles 3 and 30 are arranged so that the theoretical axes 11 and 12 of their outlet orifices run perpendicular to the fiber web moving direction 9 . by contrast , in the second embodiment of fig3 the jet nozzles 3 and 30 are arranged so that the theoretical axes 11 and 12 of their outlet orifices define an acute angle with and are generally aimed toward the fiber web moving direction 9 to converge into it . in fig2 and 3 , the supports for the swiveling nozzle give the nozzle outlets their recited directions . the orientation of the nozzle support in fig3 causes the jet nozzle swiveling plane to intersect the fiber web plane at an angle of less than 90 ° as the planes converge in the moving direction 9 of the web . this has the advantage that warping of fiber web edges 1 and / or 7 is avoided even better than with the perpendicular intersection of these planes according to fig1 and 2 . a slanted alignment of jet nozzle outlet orifice axes 11 and 12 can alternatively be arranged so that contrary to fig3 the jet nozzle swiveling axis 4 intersects with the fiber web moving direction 9 to produce a sharp angle , which converges counter to the moving direction 9 . in fig4 - 6 , elements identical with those in fig1 - 3 are identically numbered . the jet nozzle 3 is arranged in a paper machine near a press roller 13 . the theoretical axis 11 of the jet nozzle outlet orifice and also the jet nozzle swiveling plane substantially run parallel with a tangent 14 on the outer periphery of roller 13 at point 15 around the periphery , at which point the fiber web 2 runs off roller 13 . a roller like roller 13 frequently is a stone roller . the section between stone roller 13 and downstream deflection roller 16 represents the first free pull unsupported area 17 along fiber web 2 . up to this free pull area , the web was always supported by a filter , a felt layer or a roller . this first free pull area 17 includes the point at which the fiber web is usually beat loose and / or cut if breakdown occurs in the fiber web production run . if fiber web 2 is beat loose by the liquid or water jet 6 of nozzle 3 , then the paper following the cut section falls into a container 18 . fiber web 2 runs through the paper machine along the path indicated by arrows 19 in fig4 and 5 . in this case , the web is passed from a machine wire web 20 , to which the fiber suspension is applied via a material headbox ( not shown ), to a supporting felt layer 21 . the web is pressed twice against stone roller 13 , once through pressing slit 22 defined between roller 13 and a pressing roller while the web 2 is in engagement with felt layer 21 , and once again through pressing slit 23 defined between roller 13 and another pressing roller . the web is passed through the latter slit 23 along with a supporting felt layer 26 . the fiber web now passes unsupported through free pull section 17 and around deflecting roller 16 . then , together with felt layer 24 , the web is passed through a further pressing slit 25 defined between to further rollers . with the third embodiment according to the invention shown in fig7 the swiveling axis 4 and also the jet nozzle 3 are not arranged adjacent to the fiber web 2 , but they are preferably above ( or perhaps below ) it , and jet nozzle 3 is swivelable along the pathway indicated by arrow 27 . in all embodiments , water or other liquid is fed to jet nozzles 3 and 30 by respective lines 28 . in jet nozzles 3 and 30 and / or in their feed - in lines 28 , there is a shut - off valve ( not shown ). to supply liquid or water , the valve is automatically opened and jet nozzles 3 and / or 30 are swiveled by a well known ( not shown ) web tear - off control device each time the fiber web inside the paper machine is to be torn off . although the present invention has been described in connection with preferred embodiments thereof , many variations and modifications will now become apparent to those skilled in the art . it is preferred , therefore , that the present invention be limited not by the specific disclosure herein , but only by the appended claims . | 8 |
first , the cobalt oxide particles ( i ) and ( i ′) of the present invention are described . the cobalt oxide particles ( i ) of the present invention are cobalt oxide particles containing magnesium , and have a composition represented by the formula : when the magnesium content x of the cobalt oxide particles is less than 0 . 001 , the cathode active material obtained by using such cobalt oxide particles may fail to show a sufficient heat stability . when the magnesium content x of the cobalt oxide particles is more than 0 . 15 , it may be difficult to industrially produce single - phase lithium cobaltate therefrom . the cobalt oxide particles ( i ′) of the present invention are cobalt oxide particles containing magnesium and aluminum , and have a composition represented by the formula : when the magnesium content x of the cobalt oxide particles is less than 0 . 001 , the cathode active material obtained by using such cobalt oxide particles may fail to show a sufficient heat stability . when the magnesium content x of the cobalt oxide particles is more than 0 . 15 , it may be difficult to industrially produce single - phase lithium cobaltate therefrom . when the aluminum content y of the cobalt oxide particles is less than 0 . 001 , the cathode active material obtained by using such cobalt oxide particles may fail to show a sufficient good cycle performance . when the aluminum content y of the cobalt oxide particles is more than 0 . 05 , it may be difficult to industrially produce single - phase lithium cobaltate therefrom . the cobalt oxide particles ( i ) and ( i ′) of the present invention have an average particle diameter of usually not more than 0 . 2 μm , preferably 0 . 01 to 0 . 15 μm , more preferably 0 . 05 to 0 . 12 μm . cobalt oxide particles having an average particle diameter of more than 0 . 2 μm may be difficult to industrially produce . the cobalt oxide particles ( i ) and ( i ′) of the present invention have a bet specific surface area value of usually 0 . 5 to 50 m 2 / g , preferably 1 . 0 to 40 m 2 / g , more preferably 5 . 0 to 25 m 2 / g . cobalt oxide particles having a bet specific surface area value of less than 0 . 5 m 2 / g may be difficult to industrially produce . when the bet specific surface area value is more than 50 m 2 / g , the obtained cobalt oxide particles may fail to show excellent particle characteristics when subjected to various processes such as mixing and heat - treatment . then , the cobalt oxide particles ( ii ) of the present invention are described . the cobalt oxide particles ( ii ) of the present invention are cobalt oxide particles each surface - coated with magnesium hydroxide , and having a composition represented by the formula : when the amount x of magnesium of the cobalt oxide particles is less than 0 . 001 , the cathode active material obtained by using such cobalt oxide particles may fail to show a sufficient heat stability . when the amount x of magnesium of the cobalt oxide particles is more than 0 . 15 , it may be difficult to industrially produce single - phase lithium cobaltate therefrom . the cobalt oxide particles ( it ) of the present invention have an average particle diameter of usually not more than 0 . 2 μm , preferably 0 . 01 to 0 . 15 μm , more preferably 0 . 05 to 0 . 12 μm . cobalt oxide particles having an average particle diameter of more than 0 . 2 μm may be difficult to industrially produce . the cobalt oxide particles ( ii ) of the present invention have a bet specific surface area value of usually 0 . 5 to 50 m 2 / g , preferably 1 . 0 to 40 m 2 / g , more preferably 5 . 0 to 25 m 2 / g . cobalt oxide particles having a bet specific surface area value of less than 0 . 5 m 2 / g may be difficult to industrially produce . when the bet specific surface area value is more than 50 m 2 / g , the obtained cobalt oxide particles may fail to show excellent particle characteristics when subjected to various processes such as mixing and heat - treatment . next , the process for producing the cobalt oxide particles ( i ) is described below . the cobalt oxide particles ( i ) can be produced by adding a magnesium salt to a solution containing a cobalt salt ; subjecting the resultant solution to neutralization reaction by adding an aqueous alkali solution thereto ; then subjecting the thus neutralized solution to oxidation reaction ; and , if required , heat - treating then obtained material . examples of the magnesium salt may include magnesium sulfate , magnesium nitrate , magnesium phosphate , magnesium hydrogenphosphate , magnesium carbonate or the like . examples of the cobalt salt may include cobalt sulfate , cobalt nitrate , cobalt acetate , cobalt carbonate or the like . examples of the aqueous alkali solution may include aqueous solutions containing sodium hydroxide , potassium hydroxide , sodium carbonate , ammonia or the like . among these aqueous solutions , an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution , an aqueous sodium carbonate solution and a mixed solution thereof are preferred . the amount of magnesium added is usually 0 . 1 to 20 mol %, preferably 1 to 18 mol % based on cobalt . the amount of the aqueous alkali solution used in the neutralization reaction is preferably 1 . 0 to 1 . 2 equivalents based on one equivalent of a neutralized part of whole metal salts contained in the cobalt oxide particles ( i ). the oxidation reaction may be conducted by passing an oxygen - containing gas through the reaction system . the reaction temperature is preferably not less than 30 ° c ., more preferably 30 to 95 ° c ., and the reaction time is preferably 5 to 20 hours . the process for producing the cobalt oxide particles ( i ′) is described below . the cobalt oxide particles ( i ′) can be produced by adding an aluminum salt to a suspension containing the cobalt oxide particles ( i ); adjusting a ph value of the resultant solution by adding an aqueous alkali solution thereto , thereby coating the surface of the cobalt oxide particle with aluminum hydroxide ; and , if required , heat - treating then obtained material . examples of the aluminum salt may include aluminum sulfate , aluminum nitrate , sodium aluminum or the like . the amount of aluminum added is usually 0 . 1 to 5 mol %, preferably 0 . 1 to 3 mol % based on cobalt . next , the process for producing the cobalt oxide particles ( ii ) according to the present invention is described below . the cobalt oxide particles ( ii ) of the present invention can be produced by subjecting a solution containing a cobalt salt to neutralization reaction by adding an aqueous alkali solution thereto ; subjecting the neutralized product to oxidation reaction to obtain cobalt oxide particles ; adding a magnesium salt to the reaction solution containing the cobalt oxide particles ; adjusting a ph value of the resultant solution by adding an aqueous alkali solution thereto , thereby coating the surface of the cobalt oxide particle with magnesium hydroxide ; and , if required , heat - treating then obtained material . as the cobalt salt and magnesium salt , there may be used the same as described above . as the aqueous alkali solution , there may be used the same aqueous alkali solutions as described above . the amount of magnesium added is usually 0 . 1 to 20 mol %, preferably 1 to 18 mol % based on cobalt . the amount of the aqueous alkali solution used in the neutralization reaction for obtaining the cobalt oxide particles is preferably 1 . 0 to 1 . 2 equivalents based on one equivalent of a neutralized part of the cobalt salt . the oxidation reaction may be conducted by passing an oxygen - containing gas through the reaction system . the reaction temperature is preferably not less than 30 ° c ., more preferably 30 to 95 ° c ., and the reaction time is preferably 5 to 20 hours . the amount of the aqueous alkali solution used for the surface treatment with magnesium hydroxide is preferably 1 . 0 to 1 . 2 equivalents based on one equivalent of a neutralized part of the magnesium salt . the ph value of the reaction solution upon the surface treatment is preferably 11 to 13 . next , the cathode active material for a non - aqueous electrolyte secondary cell ( hereinafter referred to merely as “ cathode active material ”) according to the present invention is described . in the case where the composition of the cathode active material ( iii ) according to the present invention is represented by the following formula : the magnesium content x is usually 0 . 001 to 0 . 15 , preferably 0 . 01 to 0 . 10 . when the magnesium content x of the cathode active material is less than 0 . 001 , the effect of improving the heat stability of the cathode active material may become insufficient . when the magnesium content x is more than 0 . 15 , the initial discharge capacity of the cathode active material tends to be considerably deteriorated . in the case where the composition of the cathode active material ( iii ′) according to the present invention is represented by the following formula : the magnesium content x is usually 0 . 001 to 0 . 15 , preferably 0 . 01 to 0 . 10 and aluminum content y is usually 0 . 001 to 0 . 05 , preferably 0 . 001 to 0 . 03 . when the magnesium content x of the cathode active material is less than 0 . 001 , the effect of improving the heat stability of the cathode active material may become insufficient . when the magnesium content x is more than 0 . 15 , the initial discharge capacity of the cathode active material tends to be considerably deteriorated . when the aluminum content y of the cobalt oxide particles of the present invention is less than 0 . 001 , the cathode active material obtained by using such cobalt oxide particles may fail to show a sufficient good cycle performance . when the aluminum content y of the cobalt oxide particles is more than 0 . 05 , it may be difficult to industrially produce single - phase lithium cobaltate therefrom . the cathode active material ( iii ) and ( iii ′) of the present invention has an average particle diameter of usually 1 . 0 to 20 μm , preferably 2 . 0 to 10 μm . when the average particle diameter of the cathode active material is less than 1 . 0 μm , the obtained cathode active material suffers from disadvantages such as low packing density and increased reactivity with an electrolyte solution . the cathode active material having an average particle diameter of more than 20 μm may be difficult to industrially produce . as to the lattice constant of the cathode active material ( iii ) and ( iii ′) of the present invention , the a - axis length thereof is usually from 0 . 090x + 2 . 816 å to 0 . 096x + 2 . 821 å , and the c - axis length thereof is usually 0 . 460x + 14 . 053 å to 0 . 476x + 14 . 063 å , wherein x has the same meaning as defined above . when the a - axis and c - axis lengths are less than the above - specified ranges , the lattice constant of the obtained lithium cobaltate particles may become small , thereby failing to attain a sufficient heat stability . when the a - axis and c - axis lengths are more than the above - specified ranges , a large amount of magnesium may be substituted for the cathode active material , resulting in deterioration in initial discharge capacity thereof . the cathode active material ( iii ) and ( iii ′) of the present invention has a bet specific surface area value of preferably 0 . 1 to 1 . 6 m 2 / g , more preferably 0 . 3 to 1 . 0 m 2 / g . the cathode active material having a bet specific surface area of less than 0 . 1 m 2 / g may be difficult to industrially produce . when the bet specific surface area thereof is more than 1 . 6 m 2 / g , the obtained cathode active material may tend to suffer from disadvantages such as low packing density and increased reactivity with an electrolyte solution . the cathode active material ( iii ) and ( iii ′) of the present invention has a volume resistivity value of preferably 1 . 0 × 10 to 1 . 0 × 10 6 ω · cm , more preferably 1 . 0 × 10 to 1 . 0 × 10 5 ω · cm . the cathode active material ( iii ) and ( iii ′) of the present invention has an electron conductivity log ( ωcm ) of preferably − 0 . 5 to − 5 . 0 , more preferably − 0 . 5 to − 4 . 9 . the cathode active material ( iii ) and ( iii ′) of the present invention preferably has a crystallite size of 400 to 1 , 200 å . next , the process for producing the cathode active material according to the present invention will be described below . the cathode active material ( iii ) of the present invention can be produced by mixing the cobalt oxide particles ( i ) or the cobalt oxide particles ( ii ) with a lithium compound , and heat - treating the resultant mixture . the mixing of the cobalt oxide particles ( i ) or the cobalt oxide particles ( ii ) with the lithium compound may be performed by either a dry method or a wet method as long as these materials can be uniformly mixed with each other . the mixing molar ratio of lithium to a sum of cobalt and magnesium contained in the cobalt oxide particles ( i ) or the cobalt oxide particles ( ii ) is preferably 0 . 95 to 1 . 05 . the cathode active material ( iii ′) of the present invention can be produced by mixing the cobalt oxide particles ( i ) or the cobalt oxide particles ( ii ) with both of a lithium compound and an aluminum compound such as aluminum hydroxide , aluminum oxide or the like , and heat - treating the resultant mixture . the mixing of the cobalt oxide particles ( i ) or the cobalt oxide particles ( ii ) with both of the lithium compound and the aluminum salt may be performed by either a dry method or a wet method as long as these materials can be uniformly mixed with each other . the mixing molar ratio of lithium to a sum of cobalt and magnesium contained in the cobalt oxide particles ( i ) or the cobalt oxide particles ( ii ) is preferably 0 . 95 to 1 . 05 . the mixing molar ratio of aluminum to a sum of cobalt and magnesium contained in the cobalt oxide particles ( i ) or the cobalt oxide particles ( ii ) is preferably 0 . 001 to 0 . 05 . the cathode active material ( iii ′) of the present invention can be produced by mixing the cobalt oxide particles ( i ′) with a lithium compound , and heat - treating the resultant mixture . the mixing of the cobalt oxide particles ( i ′) with the lithium compound may be performed by either a dry method or a wet method as long as these materials can be uniformly mixed with each other . the mixing molar ratio of lithium to a sum of cobalt , magnesium and aluminum contained in the cobalt oxide particles ( i ′) is preferably 0 . 95 to 1 . 05 . the heat - treating temperature is preferably 600 to 950 ° c . at which licoo 2 having a high - temperature regular phase can be produced . when the heat - treating temperature is less than 600 ° c ., licoo 2 made of a low - temperature phase having a pseudo - spinel structure is disadvantageously produced . when the heat - treating temperature is more than 950 ° c ., licoo 2 made of a high - temperature irregular phase in which lithium and cobalt are dispersed at random positions , is disadvantageously produced . the heat - treating atmosphere is preferably an oxidative gas atmosphere , and the reaction time is preferably 5 to 20 hours . next , the cathode for a non - aqueous electrolyte secondary cell using the cathode active material ( iii ) or ( iii ′) of the present invention is described . in the case where a cathode is produced using the cathode active material of the present invention , the cathode active material is mixed with a conductive agent and a binder by an ordinary method . as the preferred conductive agent , there may be used acetylene black , carbon black , graphite or the like . as the preferred binder , there may be used polytetrafluoroethylene , polyvinylidene fluoride or the like . a secondary cell ( lithium battery ) according to the present invention comprises a pair of electrodes disposed by means of a separator in the presence of a lithium ion conductive electrolyte . a cathode and an anode are disposed in a container so as to be opposed to each other with a separator composed of a porous thermoplastic resin film . a lithium ion conductive electrolyte is present in the container . in the secondary cell of the present invention , it is only necessary that the above - described specific cathode active material is used for at least one electrode , preferably a cathode active material , and the other active materials may be the known substances which are conventionally used for a lithium battery . the secondary cell produced by using the cathode active material of the present invention , is constituted by the above cathode as well as an anode and an electrolyte . as an active material for the anode , there may be used metallic lithium , lithium / aluminum alloy , lithium / tin alloy , graphite or the like . in addition , as a solvent for the electrolyte solution , there may be used a mixed solvent of ethylene carbonate and diethyl carbonate , an organic solvent containing at least one solvent selected from the group consisting of carbonates such as propylene carbonate and dimethyl carbonate and ethers such as dimethoxyethane , and the like . further , as the electrolyte , there may be used a solution prepared by dissolving the above lithium phosphate hexafluoride or at least one lithium salt selected from the group consisting of lithium perchlorate , lithium borate tetrafluoride and the like , in the above solvent . the secondary cell produced using the cathode active material ( iii ) of the present invention exhibits an initial discharge capacity of preferably about 130 to about 165 mah / g , and a heat stability of preferably not less than 200 ° c ., more preferably 205 to 250 ° c . when measured by the below - mentioned evaluation method . the secondary cell produced using the cathode active material ( iii ′) of the present invention exhibits an initial discharge capacity of preferably about 130 to about 165 mah / g , a heat stability of preferably not less than 215 ° c ., more preferably 225 to 250 ° c . when measured by the below - mentioned evaluation method , and a capacity retention percentage after 50 cycles at 60 ° c . as high as not less than 95 %, preferably 95 to 99 %. the point of the present invention is that the cathode active material produced using the cobalt oxide particles ( i ), ( i ′) or ( ii ) as a precursor thereof can show a high initial discharge capacity required for secondary cells , and is excellent in heat stability . the reason why the cathode active material of the present invention can show a high initial discharge capacity , is considered as follow . that is , the cathode active material contains magnesium in such an amount as not to deteriorate the inherent initial discharge capacity of licoo 2 . further , the reason why the cathode active material of the present invention can exhibit a large lattice constant , is considered by the present inventors as follows . that is , since magnesium is incorporated into the cobalt oxide particles ( i ), ( i ′) or ( ii ) at a stage of synthesis thereof , or the magnesium hydroxide is adhered onto the surface of the cobalt oxide particles , magnesium and cobalt are uniformly distributed in the cathode active material at atomic level . therefore , it is suggested by the present inventors that the cobalt sites of the cathode active material obtained by using the cobalt oxide particles ( i ), ( i ′) or ( ii ) can be uniformly replaced with magnesium . on the other hand , when the lithium compound , the cobalt compound and magnesium are dry - mixed with each other and then calcined by conventional methods , magnesium cannot be uniformly distributed in the cathode active material , thereby failing to obtain the effect of the present invention . also , the reason why the cathode active material of the present invention can exhibit an excellent heat stability , is considered as follows , though not clearly determined yet . that is , it is suggested that the crystal structure of the cathode active material can be stabilized by incorporating magnesium thereinto . further , the cathode active material of the present invention can exhibit a lower volume resistivity value and a higher electron conductivity as compared to conventional cathode active materials prepared by a dry method which have the same amount of magnesium . the reason therefor is not clearly determined yet , but is suggested to be that excess electrons are generated by replacing co 3 + with mg 2 + so that the electron conductivity becomes high and the volume resistivity value becomes low . by using the cobalt oxide particles and the cathode active material according to the present invention , it becomes possible to obtain a non - aqueous electrolyte secondary cell capable of retaining a good initial discharge capacity required for secondary cells , and exhibiting an improved heat stability . the present invention is described in more detail by examples and comparative examples , but the examples are only illustrative and , therefore , not intended to limit the scope of the present invention . ( 1 ) the cathode active material was identified using a powder x - ray diffraction analyzer ( manufactured by rigaku denki kogyo co ., ltd . ; cu - kα ; 40 kv , 40 ma ). also , the lattice constant of the cathode active material was calculated from respective diffraction peaks of the powder x - ray diffraction curve . ( 2 ) the crystallite size of the cathode active material was calculated from the respective diffraction peaks of the powder x - ray diffraction curve obtained above . ( 3 ) the volume resistivity of the cathode active material was measured using a wheatstone bridge - type 2768 insulation resistance meter ( manufactured by yokogawa denki co ., ltd .). ( 4 ) the elemental analysis was conducted using an inductively coupled high - frequency plasma atomic emission spectroscope “ sps - 4000 model ” ( manufactured by seiko denshi kogyo co ., ltd .). ( 5 ) the cell characteristics of the cathode active material were evaluated by testing a coin - shaped cell constituted from a cathode , an anode and an electrolyte solution prepared by the following methods . the cathode active material , acetylene black as a conductive agent , and polyvinylidene fluoride as a binder were accurately weighed at a weight ratio of 85 : 10 : 5 , and intimately mixed with each other in a mortar . the resultant mixture was dispersed in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone to prepare a cathode slurry . then , the thus obtained slurry was applied onto an aluminum foil as a current collector to form a coating film having a thickness of 150 μm , vacuum - dried at 150 ° c ., and then punched into a disc shape having a diameter of 16 mm , thereby producing a cathode plate . a metallic lithium foil was punched into a disc shape having a diameter of 16 mm , thereby producing an anode . lithium phosphate hexafluoride ( lipf 6 ) as an electrolyte was added in an amount of 1 mol / liter to a mixed solution containing ethylene carbonate and diethyl carbonate at a volume ratio of 50 : 50 , thereby preparing an electrolyte solution . in a globe box maintained under an argon atmosphere , the above cathode and anode were fitted via a polypropylene separator in a casing made of sus316 stainless steel . further , the electrolyte solution was filled in the casing , thereby producing a cr2032 - type coin - shaped cell . the above - produced coin - shaped cell was subjected to a charge / discharge cycle test for secondary cells . the charge and discharge cycles were repeated at a cathode current density of 0 . 2 ma / cm 2 while varying the cut - off voltage from 3 . 0 to 4 . 3 v to examine the change in discharge capacity . the above - produced coin - shaped cell was charged until the cell voltage reached 4 . 3 v . then , the cathode active material was taken out from the cell , and filled in a container for thermal analysis , and then the container was sealed . the cathode active material filled in the container was subjected to dsc measurement using a differential scanning calorimeter “ dsc6200 ” ( manufactured by seiko instruments , co ., ltd ) at a temperature rise rate of 10 ° c ./ min . from the measurement results , the heat stability was expressed by the temperature at which heat generation was initiated . meanwhile , the above evaluation procedure was conducted at a temperature of 30 to 400 ° c ., and all works up to filling in the container were performed in the globe box having a dew point of − 60 ° c . or lower . magnesium sulfate ( 5 . 3 mol % based on cobalt ) was added to a solution containing cobalt in an amount of 0 . 5 mol / liter . in addition , an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution was added in an amount of 1 . 05 equivalents based on one equivalent of a neutralized part of a sum of cobalt and magnesium , to the resultant solution , thereby subjecting the solution to a neutralization reaction . then , the obtained solution was subjected to oxidation reaction at 90 ° c . for 20 hours while passing air therethrough , thereby obtaining magnesium - containing cobalt oxide particles . it was conformed that the thus obtained magnesium - containing cobalt oxide particles were composed of a co 3 o 4 single phase , and had a mg content of 5 . 0 mol % ( x in ( co ( 1 - x ) mg x ) 3 o 4 is 0 . 05 ), an average particle diameter of 0 . 1 μm and a bet specific surface area value of 13 . 2 m 2 / g . the magnesium - containing cobalt oxide particles obtained in example 1 were intimately mixed with a lithium compound such that the molar ratio of li to a sum of cobalt and magnesium was 1 . 03 . the resultant mixed particles were calcined at 90 ° c . for 10 hours under an oxidative atmosphere , thereby obtaining magnesium - containing lithium cobaltate particles . as a result of the x - ray diffraction analysis of the thus obtained magnesium - containing lithium cobaltate particles , it was confirmed that the magnesium - containing lithium cobaltate particles were composed of a lithium cobaltate single phase without impurity phase , and had an average particle size of 5 . 0 μm , a bet specific surface area value of 0 . 5 m 2 / g , an a - axis length of lattice constant of 2 . 821 å , a c - axis length of lattice constant of 14 . 082 å , a crystallite size of 642 å , a volume resistivity value of − 2 . 1 × 10 ωcm and an electron conductivity log ( 1 / ωcm ) of − 1 . 2 . in addition , when the composition of the magnesium - containing lithium cobaltate particles was represented by the formula : lico 1 - x mg x o 2 , it was confirmed that the magnesium content x was 0 . 045 . the thus obtained magnesium - containing lithium cobaltate particles were used as a cathode active material to prepare a coin - shaped cell . as a result , it was confirmed that the thus prepared coin - shaped cell exhibited an initial discharge capacity of 147 mah / g and a heat stability of 239 ° c . the same procedure as defined in example 1 was conducted except that the magnesium content was changed variously , thereby obtaining cobalt oxide particles . essential production conditions and various properties of the obtained cobalt oxide particles are shown in table 1 . the same procedure as defined in example 2 was conducted except that kind of cobalt oxide particles , mixing ratio of lithium and calcination temperature were changed variously , thereby obtaining cathode active materials and producing coin - shaped cells using the respective cathode active materials . essential production conditions are shown in table 2 , and various properties of the obtained cathode active materials and cell characteristics of the obtained coin - shaped cells are shown in table 3 . in comparative example 1 , cobalt oxide particles containing no magnesium were produced . in comparative example 3 , lithium cobaltate particles containing no magnesium were produced . in comparative examples 4 to 6 , the cobalt oxide particles obtained in comparative example 2 were dry - mixed with the magnesium raw material and the lithium raw material , and the resultant mixtures were calcined at the respective temperature , thereby obtaining lithium cobaltate particles containing magnesium . essential production conditions are shown in table 2 , and various properties of the obtained cathode active materials and cell characteristics of the obtained coin - shaped cells are shown in table 3 . an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution was added in an amount of 1 . 05 equivalents based on one equivalent of a neutralized part of cobalt , to a solution containing cobalt in an amount of 0 . 5 mol / liter , thereby subjecting the resultant solution to a neutralization reaction . then , the obtained solution was subjected to oxidation reaction at 90 ° c . for 20 hours while passing air therethrough , thereby obtaining cobalt oxide particles . then , magnesium sulfate ( 1 . 0 mol % based on cobalt ) was added to the resultant reaction solution containing the cobalt oxide particles , and further an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution was added in an amount required for neutralization of the magnesium salt , thereby treating the surface of the cobalt oxide particles with magnesium hydroxide . the ph value of the obtained reaction solution was 11 . it was conformed that the thus obtained cobalt oxide particles surface - treated with magnesium hydroxide were composed of a co 3 o 4 single phase , and had a mg content of 1 . 0 mol % ( x in ( 1 − x ) co 3 o 4 . 3xmg ( oh ) 2 is 0 . 01 ), an average particle diameter of 0 . 1 μm and a bet specific surface area value of 13 . 5 m 2 / g . the cobalt oxide particles surface - treated with magnesium hydroxide which were obtained in example 17 , were intimately mixed with a lithium compound such that the molar ratio of li to a sum of cobalt and magnesium was 1 . 03 . the resultant mixed particles were calcined at 900 ° c . for 10 hours under an oxidative atmosphere , thereby obtaining magnesium - containing lithium cobaltate particles . as a result of the x - ray diffraction analysis of the thus obtained magnesium - containing lithium cobaltate particles , it was confirmed that the magnesium - containing lithium cobaltate particles were composed of a lithium cobaltate single phase without impurity phase , and had an average particle diameter of 4 . 7 μm , a bet specific surface area value of 0 . 5 m 2 / g , an a - axis length of lattice constant of 2 . 817 å , a c - axis length of lattice constant of 14 . 065 å , a crystallite size of 631 å , a volume resistivity value of 7 . 1 × 10 4 ωcm and an electron conductivity log ( 1 / ωcm ) of − 4 . 9 . in addition , when the composition of the magnesium - containing lithium cobaltate particles was represented by the formula : lico 1 - x mn x o 2 , it was confirmed that the magnesium content x was 0 . 01 . the thus obtained magnesium - containing lithium cobaltate particles were used as a cathode active material to prepare a coin - shaped cell . as a result , it was confirmed that the thus prepared coin - shaped cell exhibited an initial discharge capacity of 161 mah / g and a heat stability of 216 ° c . the same procedure as defined in example 17 was conducted except that the amount of magnesium added for the surface treatment with magnesium hydroxide was changed variously , thereby obtaining cobalt oxide particles surface - treated with magnesium hydroxide . essential production conditions and various properties of the obtained cobalt oxide particles surface - treated with magnesium hydroxide are shown in table 4 . the same procedure as defined in example 18 was conducted except that kind of cobalt oxide particles and mixing ratio of lithium were changed variously , thereby obtaining cathode active materials and producing coin - shaped cells using the cathode active materials . essential production conditions are shown in table 5 , and various properties of the obtained cathode active materials and cell characteristics of the obtained coin - shaped cells are shown in table 6 . thus , it was confirmed that the coin - shaped cells produced using the cathode active materials of the present invention exhibited an initial discharge capacity of 130 to 160 mah / g and a heat stability as high as not less than 200 ° c . on the contrary , as apparent from the results of comparative examples , when the magnesium content x is more than 0 . 2 , the initial discharge capacity was considerably lowered . further , when the respective elements were mixed with each other by a dry method , the effect of improving the heat stability based on the amount of magnesium added was deteriorated . magnesium sulfate ( 1 . 0 mol % based on cobalt ) was added to a solution containing cobalt in an amount of 0 . 5 mol / liter . further , an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution was added in an amount of 1 . 05 equivalents based on one equivalent of a neutralized part of a sum of cobalt and magnesium , to the resultant solution , thereby subjecting the solution to a neutralization reaction . then , the obtained solution was subjected to oxidation reaction at 90 ° c . for 20 hours while passing air therethrough , thereby obtaining magnesium - containing cobalt oxide particles . successively , aluminum sulfate ( 1 . 0 mol % based on cobalt ) was added to the reaction solution containing the thus obtained magnesium - containing cobalt oxide particles , and further an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution was added in an amount requiring for neutralizing the aluminum sulfate to the solution , thereby treating the surface of the respective magnesium - containing cobalt oxide particles with aluminum hydroxide . the ph value of the reaction solution treated was 9 . it was conformed that the thus obtained magnesium - containing cobalt oxide particles surface - treated with aluminum hydroxide were composed of a co 3 o 4 single phase , and had a mg content of 1 . 0 mol % and an aluminum content of 1 . 0 mol % ( x and y of ( co ( 1 - x ) mg x ) 3 o 4 . 3yal ( oh ) 3 are both 0 . 01 ), an average particle diameter of 0 . 1 μm and a bet specific surface area value of 13 . 4 m 2 / g . the magnesium - containing cobalt oxide particles surface - treated with aluminum hydroxide obtained in example 25 were intimately mixed with a lithium compound such that the molar ratio of li to a sum of cobalt , magnesium and aluminum was 1 . 03 . the resultant mixed particles were calcined at 900 ° c . for 10 hours under an oxygen atmosphere , thereby obtaining lithium cobaltate particles containing magnesium and aluminum . as a result of the x - ray diffraction analysis of the thus obtained lithium cobaltate particles containing magnesium and aluminum , it was confirmed that the lithium cobaltate particles were composed of a lithium cobaltate single phase without impurity phase , and had an average particle diameter of 4 . 9 μm , a bet specific surface area value of 0 . 5 m 2 / g , an a - axis length of lattice constant of 2 . 817 å , a c - axis length of lattice constant of 14 . 068 å , a crystallite size of 652 å , a volume resistivity value of 7 . 1 × 10 4 ωcm and an electron conductivity log ( 1 / ωcm ) of − 4 . 9 . in addition , as to the magnesium and aluminum contents , when the composition of the lithium cobaltate particles containing magnesium and aluminum was represented by the formula : lico ( 1 - x - y ) mg x al y o 2 , it was confirmed that the magnesium content x was 0 . 01 and the aluminum content y was 0 . 01 . the thus obtained lithium cobaltate particles containing magnesium and aluminum were used as a cathode active material to prepare a coin - shaped cell . as a result , it was confirmed that the thus prepared coin - shaped cell exhibited an initial discharge capacity of 158 mah / g , a capacity retention percentage of 98 % after 100 cycles at 60 ° c ., and a heat stability of 219 ° c . magnesium sulfate ( 1 . 0 mol % based on cobalt ) was added to a solution containing cobalt in an amount of 0 . 5 mol / liter . further , an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution was added in an amount of 1 . 05 equivalents based on one equivalent of a neutralized part of a sum of cobalt and magnesium , to the resultant solution , thereby subjecting the solution to a neutralization reaction . then , the obtained solution was subjected to oxidation reaction at 90 ° c . for 20 hours while passing air therethrough , thereby obtaining magnesium - containing cobalt oxide particles . it was conformed that the thus obtained magnesium - containing cobalt oxide particles were composed of a co 3 o 4 single phase , and had a mg content of 1 . 0 mol % ( x of ( co ( 1 - x ) mg x ) 3 o 4 is 0 . 01 ), an average particle diameter of 0 . 1 μm and a bet specific surface area value of 13 . 0 m 2 / g . the magnesium - containing cobalt oxide particles obtained in example 27 were intimately mixed with an aluminum compound and a lithium compound such that the molar ratio of li and al to a sum of cobalt , magnesium and aluminum was 1 . 03 and 0 . 01 , respectively . the resultant mixed particles were calcined at 900 ° c . for 10 hours under an oxidative atmosphere , thereby obtaining lithium cobaltate particles containing magnesium and aluminum . as a result of the x - ray diffraction analysis of the thus obtained lithium cobaltate particles containing magnesium and aluminum , it was confirmed that the lithium cobaltate particles were composed of a lithium cobaltate single phase without impurity phase , and had an average particle diameter of 4 . 8 μm , a bet specific surface area value of 0 . 5 m 2 / g , an a - axis length of lattice constant of 2 . 817 å , a c - axis length of lattice constant of 14 . 068 å , a crystallite size of 645 å , a volume resistivity value of 7 . 0 × 10 ωcm and an electron conductivity log ( 1 / ωcm ) of − 4 . 8 . in addition , as to the magnesium and aluminum contents , when the composition of the lithium cobaltate particles containing magnesium and aluminum was represented by the formula : lico ( 1 - x - y ) mg x al y o 2 , it was confirmed that the magnesium content x was 0 . 01 and the aluminum content y was 0 . 01 . the thus obtained lithium cobaltate particles containing magnesium and aluminum were used as a cathode active material to prepare a coin - shaped cell . as a result , it was confirmed that the thus prepared coin - shaped cell exhibited an initial discharge capacity of 158 mah / g , a capacity retention percentage of 98 % after 100 cycles at 60 ° c ., and a heat stability of 220 ° c . an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution was added in an amount of 1 . 05 equivalents based on one equivalent of a neutralized part of cobalt to a solution containing cobalt in an amount of 0 . 5 mol / liter , thereby subjecting the mixed solution to a neutralization reaction . then , the obtained solution was subjected to oxidation reaction at 90 ° c . for 20 hours while passing air therethrough , thereby obtaining cobalt oxide particles . successively , magnesium sulfate ( 1 . 0 mol % based on cobalt ) was added to the reaction solution containing the thus obtained cobalt oxide particles , and further an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution was added in an amount requiring for neutralizing the magnesium sulfate to the solution , thereby treating the surface of the respective cobalt oxide particles with magnesium hydroxide . the ph value of the reaction solution treated was 11 . it was conformed that the thus obtained cobalt oxide particles surface - treated with magnesium hydroxide were composed of a co 3 o 4 single phase , and had a mg content of 1 . 0 mol % ( x of (( 1 − x ) co 3 o 4 . 3xmg ( oh ) 2 is 0 . 01 ), an average particle diameter of 0 . 1 μm and a bet specific surface area value of 13 . 5 m 2 / g . the cobalt oxide particles surface - treated with magnesium hydroxide obtained in example 29 were intimately mixed with an aluminum compound and a lithium compound such that the molar ratio of li and al to a sum of cobalt , magnesium and aluminum was 1 . 03 and 0 . 01 , respectively . the resultant mixed particles were calcined at 900 ° c . for 10 hours under an oxidative atmosphere , thereby obtaining lithium cobaltate particles containing magnesium and aluminum . as a result of the x - ray diffraction analysis of the thus obtained lithium cobaltate particles containing magnesium and aluminum , it was confirmed that the lithium cobaltate particles were composed of a lithium cobaltate single phase without impurity phase , and had an average particle diameter of 4 . 8 μm , a bet specific surface area value of 0 . 5 m 2 / g , an a - axis length of lattice constant of 2 . 817 å , a c - axis length of lattice constant of 14 . 066 å , a crystallite size of 650 å , a volume resistivity value of 7 . 1 × 10 4 ωcm and an electron conductivity log ( 1 / ωcm ) of − 4 . 9 . in addition , as to the magnesium and aluminum contents , when the composition of the lithium cobaltate particles containing magnesium and aluminum was represented by the formula : lico ( 1 − x − y ) mg x al y o 2 , it was confirmed that the magnesium content x was 0 . 01 and the aluminum content y was 0 . 01 . the thus obtained lithium cobaltate particles containing magnesium and aluminum were used as a cathode active material to prepare a coin - shaped cell . as a result , it was confirmed that the thus prepared coin - shaped cell exhibited an initial discharge capacity of 158 mah / g , a capacity retention percentage of 98 % after 100 cycles at 60 ° c ., and a heat stability of 218 ° c . | 2 |
thus according to the present invention aripiprazole acid salt on basification ( base is selectively alkali hydroxides , such as sodium hydroxide , potassium hydroxide , lithium hydroxide , ammonia , organic bases such as triethylamine , dimethylamine , methylamine , diisopropyl ethyl amine , diisopropylamine , dibutylamine , more preferably triethylamine , dimethylamine ) at about 50 ° c . to about 90 ° c . in a mixture of water and organic ester solvent , ( the organic solvent selected from ethyl acetate , isopropyl acetate ), separating the solvent layers , washing the organic layer with water , concentrating the organic layer to reduce the water content to below 0 . 5 %, raising the temperature to about 65 ° c .- 90 ° c ., maintaining at the temperature at about 65 ° c . to 90 ° c . for about 10 min to 8 hrs , cooling to about 15 ° c . to about 40 ° c ., mixing for about 30 min - 6 hrs , isolating and further drying at temperature of about 40 ° c .- 90 ° c . gives the aripiprazole form - b . in another embodiment of the present invention aripiprazole form - i is prepared from aripiprazole acid salt by basification of aripiprazole acid salt with base ( base selectively alkali hydroxides , such as sodium hydroxide , potassium hydroxide , lithium hydroxide , alkali carbonates such as sodium carbonate , potassium carbonate , lithium carbonate , barium carbonate , bicarbonates such as sodium bicarbonate , potassium bicarbonate , ammonia , organic bases selected from triethylamine , dimethylamine , methylamine , more preferably triethylamine , dimethylamine ) in a mixture of water and water immiscible organic solvent , preferably methylene dichloride for about 10 min to 2 hrs , separating the layers , washing the organic layer with water , removal of the solvent from the organic layer , dissolution of residue in organic polar solvent such as dmf , dma if required by heating 30 ° c .- 65 ° c ., cooling to low temperature about − 15 ° c . to 20 ° c . isolating or optionally adding ante solvent ( ante solvent selectively ketones such as acetone , methyl ethyl ketone , methyl isobutyl ketone , ethers such as diethyl ether , diisopropyl ether , methyl tert butyl ether , hydrocarbons such as cyclohexane , n - hexane , n - heptane , and esters such as ethyl acetate , isopropyl acetate ), at temperature of about 35 ° c . to followed by cooling to low temperature such as about − 5 ° c . to about 35 ° c ., preferably 5 ° c . to about 20 ° c ., isolating and drying at temperature of about 35 ° c . to about 65 ° c . gives the aripiprazole form - i . in another embodiment of the present invention aripiprazole acetic acid solvate is prepared from aripiprazole acid salt by basification of aripiprazole acid salt with base ( base selectively alkali hydroxides , such as sodium hydroxide , potassium hydroxide , lithium hydroxide , alkali carbonates such as sodium carbonate , potassium carbonate , lithium carbonate , barium carbonate , bicarbonates such as sodium bicarbonate , potassium bicarbonate , ammonia , organic bases selected from triethylamine , dimethylamine , methylamine , more preferably triethylamine , dimethylamine ) at about 50 ° c .- 90 ° c . in a mixture of water - water immiscible organic solvent selected from ethyl acetate , isopropyl acetate , chloroform , toluene , n - butanol for about 10 min - 2 hrs , separating the layers , washing the organic layer with water , concentrating the organic layer , adding acetic acid at about 25 ° c .- 75 ° c ., raising the temperature of the reaction mixture to about 65 ° c .- 90 ° c ., adding ante - solvent which is a hydrocarbon or ether ; ( hydrocarbon such as cyclohexane , n - hexane , n - heptane , methyl cyclohexane , and ether such as methyl tert butyl ether ), maintaining the temperature of 65 ° c . to 90 ° c . for about 10 min to 8 hrs , cooling to about 35 ° c .- 75 ° c ., seeding with aripiprazole acetic acid solvate , followed by further cooling to about 15 ° c .- 40 ° c ., mixing for about 30 min — 6 hrs , isolating and drying at temperature of about 40 ° c .- 90 ° c . gives the aripiprazole acetic acid solvate . in another embodiment of the invention aripiprazole methanol solvate is prepared from aripiprazole acid salt by basification of aripiprazole acid salt with base ( base selectively alkali hydroxides , such as sodium hydroxide , potassium hydroxide , lithium hydroxide , alkali carbonates such as sodium carbonate , potassium carbonate , lithium carbonate , barium carbonate , bicarbonates such as sodium bicarbonate , potassium bicarbonate , ammonia , organic bases such as triethylamine , dimethylamine , methylamine , more preferably triethylamine , dimethylamine ) at about 50 ° c .- about 90 ° c . in a mixture of water - water immiscible organic solvent such as ethyl acetate , isopropyl acetate for about 10 min to 2 hrs , separating the layers , washing the organic layer with water , concentrating the organic layer , adding 3 to 6 volumes methanol at about 50 ° c .- 90 ° c . over about 15 min followed by maintaining the temperature at about 50 ° c .- 90 ° c . for about 15 min - 4 hrs , cooling to about 40 ° c .- 10 ° c ., to give the aripiprazole methanol solvate . aripiprazole methanol solvate can be dried and the dry material or the wet cake as such can used for the preparation of various polymorphs ; of aripiprazole . the molar ratio of aripiprazole : methanol is 1 : 1 , in the aripiprazole methanol solvate . in another embodiment of the present invention aripiprazole methanol solvate and aripiprazole acetic acid solvate suspensions in selected organic solvents when heated to about 450 - 90 ° c ., maintaining the temperature at about 45 ° c .- 90 ° c . for about 30 min to 6 hrs , cooling to about 15 ° c .- 35 ° c ., followed by isolation and drying at temperature of about 50 ° c .- about 90 ° c . results in polymorphs of aripiprazole such as aripiprazole form - b , form - d , form - a , type - i crystals and form - i . solvents such as ethyl acetate , isopropyl acetate in the above process results in aripiprazole form - b ; solvent such as acetonitrile , thf / n - heptane , ethyl acetate / n - heptane result in form - d ; solvent such as aq . ethanol and water results in aripiprazole form - a and solvent such as ethanol results in aripiprazole type - i crystals ; solvent such as dmf , dma results aripiprazole form - i . in another embodiment of the invention aripiprazole acetic acid solvate is prepared from aripiprazole methanol solvate by dissolution of aripiprazole methanol solvate in organic ester solvent , selected from methyl acetate , isopropyl acetate , adding acetic acid at temperature of 45 ° c . to 75 ° c ., raising the temperature to 60 ° c .- 90 ° c ., followed by slow addition of ante - solvent selected from hydrocarbon of c 5 to c 7 such as cyclohexane , n - hexane , n - heptane , methyl cyclohexane , or aliphatic ether selected from diisopropyl ether , methyl tertbutyl ether , maintenance at temperature of about 60 ° c . to about 90 ° c . for about 10 min to 8 hrs , cooling to about 55 ° c . to 65 ° c ., seeding with aripiprazole acetic acid solvate followed by cooling to about 15 ° c . to 40 ° c ., mixing for about 30 min to 6 hrs , followed by isolation and drying at temperature of about 40 ° c . to about 90 ° c . gives the aripiprazole acetic acid solvate . in another embodiment of the invention the aripiprazole methanol solvate is prepared from aripiprazole acetic acid solvate by raising the temperature of a suspension of aripiprazole acetic acid solvate in methanol to about 40 ° c . to 70 ° c ., then maintaining for the temperature for about 30 min to 6 hrs , cooling to about 10 ° c . to 35 ° c ., isolating and drying at about 30 ° c . to about 60 ° c . for about 1 hr to about 18 hrs to give aripiprazole methanol solvate . yet another embodiment of the invention is a process for preparation of aripiprazole acid salts from 7 - hydroxy - 3 , 4 - dihydrocarbostyril . reaction of 7 - hydroxy - 3 , 4 - dihydrocarbostyril ( i ) with 1 , 4 - dibromobutane ( ii ) is carried out in presence of alkali hydroxide such as sodium hydroxide , potassium hydroxide , phase transfer reagent such as quaternary ammonium salts , preferably tetra butyl ammonium bromide , triethyl benzyl ammonium bromide , in alcohol , ( preferable alcohol is isopropyl alcohol , methanol , ethanol , butanol and more preferably isopropyl alcohol ) at about 45 ° c ., to 90 ° c . for about 3 hrs to 8 hrs , removing the insolubles if any , removing the solvent along with excess 1 , 4 - dibromobutane below 125 ° c ., cooling , adding alcohol , mixing at about 10 ° c .- 40 ° c . preferably at about 15 ° c . to 30 ° c . for about 30 min to 8 hrs , isolating the acid salt , washing with hydrocarbon such as n - hexane , n - heptane , cyclohexane , methyl cyclohexane , toluene and drying at temperature of about 35 ° c . to 75 ° c ., preferably at about 40 ° c . to 50 ° c . to give 7 -( 4 - bromobutoxy )- 3 , 4 - dihydrocarbostyril ( iii ). reaction of 7 -( 41 - bromobutoxy )- 3 , 4 - dihydrocarbostyril ( iii ) with 1 -( 2 , 3 - dichlorophenyl ) piperazine ( iv ) is carried out as follows . 7 -( 4 - bromobutoxy )- 3 , 4 - dihydrocarbostyril ( iii ) is added to sodium iodide in a short chain alcohol such as methanol , ethanol , isopropanol , butanol , n - propanol , mixed for about 30 min , and triethylamine and 1 -( 2 , 3 - dichlorophenyl ) piperazine are added and the temperature is maintained at about 50 ° c . to 75 ° c . for about 12 hrs to 18 hrs followed by cooling to 15 ° c . to 40 ° c . to give crude aripiprazole . the crude aripiprazole is dissolved in a water immiscible solvent selected from methylene chloride , ethylene dichloride , chloroform , ethyl acetate , isopropyl acetate more preferably in methylene chloride stirred at about 20 ° c .- 50 ° c . for about 10 min - 2 hrs followed by slow addition of acid to the reaction mass at about 10 ° c . to 30 ° c . over 15 min to 2 hrs then mixed at about 10 ° c .- 30 ° c . for about 1 hr to 8 hrs . the product is isolated and dried at about 35 ° c . to 75 ° c . to give aripiprazole acid salt . the acid used may be an organic acid or inorganic acid . the organic acid is selected from citric acid , p - toluene sulfonic acid , benzene sulfonic acid and salicylic acid ; inorganic acid is hydrobromic acid . the acids may be added as neat solid or in form of solution by dissolving in suitable solvent selected from ethyl acetate , acetone and isopropyl acetate . alternately the aripiprazole acid salts may be prepared from the reaction mass directly without isolating the crude aripiprazole . 7 -( 4 - bromobutoxy )- 3 , 4 - dihydrocarbostyril ( iii ) is added to sodium iodide in an organic polar solvent , such as acetonitrile , thf , mixing for about 10 min to 1 hr at reflux temperature , cooling the reaction mass - 20 ° c . to about 40 ° c ., followed by addition of 1 -( 2 , 3 - dichlorophenyl ) piperazine ( iv ) and triethylamine , maintaining the reaction mass at about 60 ° c . to about 80 ° c . for about 2 hrs to about 6 hrs , followed by removal of solvent under vacuum at temperature below 60 ° c . the residue is dissolved in mixture of water and water immiscible solvent such as methylene chloride , ethylene dichloride , chloroform , ethyl acetate , isopropyl acetate followed by the separation of layers . the organic layer is washed with water and concentrated followed by slow addition of acid to the reaction mass at about 10 ° c . to about 30 ° c . over 15 min to about 2 hrs followed by mixing at about 10 ° c . to about 30 ° c . for about 1 hr to about 8 hrs . the precipitated product is isolated and dried at about 35 ° c . to about 75 ° c . to give the aripiprazole acid salt . the aripiprazole acid salts prepared are aripiprazole p - toluene sulfonate monohydrate , aripiprazole benzene sulfonate , aripiprazole salicylate , aripiprazole citrate , and aripiprazole hydro bromide . the advantage of converting the crude aripiprazole into aripiprazole acid — addition salt is removal of bis impurity , ( v ) 7 -( 4 -[ 1 -( 7 - oxy - 3 , 4 - dihydrocarbostyril )] butoxy )- 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2 ( 1h )- quinolinone , formed during the reaction of 7 - hydroxy - 3 , 4 - dihydro carbostyril ( i ) with 1 , 4 - dibromobutane ( ii ), resulting in aripiprazole of 98 % purity . it may be noted that the methods of prior art give purity of 80 - 85 %. purification of aripiprazole acid salt is carried out by mixing the aripiprazole acid salt with methanol at temperature of about 25 ° c . to about 50 ° c . for about 15 min - 4 hrs followed by cooling and maintaining temperature of about 10 ° c .- 30 ° c . for about 30 min - 6 hrs . aripiprazole p - toluene sulfonate salt ( 100 g ) is suspended in a mixture of ethyl acetate ( 2000 ml ), water ( 400 ml ) and the temperature is raised to 70 ° c .- 75 ° c . triethylamine ( 25 . 7 g ) is slowly added over 20 min and the temperature is maintained at 70 ° c .- 75 ° c . for about 30 min . the reaction mass is allowed to settle , the layers are separated and aq . layer is extracted with ethyl acetate ( 300 ml ) at 0 . 70 ° c .- 75 ° c . the organic layers are combined and washed with water ( 2 × 400 ml ) at 70 ° c .- 75 ° c . the organic layer is concentrated to 900 ml by distillation of ethyl acetate ( m / c of the mass is below 0 . 5 %). the reaction mass is maintained at reflux temperature for 15 min . the reaction mass is cooled to 25 ° c . and maintained at 25 ° c .- 30 ° c . for 60 min . the solid is filtered , washed the wet cake with ethyl acetate ( 50 ml ) and dried at 40 ° c .- 45 ° c . till constant weight . the dry wt of the aripiprazole form - b is 58 . 0 g ( yield : 68 . 8 %). the product is identical with the reported aripiprazole form - b by its ftir , dsc and x - ray diffraction values . similarly aripiprazole form - b can be prepared by using other aripiprazole acid - addition salts such as benzene sulfonate , citrate , salicylate , hydro bromide and using the solvents such as ethyl acetate , isopropyl acetate . aripiprazole p - toluene sulfonate salt ( 60 g ) is suspended in a mixture of n - butanol ( 600 ml ), water ( 240 ml ) and sodium hydroxide solution ( 4 g in 10 ml of water ) is added . the temperature of the reaction mass is raised to 70 ° c .- 75 ° c . and maintained at that temperature for about 15 min . reaction mass is allowed to settle , and the layers are separated , and the aqueous layer is extracted with n - butanol ( 300 ml ). organic layer is combined , washed with water ( 240 ml ) at 70 ° c .- 75 ° c . and n - butanol is distilled off under vacuum at temperature below 70 ° c . till volume of reaction mass is 160 ml . the reaction mass is cooled to 25 ° c . and maintained at 20 ° c .- 25 ° c . for 60 min . the solid is filtered , and the wet cake is washed with n - butanol ( 30 ml ) and dried at 40 ° c .- 45 ° c . till constant weight . the dry wt of the aripiprazole form - b is 28 . 8 g ( yield : 68 . 3 %). aripiprazole p - toluene sulfonate salt ( 100 g ) is suspended in a mixture of methylene dichloride ( 900 ml ), water ( 400 ml ). triethylamine ( 25 . 7 g ) is added slowly over 20 min and maintained at 25 ° c .- 35 ° c . for about 30 min ., allowed to settle , and the layers are separated and the aqueous layer is extracted with methylene dichloride ( 400 ml ) at 0 . 25 ° c .- 30 ° c . the organic layers are combined , washed with water ( 2 × 400 ml ) and dried over anhydrous sodium sulphate ( 20 g ). the solvent is removed by distillation of methylene dichloride followed by vacuum . dmf ( 70 ml ) is added and distilled off to get the residue under vacuum at temperature below 45 ° c . dmf ( 140 ml ) is added to the residue , the temperature is raised to 50 ° c . to get clear solution and acetone ( 280 ml ) is slowly added at 50 - 55 ° c . over 30 min . the total mass is gradually cooled to 35 ° c . and further cooled to 10 ° c . the temperature is maintained at 5 ° c . to 10 ° c . for 60 min . the solid is filtered , washed with acetone ( 50 ml ) and the wet cake is slurry washed with acetone ( 140 ml ). dried the wet cake at 40 ° c .- 45 ° c . to constant weight . the dry wt of the aripiprazole form - i is 55 g ( yield : 78 . 3 %). the xrd shows peaks at 5 . 4 , 10 . 0 , 10 . 75 , 11 . 6 , 12 . 6 , 15 . 7 , 16 . 3 , 18 . 5 , 19 . 8 , 20 . 4 , 21 . 8 , 22 . 2 , 23 . 3 , 24 . 5 , 26 . 0 , 27 . 1 , 28 . 8 , 32 . 6 and 33 . 6 ± 0 . 2 ° 2 theta ir shows the absorptions at 3193 , 2939 , 2830 , 2804 , 1680 , 1628 , 1593 , 1579 , 1520 , 1479 , 1449 , 1375 , 1270 , 1192 , 1169 , 965 , 949 , 869 , 780 , 712 , 672 and 588 ± 2 cm − 1 aripiprazole form - i can be prepared by using other aripiprazole acid salts , various solvents , and ante - solvents by following the similar procedure as in example - iii and the results are given in the table - 1 aripiprazole p - toluene sulfonate salt ( 100 g ) is suspended in a mixture of isopropyl acetate ( 2000 ml ), water ( 400 ml ) and raised the temperature to 70 ° c .- 75 ° c . triethylamine ( 25 . 7 g ) is added slowly over 20 min and maintained at 70 ° c .- 75 ° c . for about 30 min ., allowed to settle , and the layers are separated and the aqueous layer is extracted with isopropyl acetate ( 300 ml ) at 70 ° c .- 75 ° c . the organic layers are combined and washed with water ( 2 × 400 ml ) at 70 ° c .- 75 ° c . the reaction mass is concentrated to 900 ml by distillation of isopropyl acetate ( m / c of the reaction mass becomes below 0 . 5 %). acetic acid ( 25 ml ) is added , the temperature is raised to reflux ( 83 ° c . to 86 ° c .) and cyclohexane ( 900 ml ) is slowly added at reflux temperature over 30 min . the reaction mass is maintained at reflux temperature ( 75 ° c . to 78 ° c .) for about 1 hr , then cooled to 63 ° c ., seeded with aripiprazole acetic acid solvate ( 500 mg ) and further cooled to 35 ° c . the temperature is maintained at 25 ° c . to 35 ° c . for 30 min . the solid is filtered , washed with cyclohexane ( 50 ml ) and dried at 40 ° c .- 50 ° c . to constant weight . the dry wt of the aripiprazole acetic acid solvate is 51 g ( yield : 72 . 65 %). the xrd shows peaks at 10 . 1 , 17 . 4 , 18 . 0 , 19 . 7 , 23 . 3 , 24 . 2 , 27 . 8 °± 0 . 2 ° 2 theta ir shows the absorptions at 2947 , 2901 , 1674 , 1521 , 1381 , 1274 , 1172 , 1048 , 856 , 781 cm − 1 . aripiprazole acetic acid solvate can be prepared by using other aripiprazole acid salts , various solvents , and ante - solvents by following the similar procedure as in example - iv and the results are given in the table - 2 suspend aripiprazole p - toluene sulfonate salt ( 60 g ) in a mixture of n - butanol ( 600 ml ), water ( 240 ml ) and add sodium hydroxide solution ( 4 g in 10 ml of water ). raise the temperature of the mass to 70 ° c .- 75 ° c . and maintain at that temperature for about 15 min . allow to settle , separate the layers , extract the aqueous layer with n - butanol ( 300 ml ). combine organic layers , wash with water ( 240 ml ) at 70 ° c .- 75 ° c . cool the reaction mass to 10 ° c . and maintain at 10 ° c .- 12 ° c . for 60 min . filter the solid , wash the wet cake with n - butanol ( 30 ml ) and dry at 40 ° c .- 45 ° c . till constant weight . the dry wt of the aripiprazole form - a is 21 g ( yield : 49 . 9 %). the product is identical with the reported aripiprazole form - a by its ftir , dsc and x - ray diffraction values . similarly aripiprazole form - a can be prepared by using other aripiprazole acid salts , ethyl acetate , isopropyl acetate instead of n - butanol , without distillation of solvent , by direct cooling following the similar procedure as in example - xv . aripiprazole p - toluene sulfonate salt ( 60 g ) is suspended in a mixture of n - butanol ( 600 ml ), water ( 240 ml ) and sodium hydroxide solution ( 4 g in 10 ml of water ) is added . the temperature of the mass is raised to 70 ° c .- 75 ° c . and maintained at that temperature for about 15 min . it is allowed to settle , the layers are separated , the aqueous layer is extracted with n - butanol ( 300 ml ). the organic layer is combined , washed with water ( 240 ml ) at 70 ° c .- 75 ° c . and n - butanol is distilled off at temperature 75 ° c .- 80 ° c . under vacuum till the reaction mass volume becomes 200 ml . slowly cyclohexane ( 200 ml ) is added at temperature 80 ° c . over 30 min and is maintained at 75 ° c .- 80 ° c . for 1 hr . the reaction mass is cooled to 30 ° c . and maintained at 25 ° c .- 30 ° c . for 30 min . the solid is filtered and the wet cake is washed with cyclohexane ( 50 ml ) and dried at 40 ° c .- 45 ° c . till constant weight . the dry wt of the aripiprazole form - d is 23 . 4 g ( yield : 55 . 6 %). the product is identical with the reported aripiprazole form - d by its ftir , dsc and x - ray diffraction values . similarly aripiprazole form - d can be prepared by using other aripiprazole acid salts , using the solvents such as methyl ethyl ketone , thf and cyclohexane , n - hexane , n - heptane as ante - solvent without distillation of first solvent , addition of ante - solvent and cooling . aripiprazole p - toluene sulfonate salt ( 50 g ) is suspended in a mixture of isopropyl acetate ( 1000 ml ), water ( 200 ml ) and sodium hydroxide solution ( 10 g in 10 ml of water ) is added . the temperature of the reaction mass is raised to 70 ° c .- 75 ° c . and maintained for about 30 min . the ph of the reaction mass is adjusted to 11 . 0 with sodium hydroxide solution . the layers are allowed to settle . the layers are separated and the aqueous layer is extracted with isopropyl acetate ( 150 ml ) at 70 ° c .- 75 ° c . the organic layers are washed with water ( 2 × 200 ml ) at 70 ° c .- 75 ° c . the reaction mass is concentrated to 400 ml by distilling off isopropyl acetate . methanol ( 200 ml ) is added , and the temperature is raised to reflux and maintained at reflux for about 30 min . the reaction mass is cooled to 35 ° c ., the solid is filtered , washed with methanol ( 100 ml ) and suck dried . the wt of the aripiprazole methanol solvate is 36 g ( yield : 95 . 4 %). elemental analysis : c , 59 . 88 %, h , 6 . 60 %, n , 8 . 62 % and calculated values for c 21 h 31 cl 2 n 3 o 3 . c , 59 . 95 %, h , 6 . 45 %, n , 8 . 74 % ir spectrum ( kbr , cm − 1 ): 3196 , 3108 , 2948 , 2819 , 1675 , 1628 , 1595 , 1578 , 1522 , 1449 , 1378 , 1335 , 1274 , 1243 , 1197 , 1173 , 1140 , 1127 , 1040 , 997 , 960 , 859 , 830 , 809 , 784 , 748 , 713 and 532 . 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz , cdcl 3 , ppm ): 1 . 65 - 1 . 85 ( m , 4h ), 2 . 49 ( t , 2h ), 2 . 51 ( t , 2h ), 2 . 59 - 2 . 64 ( m , 4h ), 2 . 89 ( t , 2h ), 3 . 08 ( m , 4h ), 3 . 49 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 97 ( t , 2h ), 6 . 32 ( d , 1h ), 6 . 51 - 6 . 54 ( dd , 1h ), 6 . 94 - 6 . 97 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 05 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 11 - 7 . 17 ( m , 2h ), 8 . 04 ( s , 1h ). 13 c nmr ( 300 mhz , dmso - d 6 , ppm ): 23 . 19 , 24 . 38 , 27 . 14 , 30 . 90 , 50 . 17 , 51 . 08 , 53 . 12 , 58 . 07 , 67 . 7 , 102 . 2 , 108 . 7 , 115 . 5 , 118 . 5 , 124 . 39 , 127 . 31 , 127 . 34 , 128 . 4 , 133 . 8 , 138 . 1 , 151 . 1 , 158 . 5 and 172 . 41 . the xrd shows the peaks at 9 . 4 , 10 . 7 , 11 . 4 , 11 . 8 , 12 . 3 , 13 . 3 , 17 . 3 , 18 . 4 , 19 . 8 , 23 . 3 , 24 . 3 , 25 . 6 , 26 . 8 , 28 . 0 , 28 . 9 , 31 . 2 °± 0 . 2 2 theta values aripiprazole methanol solvate can be prepared similarly by using other aripiprazole acid salts and solvents by following the similar procedure as in example - iv and the results are given in the table - 3 aripiprazole methanol solvate ( 50 g ) is suspended in isopropyl acetate ( 600 ml ) and acetic acid ( 7 ml ) is added . the temperature is raised to reflux and cyclohexane ( 600 ml ) is slowly added at reflux temperature over 20 min . the mass is maintained at reflux temperature for about 1 hr , cooled to 60 ° c . and seeded with aripiprazole acetic acid solvate ( 200 mg ). the reaction mass is cooled to 30 ° c . and maintained at 25 ° c .- 30 ° c . for 30 min . filter , wash the wet cake with cyclohexane ( 50 ml ) and dry at 40 ° c .- 50 ° c . till constant weight . the dry wt of aripiprazole acetic acid solvate is 42 g ( yield 90 . 0 %) the product is identical with aripiprazole acetic acid solvate by its ir , dsc and x - ray diffraction pattern . aripiprazole methanol solvate ( 50 g ) is suspended in ethanol ( 600 ml ), the temperature of the reaction mass is raised to reflux and maintained at reflux for about 2 hrs . the reaction mass is cooled to 30 ° c ., filtered , washed the wet cake with ethanol ( 50 ml ) and dried at 45 ° c .- 50 ° c . till constant weight . the dry weight of aripiprazole type - i crystals is 43 g ( 78 . 5 %) similarly aripiprazole type - i crystals can be prepared by treating the aripiprazole acetic acid solvate with ethanol . aripiprazole methanol solvate ( 50 g ) is suspended in isopropyl acetate ( 600 ml ), the temperature is raised to reflux and maintained at reflux temperature for about 2 hrs . the reaction mass is cooled , filtered , the wet cake is washed with isopropyl acetate ( 50 ml ) and dried at 50 ° c .- 60 ° c . till becomes constant weight . the dry wt of aripiprazole form - b is 40 g ( yield 85 . 7 %) similarly aripiprazole form - b can be prepared by treating the aripiprazole methanol solvate or aripiprazole acetic acid solvate with isopropyl acetate , ethyl acetate or by directly drying the aripiprazole methanol solvate at 80 ° c . for about 12 hrs . aripiprazole methanol solvate ( 50 g ) is suspended in acetonitrile ( 600 ml ), the temperature is raised to reflux and maintained at reflux for about 2 hrs . the reaction mass is cooled to 25 ° c ., the solid is filtered , the wet cake is washed with acetonitrile ( 50 ml ) and dried at 55 ° c .- 60 ° c . till becomes constant weight . the dry weight of aripiprazole form - d is 43 . 0 g ( yield 91 . 4 %) similarly aripiprazole form - d can be prepared by treating the aripiprazole methanol solvate or aripiprazole acetic acid solvate with acetonitrile , thf / n - heptane , ethyl acetate / n - heptane . aripiprazole methanol solvate ( 50 g ) is suspended in 30 % aqueous ethanol ( 600 ml ), and the temperature is raised to reflux and maintained at reflux for about 2 hrs . the reaction mass is cooled to 25 ° c ., the solid is filtered , the wet cake is washed with aqueous ethanol ( 50 ml ) and dried at 55 ° c .- 60 ° c . till becomes constant weight . the dry weight of aripiprazole form - a is 38 . 0 g ( yield 77 . 8 %) similarly aripiprazole form - a can be prepared by treating the aripiprazole methanol solvate or aripiprazole acetic acid solvate with aqueous ethanol , water . sodium hydroxide ( 29 . 5 g , 0 . 737 mole ) is added to a suspension of 7 - hydroxy carbostyril ( 100 g , 0 . 613 mole ) in isopropyl alcohol ( 1850 ml ) and mixed at 25 ° c . to 30 ° c . for about 30 min . tetra butyl ammonium bromide is added ( 5 g , 0 . 015 mole ) followed by 1 , 4 - dibromo butane ( 530 g , 2 . 45 mole ), raised to reflux and maintained at reflux temperature 80 ° c .- 85 ° c . for 3 hrs . the insolubles are filtered in hot condition , and isopropyl alcohol is distilled off from the filtrate under vacuum at temperature up to 110 ° c .- 115 ° c . the reaction mass is cooled and isopropyl alcohol ( 300 ml ) is added to the reaction mass , maintained at 30 ° c .- 35 ° c . for 1 hr . the mass is further cooled and maintained at 20 ° c .- 22 ° c . for 2 hrs , filtered , washed with isopropyl alcohol ( 50 ml ) to give the wet cake of about 250 g . the wet cake ( 250 g ) is suspended in n - hexane ( 300 ml ), raised the temperature to reflux and maintained for about 60 min . the reaction mass is cooled to a temperature of 25 ° c .- 35 ° c . and maintained for 1 hr . the mass is filtered ; washed and dried the wet cake at 40 ° c . to 50 ° c . till becomes constant weight . sodium iodide ( 63 . 7 g , 0 . 424 mole ) is suspended in acetonitrile ( 1275 ml ), mixed for about 10 min and 7 -( 4 - bromobutoxy )- 3 , 4 - dihydrocarbostyril ( 100 g , 0 . 335 mole ) is added . the temperature is raised to reflux maintained for 30 min and cooled to 35 ° c . 1 -( 2 , 3 - dichloro phenyl ) piperazine ( 81 . 5 g , 0 . 352 mole ) is added followed by triethylamine ( 51 . 5 g , 0 . 51 mole ) at 25 ° c .- 35 ° c . to the reaction mass . the temperature of the reaction mass is raised to reflux and maintained at reflux temperature 3 hrs . acetonitrile is distilled off at temperature below 45 ° c . under reduced pressure ; the residual mass is cooled to 35 ° c . methylene chloride ( 1000 ml ), water ( 500 ml ) are added , and the total mass is mixed for 15 min , allowed to settle , the layers are separated and the aqueous layer is extracted with methylene chloride ( 500 ml ). the combined organic layer is washed with water ( 500 ml ) and dried the organic layer over anhydrous sodium sulphate ( 15 g ). methylene chloride is distilled out initially at atmospheric pressure finally under vacuum . further methylene chloride ( 1000 ml ) is added and mixed for 15 min to get a clear solution . p - toluene sulfonic acid solution in ethyl acetate ( 56 g , in 400 ml ) is added to the clear solution at a temperature of 25 ° c .- 35 ° c . over 60 min and maintained at 25 ° c .- 35 ° c . for 2 hrs . the solid is filtered , the wet cake is washed with ethyl acetate ( 50 ml ) and dried at 40 ° c .- 50 ° c . till becomes constant weight . the dried material is suspended in methanol ( 650 ml ), the temperature of the mass is raise to 40 ° c .- 45 ° c . and maintained at that temperature for 30 min . the mass is cooled to 25 ° c .- 35 ° c . and maintained for 60 min . filtered , washed the wet cake with methanol ( 65 ml ) and dried at 40 ° c .- 50 ° c . till becomes constant weight . the dry weight of aripiprazole p - toluene sulfonate salt is 110 . 5 g ( 51 . 6 %). elemental analysis : c , 56 . 23 %, h , 6 . 13 %, n , 6 . 53 %, s , 4 . 62 % and calculated values for c 30 h 35 cl 2 n 3 o 5 s . h 2 o c , 56 . 42 %, h , 5 . 84 %, n , 6 . 58 %, s , 5 . 02 % ir spectrum ( kbr , cm − 1 ): 3488 , 3208 , 3130 , 3069 , 3026 , 2954 , 1661 , 1621 , 1595 , 1520 , 1474 , 1448 , 1395 , 1373 , 1333 , 1312 , 1264 , 1224 , 1189 , 1170 , 1117 , 1092 , 1057 , 1031 , 1009 , 966 , 950 , 865 , 836 , 824 , 817 , 786 , 764 , 682 , 565 and 547 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz , cdcl 3 , ppm ): 1 . 75 - 1 . 82 ( m , 4h ), 2 . 28 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 41 ( t , 2h ), 2 . 43 ( t , 2h ), 2 . 49 - 2 . 54 ( m , 4h ), 2 . 79 ( t , 2h ), 2 . 99 - 3 . 64 ( t , 2h ), 2 . 99 - 3 . 64 ( m , 2h ), 6 . 44 ( d , 1h ), 6 . 48 - 6 . 52 ( dd , 1h ), 6 . 48 - 6 . 52 ( m , 2h ), 7 . 05 - 7 . 12 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 05 - 7 . 12 ( m , 2h ), 7 . 20 - 7 . 26 ( dd , 1h ), 7 . 33 - 7 . 48 ( m , 2h ), 9 . 41 ( s , oh ), 10 . 02 ( s , nh ). 13 c nmr ( 300 mhz , cdcl 3 , ppm ): 20 . 32 , 20 . 72 , 23 . 97 , 25 . 76 , 30 . 72 , 47 . 87 , 51 . 31 , 55 . 32 , 66 . 64 , 101 . 7 , 107 . 49 , 115 . 66 , 119 . 86 , 125 . 35 , 125 . 46 , 126 . 08 , 128 . 07 , 128 . 37 , 128 . 60 , 132 . 72 , 137 . 74 , 139 . 20 , 145 . 4 , 149 . 38 , 157 . 67 and 170 . 26 . the step - 1 is carried out in the same way as given in example - xii . sodium iodide ( 69 . 5 g , 0 . 463 mole ) is suspended in methanol ( 1500 ml ), mixed for about 10 min and 7 -( 4 - bromobutoxy )- 3 , 4 - dihydrocarbostyril ( 100 g , 0 . 335 mole ) is charged into the mixture . the reaction mass is maintained at 25 ° c .- 35 ° c . for 30 min and triethylamine ( 69 g , 0 . 68 mole ) is added followed by 1 -( 2 , 3 - dichloro phenyl ) piperazine ( 90 . 0 g , 0 . 39 mole ) at 25 ° c .- 35 ° c . to the reaction mass . the temperature of the reaction mass is raised to reflux and maintained at reflux temperature for 15 hrs . the reaction mass is cooled to 25 ° c .- 35 ° c . and maintained for 30 min . the solid is filtered , and the wet cake is washed with methanol ( 100 ml ). the weight of the wet cake is 120 g . the wet cake is dissolved in methylene chloride ( 1000 ml ) and p - toluene sulfonic acid solution in ethyl acetate ( 48 g , in 400 ml ) is added at temperature of 20 ° c .- 25 ° c . over 60 min and maintained at 20 ° c .- 25 ° c . for 3 hrs . the solid is filtered , and the wet cake is washed with mixture of 1 : 1 methylene chloride , ethyl acetate ( 100 ml ) and dried at 40 ° c .- 50 ° c . till becomes constant weight . the dried material is suspended in methanol ( 650 ml ), the temperature is raised to 40 ° c .- 45 ° c . and maintained the mass at that temperature of for 30 min . the mass is cooled and maintained at 25 ° c .- 35 ° c . for 60 min . the wet cake is filtered , washed with methanol ( 65 ml ) and dried at 40 ° c .- 45 ° c . till becomes constant weight . the dry weight of aripiprazole p - toluene sulfonate - salt is 140 g ( yield 65 . 44 %). the step - 1 is carried out in the same way as given in example - xii . sodium iodide ( 69 . 5 g , 0 . 463 mole ) is suspended in methanol ( 1500 ml ), mixed for about 10 min and 7 -( 4 - bromobutoxy )- 3 , 4 - dihydrocarbostyril ( 100 g , 0 . 335 mole ) is charged . the reaction mass temperature is raised to 25 ° c .- 35 ° c . for 30 min and triethylamine ( 69 g , 0 . 68 mole ) is added followed by 1 -( 2 , 3 - dichloro phenyl ) piperazine ( 90 . 0 g , 0 . 39 mole ) at 25 ° c .- 35 ° c . to the reaction mass . the temperature of the reaction mass is raised to reflux and maintained at reflux temperature for 15 hrs ; the reaction mass is cooled to 25 ° c .- 35 ° c . and maintained for 30 min . the solid is filtered , washed the wet cake with methanol ( 100 ml ). the wet cake weight is 120 g . the wet cake is dissolved in methylene chloride ( 600 ml ) and benzene sulfonic acid solution in ethyl acetate ( 44 . 6 g , in 400 ml ) is added at a temperature of 20 ° c .- 25 ° c . over 30 min and is maintained at 20 ° c .- 25 ° c . for 30 min . the methylene chloride is distilled off under vacuum , ethyl acetate ( 600 ml ) is added and maintained at 20 ° c .- 22 ° c . for 45 min . the solid is filtered , and the wet cake is washed with ethyl acetate ( 100 ml ) and dried at 40 ° c .- 50 ° c . till becomes constant weight . the dried material is suspended in methanol ( 650 ml ), the temperature of the mass is raised to 40 ° c .- 45 ° c . and maintained for 30 min . the reaction mass is cooled to 25 ° c .- 30 ° c . and maintained for 30 min . the wet cake is filtered and washed with methanol ( 65 ml ) and dry at 40 ° c .- 45 ° c . till becomes constant weight . the dry weight of aripiprazole benzene sulfonate salt is 88 . 4 g ( yield 43 . 5 %). elemental analysis : c , 57 . 48 %, h , 5 . 41 %, n , 6 . 98 % and calculated values for c 29 h 33 cl 2 n 3 o 5 s . c : 57 . 42 %, h , 5 . 48 %, n , 6 . 93 % ir spectrum ( kbr , cm − 1 ): 3446 , 3194 , 2979 , 2901 , 2706 , 2619 , 1672 , 1627 , 1596 , 1580 , 1521 , 1479 , 144 , 6 , 1422 , 1388 , 1331 , 1319 , 1269 , 1234 , 1191 , 1167 , 1119 , 1068 , 1054 , 1032 , 1015 , 996 , 957 , 943 , 851 , 807 , 784 , 767 , 727 , 713 , 698 , 613 , 566 and 551 . 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz , dmso - ds , ppm ): 1 . 75 - 1 . 91 ( m , 4h ), 2 . 41 ( t , 2h ), 2 . 79 ( t , 2h ), 2 . 99 - 3 . 64 ( m , 10h ), 3 . 94 ( t , 3h ), 6 . 44 ( d , 1h ), 6 . 48 - 6 . 52 ( dd , 1h ), 7 . 06 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 20 - 7 . 41 ( m , 6h ), 7 . 58 - 7 . 63 ( m , 2h ), 9 . 42 ( brs , 1h ), 10 . 02 ( s , 1h ). 13 c nmr ( 300 mhz , dmso - d 6 , ppm ): 20 . 82 , 24 . 48 , 26 . 26 , 31 . 28 , 48 . 38 , 48 . 30 , 51 . 80 , 51 . 81 , 55 . 81 , 67 . 13 , 102 . 26 , 108 . 0 , 116 . 16 , 120 . 38 , 125 . 86 , 125 . 90 , 125 . 95 , 126 . 59 , 128 . 1 , 128 . 15 , 128 . 88 , 128 . 97 , 129 . 13 , 133 . 23 , 139 . 71 , 148 . 62 , 149 . 88 , 158 . 18 and 170 . 76 . the step - 1 is carried out in the same way as given in example - xii . sodium iodide ( 69 . 5 g , 0 . 463 mole ) is suspended in methanol ( 1500 ml ) and 7 -( 4 - bromobutoxy )- 3 , 4 - dihydrocarbostyril ( 100 g , 0 . 335 mole ) is added . the reaction mass is maintained at 25 ° c .- 35 ° c . for 30 min and triethylamine ( 69 g , 0 . 68 mole ) is added followed by 1 -( 2 , 3 - dichloro phenyl ) piperazine ( 90 . 0 g , 0 . 39 mole ) at 25 ° c .- 35 ° c . to the reaction mass . the temperature of the reaction mass is raised to reflux and maintained at reflux temperature for 15 hrs . the reaction mass is cooled to 25 ° c .- 35 ° c . and maintained for 30 min . the solid is cooled and filtered . the wet cake is washed with methanol ( 100 ml ). the wet cake is dissolved in methylene chloride ( 600 ml ) and salicylic acid solution in ethyl acetate ( 37 . 0 g , in 400 ml ) is added at temperature of 20 ° c .- 25 ° c . over 20 min and maintained at 20 ° c .- 25 ° c . for 60 min . the solid is filtered , washed the wet cake with ethyl acetate ( 120 ml ) and dried at 40 ° c .- 50 ° c . till becomes constant weight . the dried material is suspended in methanol ( 600 ml ), the mass is raise to a temperature of 40 ° c .- 45 ° c . and maintained for 30 min . the mass is cooled to a temperature of 25 ° c .- 30 ° c . and maintained for 30 min . the wet cake is filter , washed with methanol ( 60 ml ) and dried at 40 ° c .- 45 ° c . till becomes constant weight . the dry weight of aripiprazole salicylate salt is 112 . 0 g ( yield 57 . 0 %). elemental analysis : c , 60 . 09 %, h , 5 . 55 %, n , 7 . 12 % and calculated values for c 30 h 33 cl 2 n 3 o 5 . c , 61 . 44 %, h , 5 . 67 %, n , 7 . 16 % ir spectrum ( kbr , cm − 1 ): 3436 , 3203 , 3059 , 2953 , 2879 , 2839 , 1675 , 1626 , 1593 , 1577 , 1520 , 1486 , 1453 , 1423 , 1381 , 1291 , 1276 , 1260 , 1193 , 1173 , 1137 , 1087 , 1044 , 1025 , 979 , 960 , 941 , 859 , 830 , 810 , 795 , 764 , 708 , 667 , 586 and 564 . 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz , dmso - d 6 , ppm ): 1 . 75 ( s , 4h ); 2 . 39 ( t , 2h ), 2 . 79 ( t , 2h ), 2 . 92 - 3 . 17 ( m , 10h ), 3 . 99 ( t , 2h ), 6 . 45 ( d , 1h ), 6 . 48 - 6 . 50 ( dd , 1h ), 6 . 71 - 6 . 78 ( m , 2h ), 7 . 04 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 15 - 7 . 36 ( m , 4h ), 7 . 71 - 7 . 75 ( dd , 1h ). 13 c nmr ( 300 mhz , dmso - d 6 , ppm ): 20 . 86 , 24 . 00 , 26 . 10 , 30 . 74 , 48 . 70 , 48 . 72 , 51 . 40 , 51 . 45 , 55 . 74 , 66 . 88 , 101 . 74 , 107 . 56 , 115 . 56 , 116 . 18 , 117 . 34 , 117 . 78 , 119 . 65 , 124 . 96 , 126 . 07 , 128 . 34 , 128 . 51 , 130 . 23 ; 132 . 71 , 132 . 90 , 139 . 17 , 149 . 98 , 157 . 74 , 161 . 82 , 170 . 26 and 172 . 62 . aripiprazole citrate salt can be prepared similarly by using the citric acid instead of salicylic acid by following the same procedure described as in example - xv the dry weight of aripiprazole citrate salt is 115 . 7 g ( yield 53 . 9 %) elemental analysis : c , 53 . 80 %, h , 5 . 37 %, n , 6 . 35 % and calculated values for c 29 h 35 cl 2 n 3 o 9 . c , 54 . 38 %, h , 5 . 51 %, n , 6 . 56 % ir spectrum ( kbr , cm − 1 ): 3469 , 3211 , 3097 , 3065 , 2969 , 2844 , 2726 , 2623 , 1728 , 1639 , 1589 , 1518 , 1452 , 1403 , 1318 , 1275 , 1261 , 1194 , 1170 , 1096 , 1052 , 1045 , 1030 , 1010 , 958 , 952 , 931 , 894 , 864 , 826 , 785 , 734 , 712 , 670 , 640 and 566 . 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz , dmso - d 6 , ppm ): 1 . 72 ( brs , 4h ), 2 . 39 - 2 . 88 ( m , 16h ), 3 . 09 ( brs , 2h ), 3 . 93 ( t , 2h ), 6 . 44 ( d , 1h ), 6 . 48 - 6 . 51 ( dd , 1h ), 7 . 04 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 17 ( t , 1h ), 7 . 33 ( d , 2h ), 9 . 99 ( s , 1h ). 13 c nmr ( 300 mhz , dmso - d 6 , ppm ): 21 . 49 , 24 . 03 , 26 . 27 , 30 . 78 , 43 . 35 , 43 . 55 , 43 . 57 , 49 . 40 , 49 . 42 , 51 . 95 , 51 . 97 , 56 . 31 , 67 . 02 , 72 . 03 , 101 . 78 , 107 . 58 , 115 . 58 , 119 . 71 , 124 . 82 , 126 . 09 , 128 . 41 , 128 . 53 , 132 . 71 , 139 . 21 , 150 . 37 , 157 . 83 , 170 . 33 , 171 . 43 , 171 . 45 and 175 . 90 . the step - 1 is to be carried out in the same way as given in example - xii . sodium iodide ( 69 . 5 g , 0 . 463 mole ) is suspended in methanol ( 1500 ml ), mixed for about 10 min and charged 7 -( 4 - bromobutoxy )- 3 , 4 - dihydrocarbostyril ( 100 g , 0 . 335 mole ): the reaction mass is maintained at 25 ° c .- 35 ° c . for 30 min and triethylamine ( 69 g , 0 . 68 mole ) is added followed by 1 -( 2 , 3 - dichloro phenyl ) piperazine ( 90 . 0 g , 0 . 39 mole ) at 25 ° c .- 35 ° c . the temperature of the reaction mass is raised to reflux and maintained at reflux temperature for 15 hrs . then reaction mass is cooled to 25 ° c .- 35 ° c . for 30 min . the solid is filtered and the wet cake is washed with methanol ( 100 ml ). the wet cake is dissolved in methylene chloride ( 600 ml ), and aqueous hydrobromic acid ( 48 %, 30 ml ) is added at a temperature of 20 ° c .- 25 ° c . over 20 min and maintained at 20 ° c .- 25 ° c . for 60 min . the solid is filtered and the wet cake is washed with methylene chloride ( 100 ml ) and dried at 40 ° c .- 50 ° c . till becomes constant weight . the dry material is suspended in methanol ( 750 ml ), the temperature of the mass is raised to 40 ° c .- 45 ° c . and maintained for 30 min . the mass is cooled to 25 ° c .- 30 ° c . and maintained for 30 min . the wet cake filtered and washed with methanol ( 100 ml ) and dry at 40 ° c .- 45 ° c . till becomes - constant weight . the dry weight of aripiprazole hydro bromide salt is 90 . 8 g ( 52 . 7 %) elemental analysis : c , 51 . 99 %, h , 5 . 40 %, n , 7 . 66 % and calculated values for c 23 h 28 brcl 2 n 3 o 2 . c , 52 . 19 %, h , 5 . 33 %, n , 7 . 94 % ir spectrum ( kbr , cm − 1 ): 3426 , 3191 , 3057 , 2953 , 2651 , 2587 , 1692 , 1626 , 1592 , 1520 , 1483 , 1455 , 1378 , 1333 , 1311 , 1271 ′, 1196 , 1171 , 1133 , 1033 , 960 , 866 , 813 , 771 , 737 , 707 and 569 . 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz , dmso - d 6 , ppm ): 1 . 75 - 1 . 85 ( m , 4h ), 2 . 41 ( t , 2h ), 2 . 79 ( t , 2h ), 3 . 03 - 3 . 65 ( m , 10h ), 3 . 95 ( t , 2h ), 6 . 44 ( d , 1h ), 6 . 49 - 6 . 52 ( dd , 1h ), 7 . 06 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 21 - 7 . 41 ( m , 3h ), 9 . 56 ( brs , 1h ), 10 . 02 ( s , 1h ). 13 c nmr ( 300 mhz , dmso - d 6 , ppm ): 20 . 17 , 23 . 96 , 25 . 85 , 30 . 71 , 47 . 65 , 47 . 67 , 51 . 15 , 51 . 16 , 55 . 22 , 66 . 68 , 101 . 77 , 107 . 48 , 115 . 62 , 119 . 79 , 125 . 27 , 126 . 02 , 128 . 33 , 128 . 60 , 132 . 69 , 139 . 16 , 149 . 38 , 157 . 64 and 170 . 21 . aripiprazole acetic acid solvate ( 50 g ) is suspended in methanol ( 600 ml ), the temperature is raised to reflux and maintained at reflux temperature for about 2 hrs . the reaction mass is cooled , filtered , washed with methanol ( 50 ml ) and dry at 40 ° c .- 50 ° c . for 6 hrs . the dry wt of aripiprazole methanol solvate is 46 g ( yield 84 . 9 %) its dsc , ir and xrd identified the product as aripiprazole methanol solvate | 2 |
the following description and figures depict specific examples to teach those skilled in the art how to make and use the best mode of the invention . for the purpose of teaching inventive principles , some conventional aspects have been simplified or omitted . those skilled in the art will appreciate variations from these examples that fall within the scope of the invention . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the features described below can be combined in various ways to form multiple variations of the invention . as a result , the invention is not limited to the specific examples described below , but only by the claims and their equivalents . fig1 illustrates communication system 100 in an example of the invention . communication system 100 includes wireless telephone 101 , wireless network 102 , wireless service node 103 , telephone network 104 , packet network appliance 105 , packet network 106 , and communication platform 107 . wireless service node 103 can communicate with wireless telephone 101 over wireless network 102 . wireless service node 103 is also coupled to telephone network 104 and platform 107 . platform 107 can communicate with packet network appliance 105 over packet network 106 . wireless telephone 101 could be any device or system configured to communicate with wireless service node 103 over wireless network 102 . some examples of wireless telephone 101 include mobile telephones , cellular telephones , computers , and personal digital assistants . wireless network 102 could be any device or system that communicates with wireless telephone 101 over an air interface . some examples of wireless network 102 include code division multiple access ( cdma ) networks , global system for mobile communications ( gsm ) networks , wireless fidelity ( wifi ) networks , and wimax networks . wireless service node 103 could be any device or system that controls communications with wireless telephone 101 over wireless network 102 . wireless service node 103 also interfaces with telephone network 104 and platform 107 . some examples of wireless service node 103 include mobile switching centers , wireless access points , service control points , and soft switches . telephone network 104 could be any device or system that transfers communications between telephones . some examples of telephone network 104 include the public switched telephone network ( pstn ), enterprise telephone networks , ip telephone networks , and wireless telephone networks . packet network appliance 105 could be any device or system that communicates over packet network 106 . some examples of packet network appliance 105 include computers , terminal adapters , ip gateways , personal digital assistants , and packet telephones . the packet format could be ip , asynchronous transfer mode ( atm ), ethernet , or some other packet format . packet network 106 could be any device or system that transfers packets . some examples of packet network 106 include ip networks , atm networks , and ethernet networks . communication platform 107 could be any computer platform with communication interfaces that is configured to operate as described herein . platform 107 may be integrated into other devices and systems . platform 107 may be distributed across several devices and systems . platform 107 could comprise a properly configured centrex server from avaya or broadsoft . fig2 illustrates communication platform 107 in an example of the invention . platform 107 includes signaling server 201 and media server 202 . signaling server 201 and media server 202 could be computerized communication systems with communication interfaces . signaling server 201 and media server 202 communicate over control link 203 . signaling server 201 and packet network appliance 105 exchange telecommunication signaling over signaling link 211 . this signaling could be session initiation protocol ( sip ) signaling or some other signaling format . signaling server 201 and wireless service node 103 exchange telecommunication signaling over signaling link 212 . this signaling could be signaling system seven ( ss7 ) signaling or some other signaling format . signaling server 201 and telephone network 104 exchange telecommunication signaling over signaling link 215 . this signaling could be ss7 signaling or some other signaling format . wireless service node 103 exchanges signaling with wireless telephone 101 over wireless signaling link 215 . this signaling could be any form of wireless telecommunication signaling . signaling server 201 may also exchange signaling with wireless telephone 101 over signaling links 212 and 215 . this signaling may be converted from one format to another by wireless service node 103 . media server 202 and packet network appliance 105 exchange user communications over bearer link 213 . these user communications could be packet voice , text messages , or some other type of packet - based user communication . media server 203 and wireless service node 103 exchange user communications over bearer link 214 . these user communications could be time division multiplex ( tdm ) voice , packet voice , text messages , or some other type of user communication . wireless service node 103 and wireless telephone 101 exchange the user communications over bearer link 215 . thus , media server 202 and wireless telephone 101 can exchange the user communications over bearer links 214 and 216 . these user communications may be converted from one format to another by wireless service node 103 . note that packet network 106 is omitted from fig2 for clarity , but packet network 102 transfers the signaling and user communications between platform 107 and appliance 105 over links 211 and 213 . also note that wireless network is omitted from fig2 for clarity , but wireless service node 102 transfers the signaling and user communications between node wireless service 103 and wireless telephone 101 over wireless links 215 - 216 . fig3 illustrates a call through telephone network 104 to wireless telephone 101 in an example of the invention . a caller ( not shown ) places the call to a telephone number that is shared by wireless telephone 101 and packet appliance 105 . telephone network 104 receives call request signaling for the call , and in response , transfers call request signaling , such as an ss7 initial address message ( iam ), to wireless service node 103 . based on the shared telephone number in the call request , wireless service node 103 transfers a call request signaling to platform 107 — this call request could be the same ss7 iam received from telephone network 104 . wireless service node 103 also accepts a bearer path for the call from telephone network 104 , and extends this bearer path to platform 107 . in response to the call request signaling , platform 107 transfers a ringback tone over the bearer path to wireless service node 103 , to telephone network 104 , and on to the caller to indicate that the call is proceeding . in response to the call request signaling , platform 107 identifies wireless telephone 101 and packet appliance 105 as associated with the called telephone number , and transfers separate ring instruction signaling to wireless service node 103 and packet network appliance 105 . the ring instruction signaling to wireless service node 104 could be an ss7 iam , and the ring instruction signaling to packet network appliance could 105 be a sip invite . platform 107 also extends the bearer path from wireless service node 103 over separate potential bearer paths to wireless service node 103 and to packet network appliance 105 . note that a potential bearer path through packet network 106 may consist of an ip address pair for packet network appliance 105 and platform 107 in response to the ring instruction signaling , packet network appliance 105 alerts the user of an incoming call through a ring , vibration , or other call alert . in response to the other ring instruction signaling , wireless service node 103 transfers ring instruction signaling to wireless telephone 101 , and wireless telephone 101 alerts the user of an incoming call through a ring , vibration , or other call alert . wireless service node 103 also extends the potential bearer path from platform 107 to wireless telephone 101 . wireless service node 103 may need to distinguish the call request signaling transferred by telephone network 104 from the call request signaling ( ring instructions ) transferred by platform 107 , since both could be ss7 iams . wireless service node 103 could distinguish this signaling by analyzing a code , such as the source address of the signaling or some other code inserted by platform 107 in this signaling . wireless service node 103 could identify the code to distinguish the signaling . for call request signaling from telephone network 104 specifying a shared telephone number , wireless service node 103 should forward the signaling to platform 107 . for call request signaling from platform 107 specifying one of the shared telephone numbers , wireless service node 103 should extend the call to the appropriate wireless telephone . note that platform 107 initiates a simultaneous ring on both wireless telephone 101 and packet network appliance 105 in response to a call to the shared telephone number . also note that platform 107 establishes separate potential bearer paths to both wireless telephone 101 and packet network appliance 105 . if desired , platform 107 can route incoming calls to only wireless telephone 101 if appliance 105 is not logged in to platform 107 . if desired , platform 107 can route incoming calls to only appliance 105 if wireless telephone 101 is not on . alternatively , the user can log into platform 107 and select call routing — route to both , route to telephone 101 , or route to appliance 105 . in this example , the user answers wireless telephone 101 . in response to the user &# 39 ; s answer , wireless telephone 101 indicates to wireless service node 103 that it has been answered , and wireless service node 103 transfers answer signaling to platform 107 indicating that wireless telephone 101 has answered the call . in response to the answer signaling , platform 107 transfers answer signaling , such as an ss7 answer message , to telephone network 104 . in response to the answer signaling , node 103 , network 104 , and platform 107 cut through the call over the bearer path to provide duplex communications between the caller and the called party ( the user of wireless telephone 101 ). note that before cut - through , only the portion of the duplex bearer path from the called party to the caller is operational , but after cut - through , the portion of the duplex bearer path from the caller to the called party becomes operational as well . platform 107 transfers stop ring signaling to packet network appliance 105 , and in response , appliance 105 stops alerting the user for the incoming call . platform 107 logs the call by recording the date , time , and telephone numbers associated with the call . platform 107 also logs whether the call uses wireless telephone 101 or packet network appliance 105 . platform 107 also drops the potential bearer path to appliance 105 . at this point , the duplex bearer path for the call extends from the caller ( not shown ) through telephone network 104 to wireless service node 103 to platform 107 then back to wireless service node 103 and on to wireless telephone 101 . fig4 illustrates a call through telephone network 104 to packet network appliance 105 in an example of the invention . a caller ( not shown ) places the call to the shared telephone number . telephone network 104 receives call request signaling for the call , and in response , transfers call request signaling to wireless service node 103 . based on the shared telephone number in the call request , wireless service node 103 transfers call request signaling to platform 107 . wireless service node 103 also accepts a bearer path for the call from telephone network 104 , and extends this bearer path to platform 107 . in response to the call request signaling , platform 107 transfers a ringback tone over the bearer path to wireless service node 103 , to telephone network 104 , and on to the caller to indicate that the call is proceeding . in response to the call request signaling , platform 107 identifies wireless telephone 101 and packet appliance 105 as associated with the called telephone number , and transfers separate ring instruction signaling to wireless service node 103 and packet network appliance 105 . the ring instruction signaling to wireless service node 104 could be an ss7 iam , and the ring instruction signaling to packet network appliance could 105 be a sip invite . platform 107 also extends the bearer path from wireless service node 103 over separate potential bearer paths to wireless service node 103 and to packet network appliance 105 . in response to the ring instruction signaling , packet network appliance 105 alerts the user of an incoming call through a ring , vibration , or other call alert . in response to the other ring instruction signaling , wireless service node 103 transfers ring instruction signaling to wireless telephone 101 , and wireless telephone 101 alerts the user of an incoming call through a ring , vibration , or other call alert . wireless service node 103 also extends the potential bearer path from platform 107 to wireless telephone 101 . in this example , the user answers packet network appliance 105 . in response to the user &# 39 ; s answer , packet network appliance 105 transfers answer signaling to platform 107 indicating that packet network appliance 105 has answered the call . in response to the answer signaling , platform 107 transfers answer signaling , such as an ss7 answer message , to telephone network 104 . in response to the answer signaling , node 103 , network 104 , and platform 107 cut through the call over the bearer path to provide duplex communications between the caller and the called party ( the user of packet network appliance 105 ). note that before cut - through , only the portion of the duplex bearer path from the called party to the caller is operational , but after cut - through , the portion of the duplex bearer path from the caller to the called party becomes operational . platform 107 transfers stop ring signaling to wireless service node 103 , and in response , wireless service node 103 transfers stop ring signaling to wireless telephone 101 , and wireless telephone 101 stops alerting the user for the incoming call . platform 107 logs the call by recording the date , time , and telephone numbers associated with the call . platform 107 also logs whether the call uses wireless telephone 101 or packet network appliance 105 . platform 107 also drops the potential bearer path back to wireless service node 103 , and wireless service node 103 drops the potential bearer path to wireless telephone 101 . at this point , the duplex bearer path for the call extends from the caller ( not shown ) through telephone network 104 to wireless service node 103 to platform 107 and on to packet network appliance 105 . fig5 illustrates a call from packet network appliance 105 through telephone network 104 to a called party in an example of the invention . the user operates packet network appliance 105 to transfer call request signaling , such as a sip invite , to platform 107 . in response , platform 107 transfers a call request , such as an ss7 iam , to telephone network 104 . platform 107 places the shared telephone number as the caller telephone number in the call request signaling to telephone network 104 . thus , the telephone number shared with wireless telephone 101 is delivered to the caller as the automatic number identification ( ani ) on calls placed by packet network appliance 105 . platform 107 establishes a bearer path from packet network appliance 105 to telephone network 104 . platform 107 receives alerting signaling from telephone network 104 indicating that the called party is being alerted . in response to the alerting signaling , platform 107 transfers ringback signaling to appliance 105 , and appliance 105 plays a ringback tone to the caller ( the user of appliance 105 ). platform 107 receives answer signaling from telephone network 104 indicating that the called party has answered the call . in response to the answer signaling , platform 107 and telephone network 104 cut - through the bearer path . platform 107 transfers stop ringback signaling to appliance 105 , and appliance 105 stops playing the ringback tone to the caller . platform 107 also logs the call as described above . at this point , the duplex bearer path for the call extends from packet network appliance 105 to platform 107 to telephone network 104 and on to the called party ( not shown ). fig6 illustrates a call from wireless telephone 101 through telephone network 104 to a called party in an example of the invention . the user operates wireless telephone 101 to transfer call request signaling to wireless service node 103 . in response to the call request signaling from wireless telephone 101 , wireless service node 103 transfers call request signaling to platform 107 and establishes a bearer path to platform 107 . in response , platform 107 transfers a call request , such as an ss7 lam , to telephone network 104 . platform 107 places the shared telephone number as the caller telephone number in the call request signaling to telephone network 104 . thus , the telephone number shared with packet network appliance 105 is delivered to the caller as the automatic number identification ( ani ) on calls placed by wireless telephone 101 . platform 107 also extends the bearer path to telephone network 104 . platform 107 receives alerting signaling from telephone network 104 indicating that the called party is being alerted . in response to the alerting signaling , platform 107 transfers ringback signaling to wireless service node 103 , and wireless service node 103 transfers ringback signaling to wireless telephone 101 . in response to the ringback signaling , wireless telephone 101 plays a ringback tone to the caller ( the user of wireless telephone 101 ). platform 107 receives answer signaling from telephone network 104 indicating that the called party has answered the call , and in response , platform 107 transfers answer signaling to wireless service node 103 . in response to the answer signaling , node 103 , platform 107 , and telephone network 104 cut - through the bearer path . wireless service node 103 also transfers stop ringback signaling to wireless telephone 101 , and wireless telephone 101 stops playing the ringback tone to the caller . platform 107 also logs the call as described above . at this point , the duplex bearer path for the call extends from wireless telephone 101 to wireless service node 103 to platform 107 to telephone network 104 and on to the called party ( not shown ). in the above examples , the user could initiate calls from either wireless telephone 101 or packet network appliance 105 . note that the same telephone number is delivered as the ani on these calls . on incoming calls to the shared telephone number , note that the user has the option of answering the call over either wireless telephone 101 or packet network appliance 105 . this option is facilitated by the use of simultaneous ringing and separate potential bearer paths . advantageously , wireless telephone 101 and packet network appliance 105 share the same telephone number . also note that calls can be routed through platform 107 , so platform 107 can log all calls and apply additional services . fig7 illustrates a messaging service in an example of the invention . communication system 100 now includes message server 108 . message server 108 could support a short message service ( sms ), or some other form of messaging service . when message server 108 receives a message for wireless telephone 101 , message server 108 forwards the message to wireless telephone 101 over a messaging channel — typically a signaling link through wireless service node 103 and network 102 . message server 107 also forwards the message to platform 107 . platform 107 transfers the message to packet network appliance 105 . thus , messages for the user of wireless telephone 101 that are received into message server 108 are transferred to both wireless telephone 101 and packet network appliance 105 . alternatively , when message server 108 receives a message for wireless telephone 101 or packet network appliance 105 , message server 108 forwards the message to platform 107 . in response , platform 107 transfers the message through wireless service node 103 to wireless telephone 101 , and platform 107 also transfers the message to packet network appliance 105 . if desired , platform 107 can discard messages for appliance 105 if appliance 105 is not logged in to platform 107 . if desired , platform 107 can discard messages for wireless telephone 101 if telephone 101 is not on . alternatively , the user can log into platform 107 and select message routing — route to both , route to telephone 101 , or route to appliance 105 . wireless telephone 101 transfers messages to message server 108 over the messaging channel . in response , message server 108 forwards the message to the appropriate recipient . alternatively , wireless telephone 101 could transfer the messages to platform 107 , and platform 107 could transfer the messages to message server 108 . packet network appliance 105 also transfers messages to platform 107 . this message transfer could use sip over signaling link 211 . platform 107 forwards the message to message server 108 . this message forwarding could use sms . in response , message server 108 forwards the message to the appropriate recipient . fig8 illustrates a voice mail service in an example of the invention . communication system 100 now includes voice mail server 109 . when an incoming call is not answered by the user from either wireless telephone 101 or appliance 105 after a set time period or number of rings , platform 107 extends the call to voice mail server 109 . the caller then leaves a voice mail for the user with voice mail server 109 . voice mail server 109 informs platform 107 that a voice message has been received for the shared telephone number . in response , platform 107 transfers a message waiting indicator over a signaling channel to wireless telephone 101 , and wireless telephone 101 indicates the waiting message to the user through a tone , icon , or some other notice . platform 107 also transfers a message waiting indicator over the signaling channel to packet network appliance 105 , and network appliance 105 indicates the waiting message to the user through a tone , icon , or some other notice . the user may access the voice mail through wireless telephone 101 by calling voice mail . wireless service node 103 extends the call to voice mail server 109 , and the user interacts with voice mail server 109 to access the voice mail . the user may also access the voice mail through network appliance 105 by calling voice mail . platform 107 extends the call to voice mail server 109 , and the user interacts with voice mail server 109 to access the voice mail . after the voice mail is accessed by the user , voice mail server 109 informs platform 107 that no messages are awaiting . in response , platform 107 transfers a no message waiting indicator over the signaling channel to wireless telephone 101 , and wireless telephone 101 removes the message waiting indication . platform 107 also transfers a no message waiting indicator over the signaling channel to packet network appliance 105 , and network appliance 105 removes the message waiting indication . in some examples , wireless service node 103 may also have an associated voice mail server ( not shown ). unanswered calls could also be transferred to this voice mail system . thus , the voice mail operations described above could be distributed between voice mail server 109 and the voice mail server associated with wireless service node 103 . note that communication platform 107 typically handles calls to and from the telephone number . this enables platform 107 to maintain a detailed call log for the telephone number by allocating calls into lists for incoming calls , outgoing calls , received calls , and recent calls — even if appliance 105 is used on the call . each list indicates the telephone numbers , time , date , and user device ( telephone 101 or appliance 105 ) associated with each call . the user may access their call log through packet network appliance 105 by accessing platform 107 over packet network 106 . once the user logs - in to platform 107 , platform 107 provides a graphical user interface ( gui ) with options , and one of the options is to view the call log . when viewing the call log through appliance 105 , the user may place another call by selecting one of the calls . platform 107 then initiates a call from appliance 105 to telephone network 104 using the telephone number from the selected entry . wireless telephone 101 could maintain its own call log for the calls it actually handles , or the call log in telephone 101 could be synchronized with the call log in platform 107 over the signaling channel . wireless telephone 101 maintains a personal address book . the personal address book includes a list of names and telephone numbers . platform 107 maintains copy of the personal address book , and the two personal address books can be synchronized over the signaling channel . if the user modifies the personal address book in telephone 101 , then the change is reflected in the personal address book in platform 107 . if the user modifies the personal address book in platform 105 , then the change is reflected in the personal address book in telephone 101 . in addition , the user may access their personal address book in platform 107 through packet network appliance 105 over packet network 106 . once the user logs - in to platform 107 , platform 107 provides a graphical user interface ( gui ) with options , and one of the options is to view and edit the personal address book . when viewing the personal address book through appliance 105 , the user may place another call by selecting one of the address book entries . platform 107 then initiates a call from appliance 105 to telephone network 104 using the telephone number from the selected entry . note that the user can also initiate calls in a similar fashion from telephone 101 using its personal address book . advantageously , wireless telephone 101 and packet network appliance 105 share the same telephone number . communication network 100 integrates several services for wireless telephone 101 and packet network appliance 105 . the user has the option of using either wireless telephone 101 or packet network appliance 105 to place and answer calls , send and receive messages , and access voice mail . the user also has the option of accessing a call log or personal address book from either wireless telephone 101 or packet network appliance 105 . the user may then place calls from either the call log or the personal address book . | 7 |
an optical image capturing system , in order from an object side to an image side , includes a first lens , a second lens , a third lens , a fourth lens , a fifth lens , and a sixth lens elements with refractive power . the optical image capturing system may further include an image sensing device which is disposed on an image plane . the optical image capturing system is to use five sets of wavelengths which are 470 nm , 510 nm , 555 nm , 610 nm and 650 nm , respectively , wherein 555 nm is served as the primary reference wavelength . a ratio of the focal length f of the optical image capturing system to a focal length fp of each of lens elements with positive refractive power is ppr . a ratio of the focal length f of the optical image capturing system to a focal length fn of each of lens elements with negative refractive power is npr . a sum of the ppr of all lens elements with positive refractive power is σppr . a sum of the npr of all lens elements with negative refractive powers is inpr . it is beneficial to control the total refractive power and the total length of the optical image capturing system when following conditions are satisfied : 0 . 5 ≦ σppr /| σnpr |≦ 2 . 5 . preferably , the following relation may be satisfied : 1 ≦ σppr /| σnpr |≦ 2 . 0 . height of the optical image capturing system is hos . when the ratio of hos / f is closed to 1 , it &# 39 ; s favorable for manufacturing a minimized optical image capturing system for image formation with ultra - high pixels . the sixth lens element with negative refractive power may have a concave image - side surface . hereby , the back focal length is reduced for maintaining the miniaturization , to miniaturize the lens element effectively . in addition , at least one of the object - side and the image - side surfaces of the sixth lens element may have at least one inflection point , such that the angle of incident with incoming light from an off - axis view field can be suppressed effectively and the aberration in the off - axis view field can be corrected further . preferably , each of the object - side surface and the image - side surface of the sixth lens element has at least one inflection point . the optical image capturing system may further include an image sensing device which is disposed on an image plane . half of a diagonal of an effective detection field of the image sensing device ( imaging height or the maximum image height of the optical image capturing system ) is hoi . a distance on the optical axis from the object - side surface of the first lens element to the image plane is hos . the following relation is satisfied : hos / hoi ≦ 3 and 0 . 5 ≦ hos / f ≦ 10 . preferably , the following relation may be satisfied : 1 ≦ hos / hoi ≦ 2 . 5 and 1 ≦ hos / f ≦ 9 . hereby , the miniaturization of the optical image capturing system can be maintained effectively , to be carried by lightweight portable electronic devices . in addition , in the optical image capturing system of the disclosure , according to different requirements , at least one aperture stops may be arranged for reducing stray light and improving the image quality . in the optical image capturing system of the disclosure , the aperture stop may be a front or middle aperture . the front aperture is the aperture stop between a photographed object and the first lens element . the middle aperture is the aperture stop between the first lens element and the image plane . if the aperture stop is the front aperture , a longer distance between the exit pupil and the image plane of the optical image capturing system can be formed , such that more optical elements can be disposed in the optical image capturing system and the effect of receiving images of the image sensing device can be raised . if the aperture stop is the middle aperture , the view angle of the optical image capturing system can be expended , such that the optical image capturing system has the same advantage that is owned by wide angle cameras . a distance from the aperture stop to the image plane is ins . the following relation is satisfied : 0 . 3 ≦ ins / hos ≦ 1 . 1 . preferably , the following relation may be satisfied : 0 . 4 ≦ ins / hos ≦ 1 . hereby , features of maintaining the minimization for the optical image capturing system and having wide - angle are available simultaneously . in the optical image capturing system of the disclosure , a distance from the object - side surface of the first lens element to the image - side surface of the sixth lens element is intl . a total central thickness of all lens elements with refractive power on the optical axis is σtp . the following relation is satisfied : 0 . 45 ≦ σtp / intl ≦ 0 . 95 . hereby , contrast ratio for the image formation in the optical image capturing system and defect - free rate for manufacturing the lens element can be given consideration simultaneously , and a proper back focal length is provided to dispose others optical components in the optical image capturing system . a curvature radius of the object - side surface of the first lens element is r 1 . a curvature radius of the image - side surface of the first lens element is r 2 . the following relation is satisfied : 0 . 01 ≦| r 1 / r 2 |≦ 10 . hereby , the first lens element may have proper strength of the positive refractive power , to avoid the longitudinal spherical aberration to increase too fast . preferably , the following relation may be satisfied : 0 . 01 ≦| r 1 / r 2 |≦ 7 . a curvature radius of the object - side surface of the sixth lens element is r 11 . a curvature radius of the image - side surface of the sixth lens element is r 12 . the following relation is satisfied : − 80 & lt ;( r 11 − r 12 )/( r 11 + r 12 )& lt ; 30 . hereby , the astigmatic generated by the optical image capturing system can be corrected beneficially . a distance between the first lens element and the second lens element on the optical axis is in 12 . the following relation is satisfied : 0 & lt ; in 12 / f ≦ 2 . preferably , the following relation may be satisfied : 0 . 01 ≦ in 12 / f ≦ 1 . 9 . hereby , the chromatic aberration of the lens elements can be improved , such that the performance can be increased . central thicknesses of the first lens element and the second lens element on the optical axis are tp 1 and tp 2 , respectively . the following relation is satisfied : 1 ≦( tp 1 + in 12 )/ tp 2 ≦ 10 . hereby , the sensitivity produced by the optical image capturing system can be controlled , and the performance can be increased . central thicknesses of the fifth lens element and the sixth lens element on the optical axis are tp 5 and tp 6 , respectively , and a distance between the fifth lens element and the sixth lens element on the optical axis is in 56 . the following relation is satisfied : 0 . 2 ≦( tp 6 + in 56 )/ tp 5 ≦ 20 . hereby , the sensitivity produced by the optical image capturing system can be controlled and the total height of the optical image capturing system can be reduced . central thicknesses of the third lens element , the fourth lens element , and the fifth lens element on the optical axis are tp 3 , tp 4 , and tp 5 , respectively . a distance between the third lens element and the fourth lens element on the optical axis is in 34 . a distance between the fourth lens element and the fifth lens element on the optical axis is in 45 . a distance from the object - side surface of the first lens element to the image - side surface of the sixth lens element is intl . the following relation is satisfied : 0 . 1 ≦( tp 3 + tp 4 + tp 5 )/ σtp ≦ 0 . 8 . preferably , the following relation may be satisfied : 0 . 4 ≦( tp 3 + tp 4 + tp 5 )/ σtp ≦ 0 . 8 . hereby , the aberration generated by the process of moving the incident light can be adjusted slightly layer upon layer , and the total height of the optical image capturing system can be reduced . a distance in parallel with an optical axis from a maximum effective diameter position to an axial point on the object - side surface of the fifth lens element is inrs 51 ( the inrs 51 is positive if the horizontal displacement is toward the image - side surface , or the inrs 51 is negative if the horizontal displacement is toward the object - side surface ). a distance in parallel with an optical axis from a maximum effective diameter position to an axial point on the image - side surface of the fifth lens element is inrs 52 . a central thickness of the fifth lens element on the optical axis is tp 5 . the following relation is satisfied : 0 & lt ;| inrs 52 |/ tp 5 ≦ 5 . hereby , it &# 39 ; s favorable for manufacturing and forming the lens element and for maintaining the minimization for the optical image capturing system . a distance perpendicular to the optical axis between a critical point on the object - side surface of the fifth lens element and the optical axis is hvt 51 . a distance perpendicular to the optical axis between a critical point on the image - side surface of the fifth lens element and the optical axis is hvt 52 . the following relation is satisfied : 0 ≦ hvt 51 / hvt 52 . hereby , the aberration of the off - axis view field can be corrected effectively . a distance in parallel with an optical axis from a maximum effective diameter position to an axial point on the object - side surface of the sixth lens element is inrs 61 . a distance in parallel with an optical axis from a maximum effective diameter position to an axial point on the image - side surface of the sixth lens element is inrs 62 . a central thickness of the sixth lens element is tp 6 . the following relation is satisfied : 0 & lt ;| inrs 62 |/ tp 6 & lt ; 3 . hereby , it &# 39 ; s favorable for manufacturing and forming the lens element and for maintaining the minimization for the optical image capturing system . a distance perpendicular to the optical axis between a critical point on the object - side surface of the sixth lens element and the optical axis is hvt 61 . a distance perpendicular to the optical axis between a critical point on the image - side surface of the sixth lens element and the optical axis is hvt 62 . the following relation is satisfied : 0 & lt ; hvt 61 / hvt 62 . hereby , the aberration of the off - axis view field can be corrected effectively . the following relation is satisfied for the optical image capturing system of the disclosure : 0 . 2 ≦ hvt 62 / hoi ≦ 0 . 9 . preferably , the following relation may be satisfied : 0 . 3 ≦ hvt 62 / hoi ≦ 0 . 8 . hereby , the aberration of surrounding view field for the optical image capturing system can be corrected beneficially . the following relation is satisfied for the optical image capturing system of the disclosure : 0 ≦ hvt 62 / hos ≦ 0 . 5 . preferably , the following relation may be satisfied : 0 . 2 ≦ hvt 62 / hos ≦ 0 . 45 . hereby , the aberration of surrounding view field for the optical image capturing system can be corrected beneficially . a distance in parallel with an optical axis from an inflection point to an axial point on the object - side surface of the sixth lens element is denoted by inf 61 . a distance in parallel with an optical axis from an inflection point to an axial point on the image - side surface of the sixth lens element is denoted by inf 62 . the following relation is satisfied : 0 & lt ; inf 62 /( inf 62 + ct 6 )≦ 5 . preferably , the following relation may be satisfied : 0 . 1 ≦ inf 62 /( inf 62 + ct 6 )≦ 1 . the following relation is satisfied for the optical image capturing system of the disclosure : 1 mm ≦| inrs 52 |+| inrs 61 |≦ 5 mm . preferably , the following relation may be satisfied : 1 . 5 mm ≦| inrs 52 |+| inrs 61 |≦ 3 . 5 mm . thus , it &# 39 ; s favorable for correcting the aberration of surrounding view field for the optical image capturing system by controlling a distance of a maximum effective diameter between adjacent surfaces of the fifth lens element and the sixth lens element . the following relation is satisfied for the optical image capturing system of the disclosure : 0 ≦ inf 62 /| inrs 62 |≦ 120 . hereby , a depth of the maximum effective diameter and positions of appearing inflection points on the image - side surface of the sixth lens element can be controlled , to correct the aberration of off - axis view field and maintain the minimization for the optical image capturing system effectively . in one embodiment of the optical image capturing system of the present disclosure , the chromatic aberration of the optical image capturing system can be corrected by staggering the lens element with high dispersion coefficient and the lens element with low dispersion coefficient . z = ch 2 /[ 1 +[ 1 −( k + 1 ) c 2 h 2 ] 0 . 5 ]+ a 4 h 4 + a 6 h 6 + a 8 h 8 + a 10 h 10 + a 12 h 12 + a 14 h 14 + a 16 h ′ 6 + a 18 h 18 + a 20 h 20 + . . . ( 1 ), where z is a position value of the position along the optical axis and at the height h which reference to the surface apex ; k is the conic coefficient , c is the reciprocal of curvature radius , and a4 , a6 , a8 , a10 , a12 , a14 , a16 , a18 , and a20 are high order aspheric coefficients . the optical image capturing system provided by the disclosure , the lens elements may be made of glass or plastic material . if plastic material is adopted to produce the lens elements , the cost of manufacturing will be lowered effectively . if lens elements are made of glass , the heat effect can be controlled and the designed space arranged for the refractive power of the optical image capturing system can be increased . besides , the object - side surface and the image - side surface of the first through sixth lens elements may be aspheric , so as to obtain more control variables . comparing with the usage of traditional lens element made by glass , the number of using lens elements can be reduced and the aberration can be eliminated . therefore , the total height of the optical image capturing system can be reduced effectively . in addition , in the optical image capturing system provided of the disclosure , the lens element has a convex surface if the surface of the lens element is convex adjacent to the optical axis . the lens element has a concave surface if the surface of the lens element is concaving adjacent to the optical axis . in addition , in the optical image capturing system of the disclosure , according to different requirements , at least one aperture stop may be arranged for reducing stray light and improving the image quality . in the optical image capturing system of the disclosure , the aperture stop may be a front or middle aperture . the front aperture is the aperture stop between a photographed object and the first lens element . the middle aperture is the aperture stop between the first lens element and the image plane . if the aperture stop is the front aperture , a longer distance between the exit pupil and the image plane of the optical image capturing system can be formed , such that more optical elements can be disposed in the optical image capturing system and the effect of receiving images of the image sensing device can be raised . if the aperture stop is the middle aperture , the view angle of the optical image capturing system can be expended , such that the optical image capturing system has the same advantage that is owned by wide angle cameras . the optical image capturing system of the disclosure can be adapted to the optical image capturing system with automatic focus if required . with the features of a good aberration correction and a high quality of image formation , the optical image capturing system can be used in various application fields . according to the above embodiments , the specific embodiments with figures are presented in detailed as below . please refer to fig1 a , fig1 b , and fig1 c , fig1 a is a schematic view of the optical image capturing system according to the first embodiment of the present application , fig1 b is longitudinal spherical aberration curves , astigmatic field curves , and an optical distortion curve of the optical image capturing system in the order from left to right according to the first embodiment of the present application , and fig1 c is a tv distortion grid of the optical image capturing system according to the first embodiment of the present application . as shown in fig1 a , in order from an object side to an image side , the optical image capturing system includes a first lens element 110 , an aperture stop 100 , a second lens element 120 , a third lens element 130 , a fourth lens element 140 , a fifth lens element 150 , a sixth lens element 160 , an ir - bandstop filter 170 , an image plane 180 , and an image sensing device 190 . the first lens element 110 has positive refractive power and it is made of plastic material . the first lens element 110 has a convex object - side surface 112 and a concave image - side surface 114 , and both of the object - side surface 112 and the image - side surface 114 are aspheric . the second lens element 120 has negative refractive power and it is made of plastic material . the second lens element 120 has a convex object - side surface 122 and a concave image - side surface 124 , and both of the object - side surface 122 and the image - side surface 124 are aspheric . the third lens element 130 has positive refractive power and it is made of plastic material . the third lens element 130 has a convex object - side surface 132 and a convex image - side surface 134 , and both of the object - side surface 132 and the image - side surface 134 are aspheric . the fourth lens element 140 has negative refractive power and it is made of plastic material . the fourth lens element 140 has a concave object - side surface 142 and a convex image - side surface 144 , and both of the object - side surface 142 and the image - side surface 144 are aspheric . the fifth lens element 150 has positive refractive power and it is made of plastic material . the fifth lens element 150 has a convex object - side surface 152 and a convex image - side surface 154 , both of the object - side surface 152 and the image - side surface 154 are aspheric , and the object - side surface 152 has inflection points . the sixth lens element 160 has negative refractive power and it is made of plastic material . the sixth lens element 160 has a concave object - side surface 162 and a concave image - side surface 164 , both of the object - side surface 162 and the image - side surface 164 are aspheric , and the image - side surface 164 has inflection points . the ir - bandstop filter 180 is made of glass material without affecting the focal length of the optical image capturing system and it is disposed between the sixth lens element 160 and the image plane 170 . in the first embodiment of the optical image capturing system , a focal length of the optical image capturing system is f , an entrance pupil diameter of the optical image capturing system is hep , and half of a maximal view angle of the optical image capturing system is haf . the detailed parameters are shown as below : f = 5 . 2905 mm , f / hep = 1 . 4 , haf = 36 degree and tan ( haf )= 0 . 7265 . in the first embodiment of the optical image capturing system , a focal length of the first lens element 110 is f 1 and a focal length of the sixth lens element 160 is f 6 . the following relation is satisfied : f 1 = 7 . 984 mm , | f / f 1 |= 0 . 6626 , f 6 =− 6 . 1818 mm , | f 1 |& gt ; f 6 , and | f 1 / f 6 |= 1 . 2915 . in the first embodiment of the optical image capturing system , focal lengths of the second lens element 120 , the third lens element 130 , the fourth lens element 140 , and the fifth lens element 150 are f 2 , f 3 , f 4 , and f 5 , respectively . the following relation is satisfied : | f 2 |+| f 3 |+| f 4 |+| f 5 |= 27 . 9195 mm , | f 1 |+| f 6 |= 14 . 1658 mm , and | f 2 |+| f 3 |+| f 4 |+| f 5 |+| f 6 |& gt ;| f 1 |+| f 6 |. a ratio of the focal length f of the optical image capturing system to a focal length fp of each of lens elements with positive refractive power is ppr . a ratio of the focal length f of the optical image capturing system to a focal length fn of each of lens elements with negative refractive power is npr . in the first embodiment of the optical image capturing system , a sum of the ppr of all lens elements with the positive refractive power is σppr = f / f 1 + f / f 3 + f / f 5 = 2 . 7814 . a sum of the npr of all lens elements with the negative refractive power is σnpr = f / f 2 + f / f 4 + f / f 6 =− 2 . 0611 , σppr /| σnpr |= 1 . 3494 . in the first embodiment of the optical image capturing system , a distance from the object - side surface 112 of the first lens element to the image - side surface 164 of the sixth lens element is intl . a distance from the object - side surface 112 of the first lens element to the image plane 180 is hos . a distance from an aperture stop 100 to the image plane 180 is ins . half of a diagonal of an effective detection field of the image sensing device 190 is hoi . a distance from the image - side surface 164 of the sixth lens element to the image plane 180 is inb . the following relation is satisfied : intl + inb = hos , hos = 8 . 9645 mm , hoi = 3 . 913 mm , hos / hoi = 2 . 2910 , hos / f = 1 . 6945 , ins = 8 . 3101 mm , and ins / hos = 0 . 927 . in the first embodiment of the optical image capturing system , a total central thickness of all lens elements with refractive power on the optical axis is σtp . the following relation is satisfied : σtp = 5 . 2801 mm and σtp / intl = 0 . 6445 . hereby , contrast ratio for the image formation in the optical image capturing system and defect - free rate for manufacturing the lens element can be given consideration simultaneously , and a proper back focal length is provided to dispose others optical components in the optical image capturing system . in the first embodiment of the optical image capturing system , a curvature radius of the object - side surface 112 of the first lens element is r 1 and a curvature radius of the image - side surface 114 of the first lens element is r 2 . the following relation is satisfied : | r 1 / r 2 |= 0 . 598 . hereby , the first lens element may have proper strength of the positive refractive power , to avoid the longitudinal spherical aberration to increase too fast . in the first embodiment of the optical image capturing system , a curvature radius of the object - side surface 162 of the sixth lens element is r 11 and a curvature radius of the image - side surface 164 of the sixth lens element is r 12 . the following relation is satisfied : ( r 11 − r 12 )/( r 11 + r 12 )=− 0 . 7976 . hereby , the astigmatic generated by the optical image capturing system can be corrected beneficially . in the first embodiment of the optical image capturing system , focal lengths of the first lens element 110 , the third lens element 130 , and the fifth lens element 150 are f 1 , f 3 , and f 5 , respectively . a sum of focal lengths of all lens elements with positive refractive power is σpp . the following relation is satisfied : σpp = f 1 + f 3 + f 5 = 18 . 3455 mm and f 1 /( f 1 + f 3 + f 5 )= 0 . 4352 . hereby , it &# 39 ; s favorable for allocating the positive refractive power of the first lens element 110 to others convex lens elements , and the significant aberrations generated in the process of moving the incident light can be suppressed . in the first embodiment of the optical image capturing system , focal lengths of the second lens element 120 , the fourth lens element 140 , and the sixth lens element 160 are f 2 , f 4 , and f 6 , respectively . a sum of focal lengths of all lens elements with negative refractive power is σnp . the following relation is satisfied : σnp = f 2 + f 4 + f 6 =− 23 . 7398 mm and f 6 /( f 2 + f 4 + f 6 )= 0 . 3724 . hereby , it &# 39 ; s favorable for allocating the negative refractive power of the sixth lens element to others concave lens elements , and the significant aberrations generated in the process of moving the incident light can be suppressed . in the first embodiment of the optical image capturing system , a distance between the first lens element 110 and the second lens element 120 on the optical axis is in 12 . the following relation is satisfied : in 12 = 0 . 8266 mm and in 12 / f = 0 . 1562 . hereby , the chromatic aberration of the lens elements can be improved , such that the performance can be increased . in the first embodiment of the optical image capturing system , central thicknesses of the first lens element 110 and the second lens element 120 on the optical axis are tp 1 and tp 2 , respectively . the following relation is satisfied : tp 1 = 0 . 6065 mm , tp 2 = 0 . 4574 mm , and ( tp 1 + in 12 )/ tp 2 = 3 . 1331 . hereby , the sensitivity produced by the optical image capturing system can be controlled , and the performance can be increased . in the first embodiment of the optical image capturing system , central thicknesses of the fifth lens element 150 and the sixth lens element 160 on the optical axis are tp 5 and tp 6 , respectively , and a distance between the fifth lens element and the sixth lens element on the optical axis is in 56 . the following relation is satisfied : tp 5 = 1 . 0952 mm , tp 6 = 0 . 4789 mm , and ( tp 6 + in 56 )/ tp 5 = 1 . 3378 . hereby , the sensitivity produced by the optical image capturing system can be controlled and the total height of the optical image capturing system can be reduced . in the first embodiment of the optical image capturing system , central thicknesses of the third lens element 130 , the fourth lens element 140 , and the fifth lens element 150 on the optical axis are tp 3 , tp 4 , and tp 5 , respectively . a distance between the third lens element 130 and the fourth lens element 140 on the optical axis is in 34 . a distance between the fourth lens element 140 and the fifth lens element 150 on the optical axis is in 45 . the following relation is satisfied : tp 3 = 2 . 0138 mm , tp 4 = 0 . 6283 mm , tp 5 = 1 . 0952 mm , and ( tp 3 + tp 4 + tp 5 )/ σtp = 0 . 5843 . hereby , the aberration generated by the process of moving the incident light can be adjusted slightly layer upon layer , and the total height of the optical image capturing system can be reduced . in the first embodiment of the optical image capturing system , a distance in parallel with an optical axis from a maximum effective diameter position to an axial point on the object - side surface 152 of the fifth lens element is inrs 51 . a distance in parallel with an optical axis from a maximum effective diameter position to an axial point on the image - side surface 154 of the fifth lens element is inrs 52 . a central thickness of the fifth lens element 150 on the optical axis is tp 5 . the following relation is satisfied : inrs 51 = 0 . 3945 mm , inrs 52 =− 0 . 5015 mm , and | inrs 52 |/ tp 5 = 0 . 4579 . hereby , it &# 39 ; s favorable for manufacturing and forming the lens element and for maintaining the minimization for the optical image capturing system . in the first embodiment of the optical image capturing system , a distance perpendicular to the optical axis between a critical point on the object - side surface 152 of the fifth lens element and the optical axis is hvt 51 . a distance perpendicular to the optical axis between a critical point on the image - side surface 154 of the fifth lens element and the optical axis is hvt 52 . the following relation is satisfied : hvt 51 = 2 . 3446 mm and hvt 52 = 1 . 2401 mm . in the first embodiment of the optical image capturing system , a distance in parallel with an optical axis from an inflection point to an axial point on the object - side surface 152 of the fifth lens element is inf 51 . a distance in parallel with an optical axis from an inflection point to an axial point on the image - side surface 154 of the fifth lens element is inf 52 . the following relation is satisfied : inf 51 = 0 . 4427 mm , inf 52 = 0 . 0638 mm , hvt 52 /( inf 52 + ct 5 )= 1 . 070 , and tan − 1 ( hvt 52 /( inf 52 + ct 5 ))= 46 . 9368 degree . in the first embodiment of the optical image capturing system , a distance in parallel with an optical axis from a maximum effective diameter position to an axial point on the object - side surface 162 of the sixth lens element is inrs 61 . a distance in parallel with an optical axis from a maximum effective diameter position to an axial point on the image - side surface 164 of the sixth lens element is inrs 62 . a central thickness of the sixth lens element 160 is tp 6 . the following relation is satisfied : inrs 61 =− 1 . 4393 mm , inrs 62 =− 0 . 1489 mm , and | inrs 62 |/ tp 6 = 0 . 3109 . hereby , it &# 39 ; s favorable for manufacturing and forming the lens element and for maintaining the minimization for the optical image capturing system . in the first embodiment of the optical image capturing system , a distance perpendicular to the optical axis between a critical point on the object - side surface 162 of the sixth lens element and the optical axis is hvt 61 . a distance perpendicular to the optical axis between a critical point on the image - side surface 164 of the sixth lens element and the optical axis is hvt 62 . the following relation is satisfied : hvt 61 = 0 mm , hvt 62 = 3 . 1461 mm , and hvt 61 / hvt 62 = 0 . hereby , the aberration of the off - axis view field can be corrected effectively . in the first embodiment of the optical image capturing system , the following relation is satisfied : hvt 62 / hoi = 0 . 8040 . hereby , the aberration of surrounding view field for the optical image capturing system can be corrected beneficially . in the first embodiment of the optical image capturing system , the following relation is satisfied : hvt 62 / hos = 0 . 3510 . hereby , the aberration of surrounding view field for the optical image capturing system can be corrected beneficially . in the first embodiment of the optical image capturing system , a distance in parallel with an optical axis from an inflection point to an axial point on the object - side surface 162 of the sixth lens element is denoted by inf 61 . a distance in parallel with an optical axis from an inflection point to an axial point on the image - side surface 164 of the sixth lens element is denoted by inf 62 . the following relation is satisfied : inf 61 = 0 mm , inf 62 = 0 . 1954 mm , hvt 62 /( inf 62 + ct 6 )= 4 . 6657 , and tan − 1 ( hvt 62 /( inf 62 + ct 6 ))= 77 . 9028 degree . in the first embodiment of the optical image capturing system , the following relation is satisfied : | inrs 52 |+| inrs 61 |= 1 . 9408 mm . thus , it &# 39 ; s favorable for correcting the aberration of surrounding view field for the optical image capturing system by controlling a distance of a maximum effective diameter between adjacent surfaces of the fifth lens element 150 and the sixth lens element 160 . in the first embodiment of the optical image capturing system , the following relation is satisfied : inf 62 /| inrs 62 |= 1 . 3123 . hereby , a depth of the maximum effective diameter and positions of appearing inflection points on the image - side surface 164 of the sixth lens element 160 can be controlled , to correct the aberration of off - axis view field and maintain the minimization for the optical image capturing system effectively . in the first embodiment of the optical image capturing system , the second lens element 120 , the fourth lens element 140 , and the sixth lens element 160 have negative refractive power . an abbe number of the second lens element is na 2 . an abbe number of the fourth lens element is na 4 . an abbe number of the sixth lens element is na 6 . the following relation is satisfied : 1 ≦ na 6 / na 2 . hereby , the chromatic aberration for the optical image capturing system can be corrected beneficially . in the first embodiment of the optical image capturing system , tv distortion for image formation in the optical image capturing system is tdt and optical distortion for image formation in the optical image capturing is odt . the following relation is satisfied : | tdt |= 0 . 96 % and | odt |= 1 . 9485 %. the detailed data of the optical image capturing system of the first embodiment is as shown in table 1 . table 1 is the detailed structure data to the first embodiment in fig1 a , the unit of the curvature radius , the thickness , the distance , and the focal length is millimeters ( mm ). surfaces 0 - 16 illustrate the surfaces from the object side to the image plane in the optical image capturing system . table 2 is the aspheric coefficients of the first embodiment , k is the conic coefficient in the aspheric surface formula , and a1 - a14 is the first through fourteen order aspheric surface coefficients , respectively . besides , the tables in following embodiments are referenced to the schematic view and the aberration graphs , respectively , and definitions of parameters in the tables are equal to those in the table 1 and the table 2 , so the repetitious details need not be given here . please refer to fig2 a , fig2 b , and fig2 c , fig2 a is a schematic view of the optical image capturing system according to the second embodiment of the present application , fig2 b is longitudinal spherical aberration curves , astigmatic field curves , and an optical distortion curve of the optical image capturing system in the order from left to right according to the second embodiment of the present application , and fig2 c is a tv distortion grid of the optical image capturing system according to the second embodiment of the present application . as shown in fig2 a , in order from an object side to an image side , the optical image capturing system includes an aperture stop 200 first lens element 210 , a second lens element 220 , a third lens element 230 , a fourth lens element 240 , a fifth lens element 250 , a sixth lens element 260 , an ir - bandstop filter 270 , an image plane 280 , and an image sensing device 290 . the first lens element 210 has negative refractive power and it is made of plastic material . the first lens element 210 has a convex object - side surface 212 and a concave image - side surface 214 , and both of the object - side surface 212 and the image - side surface 214 are aspheric . the second lens element 220 has positive refractive power and it is made of plastic material . the second lens element 220 has a convex object - side surface 222 and a convex image - side surface 224 , and both of the object - side surface 222 and the image - side surface 224 are aspheric . the third lens element 230 has negative refractive power and it is made of plastic material . the third lens element 230 has a concave object - side surface 232 and a concave image - side surface 234 , and both of the object - side surface 232 and the image - side surface 234 are aspheric . the fourth lens element 240 has positive refractive power and it is made of plastic material . the fourth lens element 240 has a convex object - side surface 242 and a convex image - side surface 244 , and both of the object - side surface 242 and the image - side surface 244 are aspheric . the fifth lens element 250 has positive refractive power and it is made of plastic material . the fifth lens element 250 has a concave object - side surface 252 and a convex image - side surface 254 , and both of the object - side surface 252 and the image - side surface 254 are aspheric . the sixth lens element 260 has negative refractive power and it is made of plastic material . the sixth lens element 260 has a concave object - side surface 262 and a convex image - side surface 264 , both of the object - side surface 262 and the image - side surface 264 are aspheric , and the image - side surface 264 has inflection points . the ir - bandstop filter 270 is made of glass material without affecting the focal length of the optical image capturing system and it is disposed between the sixth lens element 260 and the image plane 280 . in the second embodiment of the optical image capturing system , focal lengths of the second lens element 220 , the third lens element 230 , the fourth lens element 240 , and the fifth lens element 250 are f 2 , f 3 , f 4 , and f 5 , respectively . the following relation is satisfied : | f 2 |+| f 3 |+| f 4 |+| f 5 |= 13 . 59733 mm , | f 1 |+| f 6 |= 5 . 56188 mm , and | f 2 |+| f 3 |+| f 4 |+| f 5 |& gt ;| f 1 |+| f 6 |. in the second embodiment of the optical image capturing system , a central thickness of the fifth lens element 250 on the optical axis is tp 5 . a central thickness of the sixth lens element 260 is tp 6 . the following relation is satisfied : tp 5 = 0 . 388801 mm and tp 6 = 0 . 347001 mm . in the second embodiment of the optical image capturing system , the second lens element 220 , the fourth lens element 240 , and the fifth lens element 250 are convex lens elements , and focal lengths of the second lens element 220 , the fourth lens element 240 , and the fifth lens element 250 are f 2 , f 4 , and f 5 , respectively . a sum of focal lengths of all lens elements with positive refractive power is σpp . the following relation is satisfied : σpp = f 2 + f 4 + f 5 = 10 . 59517 mm and f 2 /( f 2 + f 4 + f 5 )= 0 . 343240363 . hereby , it &# 39 ; s favorable for allocating the positive refractive power of the second lens element 220 to others convex lens elements and the significant aberrations generated in the process of moving the incident light can be suppressed . in the second embodiment of the optical image capturing system , focal lengths of the first lens element 210 , the third lens element 230 , and the sixth lens element 260 are f 1 , 13 , and f 6 , respectively . a sum of focal lengths of all lens elements with negative refractive power is σnp . the following relation is satisfied : σnp = f 1 + f 3 + f 6 =− 8 . 56404 mm and f 1 /( f 1 + f 3 + f 6 )= 0 . 287991415 . hereby , it &# 39 ; s favorable for allocating the negative refractive power of the first lens element 210 to others concave lens elements . in the second embodiment of the optical image capturing system , a distance perpendicular to the optical axis between a critical point on the object - side surface 252 of the fifth lens element and the optical axis is hvt 51 . a distance perpendicular to the optical axis between a critical point on the image - side surface 254 of the fifth lens element and the optical axis is hvt 52 . the following relation is satisfied : hvt 51 = 0 mm and hvt 52 = 0 mm . a distance in parallel with an optical axis from an inflection point to an axial point on the object - side surface 252 of the fifth lens element is inf 51 . a distance in parallel with an optical axis from an inflection point to an axial point on the image - side surface 254 of the fifth lens element is inf 52 . the following relation is satisfied : inf 51 = 0 mm and inf 52 = 0 mm . the detailed data of the optical image capturing system of the second embodiment is as shown in table 3 . in the second embodiment , the presentation of the aspheric surface formula is similar to that in the first embodiment . besides , the definitions of parameters in following tables are equal to those in the first embodiment , so the repetitious details need not be given here . the following content may be deduced from table 3 and table 4 . please refer to fig3 a , fig3 b , and fig3 c , fig3 a is a schematic view of the optical image capturing system according to the third embodiment of the present application , fig3 b is longitudinal spherical aberration curves , astigmatic field curves , and an optical distortion curve of the optical image capturing system in the order from left to right according to the third embodiment of the present application , and fig3 c is a tv distortion grid of the optical image capturing system according to the third embodiment of the present application . as shown in fig3 a , in order from an object side to an image side , the optical image capturing system includes an aperture stop 300 first lens element 310 , a second lens element 320 , a third lens element 330 , a fourth lens element 340 , a fifth lens element 350 , a sixth lens element 360 , an ir - bandstop filter 370 , an image plane 380 , and an image sensing device 390 . the first lens element 310 has negative refractive power and it is made of plastic material . the first lens element 310 has a convex object - side surface 312 and a concave image - side surface 314 , and both of the object - side surface 312 and the image - side surface 314 are aspheric . the second lens element 320 has positive refractive power and it is made of plastic material . the second lens element 320 has a convex object - side surface 322 and a concave image - side surface 324 , and both of the object - side surface 322 and the image - side surface 324 are aspheric . the third lens element 330 has negative refractive power and it is made of plastic material . the third lens element 330 has a concave object - side surface 332 and a convex image - side surface 334 , and both of the object - side surface 332 and the image - side surface 334 are aspheric . the fourth lens element 340 has positive refractive power and it is made of plastic material . the fourth lens element 340 has a convex object - side surface 342 and a convex image - side surface 344 , and both of the object - side surface 342 and the image - side surface 344 are aspheric . the fifth lens element 350 has positive refractive power and it is made of plastic material . the fifth lens element 350 has a convex object - side surface 352 and a convex image - side surface 354 , and both of the object - side surface 352 and the image - side surface 354 are aspheric . the sixth lens element 360 has negative refractive power and it is made of plastic material . the sixth lens element 360 has a convex object - side surface 362 and a concave image - side surface 364 , both of the object - side surface 362 and the image - side surface 364 are aspheric and have inflection points . the ir - bandstop filter 370 is made of glass material without affecting the focal length of the optical image capturing system and it is disposed between the sixth lens element 360 and the image plane 380 . in the third embodiment of the optical image capturing system , focal lengths of the second through fifths lens elements are f 2 , f 3 , f 4 , and f 5 , respectively . the following relation is satisfied : | f 2 |+| f 3 |+| f 4 |+| f 5 |= 118 . 77051 mm , | f 1 |+| f 6 |= 9 . 27761 mm , and | f 2 |+| f 3 |+| f 4 |+| f 5 |& gt ;| f 1 |+| f 6 |. in the third embodiment of the optical image capturing system , a central thickness of the fifth lens element 350 on the optical axis is tp 5 . a central thickness of the sixth lens element 360 on the optical axis is tp 6 . the following relation is satisfied : tp 5 = 0 . 961615 mm and tp 6 = 0 . 555035 mm . in the third embodiment of the optical image capturing system , the second lens element 320 , the fourth lens element 340 and the fifth lens element 350 are convex lens elements , and focal lengths of the second lens element 320 , the fourth lens element 340 , and the fifth lens element 350 are f 2 , f 4 , and f 5 , respectively . a sum of focal lengths of all lens elements with positive refractive power is σpp . the following relation is satisfied : σpp = f 2 + f 4 + f 5 = 18 . 77471 mm and f 21 ( f 2 + f 4 + f 5 )= 0 . 54229333 . hereby , it &# 39 ; s favorable for allocating the positive refractive power of the second lens element 320 to others convex lens elements and the significant aberrations generated in the process of moving the incident light can be suppressed . in the third embodiment of the optical image capturing system , focal lengths of the first lens element 310 , the third lens element 330 , and the sixth lens element 360 are f 1 , f 3 , and f 6 , respectively . a sum of focal lengths of all lens elements with negative refractive power is σnp . the following relation is satisfied : σnp = f 1 + f 3 + f 6 =− 109 . 27341 mm and f 1 /( f 1 + f 3 + f 6 )= 0 . 039671591 . hereby , it &# 39 ; s favorable for allocating the negative refractive power of the first lens element 310 to others concave lens elements . in the third embodiment of the optical image capturing system , a distance perpendicular to the optical axis between a critical point on the object - side surface 352 of the fifth lens element and the optical axis is hvt 51 . a distance perpendicular to the optical axis between a critical point on the image - side surface 354 of the fifth lens element and the optical axis is hvt 52 . the following relation is satisfied : hvt 51 = 0 mm and hvt 52 = 0 mm . a distance in parallel with an optical axis from an inflection point to an axial point on the object - side surface 352 of the fifth lens element is inf 51 . a distance in parallel with an optical axis from an inflection point to an axial point on the image - side surface 354 of the fifth lens element is inf 52 . the following relation is satisfied : inf 51 = 0 mm and inf 52 = 0 mm . the detailed data of the optical image capturing system of the third embodiment is as shown in table 5 . in the third embodiment , the presentation of the aspheric surface formula is similar to that in the first embodiment . besides , the definitions of parameters in following tables are equal to those in the first embodiment , so the repetitious details need not be given here . the following content may be deduced from table 5 and table 6 . please refer to fig4 a , fig4 b , and fig4 c , fig4 a is a schematic view of the optical image capturing system according to the fourth embodiment of the present application , fig4 b is longitudinal spherical aberration curves , astigmatic field curves , and an optical distortion curve of the optical image capturing system in the order from left to right according to the fourth embodiment of the present application , and fig4 c is a tv distortion grid of the optical image capturing system according to the fourth embodiment of the present application . as shown in fig4 a , in order from an object side to an image side , the optical image capturing system includes an aperture stop 400 first lens element 410 , a second lens element 420 , a third lens element 430 , a fourth lens element 440 , a fifth lens element 450 , a sixth lens element 460 , an ir - bandstop filter 470 , an image plane 480 , and an image sensing device 490 . the first lens element 410 has negative refractive power and it is made of plastic material . the first lens element 410 has a convex object - side surface 412 and a concave image - side surface 414 , and both of the object - side surface 412 and the image - side surface 414 are aspheric . the second lens element 420 has positive refractive power and it is made of plastic material . the second lens element 420 has a convex object - side surface 422 and a concave image - side surface 424 , and both of the object - side surface 422 and the image - side surface 424 are aspheric . the third lens element 430 has positive refractive power and it is made of plastic material . the third lens element 430 has a convex object - side surface 432 and a convex image - side surface 434 , and both of the object - side surface 432 and the image - side surface 434 are aspheric . the fourth lens element 440 has negative refractive power and it is made of plastic material . the fourth lens element 440 has a concave object - side surface 442 and a concave image - side surface 444 , and both of the object - side surface 442 and the image - side surface 444 are aspheric . the fifth lens element 450 has positive refractive power and it is made of plastic material . the fifth lens element 450 has a concave object - side surface 452 and a convex image - side surface 454 , and both of the object - side surface 452 and the image - side surface 454 are aspheric . the sixth lens element 460 has negative refractive power and it is made of plastic material . the sixth lens element 460 has a convex object - side surface 462 and a concave image - side surface 464 , both of the object - side surface 462 and the image - side surface 464 are aspheric and have inflection points . the ir - bandstop filter 470 is made of glass material without affecting the focal length of the optical image capturing system and it is disposed between the sixth lens element 460 and the image plane 480 . in the fourth embodiment of the optical image capturing system , focal lengths of the second through fifth lens elements are f 2 , f 3 , f 4 , and f 5 , respectively . the following relation is satisfied : | f 2 |+| f 3 |+| f 4 |+| f 5 |= 49 . 05722 mm and | f 1 |−| f 6 |= 104 . 12902 mm . in the fourth embodiment of the optical image capturing system , a central thickness of the fifth lens element 450 on the optical axis is tp 5 . a central thickness of the sixth lens element 460 is tp 6 . the following relation is satisfied : tp 5 = 1 . 34896 mm and tp 6 = 0 . 775098 mm . in the fourth embodiment of the optical image capturing system , the second lens element 420 , the third lens element 430 , and the fifth lens element 450 are convex lens elements , and focal lengths of the second lens element 320 , the fourth lens element 340 , and the fifth lens element 350 are f 2 , f 3 , and f 5 , respectively . a sum of focal lengths of all lens elements with positive refractive power is σpp . the following relation is satisfied : σpp = f 2 + f 3 + f 5 = 38 . 99902 mm and f 2 /( f 2 + f 3 + f 5 )= 0 . 592278985 . hereby , it &# 39 ; s favorable for allocating the positive refractive power of the second lens element 420 to others convex lens elements and the significant aberrations generated in the process of moving the incident light can be suppressed . in the fourth embodiment of the optical image capturing system , focal lengths of the first lens element 410 , the fourth lens element 440 , and the sixth lens element 460 are f 1 , f 4 , and f 6 , respectively . a sum of focal lengths of all lens elements with negative refractive power is σnp . the following relation is satisfied : σnp = f 1 + f 4 + f 6 =− 114 . 18722 mm and f 1 /( f 1 + f 4 + f 6 )= 0 . 036282694 . hereby , it &# 39 ; s favorable for allocating the negative refractive power of the first lens element 410 to others concave lens elements . in the fourth embodiment of the optical image capturing system , a distance perpendicular to the optical axis between a critical point on the object - side surface 452 of the fifth lens element and the optical axis is hvt 51 . a distance perpendicular to the optical axis between a critical point on the image - side surface 454 of the fifth lens element and the optical axis is hvt 52 . the following relation is satisfied : hvt 51 = 1 . 25913 mm and hvt 52 = 0 mm . a distance in parallel with an optical axis from an inflection point to an axial point on the object - side surface 452 of the fifth lens element is inf 51 . a distance in parallel with an optical axis from an inflection point to an axial point on the image - side surface 454 of the fifth lens element is inf 52 . the following relation is satisfied : inf 51 =− 0 . 03639 mm and inf 52 = 0 mm . the detailed data of the optical image capturing system of the fourth embodiment is as shown in table 7 . in the fourth embodiment , the presentation of the aspheric surface formula is similar to that in the first embodiment . besides , the definitions of parameters in following tables are equal to those in the first embodiment , so the repetitious details need not be given here . the following content may be deduced from table 7 and table 8 . please refer to fig5 a , fig5 b , and fig5 c , fig5 a is a schematic view of the optical image capturing system according to the fourth embodiment of the present application , fig5 b is longitudinal spherical aberration curves , astigmatic field curves , and an optical distortion curve of the optical image capturing system in the order from left to right according to the fourth embodiment of the present application , and fig5 c is a tv distortion grid of the optical image capturing system according to the fifth embodiment of the present application . as shown in fig5 a , in order from an object side to an image side , the optical image capturing system includes an aperture stop 500 first lens element 510 , a second lens element 520 , a third lens element 530 , a fourth lens element 540 , a fifth lens element 550 , a sixth lens element 560 , an ir - bandstop filter 570 , an image plane 580 , and an image sensing device 590 . the first lens element 510 has negative refractive power and it is made of plastic material . the first lens element 510 has a convex object - side surface 512 and a concave image - side surface 514 , and both of the object - side surface 512 and the image - side surface 514 are aspheric . the second lens element 520 has positive refractive power and it is made of plastic material . the second lens element 520 has a convex object - side surface 522 and a concave image - side surface 524 , and both of the object - side surface 522 and the image - side surface 524 are aspheric . the third lens element 530 has positive refractive power and it is made of plastic material . the third lens element 530 has a convex object - side surface 532 and a convex image - side surface 534 , and both of the object - side surface 532 and the image - side surface 534 are aspheric . the fourth lens element 540 has positive refractive power and it is made of plastic material . the fourth lens element 540 has a convex object - side surface 542 and a convex image - side surface 544 , and both of the object - side surface 542 and the image - side surface 544 are aspheric . the fifth lens element 550 has negative refractive power and it is made of plastic material . the fifth lens element 550 has a concave object - side surface 552 and a concave image - side surface 554 , and both of the object - side surface 552 and the image - side surface 554 are aspheric . the sixth lens element 560 has positive refractive power and it is made of plastic material . the sixth lens element 560 has a convex object - side surface 562 and a convex image - side surface 564 , both of the object - side surface 562 and the image - side surface 564 are aspheric and have inflection points . the ir - bandstop filter 570 is made of glass material without affecting the focal length of the optical image capturing system and it is disposed between the sixth lens element 560 and the image plane 580 . in the fifth embodiment of the optical image capturing system , focal lengths of the second through fifth lens elements are f 2 , f 3 , f 4 , and f 5 , respectively . the following relation is satisfied : | f 2 |+| f 3 |+| f 4 |+| f 5 |= 27 . 12897 mm , | f 1 |+| f 6 |= 6 . 23646 mm , and | f 2 |+| f 3 |+| f 4 |+| f 5 |& gt ;| f 1 |±| f 6 |. in the fifth embodiment of the optical image capturing system , a central thickness of the fifth lens element 550 on the optical axis is tp 5 . a central thickness of the sixth lens element 560 is tp 6 . the following relation is satisfied : tp 5 = 0 . 2 mm and tp 6 = 2 . 1791 mm . in the fifth embodiment of the optical image capturing system , focal lengths of the second lens element 520 , the third lens element 530 the fourth lens element 540 , and the sixth lens element 560 are f 2 , f 3 , f 4 , and f 6 , respectively . a sum of focal lengths of all lens elements with positive refractive power is σpp . the following relation is satisfied : σnp = f 2 + f 3 + f 4 + f 6 = 27 . 14397 mm and f 2 /( f 2 + f 3 + f 4 + f 6 )= 0 . 587861687 . hereby , it &# 39 ; s favorable for allocating the positive refractive power of the second lens element 520 to others convex lens elements and the significant aberrations generated in the process of moving the incident light can be suppressed . in the fifth embodiment of the optical image capturing system , the first lens element 510 and the fifth lens element 550 are concave lens elements , and their focal lengths are f 1 and f 5 , respectively . a sum of focal lengths of all lens elements with negative refractive power is σnp . the following relation is satisfied : σnp = f 1 + f 5 =− 6 . 22146 mm and f 1 /( f 1 + f 5 )= 0 . 410310442 . hereby , it &# 39 ; s favorable for allocating the negative refractive power of the first lens element 510 to others concave lens elements . in the fifth embodiment of the optical image capturing system , a distance perpendicular to the optical axis between a critical point on the object - side surface 552 of the fifth lens element and the optical axis is hvt 51 . a distance perpendicular to the optical axis between a critical point on the image - side surface 554 of the fifth lens element and the optical axis is hvt 52 . the following relation is satisfied : hvt 51 = 0 mm and hvt 52 = 0 . 860214 mm . a distance in parallel with an optical axis from an inflection point to an axial point on the object - side surface 552 of the fifth lens element is inf 51 . a distance in parallel with an optical axis from an inflection point to an axial point on the image - side surface 554 of the fifth lens element is inf 52 . the following relation is satisfied : inf 51 = 0 mm and inf 52 = 0 . 013706 mm . the detailed data of the optical image capturing system of the fifth embodiment is as shown in table 9 . in the fifth embodiment , the presentation of the aspheric surface formula is similar to that in the first embodiment . besides , the definitions of parameters in following tables are equal to those in the first embodiment , so the repetitious details need not be given here . the following content may be deduced from table 9 and table 10 . although the present invention has been disclosed in the preceding descriptions , it is not used to limit the present invention . any person skilled in the art is able to modify and retouch it without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . therefore , the protected scope of the present invention is defined on the basis of the following claims . while the means of specific embodiments in present invention has been described by reference drawings , numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention set forth in the claims . the modifications and variations should in a range limited by the specification of the present invention . | 6 |
while the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described , it will be appreciated that various changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . in various signal processing applications , one must apply an invertible linear transformation . the input vectors are often given as integers , while the transformation has real entries . in some situations , it is convenient to approximate the linear transformation by another ( possibly nonlinear ) invertible transformation which maps integer vectors to integer vectors . there are actually two versions of this problem . the first version exists when the given vectors have a fixed ( probably small ) length n . given a linear map from r n onto r n specified by an n × n matrix a , and a ( probably nonlinear ) bijection φ is needed from z n to z n which is close to a in the sense that ∥ ax − φx ∥ is bounded for xεz n . ( we will use the euclidean norm , but one could use other norms as well . note also the use of the words “ length ” for the number of coordinates in a vector , and “ norm ” for the euclidean magnitude of the vector .) equivalently , we have the standard integer lattice z n and a linearly transformed lattice az n , and we want to find a bijection ψ from the transformed lattice to the original lattice which moves points as small a distance as possible ( so ψ = φ · a − 1 ). please note that we are using the same symbol a for the linear transformation and for its associated matrix . in the second version of the problem , the input vectors are signals which can have unbounded length , but are of bounded amplitude ( i . e ., the values appearing as coordinates of the vector are bounded ). both versions of the problem were described in co - pending and co - filed prior provisional u . s . application ser . nos . 60 / 250 , 829 and 60 / 250 , 850 , each of which are hereby incorporated by reference . several methods providing practical solutions to these problems will be discussed in this document . the image processing methods described herein can be performed in various software systems . for both versions of the problem , the goal is to find an integer bijection φ approximating the given transformation so that the approximation error is bounded over all inputs , preferably with a small bound . ( of course , there are other properties one would like φ to have , such as easy computability of φ and φ − 1 .) as we will see , this is possible only if the determinant is ± 1 in the fixed - length case ; there is a similar restriction in the unbounded - length case . even then it is not obvious that one can get the error to be bounded . in the fixed - length case , one could try some sort of greedy algorithm which initially maps each point in the first lattice to the nearest point in the second lattice and then goes through a correction process to resolve collisions ( two points mapped to the same point ) and gaps ( points in the second lattice not images of any point in the first lattice ), but the corrections might get worse and worse as more points are processed , and it is not at all clear that one can get a bounded - error bijection this way . we start by showing that , in the fixed - length case , a necessary condition for the existence of a bounded - error integer approximation φ to the linear transformation a is that det a =± 1 . suppose that such a φ exists with error bound δ , and let ψ = φ · a − 1 . then for a large positive integer m , the points in the transformed lattice az n within the cube [− m , m ] n are mapped by ψ to standard lattice points in the slightly larger cube [− m − δ , m + δ ] n , and all standard lattice points in the smaller cube [− m + δ , m + δ ] n are reached in this way . so the number of transformed lattice points in the cube [− m , m ] n must be ( 2m + 1 ) n + o ( m n − 1 ) for large m ; this implies that the determinant of the transformed lattice ( i . e ., det a ) is ± 1 . we may as well assume that the determinant is 1 , because , if it is − 1 , we can negate a row of the matrix to change the determinant to + 1 . an integer approximation for the modified matrix easily yields an integer approximation for the original matrix ( just negate the specified coordinate at the end ). the main approach we will use for integer approximations is to divide and conquer : if we have a linear transformation with no obvious suitable integer approximation , then we factor the matrix into parts which we do know how to approximate . the composition of these approximations of parts will be a suitable approximation to the entire transformation . to see this , first consider the two - factor case : if a = a 1 a 2 and we have φ 1 and φ 2 approximating a 1 and a 2 so that ∥ a 1 x − φ 1 x ∥≦ c 1 and ∥ a 2 x − φ 2 x ∥≦ c 2 for all x , then φ 1 · φ 2 approximates a , because a 1 a 2 x - φ 1 φ 2 x ≤ a 1 a 2 x - a 1 φ 2 x + a 1 φ 2 x - φ 1 φ 2 x ≤ a 1 a 2 x - φ 2 x + a 1 φ 2 x - φ 1 φ 2 x ≤ a 1 c 2 + c 1 . we can iterate this : if a = a 1 a 2 . . . a k where each a i can be approximated by an integer mapping with error bound c i , then a can be approximated by the composition of these integer mappings with error bound c 1 +∥ a 1 ∥ c 2 +∥ a 1 ∥∥ a 2 ∥ c 3 + . . . +∥ a 1 ∥∥ a 2 ∥ . . . ∥ a k − 1 ∥ c k . ( 1 . 1 ) if one does the whole computation here at once , rather than iteratively , one gets a slightly improved form of the bound : c 1 +∥ a 1 ∥ c 2 +∥ a 1 a 2 ∥ c 3 + . . . +∥ a 1 a 2 . . . a k − 1 ∥ c k . ( 1 . 2 ) since the goal here is to produce invertible integer approximations to invertible linear transformations , we will also be interested in error estimates for the inverse transform : we will want a bound on ∥ a − 1 y − φ − 1 y ∥ over all integer vectors y . this bound will not in general be the same as the bound for the forward transform , but it is closely related : for any such y , if we let x = φ − 1 y , then a - 1 y - φ - 1 y = a - 1 φ x - x = a - 1 φ x - a - 1 ax = a - 1 ( φ x - ax ) ≤ a - 1 ax - φ x ( 1 . 3 ) a similar computation gives ∥ ax − φx ∥≦∥ a ∥∥ a − 1 y − φ − 1 y ∥, so ∥ a − 1 y − φ − 1 y ∥≧∥ a ∥ − 1 ∥ ax − φx ∥. formulas such as ( 1 . 2 ) indicate that , if multiple factorizations of a given transformation are available , then the ones with fewer factors are likely to have better error bounds ( assuming that the error bounds and norms for the factors in the factorizations are similar ). a special factor that will occur frequently in factorizations and is easy to handle is a permutation matrix which merely rearranges coordinates or bands . in fact , we can generalize this by allowing some of the 1 &# 39 ; s in the permutation matrix to be changed to − 1 &# 39 ; s ( negating some coordinates or bands ). this will be needed because permutation matrices can have determinant − 1 and we usually want to restrict to matrices of determinant 1 . we will often refer to such signed permutation matrices as ‘ permutation ’ matrices . such a matrix is normally a “ free ” factor : it is approximable by an integer mapping with error 0 , and its norm is 1 , so it does not inflate the errors from the other factors in formula ( 1 . 1 ). in fact , since this matrix gives an isometry both of r n and of z n , it cannot have any effect on the error bounds from a factorization if it occurs first or last in that factorization . if it occurs in the middle , then it might have a slight effect on the error by affecting the relation between the two factors it lies between . another type of factor which will be fundamental in the following is an elementary matrix , which differs from the identity matrix only at a single off diagonal entry . applying such a matrix has the effect of adding a multiple of one coordinate to another coordinate . a ( x 1 x 2 ) = ( x 1 + a 12 x 2 x 2 ) , φ ( x 1 x 2 ) = ( 〈 x 1 + a 12 x 2 〉 x 2 ) = ( x 1 + 〈 a 12 x 2 〉 x 2 ) , where & lt ; y & gt ; is y rounded to an integer in a consistent way ( say , round to nearest with half - integers rounded upward ) so that , for any integer n and real number y , y ,& lt ; n + y & gt ;= n +& lt ; y & gt ;. ( consistency is needed only if we want to think of the mapping φ as “ apply a and then round all coordinates to integers .” if we are willing to forget about & lt ; x 1 + a 12 x 2 & gt ; and go straight to x 1 +& lt ; a 12 x 2 & gt ;, then any rounding function can be used .) then we have ∥ ax − φx ∥≦ ½ . and p is invertible : if φ ( x 1 x 2 ) = ( y 1 y 2 ) , then x 2 = y 2 and x 1 = y 1 −& lt ; a 12 x 2 & gt ;. ( note that y 1 −& lt ; a 12 x 2 & gt ; might occasionally be different from y 1 +& lt ;− a 12 x 2 & gt ;. in other words , the inverse of the integer approximation of a need not be the same as the integer approximation of the inverse of a , because the rounding is done slightly differently . however , for elementary matrices the differences should be rare , occurring only when the number to be rounded is equal to or very near a half - integer .) we will see in the section entitled “ larger matrices ” that unit triangular matrices ( i . e ., lower or upper triangular matrices whose diagonal entries are all 1 ) are as suitable as elementary matrices for the purpose of obtaining integer approximations . one can think of the usual full gaussian elimination process as factoring a matrix into elementary matrices , simple permutation matrices ( for pivoting ), and a diagonal matrix . for most applications of such factorizations , the elementary matrices are the ones requiring attention , while the permutations and diagonal matrices are trivial and can be ignored . the present situation is an exception ; elementary matrices ( and permutation matrices ) are easy to handle directly , but diagonal matrices are not . we will investigate the 2 × 2 diagonal matrices extensively in the next section . the linear transformations and the corresponding integer approximations may change the range that the coordinates vary over — an approximation which maps integers to integers need not map 16 - bit integers to 16 - bit integers . it is easy to determine the new ranges after the linear transformation : if the transformation is given by a =( a ij ) n , n and input coordinate number j is bounded in absolute value by b j for each j , then output coordinate number i is bounded in absolute value by σ j = 1 n | a ij | b j . ( similar bounds can be computed if the input coordinates are restricted to intervals not symmetric around 0 .) since the integer approximation is supposed to be within a fixed distance of the linear transformation , one can easily adjust these bounds to get bounds for the approximation . ( however , intermediate results may not lie within these bounds ; one may need to compute ranges for the individual factor matrices in order to bound these .) as mentioned in the previous section , diagonal matrices , which are trivial for most applications , are quite nontrivial when it comes to integer approximations ; here we will factor them into matrices which can be approximated directly . we may assume that the given diagonal matrix has determinant 1 . furthermore , if we have an n × n diagonal matrix of determinant 1 , we can factor it into simpler diagonal matrices of determinant 1 each having only two nontrivial diagonal entries : the n = 3 case is ( d 1 0 0 0 d 2 0 0 0 d 3 ) = ( d 1 0 0 0 d 1 - 1 0 0 0 1 ) ( 1 0 0 0 d 1 d 2 0 0 0 d 3 ) and larger matrices are handled similarly . so we can concentrate on the determinant - 1 2 × 2 diagonal matrix we may assume α & gt ; 0 , since otherwise we can just pull out the scaling factor d = ( 1 r 0 1 ) ( 1 0 s 1 ) ( 1 - r α - 1 0 1 ) ( 1 0 - s α 1 ) ( 2 . 1 ) d = ( 1 0 s 1 ) ( 1 r 0 1 ) ( 1 0 - s α 1 ) ( 1 - r α - 1 0 1 ) ( 2 . 2 ) where rs + 1 = α . − 1 any such factorization leads to a bounded - error integer approximation for d . a plausible choice for r and s would be to “ balance ” the factors by requiring | r |=| sα |, but it is not clear that this will minimize the error bound . the factorizations appearing in the prior art are ( 2 . 1 ) with r = α − α 2 and ( 2 . 2 ) with s =− 1 . or we can factor d into three elementary matrices and a ‘ permutation ’ matrix : d = ( 0 1 - 1 0 ) ( 1 0 α 1 ) ( 1 - α - 1 0 1 ) ( 1 0 α 1 ) , ( 2 . 3 ) d = ( 0 - 1 1 0 ) ( 1 α - 1 0 1 ) ( 1 0 - α 1 ) ( 1 α - 1 0 1 ) . ( 2 . 4 ) one can modify these so as to have the ‘ permutation ’ matrix appear at a different place in the factorization ; this will not affect the error bounds we obtain here . the factorizations ( 2 . 3 ) and ( 2 . 4 ) are closely related : one can get ( 2 . 4 ) from ( 2 . 3 ) by interchanging the two coordinates throughout and replacing α with α − 1 . note that “ interchanging the two coordinates ” is equivalent to conjugation by the reverse - diagonal matrix similarly , one gets ( 2 . 2 ) from ( 2 . 1 ) by interchanging the two coordinates , replacing α with α − 1 , and interchanging r and s . note that these error bounds apply to d in isolation . if the diagonal matrix is just one part of a larger transformation , then when the parts are put together one can often combine factors such as adjacent elementary matrices with the nonzero entry in the same location ; this normally will reduce the resulting error . the factorizations ( 2 . 1 )-( 2 . 4 ) of d can easily be inverted to give factorizations of d − 1 into elementary factors . as noted earlier , the integer approximations for these inverse factorizations are not quite the same as the inverses of the integer approximations for the direct factorizations . however , in the 2 × 2 case the differences only show up when a result lies exactly halfway between two integers and must be rounded to one of them ( assuming rounding to the nearest integer ). since the analysis here will not depend on how such choices are made , we can do error analysis of the inverse factorizations to get error bounds for the inverse transformation . it turns out that we do not need to do any additional work to get the bounds for the inverse transformation here . the inverse of ( 2 . 3 ) is : d - 1 = ( 1 0 α 1 ) - 1 ( 1 - α - 1 0 1 ) - 1 ( 1 0 α 1 ) - 1 ( 0 1 - 1 0 ) - 1 = ( 1 0 - α 1 ) ( 1 - α - 1 0 1 ) ( 1 0 - α 1 ) ( 0 - 1 1 0 ) . ( an isometry which will not affect error bounds and which commutes with the given diagonal matrix ) gives the formula d - 1 = ( 1 0 α 1 ) ( 1 - α - 1 0 1 ) ( 1 0 α 1 ) ( 0 1 - 1 0 ) . this is exactly the same as ( 2 . 3 ) except that the ‘ permutation ’ occurs at the left ( the end ) instead of the right ( the beginning ). it follows that any error bound we obtain for the forward transform for ( 2 . 3 ) will also be a bound for the error in the inverse transform . the same reasoning shows that any forward transform error bound for ( 2 . 4 ) is also an inverse transform error bound . the inverse of ( 2 . 1 ) turns out to be ( 2 . 2 ) with α , r , s replaced with α − 1 , sα , rα − 1 respectively , so we can obtain inverse transform error bounds for ( 2 . 1 ) from forward transform error bounds for ( 2 . 2 ); similarly , forward transform error bounds for ( 2 . 1 ) give inverse transform error bounds for ( 2 . 2 ). ( 1 r 0 1 ) = ( 1 0 r 1 ) = r + r 2 + 4 2 . using this and the combination formula ( 1 . 1 ), one can compute an error bound for the integer mappings coming from each of the factorizations ( 2 . 1 )-( 2 . 4 ). ( each of the 2 × 2 elementary matrices has an error bound of ½ unless it has integer entries , in which case it has error bound 0 .) however , the formulas for these bounds are rather messy ; for instance , the error bound for ( 2 . 3 ) is 1 8 ( 4 + ( 2 + α - 1 + 4 + α - 2 ) ( α + 4 + α - 2 ) ) . as a useful example , let us consider the special case α =√{ square root over ( 2 )}. in this case the error bounds for ( 2 . 3 ) and ( 2 . 4 ) become respectively 1 4 ( 2 + ( 3 + 1 ) ( 2 + 2 ) ) ≈ 2 . 8319512300735069 , 1 2 ( 2 + 2 + 3 ) ≈ 2 . 5731321849709862 . for ( 2 . 1 ) and ( 2 . 2 ) with α =√{ square root over ( 2 )}, the error bound c is still a messy function , this time of the parameter r ( from which s is computable : s =( α − 1 )/ r or s =( α − 1 − 1 )/ r . note that we may assume r & gt ; 0 , since negating r and s yields another valid factorization without changing the norms of the factors . as previously mentioned , a plausible choice of r is r =√{ square root over ( 2 −√{ square root over ( 2 )})}≈ 0 . 7653668647301795 for ( 2 . 1 ) and r =√{ square root over (√{ square root over ( 2 )}− 1 )}≈ 0 . 6435942529055826 for ( 3 . 2 ); these yield error bounds of about 3 . 4167456510765178 and 3 . 1662988562277977 , respectively . numerical optimization on r yields the following values : using more detailed calculations , we can get error estimates more precise than those obtained from norms of matrices . look at a particular elementary factor matrix a i . if the nonzero off diagonal entry of a i is in the upper right , and if φ i x is the result of rounding a i x to integer coordinates , then for any integer vector x i the error vector φ i x i − a i x i will have the form ( e i , 0 ), where | e i |≦ ½ . combining this for all factors in a product a = a 1 a 2 . . . a k , we get d = φ 1 φ 2 . . . φ k x − ax = d 1 + a 1 d 2 + a 1 a 2 d 3 + . . . + a 1 a 2 . . . a k − 1 d k , d i = φ i φ i + 1φ i + 2 . . . φ k x − a i φ i + 1φ i + 2 . . . φ k x is of the form ( e i , 0 ) if a i is elementary with upper right entry nonzero , d i =( 0 , e i ) if a i is elementary with lower left entry nonzero , and d i is the zero vector ( i . e ., term number i in the error bound is omitted ) if a i is an integer matrix . we can now find the maximum possible value of ∥ d ∥ subject to the constraint that | e i |≦ ½ for all i , and this will give an error bound for the integer approximation of a . d = ( e 2 + e 3 α - e 3 + e 4 α - 1 ) . clearly we maximize ∥ d ∥ by letting e 2 , e 3 , e 4 all have absolute value ½ , with e 2 and e 3 having the same sign and e 4 having the opposite sign . this gives the error bound d ≤ 1 2 ( 1 + α - 1 ) 1 + α 2 . because of the known relation between ( 2 . 3 ) and ( 2 . 4 ), we get the error bound for ( 2 . 4 ) by replacing α with α − 1 in the error bound for ( 2 . 3 ): d ≤ 1 2 ( 1 + α ) 1 + α - 2 . these two bounds are actually equal . in the case α =√{ square root over ( 2 )}, the common value of the bound is 1 4 3 ( 2 + 2 ) ≈ 1 . 4783978394802332 . d = ( e 1 + e 2 r + e 3 α e 2 + e 3 s + e 4 α - 1 ) . this leads to case distinctions based on the signs of α − 1 , r , and s . as before , we may assume that r & gt ; 0 ; this means that a − 1 and s have the same sign , since rs = α − 1 . if α & gt ; 1 , and hence s & gt ; 0 , then clearly ∥ d ∥ is maximized when the errors e i are all ½ or all − ½ . so the error bound is : d ≤ ( r α ( r + α + 1 ) ) 2 + ( r ( α + 1 ) + α ( α - 1 ) ) 2 2 r α . one can actually work out the critical points of this function of r ( holding α fixed ) by solving a fourth - degree polynomial equation , but it is probably more convenient to find the optimal value of r numerically . if α & lt ; 1 ( so s & lt ; 0 ), then the choice of signs for the errors e i is much less clear ; aligning them to make one component of d maximal will cause cancellation in the other component . one must consider the various possibilities to see which yields the longest error vector for given values of α and r . ( it is easy to see that e i should be ± ½ , because the most distant point from the origin on a line segment is always one of the two endpoints ; only the signs of the numbers e i are unknown .) the situation for ( 2 . 2 ) is reversed : for α & lt ; 1 one can get a single formula for the maximal error , but for α & gt ; 1 one must look at various cases . again consider the example α =√{ square root over ( 2 )}. for ( 2 . 1 ) we have a single error formula and can proceed directly to numerical optimization to find that the best value for r is about 0 . 5789965414556075 , giving an error bound of about 1 . 9253467944884184 . for ( 2 . 2 ), the error bound is the maximum of four separate formulas ; it turns out that this is minimized where two of the formulas cross each other , at r =√{ square root over ( 2 √{ square root over ( 2 )}− 2 )}/ 2 ≈ 0 . 4550898605622273 , and the error bound is √{ square root over ( 12 + 18 √{ square root over ( 2 )})}/ 4 ≈ 1 . 5300294956861884 . we still have to consider special values of r and s where one of the four matrices in ( 2 . 1 ) or ( 2 . 2 ) is integral , and hence the corresponding e i becomes 0 . among these are several cases giving an error bound matching the value from ( 2 . 3 ), and two cases which give even better bounds : putting r =√{ square root over ( 2 )} in ( 2 . 2 ) gives an error bound of √{ square root over ( 21 + 8 √{ square root over ( 2 )})}/ 4 = 1 . 4211286997265756 , and putting r = 1 − 1 /√{ square root over ( 2 )} in ( 2 . 2 ) gives an error bound of √{ square root over ( 6 + 2 √{ square root over ( 2 )})}/ 2 ≈ 1 . 3614526765897057 . even this does not exhaust the error analysis for ( 2 . 1 )-( 2 . 4 ). the error bounds obtained above are not sharp , because the errors e i are not actually independent of each other . for instance , in the computation for ( 2 . 3 ), e 2 is not independent of e 3 and e 4 : one can show that e 2 + αe 3 − e 4 must be an integer . ( if we start with an integer vector x =( x1 , x2 ), then the second component of φ 4 x is b = x 2 + x 1 α + e 4 and the second component of φ 2 φ 3 φ 4 x is b ′= x 1 α + e 3 α + e 2 ; these are both integers , so b ′− b + x 2 = e 2 + αe 3 − e 4 is an integer .) using this , we can get the following error bound : d ≤ { 1 2 ( α + 1 ) 2 + α - 2 ( 2 ⌈ α / 2 ⌉ - 1 ) 2 if α & gt ; 1 , 1 2 ( α - 1 + 1 ) 2 + ( 2 ⌈ α / 2 ⌉ - 1 ) 2 if α & lt ; 1 . replace α with α − 1 to get the corresponding error bound for ( 2 . 4 ). for α =√{ square root over ( 2 )} the error bounds for ( 2 . 3 ) and ( 2 . 4 ) are √{ square root over ( 14 + 8 √{ square root over ( 2 )})}/ 4 ≈ 1 . 2578182623839374 and √{ square root over ( 4 + 2 √{ square root over ( 2 )})}/ 2 ≈ 1 . 3065629648763765 , respectively . such improvements for ( 2 . 1 ) and ( 2 . 2 ) are available only for special values of r and s , and depend highly on the specific form of these numbers and of α . for instance , in ( 2 . 2 ) for α =√{ square root over ( 2 )} and r = 1 − 1 /√{ square root over ( 2 )}, this method gives an error bound of √{ square root over ( 4 + 2 √{ square root over ( 2 )})}/ 2 , the same as for ( 3 . 4 ) above . these final error bounds for ( 2 . 3 ) and ( 2 . 4 ) are provably sharp when α is irrational , as is the above bound for the instance r = 1 − 1 /√{ square root over ( 2 )} of ( 2 . 2 ). so ( 2 . 3 ) appears to give the best results among these methods when α =√{ square root over ( 2 )}. if α is rational ( and , in the case of ( 2 . 1 ) and ( 2 . 2 ), the parameters r and s are also rational ), then the errors from the integer approximation are periodic in both coordinates , so one can perform a finite computation to get the exact error bound for a particular factorization . one can obtain other integer approximation methods for rational a by constructing a finite configuration on a rectangle in the plane and extending ‘ periodically ’ to get the full mapping . even for irrational α , where a ‘ periodic ’ solution is not available , one can still use integer approximation methods completely different from those obtained via factorization into elementary matrices . as noted before , one can use gaussian elimination to factor an n × n matrix of determinant 1 into elementary matrices , permutation matrices ( or ‘ permutation ’ matrices of determinant 1 ), and a diagonal matrix of determinant ± 1 ; we may assume that the determinant of the diagonal matrix is 1 , because we can transfer a negation to one of the ‘ permutation ’ factors . a diagonal matrix of determinant 1 can be factored into simpler diagonal matrices which have only two entries different from 1 , these entries being reciprocals of each other ; these simpler matrices can then be factored as in ( 2 . 1 )-( 2 . 4 ). so we know that any matrix of determinant 1 can be factored into integer - approximable factors . but this process would yield a very large number of factors . the number of factors can be drastically reduced if we work with a family of factor matrices more general than the elementary matrices but still allowing easy bounded - error integer approximations . the matrices we will use here are the unit triangular matrices , which are ( lower or upper ) triangular matrices whose diagonal entries are all 1 . ( note that any elementary matrix is unit triangular .) fig2 illustrates the process followed to generate the elementary matrices , permutation matrices and diagonal matrix used in the present invention . u = ( 1 a 12 a 13 ⋯ a 1 n 0 1 a 12 ⋯ a 2 n 0 0 1 ⋯ a 3 n ⋮ ⋮ ⋮ ⋰ ⋮ 0 0 0 ⋯ 1 ) , u ( x 1 x 2 x 3 ⋮ x n ) = ( x 1 + a 12 x 2 + a 13 x 3 + … + a 1 n x n x 2 + a 23 x 3 + … + a 2 n x n x 3 + … + a 3 n x n ⋮ x n ) , φ ( x 1 x 2 ⋮ x n ) = ( x 1 + 〈 a 12 x 2 + a 13 x 3 + … + a 1 n x n 〉 x 2 + 〈 a 23 x 3 + … + a 2 n x n 〉 ⋮ x n ) . this will give ∥ ux − φx ∥≦√{ square root over ( n − 1 )}/ 2 for all integer vectors x . and φ is invertible : φ ( x 1 x 2 ⋮ x n ) = ( y 1 y 2 ⋮ y n ) , x n - 1 = y n - 1 - 〈 a n - 1 , n x n 〉 , x n - 2 = y n - 2 - 〈 a n - 2 , n - 1 x n - 1 + a n - 2 , n x n 〉 , x 1 = y 1 - 〈 a 12 x 2 + … + a 1 n x n 〉 . note that φ can be computed in place ( output entries overwriting input entries ) if the output entries are computed in the order y 1 , y 2 , . . . , y n ; φ − 1 can also be computed in place , with the results computed downward from x n to x 1 . again we find that φ − 1 is not the same as the integer approximation to the matrix u − 1 ( which is also unit upper triangular ). the difference here is more substantial than in the 2 × 2 case . for instance , if n = 3 and we apply the approximation for u and then the approximation for u − 1 to the starting integer vector ( x 1 , x 2 , x 3 ), the first coordinate of the result will be x 1 +& lt ; a 12 x 2 + a 13 x 3 & gt ;+− a 12 x 2 − a 13 x 3 + a 12 ( a 23 x 3 −& lt ; 23 x 3 & gt ;) , which is quite likely to be different from x 1 even without boundary effects in the rounding rule . ( in fact , the recursion displayed above in the computation of φ − 1 tends to result in larger error bounds for the inverse transform than for the forward transform .) the same approximation method works for a unit lower triangular matrix ; one merely has to compute the output coordinates in the reverse order . ( again , one can convert between upper triangular and lower triangular using conjugation by a reverse - diagonal matrix j .) actually , there are variants where the coordinates are computed in any specified order ; these are obtained by combining a unit triangular matrix with a ‘ permutation ’ matrix . since a general matrix of determinant 1 can be factored into elementary matrices , it certainly can be factored into unit triangular matrices . the main question now is how many unit triangular factors are required in general . a quick lower bound can be obtained by counting degrees of freedom ( free parameters ). the general matrix of determinant 1 has n 2 − 1 degrees of freedom . a unit triangular matrix has ( n 2 − n )/ 2 degrees of freedom ; hence , at least three such factors are needed to handle the general matrix ( assuming n & gt ; 1 ). note that a product of unit upper triangular matrices is unit upper triangular , and a product of unit lower triangular matrices is unit lower triangular . so , in a factorization into unit triangular matrices , we may assume that the two types of matrix alternate . we just saw that a product of two unit triangular matrices is not general enough to give an arbitrary matrix of determinant 1 . it turns out that the family of matrices that can be expressed as a product of two unit triangular matrices , say in the order lu , is an interesting one . one of ordinary skill in the art would be capable of expressing matrices as a product of two unit triangular matrices since such results are related to the method of expressing the diagonal entries of the upper triangular factor in a standard lu - decomposition as quotients of determinants of leading square submatrices of the original matrix . proposition 3 . 1 . an n × n matrix a =( a ij ) n , n can be expressed in the form lu ( l unit lower triangular , u unit upper triangular ) if and only if , for each k ≦ n , the leading k × k submatrix of a ( i . e ., the upper left k × k submatrix of a , or ( a ij ) k , k , or a k × k ) has determinant 1 . proof . it is easy to see from the special forms of l and u that ( lu ) k × k =( l k × k ) ( u k × k ) for any k ≦ n . since l k × k and u k × k obviously have determinant 1 , ( lu ) k × k must have determinant 1 . suppose a has the specified leading - submatrix property . if we express the unknown l and u as ( b ij ) n , n and ( c ij ) n , n ( so b ii = c ii = 1 , b ij = 0 for i & lt ; j , and c ij = 0 for i & gt ; j ), then lu works out to be ( 1 c 12 c 13 c 14 ⋯ b 21 1 + b 21 c 12 c 23 + b 21 c 13 c 24 + b 21 c 14 ⋯ b 31 b 32 + b 31 c 12 1 + b 32 c 23 + c 34 + b 32 c 24 + ⋯ b 31 c 13 b 31 c 14 b 41 b 42 + b 41 c 12 b 43 + b 42 c 23 + 1 + b 43 c 34 + b 42 c 24 + ⋯ b 41 c 13 b 41 c 14 ⋮ ⋮ ⋮ ⋮ ⋰ ) . so we can set b i1 and c i1 so that the entries of lu in the first column ( below the diagonal ) and the first row ( right of the diagonal ) will match the corresponding entries of a . then we can set b i2 and c 2i so that the remaining off - diagonal entries in the second row and column of lu match those of a . continuing this way , we obtain matrices l and u of the required form so that all off - diagonal entries of lu match the corresponding entries of a . using the fact that a and lu both have the property that all leading square submatrices have determinant 1 , we now show by induction on k that the k &# 39 ; th diagonal entry of lu is a kk . suppose this is true for all k ′& lt ; k . then a k × k and ( lu ) k × k agree except possibly at the lower right entry . if we treat a kk as an unknown , then the equation det ( a k × k )= 1 is a linear equation for a kk and the coefficient of a kk is det ( a ( k − 1 )×( k − 1 ))= 1 , so a kk is uniquely determined . the lower right entry of ( lu ) k × k satisfies exactly the same equation , so it must be equal to a kk . the right - to - left direction could be proved more briefly as follows : given the matrix a , perform the standard lu - decomposition ( no pivoting is needed ) to write a as a product of a unit lower triangular matrix and a general upper triangular matrix ; then , from the above , the diagonal entries of the second factor will all be 1 . a more explicit proof was presented above to show the simplifications that arise in this special case . in fact , given a suitable matrix a =( a ij ) n , n , there is a quite simple algorithm to compute matrices l =( b ij ) n , n and u =( c ij ) n , n as above . start by setting x ij ← a ij for all i , j ≦ n , and do : for i = k + 1 to n for j = k + 1 to n x ij ← x ij - x ik x kj ( 3 . 1 ) then we will have x ij = b ij for i & gt ; j and x ij = c ij for i & lt ; j ( and x ij = 1 ). by reversing the indices both horizontally and vertically , we see that a matrix can be written in the form ul ( with l and u as above ) if and only if all of its lower right square submatrices have determinant 1 . to handle more general matrices of determinant 1 , we need more than two factors . it turns out that three factors ( along with a possible ‘ permutation ’) will always suffice . in fact , since three factors give more degrees of freedom than we need , we can be more specific by requiring one of the three unit triangular factors to have a special form . proposition 3 . 2 . let a =( a ij ) n , n be an n × n matrix of determinant 1 such that all of the submatrices ( a i + 1 , j ) k , k for 1 ≦ k ≦ n − 1 have nonzero determinant . then a can be written in the form u 1 lu where u 1 and u are unit upper triangular , l is unit lower triangular , and the only nonzero entries of u 1 are on the diagonal or the top row . proof we first find a matrix a ′ differing from a only in the first row so that all leading square submatrices of a ′ have determinant 1 . let a ′ 11 , a ′ 12 , . . . , a ′ 1n denote the unknown entries of the first row of a ′. then , once we know a ′ 11 , a ′ 12 , . . . , a ′ 1 , k − 1 , we can determine a ′ 1k so that a ′ k × k will have determinant 1 . this condition is a linear equation for a ′ 1k and the coefficient of the linear term is ± det ( a i + 1 , j ) k − 1 , k − 1 ( define this to be 1 for k = 1 ), which is nonzero by assumption , so there is a ( unique ) value which works for a ′ 1k . so we can proceed from left to right to determine all of the unknown entries of a ′ if we can find a matrix u 1 of the required form so that a = u 1 a ′, then we can use proposition 3 . 1 to express a ′ in the form lu for unit triangular matrices l and u , giving a = u 1 lu as desired . let 1 , u 2 , u 3 , . . . , u n denote the entries of the first row of u 1 . then the unknown values u i must satisfy the equations a 21 u 2 + a 31 u 3 + … + a n 1 u n = a 11 - a 11 ′ , a 22 u 2 + a 32 u 3 + … + a n 2 u n = a 12 - a 12 ′ , a 2 n u 2 + a 3 n u 3 + … + a nn u n = a 1 n - a 1 n ′ . if we just look at the first n − 1 of these equations , then the ( n − 1 )×( n − 1 ) matrix of coefficients is ( a i + 1 , j ) n - 1 , n - 1 t , which has - nonzero determinant , so there are unique numbers u 2 , . . . , u n satisfying these n − 1 equations . this means that the resulting matrix u 1 will be such that u 1 a ′ agrees with a everywhere except possibly at the upper right corner entry . but a and u 1 a ′ both have determinant 1 , and the cofactor of the upper right corner in the computation of these determinants is det ( a i + 1 , j ) n - 1 , n - 1 ≠ 0 , so a and u 1 a ′ must in fact agree everywhere . the special case n = 2 of this proposition is of interest ; it states that any 2 × 2 matrix of determinant 1 with a 21 ≠ 0 can be written as a product of three elementary matrices . it is not hard to work out this factorization explicitly : a = ( 1 a 11 - 1 a 21 0 1 ) ( 1 0 a 21 1 ) ( 1 a 22 - 1 a 21 0 1 ) . ( 3 . 2 ) by transposing everything and reversing the order of the factors , we get a similar factorization for a 2 × 2 matrix of determinant 1 with upper right entry nonzero . so it is only the diagonal matrices which require four factors as discussed above in the section devoted to the 2 × 2 diagonal matrix . ( it is not hard to show that a non - identity 2 × 2 diagonal matrix cannot be written as a product of elementary factors without using at least two upper factors and two lower factors — for instance , if only one lower factor is used , then the nonzero lower left entry of this factor will be the same as the lower left entry of the product .) a given matrix of determinant 1 might not satisfy the hypothesis of proposition 3 . 2 , but this problem can be handled by a small modification of the matrix . given any nonsingular matrix , one can permute the rows so as to get all leading square submatrices to have nonzero determinant . ( expand the determinant of the matrix by minors on the last column ; since the determinant is nonzero , one of these minors has nonzero determinant . so we can swap rows so that the leading ( n − 1 )×( n − 1 ) submatrix has nonzero determinant . now proceed recursively .) then we can move the last row up to the top ( and negate it if necessary to restore the determinant to + 1 ) to get a matrix satisfying the hypotheses of proposition 3 . 2 . therefore : theorem 3 . 3 . any matrix of determinant 1 can be factored in the form πu 1 lu , where π is a signed permutation matrix , u 1 and u are unit upper triangular , l is unit lower triangular , and the only nonzero entries of u 1 are on the diagonal or the top row . there is a version of theorem 3 . 3 which applies to any nonsingular matrix a : one can factor a in the form π u 1 lu where π is a ‘ permutation ’ matrix , l is unit lower triangular , u is unit upper triangular , and u 1 is a matrix which differs from the identity matrix only in its first row . ( so u 1 is like u 1 except that the upper left entry of u 1 may differ from 1 .) to see this , first note that the argument just before theorem 3 . 3 applies here to find a ‘ permutation ’ π such that a = π a where a is such that the submatrices specified in proposition 3 . 2 have nonzero determinant . let d be the determinant of a , and let a ′ be a with its first row divided by d . apply proposition 3 . 2 to factor a ′ in the form u 1 lu , and let u 1 be u 1 with its first row multiplied by d ; then we have a = π u 1 lu as desired . by tracing through the proofs leading up to theorem 3 . 3 , one can extract an algorithm for factoring a matrix of determinant 1 in the specified form , but it will not be a good algorithm . in particular , instead of using trial and error with subdeterminants to choose a ‘ permutation ’ π , we would like to have a method 300 that works faster and produces more numerically stable results . it turns out that the standard lu - decomposition algorithm provides just what is needed . fig3 illustrates a method 300 for generating matrix factors for a given matrix a of determinant 1 . gaussian elimination can be performed on this matrix using elementary operations and permutations on the rows only ( partial pivoting ) to reduce the matrix to upper triangular form 310 . this means that we get the equation { tilde over ( π )} a ={ tilde over ( l )} , where { tilde over ( π )} is a permutation , { tilde over ( l )} is unit lower triangular , and is upper triangular 320 ( it could be factored further into a diagonal matrix { tilde over ( d )} and an unit upper triangular matrix ũ , but we will not need that here ). note that ({ tilde over ( l )} ) k × k =({ tilde over ( l )} k × k ) ( k × k ) and the latter two matrices have nonzero determinant ( the determinant of k × k is the product of its diagonal entries , which is nonzero because the product of all of the diagonal entries of is =( det ({ tilde over ( π )} a ))/( det { tilde over ( l )})=± 1 . so now we can take { tilde over ( π )} a transfer the bottom row to the top , and negate this row if necessary so that the resulting matrix â will have determinant 1 ; then â is a ‘ permuted ’ version of a ( step 350 ) which satisfies the hypotheses of proposition 3 . 2 . let σ = det { tilde over ( π )} be the sign of the permutation given by { tilde over ( π )}. then the top row of â is the bottom row of { tilde over ( π )} a multiplied by (− 1 ) n + 1 σ , and we have â ={ circumflex over ( π )} a , where { circumflex over ( π )} is { tilde over ( π )} with its bottom row moved to the top and multiplied by (− 1 ) n + 1 σ ( step 340 ). now we can write a = πâ , where π ={ circumflex over ( π )} − 1 ={ circumflex over ( π )} t . note that { circumflex over ( π )} and π are ‘ permutation ’ matrices . once we have the proposition 3 . 2 decomposition u 1 lu of â , we will have factored a into the form πu 1 lu , as desired . we will now see that knowing the decomposition { tilde over ( l )} of { tilde over ( π )} a makes it much easier to compute the matrices u 1 , l , and u . ( a ^ 11 a ^ 12 a ^ 13 ⋯ a ^ 1 n ( π ~ a ) ↾ ( n - 1 ) × n ) , where the numbers â 1i are the bottom row of { tilde over ( π )} a ( possibly negated ) ( step 330 ). the modified matrix a ′ from the proof of proposition 3 . 2 will have the form ( a 11 ′ a 12 ′ a 13 ′ ⋯ a 1 n ′ ( π ~ a ) ↾ ( n - 1 ) × n ) , where the numbers a ′ 1i are to be chosen so that the leading square submatrices of a ′ all have determinant 1 ( step 350 ). one obtains from { tilde over ( π )} a by performing elementary row operations as specified by { tilde over ( l )}; each of these operations adds a multiple of an earlier row to a later row . if one performs the same operations ( shifted down one row ) to the lower n − 1 rows of the matrix a ′, one obtains the matrix a ″ = ( a 11 ′ a 12 ′ a 13 ′ ⋯ a 1 n ′ du ~ ↾ ( n - 1 ) × n ) , since these operations again only add multiples of earlier rows to later rows , they are still valid row operations when restricted to any leading square submatrix of the matrix , so they do not change the determinants of these submatrices . so if we find values for a ′ 1i so that the leading square submatrices of a ″ all have determinant 1 , then the leading square submatrices of a ′ will also have determinant 1 . let v ij for 1 ≦ i , j ≦ n be the entries of the matrix ; then v ij = 0 for i & gt ; j . also , let d k = v 11 v 22 . . . v kk ( the product of the first k diagonal entries of ; this is equal to the determinant of the leading k × k submatrix of or of { tilde over ( π )} a ). then one can derive the following formula for the desired values a ′ 1k : a 1 k ′ = ∑ i = 1 k ( - 1 ) i + 1 v ik d i _ . ( 3 . 3 ) this can be re - expressed in various ways : since v kk / d k = 1 / d k − 1 , one can combine the last two terms into ±( v k − 1 , k − 1 )/ d k − 1 and , instead of computing the products d k , one can write the formula in horner form a 1 k ′ = 1 v 11 ( v 1 k - 1 v 22 ( v 2 k - 1 v 33 ( v 3 k - ⋯ ) ) ) . once we have a ′, it is easy to factor it into the form lu , as described earlier . it now remains to find the matrix u 1 so that â = u 1 a ′. as noted in the proof of proposition 3 . 2 , this requires solving a system of n − 1 linear equations in n − 1 unknowns u 2 , u 3 , . . . , u n , and the matrix of coefficients for this system is the transpose of the lower left ( n − 1 )×( n − 1 ) submatrix of â ( step 360 ). but this is just (({ tilde over ( π )} a ) ( n − 1 )×( n − 1 )) t , and the known factorization of { tilde over ( π )} a into two triangular matrices immediately gives such a factorization for this matrix : (({ tilde over ( π )} a ) ( n − 1 )×( n − 1 )) t =({ tilde over ( du )} ( n − 1 )×( n − 1 )) t ({ tilde over ( l )} ( n − 1 )×( n − 1 )) t . using this , we can easily solve for the unknown values u 2 , . . . , u n , thus completing our desired factorization of a . in summary , the method 300 for factoring the determinant - 1 matrix a into the form πu 1 lu is : ( 1 ) use a standard lu - decomposition algorithm ( gaussian elimination with partial pivoting ) to find { tilde over ( π )}, { tilde over ( l )}, and so that { tilde over ( π )} a ={ tilde over ( l )} . keep track of the number k of row interchanges performed during this process , and let { circumflex over ( σ )}=(− 1 ) n + 1 + k . ( 2 ) compute { tilde over ( π )} a . ( perhaps this will be done during step ( 1 ).) ( 3 ) multiply the ( unique nonzero entry in the ) bottom row of { tilde over ( π )} by { circumflex over ( σ )}, move this bottom row up to the top ( moving all the other rows down by 1 ), and take the transpose ( i . e ., invert the permutation ) to get π . ( 4 ) let â be the bottom row of { tilde over ( π )} a multiplied by { circumflex over ( σ )}. ( 5 ) compute the numbers a ′ 11 , a ′ 12 , . . . , a ′ 1n from according to formula ( 3 . 3 ), and let a ′ be the row vector ( a ′ 11 , a ′ 12 , . . . , a ′ 1n ). ( 6 ) using standard backsolving techniques for triangular matrices ( but reversed ), find the row vector u satisfying the equation u { tilde over ( l )} = â − a ′. let u 1 be an n × n identity matrix with the second through n &# 39 ; th entries in its first row replaced by the first through ( n − 1 )′ th entries of u . ( 7 ) form the matrix a ′ consisting of the row a ′ followed by the first n − 1 rows of { tilde over ( π )} a ( step 370 ). apply ( 3 . 1 ) to a ′ to compute the entries of the matrices l and u . note that the last entry in the row vectors â and u will not be used and need not be computed . also note that the nontrivial numbers in the matrices u 1 , l , and u can easily be packed into a single n × n matrix ( with one number to spare ). the form πu 1 lu is only one possible form for a factorization of a given matrix a of determinant 1 ( step 380 ); there are many other options for factoring a into unit triangular matrices and a ‘ permutation ’ matrix . for instance , one could factor a in the form πl n ul , where l n is unit lower triangular with nonzero off - diagonal entries only on the n ′ th row . ( to get this , reverse the coordinates of a , factor in the form πu 1 lu , and reverse again . in other words , conjugate by the reverse - diagonal matrix j .) another possibility is the form lul 1 π , where l 1 is unit lower triangular with its nonzero entries in the first column . ( transpose a , factor in the form πu 1 lu , and transpose again , reversing the order of factors .) yet another possibility is to use full pivoting rather than partial pivoting in the initial lu - decomposition , leading to a factorization a = πu 1 luπ 2 with two ‘ permutation ’ matrices . the form u 1 is particularly suitable for integer approximation purposes , because the integer approximation for this factor requires only one coordinate to be rounded ; thus , the error bound for this factor is ½ , as opposed to √{ square root over ( n − 1 )}/ 2 for the general unit triangular matrix . the same applies to the form l n , but not to the form l 1 . but it is good to have as many options as possible , so one can look for a factorization that gives the best error bounds for the integer approximation as a whole , just as described in the section entitled “ the 2 × 2 diagonal matrix .” in some cases the linear transformation a already sends some integer lattice points to integer lattice points . this may be a fundamental property of the transformation , in which case it will be highly desirable to have the approximating integer map φ match a exactly on these particular points . an example of this situation is presented in the next section . one particular case of this is handled automatically by the factorization shown in the section entitled “ larger matrices .” suppose that we have ae 1 = e 1 , where e 1 is the elementary vector with first entry 1 and remaining entries 0 . this is equivalent to a having first column equal to e 1 . then we have a ( ke 1 )= ke 1 for all integers k , and we would like to have φ ( ke 1 )= ke 1 also . this turns out to be the case : proposition 4 . 1 . any matrix a of determinant 1 such that ae 1 = e 1 can be factored in the form πu 1 lu , where π is a signed permutation matrix , u 1 and u are unit upper triangular , l is unit lower triangular , the only nonzero entries of u 1 are on the diagonal or the top row , and the integer approximation φ to a resulting from this factorization satisfies φ ( ke 1 )= ke 1 for all integers k . proof ; follow the algorithm shown in the section entitled “ larger matrices .” the first step is to use gaussian elimination with partial pivoting to obtain the expression { tilde over ( π )} a ={ tilde over ( l )} . but the initial matrix a already has its first column in the desired form , so the elimination will leave the first row alone and process the remaining rows in order to handle columns 2 through n . therefore , we get { tilde over ( π )} e 1 , = e 1 , and the related matrix π will satisfy π ( ke 2 )= ke 1 ( where e 2 has a 1 in the second position and 0 &# 39 ; s elsewhere ). and the matrix a remaining to be factored has first column e 2 . the entry in position ( 1 , 2 ) of a ( call it a 12 ) becomes the entry in position ( 2 , 2 ) of â . when the matrix a ′ is computed in the next step , its first column is e 1 + e 2 , and the second entry in row 1 comes out to be a ′ 12 = a 12 − 1 . we then get u 2 =− 1 , and the first column of the matrix l is also e 1 + e 2 . so we get the following when applying the matrix a in factored form πu 1 lu to the vector ke 1 : u ( ke 1 )= ke 1 , l ( ke 1 )= k ( e 1 + e 2 ), u 1 ( k ( e 1 + e 2 ))= ke 2 , and π ( ke 2 )= ke 1 . in the corresponding integer approximation , each step of this process is an integer vector anyway , and hence is not altered by rounding . therefore , we get φ ( ke 1 )= ke 1 for all integers k . other cases where the matrix a happens to map certain integer vectors to integer vectors will probably not be preserved exactly by this integer approximation . however , if there is a particular integer vector one is interested in preserving , one may be able to apply a preliminary integral linear transformation to move this vector to e 1 before factoring . for instance , suppose that the linear transformation a maps k1 to ke 1 , where 1 is the vector with all entries equal to 1 . then we can write a as a δ , where δ is a simple integer matrix of determinant 1 which maps 1 to e 1 . then we have a e 1 = e 1 , so we can factor a as above to get a factorization πu 1 luδ of a yielding an integer approximation p which sends k1 to ke 1 . as an example , we consider a transformation for conversion of colors presented in standard red - green - blue coordinates . here we will consider only linear changes of coordinates , ignoring nonlinear visual effects , which are not relevant for the purposes below . a popular coordinate system used for these purposes is the yc b c r coordinate system , described in the international telecommunications union standards document itu - r bt . 601 . coordinate systems such as yc b c r may be more desirable for image transmission and / or compression , because they decrease wasteful correlations between the three coordinates ( brighter parts of an image will tend to have higher values for all three coordinates ) and because coordinate systems in which the most important part of the signal ( brightness or something like it ) is separated out allow different amounts of bandwidth to be used for the different coordinates . these purposes would appear incompatible with the goal of invertibility ; however , it is often desirable for a compression or transmission system to be able to operate in either lossless mode or a lossy compressed mode , so it is not unreasonable to ask for a lossless transformation from rgb to yc b c r . the rgb → yc b c r conversion is actually a family of linear transformations ; a particular member of this family is specified by giving weights a r , a g , a b ( positive numbers summing to 1 ) for the r , g , and b components . the matrix corresponding to these weights is a = ( a r a g a b - a r 2 - 2 a b - a g 2 - 2 a b 1 2 1 2 - a g 2 - 2 a r - a b 2 - 2 a r ) . a g 4 ( 1 - a r ) ( 1 - a b ) this is not a serious problem , though , because for decorrelation purposes it does not matter if a scale factor is applied to the c r and / or c b output components , and the scale factors can be allowed for explicitly in differential data rates . ( we do not want to rescale the y component , for reasons given below .) we might as well use the same scale factor for both of these components . this means that the first step is to pull out a scaling matrix β = 1 2 a g ( 1 - a r ) ( 1 - a b ) , leaving a matrix s − 1 a of determinant 1 to factor . the y output component represents the total luminance ( perceived brightness ) of the specified color . in particular , if the input color is a greyscale value with all three components equal to the same number k , then the y component of the output will be k . ( this is why y should not be resealed .) the other two components are orthogonal to the black - white axis ; they come out to be zero for greyscale input . in other words , we are in the situation described at the end of the previous section : for any k , we have a ( k1 )= ke 1 ( and hence ( s − 1 a ) ( k1 )= ke 1 , since s fixes e 1 ). to ensure that the integer approximation map preserves this property , we start by pulling out a factor δ on the right such that δ has determinant 1 and sends 1 to e 1 . there are many such matrices to choose from ; one simple one is we are now left with a matrix a = s − 1 aδ − 1 to which the algorithms from the section entitled “ larger matrices ” can be applied . these yield the factorization π = ( 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 ) , u 1 = ( 1 - 1 t 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 ) , l = ( 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 t 2 1 ) , u = ( 1 a g - 1 t 3 0 1 t 4 0 0 1 ) , t 1 = 1 - a b 1 - a r - ( 2 - 2 a b ) β a g t 2 = - a g ( 2 - 2 a b ) β t 3 = a b + 1 - ( 2 - 2 a b ) β - a r a g t 4 = ( 2 - 2 a b ) β - a r a g - 1 a special case of interest is presented by the set of values provided in the itu - r bt . 601 standard , which values are as follows : in this case , the numerical values of the non - integer entries in the above matrices are : we can now apply the error analysis methods presented earlier to obtain error bounds for this transformation . note that the integer isometry π has no effect on the errors and can be ignored . the integer approximations to matrices u 1 and l only involve one rounding , because these matrices have only one non - integer row each ; so the error bound for each of these matrices is ½ , while the error bound for u ( which has two non - integer rows ) is √{ square root over ( 2 )}/ 2 . the error bound for the integer matrix δ is 0 . after computing the norms we can apply ( 1 . 2 ) to get a forward error bound of 2 . 5160882629800899 . since the inverse to the integer approximation is computed differently , we cannot bound its error by applying ( 1 . 2 ) directly ; instead we compute ∥( s − 1 a ) − 1 ∥≈ 1 . 8003445245653902 and apply ( 1 . 3 ) to get an inverse error bound of 4 . 5298264824059275 . one gets better bounds by keeping track of the errors from the separate roundings as discussed in the section entitled “ the 2 × 2 diagonal matrix ”. under the worst - case assumption that these errors are independent , one gets error bounds of 1 . 5472559440649816 for the forward transform and 1 . 7941398552787594 for the inverse transform . one can get lower bounds on the error ( and thus gauge the accuracy of the preceding upper bounds ) by testing the approximation on a large collection of sample inputs . one can reduce the computation needed here by using the fact that the factorization preserves the mapping k1 ke 2 . if one applies the approximation to x and to x + k1 , then at every step the two results will be the same except that the second result will have k added to some coordinates ; in particular , the rounding errors will be exactly the same . similarly , the inverse to the approximation will give exactly the same errors for input vectors y and y + ke 1 . for the forward transform , a search through all input vectors ( x 1 , x 2 , x 3 ) εz 3 with | x 2 − x 1 |& lt ; 33000 and | x 3 − x 1 |& lt ; 33000 ( only these relative differences matter ) yielded a largest error of 1 . 5404029289484810 at the input vector ( 19352 , 0 , 20840 ). for the inverse transform , a search through all input vectors ( x 1 , x 2 , x 3 ) εz 3 with | x 2 |& lt ; 33000 and | x 3 |& lt ; 33000 ( the value of x 1 is irrelevant ) yielded a largest error of 1 . 7905956082490824 at the input vector ( 8360 , 31316 , 8995 ). these examples show that the upper bounds given above are either sharp or very close to it . there were a number of choices made in the construction of this factorization ( the form πu 1 lu , the particular matrices s and δ , and so on ). different choices would lead to alternative factorizations , some of which might have better error bounds than the factorization presented here . as mentioned in the section entitled “ introduction ”, the approximation problem in the fixed - length case is equivalent to finding a bijection ψ from a transformed lattice az n to the standard integer lattice z n which moves points as small a distance as possible ( so that the integer mapping φ = ψ · a is a bijection approximating a ). one can imagine many ways of trying to find such a bijection , ψ ; the problem seems to be a combinatorial one . given a matrix a of determinant ± 1 , we know by now that such maps do exist so that the errors ( the distances that points are moved ) are bounded . each such ψ has a supremal error sup xεaz n ∥ ψx − x ∥ ( we cannot say “ maximal error ,” because it may be that there is no single point x for which ƒψx − x ∥ is maximal ). it is natural to ask whether there is a bijection ψ which is optimal in the sense that its supremal error is as small as possible ; it is conceivable that there would be no optimal bijection , because the ultimate error bound could be approached but not attained . this turns out not to be the case : proposition 6 . 1 . for any real n × n matrix a of determinant ± 1 , there is a bijection ψ : az v → z n which is optimal in the sense that sup xεaz n ∥ ψx − x ∥ is minimal over all such bijections . proof , first find an integer approximation ψ 1 with bounded error , and let ε 1 be an error bound for ψ 1 . then we only need to search among bijections with error bounded by ε 1 to find an optimal one ψ . if ε 1 is fixed , then there are only finitely many possibilities for ψx for any given xεaz n ( i . e ., only finitely many standard lattice points within distance ε 1 of x ) and only finitely many possibilities for ψ − 1 y for any given yεz n . now a standard compactness argument can be used to complete the proof . there are several ways to express this argument . one is to note that the space of integer approximations ψ satisfying the error bound ε 1 can be given a metric ( let x 1 , x 2 , . . . list the vectors in az n ∪ z n , and define the distance between distinct approximations ψ and ψ ′ to be 1 / k where k is least so that ψx k ≠ ψ ′ x k or ψ − 1 x k ≠ ψ ′ − 1 x k ) so that it becomes a compact space , and the supremal error is a lower semicontinuous function from this space to the real numbers , so it must attain a minimum value . another is as follows : let ε be the infimum of the supremal errors of approximations ψ . for any finite sets s ⊂ az n and s ′ ⊂ z n , there are only finitely many ways to partially define an integer approximation ψ on s and s ′ ( i . e ., define ψx for xεs and ψ − 1 y for yεs ′) so as to meet the error bound ε 1 ; so there must be one whose partial error bound on this finite configuration is as small as possible . since one can find complete integer approximations with supremal errors as close as desired to ε , the partial error bound must be at most ε . so , for any finite parts of the domain and range lattices , we can define ψ and ψ − 1 on these parts so as to attain the error bound ε ; and there are only finitely many ways to do so . now we can apply könig &# 39 ; s infinity lemma to put these together to obtain a complete integer approximation attaining the bound ε , which is therefore optimal . in general , the optimal lattice bijection is not unique . also , this proof is quite non - constructive , and it is not clear that the optimal bijection ( s ) will be implementable or describable in any useful way . let us now examine the case where the matrix a has rational entries . then the transformed lattice az n will contain many points that are also in the standard lattice z n ; in fact , the intersection l = az n ∩ z n is a full n - dimensional lattice . ( to see this , it is enough to get n independent vectors in l ; one can do this by taking the n independent columns of a and multiplying each by its least common denominator to get an integer vector .) this means that the configuration of points in the two lattices is periodic : the configuration at x looks just like the configuration at x + a for any aεl . now l is a subgroup of z n of finite index ( which can be computed by forming a matrix whose columns are n generating vectors for l and taking the absolute value of its determinant ), and is a subgroup of az n with this same index ( because the determinant of a is ± 1 ). so one can pair off the l - cosets in az n with the l - cosets in z n . any two cosets of l are translates of one another , and such a translation gives a bijection between the cosets . if we take such a translation from each l - coset in az n to the corresponding l - coset in z n , we get a bijection ψ from az n to z n which is of bounded error ; in fact , the maximum error is the largest of the norms of the translation vectors used . just like the lattice configuration , the action of the mapping ψ looks the same near x as near x + a for any as l . in fact , the displacement ψx − x is a periodic function of x . we will refer to such a bijection ψ as a ‘ periodic ’ bijection , and to the corresponding integer approximation φ as a ‘ periodic ’ approximation . there are only finitely many ways to pair off the l - cosets of the two lattices ; and for each pair of cosets there are only finitely many translations from one to the other with translation vector of norm below a specified bound . ( given any point in the first coset , there are only finitely many points in the second coset within the specified distance of the given point ; these give the finitely many translation vectors one can try . clearly there is a best translation vector , although it may not be unique . in fact , the pairing between cosets can be thought of as a bijection between two finite lattices on the n - dimensional torus r n / l with a suitable metric .) so there are only finitely many ‘ periodic ’ bijections meeting any specified error bound ; it follows that there must be an optimal ‘ periodic ’ bijection whose maximum error ( in the ‘ periodic ’ case , a maximum error is attained ) is as small as possible . it turns out that this is optimal among all bijections : proposition 6 . 2 . for any rational n × n matrix a of determinant ± 1 , an optimal ‘ periodic ’ integer approximation to a will in fact be optimal among all integer approximations . proof . it suffices to show that , if there is any bijection ψ from az n to z n meeting error bound ε , then there is a ‘ periodic ’ bijection meeting error bound ε . let m be the index of l in z n ( and in az n ). then , for any n - cube of side - length s , the number of points of any l - coset in the cube is s n / m + o ( s n ). this means that we can find a large cube b and a positive natural number n such that every l - coset contains at least n points inside b and at most n + n / m points within distance ε of b ( because they would lie in a slightly larger cube of side - length s + 2ε ). now , for any k ≦ m , if we put together k of the m cosets of l in az n , we get at least kn points inside b . these are mapped by ψ to at least kn points within distance ε of b . these image points cannot be included in k − 1 cosets of l in z n , because for k ≦ m . so the image points meet at least k cosets of l in z n . therefore , by the marriage theorem , there is a one - to - one pairing ( hence a bijection ) from the source cosets to the target cosets so that , if c i is paired with c i ′, then we can find x i εc i such that ψx i εc ′ i . let a i = ψx i − x i ; then ∥ a i ∥≦ ε . using this coset pairing and the translation vectors a i , construct a ‘ periodic ’ bijection ψ ′; then ψ ′ meets the error bound ε , as desired . propositions 6 . 1 and 6 . 2 also work if one is trying to optimize the approximation error for the inverse transform , or some combination of the forward and inverse errors ( e . g ., the maximum of the two ). note that the inverse of a ‘ periodic ’ approximation is a ‘ periodic ’ approximation to the inverse linear transformation . in the simple case α = 2 . here the lattice l is just 2z × z ( i . e ., the set of integer pairs such that the first coordinate is even ), and there are two cosets of l in each of the lattices dz n and z n . hence , there are only two ways to pair off the cosets ; the one which gives the smaller error is the one which maps l to ( 1 , 0 )+ l and ( 0 , 1 / 2 )+ l to l . this yields a bijection ψ with maximum error 1 . the formula for the corresponding bijection φ approximating d is : φ ( m n ) = { ( 2 m + 1 n / 2 ) if n is even , ( 2 m ( n - 1 ) / 2 ) if n is odd . note that a greedier algorithm for constructing the bijection might have started by mapping all the points in l to themselves ( error 0 ); but then the points in ( 0 , ½ )+ l would have to be mapped to ( 1 , 0 )+ l , leading to a larger overall error of √{ square root over ( 5 )}/ 2 . also , for this particular example the approximation which is optimal for the forward error also happens to be optimal for the inverse error ; there is no reason to believe that this happens in general . for other rational matrices a , there will probably be more cosets to deal with ; in this case , the implementation of a ‘ periodic ’ function will probably be by table lookup . to apply the approximating map φ to a given integer vector x , one will determine which coset c k of the sublattice a − 1 l contains x ( which is equivalent to determining which coset of l in az n contains ax ), find in the table a corresponding rational vector a k , and let φx = ax + a k . note that , for a general lattice a − 1 l , determining which coset contains x may not be trivial . it may be more convenient to use a smaller lattice l ′ ⊂ a − 1 l of the form l ′= m 1 z × m 2 z × . . . × m n z ; this will make the table longer , but will make it much easier to determine which coset contains x . the numbers m j are easily computed : m j is the least common denominator of the rational numbers in column j of the matrix a . finding the best ‘ periodic ’ approximation is a finite combinatorial search problem . there is an algorithm for solving this problem in time polynomial in the number of cosets . determining whether there is a pairing of source cosets with target cosets meeting a given error bound ( and finding one if there is ) is a bipartite matching problem which can be solved in polynomial time by network flow methods . the correct optimal bound will be one of the n 2 distances between a source coset and a target coset ; using a binary search , one can find the optimal bound by solving ┌ 2 log 2 n ┐ bipartite matching problems . of course , if the number of cosets is too large for the optimal ‘ periodic ’ approximation to be implemented ( let alone found ), then one will need to use a different approximation algorithm , even if it is suboptimal . in order to see how sharp computed upper bounds are , or how close to optimal a given bijection might be , it is useful to obtain lower bounds on the possible supremal errors of integer approximations or lattice bijections . one way to do this ( in fact , by the argument of proposition 6 . 1 , essentially the most general way ) is to examine finite parts of the two given lattices and show that one cannot even define a partial bijection on these finite parts without incurring an error of at least ε . one finite configuration is easy to use : if the transformed lattice az n contains a point x which is at distance ( from the nearest point in the standard lattice z n , then any bijection from az n to z n must have error at least d . ( the same applies if some point in z n is at distance at least 6 from the nearest point of az n .) in particular , if az n contains points arbitrarily close to the centers of cubes in the standard lattice z n ( this will be true if , for instance , some column of a has entries a 1j , . . . , a nj such that a 1j , . . . , a nj , 1 are linearly independent over the rationals ), then the supremal error must be at least √{ square root over ( n )}/ 2 . to obtain better lower bounds , one must analyze the interactions between points in the domain lattice — if x ≠ x ′ and ψx = y , then ψx cannot also be y , so it may end up being farther from x ′. such analysis is highly dependent on the particular matrix a . in the case of the 2 × 2 diagonal matrix d , one can substantially improve the lower bound : proposition 6 . 3 . if α & gt ; 0 is given , then , for any integer bijection φ approximating the diagonal matrix d , the error sup xεz 2 ∥ dx − φx ∥ must be at least ε ( α ), where : if α & gt ; 1 is irrational , then ɛ _ ( α ) = ( 1 - ( 2 k - 1 ) α - 1 2 ) 2 + k 2 , where k =┌( α − 1 )/ 2 ┐; if α & gt ; 1 is a rational number r / n in lowest terms , then ɛ _ ( α ) = ( ⌊ m - ( 2 k - 1 ) n 2 ⌋ / m ) 2 + k 2 , where k is as above ; if α = 1 , then ε ( α )= 0 ; if α & lt ; 1 , then ε ( α )= ε ( α − 1 ). proof the case α = 1 is trivial . any bound which works for α also works for α − 1 ( because d ( α − 1 ) is just d ( α ) with the two coordinates interchanged ). so we may assume α & gt ; 1 . let ε be the supremal error for φ ; we must show that ε ≧ ε ( α ). consider the corresponding bijection ψ = ψ · d − 1 from dz 2 to dz 2 , and look at the points of dz 2 on the y - axis . these points are spaced at a distance α − 1 apart , which is too crowded ; some of them will have to be moved by ψ to points not on the y - axis . ( this statement may appear rather vague . to make it more precise , consider a large finite number s . the number of points of dz 2 on the y - axis within distance s of the origin is 2 └ sα ┘+ 1 . these points are sent by ψ to points of z 2 within distance s + ε of the origin ; since the number of such points on the y - axis is only 2 └ s + ε ┘+ 1 , which is smaller than 2 └ sα ┘+ 1 for large s , ψ must map some of these points on the y - axis to points not on the y - axis . the statements in the remainder of this proof can be made precise in the same way , but actually doing so would make the proof far less readable , so we prefer to state the arguments more informally .) in fact , only a fraction 1 / α at most of the domain points on the y - axis can be mapped to range points on the y - axis . similarly , for any other vertical line , ψ maps at most the fraction 1 / α of the domain points on the y - axis to range points on this vertical line . the number k was chosen so that ( 2k − 1 )/ α & lt ; 1 . the map ψ sends at most the fraction ( 2k − 1 )/ α of domain points on the y - axis to range points with x - coordinate of absolute value less than k , because these range points are on 2k − 1 vertical lines . so , for the remaining fraction 1 −( 2k − 1 )/ α of the points on the y - axis , the map ψ introduces an error of at least k horizontally . if α is irrational , then the vertical distances from points on the y - axis in the domain lattice to the nearest points in the range lattice are spread out uniformly over the interval [ 0 , ½ ). so , even if we choose the points of least possible vertical error to be given horizontal error at least k , the vertical errors will have to range up to at least ( 1 −( 2k − 1 )/ α )/ 2 , so the total errors will range up to ε ( α ). if α = m / n in lowest terms , then 1 / m of the domain points on the y - axis will entail no vertical error ( because they are already standard lattice points ), 2 / m of them will entail vertical error of 1 / m at least , 2 / m will entail vertical error at least 2 / m , and so on . if we again try to find the minimum possible vertical errors to combine with the large horizontal errors , we see that we are forced to use vertical errors up to and including └( m −( 2k − 1 ) n )/ 2 ┘/ m , thus leading to a combined error of ε ( α ). in particular , for α =√{ square root over ( 2 )} no integer approximation can have an error bound better than √{ square root over ( 22 − 4 √{ square root over ( 2 )})}/ 4 ≈ 1 . 0106664184619603 ; so the approximation obtained from factorization ( 3 . 3 ) is not very far from optimal . and for any a ≠ 1 the error bound must be at least 1 . there is no reason to expect the lower bound from proposition 6 . 3 to be sharp in most cases ; examination of lattice points other than those on the one line considered in that proof could show that larger errors must occur . the proof of proposition 6 . 3 applies to any matrix a having a column whose only nonzero entry has absolute value less than 1 ; a similar argument works to give a lower bound on the error when there is a column whose only nonzero entry has absolute value greater than 1 . this can be generalized to other situations where a maps a rational subspace to a rational subspace with the “ wrong ” scaling . a number of matrix factorization methods for obtaining integer bijections approximating given linear transformations on fixed - length vectors have been considered . such bijections exist and are easy to implement , and can be made to have additional desirable properties , such as preservation of suitable integer inputs ( which are preserved by the given transformation ). approximation methods that are not based on simple matrix factorizations were also considered . there are many possibilities that remain to be explored , including additional factorizations of matrices , different integer approximations of matrix factors , more integer approximation methods having nothing to do with factorizations , and improved error analysis . for instance , as noted earlier , unit triangular matrices can produce larger error bounds for the inverse transform than for the forward transform , because the inverse transform is computed recursively . one might be able to compute the transform in a different way , perhaps doing the recursion in the forward transform for some factors and in the inverse transform for other factors , so as to balance out the errors . or one could try to use a different sort of factor matrix which does not have this problem . for instance , suppose we partition the coordinates or bands into two groups , and consider two kinds of factors : one where linear combinations of first - group coordinates are added to second - group coordinates , and one where linear combinations of second - group coordinates are added to first - group coordinates . then recursion would not be needed to invert any of these factor matrices , and one may be able to get better overall error bounds . on the other hand , degree - of - freedom counting shows that such factorizations would require at least four factors in the general fixed - length case , if the length is greater than 2 ; and more detailed analysis shows that even four factors is not enough . it is likely that the additional factors will outweigh the benefit from eliminating recursion in the inverse . as for the error analysis , even the simple case of a 2 × 2 diagonal matrix was not analyzed completely . in more complicated cases the analysis was quite selective ; many variant factorizations remain to be examined . and everything was based on the initial assumption that the goal was to minimize the worst - case error in the integer approximation of the transform ( and perhaps the inverse transform ). some applications may entail optimizing with respect to some other parameter , in which case different integer approximations may work better . as discussed earlier , the second version of the problem involves analyzing input vectors for signals having unbounded length ( number of coordinates ), but which are of bounded amplitude ( i . e ., the values appearing as coordinates of the vector are bounded ). such signals are treated as bounded sequences of real numbers that are essentially infinite in both directions . in practice , however , the signals will be of finite length and boundary conditions will be needed at the ends of these sequences . the use of infinite sequences of real numbers imposes two restrictions . the first restriction is a time - invariance condition . strict time invariance or shift invariance would require that shifting the input signal over by one step would result in the same output signal also shifted over by one step . this is too strong , though ; instead we require that the coordinates of the output signal be obtained by applying n time - invariant transformations in rotation ( so shifting the input n steps results in the same output shifted by n steps ). this can also be expressed as applying n time - invariant mappings or “ filters ,” taking only every n &# 39 ; th coordinate of each output signal (“ downsampling ”), and merging the results . in such a case the output signal consists of n different subsignals or “ bands ” merged together . one can also treat the input signal as comprising n bands in the same way . so the input signal is conceptually broken up into blocks of length n ; the j ′ th band consists of the j ′ th component of each block . ( sometimes the input signal is presented in n separate bands already .) so the input and output signals can be thought of as essentially infinite sequences of members of r n , and the linear transformation as a fully time - invariant mapping in this formulation . the second restriction is that a component of the output signal depends on only finitely many components of the input signal ; a transformation with this property is called fir ( finite impulse response ). a time - invariant ( or n - fold time - invariant as above ) fir linear transformation must produce a bounded - amplitude output signal when applied to a bounded - amplitude input signal . the part of the input signal on which a given output coordinate depends ( the “ stencil ” of the transformation ) will often include more than n coordinates . a linear transformation with these properties can be described by n × n matrices m k for kεz , only finitely many of which are nonzero . the input signal x is a sequence of n - vectors x i , and the output signal y = f ( x ) is a sequence of n - vectors y j ; these are related by the formula y j = ∑ k m k x j + k = ∑ i m i - j x i ( the sums are over all integers , but only finitely many terms are nonzero ). this can be more conveniently expressed in terms of the z - transform , which we think of here as a generating function approach . if we introduce the generating functions p ( z )= σ i x i z i and q ( z )= σ j y j z j for the input and output signals ( these can be thought of as series of n - vectors or as n - vectors of series ), and we also define the matrix a ( z ) to be σ k m k z − k , then the formula above becomes simply q ( z )= a ( z ) p ( z ). the z - transform matrix a ( z ) ( commonly called the polyphase matrix of the transformation ) is a matrix whose entries are laurent polynomials over r , i . e ., members of the ring r [ z , z − 1 ]. if no negative powers of z occur in the matrix , then the output vector at time j depends only on the input vectors at time j and earlier times ( the transformation is causal ). just as for fixed - length transformations , composition of transformations here corresponds to multiplication of the associated z - transform matrices . we will assume that the given linear transformation is invertible and that the inverse transformation is also fir ( it is automatically linear and time - invariant ). in this case , the original transformation is said to admit perfect reconstruction . so the inverse transformation is also given by a z - transform matrix b ( z ), and if p ( z ) and q ( z ) are as above , then we have p ( z )= b ( z ) q ( z )= b ( z ) a ( z ) p ( z ). since this holds for all input signals , b ( z ) must be the inverse matrix to a ( z ). we will require our integer approximation maps to be fir and time - invariant ( on n - vectors ), but not necessarily linear . and we impose the same restrictions on the inverse maps . in order to measure the error of an integer approximation , we need a norm on the space of signals ; the euclidean norm does not apply to infinite - length signals . since we are working with bounded - amplitude signals , we could simply take the supremum of the absolute values of the components of the signal . but since we are thinking of the signal y as a sequence of vectors y j εr n , it is natural to define the norm ∥ y ∥ to be sup j ∥ y j ∥. then the error of an integer approximation φ to a given linear transformation a is just the supremum of ∥ ax − φx ∥ over all input signals x . ( we will abuse notation slightly by using a for a transformation and a ( z ) for its z - transform matrix .) as we discussed earlier , in the fixed - length case , a necessary condition for the existence of a bounded - error integer approximation φ to the linear transformation a is that det a =± 1 . we may as well assume that the determinant is 1 , because , if it is − 1 , we can negate a row of the matrix to change the determinant to + 1 . in the unbounded - length case , the linear transformation is given by a matrix a ( z ) over r [ z , z − 1 ]. we are assuming that the inverse transformation is also given by such a matrix , which must be the inverse of a ( z ), so deta must be an invertible element of the ring r [ z , z − 1 ], i . e ., a nonzero monomial cz k . if we look at an integer input signal that is constant on each band , then the output signal will also be constant on each band ; this essentially reduces to the case of vectors of fixed length n . the constant matrix for this fixed - length transformation is just a ( 1 ) since an integer approximation for general signals certainly gives an integer approximation for these particular signals , the matrix a ( 1 ) must satisfy the necessary condition above , det a ( 1 )=± 1 . so the monomial det a ( z ) must be ± z k for some integer k . again we can pull this factor out of one of the bands to reduce to the case of a transformation of determinant 1 ; an integer approximation for the modified matrix easily yields one for the original matrix ( just shift and / or negate one band at the end ). as described earlier , the main approach will be to factor a given z - transform matrix into matrices of special form , mainly ‘ permutation ’ matrices ( ordinary permutation matrices with some entries negated ) and elementary matrices . the ‘ permutation ’ matrices are easy to handle , because they already map integer signals to integer signals ( they just rearrange and possibly negate the bands ). an elementary matrix factor ( differing from the identity only at a single off - diagonal entry ) corresponds to a transformation which adds a multiple of one band ( or , if the off - diagonal entry has several terms , multiples of shifted copies of one band ) to another band . factorizations into such matrices have been considered by a number of those skilled in art , such factors , at least in the 2 × 2 case , are also known as liftings . if a transformation is given by an elementary matrix which adds some modification ( combination of shifts and constant multiples ) of band i to band j , then we get an integer - to - integer approximation to the transformation by simply rounding the modification of band i to an integer before adding it to band j . this is easily invertible : simply subtract the same rounded modification of band i from band j . this applies more generally to matrices given by unit triangular matrices ( lower or upper triangular matrices whose diagonal entries are all 1 ). a number of the calculations presented earlier can be applied without change in the present context , given suitable definitions . in particular , we define the norm ∥ a ∥ of a signal transformation a ( or the norm ∥ a ( z )∥ of its associated z - transform matrix ) to be the supremum of ∥ a i x ∥/∥ x ∥ over all nonzero bounded inputs x ( where ∥ x ∥ is defined as in the preceding section ). then , if a = a 1 a 2 . . . a k where each a i can be approximated by an integer mapping φ i with error bound c i , then a can be approximated by the composition of these integer mappings with error bound c 1 +∥ a 1 ∥ c 2 +∥ a 1 ∥∥ a 2 ∥ c 3 + . . . +∥ a 1 ∥∥ a 2 ∥ . . . ∥ a k − 1 ∥ c k . ( 9 . 1 ) c 1 +∥ a 1 ∥ c 2 +∥ a 1 a 2 ∥ c 3 + . . . +∥ a 1 a 2 . . . a k − 1 ∥ c k . ( 9 . 2 ) also , if φ approximates a , then φ − 1 approximates a − 1 , because if x = φ − 1 y , then in this section , we will concentrate on one - dimensional signals , but the methods are also applicable to multidimensional signal transformations ( i . e ., to matrices whose entries are laurent polynomials in several variables rather than the single variable z ). in particular , elementary matrices are approximable by integer bijections as above even in the multidimensional case . the main difference is that it is more difficult if not impossible to factor a given multidimensional matrix of determinant 1 into elementary matrices . the gaussian elimination method for factoring a matrix over r into elementary matrices and a diagonal matrix ( and maybe a permutation matrix as well ) can be extended to the case of matrices over r [ z , z − 1 ]. this is the laurent polynomial version of the algorithm for reducing a matrix polynomial to smith normal form . the smith normal form and a variety of methods for reducing a matrix polynomial to smith normal form are known by those of ordinary skill in this field , where such methods involve , for instance , a laurent polynomial case for 2 × 2 matrics and a case for n × n matrices . here we are concerned with the perfect reconstruction case , so we assume that the determinant of the given matrix a ( z ) is a nonzero monomial . in fact , by pulling out a diagonal matrix factor to begin with , we can reduce to the case where det a ( z )= 1 . the entries in such a diagonal matrix represent scaling ( the numerical coefficients ) and delays or advances ( the powers of z ) for the corresponding bands . the main part of the algorithm uses elementary row operations ( each of which corresponds to pulling out an elementary matrix factor on the left ). start by selecting a column to reduce ( say , the first column ). if this column has more than one nonzero entry , then choose two nonzero entries , say a ( z ) and b ( z ). suppose that the ‘ degree ’ of a ( z ) is at least as large as the ‘ degree ’ of b ( z ). ( here we define the ‘ degree ’ of a laurent polynomial to be the degree of the highest - degree term minus the degree of the lowest - degree term ; the ‘ degree ’ of 0 is −∞.) then we can perform an elementary row operation which subtracts a suitable multiple of b ( z ) from a ( z ) so that the difference has lower ‘ degree ’ than a ( z ). ( one can actually choose the multiple so that the difference has lower ‘ degree ’ than b ( z ). however , it will be useful later to not require this , even if it means that more reduction steps are needed .) repeat this process until all but one of the entries in the selected column are 0 . since deta ( z ) has ‘ degree ’ 0 , the remaining nonzero entry must be a nonzero monomial . now select a second column , and do the same reduction to all of the entries in this column except the one in the row containing the nonzero entry from the first column ( this row is excluded for now ). so only one such entry will be nonzero , and again this entry must be a nonzero monomial . this means that , with one more row operation , we can zero out the entry in the excluded row in the second column . do the same thing in a third column ( now there are two excluded rows ), and so on until all columns are processed . what remains will be a permuted diagonal matrix , with the nonzero entries being monomials with product 1 . after pulling out a permutation matrix ( or a ‘ permutation ’ matrix of determinant 1 ), we are left with a diagonal matrix of determinant 1 . this can be written as a product of diagonal matrices each of which has only two non - 1 diagonal entries , which are reciprocals of each other . then , if desired , one can write each of these essentially 2 × 2 diagonal matrices as a product of elementary matrices using the formulas discussed previously . in fact , if one really wants to , one can even write the ‘ permutation ’ matrix of determinant 1 as such a product as well , because such a ‘ permutation ’ can be written as a product of simple ‘ permutations ’ each of which just swaps two rows and negates one of them , and such a simple ‘ permutation ’ can be written as a product of three elementary matrices : if one factors all the way down to elementary matrices in this way ( leaving the ‘ permutation ’ matrix unfactored ), then a great many factors might be required . but it turns out that unit triangular matrices are as good for our purposes as elementary matrices ( simple rounding works as an integer approximation method , as discussed previously ); using these , one can get by with far fewer factors , because one permuted unit triangular matrix can replace a large number ( up to n ( n − 1 )/ 2 of elementary matrices . to see this , suppose we are in the process of reducing a column . say p 1 ( z ) is the nonzero entry in this column of lowest ‘ degree ’; use elementary row operations to subtract multiples of p 1 ( z ) from the other nonzero entries to get their ‘ degrees ’ below that of p 1 ( z ). let p 2 ( z ) be the newly modified entry of least ‘ degree ,’ and subtract multiples of p 2 ( z ) from the other nonzero entries ( excluding p 1 ( z )) to reduce their ‘ degrees ’ below that of p 2 ( z ). now choose p 3 ( z ) and reduce the other nonzero entries , excluding p 1 ( z ) and p 2 ( z ); and so on . all of the reduction steps described here can be combined into a single permuted unit triangular matrix . however , there is no fixed bound ( depending on n alone ) for the number of factors needed here , even if these more general factors are allowed ; if the entries of the matrix have very high ‘ degree ,’ then many factors might be required . if one is interested in factoring a causal linear transformation ( one where no negative powers of z occur in the corresponding matrix ) into causal elementary factors , one can do so by following the same procedure as above , using ordinary polynomial degrees instead of ‘ degrees ’. this is just the ordinary reduction of a polynomial matrix to smith normal form . in this case , if the determinant of the matrix has one or more factors z , one may not be able to remove them at the beginning ; instead one follows the smith normal form process ( which is slightly more involved in this case ) and ends up with a diagonal matrix in the middle of the factorization . if this diagonal matrix has determinant ± z k , then one can express it as a constant diagonal matrix of determinant 1 ( which can be factored into elementary matrices , as discussed earlier ) and a diagonal matrix with entries of the form ± z j ( which must be handled some other way ). as described earlier , one can consider the case where the given linear transformation already sends certain integer - valued inputs to integer - valued outputs , and we want the integer - to - integer approximating map to give the same results for these inputs . in particular , let us consider the constant input signal with value k on all coordinates . most filter banks are set up with one low - pass filter and one or more higher - pass filters . the higher - pass filters should have zero response to a constant signal , while the low - pass filter should give a constant nonzero response ( preferably the same constant as the input ). if the low - pass filter appears first in the bank , then the above properties can be expressed in terms of the z - transform matrix m ( z ) for the filter bank by the equation m ( 1 ) 1 = e 1 , where 1 is the vector in r n with all coordinates 1 and e 1 is the vector with first coordinate 1 and remaining coordinates 0 . we also consider the closely related family of matrices a ( z ) such that a ( z ) e 1 = e 1 . such a matrix , when applied to an input consisting of a constant signal on band 1 and zero on all other bands , returns that input unchanged . ( such a matrix would commonly occur for a processing step applied to a signal after it had already been separated into low - frequency and high - frequency bands .) one can convert from a matrix m ( z ) satisfying m ( 1 ) 1 = e 1 to the form a ( z ) by pulling out a constant matrix factor δ which sends 1 to e 1 as described earlier : if m ( z )= a ( z ) δ , then m ( 1 )= a ( 1 ) δ , so m ( 1 ) 1 = e 1 if and only if a ( 1 ) e 1 = e 1 . the condition a ( 1 ) e 1 = e 1 is equivalent to the statement that the leftmost column of a ( 1 ) is e 1 . this means that , in the matrix a ( z ), all entries in the first column are divisible by z − 1 except for the first entry , which has remainder 1 when divided by z − 1 . let be the set of all matrices a ( z ) with entries from r [ z , z − 1 ] which have determinant 1 and satisfy the equation a ( 1 ) e 1 = e 1 . it is easy to see that is a group . the set of matrices m ( z ) of determinant 1 which satisfy m ( 1 ) 1 = e 1 is the right coset δ of . if we have an elementary matrix in , then its standard integer approximation also leaves a constant integer signal in band 1 ( with zeros elsewhere ) unchanged . so any matrix which can be factored into elementary matrices in has an integer approximation which preserves constant signals in band 1 . theorem 11 . 1 . any matrix in the group can be factored into a product of elementary matrices in . proof we perform the same reduction using elementary row operations as in the previous section , but with an extra restriction on the operations . when we have two nonzero entries a ( z ) and b ( z ) in the column we are currently working on , we wish to perform an elementary row operation which either subtracts a multiple of a ( z ) from b ( z ) so as to reduce its ‘ degree ,’ or subtracts a multiple of b ( z ) from a ( z ) so as to reduce its ‘ degree .’ for an elementary row operation to correspond to a matrix in , it must meet the following restriction : if it subtracts a multiple of row 1 from another row , then the multiplier must be divisible by z − 1 . if neither a ( z ) nor b ( z ) is in row 1 , then the restriction does not apply , and the usual reduction step is allowed . now say a ( z ) is in row 1 . if the ‘ degree ’ of a ( z ) is greater than or equal to that of b ( z ), then we can subtract a suitable multiple of b ( z ) from a ( z ); again this is always allowed . if the ‘ degree ’ of a ( z ) is less than that of b ( z ), then we want to subtract a multiple of a ( z ) from b ( z ) so as to eliminate at least one leading or trailing coefficient from b ( z ). ( we are not requiring that the ‘ degree ’ of b ( z ) be reduced all the way below that of a ( z ); reducing it by at least one will suffice .) so in fact we could make the multiplier a monomial cz k chosen so that the leading term of cz k a ( z ) is the same as that of b ( z ). but the multiplier cz k − cz k − 1 would also work to eliminate the leading term of b ( z ), and it would not introduce new trailing terms because the ‘ degree ’ of cz k − 1 ( z − 1 ) a ( z ) is one more than that of a ( z ), and hence not more than that of b ( z ). so this multiplier will give a valid reduction step , while satisfying the restriction . let us require that column 1 be the first column reduced in this way . after column 1 is reduced , the remaining nonzero entry in this column must be in row 1 , because the matrix will still be in . then one can proceed to reduce the other columns as described in the previous section ; these row operations do not involve row 1 , so they are all allowed . and the steps for eliminating the remaining entries in excluded rows never require subtracting a multiple of row 1 from another row ( since row 1 was the first row excluded ), so they are allowed as well . so we can reduce to a permuted diagonal matrix . since the upper left entry of the matrix is still nonzero , the permutation does not move index 1 . so one can perform a sequence of swap - and - negate operations not involving row 1 so as to reduce to an actual diagonal matrix ; these operations can be expressed as elementary operations using ( 10 . 1 ), and these operations are allowed because they do not involve row 1 . we are now left with a diagonal matrix of determinant 1 whose entries are monomials in z ; and the monomial in the upper left corner must have coefficient 1 in order for the matrix to be in . this matrix can be factored into essentially 2 × 2 diagonal factors of the form considered earlier , where each diagonal entry is a monomial in z : one between rows 1 and 2 , one between rows 2 and 3 , and so on . each of these factors can be broken down into elementary matrices using the formula ( this is ( 2 . 1 ) with r = 1 and s = α − 1 ). for the first factor , α is of the form z k , so α − 1 and ( α − 1 ) α are divisible by z − 1 ; thus , the elementary matrices here are in . for the remaining factors the restriction does not apply . this completes the factorization into elementary matrices in . as in the preceding section , one can get by with far fewer factors by using unit triangular matrices rather than elementary matrices in the n × n case . again , if one has a causal transformation of determinant 1 and wants causal elementary factors , one can get them by the same procedure , using ordinary polynomial degrees instead of ‘ degrees ’ and always trying to eliminate leading coefficients rather than “ leading or trailing ” coefficients . ( the entries in the final diagonal matrix will be constants .) so any causal matrix in can be factored into causal elementary matrices in . for a causal transformation whose determinant has z factors , one can first check whether the first column of the matrix is divisible by a power of z ; if so , this power can be pulled out as a diagonal matrix on the right ( which just shifts band 1 , and hence preserves a constant signal in this band ). once this is done , the first column can be reduced as usual , and then the smith normal form process can be applied to the lower right ( n − 1 )×( n − 1 ) submatrix . then a diagonal matrix can be pulled out on the left ( in two parts , as at the end of the preceding section ), and the reduction of row 1 using the remaining rows ( which now look like the identity matrix ) can be completed . in the proof of theorem 11 . 1 , the first row and column of the matrix must be handled specially , but there is no restriction on the remaining rows and columns ; they can be reduced by any euclidean algorithm steps desired . this extra freedom can be used to obtain additional properties of the factorization , if desired . for instance , suppose k & lt ; n is fixed , and we are given an n × n matrix a ( z ) over r [ z , z − 1 ] of determinant 1 with the property that a ( 1 ) e 1 = e 1 for all i ≦ k , where e i is a vector with 1 in entry i and 0 elsewhere . in other words , the transformation given by a ( z ) preserves a single - band constant signal in any of the first k bands . then a ( z ) can be factored into elementary matrices which also preserve constant signals in these bands . to see this , first perform the reduction on the first column as in the proof of theorem 11 . 1 , where now the first k rows are restricted ( any elementary operation with one of these rows as the source must use a multiplier divisible by z − 1 ). we can continue this until no more legal reductions are possible ; at this point all of the unrestricted rows will have been zeroed out . since the determinant of the matrix is 1 , the remaining nonzero entries in the column must have greatest common divisor 1 , so we can obtain the number 1 as a sum of multiples ( by elements of r [ z , z − 1 ]) of these entries . using the same multipliers with an additional factor of z − 1 , we can perform legal elementary operations so as to make the entry in row n of this column equal to z − 1 . now , since the first entry in this column is 1 plus a multiple of z − 1 ( this was true at the start , and all operations preserved it ), we can perform one more elementary operation from row n to row 1 to change this first entry to 1 . now legal elementary operations from row 1 can be used to zero out all of the other entries ( which are multiples of z − 1 ). next we proceed to the second column and do the same thing in rows 2 through n ; then we can easily eliminate entry 1 in this row using the 1 in entry 2 . proceed this way through the first k columns , and then use the unrestricted algorithm to handle the rest . when we factor a z - transform matrix into elementary matrices , we are decomposing the corresponding transformation into steps which allow only a very specific form of interaction between parts of the signal . however , this form of interaction can still be very wide - ranging , because arbitrary powers of z are allowed in the multipliers occurring in the elementary factors . one may want to restrict the factors further so as to require the interactions to be fairly local . let us consider the case of 2 × 2 matrices first . this is the case where the signal ( long sequence of numerical values ) is broken up into two - entry blocks . an elementary matrix factor with nonzero entry in the upper right corner will modify this signal by leaving the second entries in the blocks alone , but adding some linear combination of the second entries to the first entries . if the nonzero entry is in the lower left corner , then a linear combination of the first entries will be added to the second entries . a natural locality restriction would be to require that the number added to a second entry be computed from the two neighboring first entries ( the one in the same block and the one in the next block ), and the number added to a first entry be computed from the two neighboring second entries ( the one in the same block and the one in the previous block ). this means that we allow only elementary matrix factors of the forms ( 1 rz + s 0 1 ) and ( 1 0 rz - 1 + s 1 ) , for n × n matrices where n & gt ; 2 , it is less obvious what the exact meaning of “ small - stencil ” or “ local ” elementary matrix should be . one could allow only nearest - neighbor interactions as in the 2 × 2 case , but this would be extremely restrictive ; it would allow only elementary matrices where the nonzero off - diagonal entry is a constant adjacent to the diagonal , a monomial rz in the upper right corner , or a monomial rz − 1 in the lower left corner . it would be more flexible to allow interactions between the i &# 39 ; th entry in a block and the two closest j &# 39 ; th entries , one on each side . this would allow the nonzero off - diagonal entry of the elementary matrix to occur anywhere , but : if it is above the diagonal , it must be of the form rz + s ; if it is below the diagonal , it must be of the form rz − 1 + s . ( or one may want a different definition here if one is trying to meet particular implementation restrictions .) it turns out that , even with the restrictive nearest - neighbor definition , it is always possible to factor a z - transform matrix of determinant 1 into small - stencil elementary factors . since we already know how to factor such a matrix into unrestricted elementary factors , we just need to express a given elementary matrix as a product of small - stencil elementary matrices . next note that , because of equations such as ( 1 a + b 0 1 ) = ( 1 a 0 1 ) ( 1 b 0 1 ) , ( 12 . 1 ) we may assume that the nonzero off - diagonal entry in the given elementary matrix is a monomial . in terms of the unblocked signal , this transformation adds c times entry number i + kn to entry number j + kn for all integers k , where c , i , and j are given constants ( and j − i is not divisible by n ). if this is not already a nearest - neighbor interaction ( i . e ., | j − i |& gt ; 1 ), then it can be changed into one by using nearest - neighbor swaps to move the interacting entries closer to each other . for instance , if j − i & gt ; 1 , then we can swap entry j − 1 + kn with entry j + kn for all integers k . this will not move the entries in positions i + kn unless j − 1 − i is divisible by n , in which case these entries are moved one place to the right . so the interacting entries will end up one or two places closer to each other . repeat this until the interacting entries are adjacent , do the operation which performs the interaction , and then reverse all the swaps . this factors the nonlocal operation into a sequence of local operations ( including swaps ). we do not want to use literal swaps , though , since they have determinant − 1 as linear operations . instead , we negate one of the two entries being swapped ; this ‘ swap ’ or swap - and - negate is a 90 - degree rotation between two bands . returning to the z - transform matrices , this states that we can factor our non - local monomial elementary matrix into a local monomial elementary matrix and a number of local ‘ swaps .’ a local ‘ swap ’ which does not cross block boundaries looks like an identity matrix except that some 2 × 2 block centered on the diagonal is changed to if the ‘ swap ’ does cross a block boundary , then it is an identity matrix with the four corner entries changed to ( 0 z - z - 1 0 ) or ( 0 - z z - 1 0 ) . ( 1 0 0 0 1 0 7 z 0 1 ) = ( 1 0 0 0 0 - 1 0 1 0 ) ( 0 - 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 ) ( 0 0 z 0 1 0 - z - 1 0 0 ) × ( 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 - 7 1 ) ( 0 0 - z 0 1 0 z - 1 0 0 ) ( 0 1 0 - 1 0 0 0 0 1 ) ( 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 - 1 0 ) it now remains to note that each local ‘ swap ’ can be factored into three local elementary matrices . for the case where the ‘ swap ’ does not cross a block boundary we just use ( 10 . 1 ). if the ‘ swap ’ does cross a block boundary we use a very similar formula : proposition 12 . 1 . any matrix over r [ z , z − 1 ] of determinant 1 can be factored into small - stencil elementary matrices . this holds under either definition of “ small - stencil .” note that a large number of factors may be required . if a given z - transform matrix has determinant a monomial other than 1 , then of course it cannot be factored into small - stencil elementary factors , because it cannot be factored into elementary factors at all . but if we allow a simple one - step shift and / or negation in one band ( i . e ., the identity matrix with one diagonal entry changed to ± z ± 1 or − 1 ) to be considered “ small - stencil ,” then a factorization into small - stencil factors can be achieved . to see this , recall from previous sections that one can factor the given matrix into elementary matrices and diagonal matrices with diagonal entries of the form ± z k ; the elementary parts are handled as above , and the diagonal parts are taken care of by these new factors . similar remarks apply in the next two sections . in the preceding two sections we considered two extra properties that can be achieved in a factorization of a suitable z - transform matrix . is it possible to achieve both of these properties at the same time ? first consider the more flexible definition of “ small - stencil ” from the previous section ; we will see that suitable factorizations do exist in this case . suppose we are given a matrix in the group . we can factor the given matrix into elementary matrices in using the methods discussed in the section entitled “ factors which preserve constant signals ”; some of these have the nonzero off - diagonal entry in the first column , and others do not . for the ones which do not , the off - diagonal entry is unrestricted ; we may assume that the off - diagonal entry is a monomial because of ( 12 . 1 ). this matrix can now be factored into a local elementary matrix and some local ‘ swaps ’ using the method described in the previous section . for the elementary matrices with off - diagonal entry in the first column , we are not allowed to reduce to the case of monomials ; instead , using ( 12 . 1 ), we can reduce to the case where the off - diagonal entry has the form c ( z k − z k − 1 ) for some real constant c and some integer k . this means that c times an entry in the source band is added to an entry in the destination band and subtracted from the next entry in the destination band . by performing a suitable sequence of ‘ swaps ,’ one can arrange for each source entry to lie in between the two destination entries it will affect . then the desired operation will be small - stencil under the flexible definition . afterwards the ‘ swaps ’ can be reversed to restore the bands to their original positions . the factors here are not in the group ; instead of leaving the constant signal alone on the first band , they move it around from band to band . but the elementary operations specified above do leave the constant signal unchanged on whatever band it is currently in when the operations are applied . as for the ‘ swaps ,’ when one of these is factored into three elementary steps , the constant signal may appear on two bands simultaneously , but it will be restored to a single band ( although perhaps negated ) by the time the ‘ swap ’ is complete . so the corresponding integer approximation maps will always leave this integer constant signal unaltered ( somewhere ), and when all of the factors have been performed the constant signal will end up where it started , unchanged by the integer approximation map . now suppose we want to use the restrictive nearest - neighbor definition of “ small - stencil .” here we assume n & gt ; 3 , because the case n = 2 is already handled above . the same procedure described above works here , except that the elementary operation adding the band containing the constant signal to another band ( multiplied by c in one direction and by − c in the other direction ) is no longer allowed and must be decomposed further . suppose that the band currently containing the constant signal is band i , and we want to add it to band j : for each entry x in band i , we are to add cx to the nearest entry to the right in band j and subtract cx from the nearest entry to the left in band j . let j ′ be a band adjacent to j which is not band i . now perform the following procedure : subtract c times band j ′ from band j ; move band i up to band j ′− 1 ; add band j ′− 1 to band j ′; move band j ′− 1 down to band j ′+ 1 ; subtract band j ′+ 1 from band j ′; move band j ′+ 1 up to band i ; add c times band j ′ to band j ; move band i up to band j ′− 1 ; subtract band j ′− 1 from band j ′; move band j ′− 1 down to band j ′+ 1 ; add band j ′+ 1 to band j ′; move band j ′+ 1 up to band i . each “ add ” or “ subtract ” here is a nearest - neighbor elementary operation . “ move band i up to band j ′− 1 ” means that , if band i is not already immediately below band j ′ ( if it is , do nothing ), then ‘ swap ’ band i with band i + 1 ( the band moving from i + 1 to i is the one which is negated ), then ‘ swap ’ band i + 1 with band i + 2 , and so on , wrapping around from n to 1 if necessary , until the band being moved reaches j ′− 1 ( or n if j ′= 1 ). the other “ move ” steps are interpreted similarly . each of these ‘ swaps ’ is factored into three nearest - neighbor elementary operations as usual . one can check that the net effect of this procedure is as desired : for each entry x in band i , the procedure adds cx to the nearest entry to the right in band j and subtracts cx from the nearest entry to the left in band j . when it is applied to input containing a constant signal in band i and nothing elsewhere , the “ subtract c times ” operation has no effect , the next five steps add the constant signal to band j ′ and then subtract it from band j ′ for no net effect , the “ add c times ” step does nothing because there is nothing currently in band j ′, and the last five steps again subtract and add the same signal from band j ′ for no net effect . so this procedure preserves the constant signal in band i . thus , even under the strictest definition of “ small - stencil ,” one can find a factorization of a given matrix in into elementary factors so that the resulting integer approximation map φ preserves a constant signal in band 1 . but suppose one does not want the constant signal to roam from one band to another in this way . is it still possible to achieve a small - stencil and constant - preserving factorization ? in other words , can every matrix in the group be factored into small - stencil elementary factors which are also in the group ? the answer to this also turns out to be yes , if the flexible definition of “ small - stencil ” is used . let us first consider the 2 × 2 case . we can factor the given matrix into elementary matrices in as before . again as before , we can reduce to the case where the nonzero off - diagonal entry of an elementary matrix is a monomial if it is not in column 1 , and is of the form c ( z k − z k − 1 ) if it is in column 1 . if an elementary matrix has as its nonzero entry a monomial at the upper right , we can handle it using the factorization ( 1 cz 2 k + i 0 1 ) = ( z 0 0 z - 1 ) ( 1 cz i 0 1 ) ( z 0 0 z - 1 ) - k , where k is an integer and i is 0 or 1 . the elementary matrix appearing on the right here is small - stencil , and the z - shift diagonal matrix has the following small - stencil factorization in : ( z 0 0 z - 1 ) = ( 1 0 1 1 ) ( 1 z - 1 - 1 0 1 ) ( 1 0 - 1 2 z 1 ) × ( 1 2 - 2 z - 1 0 1 ) ( 1 0 1 2 1 ) ( 1 z - 1 - 1 0 1 ) ( 1 0 - z 1 ) the other elementary matrix , with a binomial at the lower left , is handled by the factorization ( 1 0 c ( z 2 k + i - z 2 k + i - 1 ) 1 ) = ( z 0 0 z - 1 ) - k ( 1 0 cz i ( 1 - z - 1 ) 1 ) ( z 0 0 z - 1 ) k . the elementary matrix on the right here is small - stencil if i = 0 . if i = 1 , we need to factor it further : ( 1 0 c ( z - 1 ) 1 ) = ( 1 c - 1 0 1 ) ( 1 0 cz - 1 - c 1 ) × ( 1 - 1 2 c - 1 z 0 1 ) ( 1 0 2 c - 2 cz - 1 1 ) ( 1 - 1 2 c - 1 0 1 ) this completes the factorization into small - stencil elementary matrices in . for the n × n case , first factor the matrix into elementary matrices in as in the previous section entitled “ factors which preserve constant signals .” each of these elementary matrices only affects two of the n bands , so it can be factored into local elementary matrices by the methods for the 2 × 2 case above ; under the more flexible definition , these factors are small - stencil . if the strict nearest - neighbor definition of “ small - stencil ” is used , then there are n × n matrices in for n & gt ; 3 which cannot be factored into small - stencil elementary factors in . in fact , a small - stencil elementary factor in cannot have its nonzero off - diagonal entry in the first column , so only matrices with leftmost column e 1 can be products of such matrices . proposition 13 . 1 . under either definition of “ small - stencil ,” any n × n matrix a in can be factored into small - stencil elementary matrices so that the corresponding integer approximation preserves constant signals in band 1 . furthermore , any matrix in can be factored into small - stencil elementary matrices in under the flexible definition of “ small - stencil ,” but ( if n ≧ 3 ) not under the strict definition . the results in this section and the preceding one seem to indicate that requiring factors to be small - stencil substantially increases the size of the factorization . however , this is normally true only when one is factoring unusual matrices with long - scale but no short - scale interactions . for more typical matrices consisting of laurent polynomials with no gaps in their coefficients , it is common to obtain the small - stencil property with no additional effort during the factorization process , or with only a small amount of care when one has a choice to make . an example of obtaining the small - stencil property with no added effort is shown in the upcoming section entitled “ example : the 9 - 7 wavelet .” we noted earlier that the algorithms in the sections entitled “ factoring a z - transform matrix ” and “ factors which preserve constant signals ” need only slight modification so that , when applied to a causal matrix ( one where no negative powers of z occur ), they yield causal factor matrices . however , the algorithms in the sections entitled “ small - stencil factorizations ” and “ simultaneous small - stencil and constant - preserving factors ” involve moving bands back and forth , thus introducing non - causal factors even when the original matrix is causal . if one wants a factorization into small - stencil elementary matrices which are also causal , then one will need modified methods , at least . for an elementary matrix to be both causal and small - stenicil , its nonzero off - diagonal entry must be of the form rz + s . if the flexible definition of “ small - stencil ” is used , then the z - coefficient r is allowed to be nonzero only for entries above the diagonal . the strict definition of small - stencil imposes stronger restrictions : the off - diagonal entry must be a constant adjacent to the diagonal or a monomial rz in the upper right corner ( in the 2 × 2 case , a binomial rz + s is allowed in the upper right corner ). it turns out that , in the 2 × 2 case , causal small - stencil factorizations cannot always be attained : proposition 14 . 1 . there exists a 2 × 2 matrix over r [ z ] of determinant 1 which cannot be expressed as a product of causal small - stencil elementary matrices . proof . suppose a given non - constant 2 × 2 matrix a can be written as a product of causal small - stencil elementary matrices . a factor with an entry rz + s can be split up into a factor with entry rz and a factor with entry s . so a can be written as a product of constant matrices of determinant 1 and elementary matrices with upper right entry of the form rz . express a as such a product with a minimal number of factors . ( in this product , the two factor types must alternate , because two adjacent factors of the same type could be combined into one . note that at least one rz factor must occur .) the last factor in this product has at least one nonzero entry in its bottom row ; select a column ( column 1 or column 2 ) whose bottom entry in that last factor is nonzero . ( if the last factor is an rz factor , column 2 will be selected .) now multiply out this product of matrices from right to left . we will show by induction that , at each stage of this process ( starting after the first rz matrix has been multiplied in ), the two entries in the selected column of the partial product will have degrees differing by at most 1 ; in fact , if the last matrix multiplied in was an rz matrix , then the upper entry in the selected column will have degree 1 more than the degree of the lower entry . the partial product just before the first rz matrix is multiplied in is constant , and its selected column has nonzero lower entry . hence , after the rz matrix is multiplied in , the upper entry in the selected column will have degree 1 and the lower entry will have degree 0 . suppose that ( after multiplying by an rz matrix ) the selected column in the current product has upper entry of degree d and lower entry of degree d − 1 . then , after multiplying by a constant matrix of nonzero determinant , one of the two entries will have degree d and the other will have degree d − 1 or d . the only way in which the lower entry will still have degree d − 1 is if the lower left entry of the constant matrix is 0 . now suppose we have just multiplied in a constant matrix of determinant 1 , and are about to multiply in an rz matrix ( not the first ), and the selected column has entries of degrees differing by at most 1 . say the larger of the two degrees is d . the constant matrix just multiplied in cannot have lower left entry 0 , because if it did we would have three consecutive factors of the form ( 1 rz 0 1 ) ( α s 0 α - 1 ) ( 1 r ′ z 0 1 ) , ( 1 ( r + r ′ α 2 ) z 0 1 ) ( α s 0 α - 1 ) , contradicting the minimality of the factorization . so the lower entry of the selected column currently has degree d , while the upper entry has degree d − 1 or d . after multiplying by the new rz matrix , the degree of the upper entry of the selected column will be d + 1 and the degree of the lower entry will be d . this completes the induction . in particular , the selected column of the final product a will have entries with degrees differing by at most 1 . now , the matrix is a 2 × 2 matrix of determinant 1 which has no column whose entries have degrees differing by at most 1 . therefore , this matrix cannot be the matrix a above ; in other words , this matrix cannot be factored into causal small - stencil elementary factors . on the other hand , the presence of a third band yields enough extra freedom to allow causal small - stencil factorizations : proposition 14 . 2 . if n & gt ; 2 , then every n × n matrix over r [ z ] of determinant 1 can be expressed as a product of causal small - stencil elementary matrices . proof . we already know that such a matrix can be written as a product of causal elementary matrices . by ( 12 . 1 ), these elementary matrices can be factored into monomial elementary matrices , where the nonzero off - diagonal entry has the form cz k for some non - negative integer k . so it suffices to show that such a monomial elementary matrix can be written as a product of causal small - stencil elementary matrices . if k = 0 , then we can do this using nearest - neighbor ‘ swaps ’ and one nearest - neighbor elementary matrix as in the section entitled “ small - stencil factorizations ” the resulting factors are all constant and hence causal . for k = 1 , note that the elementary matrix with upper right entry cz ( i . e ., adding cz times band n to band 1 ) is causal and small - stencil ; by combining this with constant nearest - neighbor ‘ swaps ’ ( moving the source band to band n and the destination band to band 1 , without wrapping around ), we can handle an elementary matrix which adds cz times band i to band j . once we know how to add cz k times band i to band j for any i and j , we can add cz k + 1 times band i to band j for any i and j as follows : pick a band j ′ different from i and j , and do : add z times band i to band j ′; add cz k times band j ′ to band j ; add − z times band i to band j ′; add − cz k times band j ′ to band j . what if we want a causal small - stencil factorization which also preserves a one - band constant signal ? let us first assume we are using the flexible version of “ small - stencil .” the strong version of constant preservation where the constant signal must be held in band 1 only ( i . e ., matrices in the group ) cannot be achieved here , because all causal small - stencil elementary matrices in have first column e 1 , so any product of such matrices also has first column e 1 . however , if we put the constant signal in band n instead , then a factorization which is causal , small - stencil , and strongly constant - preserving can be attained . ( it follows that , if the constant band is allowed to “ roam ,” then the factorization can be achieved no matter which band initially contains the constant signal .) to see this , note that , using permissible factors , we can add c ( z − 1 ) times band i to band j if j & lt ; i , we can add c times band i to band j if i & lt ; n , and we can ‘ swap ’ bands i and j if i , j & lt ; n . next , we can add c ( z − 1 ) times band i to band j if i & lt ; j : if j & lt ; n , ‘ swap ’ bands i and j , add − c ( z − 1 ) times band j to band i , and ‘ swap ’ bands j and i ; if j = n , find j ′ different from i and j , add c ( z − 1 ) times band i to band j ′, add band j ′ to band n , subtract c ( z − 1 ) times band i from band j ′, and subtract band j ′ from band n . hence , using the recursive method from proposition 14 . 2 , we can add c ( z − 1 ) k times band i to band j for any distinct i and j , where k is any nonnegative integer if i & lt ; n and k is any positive integer if i = n . now , given a causal matrix which preserves a constant in band n , we can factor it into causal elementary matrices preserving a constant in band n by the methods of described in the section entitled “ factors which preserve constant signals .” such an elementary matrix adds p ( z ) times band i to band j , where the polynomial p ( z ) must be divisible by z − 1 if i = n . to factor this matrix further , just expand p ( z ) in powers of z − 1 ; each term in this expansion can be handled by the above , so , by ( 12 . 1 ), the whole elementary matrix can be factored into permissible factors . for the strict version of “ small - stencil ,” we already know by the argument from the section entitled “ simultaneous small - stencil and constant - preserving factors ” that strong constant preservation cannot be achieved ( this argument works no matter which band contains the constant ). however , if we allow the constant to roam , then a causal small - stencil factorization is possible . for this , it suffices by the above to be able to add c ( z − 1 ) times the constant band to another band ; this can be done by a version of the twelve - step method from the section entitled “ simultaneous small - stencil and constant - preserving factors .” specifically , this method does not “ wrap around ”; instead , it handles the z part by moving the constant band to band n and the intermediate destination band “ j ′” to band 1 . as an example of the methods presented here , we consider a 9 - 7 wavelet which has been found to be well - suited for image compression and is in common use . the exact formulas for the filter coefficients for this wavelet are given in the fbi fingerprint compression standard . the coefficients are expressed in terms of x 1 , where x 1 = ( - 14 15 + 63 1080 15 ) 1 / 3 + ( - 14 15 - 63 1080 15 ) 1 / 3 - 1 6 the referenced formulas also use a complex number x 2 , but they can be expressed in terms of x 1 using the formulas so x 2 is not needed . the filter coefficients then become : h 0 ( 0 ) = - 2 x 1 ( 240 x 1 2 + 160 x 1 + 83 ) / 32 ≈ 0 . 8526986790094034 h 0 ( ± 1 ) = - 2 x 1 ( 160 x 1 2 + 90 x 1 + 37 ) / 32 ≈ 0 . 3774028556126538 h 0 ( ± 2 ) = - 2 x 1 ( 10 x 1 2 - 3 ) / 8 ≈ - 0 . 1106244044184234 h 0 ( ± 3 ) = 5 2 x 1 ( 2 x 1 + 1 ) / 32 ≈ - 0 . 0238494650193800 h 0 ( ± 4 ) = - 5 2 x 1 / 64 ≈ 0 . 0378284555069955 h 1 ( - 1 ) = 2 ( 6 x 1 - 1 ) / ( 16 x 1 ) ≈ 0 . 7884856164056644 h 1 ( - 2 ) = h 1 ( 0 ) = - 2 ( 16 x 1 - 1 ) / ( 64 x 1 ) ≈ - 0 . 4180922432222122 h 1 ( - 3 ) = h 1 ( 1 ) = - 2 ( 2 x 1 + 1 ) / ( 32 x 1 ) ≈ - 0 . 0406894176095584 h 1 ( - 4 ) = h 1 ( 2 ) = - 2 / ( 64 x 1 ) ≈ 0 . 0645388826289384 m ( z ) = ( a 11 ( z ) a 12 ( z ) a 21 ( z ) a 22 ( z ) ) , a 11 ( z )= h 0 (− 4 ) z − 2 + h 0 (− 2 ) z − 1 + h 0 ( 0 )+ h 0 ( 2 ) z + h 0 ( 4 ) z 2 a 12 ( z )= h 0 (− 3 ) z − 1 + h 0 (− 1 )+ h 0 ( 1 ) z + h 0 ( 3 ) z 2 a 21 ( z )= h 1 (− 4 ) z − 2 + h 1 (− 2 ) z − 1 + h 1 ( 0 )+ h 1 ( 2 ) z a 22 ( z )= h 1 (− 3 ) z − 1 + h 1 (− 1 )+ h 1 ( 1 ) z it is already known to those of ordinary skill in the art how to factor m ( z ) into four elementary matrices and a constant diagonal matrix . in fact , these factors have the same symmetry as the matrix itself . the factors are also small - stencil ; however , the integer approximation ( of course , one has to factor the constant diagonal matrix further to get the integer approximation ) does not preserve the constant signal . this is inevitable using symmetric factors , because requiring symmetry makes the factorization essentially unique . we will see that the use of asymmetric factors gives the extra freedom necessary for constant preservation while still using small - stencil factors . since the given matrix is not causal , we do not need to look for causal factors . the determinant of m ( z ) is 1 . however , m ( z ) does not send a constant signal with value k to a constant value k on band 1 ( the low - pass filter ) and zero on band 2 ( the high - pass filter ); it sends this constant signal to a constant by on band 1 and zero on band 2 . we therefore pull out a constant diagonal scaling matrix factor and work with the matrix s − 1 m ( z ) from now on ; for applications such as compression this scaling factor makes little difference anyway and is less important than constant preservation . from the right , leaving a matrix a ( z )= s − 1 m ( z ) δ − 1 satisfying δ ( 1 ) e 1 = e 1 . we will now work out a small - stencil constant - preserving factorization for a ( z ) ( more efficient than the one described earlier in the section entitled simultaneous small - stencil and constant - preserving factors ). we start eliminating in the first column . first we do a row operation to eliminate the z 2 - term from a 11 . ( note that this must also eliminate the z 2 - term from a 12 , because otherwise the determinant of the new matrix would have a z 3 - term .) we have an extra degree of freedom here , so we can eliminate the z − 2 - term from a 11 ( and the z − 1 - term from a 12 ) at the same time ; this is what the usual symmetric factorization process does . next , we do a row operation to eliminate the z − 2 - term from a 21 ; here there is no extra degree of freedom , and we have to break symmetry to maintain constant preservation . the third step eliminates one term from a 11 , and this must be the trailing term ( the z − 1 - term ) in order to make later factors small - stencil . the fourth operation eliminates the z - term from a 21 , and the fifth operation eliminates the z - term from a 11 . the remaining a 11 is a constant , and since the matrix is in the group , the constant must be 1 . in fact , we find that the remaining matrix is elementary ( unit lower triangular ) and small - stencil . this remaining factor can be combined with the factor δ , which is also unit lower triangular . this yields the factorization : s − 1 m ( z )= u 1 ( z ) l 2 ( z ) u 3 ( z ) l 4 ( z ) u 5 ( z ) l 6 ( z ) where u i ( z ) is small - stencil unit upper triangular and l i ( z ) is small - stencil lower triangular : u i ( z ) = ( 1 r i z + s 0 1 ) , l i ( z ) = ( 1 0 r i z - 1 + s i 1 ) . r 1 = 5 x 1 2 / 2 s 1 = r 1 r 2 = ( 20 x 1 2 + 3 ) / 4 s 2 = r 2 r 3 = 0 s 3 = ( - 410 x 1 2 - 90 x 1 + 13 ) / 110 r 4 = - ( 40 x 1 2 + 5 ) / 4 s 4 = - r 4 r 4 = ( - 70 x 1 2 + 45 x 1 + 21 ) / 55 s 5 = 0 r 6 = 5 x 1 2 s 6 = r 6 - 1 r 1 ≈ 0 . 2930671710299618 s 1 ≈ 0 . 2930671710299618 r 2 ≈ 1 . 3361343420599236 s 2 ≈ - 1 . 3361343420599236 r 3 ≈ 0 s 3 ≈ - 0 . 0386222501060046 r 4 ≈ 2 . 4222686841198471 s 4 ≈ 2 . 4222686841198471 r 5 ≈ - 0 . 0475120919539189 s 5 ≈ 0 r 6 ≈ 0 . 5861343420599236 s 6 ≈ - 1 . 5861343420599236 note that , for each i ≦ 6 , there is a simple relation between r i and s i ( or one of them is 0 ). this means that , in each case , the rounded value & lt ; r 1 a + s i b ) for integer arguments a and b can be computed by integer additions or subtractions together with a single operation of the form c & lt ; rc & gt ;, where c is an integer and r is r i or s i . if the latter operation can be performed by lookup in a precomputed table , then floating - point arithmetic can be avoided altogether . since this factorization is not symmetric , it has a mirror - image form which can be obtained by reversing the signal , applying the factorization as above , and reversing again . to do this algebraically , we replace z with z − 1 and conjugate by note that this leaves m ( z ) unchanged . the effect on the factors is to simply interchange r i with s i for each i . we now perform some error analysis for this factorization , starting with the norm method . computing the norm of an arbitrary z - transform matrix appears to be a messy nonlinear optimization problem , but for an elementary matrix it is feasible . let p ( z ) be the nonzero off - diagonal entry of a 2 × 2 elementary matrix b . let b be the absolute value of the constant term of p ( z ), and let a be the sum of the absolute values of the coefficients of the nonconstant terms of p ( z ). then ∥ b ∥ is the maximum value of for real numbers x and y such that x 2 + y 2 = 1 . in fact , the same formula works for the norm of an n × n elementary matrix with nonzero off - diagonal entry p ( z ). here we need to maximize √{ square root over ( x 2 +( y + bx + a ) 2 + x 3 2 +)} x 4 2 + . . . + x n 2 subject to the constraint x 2 + y 2 + x 3 2 + . . . + x n 2 = 1 . this is equivalent to maximizing x 2 +( y + bx + a ) 2 + x 3 2 + . . . + x n 2 −( x 2 + y 2 + x 3 2 + . . . + x n 2 )= 2y ( bx + a )+( bx + a ) 2 under this same constraint . if we hold x fixed , then the new objective function is linear in y , so it is maximized at one of the two extreme values of y ; these extreme values occur when x 3 = . . . = x n = 0 . this reduces the problem to the 2 × 2 case . actually computing this maximum requires he solution of a quartic polynomial equation in general , so one will normally resort to numerical approximation . but there are some special cases where the answer is simpler : b = 2 ( a 4 + 5 a 2 + 2 + a a 2 + 3 ) a 2 + 4 . for the matrices u i ( z ) and l i ( z ), we have a =| r i | and b =| s i |. five of these six matrices fall under the special cases above ; we handle the remaining matrix l 6 ( z ) by numerical methods . the resulting matrix norms are : now we can use ( 2 . 1 ) to compute error bounds : for the forward transform the error bound is about 29 . 0346469116757969 ; for the inverse transform ( which can also be computed using norms because we are in the 2 × 2 case ) we get a bound of 39 . 6038983737180800 . these bounds can probably be improved by direct error analysis in the manner discussed earlier , but this would require analyzing a combination of 17 separate errors ( which are probably not independent ). instead we go to empirical methods . a random sample of over 4 . 6 × 10 9 test cases ( using random integers chosen uniformly from the interval [− 2 16 , 2 16 − 1 ]) yielded the following worst errors : ( - 2522 - 16164 ) , ( - 6636 658 ) , ( - 3046 - 14296 ) , ( 6398 10921 ) , ( - 6254 8138 ) ( 757 10905 ) , ( - 15135 11419 ) , ( - 11480 511 ) , ( 6895 - 1806 ) , ( - 10013 11732 ) ( one needs five successive input pairs of low - band , high - band entries to compute one output pair .) one might expect the alternate mirror - image form of the factorization to have the same error bounds . however , the reflection also changes the pairing between the band - 1 entries and the band - 2 entries . ( when the input signal is split into length - 2 vectors , each band - 1 entry is paired with the entry that immediately follows it in band 2 . after the reflection , these two entries will end up in separate vectors .) so there is no reason to expect the error bounds to be identical . in fact , testing yields inputs with errors slightly worse than those found for the unreflected factorization : ( 12962 12976 ) , ( - 15095 - 13917 ) , ( - 4271 - 3962 ) , ( 12318 6625 ) , ( - 13212 - 5853 ) ( - 4703 - 8068 ) , ( - 12506 - 7893 ) , ( 13822 - 6129 ) , ( 3251 - 14093 ) , ( - 14943 - 5253 ) of course , there are many possible factorizations other than these two ; finding an optimal one appears to be quite a challenge . as we have noted before , a factorization of a z - transform matrix into elementary factors may be much longer than a factorization of a constant matrix ; in fact , there is no fixed bound on the length of the z - transform factorization . the main reason for this is that the entries in the elementary matrices are quotients . we can divide by an arbitrary nonzero number , but we cannot divide by an arbitrary nonzero polynomial because only laurent polynomials are allowed as entries in factor matrices . we will now look at what happens if we relax this restriction . if a = ( a 11 a 12 a 21 a 22 ) has determinant 1 and we can divide by a 21 , then we can factor a into three elementary matrices as described in the section entitled “ preserving particular lattice points : a = ( 1 a 11 - 1 a 21 0 1 ) ( 1 0 a 21 1 ) ( 1 a 22 - 1 a 21 0 1 ) . so when can we divide by a 21 ? clearly we can if a 21 is a nonzero constant or monomial . in other cases the process will be iir ( infinite impulse response ) rather than fir ( finite impulse response ). for instance , suppose a 21 ( z )= 1 − cz . then 1 / a 21 = 1 + cz + c 2 z 2 + . . . , so adding , say , 1 / a 21 times the second band to the first band would involve combining entries from arbitrarily far in the past from the second band to update the current entry in the first band . this also raises the issue of numerical stability . if | c |& gt ; 1 , then we are adding larger and larger multiples of older entries from the second band to the first band , and the process is quite unstable and leads to an unbounded result . if | c |& lt ; 1 , though , then the process is stable and the result of applying it to a bounded signal is still a bounded signal . if p ( z ) is a nonzero laurent polynomial whose zeros ( other than 0 ) all have absolute value greater than 1 , then p can be written as a product of a monomial and some number of factors of the form 1 − cz with | c |& lt ; 1 . since we can divide by each of these factors stably in turn , we can divide by p stably . in fact , the process of dividing by p is just the standard long - division algorithm for ( laurent ) polynonials , starting at the low - degree end . there is no need to factor p into linear factors and divide by them separately ; the result is the same if one just performs the long division by p directly . this also means that one does not have to remember the entire past signal during the long division process ; one only has to remember the current partial remainder , which is no longer than p . let us now return to the polynomial 1 − cz , and assume this time that | c |& lt ; 1 , so we cannot simply perform the division as above . what we can do instead is rewrite 1 − cz as − cz ( 1 − c − 1 z − 1 ). the monomial − cz causes no difficulty , and , since | c |& lt ; 1 , the expression 1 /( 1 − c − 1 z − 1 )= 1 + c − 1 z − 1 + c − 2 z − 2 + . . . has decreasing coefficients and leads to a stable division algorithm . this corresponds to simply doing the long division in the opposite direction , starting from the high end ( which is what one commonly does with polynomial division anyway ). again one can handle multiple factors of this form with a single long division . of course , we are giving up on causality here . in general , suppose a 21 is a laurent polynomial which does not have any ( complex ) zeros of absolute value 1 . then we can factor a 21 into two parts , one having the zeros of absolute value greater than 1 and the other having the zeros of absolute value less than 1 . this lets us express a 21 in the form m ( z ) p ( z ) q ( z − 1 ), where m ( z ) is a monomial and p and q are polynomials ( ordinary , not laurent ) with constant term 1 whose zeros are all of absolute value greater than 1 . dividing by m ( z ) is easy ; we divide by p ( z ) and q ( z − 1 ) successively using iir long division , with the first division proceeding from low to high degree and the second division proceeding from high to low degree . there are some special cases of interest . if a 21 is a symmetric laurent polynomial ( i . e ., a 21 ( z )= a 21 ( z − 1 )) which has no zeros of absolute value 1 , then the polynomials p and q are actually equal ; we can absorb the monomial into the other factors and write a 21 in the form p ( z ) p ( z − 1 ) for some polynomial p ( although this will require complex coefficients if a 21 ( 1 )& lt ; 0 ). another common situation is for the laurent polynomial a 21 ( z ) to have one dominant coefficient whose absolute value is greater than the sum of the absolute values of all of the other coefficients . in this case , it is impossible for a 21 to have a complex zero of absolute value 1 , so we definitely can factor a 21 as above for division purposes . finally , what if a 21 has a complex zero of absolute value 1 ? the simplest case is a 21 = z − 1 . if a constant signal x is multiplied by a 21 , the result will be zero no matter what the constant is . hence , given a 21 x , one cannot recover x ; in other words , division by a 21 is not even well - defined . the same thing happens for any polynomial a 21 with a zero w such that | w |= 1 : there is a nonzero bounded signal x =( . . . w 2 , w , 1 , w − 1 , w − 2 , . . . ) such that a 21 x is zero , so it is impossible to divide by a 21 . ( if a 21 has real coefficients but w is not real , then one can take the real part of the signal x above to get a real nonzero signal annihilated by a 21 .) we have shown here that , in many cases , it is possible to use iir integer - approximable factors for a fir linear transformation , and that this may require fewer factors than a fir factorization ( thus possibly giving faster computation and lower error bounds ). the main drawback of this method is that it requires processing the entire signal even if one only needs part of the output ( say , a subinterval of the transformed signal ). the need for this is frequent enough that it is usually worthwhile to use fir factors even when more of them are required . we have shown that a z - transform matrix ( for a perfect reconstruction fir signal transformation ) of determinant 1 can be factored into elementary matrices ( liftings ) in a variety of ways ; this allows us to find integer approximations to these factors ( and hence to the original transformation ) with additional useful properties , such as locality of interaction , causality , and / or preservation of constant integer signals . just as in the fixed - length case , there are a number of possibilities here that remain to be explored , including additional factorizations of matrices and improved error analysis . also , additional study would be helpful for the case of more than two bands ( as mentioned earlier , one can use unit triangular matrices instead of elementary matrices and thus reduce the number of factors ; algorithms for producing efficient factorizations into such factors would be quite useful ) and for multidimensional signals ( where one cannot always factor a transformation into elementary matrices , and even when one can , such as when there are more than two bands , the number of such matrices may be excessive ). | 6 |
shown in fig1 is an ac coupled inverting operational amplifier 10 which is well known in the prior art . the operational amplifier 10 has its inverting or negative input couled to an input signal source 12 , v in , via coupling capacitor 14 which blocks out all dc inputs . the non - inverting or positive input of the operational amplifier 10 is connected to a common reference voltage , say analog ground v ag . feedback capacitor 20 and load resistor 22 are coupled at the negative input of operational amplifier 10 at node 16 to the output of operational amplifier 10 at node 18 . and therefore the precision of the gain is determined in large part by the exactness of capacitors 14 and 20 . in a standard mos process , the capacitors 14 and 20 can be accurately fabricated to produce a nearly exact gain amplifier or closely matched to produce a precise unity gain amplifier . the low frequency pole of the circuit in fig1 is by utilizing a standard process value for feedback capacitor c 20 of 5 pf and designing a low frequency pole of 10 hertz , the load resistor r 22 would need to be approximately 3 . 18 × 10 9 ohms . such a large resistance is impractical to integrate into the circuit . furthermore , in order to simulate this large resistance by using a switched capacitor , a clocking frequency in the kilohertz range is required to prevent the introduction of offset voltage error from the switching . using a lower clock frequency which is on the order of the input signal frequency would cause discrete modifications to the dc level at frequencies similar to the frequency of the input signal which is being amplified and thus the output would be distorted . therefore , the switched capacitor value would have to be approximately 0 . 001 pf . to overcome these problems , a switched voltage divider circuit 24 as shown in fig2 may be substituted for r 22 in the circuit of fig1 at the nodes 16 and 18 . in the preferred embodiment , the voltage divider 24 comprises the resistors 26 and 28 and switches 30 and 32 wherein the switches are cmos transmission gates having an inherent parasitic capacitance , c p , and which are clocked in a conventional manner by nonoverlapping clock signals a and b ( see fig4 ) by clock generator 34 . initially , switch 30 is on and switch 32 is off so that c p charges to the voltage at node 36 of the divider circuit 24 which is r 28 /( r 28 + r 26 ) of the output voltage , v 0 , at node 18 . switch 30 is switched off and then switch 32 is switched on to couple charge into the inverting operational amplifier 10 . therefore the current i flowing through switch 32 and into node 16 is [ r 28 /( r 28 + r 26 )] v o fc p . it is thus apparent that the equivalent of the resistance which is being simulated between nodes 16 and 18 of voltage divider circuit 24 is [( r 28 + r 26 )/ r 28 ] fc p . the obstacle of not being able to realize an integrated load resistance of 3 . 18 × 10 9 ohms can be overcome by utilizing the proper ratio of resistors r 26 and r 28 . if the switched capacitor has a parasitic capacitance of approximately 0 . 2 pf and a clock frequency of 128 khz is used , the ratio ( r 28 + r 26 ) / r 28 need only be about 81 / 1 to realize an equivalent to a resistor having a value of 3 . 18 × 10 9 ohms . the resulting low frequency pole allows the ac couled operational amplifier 10 to be used at near dc frequencies . this is especially useful since integrated capacitors can be matched more accurately than integrated resistors in an mos fabrication process . higher low frequency poles may be realized by utilizing an actual capacitor in addition to the inherent parasitic capacitance of the switches 30 and 32 . when such a capacitor is used , it is located between the node 38 and the reference voltage , v ag , where the capacitor c p is shown in fig2 and 3 . therefore a totally integrated mos circuit can be made with precise capacitor ratios to provide a precision gain operational amplifier . fig3 illustrates in schematic form , a modified form of voltage divider circuit 24 &# 39 ; which can be substituted for the voltage divider circuit 24 of fig2 in the circuit of fig1 to reduce the total number of resistor units and thus decrease circuit die area . resistors 26 and 40 are each made of 7 units of resistance and resistors 28 and 42 are 1 unit of resistance each so that the ratio of resistors 26 , 28 and 40 to resistor 42 at node 44 is approximately 81 / 1 . the total number of resistance units needed for divider circuit 24 &# 39 ; is therefore 16 as compared to 82 in divider circuit 24 . while the invention has been described in the context of a preferred embodiment , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be modified in numerous ways and may assume many embodiments other than that specifically set out and described above . accordingly , it is intended by the appended claims to cover all modifications of the invention which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention . | 7 |
the method according to various embodiments provides that in the case of the expanded , partially vaporized agent , the liquid phase is separated from the vapor phase immediately before the condenser . only the vapor phase is supplied to the condenser for condensation . the condensed vapor ( that is to say then liquid ) phase and the separated liquid phase are combined after the condenser but before step 1 , that is to say the increase in the pressure of the liquid agent , in order to produce the liquid agent . the liquid phase therefore bypasses the condenser , thus making it possible to prevent erosion of the condenser . all that is required for this purpose is a separator for separation of the liquid phase from the vapor phase , a bypass line for the liquid phase line to bypass the condenser and a combination means for combining the ( separated ) liquid and condensed vapor ( that is to say then liquid ) phase . the complexity of the circuit is therefore increased only insignificantly . the size of the droplets in the liquid phase in the vapor phase of the agent after expansion is dependent on the pressure of the agent in the condenser . the higher the pressure of the agent is in the condenser , and thus at the outlet of the expansion device , the smaller the droplets . in turn , the smaller the droplets are , the less is the risk of erosion caused by the droplets . on the other hand , however , as the pressure of the agent in the condenser and at the outlet of the expansion device increases , the mechanical energy which can be produced by conversion of heat energy by the expansion device decreases . preferably , therefore , the pressure of the agent during the condensation process is set to an optimum between the droplets of the liquid phase in the vapor phase of the agent being as small as possible and the mechanical energy produced being as great as possible in step 3 . the amount of mechanical energy produced is therefore deliberately reduced in order to prevent erosion of the condenser . because of the enormous efficiency advantage resulting from heating rather than vaporization of the agent by the low - temperature heat source , however , considerable efficiency advantages can nevertheless still be achieved in comparison to conventional circuits in which the agent is vaporized by the low - temperature heat source . according to one embodiment of the method , the condensed vapor ( that is to say then liquid ) phase and the ( separated ) liquid phase are combined in an agent reservoir . since a reservoir such as this is provided in any case in many circuits , there is no need for an additional component for combination of the two phases . in this case , particularly high efficiencies can be achieved if the low - temperature source is at a temperature of less than 400 ° c . the apparatus according to various embodiments has a separator for separation of the liquid phase from the vapor phase of the expanded , partially vaporized agent , wherein the separator is arranged immediately before the condenser in the flow direction of the agent . a combination means is used to combine the ( separated ) liquid phase and the condensed vapor ( that is to say then liquid ) phase of the expanded , partially vaporized agent , wherein the combination means is arranged before the pump in the flow direction of the agent . the separator is connected to the condenser in order to supply the vapor phase to the condenser . the combination means is connected to the separator in order to supply the ( separated ) liquid phase to the combination means , and is connected to the condenser in order to supply the condensed vapor ( that is to say then liquid ) phase to the combination means . the advantages that have been mentioned for the method according to various embodiments apply in a corresponding manner to the apparatus . the pressure of the agent in the condenser can preferably be set to an optimum between the droplets of the liquid phase in the vapor phase of the agent being as small as possible and the mechanical energy produced being as great as possible in the expansion device . according to one embodiment , the combination means is in the form of an agent reservoir . advantageously , a nozzle and a turbine can be arranged successively in the flow direction of the agent in the expansion device in order to expand the heated agent . the agent can be expanded in the nozzle by increasing its volume from a higher inlet pressure to a lower outlet pressure , thus partially vaporizing the agent . the water - steam jet which is created in this way can then be passed to the turbine blades of the turbine , by means of which the kinetic energy of the water - steam jet is converted to mechanical energy of a rotor shaft . instead of only a single nozzle , a plurality of nozzles can also be arranged at the turbine inlet , for example in an annular configuration , through which the agent can flow in parallel . in this case , the nozzle and the turbine may also form a single physical unit , that is to say the nozzles are arranged directly adjacent to the turbine inlet . an apparatus 1 according to various embodiments for conversion of the heat energy of a low - temperature heat source to mechanical energy comprises a thermodynamic circuit in which a heat exchanger 2 , an expansion device 3 , a separator 7 , a condenser 8 , an agent reservoir in the form of a condensate tank 9 and a pump 10 are arranged successively in the flow direction of an agent . the low - temperature heat source is a heat source at a temperature of less than 400 ° c . by way of example , heat sources such as these are geothermal sources ( hot thermal water ), industrial waste - heat sources ( for example waste heat from plants used in the steel , glass or cement industries ) and solar energy . by way of example , a coolant liquid of the r134 type may be used as an agent for temperatures of less than 300 ° c ., and , for example , a cooling liquid of the r245 type may be used for temperatures of more than 300 ° c . the pump 10 is used to pump the liquid agent to an increased pressure . the heat exchanger 2 is used to heat the increased - pressure , liquid agent in the circuit by heat transfer from the low - temperature heat source 20 to the agent without vaporization of the agent , that is to say the agent is only heated and is not vaporized in the heat exchanger 2 . for this purpose , the low - temperature heat source 20 , for example hot geothermal water flows through the primary side of the heat exchanger , and the increased - pressure agent flows through its secondary side . a line 11 connects the secondary side of the heat exchanger 2 to the expansion device 3 . the agent is still liquid at the outlet on the secondary side of the heat exchanger 2 , when it enters the line 11 . the expansion device 3 is used to expand the heated liquid agent , wherein an expanded , partially vaporized agent with a liquid and a vapor phase can be produced by partial vaporization of the heated liquid agent in the expansion device 3 , and heat energy in the heated liquid agent can be converted to mechanical energy . the expansion device 3 for this purpose comprises a nozzle 4 and a turbine 5 , which are arranged successively in the flow direction of the agent . the nozzle and the turbine may in this case form a single physical unit , that is to say the nozzle 4 is arranged immediately adjacent to the inlet of the turbine 5 . instead of only a single nozzle 4 , it is also possible to arrange a plurality of nozzles 4 at the inlet of the turbine 5 , for example in an annular configuration , through which the agent can flow in parallel . on the outlet side , the turbine 5 is connected via a line 12 to the separator 7 . the separator 7 is used to separate the liquid phase from the vapor phase of the agent which has been partially vaporized in the expansion device 3 . the separator 7 is arranged immediately before the condenser 8 in the flow direction of the agent , is connected via a line 13 to the condenser 8 in order to supply the vapor phase to the condenser 8 , and is connected via a line 14 to the condensate tank 9 in order to supply the liquid phase to the condensate tank 9 . the condenser 8 is used to produce the liquid agent by condensation of the partially vaporized agent . the condensate tank 9 is used to combine the liquid phase and the condensed vapor ( that is to say then liquid ) phase of the partially vaporized agent . the condensate tank 9 is arranged after the condenser 8 and before the pump 10 in the flow direction of the agent , is connected via a line 14 to the separator 7 in order to supply the liquid phase , and via a line 15 to the condenser 8 in order to supply the condensed vapor phase to the condensate tank 9 . during operation of the apparatus 1 , in a first step , liquid agent from the condensate tank 9 is raised to an increased pressure by the pump 10 , and is pumped into the heat exchanger 2 . in a second step , the increased - pressure , liquid agent is heated , without being vaporized , in the heat exchanger 2 by transfer of heat to the agent from the low - temperature heat source 20 which flows through the primary side of the heat exchanger 2 . in a third step , the heated , liquid agent is expanded in the expansion device 3 , with the agent being partially vaporized and its heat energy being converted to mechanical energy . the expansion device 3 therefore produces an expanded , partially vaporized agent with a liquid phase and a vapor phase . for this purpose , the heated , liquid agent which is supplied to the nozzle 4 via the line 11 is expanded in the nozzle 4 and in the process is partially vaporized . the kinetic energy of the water - steam jet created in this way is converted in the turbine 5 into mechanical energy of a rotor shaft , and a generator 6 is thus driven , which in turn converts the mechanical energy to electrical energy . the expanded , partially vaporized agent which is produced in the third step and leaves the turbine 5 in the form of a two - phase mixture ( steam / liquid ) is supplied via a line 12 to the separator 7 , in that the vapor phase is separated from the liquid phase of the two - phase mixture . only the vapor phase is supplied to the condenser 8 via the line 13 . in the condenser 8 , the vapor phase is condensed by cooling , for example by direct cooling , air cooling , hybrid cooling or water cooling , and the condensed vapor ( that is to say then liquid ) phase is supplied via the line 15 to the condensate tank 9 . the separated liquid phase , in contrast , bypasses the condenser 8 via the line 14 and only after this , but still before the pump 10 and therefore before the first step , is combined with the condensed vapor ( that is to say then liquid ) phase in the condensate tank 9 . liquid agent from the condensate tank 9 is raised to an increased pressure with the aid of the pump 10 and is pumped into the heat exchanger 2 , thus closing the circuit . erosion of the condenser 8 can be prevented by separation of the liquid phase from the vapor phase of the two - phase mixture leaving the turbine 5 , in the separator 7 , and by the liquid phase then being fed directly into the condensate tank 9 , bypassing the condenser 8 . the pressure of the agent in the condenser 8 is in this case set to an optimum between the droplets of the liquid phase in the vapor phase of the agent being as small as possible and the mechanical energy produced being as great as possible in the third step . this makes it possible to reduce the erosion of the condenser even further . | 5 |
first , the principle of this invention will be explained . the principle of this invention is shown in fig3 where reference number 20 denotes a sub - reflector , number 21 an auxiliary reflector , number 22 an assumed screen , and number 25 denotes radiation field distribution of the feed horn shown by a schematic diagram on the assumed screen 22 , and the numbers 26 , 27 , 28 and 29 denote the electro - magnetic field distribution on the auxiliary reflector 21 , sub - reflector 20 , main - reflector 1 and aperture plane 7 , respectively . as shown in the figure , the distribution of field from the feed horn 3 is modified at each reflector surface and aperture plane in the course of the travelling of the wave . it is the principle of this invention that the field distribution is intentionally deformed by two reflectors 21 and 20 in order to cancel the distortion generated at the main reflector 1 . next , an embodiment of this invention will be explained with reference to fig4 . in the figure , sub - reflector 20 and auxiliary reflector 21 are formed with non - quadratic curved surfaces that satisfy the above principle . the details of design will be explained hereinafter . main reflector 1 , sub - reflector 20 and auxiliary reflector 21 should satisfy the conditions ( 1 ) through ( 5 ) that will be described later in this specification . in fig4 the same reference notations as those in fig1 denote the same parts or concept . in transmission , with the antenna having such configuration , the electric wave radiated from the feed horn 3 travels along the wave path 14 shown by a dot - and - dash line , being reflected at point 13 on the auxiliary reflector 21 , point 12 on the sub - reflector 20 and point 10 on the main reflector 1 , and reaches the point 9 on the aperture plane 7 . in reception , the electric wave travels in the opposite direction along the same path . the wave enters at the point 9 on the aperture plane 7 , passes through point 10 on the main reflector 1 , point 12 on the sub - reflector 20 and point 13 on the auxiliary reflector 21 , and finally focuses on the point 6 . with the antenna of this embodiment , each wave path from the focus point 6 to every point on the aperture plane 7 has a constant length , and the reflection law is satisfied at every reflection point on the reflectors , so that there is no aberration . since the antenna of this embodiment is so constructed as to follow the above principle , the distortion in shape of the antenna aperture field distribution is extremely minimized . a method of designing the sub - reflector and auxiliary reflector employed in the above embodiment will now be explained in detail with reference to fig3 and 4 . ( 1 ) the main reflector surface is specified as a portion of a trace drawn by a rotation of cross sectional curve 4 about the y &# 39 ; axis 5 . ( 2 ) the total length of wave path 14 , from the phase center 6 of the feed horn 3 through point 13 on the auxiliary reflector 21 , point 12 on the sub - reflector 20 and point 10 on the main reflector 1 to the point 9 on the aperture plane 7 , must be kept constant . ( 3 ) the straight line connecting the two points 10 and 9 must be parallel to the z axis . ( 4 ) the light reflection law must be satisfied at points 13 , 12 , 10 on the reflectors . ( 5 ) under predetermined radiation field distribution of the feed horn 3 and desired antenna aperture field distribution , the field distribution 29 over the aperture plane 7 must perfectly coincide with the aimed distribution on the y axis and must well approximate it on the other parts . a shape of the reflector surface satisfying these conditions may be determined by solving a differential equation and optimization problem . the above conditions ( 1 )-( 4 ) will be explained , referring to formulae . vectors indicated by the arrows drawn from the origin 0 to the phase center 6 of the feed horn 3 , to point 13 on the auxiliary reflector 21 , to point 12 on the sub - reflector 20 and to point 10 on the main reflector 1 , respectively , are represented by fo , b , s and m as shown in fig4 . in the following explanation , the notation → represents a vector . according to the condition ( 1 ), the surface of the main reflector 1 is a portion of a rotation trace whose rotation axis is the y &# 39 ; axis . therefore , the vector m is represented generally by the following equation ( 1 ), provided that the cross sectional curve 4 is on y &# 39 ;- z &# 39 ; coordinates . ## equ1 ## where , t and η are parameters for expressing a curved surface and α is an angle between two axes y and y &# 39 ;. the unit normal n m of the main reflector 1 is represented by equation ( 2 ): ## equ2 ## if the surface of the main reflector 1 has a spherical shape with its radius ro centered at the point c ( y &# 39 ;= t c , z &# 39 ;= 0 ) on y &# 39 ; axis , function g ( t ) is represented by the following equation : ## equ3 ## the curved surface of the auxiliary reflector 21 may be represented by the following equation , using polar coordinates with its origin at point 6 as shown in fig4 because a more general reflector surface than the conventional one is used in this embodiment . the f ( θ , φ ) is determined by the condition ( 5 ) as will be explained hereinafter . the vector b representing the straight line between the origin 0 and the point 13 on the auxiliary reflector 21 and the unit normal n b of the auxiliary reflector 21 are expressed , respectively , by the following equations ( 5 ) and ( 6 ): ## equ4 ## where , β is an angle between vertex axis of the polar coordinates with its origin at the point 6 and the z axis . since the wave path extending from the point 9 on the aperture plane 7 to the main reflector 1 is parallel to the z axis ( said condition ( 3 )), the unit vector r m directed from the point 10 on the main reflector 1 to the point 12 on the sub - reflector 20 is given by equation ( 7 ), because of the reflection law applied at the point 10 ( said condition ( 4 )): similarly , the unit vector r b directed from point 13 on the auxiliary reflector 21 to the point 12 is given by equation ( 8 ): moreover , the vectors s representing the straight line from the origin 0 to the point 12 on the sub - reflector 20 is given by equation ( 9 ), provided that λ m is the length of the wave path lying between point 10 on the main reflector 1 and point 12 on the sub - reflector 20 , and λ b is the length of the wave path between the point 13 on the auxiliary reflector 21 and the point 12 . ## equ6 ## if the length of the wave path between point 9 on the aperture plane 7 and point 10 on the main reflector surface 1 is given by λ a , said condition ( 2 ) that the total length of wave path 14 is kept constant lo , leads to the following equation ( 10 ): with a predetermined main reflector 1 and auxiliary reflector 21 , or given functions g ( t ) and f ( θ , φ ), the vector s is obtained by solving equations ( 9 ) and ( 10 ) to determine the surface of the sub - reflector 20 . the equations ( 9 ) and ( 10 ) form simultaneous equations including four variables t , η , λ m and λ b , plus independent variables θ and φ , or the equations including four variables θ , φ , λ m and λ b , plus independent variables t and η . next , an explanation will be made about how to determine the curved surface f ( θ , φ ) of the auxiliary reflector 21 under said condition ( 5 ). the f ( θ , φ ) is determined in the following two step operations : ( a ) to get exact agreement of the aperture field distribution to a desired distribution in connection with the y axis of the antenna aperture plane 7 , the curves within ( y - z ) cross section , i . e ., f ( θ , π / 2 ) and f ( θ ,- π / 2 ), are determined by using an ordinary differential equation . since the cross sectional curve 4 of the main reflector 1 , g ( t ), as described hereinbefore , is predetermined to be hyperbola or circle , f ( θ ,± π / 2 ) can be obtained in the same way as that in the surface correction technique of an ordinary cassegrain antenna when a desired aperture field distribution and a radiation pattern of a feed horn are given . ( b ) the curved surface of the part other than the ( y - z ) cross section of the auxiliary reflector can be determined by the following procedure : using f ( θ , π / 2 ), f ( θ ,- π / 2 ) obtained in the step ( a ), f ( θ , φ ) can be expressed as follows : where ## equ7 ## equation ( 13 ) gives the partial sum of the taylor expansion with respect to spherical coordinates , in which a nm represents a coefficient of the n th and m th term . f ( θ , φ ) may be expressed by any other finite function series which is equal to f ( θ , π / 2 ) and f ( θ ,- π / 2 ) obtained by the step ( a ) and includes finite number of coefficients . the value of the coefficient a nm is adopted such that the field distribution of the aperture plane gives the closest approximation to the desired one . in practice , a nm can be determined by use of the optimization procedure . as an objective function ε , which is a function of coefficients a nm to be minimized , we can use the following equation ( 14 ) for example : where , ed ( ρa , φa ) represents a desired aperture field distribution , and e ( ρa , φa ) represents an actual field distribution of the reflector system . e ( ρa , φa ) of the above equation is expressed by the following using the radiation pattern of the feed horn 3 ep ( θ , φ ): ## equ8 ## where ## equ9 ## the parameter θm is half of the angle viewing the auxiliary reflector 21 from the phase center 6 of the feed horn . as mentioned before , the relation between ( θ , φ ) and ( ρa , φa ) can be obtained by solving the simultaneous equations ( 9 ) and ( 10 ), so we can calculate e ( ρa , φa ) by the equation ( 15 ). the objective function for the optimization problem is not confined to equation ( 14 ), but next equation ( 16 ) can also be used , ## equ10 ## where , ( xm , ym ) is a coordinate point 9 at which the wave path 14 ( along which the wave from the focus 6 travels with angles θ and φ ) crosses the aperture plane 7 , and ( xmo , ymo ) is its desired coordinate point , which is determined by the relation between ep ( θ , φ ) and ed ( ρa , φa ). if the aperture field distribution gives a complete agreement to the aimed distribution , the objective function given by equation ( 14 ) or ( 16 ) will be equal to zero . in the foregoing surface design method , an example is shown in which the function of the surface of auxiliary reflector 21 is expanded as shown in equations ( 11 )-( 13 ). it is , however , apparent that the same design procedure is applicable to the functional expansion of the surface of sub - reflector 20 . an embodiment of an antenna designed in accordance with said reflector surface design method will be explained , with reference to fig5 and 6 and tables 1 and 2 . fig5 shows a ( y - z ) cross section of an antenna , in which the main reflector 1 has a spherical surface with its center at point c . such points on central wave path 15 as point 32 on the auxiliary reflector 21 , point 31 on the sub - reflector 20 and point 30 on the main reflector 1 have the coordinates given below . ______________________________________ point 30 ( 0 , 0 - 1 ) point 31 ( 0 , - 0 . 2634 , - 0 . 5046 ) point 32 ( 0 , - 0 . 2843 , - 0 . 6228 ) point 6 ( 0 , - 0 . 3357 , - 0 . 5615 ) ______________________________________ values of β 0 , β 1 and β 2 are 28 °, 10 ° and 140 °, respectively . furthermore , the parameters θ , ρa are assumed to satisfy the relation ## equ11 ## then , the desired aperture field distribution ed ( ρa , φa ) is given by the following equation ( 17 ): ## equ12 ## where , ρm stands for an antenna aperture radius and its value may be 0 . 23 . the value of θm may be 10 °. the curves f ( θ , π / 2 ) and f ( θ ,- π / 2 ) within ( y - z ) cross section of auxiliary reflector 21 determined in accordance with said design procedure ( a ) under said condition is listed in table 1 . table 1______________________________________φ [ deg ] θ [ deg ] f ( θ , φ ) y . sub . b z . sub . b y . sub . s z . sub . s______________________________________ -- 10 . 00 . 085115 -. 270471 -. 616198 -. 319656 -. 533636 - 90 . 0 8 . 75 . 084740 -. 271962 -. 617360 -. 309883 -. 525399 7 . 50 . 084256 -. 273553 -. 618410 -. 300669 -. 519073 6 . 25 . 083684 -. 275223 -. 619355 -. 292224 -. 514310 5 . 00 . 083038 -. 276956 -. 620204 -. 284662 -. 510802 3 . 75 . 082335 -. 278738 -. 620963 -. 278026 -. 508282 2 . 50 . 081586 -. 280554 -. 621639 -. 272306 -. 506526 1 . 25 . 080805 -. 282394 -. 622240 -. 267457 -. 505346 . 00 . 080000 -. 284250 -. 622771 -. 263412 -. 504594 90 . 0 1 . 25 . 079180 -. 286112 -. 623238 -. 260091 -. 504149 2 . 50 . 078351 -. 287976 -. 623648 -. 257405 -. 503918 3 . 75 . 077521 -. 289834 -. 624003 -. 255266 -. 503830 5 . 00 . 076692 -. 291684 -. 624310 -. 253584 -. 503831 6 . 25 . 075870 -. 293522 -. 624571 -. 252273 -. 503886 7 . 50 . 075056 -. 295345 -. 624789 -. 251249 -. 503060 8 . 75 . 074253 -. 297152 -. 624967 -. 250433 -. 504066 10 . 00 . 073463 -. 298941 -. 625108 -. 249749 -. 504173______________________________________ ρ . sub . m = 0 . 23 , θ . sub . m = 10 ° in table 1 , y b and z b are coordinate values of the cross section of auxiliary reflector 21 calculated with equation ( 5 ), and y s and z s are coordinate values of the cross section of sub - reflector 20 calculated with equations ( 9 ) and ( 10 ) substituted with said values y b and z b . the curved surface of the auxiliary reflector 21 designed in accordance with the method explained in the design procedure ( b ) are represented by equations ( 11 ), ( 12 ) and ( 13 ). values of the expansion coefficient a nm of equation ( 13 ) are tabulated in table 2 , with n = 2 , and m = 3 . table 2______________________________________ a . sub . 10 0 . 01734 a . sub . 11 - 0 . 02967 a . sub . 12 0 . 08213 a . sub . 20 0 . 06052 a . sub . 21 - 0 . 05824 a . sub . 22 - 0 . 05455______________________________________ the antenna of the embodiment described above is constructed with a combination of special reflector surfaces where the aberration and distortion introduced at the main reflector are cancelled by the sub - reflector and auxiliary reflector . therefore , the distribution on the aperture plane 7 of this antenna will be in the shape of almost concentric circles as shown in fig6 provided that the radiation pattern of the feed horn 3 is represented by equi - level lines of concentric circles as shown in fig2 ( a ). it is evident by comparison of fig2 ( b ) and fig6 that the antenna of this embodiment has much reduced distortion compared with a conventional antenna of this kind . the , minimization of distribution distortion leads to an improvement of cross polarization characteristic and tracking characteristic in the higher mode tracking system . as the main reflector in this embodiment has a spherical surface , the feed horn 3 and two reflectors 20 and 21 can be rotated about the center c of the sphere , while their mutual positions are kept unchanged . therefore , it is not necessary to move the main reflector 1 in order to scan the antenna radiation beam . fig7 shows an embodiment of a multiple reflector antenna of this invention used as a multi - beam antenna . since the main reflector 1 has a surface whose shape is drawn by a rotation of a curve about y &# 39 ; axis 5 , plural sets of feed horns 3 , 3 &# 39 ; and reflectors 20 , 20 &# 39 ; and 21 , 21 &# 39 ; placed around rotation axis y &# 39 ; produce a plurality of antenna beams . moreover , every antenna beam is able to scan individually . in this embodiment , the desired aperture field distribution for each antenna beam can be set different from others in order to construct a multi - beam antenna having a different shape of antenna beam . fig8 shows a configuration of antenna apparatus wherein the antenna has its main reflector surface shaped as a sphere according to this invention . in the figure , the reference number 40 denotes a movable member of a feed portion including feed horn 3 , auxiliary reflector 21 and sub - reflector 20 , the number 41 denotes a movable support of sub - reflector 20 , number 42 a supporting deck , and the number 43 denotes rails along which the movable member 40 moves . the movable member 40 is used for rotating the entire feeder around the center of the sphere which forms a spherical reflector , and consists of a mechanism for making a rotation in a plane parallel to the supporting deck 42 and a mechanism making another rotation in another plane perpendicular to it . to rotate the entire feeder in the direction parallel to the supporting deck 42 , the rails 43 are used as the guide . the attitude of the sub - reflector 20 is adjusted slightly at the movable supporting deck 41 . although this way of adjustment will cause deterioration of the antenna characteristic e . g ., by introduction of aberration , it is still available for some applications because of its simplicity . in the figure , the supporting deck 42 is installed horizontal , but it may be installed at an arbitrary angle . as described above , the multi - reflector antenna of this invention has such structure that the aberration and distortion introduced at the main reflector is cancelled by the sub - reflector and the auxiliary reflector , therefore the electro - magnetic field distribution over the antenna aperture surface can be shaped well . this antenna , therefore , has the advantage that the field distribution over the aperture surface is very much less distorted . because of this advantage , this antenna has a better cross polarization characteristic and tracking characteristic in the higher mode tracking systems than the conventional antenna of this kind . since the amplitude distribution on the aperture surface can attain complete agreement with a desired distribution within one cross section , we can obtain a low side - lobe level , high gain antenna . furthermore , since the antenna of this invention has an off - set type structure , it has excellent gain and side - lobe features . because of the above mentioned features , the antenna of this invention can track a satellite without moving the large caliber main reflector , consequently it stands well against a strong wind in case it is used as an earth station antenna for a satellite communication system . | 7 |
referring now to fig1 , an appliance latch 10 of the present invention works with a strike 12 , in this case , a u - shaped rod having a laterally extending strike bar 14 . the strike 12 , may be attached to a first portion 15 of an appliance , for example the appliance door , to be received by the appliance latch 10 attached to a second portion 17 of the appliance , for example , the appliance housing against which the door is closed . the strike bar 14 of the strike 12 may engage a hook opening 16 of a rotating hook 18 . the rotating hook 18 rotates on axle 27 about an axis 25 generally perpendicular to axis 20 and may receive the strike along an axis 20 in a direction 22 . the rotating hook 18 is mounted to a linear carriage 24 of the appliance latch 10 . the linear carriage 24 is supported on a plurality of springs 26 to move in a line substantially along axis 20 . the springs 26 , which may be helical compression springs , urge the linear carriage 24 along direction 22 . a stop 28 is positioned behind the rotating hook 18 with respect to the strike 12 and may be a laterally extending metal bar generally perpendicular to axis 20 . the stop 28 limits translative motion of the rotating hook 18 in direction 22 through interference between the stop 28 and cam surfaces 34 at the radial outer periphery of the rotating hook 18 . the stop 28 may also prevent rotation of the rotating hook 18 under certain circumstances to be described below . the stop 28 is held fixed by a pair of rails 30 ( only one shown in fig1 ) with respect to a latch frame 32 attached to the second portion 17 of the appliance . the rails 30 also provide a sliding support for the linear carriage 24 . referring momentarily to fig5 , the rotating hook 18 may be positioned approximately in the center of the linear carriage 24 and the springs 26 placed at comers of a rectangle circumscribing the rotating hook and symmetrically flanking about the axis of the rotating hook 18 and the rails 30 on which the linear carriage 24 rides to eliminate problems of binding or the like . referring now to fig2 and 4 , before the rotating hook 18 has fully received the strike 12 , the linear carriage 24 will be in a first state with springs 26 highly compressed and the linear carriage 24 moved fully forward in a direction opposite direction 22 . the linear carriage 24 is and held in this position with the springs 26 fully compressed by contact of a high - radius cam surface 34 a of the rotating hook 18 with the stop 28 held by the rail 30 . when strike bar 14 of the strike 12 engages the hook opening 16 it causes a counterclockwise rotation 23 of the rotating hook 18 about axis 25 . this causes high - radius cam surface 34 a to move away from stop 28 to be replaced by low - radius cam surface 34 b . low - radius cam surface 34 b allows the rotating hook 18 to move in direction 22 under the urging of the springs 26 . the backward movement of the rotating hook 18 draws along with it the strike 12 pulling the first portion 15 and second portion 17 of the appliance ( shown in fig1 ) about a gasket 35 . the springs 26 are sized to compress the gasket 35 into a sealing condition . resistance of the gasket 35 to compression causes the rotating hook 18 to experience a clockwise force as the rotating hook 18 pulls against the strike 12 . referring to fig3 and 4 , this clockwise force on the rotating hook 18 is resisted by a radially - extending cam surface 34 c positioned between the high - radius cam surface 34 a and the low - radius cam surface 34 b which blocks clockwise motion of the rotating hook 18 once the linear carriage 24 has moved along direction 22 away from its first position . referring now to fig1 , and 3 , when the linear carriage 24 has fully moved backwards in direction 22 , into a second position with the springs 26 extended in a lower state of compression , the gasket 35 will be compressed into a sealed state and at equilibrium with springs 26 . when it is desired to open the door , a force may be applied to the strike 12 in a direction opposite direction 22 . initially , this force draws the rotating hook 18 and the linear carriage 24 forward without rotation of the rotating hook 18 compressing springs 26 . rotation of the rotating hook 18 is prevented by interference between stop 28 and radially - extending cam surface 34 c . when the linear carriage 24 is pulled fully forward , the radially extending cam surface 34 moves beyond the stop 28 and the rotating hook 18 is free to rotate in a clockwise direction , releasing the strike 12 . rotation of the rotating hook 18 brings high - radius cam surface 34 a back into contact with the stop 28 holding the linear carriage 24 inward by means of interfitting of stop 28 and high - radius cam surface 34 a . referring again to fig2 through 4 , generally free rotation of the rotating hook 18 , absent force from the strike 12 , is prevented by frictional contact between the stop 28 and the high - radius cam surface 34 a or low - radius cam surface 34 b . optionally , however , a restoring clockwise torque may be exerted on the hook 18 by a leaf spring 42 to ensure that the rotating hook 18 stays a fully clockwise position with jarring or vibration . the leaf spring 42 has one end attached to the linear carriage 24 and the other end pressing radially inward against a spiral cam surface 44 so that the inward pressing of the leaf spring 42 provides a slight clockwise bias to the rotating hook 18 preventing it from being misaligned during closing of the appliance door per fig2 . the end of the leaf spring 42 attached to the linear carriage 24 may have a hook end 46 allowing it to be snapped in place onto the linear carriage 24 after assembly of the rotating hook 18 to the linear carriage 24 . this design eliminates the need to install a torsion spring in compression around the axle 27 of the rotating hook 18 such as may prove difficult in manufacture . referring now to fig1 , at times it may be desirable to prevent an opening of the appliance door simply by pulling on the door and accordingly , the present invention provides for lock 48 providing a bolt 50 shown in fig1 and 3 that may move between the latch frame 32 and the strike bar 14 when the appliance latch 10 is closed with the linear carriage 24 in the second position holding the door shut . opening force ( opposite direction 22 ) on the strike 12 pulls a lower lip 52 of the opening 16 of the hook 18 against the bolt 50 so that the rearward flat surface of the bolt 50 abuts a flat cam surface 54 of the lower lip 52 . force on the rotating hook 18 by the strike 12 pulls the flat surface of the lower lip 52 against the flat surface of the bolt 50 so that the lower lip 52 is captured between strike bar 14 and bolt 50 with no net torque being exerted on the rotating hook 18 about axis 25 . accordingly , the rotating hook 18 need not be able to withstand high shear forces exerted on the hook opening 16 by the strike bar 14 . further , because force from the strike 12 is channeled into compression of the lower lip 52 excessive force is not applied to the linear carriage 24 . this permits the hook 18 and linear carriage 24 to be molded of common thermoplastic materials which provide high compression strength . the front surface of the bolt 50 away from the rotating hook 18 is fully supported by the latch frame 32 and ultimately the structure of the appliance housing or door on which the latch frame is mounted so that the bolt 50 also experiences primarily compressive as opposed to bending forces . for this reason , the bolt 50 may also be molded of common thermoplastic materials . referring to fig5 , the bolt 50 may be attached to a slide 56 driven by a bi - directional solenoid 58 of type well - known in the art according to electrical signals provided to terminals 60 . the bi - directional solenoid may move the slide 56 to either of two lateral positions to push the bolt 50 leftward into position under the rotating hook 18 ( per fig3 ) or to retract the bolt 50 rightward ( as shown in fig2 and 5 ). a pair of contacts 63 may communicate with the slide 56 to provide a signal through terminals 64 indicating that the bolt 50 is positioned to block the retraction of the strike 12 and a push button door closure switch 66 provides a signal that the door is closed through terminals 68 . accordingly , a control circuit ( not shown ) attached to the terminals 60 , 64 and 68 may enforce a sequence of operations of the appliance latch 10 allowing the bolt 50 to be moved leftward to lock the appliance latch 10 only when the door is closed as indicated by switch 66 and to allow starting of the appliance only after confirmation of that locking has occurred per contacts 63 . referring to fig5 and 6 , the slide 56 may include a projection 72 extending from the slide 56 in a direction perpendicular to the slide that may engage a spring - loaded lock stop 70 to prevent locking of the appliance latch 10 when the linear carriage 24 has not fully retracted to the second position . when the linear carriage 24 is in the first position , as shown in fig6 , with the springs 26 in a high state of compression , the lock stop 70 interferes with movement of the slide 56 leftward to a locking position by interference between projection 72 and the lock stop 70 . when the linear carriage 24 moves to the second position , as shown in fig7 , the lock stop 70 also moves upward allowing passage of projection 72 and leftward movement of the slide 56 . as shown in fig7 , when the slide 56 is in the leftward position and thus the appliance latch 10 is locked , the linear carriage 24 may be moved slightly by an attempted opening of the door . the lock stop 70 is spring loaded so as to retract slightly in this case , against the projection 72 . the lock stop 70 prevents the appliance latch 10 from being activated when the appliance latch 10 is not fully engaged and yet allows the linear carriage 24 to move slightly within a predefined range when it is in a locked condition . it is specifically intended that the present invention not be limited to the embodiments and illustrations contained herein , but include modified forms of those embodiments including portions of the embodiments and combinations of elements of different embodiments as come within the scope of the following claims . | 4 |
in accordance with the invention described herein it has been discovered that the efficiency of the desalter in a petroleum refining operation is enhanced by the addition of an amine to the water , commonly referred to as wash water , or to the crude oil charge . the wash water is then blended with the petroleum charge entering the desalter unit . the advantages of this process over the prior art are numerous and include , primarily , the reduction of chloride concentrations in the petroleum charge feeding into the main fractionator unit . second , a substantial reduction in fouling problems caused by an accumulation of mineral deposits , which frequently coincides with caustic treatment programs , results from the practice of the present invention . additional benefits are a reduction in organic acid concentrations and a drop in the levels of numerous metal ions . most importantly , though , this process provides the unexpected result of increasing the yield of wash water removed from the desalter unit . it will be shown how this improvement in the efficiency of the desalter aids the corrosive removal treatment program in a manner not contemplated by the prior art . amines for this application should be any organic amine with a pkb ( the negative log of the kb ) of 2 to 6 and the organic groups contain 1 to 18 carbon atoms per nitrogen . mixtures of these amines may also be used . exemplary amines include : monosubstituted amines -- methylamine , ethylamine , n - propylamine , iso - propylamine , n - butylamine , sec - butylamine , iso - butylamine , tert - butylamine , pentylamine , hexylamine , octylamine , decylamine , dodecylamine , octadecylamine , benzylamine , 1 - phenylethylamine , 2 - phenylethylamine , cyclohexylamine , cyclopentylamine ; disubstituted amines -- dimethylamine , diethylamine , di - n - propylamine , di - iso - propylamine , di - n - butylamine , di - sec - butylamine , di - iso - butylamine , di - pentylamine , di - hexylamine , di - octylamine , didecylamine , methylethylamine , ethyl - n - propylamine , n - propyl - n - butylamine , n - benzyl - n - ethylamine ; trisubstituted amines : trimethylamine , triethylamine , tri - n - propylamine , tri - iso - propylamine , tri - n - butylamine , tri - secbutylamine , tri - iso - butylamine , tri - pentylamine , tri - hexylamine , tri - octylamine , tri - decylamine , n - benzyl - n , n - diethylamine ; alkanolamines : monoethanolamine , diethanolamine , triethanolamine , monopropanolamine , methylmonoethanolamine , dimethylmonoethanolamine , ethylmonoethanolamine , diethylmonoethanolamine , methyldiethanolamine , ethyldiethanolamine , diethylmonopropanolamine ; polyamines : ethylenediamine , diethylenetriamine , triethylenetetramine , tetraethylenepentamine , triethylenediamine , tetraethylenediamine , hexamethylenediamine , n - methylethylenediamine , n , n - dimethylethylenediamine , n , n &# 39 ;- dimethylethylenediamine , n , n , n &# 39 ;- trimethylethylenediamine , n , n , n &# 39 ;, n &# 39 ;- tetramethylethylenediamine , piperazine , n -( 2 - aminoethyl ) piperazine , n -( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) piperazine , bis -( 3 - aminopropyl ) piperazine ; the amount of amine to be added to the system is from about 0 . 1 to 100 ptb ( pounds per thousand barrels ). the amine can be added neat or in an appropriate solvent before or at the mixing valve ahead of the desalter . the amine can be added to the wash water or the crude oil charge . in order to show the efficacy of adding amines ahead of the desalter , various tests were performed . the results are presented herein for purposes of illustration and not of limitation . the tests were conducted in a laboratory which contained both a steam distillation unit and a desalter comprising conventional electrically assisted emulsion breaking means . studies were conducted using two different crude petroleum oil samples . in the first test , crude oil was obtained from a texas refinery . various treatment chemicals were added independently to desalter wash water samples in equimolar amounts . the oil and various wash water samples were combined at a ratio of 95 : 5 oil : water . the combination was then emulsified and subjected to electrically assisted demulsification for 17 minutes under the conditions of 5 kv in a 200 ° f . bath . water removed from the emulsion after each sample run was measured for total volume removed , ph and chloride concentration . the desalted oils were then subjected to steam distillation at 620 ° f . the aqueous distillate generated therefrom was collected and measurements were made of its volume and chloride concentration . the different treatment chemicals included potassium hydroxide , sodium hydroxide and ethylene diamine as the representative amine . table i represents an analysis of the wash water obtained from each individual treatment after processing through the desalter . the treatment chemicals were added in the following concentrations ( 0 . 16 mol each ): 8 . 8 ptb ( pounds per thousand barrels ) koh , 6 . 2 ptb naoh and 9 . 4 ptb eda . in addition , 12 ppm of an emulsion breaker was added to each test run . as a control , a test was conducted with just the emulsion breaker as the only additive . table i______________________________________analysis of water after the desalting process . sup . ( 1 ) d . sup . ( 2 ) koh / d naoh / d eda / d______________________________________concentration ( ptb ) 0 8 . 8 6 . 2 9 . 4of treating agents . sup . ( 3 ) water recovery , mls 16 16 23 33ph 2 . 4 5 . 8 6 . 8 7 . 4quantity of cl . sup .- 2 . 7 2 . 6 3 . 9 6 . 2extracted , mgsconcentration of 167 163 170 188cl . sup .- extracted , ppm______________________________________ . sup . ( 1 ) wash water : 48 ml added to crude , initial ph is 5 to 6 , cl . sup .- extracted is 0 . 55 mgs . . sup . ( 2 ) d is a conventional emulsion breaker or demulsifier , which may b characterized as containing aromatic naphthas , phenolic resins and aromatic alcohols . . sup . ( 3 ) ptb = pounds per thousand barrels . these numbers are all equivalent to 0 . 16 moles . as can be seen from the above table , the concentration of cl - , 188 ppm , present in the wash water removed after treatment with eda is higher than with either of the two caustics or the demulsifier alone . however , it has been unexpectedly discovered that eda will provide the additional benefit of allowing for a greater volume of water removed from the desalter . this higher volume of water removed combined with the greater concentration of cl - in the water results in the very desirable objective of removing as much cl - , 6 . 2 mgs , as possible from the petroleum charge during the desalter operation . chlorides removed at the desalter are not available to be hydrolyzed into hcl . if allowed to remain with the petroleum charge , the hcl will vaporize in the fractionating towers and condense onto metal surfaces such as overhead condensing equipment and tower trays , causing corrosion thereto . table ii shows the amount of cl - obtained from the steam condensate collected during distillation at approximately 620 ° f . eda removes more cl - at the desalter thereby permitting less cl - to enter the distillation tower . table ii______________________________________chlorides collected during distillation . sup . ( 1 ) d koh / d naoh / d eda / d______________________________________cl . sup .- evolved , mgs 3 . 6 3 . 1 1 . 5 1 . 1______________________________________ . sup . ( 1 ) 800 mls of crude distilled , corrected to 1200 ml volume to be consistent with other analyses . the primary objective of state of the art treatment programs , such as adding naoh , is to cause the cl - to dissociate from the less thermally stable brine salts , such as mgcl 2 , and form the more thermally stable nacl . additionally , treatment programs as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 819 , 328 , teach adding amines to the desalted petroleum to effect a reduction in the amount hcl in the overhead condensate . the mechanism of this type of program is to tie up the chloride ion by the formation of an amine - chloride salt . this salt is relatively more thermally stable than , for example , the primary brine salt , mgcl 2 . it is important to note that testing performed in accordance with the disclosure of the &# 39 ; 328 patent did not exceed 215 ° c . ( 419 ° f .). however , most petroleum crude unit fractionating towers operate within a temperature range of 600 - 700 ° f . the following table shows that a program such as described in the &# 39 ; 328 patent utilizing the texas crude will not effectively prevent chloride salt hydrolysis at elevated fractionation tower temperatures . table iii______________________________________chloride salt hydrolysis percent hydrolysissalt 450 ° f . 680 ° f . ______________________________________nacl 0 . 08 ± . 02 0 . 6eda . 2hcl 2 . 3 53 . 4mgcl . sub . 2 . 6h . sub . 2 o 32 . 0 ± 2 . 3 41 . 4 ± 6 . 2______________________________________ as shown above , eda will substantially prevent hydrolysis at 450 ° f . however , at typical fractionation tower temperatures , there is a significant increase in the amount of chloride hydrolyzed . consequently , injection of eda downstream of the desalter will not reduce corrosion in the fractionating tower . this is one of the detrimental effects of allowing chlorides to remain with the petroleum product during distillation , even though in the form of relatively more thermally stable salts . the chlorides must be substantially removed from the petroleum in order to effectively reduce corrosion . the process according to the instant invention achieves this objective . tests were also conducted using a louisiana crude oil . the louisiana crude oil was desalted with system wash water . the oil was homogenized with system wash water in a ratio of 95 % oil / 5 % wash water at 60 % power . the test temperature was 200 ° f . and the electric field was applied for a total of 17 minutes . the water drop , ph and the chloride content of the resulting brines were determined when the crude was extracted using untreated wash water , and wash water treated with eda , naoh and a blend of eda and koh ( 20 % eda , 1 . 8 % koh , 78 . 2 % h 2 o ). crude samples which were extracted with eda and naoh treated wash water were then steam distilled . naoh was evaluated at 0 . 65 , 1 . 3 , 2 . 0 , 2 . 6 and 3 . 3 ptb to pinpoint the dosage that yielded a brine ph in the mid to high 7 range . an examination of the data produced from the tests conducted by extracting the louisiana raw crude with system wash water treated with 3 . 3 ptb eda / koh , eda and naoh suggest that naoh was the most efficient extraction treatment . although the measured concentration of chloride in all these treatments as well as the control were comparable (˜ 600 ppm ), the superior brine separation for naoh removed 208 % more chloride from the crude than did eda at equal weight . eda / koh removed practically no more chloride than the control wash . table iv______________________________________brine extractioncontrol eda / koh eda naoh ( no additives ) 3 . 3 ptb 3 . 3 ptb 3 . 3 ptb______________________________________brine ph 6 . 1 8 . 9 7 . 3 7 . 0recovered 15 10 18 34brine , mlbrine 600 576 600 660cl . sup .-, ppmbrine 7 . 2 5 . 8 10 . 0 22 . 5cl . sup .-, mgs______________________________________ the resulting control , naoh and eda washed crudes were each steam distilled at 650 ° f . for 10 minutes . the aqueous distillate was analyzed for chloride content as shown below in table v . the steam distillate from the louisiana crude extracted with a control ( system wash water and demulsifier ) contained 144 % more hyrolyzed chloride than did the eda distillate . these data also show that the eda distillate contained less chloride than the naoh distillate . table v______________________________________aqueous steam distillate distillate distillate distillate distillate ph volume , mls cl . sup .- ppm cl . sup .- mgs______________________________________control 2 . 7 45 173 7 . 8 ( no additive ) eda 2 . 9 40 81 3 . 23 . 3 ptbnaoh 2 . 8 35 111 4 . 03 . 3 ptb______________________________________ the variety of metals present in crude oil in varying concentrations cause fouling due to deposit formation and poisoning of catalysts downstream in the refinery operation . in this regard , sodium is especially troublesome . the addition of eda with the wash water into the desalter and subsequent removal therefrom , not only avoids the introduction of additional metal ions , as is the case with traditional caustic treatments , but it assists in the removal of other metals from the petroleum . the following table shows the comparative effect of the various programs on the texas crude oil after treatment under the test conditions previously described . the oil was analyzed after processing through the desalter . table vi______________________________________oil analysis treatment . sup . ( 1 ) none d koh / d naoh / d eda / d______________________________________neutralization 0 . 65 0 . 32 0 . 17 0 . 01 0 . 15no ., mgkoh / gmmetals . sup . ( 3 ), ppmna 9 . 5 4 . 8 2 . 3 7 . 7 3 . 2k 0 . 5 0 . 4 0 . 3 0 . 4 0 . 3mg 0 . 2 0 . 1 & lt ; 0 . 1 0 . 2 & lt ; 0 . 1ca 2 . 6 1 . 4 0 . 8 2 . 0 1 . 0fe 4 . 5 3 . 6 2 . 9 12 . 0 9 . 1ni 1 . 0 1 . 1 1 . 1 1 . 5 0 . 9v 1 . 0 1 . 1 1 . 0 1 . 2 0 . 9cu 0 . 2 & lt ; 0 . 1 & lt ; 0 . 1 0 . 3 0 . 1zn 1 . 3 0 . 3 0 . 1 0 . 5 0 . 2______________________________________ . sup . ( 1 ) 8 . 8 ptb of koh , 6 . 2 ptb of naoh , 9 . 4 ptb of eda added in equimolar amounts . . sup . ( 2 ) mg in 1200 ml of crude . . sup . ( 3 ) al , cr , mn , pb and sn all at less than 0 . 1 ppm in the raw crude . the above results indicate that naoh is most efficient in removing organic acids , as evidenced by the neutralization value of less than 0 . 01 . eda performs at least as well as koh . although naoh provides better results in this regard , treatment with eda avoids the fouling and catalyst poisoning problems which accompanies the addition of naoh . the invention described hereinabove singly overcomes multiple problems unresolved by the prior art . from the foregoing description various modifications in this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art which do not depart from the spirit of the invention . | 2 |
first , the basic structure and the fundamental operating principle of a pump having an electric motor arranged in a common housing will be generally described , however , it is to be noted at the outset that , in the case of the pump of fig1 a , the housing is not a separate structural part but rather is formed by the exterior areas of the structural elements which perform additional tasks either in connection with supplying the fuel or driving the pump besides the task of forming the pump housing . in general , the fuel supply pump of fig1 a comprises a pumping stage 1 which is attached to an electric motor 2 shown located to the right of the pumping stage in the drawing . the pumping stage 1 comprises a base plate or front flange - like terminal housing part 3 and a pump rotor 4 and , in the illustrated embodiment , is a lateral channel type pump . a suction nozzle 5 is made integral with the base plate 3 to which may be attached a fuel hose ( not shown ) or the nozzle may open directly into the fluid in a tank in an in - tank installation . suction nozzle 5 opens into a suction opening 6 of the lateral channel pump . the impeller 4 is driven by the electric motor 2 which comprises a rotating motor armature 7 as well as the magnetic components 8 . on the side opposite the pumping stage 1 , the collector area of the electric motor is located to which is connected a second flange - like housing part called a terminal housing 10 . a pressure nozzle is formed on the terminal housing , preferably one piece therewith . according to the preferred embodiment of the invention , the fuel supply pump described above , comprises four main structural groups which are partially preassembled . the first structural group comprises the base plate 3 forming a first flange - like terminal housing part of the lateral channel pump , which is a one piece synthetic material extrusion molded , structured on the impeller side to form part of the pump and also formed with the suction nozzle 5 . this base plate 3 is also provided with a rigid axle 12 press - fitted or molded thereto as will be described in detail with reference to fig2 a and 2b . the axle 12 , being an extrusion molded or press - fitted in the base plate 3 , forms an integral part of the terminal housing of the pump . the second structural group comprises two permanent magnets 14a and 14b for the electric motor arranged into a tubular partial housing 15 which also serves as a magnetic grounding tube . the structural unit arranged to rotate on the rigid axle 12 can be considered the third structural group . this group includes a motor armature 7 , the pump rotor 4 extrusion molded directly thereon thus forming a common one - piece part and further having a common bearing on axle 12 for the transmission of rotary motion . finally , as the fourth structural group , there is a flange - like terminal housing 10 on the pressure side of the pump provided with pressure nozzle 11 and with a central bore 16 which fixes the axle 12 on the side opposite the base plate 3 and means for fixedly locating the commutator brushes , brush springs , etc . the molded or extruded parts which form the flange - like terminal housing parts 3 and 10 , and adapted to be located at the ends of the central housing part 15 , have radially extended ring flanges 18 and 19 , so that when the central housing part 15 is slipped over the terminal housing parts 3 and 10 , these ring flanges serve as a stop and the housing is then secured and fixed into this position by means of radially inwardly extending flanges formed on the housing part 15 . to effect this , the ring flanges 18 and 19 on both parts of the pump have recesses 20a and 20b ( see fig2 a and 3a ) distributed over their circumferences into which the radially inwardly extending parts of the housing part can be pressed . this central housing part , of course , also serves as a magnetic grounding tube . thus assembled , the fluid pump is ready for installation in a suitable tank . on the other hand , if the pump is to be employed outside a fuel tank , then o - ring seals with an outer housing must be employed surrounding all the above - mentioned structural parts which will be described in more detail . a more detailed explanation of the individual main structural groups will now be described as to structure and mode of operation so that the simplicity of the structure and its cost effectiveness as a fuel supply pump will become more clear . the first housing terminal or base plate 3 of the pump , being made of extrusion molded synthetic material , is preferably fiber glass reinforced and made fuel - resistant and is provided with the suction nozzle 5 , which may be circular or kidney - shaped in cross section , and which communicates with the lateral channel 21 . the kidney - shaped opening 6 is located at the initial area of the lateral channel as shown in fig2 b . this lateral channel 21 is approximately semicircular with the end area at 23 and opens into a pressure channel 22 centrally of the base plate . again , the axle 12 is molded or press - fitted to the center of the base plate and the pump rotor 4 and armature 7 are mounted on the axle . the pump rotor 4 , in the embodiment shown , is an enclosed impeller having chambers semicircular in cross section distributed equally over the circumference on the side facing the lateral channel 21 and the energy exchange required for the supply fuel takes place in these chambers . a similar arrangement on the side of the base plate is not required since the smoothness of the molded plastic makes the frontal deviation and the upper surface areas sufficient . the lateral channel 21 contains a groove 23a located near the last third of the channel , i . e ., before the fluid therein reaches the pressure channel 22 . this groove 23a is located on the outer periphery of the lateral channel and communicates with a slit 24 ( see fig1 a ) located on the outer diameter of the base plate in an axial direction . the groove 23a and slit 24 serve to divert any volume of gas which may form in the lateral channel 21 so that there is an effective ventilation of the pump . the groove 23a or the slit 24 may have a suitable throttle formed by a change in the cross - sectional area thereof so that there will be no loss of pressure . the ventilation of the pump by the axial slit 24 is possible in an in - tank installation but , in the case of an installation requiring an additional housing surrounding the pump , an additional nozzle or terminal ( not shown ) may be provided for a ventilation line . in operation , the fluid flows through the suction nozzle 5 and entry opening 6 into the lateral channel 21 and there is transported under increasing pressure , in the direction of the arrow , to the interior pressure channel 22 , as shown in fig2 b , resulting from the circular flow produced by the rotating propeller 4 . the fuel then flows out of the pressure channel 22 through suitable axial exit openings 25 ( fig1 a ) spaced about the impeller 4 . these openings communicate in an axial direction into the interior of the housing part and the fuel finally flows via the pressure nozzle 11 of the terminal housing 10 into the system which is to be supplied with fuel under pressure . the motor armature 7 is formed of a laminar packet 26 and a core winding packet 27 , around which a suitable synthetic material 28 is sprayed , which at the same time is part of the impeller 4 of the lateral channel pump 1 . a sliding bearing 30 is pressed into this rotor unit on the pumping side in order to fix this structural unit on the pumping side on the rigid axle 12 ; the sliding bearing can be a bushing , for instance a du bushing , made of a suitable substance . on the collector side , the bearing of the rotor unit on the axle 12 is formed by the synthetic mounting material of the laminar core . this rotor unit , comprising the pump rotor 4 and the motor armature 7 , with a common bearing on the axle 12 , at the same time fixedly locates the collector on the side oriented toward the pump . the collector , in the illustrated example , however , is not embodied as a bushing which axially extends the motor armature , but rather is in the form of a radial disc , so that the axially extending commutator bushings , displaced from the center of the terminal housing 10 , under pressure , can glide on the collector disc . for this purpose , the terminal housing 10 , which is shown in front and rear views in fig3 a and 3b , has reception bores 35a , 35b next to the pressure nozzle 11 , into which threaded terminal nozzles 36 are pressed , one of which is more clearly shown in fig1 b . these terminal nozzles 36 , manufactured from a suitable , sleeve - like synthetic material , have outer screw threads 36a , 36b , with differing thread diameters for conducting the positive and negative supply voltages . these terminal nozzles 36 are electrically connected with brush springs 38 inside a bushing 37 , which in turn are electrically interposed therebetween . the sealing o - rings 45 can be inserted on the outer diameter of the upper base plate 3 and terminal housing 10 of the pump into reception grooves already provided in the synthetic parts . the connection of the tubular outer housing with the terminal housing at either end of the pump can be effected in a number of ways as by means of a conical flanging of the housing , which can be an aluminum tube , as shown at 47 in fig1 a , or by forming the outer terminal housing initially as a deep - drawn aluminum cup , as shown at 48 , into which the structural elements described above can be inserted . finally , the connection of the outer housing 46 can also be effected , as shown at 49 in fig1 b , by an inward flanging of the preferably tubular aluminum housing , or by flanging the aluminum tube at a right angle , as is shown at 50 in fig1 b . further o - rings 51 are inserted into a corresponding recess between the reception bore of the terminal housing 10 and the inserted bushing 37 to effect the sealing of the threaded terminal nozzles 36 . the sealing of the pump can also be effected with the aid of the fuel resistant contraction hose 52 surrounding all the structural elements of the fluid pump . this hose , as is well known , consists of a synthetic material with shape memory , with the ability to contract from an original size under appropriate heating to the significantly smaller dimensions . the contraction hose , which preferably has an interior layer which is more strongly fused , then firmly surrounds the individual pumping parts , securing and sealing them absolutely and through its hardening , further forms rim areas which firmly contact the base plate 3 and the terminal housing 10 . the axial play between the base plate 3 and pump impeller 4 at the motor armature may be infinitely adjusted either by means of the extension of the journal bearing 30 or by means of the inclusion of a spacer disc at this point . the compression force of the commutator brush springs 38 then acts to restrict the axial play . when wear takes place , then the axial play can only be further reduced thus increasing the effectiveness of the pump . the foregoing relates to a preferred embodiment of the invention , it being understood that other embodiments and variants thereof are possible within the spirit and scope of the invention , the latter being defined by the appended claims . | 5 |
the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment in conjunction with the accompanying claims and drawings describes the invention in which like numerals in the several views refer to corresponding parts . the present invention represents broadly applicable improvements to a delivery device and methods of delivering an object within a patient in a predetermined orientation . the embodiments detailed herein are intended to be taken as representative or exemplary of those in which the improvements of the invention may be incorporated and are not intended to be limiting . the present invention provides an elongated pusher catheter 10 deliverable through a sheath 12 and adaptable for coupling a self - expanding object 14 thereto in a predetermined orientation . without limitation , the self - expanding object 14 has a shape suitable for occluding a pda , however , those skilled in the art will appreciate that the self - expanding object may be provided in several varying shapes and sizes . for example , the self - expanding object 14 may be configured to be particularly well suited for treating an asd , vsd , pfo , a triple a graft for the repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm , or other defect wherein the shape and orientation of the self - expanding object is significant . without any limitation intended , the self - expanding object 14 is preferably made from a tubular metal fabric including a plurality of woven metal strands . a clamp 16 is attached to each outer end of metal fabric , thereby inhibiting unraveling of the metal fabric . at least one of the clamps 24 is adapted for coupling to the end of the pusher catheter 10 for delivery to a preselected site within the patient , as described below in greater detail . once the appropriate self - expanding object 14 has been selected to treat the physiologic condition of the patient , a catheter or other suitable delivery device may be positioned within a channel in a patient &# 39 ; s body to place the distal end of the delivery device 10 adjacent the desired treatment site . the delivery device 10 can be used to urge the self - expanding object through the lumen of a sheath or other tube for deployment in a patient &# 39 ; s body . when the object is deployed out the distal end of the sheath , the object remains attached to the end of the delivery device . once it is confirmed that the self - expanding object is properly positioned within the patient , the pusher catheter 10 can be detached from the self - expanding object 14 and then withdrawn . by keeping the self - expanding object 14 attached to the pusher catheter , the operator can retract the object 14 for repositioning , even after deployment out the end of the pusher catheter 10 , if it is determined that the object is not properly positioned . in a preferred embodiment shown in the figures , the non - symmetric medical occluding self - expanding object 14 is shown attached to the pusher catheter or delivery catheter 10 . the pusher catheter 10 generally includes an elongated , flexible , biocompatible tube having a lumen extending along the longitudinal axis . a guide wire or cable may be positioned within the lumen of the pusher catheter , and extends through the tip of the pusher catheter . the tip of the cable is threaded and screws into the end of the clamp , thereby securing the self - expanding object 14 to the pusher catheter 10 . the diameter of the lumen within the pusher catheter 10 is dimensioned so that the guide wire may be rotated inside of the pusher catheter 10 , yet snug enough to avoid kinking in the cable . the alignment member formed on the tip or distal end of the pusher catheter includes a predetermined shape that mates with a shape formed in the clamp , wherein the alignment member only engages with the clamp in one orientation . the pusher catheter 10 is curved near its distal tip . the shape of the curve is dependent upon where the particular device is designed to be delivered intravascularly . for example , if the pusher catheter is intended to deliver an occluding device adjacent a pda , then the curve of the pusher catheter is shaped to approximate the path between the pulmonary artery and communication adjacent the aorta . as will be described below in greater detail , the orientation of the shape fixed within the distal tip may be controlled to thereby affect the orientation of the self - expanding object attached to the alignment member . the curvature of the pusher catheter contributes to the ability of the alignment member to deliver the device in a predefined orientation . referring now to the figures , the pusher catheter 10 of the present invention is shown generally in fig1 and 2 . the pusher catheter 10 includes an elongated tubular segment 18 having a proximal and distal end 28 and 30 respectively . a cable 20 extends through the lumen of the tubular segment 18 . the distal end 30 of the tubular segment 18 includes an alignment member 24 fixed to the distal end 30 of the tube 18 . the alignment member 24 includes an aperture 26 extending there through , wherein the center of the aperture 26 generally aligns with the center of the lumen . the distal end of the cable 20 is threaded and the distal end of the cable extends out the distal end 30 of the tubular segment 18 through the aperture 26 in the alignment member 24 . a handle 22 is attached to the proximal end of the cable and assists in the rotation of the cable inside the lumen of the tubular segment 18 . [ 0027 ] fig2 and 4 show a self - expanding object 14 attached to the pusher catheter 10 . the self - expanding object 14 includes a connecting member or clamp 16 that attaches to the alignment member 24 ( see fig3 ). in order to adequately occlude the communication between the aorta and pulmonary artery , the object 14 shown in fig3 and 4 only has one preferable orientation . the flange , rim or retention disc 32 extends at an acute angle from the main cylindrical portion of the pda device . in this manner , when the flange 32 rests against the aorta wall , the main cylindrical portion 34 extends into the communication at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the aorta proximate the pda . the non - symmetric object 14 may include a radiopaque marker 44 attached at a predefined position on the asymmetrical device 14 . in this manner , the orientation of the asymmetrical device 14 may be determined through fluoroscopy or another known manner of observation . referring now to fig5 and 6 , the mating shape of the alignment member 24 and clamp or connecting member 16 is shown . the alignment member 24 includes a protrusion 36 having a semicircular shape on one end of the protrusion 36 . the clamp 16 includes a corresponding shape forming a recess 38 formed in the clamp . the protrusion 36 fits within the recess 38 and the distal end of the cable 20 screws into a threaded bore 40 formed in the clamp 16 . alternatively , the protrusion 36 may extend from the clamp 16 and the recess 38 may be formed in the alignment member , as shown in fig7 and 8 . in this manner , the self expanding object 14 may only be attached to the alignment member 24 with one orientation relative to the pusher catheter 10 and , for example , markings 42 on the proximal end of the tube segment 18 . thus , when the object 14 is delivered through the sheath , the orientation of the attached object 14 is known relative to the markings 42 . the delivery sheath 12 ( see fig4 ) is positioned within the patient &# 39 ; s body vessel , wherein a distal end of the sheath 12 is proximate a desired site of delivery . the sheath 12 may also have a preset bend corresponding to the bend in the pusher catheter 10 . alternatively , the pusher catheter 10 and interior lumen 60 of the sheath 12 may be shaped to prevent rotation of the pusher catheter 10 within the sheath 12 ( see fig9 and 10 ). [ 0029 ] fig1 shows an occluding object 46 positioned to occlude a perimembranous ventricular septal defect in the septum 48 . the occluding device 46 is asymmetrical and includes flanges 50 and 52 that engage against the septum 48 and surround the defect . a radiopaque marker 44 is shown attached to flange 50 . in this manner , when the occluding device 46 is delivered , the proper positioning of the device 46 may be confirmed . the connecting member 16 mates with the alignment member 24 of the pusher catheter 10 . as shown in fig1 , the alignment member 24 and connecting member 16 allows for delivery of an asymmetrical device 46 in a preferable orientation , with the longer portion of the flange 52 engaging the septum away from the aortic valve . this invention has been described herein in considerable detail in order to comply with the patent statutes and to provide those skilled in the art with the information needed to apply the novel principles and to construct and use embodiments of the invention as required . however , it is to be understood that the invention can be carried out by specifically different devices and that various modifications can be accomplished without departing from the scope of the invention itself . | 0 |
in fig1 a three - phase transformer is generally indicated at 10 and it consists of a magnetic core and coil assembly 12 in which phase windings 14 , 16 , 18 are disposed in inductive relation with a three - phase magnetic core 20 . the core and coil assembly 12 has a cubical form wherein the sides form vertical planar , exterior surfaces , and the top and bottom form horizontal , planar and exterior surfaces . the sealed case or enclosure 22 surrounds the assembly 12 . a tap changer 24 is also contained within the case 22 . bushings 26 , 28 , 30 , which are normally connected to electric leads ( not shown ), extend through the top surface 32 . the tap changer 24 comprises an elongated member or movable contact carrier 34 , a pair of cables 36 , 38 , and a manual control unit or handle 40 . as shown more particularly in fig2 - 5 , the movable contact carrier 34 is a channel member having opposite side walls 42 , 44 , and intermediate or bight wall 46 , and an open side opposite the bight wall ( fig4 ). the movable contact carrier 34 is mounted on a fixed support member or channel 48 having opposite side walls 50 , 52 , and a bight wall 54 from which the side walls extend upwardly . the bight wall 54 is mounted on spaced brackets 56 , 58 ( fig3 ) by suitable means , such as pop rivets 60 . the mounting brackets 56 , 58 in turn are secured to a suitable support frame ( not shown ) within the enclosure 22 and preferably above the phase windings 14 , 16 , 18 . the movable contact carrier 34 and the support channel 43 are mounted channels of a dielectric thermal plastic material such as a combination of glass fiber and polyester resin . as shown in fig1 a series of tap leads 62 , 64 , 66 extend out of the various sections of each transformer phase winding 14 , 16 , 18 , respectively , and are connected to appropriate stationary contacts 68 , 70 , 72 , respectively ( fig2 ). the stationary contacts are preferably comprised of a metal such as copper and are separately secured in spaced relation within the bight wall 54 of the channel 48 . for that purpose the channel 48 includes spaced sets of holes 74 and molded reinforcing collars 76 in which the stationary contacts or studs 68 are imbedded . upper end portions of each stationary contacts 68 extend above the bight wall 54 of the channel 48 . the movable contact carrier 34 ( fig2 , 4 ) and the channel 48 are composed of aligned slots 78 , 80 on opposite side walls of each member and similar mounting bolts 82 extend through the aligned slots to enable sliding or longitudinal movement of the movable contact carrier with respect to the lower channel 48 . the cable 36 ( fig2 ) is attached to a mounting pin 84 within a tubular projection 86 extending from the upper bight wall 46 of the carrier . likewise , the cable 38 is attached to a similar pin 84 extending through a projection 88 on the upper bight wall 46 of the carrier 34 . accordingly , the movable contact carrier 34 may be moved longitudinally to the left broken line position 134 by the cable 36 to a distance equal to the length of the slots 78 , 80 . as shown in fig2 three movable contacts 90 , 92 , 94 are mounted on the bight wall 46 of the movable contact carrier 34 by similar pins 96 . the particular contact 94 ( fig5 ), which is typical of all the movable contacts , is an inverted u - shaped member having opposite side walls 98 , 100 . the contact is comprised of a spring sheet metal stock to enable outward flexing of the side walls 98 , 100 to provide good electrical contact with the stationary contacts 68 , 70 , 72 . more particularly , the lower ends of the side walls 98 , 100 have inturned tabs 102 each of which supports a bridging contact 104 , 106 ( fig5 ). each bridging contact 104 , 106 is formed metal having an inner end portion 104a , 106a having a 180 degree bend for contact with opposite sides of a pair of stationary contacts 72 ( fig6 ). the bent portions 104a , 106a are formed around the inner edge of similar tabs 102 . the remainder of the bridging contacts 104 , 106 extend along the under surfaces of the inturned tabs 102 and through similar notches 108 at the lower ends of the side walls 98 , 100 and include out - turned projections 110 . the combination of the several parts 102 , 104a , 106a , 104 , 106 , 108 , and 110 combine to retain the bridging contacts 104 , 106 in place at the lower end of the side walls 98 , 100 . moreover , the bridging contacts 104 , 106 are comprised of a metal having a high coefficient of electrical conductivity , such as copper , and are all heavy gage stock to enable the conduction of current between adjacent stationary contacts 72 ( fig6 ). inasmuch as the diameter of the stationary contacts 72 is slightly greater than the distance between the bent portions 104a , 106a , the lower end portions 98a , 100a are flexed outwardly to hold the contacts in good electrical contact with the stationary contacts 72 . in accordance with this invention the tap changer 24 also includes the manual control unit or handle 40 ( fig7 , 9 , 10 ) for operating the cable 36 , 38 . the handle 112 is an elongated shaft having an external u - shaped portion 114 and a internal end portion on which a reel or spool 116 is fixedly mounted . end portions of the cables 36 and 38 are wound on the spool 116 in opposite directions where they are secured in place such as by fastening bolts 118 , 120 . a stop plate 122 is fixedly mounted on one side of the spool 116 and a coil spring 124 is disposed between the stop plate and a bushing 126 by which the shaft of the handle 112 is mounted in a wall 128 of the transformer enclosure . a u - shaped mounting 130 is fixedly mounted at 132 of the wall 128 . similar cable adjustment bolts 134 , 136 are mounted on opposite sides of the u - shaped bracket 130 by which the cable 36 , 38 , respectively , are tightened in place between the reel 116 and the pins 84 , ( fig2 ). for that purpose each cable 36 , 38 is enclosed within a cable mesh 138 , 140 the ends of which are secured to the adjustment bolts 134 , 136 ( fig7 ), and the other ends of which are secured to similar adjustment bolts 142 , 144 , respectively ( fig2 ). thus the cables 36 , 38 are retained in tight condition between their respective ends so that rotation of the spool in either direction causes precise movement of the movable contacts 90 , 92 , 94 between the desired pairs of contacts 68 , 70 , 72 . as shown in fig2 there are 18 studs for fixed contacts including 6 contacts 68 , 70 , and 72 for each phase . the voltage is changed by moving the movable contacts 90 , 92 , 94 between the desired pairs of spaced adjacent contacts such as the contacts 72 . if , for example , each fixed contact 72 is 21 / 2 percent of a total voltage of 1400 volts the total voltage change from end to the other of the five pairs of positions is 140 volts . as shown in fig8 and 10 a dial plate 146 is mounted on the tank wall 128 on a pair of mounting bolts 148 . the plate 146 includes five spaced peripheral notches 150 , one for each of the five positions of the pairs of studs or fixed contacts 68 , 70 , and 72 . the u - shaped handle portion 114 is retained in a selected position with the end lodged in one of the notches 150 by the pressure of the spring 124 against the stop plate 122 . to change the position of the handle 112 it is manually pulled outwardly to the right as viewed in fig8 against the pressure of the spring 120 to the broken line position of the plate 122 whereupon the handle 112 is rotated to any other desired notch position and released whereupon the spring 124 returns the handle to the left and into the selected notch 150 . as a result the cables 36 , 38 are wound and unwound upon the reel which in turn moves the several movable contacts 90 , 92 , 94 simultaneously to the desired pair of fixed contacts 68 , 70 , 72 respectively . as shown in fig1 a pair of stop blocks 152 , 154 are provided on the face of the dial plate 146 to prevent inadvertent rotation of the handle too far either counterclockwise or clockwise . thus , when the u - shaped handle 114 is pulled out of position one of the notch 150 the stop clock 152 prevents further counterclockwise rotation of the handle . likewise the stop block 154 prevents rotation of the handle beyond position five of the notches 150 . as shown in fig8 and 9 , the stop plate 122 comprises five spaced peripheral slots 156 and a key 158 is fixedly disposed in position on a u - shaped mounting bracket 160 . as the handle is moved to the right against the pressure of the spring 124 ( fig8 ) the particular slot 156 is moved away from the key 158 to enable rotation of the handle 112 . accordingly , the slots and key mechanism serves as a main means for keying the position of the real 116 with the cables 36 , 38 . in conclusion , the tap changer of this invention incorporates a cable operated mechanism having several advantages including mounting of the manual control switch on the top of a frame near the coil instead of in more remote position as in prior art structures . this in turn reduces the tank width and uses less material and cooling oil . moreover , the lead length from the switch to the coil is reduced . in addition , since the manual control mechanism is no longer mounted near the high voltage bushings , clearance of these components is no longer a problem . furthermore , the control mechanism can be placed anywhere on the front panel of the transformer . finally , the u - shaped movable contacts are mounted in floating positions which facilitate alignment of the movable contacts with the stationary contacts notwithstanding rough tolerances built into the associated parts . | 7 |
a method for evaluating or quantifying resolution of a volumetric imaging system such as for example , a multislice ct ( msct ) scanner is disclosed . during the method , volumetric image data of an image phantom is acquired and processed to determine the modulation transfer function ( mts ) of the volumetric imaging system as well as the directional dependence of the mts . the image phantom provides for the simultaneous measurement of volumetric imaging system resolution in virtually all directions as well as the independent measure of resolution in any direction , without the need for repositioning or alignment of the image phantom . during display of reconstructed volumetric images , a graphical object or icon is also displayed identifying the resolution of the volumetric imaging system in the direction of the volumetric image being viewed . further specifics will now be described with reference to fig1 to 3 . fig1 a and 1 b show an msct scanner generally identified by reference numeral 50 . as is well known to those of skill in the art , msct scanner 50 comprises a gantry 52 accommodating an x - ray source 54 and collimator 56 . rows of detectors 58 are also accommodated by the gantry 52 diametrically opposite the x - ray source 54 and collimator 56 . in this embodiment , the gantry 52 accommodates at least thirty - two ( 32 ) rows of detectors 58 . an image reconstruction computer 60 communicates with the detectors 58 and reconstructs volumetric images from the volumetric image data output by the detectors 58 . a monitor 62 communicates with the image reconstruction computer 60 and displays the generated volumetric images . the gantry 52 has a central opening 64 into which a patient supporting table 66 extends . the gantry 52 is rotatable about the table 66 and tiltable with respect to the table 66 to allow a full compliment of images of a patient or object supported on the table 66 to be acquired . in order to evaluate the resolution of the msct scanner 50 , the msct scanner 50 is conditioned to scan an image phantom using the selected scanning protocol . during scanning , the x - ray source 54 outputs an x - ray beam 70 that is fanned by collimator 56 . the fanned x - ray beam 70 , after passing through the image phantom , impinges on the multiple rows of detectors 58 . in response , the detectors 58 output volumetric image data ( voxels ) that are received by the image reconstruction computer 60 . at the same time , the gantry 52 is rotated about the table 66 and the table 66 is translated relative to the opening 64 in the gantry 52 so that the image phantom is fully scanned . the gantry 52 in this case is rotated about the table 66 at a rate less than or equal to one ( 1 ) rotation per second . the image reconstruction computer 60 in turn processes the volume image data received from the detectors 58 thereby to reconstruct volumetric images of the image phantom that are displayed on monitor 62 . as mentioned above , the configuration of the image phantom is such so as to allow the resolution of the msct scanner 50 to be evaluated . turning now to fig2 a and 2 b , the image phantom is shown and is generally identified by reference numeral 100 . as can be seen , image phantom 100 comprises a sphere 102 generally centrally positioned within a cylinder or puck 104 . the sphere 102 and cylinder 104 are formed of generally uniform materials having low atomic numbers to help produce volumetric image data sets that are free from x - ray beam hardening artifacts . in this embodiment , sphere 102 is formed of teflon ® which has an effective atomic number equal to 8 . 47 and a mean value of 900 houndsfield units ( hu ). as will be appreciated the effective atomic number of teflon ® is very close to that of soft tissue . the increased hu mean value of the sphere 102 as compared to soft tissue is primarily due to its density . the cylinder 104 is formed of curable liquid silicone having a mean value equal to 190 hu . the attenuation coefficient of the sphere 102 is at least three times greater than the attenuation coefficient of the cylinder 104 . the sphere contrasts the cylinder sufficiently to allow the sphere to be differential from the cylinder in acquired volumetric images . the diameter of the sphere 102 is selected to be at least three times greater than the voxel spacing of the volumetric images of the image phantom 100 . in this embodiment , the sphere 102 has a diameter equal to 0 . 5 inches . the cylinder 104 has a diameter equal to 4 inches and a height equal to 4 inches . as will be appreciated , the shape of the sphere 102 has a curvature that emulates biological structures making it particularly suited to msct scanner resolution evaluation . also , the symmetry of the sphere 102 permits measurement of blur in virtually any direction without requiring special alignment as will be described . during formation of the image phantom 100 , the image phantom 100 is molded in a two - part procedure under low pressure to position centrally and immerse the sphere 102 within the cylinder 104 and to ensure the cylinder 104 is free of entrapped air bubbles . in order to evaluate the resolution of the msct scanner 50 , the reconstructed volumetric image data is processed to generate a surface spread function ( ssf ) representing the edge response function for the msct scanner 50 that is used to quantify the resolution of the msct scanner in all directions . the ssf is a graphical plot which maps the intensity value of each voxel as a function of the voxel &# 39 ; s distance from the centroid of the sphere 102 . the ssf is then differentiated to produce a plane spread function ( pisf ). the results are then interpreted using full width at half maximum ( fwhm ), and fourier transforming to generate a modulation transfer function ( mtf ). the fwhm represents the apparent width ( blur ) in the image space of an infinitely thin sheet while the mtf quantifies how spatial frequencies are modulated as they pass through the msct scanner 50 . turning now to fig3 , the processing of reconstructed volumetric image data in order to evaluate the resolution of the msct scanner 50 will be further described . initially , the volumetric image data of the image phantom 100 is thresholded into voxels interior to and exterior to the sphere 102 , by comparing the gray - level values of the voxels with a threshold value that is intermediate the mean interior and exterior gray - level values of the sphere ( step 200 ). voxels within the sphere 102 are set to an intensity of one , while voxels outside of the sphere 102 are set to an intensity of zero . following the thresholding procedure , the voxels within the sphere 102 are processed to calculate the centre of mass of the sphere 102 thereby to determine the centroid of the sphere 102 ( step 202 ). the thresholded volumetric image data is also used to calculate the radius of the sphere 102 by determining the extent of the voxels that are set to unity intensity ( step 204 ). the original unthresholded volumetric image data is then used for the remainder of the analysis . all voxels a distance greater than eight voxel dimensions from the centroid of the sphere 102 and less than three sphere radii from the sphere centroid are used to assemble the surface spread function ( ssf ) ( step 206 ). the distance of each of these voxels from the sphere centroid is calculated and the distances are placed into the bins of a histogram one tenth the size of the in - plane resolution . the gray - level values of the voxels are accumulated into one set of bins , and the numbers of voxels at given distances are accumulated into another set of bins . following this procedure , the accumulated gray - level values are divided by the numbers of voxels in the bins to yield an averaged ssf curve ( step 208 ). a bspline algorithm using cubic basis functions is used to smooth the averaged ssf curve ( step 210 ). control points are placed at four times the spacing in the averaged ssf curve ( still two and a half times the original in - plane image resolution ). the smoothed ssf curve is evaluated from the bspline coefficients at the original coordinates , preserving the spacing at one tenth the original in - plane resolution . the binned , smoothed ssf curve is digitally differentiated by evaluating the difference between successive ssf values thereby to yield a resulting pisf curve ( step 212 ). the full width at half maximum ( fwhm ) is then determined from the pisf curve ( step 214 ). the pisf curve is fourier transformed using an algorithm adapted from the realfi routine from numerical recipes ( step 216 ). this algorithm replaces a real - valued function with the positive - frequency half of its complex fourier transform . for this algorithm , the data must be radix 2 , so the pisf curve data is zero padded to increase the array size to the nearest power of two prior to fourier transforming . the magnitude of the resulting complex array is calculated , and normalized to unity at zero spatial frequency thereby to yield the mtf ( step 218 ). the 10 % mtf represents the limiting spatial resolution of the msct scanner 50 . the directional dependence of the mtf is then evaluated by approximating the mtf along the positive and negative directions of each coordinate axis , in other words , by evaluating six independent mtf curves ( step 220 ). in particular , axial and trans - axial resolution of the msct scanner is evaluated . during axial resolution evaluation , a ray is drawn from the sphere centroid subtending 30 degrees to the positive axial direction ( superior ) rotated to produce a cone . similarly , a second cone is drawn subtending 30 degrees to the negative axial direction ( inferior ). the voxels within these two cones are used to assemble the ssf curves in the positive and negative axial directions , respectively . fig4 shows the cones from which the voxels are recruited to assemble the ssf curves . the procedure for assembling the ssf curves is the same as that described above , with the exception that the contribution from each voxel is weighted by the squared ratio of its axial coordinate to its distance from the sphere centroid , thereby assigning increased weight to voxels located closer to the axial axis . for trans - axial resolution evaluation , a ray is drawn from the centroid subtending 60 degrees to the positive axial direction rotated to produce a cone . however , in this case the anti - cone outside this cone and above the transverse plane is used . the union of the anti - cone and the similar anti - cone below the transverse plane is further subdivided into four quadrants defined by the planes x = y and y =− x . the voxels within these four quadrants are used to assemble the ssf curves in the positive and negative x ( right - left ) and y ( anterior - posterior ) directions . the anti - cone from which voxels are recruited to assemble the ssf curves is shown as the shaded volume in the left side of fig5 . the x = y and y =− x planes that bisect the anti - cone are shown in the right side of fig5 . once again , the contribution from each voxel is weighted by the squared ratio of its coordinate along the relevant axis to its distance from the sphere centroid , thereby assigning greater weight to voxels located closer to the axis in question . following the assembly of the six independent ssf curves , the procedure of smoothing the ssf curves with bsplines , differentiating the smoothed ssf curves to obtain the pisf curves , and fourier transforming to obtain the mtf curves , is the same as that described above . the axial and trans - axial resolutions evaluated for the msct scanner are recorded . during subsequent imaging of patients using the msct scanner , the recorded resolutions are used to update a graphical icon presented on the monitor 62 with the displayed volumetric image so that the resolution of the msct scanner in the particular direction being viewed is also displayed . in this manner , variations in image quality resulting from changes in msct scanner resolution can be visually determined inhibiting such variations from being wrongly interpreted as image artifacts . imaging of the image phantom 100 may be repeated by varying the position of the image phantom radially , and axially , to evaluate the resolution of the volumetric imaging system throughout the scan field . for example , the image phantom may be placed at the middle of the scan field , 20 % of the radius , 50 % and 80 % of the radius to evaluate the spatial resolution as a function of radial position within the scan field . in addition , the resolution loss due to table motion in helical scans may be quantified by scanning the image phantom using a helical scanning protocol . turning now to fig9 and 10 , alternative embodiments of an image phantom are shown . in these embodiments , the spheres are suspended in one dimension within cylindrical contours by support structures . the spheres in these cases may be surrounded by air or the volume encompassed by the containers may be evacuated to create a vacuum therein . volumetric scans of the image phantom 100 were acquired with two commercially available clinical volumetric ct scanners , namely a general electric healthcare lightspeed vct ( ge vct ) and the siemens medical systems somatom sensation 64 - slice ( sms 64 ). scanning parameters were matched as closely as possible for the two ct scanners , and reflect typical protocols used in 30 clinical practice at hfhs . the spiral scanning protocol used to acquire the volumetric scans is shown in table 1 below . during scanning , the image phantom 100 was positioned such that sphere 102 was located approximately at iso - centre . volumetric scans were acquired using the spiral scanning protocol of table 1 with a table speed of 20 mm / sec and a pitch of 1 . 0 for three ( 3 ) sphere diameters , namely 0 . 5 inches , 1 inch and 1 . 5 inches in order to investigate the influence of sphere diameter on measured resolution . a larger sphere diameter is desirable due to increased over - sampling but should be constrained to a size that does not cause significant x - ray beam hardening which would distort the measurement of spatial resolution five ( 5 ) additional scans of the image phantom 100 having a 1 inch sphere diameter were acquired with the ge vct to determine the precision of the measurement technique . to study azimuthal blur , the image phantom 100 was positioned at the periphery of the scan field of view with the sphere 102 located at approximately 180 mm from iso - centre in the right - left direction . volumetric image data was acquired with gantry speeds of 1 . 0 and 0 . 4 seconds per rotation . the diameter of the spheres 102 was measured at 8 points , along 6 lines of longitude , to assess sphericity . the variation in diameter was found to be less than 25 gm , for a given sphere . visual inspection of the clear silicone cylinders 104 did not show any inclusions of air . reconstructed images of the image phantom were copied from the ct scanner console in the slice based dicom file format and converted into a single volume data file . voxel values from the single volume data set were used to assemble the ssf in order to compute the fwhm and 10 % mtf for the scanning modes which were investigated . fig6 shows an image slice through a reconstructed volumetric image of the image phantom together with a profile line plot taken through the image slice . fig7 shows the resulting ssf curve derived from the profile line plot of fig6 . fig8 shows the resulting pisf curve from which the fwhm is measured together with the derived mtf identifying the limiting spatial frequency of the ct scanner . precision measurements were made for the ge vct only . the variability of measurement of fwhm and 10 % mtf was higher for axial ( superior - inferior ) measurements than trans - axial ( left - right , anterior - posterior ) measurements . this is likely due to the fact that fewer points are used to assemble the axial ssf curves and therefore there is less noise averaging in the binning procedure as compared to the formation of the trans - axial ssf curves . the respective mean values and standard deviations for the ge vct are shown in table 2 below . the variation in measurement of resolution as a function of sphere size is shown in table 3 below for sphere diameters of 0 . 5 inch , 1 inch and 1 . 5 inches , for both the ge vct and sms 64 . the variation in measurements of resolution as a function of sphere size is shown in the table 4 below for sphere diameters of 0 . 5 inch , 1 inch and 1 . 5 inches , for the ge vct . table 5 below compares the fwhm and the 10 % mtf spatial frequency for protocols with no table motion during scanning ( axial ) and a table speed of 20 mm / sec ( spiral ). those of skill in the art will appreciate that the described resolution evaluation method may be applied to other volumetric imaging modalities such as for example magnetic resonance imaging , ultrasound , optical , spect and pet imaging . although a preferred embodiment has been described with reference to the accompanying drawings , those of skill in the art will appreciate that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as defined by the appended claims . | 0 |
the present invention provides a magnetic agarose bead with a medium size diameter of 5 - 1000 μm , having a pore size that offers potential for both fast kinetics and high capacity regarding biomolecule adsorption . this is advantageous as compared to several of the currently existing products for lab scale applications , and also offers the possibility to use the same type of media for large scale applications . in addition to these criteria , the beads are chemically stable with regard to metal leakage . the present inventors have found that encapsulated magnetic materials can be introduced into hydrophilic , porous materials such as agarose . to avoid the problem of metal leakage the magnetic material is first covered or coated with a chemically stable material . in a preferred embodiment , the magnetic material is encapsulated in small crosslinked polystyrene beads that are used as core particles in the preparation of agarose beads . this approach results in beads that are chemically stable towards metal leakage and at the same time posses an outer layer that offers a more suitable environment for e . g . protein and cell separations . the following examples are provided for illustrative purposes only , and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims . 5 g of iron oxide powder ( particle size & lt ; 5 μm ) is added to 50 ml of oleic acid in an ehrlenmeyer flask . the flask is left on a shaking table at room temperature for an hour . the iron oxide is allowed to sediment , and as much as possible of the oleic acid is removed by decantation . 0 . 4 g 2 , 2 ′- azobis ( 2 - methylbutyronitrile ) ( ambn ) is dissolved in 20 g divinyl benzene ( dvb ), tech . 80 %, and after complete dissolution of the initiator , the iron oxide particles are added . 85 g of the methocel solution is added to a 250 ml three - necked round - bottom flask , followed by the organic phase prepared as above . the stirring speed is set at 175 rpm . after 30 minutes the reactor is immersed in an oil bath set at 70 degrees , and the polymerisation reaction is left overnight . the product particles are sedimented a number of times in water , to remove fines . the particles are then washed on a glass filter with water , 5 m hcl and ethanol . no yellow colour ( indicating iron leakage ) was observed during the acid wash . 16 g of iron oxide ( 9 nm , 20 - 30 nm or & lt ; 5 μm ) are wetted by 3 - 6 ml oleic acid . 1 . 25 g ambn is dissolved in 62 . 4 g divinyl benzene . the iron oxide particles are added to the monomer / initiator mixture . 260 g water phase consisting of methocel 1 . 8 % and sds 0 . 35 % is prepared in a jacketed reactor mounted with an anchor stirrer and a continuous n 2 gas flow . the organic phase is added to the reactor and the stirrer speed is increased to 500 - 600 rpm . after 30 minutes the circulation flow in the reactor of 70 ° c . water is started and the polymerisation reaction is left to proceed over night . the product particles are washed by repeated centrifugation in water and ethanol . 1 . 25 g ambn is dissolved in 62 . 4 g divinyl benzene . 16 g iron oxide particles and 0 . 16 g n - octadecyl phosphonic acid or 0 . 8 ml dimethyl dichlorosilane 2 % are added to the monomer / initiator mixture . 260 g water phase consisting of methocel 1 . 8 % and sds 0 . 35 % is prepared in a jacketed reactor mounted with an anchor stirrer and a continuous n 2 gas flow . the organic phase is added to the reactor and the stirrer speed increased to 500 - 600 rpm . after 30 minutes a circulation flow of 70 ° c . water in the reactor was started and the polymerisation reaction was left to proceed over night . the product particles are washed by repeated centrifugation in water and ethanol . 16 g of iron oxide ( 9 nm , 20 - 30 nm or & lt ; 5 μm ) is wetted by 3 - 6 ml oleic acid . 1 . 25 g ambn is dissolved in 1 . 68 - 2 . 50 g divinyl benzene and 25 . 2 - 37 . 90 g styrene . the treated iron oxide particles are added to the monomer / initiator mixture . 260 g water phase consisting of methocel 1 . 8 %, sds 0 . 35 % and ki 0 . 65 % is prepared in a jacketed reactor mounted with an anchor stirrer and a continuous n 2 gas flow . the organic phase is added to the reactor and the stirrer speed increased to 500 - 600 rpm . after 30 minutes the circulation flow of 70 ° c . water in the reactor is started and the polymerisation reaction was left to proceed . after 3 h of polymerisation 0 - 0 . 83 g divinyl benzene and 0 - 12 . 4 g styrene was added to the reactor . the polymerisation reaction was allowed to proceed over night . the product particles are washed by repeated centrifugation in water and ethanol . 43 . 5 g magnetic polymer particles , 40 ml diethylene glycol monovinylether and 0 . 85 g ambn is added to a 100 ml round - bottomed reactor . the slurry is purged with n 2 gas for at least 30 minutes before the reactor is immersed in an oil bath of 70 ° c . the reaction is allowed to proceed over night under a continuous flow of n 2 . the hydrophilized particles are washed by repeated centrifugation with 50 % ethanol in water . agarose ( 0 . 6 g ) and sedimented magnetic dvb beads ( 3 ml ) was added to water ( 7 ml ) and the agarose was dissolved by heating to 95 ° c . for 30 min . the suspension was cooled to 60 ° c . and was added to toluene ( 100 ml ) and prisorine 3700 ( 0 . 67 g ) in an emulsification vessel . the emulsification vessel was equipped with a 40 mm turbine stirrer . the speed of the stirrer was kept at 300 rpm and the temperature was kept at 60 ° c . after 5 minutes the speed of the stirrer was increased to 700 rpm during 15 minutes , maintaining the temperature at 60 ° c . thereafter the emulsion was cooled and the beads were allowed to gel . the beads were washed with water and ethanol and enriched using a magnet . approximately half of the agarose beads formed contained magnetic dvb beads . these agarose beads comprise at least one inner bead of magnetic dvb , preferably at least two , such as 3 - 5 inner beads . according to the invention , the method used for the preparation of magnetic poly ( divinyl benzene ) beads is suspension polymerisation . an important step in the preparation is that the magnetic entity , such as iron oxide powder , is pre - treated with an amphiphilic agent , such as oleic acid , which will render the material more hydrophobic so as to be dispersable in the divinyl benzene phase during synthesis . this synthesis method uses emulsification of a oil - in - water suspension . this method results in a highly magnetically active material where the magnetite ( fe 3 o 4 ) particles , are encapsulated within the bead ( fig1 ). this means that the risk of leakage at acid ph is minimised , since the poly ( divinyl benzene ) is chemically inert at all ph commonly used in chromatography ( ph 1 - 14 ). this material is suited as the basis for further coating with a hydrophilic polymer , e . g . agarose or a hydrophilic synthetic polymer , resulting in a magnetic material encapsulated in the chemically stable poly ( dvb )- material and with an external hydrophilic layer ( fig2 ). the outer agarose layer is also suited for further derivatisation with any desirable ligand that fulfils the needs for the intended application . such applications can be protein , nucleic acid , virus or cell separation / concentration or any diagnostic application . the magnetic beads of the invention may be used for column chromatography , chromatography in fluidised beds , batch - wise procedures , protein arrays on solid phase or in solution , high throughput analysis etc . the beads according to the invention are also suitable for cell cultivating purposes . the above examples illustrate specific aspects of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope thereof in any respect and should not be so construed . those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings of the present invention as set forth above , can effect numerous modifications thereto . these modifications are to be construed as being encompassed within the scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims . | 8 |
a cost - effective solar energy collection system for use with steam driven generator equipment for producing electric power is illustrated in fig1 as consisting of various temperature stages , each temperature stage comprising structure that is most efficient at that temperature range . the first temperature stage 12 of the system is preferably a solar pond . solar ponds are well known . an example of a superior solar pond can be found in copending patent application u . s . ser . no . 762 , 363 filed on jan . 25 , 1977 for solar pond by charles g . miller and james b . stephens . the function of the solar pond is to raise the temperature of cold ( 40 °- 70 ° f .) water to a temperature of 200 ° f . by any well known and convenient means , the 200 ° f . water is transmitted over interconnect 14 to a line - focus secondary reflector tracking system 16 , of the type more fully described herein . the line - focus secondary reflector tracking system 16 would raise the temperature of the received 200 ° f . water to approximately 600 ° f . this 600 ° f . steam is then supplied , by way of interface 18 to a spot - forming focus secondary reflector tracking system 20 , of the type more fully described hereinafter . the spot - forming focus tracking system 20 of the type described herein would raise the temperature of the 600 ° f . received water to approximately 800 ° f . the 800 ° f . fluid may be raised to even higher temperatures by a three - dimensional tracking parabolic dish system 24 , such as is well known in the art . the parabolic dish system 24 receives the 800 ° f . fluid over interface 22 and raises its temperature to approximately 1300 ° f . this 1300 ° f . superheated fluid may then be supplied by way of interface 26 to generator equipment for use in the generation of electricity . one embodiment of a tracking solar energy collection system according to the present invention is illustrated in fig2 . the ground - based reflector 11 can be made up of a plurality of identical sections 13 , 15 , each section having its own fluid - carrying vessel 87 , 89 , respectively , for collecting the solar energy reflected from the respective modular surfaces 13 , 15 . the width of each modular section is preferably within the capability of present day concrete road laying machinery . the sawtooth segments 25 , 23 , 17 , 21 , 22 , 27 , and 29 will make up one module 13 that can be laid by a process that utilizes standard highway construction or airstrip construction methods . one example of how the primary reflector modules may be formed follows . a sifter mechanism mounted on wheels having a width equal to or slightly greater than the width of a primary reflector module is utilized . this sifter mechanism may have the following structure . a sifter body is divided into multiple segments , each segment utilizing a rotary screen type mechanism for accepting a different particle size . conveniently , four segments of the following particle grades may be used : rocks , coarse , medium and fine . the aggregate containing all these grades of particles is supplied to the sifter by a conveyer mechanism , the aggregate being inserted at the &# 34 ; fine &# 34 ; end of the sifter . the entire sifter mechanism moves in a direction whereby its coarse segment is always in the front . consequently the rocks or very large particles are laid down first , then the coarse particles , then the medium particles , and then the fine particles . this aggregate material may be the in - situ soil . or , if the in - situ soil is unsuitable , suitable material may be brought in . as the aggregate is being delivered to the sifter a binder material such as cement is mixed in with it . consequently all the various graded particles will be associated with the binder . as each graded particulate is ejected from the sifter , it is sprayed with water . the moistened particulate of each graded layer is partially shaped to the desired contour of the primary reflector by a screed attached to the moving sifting mechanism for each . a plurality of pipes 62 in fig2 having orifices therein , are preferably laid into the multi - layer substrate thus formed in the medium or fine layers . the multi - layered substrate having binder material throughout is finished to the desired sawtooth segmented cross - section by a roller mechanism that preferably has the following structure . a roller having the inverse curvature of the desired profile and being the width of a primary reflector module travels along the graded aggregate substrate in front of a sled having the same contour as the roller . the sled has mounted thereon acoustic vibrators that operate at high frequency to provide a very smooth surface to the sawtooth segmented primary reflector . the depth of the various segmented steps with varying radii of curvatures 25 , 23 , 17 , 21 , 22 , 27 , and 29 is determined mainly by the slump factor of the thus stabilized soil during its curing process . an aluminized mylar sheeting material , 0 . 00025 inches thick , or equivalent reflective material is laid over the slip - formed profile . the reflecting material is held down by a slight vacuum created at the surface of the reflector profile by drawing a vacuum on the pipes laid therein . since concrete is a porous substance , drawing a vacuum on the pipes within the concrete will create a low pressure region at the surface of the concrete . this will hold the reflective film material in place without the necessity of glue or some other such fastening means . holding the reflector covering in place by a vacuum also facilitates rapid replacement of torn or dirty reflector material . a vacuum level , which varies in intensity suitable to the prevailing wind velocity , is preferred . any suitable method of drawing a vacuum may be utilized . an inexpensive method of producing the vacuum is by steam ejection , using the steam supplied by the system . each segmented module of the reflector , such as module 13 has a flat section 31 which can provide access to the curved reflector segments for maintenance and inspection purposes , using a gantry - type vehicle . one type of support structure that may be used comprises a plurality of stanchions 51 , 53 , 55 equidistantly spaced along a line parallel to the longitudinal axis of each reflector module of the reflector 11 . the stanchions 51 , 53 , 55 , for example have a four - bar linkage 75 , 77 , 79 , respectively , attached thereto which supports the fluid - bearing pipe 87 . a hydraulic or electrical actuating device of well - known construction 63 , 65 , 67 is respectively located on the stanchions 51 , 53 , 55 for moving the four - bar linkages 75 , 77 , 79 in synchronism . this synchronous movement of the linkage causes the fluid - bearing pipe collector 87 to be transversely shifted in an area relative to the reflecting module 13 . the movement of the pipe collector can be controlled either by a programmed source correlated to stored data relating to the apparent sun movement in the area , or alternatively be sun sensing and following systems similar to that used for attitude control on spacecraft . every other module of the reflector 11 is similarly constructed . each module , such as module 15 , for example , has a flat walkway portion 33 in which the plurality of stanchions 57 , 59 and 61 are placed . these stanchions support respective four - bar linkages 81 , 83 and 85 . each bar linkage supports a portion of the fluid - carrying pipe 89 which is moved transversely in an arc by actuation of motive means 69 , 71 and 73 respectively connected to the bar linkage devices . the cylindrical segments 40 , 41 , 35 , 37 , 36 , 43 , and 45 of the reflector module 15 may have the same radius of curvature as the segments 25 , 23 , 17 , 21 , 22 , 27 and 29 , respectively of module 13 . these optimum width modules of the reflector surface 11 may be laid side by side , in the manner illustrated in fig2 for any desired distance . the length of each reflective module , along the longitudinal axis , may also be any length desired . it is envisioned that a reflector surface a mile square could be utilized in a staged solar energy collection system used to generate sufficient heat for a 100 megawatt power plant . the height of the stanchions for each reflector module depend upon the radius of curvature of the troughs , as will be more fully explained hereinafter . the radius of curvature of the troughs depend upon the width of each module . the depth depends on the slump factor limitations of the stabilized soil or concrete used to form the primary reflector profile . this will also be more fully explained hereinafter . an alternate and preferred support structure for high temperature reflector sections according to the instant invention comprises the use of a single rigid assembly for the absorber pipes , and utilizing inlet and outlet manifolds , thereby eliminating the requirement of high pressure and rotary slip - joints , as will be seen hereinafter . a variation of the stanchions of the type shown in fig2 is shown in fig3 . a plurality of upright support members 28 , 30 are provided for each primary reflector module . each upright support member supports at least a pair of transverse support members 34 , 36 , 40 , 42 , and 44 . transverse support members 34 , 38 , and 42 are located at a first level . transverse support members 36 , 40 , and 44 are located at a second higher level . four - bar linkages 46 are suspended from the transverse support members at appropriate locations . each four - bar linkage is moved by actuating devices 32 as described hereinabove . each four - bar linkage fastens to and supports a secondary reflector mechanism 48 that swings in an arc and pivots about its central axis as the four - bar linkages are moved . exactly how this is accomplished will be more fully explained hereinafter . each secondary reflector mechanism 48 supports an absorber pipe 50 that carries a heat - absorbing fluid . the exact structure of the absorber pipe will be more fully explained hereinafter . each absorber pipe 50 in each secondary reflector 48 is connected to the other pipes 50 by an inlet manifold 54 and an outlet manifold 56 , for supplying a cool heat - absorbing fluid and removing the hot heat - absorbing fluid , respectively . the absorber pipes are connected to the manifolds by high - pressure joints 52 , thereby forming a rigid network that moves in unison as the four - bar linkages are caused to move . it is well known in the art , that a parabolic reflecting trough focuses received parallel light rays , ( that arrive in a direction such that a plane perpendicular to the directrix sheet contains the light rays in question ,) into a line focus along a line parallel to the vertex line and passing through the axis . if the received light rays , arriving parallel at a parabolic trough , arrive in such a direction that they make an angle with the above - mentioned plane perpendicular to the directrix sheet , the line focus suffers from coma and the focus becomes diffuse . it is for this reason that parablic trough reflectors must be guided so that they always face the incoming sunlight squarely . it is possible to achieve many of the results of the tracking parabolic trough , with a non - tracking reflecting trough if the cross - section is made to be circular . cylindrical reflecting surfaces of circular cross section approximate the parallel line focusing action of an optimally - positioned parabolic cylinder , if only small segments of the circular cylinder surfaces are utilized . incoming parallel light is brought to a substantial line focus for most angles of approach of the sunlight to the circular trough , albeit the location of the line focus varies with the angle of approach of the sunlight . fig4 illustrates a circular trough 92 receiving a plurality of differently angled parallel light beams . if only a small segment of the circular trough 92 is considered , such as segment 94 , for example , parallel light rays 97a , 95a , 93a impinging upon the segment are reflected at the surface of the radius of curvature with an angle of incidence that equals the angle of reflection . as a consequence , rays 93a , 95a and 97a are reflected as rays 93b , 95b and 97b . these rays intersect at a point 105 lying on the focal surface 109 . rays 99a , 101a and 103a of the cylindrical segment 94 are reflected as rays 101b 103b and 99b that intersect at a point 107 on the focal surface 109 . other skewed light rays , such as rays 116a for example would impinge upon the cylindrical surface 92 and be reflected in a direction 116b , and so on . the focal point 105 for parallel lines 95a , 97a , and 93a , and the focal point 107 for parallel lines 101a , 103a and 99a turn into focal lines that run parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical trough when sheets of light rays parallel to 99a , 101a and 103a but extending into and out of the paper are considered . the focal surface 109 therefore becomes a cylindrical focal trough . because a shallow reflecting surface is desired from the standpoint of economy in construction and maintenance , the maximum height 111 to which any reflecting surface may peak should not exceed approximately 12 inches . this problem can be overcome by segmenting the cylindrical surface 92 into a sawtooth - like reflecting surface . thus , for example , segment 119 is the segment 117 of the cylindrical surface 92 brought down to lie on a common plane with segment 94 . likewise , segment 115 is segment 113 of the cylindrical surface 92 brought down to lie on the same common plane . these segments all have a common height 111 . this segmented reflecting surface , however , will not function to focus parallel lines into a line focus on the surface of focal trough 109 . although the radius of curvature of the various segments are the same as the radius of curvature of the cylindrical trough 92 , the distance from the center of curvature of the cylindrical trough 92 varies for each segment . as a consequence , ray 116a , for example , will be reflected from surface segment 115 along reflected light beam 118b . light beam 116a travels an extra distance 118a before it strikes a reflecting surface 115 . the focal point for all parallel light rays striking reflective surface 115 will lie at point 122 which is on a different focal surface of curvature 120 than the focal surface 109 of cylindrical surface 92 . each segmented radius of curvature such as 119 for example may well have a different focal surface . in order to provide a segmented one - dimensional linear reflecting element that is within the range of 4 to 12 inches in height , the radius of curvature of the various segments must be chosen so that no matter which segment of the equivalent flattened reflective surface 119 , 94 and 115 , for example , is impinged upon by parallel light rays , these light rays will intersect in the surface of a common focal surface . fig5 illustrates how the radii of curvatures for the various segments of the reflector 123 are determined . the largest segment 125 of the reflecting profile 123 is chosen to have a radius of curvature ( r a ) 127 that , for example , is 10 to 20 feet , this distance being a practical distance for the height of the stanchions . conceivably , higher stanchions may be utilized . however , the cost of stanchions higher than 20 feet goes up considerably . having determined the radius of curvature for the main segment from the cylindrical center of curvature 145 to be approximately 20 feet , the focal surface 131 is located 10 feet , from the surface of segment 125 . this focal surface distance is equal to half the radius of curvature ( 1 / 2 ) r a . the radii of curvature of the other segments such as 133 and 139 , for example , must then be chosen so that the distance from each surface to the chosen focal surface 131 is equal to half of its radius of curvature . segments 133 , as shown in fig5 can be seen as having a radius of curvature 135 , termed r b extending from a center of curvature 147 . the location of point 147 is chosen so that the distance from surface 133 to point 147 is twice the distance from surface 133 to the selected focal surface 131 . for this reason , the focal surface of segments 133 will be located on a cylinder with its center at point 147 and having a radius ( 1 / 2 ) r b . from the geometry , the focal surface of segments 133 will be almost exactly coincident with focal surface 131 , the focal surface for segment 125 . therefore , an absorber pipe travelling along focal surface 131 and receiving reflected energy from segment 125 , will , at the same location , receive energy reflected from segments 133 . in a similar fashion , segments 139 are given a radius of curvature r c , extending from a point 149 . the location of point 149 is chosen so that the distance from segment surface 139 to point 149 is twice the distance from segment surface 139 to the earlier - selected focal surface 131 . therefore , the focal surface of segments 139 will be located on a cylinder having its center at point 149 and a radius of ( 1 / 2 ) r c . thus , the focal surface of segments 139 will be almost exactly coincident with focal surface 131 , the focal surface of segments 126 . by choosing the radii of curvature of the various segments in the trough reflecting surface 123 in this manner , a reflecting surface that effectively functions like the deep trough 117 of fig4 but is actually shaped as shown at 123 in fig5 is obtained . the reflector - concentrator cross - sectional profile 123 illustrated in fig5 can be slip - formed according to the process above described . rather than slip - forming the reflector surface to have straight edges 128 , sloping edges 130 at an obtuse angle are formed . the reason for interleaving the segments in this manner is that the area 132 within each valley between the imaginary straight edge 128 and the real sloped edge 130 is not effective as a reflecting surface because of shading by the upper corner of edge 128 . as will be more fully explained hereinafter , by choosing the slope of edges 130 carefully , light rays striking those edges can be reflected to the line focus of an adjacent collector . the orientation of the longitudinal axis of the segmented trough reflector surface will determine the extent of movement required by the collector pipe along the focal surface , in order to track the movement of the sun diurnally and seasonally . an east - west longitudinal axis orientation is the preferred orientation for the reason that a minimum of collector movement will be required . fig6 illustrates the various positions that the collector must take during various times of the day and throughout the year , in order to be at the focal line of the solar energy reflected from the surface 151 , at all times . the various segments of the reflector 151 have radii of curvature that will cause a substantial part of the parallel light impinging on most parts of the reflector surface to be reflected to a common point on arc 155 . the longitudinal axis of the reflecting surface 151 is assumed to be oriented in the east - west direction so that the troughs of the reflecting surface are parallel with the east - west direction . broken line 153 represents the local vertical axis , shown here for purposes of reference . for an example relating to a location at latitude 34 ° n , a light ray 157a , at an angle of 11 ° to the local vertical , depicts the angle of incidence of solar energy impinging upon the refelector surface 151 at about 12 noon on june 21 , i . e ., the summer solstice . this light is reflected by surface 151 as a light beam 157b , and intersects the focal arc 155 at point 165 . as the afternoon wears on , the angle with the local vertical increases , causing the reflected light beam 157b to move toward point 161 on the focal arc 155 . at approximately 3 : 00 p . m ., the reflected light rays 157b are intersecting the focal arc 155 at point 161 . at 9 : 00 a . m . that same day , the light rays 157a impinging on surface 151 were reflected to cross the focal arc 155 at the same point 161 . thus , in the morning , these reflected rays will move from point 161 on the focal arc 155 towards point 165 , and back toward point 161 in the afternoon . the light ray 159a depicts the solar energy from a noon time sun on december 21 . this energy is reflected by surface 151 as light rays 159b to intersect the focal arc 155 at point 179 . at about 3 : 00 p . m ., the reflected rays 159b are intersecting the focal arc 155 at point 183 . at 9 : 00 a . m . of that same day , the rising sun causes the reflected beam 159b to intersect the focal arc 155 at point 183 . thus , the sun &# 39 ; s movement causes the reflected rays to start at point 183 , gradually move to point 179 , at noon , reverse itself and go back to point 183 . segment 193 of the focal arc 155 depicts the swing of the reflected sun &# 39 ; s rays during the month of january . at about 9 : 00 a . m ., the reflected light rays cross the focal arc at point 181 . during the morning , they move toward point 177 where they cross at noon time . in the afternoon they move back toward 181 where they cross at 3 : 00p . m . segment 191 of focal arc 155 depicts the movement of the reflected sun &# 39 ; s rays during the month of february . intersection 173 is the noon time intersection and intersection 195 being the ± 3 hours from noon intersection point . intersection point 172 of focal arc 155 represents the intersection of the reflected light rays during the month of march . there is minimal movement of the reflected light rays at the equinox date because the sun rises directly in the east and sets directly in the west on this date . the segment 189 of the focal radius 155 represents the movement required during the month of april , intersection point 171 being the noon time intersection point . intersection point 169 is the ± 3 hours from noon intersection point . segment 187 of focal arc 155 is the movement required during the month of may , intersection point 167 being the noon time intersection point . intersection point 163 is the ± 3 hours from noon intersection point . as already noted , segment 185 of the focal arc 155 is the movement required for the month of june , intersection 165 being the noon intersection point and intersection point 161 being the ± 3 hours from noon intersection point . for the month of july , the reflected sun &# 39 ; s rays again move along segment 187 of focal arc 155 as they did in may . in august the reflected sun &# 39 ; s rays move along segment 189 of focal arc 155 as they did in april . in september the sun again rises directly in the east and sets directly west as it did in march . in october the reflected sun &# 39 ; s rays again traverse segment 191 of focal arc 155 as it did in february . in november the reflected sun &# 39 ; s rays again traverse segment 193 of focal arc 155 as it did in january . in order to track the sun &# 39 ; s movements diurnally and seasonally , the collector must traverse the focal arc 155 as the sun moves in the sky . as can be seen from fig5 however , the movement of the collector during each day is quite small . thus , for example , during december the collector need only move within segment 185 . at the equinox dates of march and september , however , the collector pipe is substantially stationary at point 172 . by not requiring large transversal movements on a daily basis , the drive mechanism for moving the collector pipe along the focal arc 155 is considerably simplified . fig7 illustrates one embodiment for suspending the high pressure steel , heat - absorbing , fluid - bearing collector pipes that are moved to always be at the focal line of the reflected sun &# 39 ; s rays . the pipes 201 , 217 preferably carry water or other fluid that is heated by the reflected solar energy from the reflecting surface 199 . as was explained earlier , the fluid - bearng pipes 201 and 217 must move along the focal arcs 215 , 233 , respectively , in order to track the sun &# 39 ; s movements . there exists for every set of distance and size relationships between the modules that make up the solar collector , an obtuse angle for the edges 130 of the segments of the primary reflector 199 that is most effective in reflecting the incident light rays to an adjacent collector . for example , an incident light ray 206a hitting segment surface 132 is reflected as ray 206b to collector 201 . because of the obtuse angle of slope of edge 130 , the entire surface 132 of that segment is an effective reflector . light rays , such as ray 208a incident on edge surface 130 are reflected as rays 208b to the collector 217 for the adjacent module . likewise collector 201 will receive some light rays reflected from the edge surface 130 of its adjacent module . one parallel line of stanchions would be required for each transversely movable collector pipe . the heat - absorbing pipe 201 is connected to a vertical intake pipe member 205 and a vertical outlet pipe member 203 . water ( preferably treated or distilled in liquid , vapor or steam form ) is supplied to vertical pipe member 205 from pipe 209 through a high - pressure slip joint 213 . steam from the vertical pipe member 203 is supplied to pipe 207 through a high - pressure slip joint 211 . the assembly consisting of pipes 205 , 201 , and 203 can be seen to make up a trapeze that pivots at slip joints 213 and 211 to swing in the focal arc 215 . in order for the pipe 201 to swing along this focal arc 215 the distance from the slip joints to the pipe must be equal to half the focal radius of the basic segment in the reflector surface 199 . as was illustrated in fig2 another parallel line of stanchions may support another fluid - bearing pipe memer 217 suspended to swing along the focal arc 233 . the vertical inlet pipe 219 , the vertical 221 and the heat - absorbing pipe 217 again form a trapeze that swings about the slip joints 229 and 231 that connect the inlet pipe 225 and the outlet pipe 227 to the trapeze assembly . the length of the heat - absorbing pipe assembly is determined by the length of each modular section of the primary reflecting surface . the number of heat - absorbing pipes utilized is determined by the number of modules forming the entire primary reflecting surface . the structure for supporting the heat - absorbing pipe assembly of fig7 and transversely moving it along the focal arc is illustrated in fig8 . a stanchion having an upright member 239 and a slanting member 241 supports a bar linkage arrangement consisting of linkage 247 , 249 and 251 . these linkages are connected together by pivot joints 263 , 261 and are connected to the stanchion member 241 by pivot joints 257 , 255 . the heat - absorbing pipe 253 is fastened to the bar linkage 251 . a secondary reflector 265 may be placed over the pipe . a hydraulic or electric , or other suitable motive means 243 having a transversely movable arm 245 is pivotally connected at a point 259 on bar linkage member 249 . the transverse movement of the arm 245 , as directed by motive means 243 , causes the entire linkage assembly to shift the heat - absorbing pipe 253 along the focal arc of the primary reflecting surface 237 . fig9 more clearly illustrates the movement of the bar linkage mechanism to cause the collector to swing along the focal arc 275 . during the winter months the bar linkage of the trapeze assembly is located in the general area of bar link 269 of focal arc 275 . the oscillatory motion of the bar linkage will be within the one segment , as described in connection with fig4 . during the equinox months , or march and september , the trapeze assembly , consisting of bar links 249 , 247 , and 251 are located as shown in solid lines . very little oscillatory motion is necessary during these months . the secondary reflector 267 is angled to receive the reflected solar energy 273 from the primary reflecting surface 237 . during the summer months the bar linkage member of the linkage assembly is located in the general area of link 271 on the radial arc 275 . the bar linkage will oscillate along the radial arc 275 within the segments described in connection with fig4 . it can be seen that although the swings required of the bar linkage from the winter to summer months is great , the daily swing of this linkage is minimal . thereby , tracking the daily movement of the sun &# 39 ; s image requires minimal movement of the trapeze mechanism . as can be seen this trapeze tracking mechanism is relatively small and therefore allows low cost , low maintenance and minimal windage problems . the reflecting surface of the present invention is not optically perfect . even if it were , the environmental condition in which it must operate would detract from its optical reflective characteristics in time . this situation will cause the reflected solar energy to scatter somewhat rather than being reflected as a clear , sharp energy beam . in order to gather in as much of this scattered , reflected energy as possible , a two - dimensional secondary reflector 277 such as illustrated in fig1 a is placed around the heat - absorbing collector pipe 275 . the secondary reflector 277 is shown as being substantially a u - shaped member having straight or angled legs . the closed end of the u - shaped member of the secondary reflector 277 is form - fitted around the heat - absorbing pipe 275 . any solar energy rays falling within the open mouth of the secondary reflector 277 will be substantially directed towards the pipe 275 . the preferred material out of which the secondary reflector 277 is made is aluminium , or any equivalent thereof . fig1 b is a cross - sectional view of an alternate embodiment for the secondary reflector in which the angled legs 282 and 284 of the reflector are curved , rather than being straight . the distance between the angled legs 284 and 282 at the open end 285 of the reflector is preferably twice the diameter of the heat - absorbing pipe at the closed end 283 of the reflector . it is conceived that a collector pipe diameter of four inches would be utilized . therefore , the distance between the curved leg members 284 and 282 would be eight inches . in order to retard reradiation and convection heat loss , as a first step for use on the low temperature section , the outside and back of the secondary reflector and the heat - absorbing pipe may be covered with an insulating material , as shown in fig1 c . the heat - absorbing pipe 275 carrying the secondary reflector 281 is shown to be completely covered with insulating material 279 that may be magnesia or some such other high temperature insulation . the open end and inside of the field collector are left exposed , to receive the reflected solar energy rays . the system described so far has a relatively high concentration ratio since it is a tracking trough system and can deliver high heat fluxes to the absorber pipe . as the temperature of the fluid in the pipe rises , it progresses from the inlet end toward the outlet end , the protection afforded by the insulating material around the secondary reflector shown in fig1 c becomes inadequate . this is so , because radiant heat loss and convective heat loss through the unprotected open end of the secondary reflector becomes unacceptably large for high temperature operation . when dealing with higher temperature sections of the absorber pipe , that is those sections of pipe further from the inlet end and closer to the outlet end , a modification of the secondary reflector becomes economically justified , and is shown in fig1 . the secondary reflector of fig1 is compared with the secondary reflector of fig1 which shows the features from which the secondary reflector of fig1 evolved . fig1 , shows a more detailed version of a sophisticated curved - side secondary reflector than that shown in fig1 b and 10c . this secondary reflector functions to focus light entering its mouth 284 having a size d b within its acceptance angle 280 onto the d a length 282 of the collector . this two - dimensional reflector is made up of two parabolically curved sides 288 and 290 , chosen so their respective focal points 294 and 292 fall on the corner of the opposite parabolic side . the relationship of the distance d b across the mouth 284 to the distance d a at the collector 282 is thus , if the distance d a is chosen to be approximately four inches , the diameter of the collector pipe , the distance d b across the mouth would be approximately 5 . 6 inches . the relationship between the two distances d b and d a and the l length 286 of the two - dimensional reflector is : for d b = 5 . 6 inches and d a = 4 inches , l is approximately 4 . 8 inches . the secondary reflector of fig1 and 11 accept solar energy through their whole acceptance angle , and also allow the absorber pipe to emit energy in the form of infrared rays through the same acceptance angle . in order to decrease the radiation of heat from the absorber pipe body a two - dimensional secondary reflector of the type illustrated in fig1 may be used . this constitutes an improvement . this additional complexity is justified for those sections of the absorber pipe where the fluid therein is at a relatively high temperature so that an appreciable amount of infrared energy will be radiated away if the simple secondary reflector of fig1 were used . the secondary reflector of fig1 functions to prevent a significant fraction of the re - emitted infrared radiation from escaping the reflector . the trapped infrared radiation is returned to the absorber pipe by the shelves 304 . the overall curvature of the two sides 296 and 298 of the secondary reflector of fig1 follow the parabolic curvatures 290 , 288 of the secondary reflector shown in fig1 . the focal point of parabolic curvature 296 is point 300 . the focal point of parabolic curvature 298 is point 302 . the shelf - type indentations 304 in the sides 296 , 298 of the two - dimensional reflector act to reduce the radiation of heat from the collector . the shelves 304 act as retroreflectors by being covered with retroreflective material such as glass beads or being indented by cube - corner embossing . any radiation coming from the absorber pipe will have a random directionality with a lambertian distribution . the rays that strike the shelves will be reflected back to the absorber . this reduces the heat loss of the absorber , thereby increasing the overall efficiency . a tracking solar energy collection system as described above , using line - focusing secondary reflectors of the type shown in fig1 is relatively efficient within a temperature range of 200 ° f . to 400 ° f . a tracking system of this type could therefore be used as the line - focus tracking stage 16 in the staged system of fig1 . in order to obtain higher energy concentration ratios for higher temperature results , a refocusing secondary reflector , according to the present invention , must be utilized . a preferred embodiment of a refocusing secondary reflector is illustrated in fig1 as consisting of a plurality of compound curvature reflecting segments 297 . each segment has a parabolic curvature along the direction parallel to the heat - absorbing collector pipe 289 and a circular curvature along a direction perpendicular to the collector pipe 289 . an insulating material 291 , is placed around the pipe 289 . this insulating material may be magnesia or some other suitable high - temperature insulating material . a plurality of recesses 293 having sloping sides that leave a small area 295 of the pipe exposed are formed in the insulating material and spaced to be directly underneath each compound curvature reflecting surface 297 . solar energy rays 299a reflected from the reflector surface 287 as rays 299b , strike the compound curvature reflecting surface 297 and are focused thereby into a spot on the heat - absorbing collector pipe 289 . the insulating material around the pipe prevents reradiation and convection losses , except at the relatively small exposed spots at the bottom of the recesses . the concentration of the rays 299b into a spot focus on the collector pipe generates a higher temperature than would be obtainable from a line - focus , and can produce temperatures in the range of 400 ° f . to 800 ° f . the use of the secondary refocusing collector , such as shown in fig1 , with the fixed ground - imbedded linear primary reflector of fig2 can be viewed as equivalent to a dish - concentrator , since the image from any given area of the ground - imbedded reflector has diminished in size both longitudinally and transversely in forming a spot . alternately , if the system is considered as a trough collector system , all the collected energy enters the absorber pipe , as in any linear - focus system . however , since the absorber pipe is covered with insulation , only a small fraction , for example 1 / 10 of the total surface area , is available for loss by reradiation . the system then can be considered as equivalent to a linear - focus trough collector system with an absorptivity / emissivity ( α / ε ) ratio of 10 , for example . since this high ratio of effective α / ε is achieved geometrically and not by surface coatings on the pipe , it can be expected to remain constant with time . appropriate thin film dichroic coating , nickel - oxides or chemical coatings such as calcium fluorides , for example , have a tendency to deteriorate with age . for this reason , it becomes difficult and costly to maintain a high absorptivity / emissivity ratio in conventional linear pipe collecting systems over a substantial period of time using such coatings . as a consequence of the consistently high α / ε ratio obtainable with the secondary refocusing reflector of this invention , this system will provide considerably higher temperatures than conventional trough systems can provide , over an extended time period . the temperatures obtainable will approach those obtainable from a tracking dish reflector . the compound curvature reflecting surfaces 297 , shown in fig1 , are preferably made out of a reflecting material such as aluminum which can easily be stamped out in large quantity at a very reasonable cost . any convenient means may be utilized to movably suspend the reflecting surfaces over the heat - absorbing pipe 289 . a motive means ( not shown ), such as a cam mechanism , is utilized to move the reflecting surface assembly 297 back and forth in the direction indicated by the arrow 301 . this movement of the reflecting assembly 297 is required to maintain the spot focus of each reflector within the area of its respective recess as the sun &# 39 ; s image changes position during the day . fig1 illustrates an alternate embodiment of a refocusing secondary reflector . the secondary reflectors 305 , 307 for this embodiment consist of bell - shaped members that are suspended from the heat - absorbing collector pipe 301 at their closed end . the collector pipe 301 actually runs through the interior of the bellshaped members 305 , 307 at their closed ends . the bell - shaped members have compound paraboloid curvatures therein that are chosen for the optimal refocusing of solar energy 309 entering their open mouth into a small spot area on the pipe running through their closed end . the depth of the field collectors 305 , 307 decrease reradiation and convection heat loss from the exposed pipe 301 . these bell - shaped field collectors 305 , 307 are spaced as densely as possible along the heat - absorbing pipe 301 to provide a series of high intensity spot focuses of solar energy on the pipe 301 . to prevent convection heat loss from the pipe itself , a high temperature insulating material 303 is wrapped around the pipe 301 . due to the generally inverted shape of the bell members , with the open mouth disposed downwardly , the hot spot on the pipe heats the air in the upper closed end of the bell member . as a result , hot air convection currents cannot circulate , thus avoiding another potential loss of heat energy from the pipe . the bell - shaped members thus , not only focus the incoming light rays into a spot but also diminish convection loss , and diminish reradiation loss , which effectively give a high α / ε ratio . it may be helpful at this point to remember that the reentrant secondary reflectors already described utilized the directionality character of absorbed light ( omnidirectional when reradiated ) to advantage by structural means . for example , the linear - focusing secondary reflector of fig1 utilized shelves that were retroreflectors to reflect reradiated energy back to the absorber pipe . the spot - image forming refocusing secondary reflector of fig1 , likewise can be structured to reduce the amount of reradiated energy leaving the structure . to enhance the reentrant capability of the three - dimensional secondary reflector of fig1 to prevent further radiation of heat , retroreflector shelves may be used therein . in order to enhance the effective α / ε ratio even further , an additional improvement in the system shown in fig1 may be used . this improvement is shown in fig1 and emphasized as items 313 and 317 . item 313 takes advantage of the difference in wavelength of incoming light and infrared radiated energy . this can be accomplished by placing a window of glass over the open mouth of a spot focus - forming secondary reflector such as shown in fig1 . the glass will be transparent to light coming in and opaque to the long - wave infrared energy rays radiated from the hot absorber pipe . this will decrease the outflow of energy from the hot absorber pipe , which is equivalent to an increase in the effective α / ε ratio . this is accomplished by geometrical means which is the result of a chosen structural configuration and so is not subject to degradation as are the presently used high α / ε surface coatings . the cover 313 , thus provides a greenhouse effect , freely passing incoming visible energy , but not allowing reradiated infrared radiation from the hot absorber pipe 315 to carry energy away . item 317 represents the use of a microscopic surface structure on the exposed spots of the absorber pipe 315 . this surface structure is analogous to anechoic chamber energy trapping structure that is used in radio - frequency anechoic chambers or acoustic anechoic chambers , but of a microscopic surface feature size , consonant with the minute wavelength here involved . fig1 is a cross - section of a focus - forming secondary reflector 311 that is closed at its mouth by a sheet of glass 313 or an equivalent functioning plastic , in selected cases coated with a dichroic surface . besides returning a large portion of the infrared energy radiated from the exposed spot 317 of the collector 315 , the cover 313 provides a closed environment . by purging this environment with a dry , clean gas such as nitrogen through a pipe 316 , a nondeteriorating environment for dichroic and anechoic surfaces is created . an anechoic surface of titanium , tantalum or tungsten crystal structures 321 are formed on the absorber pipe surface 317 within this protected environment , as shown in fig1 . the titanium crystals are formed by , for example , chemical vapor deposition techniques at a thickness of approximately one wavelength of light ( 0 . 001 mm ). the pyramidal shape of these crystals 321 on the collector surface 317 detailed in fig1 substantially reduces the reradiation of heat energy from the collector 317 . the lambertian distribution characteristic of the heat rays leaving the absorber surface 317 is absorbed by the walls of the exposed spicules to a large extent instead of being freely radiated away . an additional advantage is that the surface 321 of fig1 is an efficient absorber for visible light energy so that the factor α , the absorptivity of the surface , in the expression α / ε is high compared to conventional absorber pipe surfaces heretofor used in solar collection systems . an additional step may be taken , when preparing the absorber pipe for use in the higher temperature stages of the collection system . this consists of placing a dichroic layer 323 ( fig1 ) of , for example , calcium fluroide , approximately 0 . 001 mm in thickness on the absorber pipe 317 to prevent reflections from the absorber pipe surface . this is also effective in causing the heat to be trapped in the absorber pipe . it should be understood that any combination of the above described means to affect the α / ε ratio may be used , the particular combination chosen depending on cost effectiveness for a particular application , such as the different stages of the seriatim cooperating stages shown in fig1 using different combinations of the above described improvements to make the overall efficiency for the entire system the highest value . in order to provide a solar energy collection system that is capable of generating high temperature energy during periods when the sun &# 39 ; s rays are not strongly evident , such as at night or on overcast days , the solar energy collection system is supplemented with a chemical energy storage system . as will be more fully explained hereinafter , the chemical energy storage system may be utilized to not only supply needed energy when the sun &# 39 ; s energy is of insufficient strength , but may also be used to enhance the heating capacity of the solar energy system during periods when the sun &# 39 ; s energy is being collected . this type of 24 - hour system preferably will utilize the suspension , tracking mechanism and collecting mechanisms generally illustrated in fig3 . that is , the network of absorber pipes illustrated are rigidly interconnected and are suspended within their respective secondary reflectors that are in turn suspended by their respective four - bar linkages . the entire network of absorber pipes moves to follow the focal surface defined by the primary reflector , hereinabove described . the network 325 of absorber pipes is more clearly illustrated in fig1 . the network consists of a plurality of absorber pipe sections 50 . these absorber pipe sections are the ones that actually receive the solar energy reflected from the primary ground - based reflector of fig3 . each of the absorber pipes 50 is connected to an inlet manifold pipe 56 by way of rigid pipe joints 52 that are capable of withstanding high pressures and temperatures . the other ends of absorber pipes 50 are connected to an outlet manifold pipe 54 by like high pressure , high temperature rigid couplings 52 . the manifold pipes , both inlet 56 and outlet 54 are of course connected to a utilization device ( not shown ) by standard , well - known valving techniques , which include pressurizing and pressure - relief devices , matched to the system operating pressure . such systems being well within the purview of a person of skill in the art , they are not further disclosed herein . in operation , water would be supplied to the network 325 through the inlet manifold 56 , traverse the lengths of the absorber pipes 50 , picking up solar energy therefrom and leave the network by outlet manifold 54 . the entire network is preferably covered with high temperature insulation 327 . the cool inlet manifold pipe 56 is adapted to provide room for the absorber pipes 50 to expand and contract as a result of thermal variations therein . each absorber pipe 50 is suspended within a secondary reflector which may be a line - image refocusing type , as illustrated in fig1 and 20 , or a spot - image refocusing type , as illustrated in fig2 and 22 . the function and structure of line - imaging and spot - imaging secondary reflectors has been described hereinabove in connection with fig1 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 and 15 . fig1 and 20 illustrate an absorber pipe 50 suspended within a line - imaging secondary reflector 329 . the secondary reflector 329 directs off - angle light rays received from the primary reflector to the absorber pipe 50 thereby essentially forming a line focus on absorber pipe 50 . the secondary reflector has slightly curved legs and extends the length of the absorber pipe . the interior of the absorber pipe 37 would carry a heat - absorbing fluid such as water . the absorber pipe itself is preferably a high - pressure steel pipe . the secondary reflector 329 rotatably suspends the absorber pipe 50 by way of bearing surfaces 331 located around the pipe 50 . the bearing surface may be steel ball bearings nesting in respective bearing retainer rings ( like ordinary bearing retainers ) 337 in the secondary reflector pipe housing or in a high temperature ball bearing track or any other convenient retaining means capable of withstanding high temperatures . the secondary reflector may be fastened to the absorber pipe 50 by way of bolts through flanges 33 thereby retaining the bottom and top part together against the absorber pipe mechanism 50 by way of the bearing surfaces . a high - temperature insulation , such as steam pipe insulating material 335 , preferably surrounds the entire secondary reflector housing 329 except the light ray aperture thereof . the light ray aperture is preferably covered with a transparent window 333 , which may conveniently be glass or equivalent . this window as noted hereinabove not only provides a closed environment for the absorber pipe 50 , but , to some extent , prevents loss of infrared radiation from the absorber pipe 50 . the spot - image - forming refocusing secondary reflector 345 may similarly be associated with an absorber pipe 50 . as noted hereinabove , three - dimensional refocusing secondary reflectors are bell - shaped members that provide a plurality of spot focus points on the absorber pipe 50 rather than a continuous line focus as do two - dimensional reflectors described hereinabove . in order to provide for temperature boosting of a solar energy collection system and to provide for energy storage that may be utilized during periods of low solar activity , the above - described solar energy collection system may be supplemented with a chemically implemented temperature transformer system . such a temperature transformer system is described in a copending u . s . patent application , filed dec . 12 , 1974 , having title &# 34 ; low - to - high temperature energy conversion system &# 34 ;, by charles g . miller and having u . s . ser . no . 536 , 786 . briefly , the temperature transformer system , as described in the copending patent application , utilizes a complex chemical to transform a low temperature energy source into a high temperature one . this is accomplished by utilizing a reversible chemical reaction in which an endothermic reaction takes place at the low temperature level and an exothermic reaction takes place at a significantly higher temperature . as will be more fully explained hereinafter , the three - dimensional tracking stage of a solar collector system as described herein may be utilized to provide the low temperature energy required to produce the endothermic reaction that disassociates the complex chemical into its constituent parts . fig2 and 22 illustrate the preferred structure for housing the chemical reaction . the absorber pipe 50 containing a fluid such as water is in turn contained within a high pressure steel pipe 339 . the pipe 339 is rotatably suspended by bearing surfaces 331 within the spot - image - forming secondary reflector housing 345 . the entire reflector housing is covered by a high temperature insulating material 335 , except for the light ray opening thereof which is covered by a transparent window 333 for the purpose , as hereinabove explained , of forming a closed environment and retaining heat within the structure . the atmosphere 349 within the three - dimensional refocusing secondary reflectors 345 may be dry nitrogen . the hot end of the absorber pipe network , in other words , the outlet manifold 54 is covered with high temperature insulation 335 but is separated from the insulation on the absorber pipe 50 by a slip joint 347 . this slip joint prevents the rotary motion of the secondary collectors about the absorber pipe from effecting the non - rotating outlet manifold section 54 . the outlet manifold 54 which carries a heat - absorbing fluid is contained within another outlet manifold 346 . this outlet manifold is connected to the pipe 339 containing the complex chemical by a high pressure pipe joint 343 . the entire structure is contained within the three - dimensional secondary reflector structure 345 . the high temperature outlet manifold 346 is restrained by elements 341 placed between the secondary reflector housing 345 and the outlet manifold 347 . this way the hot end of the absorber pipe network is restrained causing the cooler end to exhibit the expansion and contraction that will occur as a result of temperature changes in the network . the fluid carrying absorber pipe 50 is supported within the larger high pressure pipe 339 that forms the reactant chamber for the endothermic and exothermic chemical reactions , more fully described in the above noted copending patent application , by means of a plurality of weirs 352 . assuming that the illustration of fig2 and 24 represent the endothermic reaction chamber , the constituent parts of the complex chemical such as a metal hydride would be found in the area between the external high pressure pipe 339 and the internal fluid carrying pipe 50 . a plurality of metal hydrides are available which are suitable for this application . however , it should be understood that the complex chemical utilized herein need not be limited to metal hydrides since there are other complex chemicals available such as ammonia which exhibit a reversible endothermic , exothermic reaction cycle . for purposes of convenience , however , the discussion will proceed under the assumption that metal hydrides are being utilized . a magnesium hydride ( mgh 2 ) is preferred because it disassociates at a pressure of approximately 200 psi and a temperature of 752 ° f . other metal hydrides that are also satisfactory can be found in a text titled &# 34 ; the solid - state chemistry of binary metal hydrides &# 34 ; by g . g . libowitz published by w . a . benjamin company , 1965 . assuming magnesium hydrides were being used in the illustration of fig2 and 24 and the reaction chamber therein was for the endothermic reaction in which the magnesium hydride is disassociated into its constituent elements of magnesium and hydrogen , the atmosphere 361 around the pipe 50 would be hydrogen . the top layer 357 at the bottom of the pipe 339 would be the as yet not disassociated magnesium hydride and the bottom layer at the bottom of the pipe 359 would be disassociated magnesium . the hydrogen gas 361 can be easily removed by conventional pumping techniques leaving the solids magnesium and magnesium hydride behind . in order to take advantage of the exothermic qualities of the process during periods of low solar activity whereby the exothermic reaction becomes the primary heat source , rather than the solar energy , the entire secondary reflector mechanism would be racked so that the transparent window of the secondary reflector is well insulated . as can be seen from fig2 , the secondary reflector mechanism 48 attached to the four - bar linkage 46 rotates about its axis which is perpendicular to the plane of the paper , as the bar linkage 46 tracks the sun &# 39 ; s movement , in a manner hereinabove described in connection with fig9 . in a period of low solar activity four - bar linkage 46 is moved so that the secondary reflector is located at position 48 &# 39 ;&# 39 ;&# 39 ;. in this position the transparent window of the secondary reflector 48 may be covered by an insulated mirrored surface 365 that can be conveniently slid into place from a storage position 365 &# 39 ;. it should be remembered that the position of the secondary reflector 48 &# 39 ;&# 39 ;&# 39 ; is assumed only when the solar activity is too low to provide thermal energy to the absorber pipe contained within the secondary reflector , thereby requiring an alternate heat source . an exemplary illustration of a staged seriatim solar energy collection system utilizing a closed loop endothermic , exothermic chemical reaction process for the purpose of supplying an alternate thermal source or boosting the thermal output of the solar collection system is illustrated in fig2 . water at local ambient temperature is supplied to the system over input line 365 to a solar pond 367 , of the type described in the copending u . s . patent application noted hereinabove . the output of the solar pond 367 in the form of water having increased thermal energy therein is supplied to a linear - image forming tracking solar energy collection stage 377 through a valve 371 and lines 373 . the two - dimensional tracking stage 377 may take the form described hereinabove . the output of this two - dimensional tracking stage in line 379 , containing even more thermal energy , is supplied by way of valves and piping to a first spot - image - forming tracking stage 381 of the type illustrated and described herein . the output of this three - dimensional tracking stage on line 383 is supplied to a second three - dimensional tracking stage 391 which may be of similar , if not identical , construction as to the first three - dimensional tracking stage 381 of the system . the output of this , the second three - dimensional tracking stage 391 on line 393 would normally have a temperature at approximatley 100 ° f . this may be supplied to utilizing equipment by way of the valve 437 and output line 445 . in order to provide the function of thermal boost or alternate thermal source , the first three - dimensional tracking stage 381 and second three - dimensional tracking stage 391 of the solar energy collection system is constructed according to the principles illustrated in fig3 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 and 25 . in addition a compressor 387 , a turbine 401 and a gas storage facility is utilized . the gas constituent of the disassociated complex chemical found in the reaction chamber of the first three - dimensional tracking system 381 and of the second three - dimensional tracking system 391 are removed therefrom at high pressure which is reduced by turbine 401 before being supplied to a gas storage facility 407 for later retrieval . the gas removed from the storage facility 407 is retrieved when additional thermal energy is required . at such time the gas is supplied to either the first three - dimensional tracking stage 381 or the second three - dimensional tracking stage 391 whereupon an exothermic reaction is created generating considerable thermal energy . assume now that the system of fig2 is operating in the thermal boost or superheating mode and that the initial condition of the chemical constituents 417 in the first three - dimensional tracking stage 381 is magnesium hydride ( mgh 2 ) and that the chemical constituent 421 in the second three - dimensional tracking stage is magnesium . heated water from the solar pond 367 would be supplied by way of line 369 , valve 371 and line 373 to the two - dimensional tracking stage 377 . this tracking stage would heat up the water to its peak efficiency temperature and then supply it over line 379 valve 431 , line 441 and valve 433 to the first three - dimensional tracking stage 381 . while this higher temperature water is being supplied to the first three - dimensional tracking stage 381 , thermal energy is being absorbed by the absorber pipe and chemical reaction chamber within this tracking stage at a temperature sufficient to cause disassociation of the magnesium and hydrogen , thereby creating a hydrogen atmosphere 415 and a magnesium hydride and magnesium particulate 417 within the reaction chamber . as the hydrogen is created by the endothermic reaction , resulting from the elevated temperature , a portion of the hydrogen is drawn off by way of line 397 and valve 399 to drive turbine 401 which may be used to supply power to compressor 387 . the hydrogen not drawn off from the reaction chamber and the first three - dimensional tracking stage 381 is supplied by way of line 385 to a compressor 387 that compresses the hydrogen considerably and supplies it over line 389 to the chemical reaction chamber of the second three - dimensional tracking stage 391 . during the time that this is occurring , the water flowing through the first three - dimensional tracking stage 381 is also heated by the solar energy being absorbed and is supplied by way of valve 435 and line 383 to the second three - dimensional tracking stage 391 . as it travels through the absorber pipes and the second three - dimensional tracking stage 391 , the compressed hydrogen being supplied to the reaction chamber around the absorber pipes causes the magnesium metal 421 and the compressed hydrogen atmosphere 419 in the reaction chamber to recombine in an exothermic reaction causing thermal energy to be released which in turn superheats the water flowing within the absorber pipes . this heat superheats the water leaving the second three - dimensional tracking stage 391 on line 393 through valve 437 to output line 445 . it should be observed that the chemical reaction chamber within the three - dimensional tracking stages 381 and 391 are limited in their capacity to hold the reactant materials . for the example of magnesium hydride , 2 . 8 pounds of magnesium hydride disassociated is equivalent to the storage of 1 kilowatt hour of thermal energy . upon the magnesium hydride 417 in the first tracking stage 381 being completely disassociated into its constituent part of magnesium and hydrogen , only magnesium will be left in the reaction chamber . the contents of the chemical reaction chamber in the second three - dimensional tracking stage 391 , as a result of the exothermic recombining reaction will be the complex chemical magnesium hydride . at this point , the valves of the system are actuated to cause water flowing in line 379 to be first directed to the second three - dimensional tracking stage 391 and then to the first three - dimensional tracking stage 381 . thus , for example , the output flow of stage 377 is routed over line 379 through valve 431 which routes the fluid over lines 439 to valve 437 , to line 393 and the second three - dimensional tracking tracking stage 391 . as a consequence of solar energy being absorbed by this second three - dimensional tracking stage the magnesium hydride therein creating an endothermic reaction that generates hydrogen and magnesium . the hydrogen is drawn off by way of line 425 and valve 423 , and supplied to turbine 401 . the gas output of the turbine 409 is supplied to the gas storage device 407 by way of line 403 and valve 405 . the hydrogen gas not removed by way of line 425 is supplied over line 389 to compressor 387 that in turn supplies such gas over line 385 at an elevated pressure to the chemical reaction chamber in the first three - dimensional tracking stage 381 . in turn , the water from the second three - dimensional tracking stage 391 is supplied over line 383 and valve 435 to the first three - dimensional tracking stage , where , besides absorbing the thermal energy from the solar heat , it absorbs thermal energy from the exothermic reaction occurring thereat . the resultant superheat steam leaves the first three - dimensional tracking stage 381 by way of valve 433 and output line 443 to a desired utilization device . it can thus be seen that the chemical reaction in which a complex chemical is disassociated and recombined in a closed loop endothermic / exothermic manner as more clearly explained in the copending patent application by charles g . miller , having u . s . ser . no . 536 , 786 , creates a considerable temperature boost to a solar energy collection system . the gas constituents stored in gas storage device 407 which may be of the type used for storing natural gas can be removed over lines 409 by way of valve 411 line 413 , valve 426 and lines 429 and 427 to enhance the thermal boost or superheat process . assume now for purposes of example that conditions of very low solar activity exist , as would occur during night time . in order to provide thermal energy during such periods , the system would be reconfigured so that the output of the solar pond 367 on line 369 would be routed by way of valve 371 to line 375 , the solar pond 367 constructed according to the description in the above noted copending application acts as a thermal storage device and the output of the water on lines 369 therefrom are fairly constant over a long period . the water in line 375 may be supplied either to the first three - dimensional tracking stage 381 or the second three - dimensional tracking stage 391 of the solar collector system by way of valve 435 depending on which stage was being utilized for exothermic recombination reaction . assuming that the first three - dimensional tracking stage 381 was being utilized because the chemical constituent 417 in the reaction chamber was magnesium , the hydrogen gas from the gas storage device 407 would be supplied over lines 429 to the second three - dimensional tracking stage 391 for the purpose of delivering it to compressor 387 over line 389 which would considerably increase the pressure at which the gas is delivered to the reaction chamber over line 385 of the first three - dimensional tracking stage 381 . as the water is being delivered to this section 381 , the exothermic reaction created as a result of the introduction of high pressure hydrogen into the reaction chamber would cause recombination of the magnesium and hydrogen to form magnesium hydride delivering substantial thermal energy to the fluid leaving the stage 381 on line 443 . a similar situation would exist for the second three - dimensional tracking stage 391 except that the gas from the storage facility 407 would be delivered by way of valve 426 over lines 427 to the first tracking stage 381 to be compressed by compressor 387 and thereafter supplied to the second tracking stage 391 over line 389 . it is conceived that the gas stored in storage facility 407 and the magnesium contained in one of the reaction chambers would be sufficient to generate high temperature energy for an extended period of time . in summary what has been described in a large - scale solar power system that is sufficiently efficient , cost effective to be competitively attractive compared to alternative large scale , prime power sources to be used for example to supply large scale utility power generating equipment in the same sense that coal or nuclear generated steam supplies utility power generating equipment . the solar power system is preferably made up of several stages , each stage operating within its optimum temperature range . as can be seen in fig1 the early stages may be of the higher efficiency , lower working temperature type . for several stages a fixed linear ground - based linear primary reflector is constructed by relatively inexpensive processes utilizing available road - building machinery . the basic tracking system is optimized for particular temperature ranges by use of various secondary reflectors that help to concentrate the light energy on the collector or heat absorber and also substantially reduce the reradiation of infrared energy from the collector . the solar energy collection system is also adapted to provide superheat steam over limited and extended periods of time by utilizing the exothermic reactive properties of such complex chemicals as metal hydrides . obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings . it is to be understood , therefore , that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described . | 5 |
reference will not be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiment of the invention , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings . in the following description , like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views . also , in the following description , it is to be understood that such terms as &# 34 ; forward &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; rearward &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; left &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; right &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; upwardly &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; downwardly &# 34 ;, and the like , are words of convenience and are not to be construed as limiting terms . referring now to the drawings , and particularly to fig1 there is shown a partially sectioned elevational view with parts broken away for clarity of a fuel assembly constructed in accordance with well known practices , generally indicated by the numeral 10 , which incorporates a preferred embodiment of the invention . the fuel assembly 10 basically comprises a lower end structure or bottom nozzle 12 for supporting the assembly on the lower core plate ( not shown ) in the core region of a reactor ( not shown ). a number of longitudinally extending control rod guide thimbles 14 project upwardly from the bottom nozzle 12 . a plurality of transversely extending fuel rods spacer grids 16 are axially spaced along the guide thimbles 14 . an organized array of elongated fuel rods 18 are transversely spaced and supported by the spacer grids 16 . an instrumentation tube 20 is located in the center of the assembly . an upper end structure top nozzle , generally designated by the numeral 22 , is attached to the upper ends of the guide thimbles 14 in a manner more fully described below to form an integral assembly capable of being conventionally handled without damaging the assembly components . the top nozzle 22 includes a transversely extending adapter plate 24 having upstanding sidewalls 26 secured to the peripheral edges thereof and defining an enclosure or housing . an annular flange 28 is secured to the top of the sidewalls 26 . suitably clamped to the annular flange 28 are holddown springs 30 ( only one of which is illustrated in fig1 for clarity ) which cooperate with the upper core plate ( not shown ) in a conventional manner to prevent hydraulic lifting of the fuel assembly caused by upward flow of coolant through the assembly while also allowing for changes in the fuel assembly length due to core - induced thermal expansion and the like . disposed within the opening defined by the annular flange 28 is a conventional rod cluster control assembly 32 having radially extending flukes 34 connected to the upper end of the control rods 36 for vertically moving the control rods in the control rod guide thimbles 14 in a well known manner . with the exception of the top spacer grid 38 , each of the spacer grids 16 may be of any suitable , conventional design for laterally spacing and supporting the fuel rods 18 . the fuel assembly 10 depicted in the drawings is of the type having a square array of fuel rods 18 with the control rod guide thimbles strategically arranged within the fuel rod array . further , the bottom nozzle 12 and likewise the top nozzle 22 are generally square in cross section . the specific fuel assembly represented in the drawings is for illustration only ; it is to be understood that neither the shape of the nozzles nor the number and configuration of the fuel rods and guide thimbles are to be limiting and that the invention is equally applicable to shapes , configurations , and arrangements other than the ones specifically illustrated . to form the fuel assembly 10 , the transverse spacer grids 16 are attached to the longitudinally extending guide thimbles 14 at predetermined axially spaced locations . the fuel rods 18 are inserted through the spacer grids 16 in order to form the fuel rod array . the lower nozzle 12 is suitably attached to the lower ends of the guide thimbles 14 and the top nozzle 22 is attached to the upper ends of the guide thimbles 14 in the manner described below in accordance with the improved attaching structure of the present invention . referring now to fig2 a and 3 , a first preferred embodiment of the improved attaching structure for removably mounting the top nozzle 22 on the upper end of the guide thimbles 14 and the top spacer grids 38 will be discussed . although each of the guide thimbles 14 compressively supports the top nozzle 22 , the description that follows is directed to the support arrangement for only one of the guide thimbles , the other guide thimbles supporting the top nozzle in the same manner . similarly , although each side of the top fuel rod spacer grid 38 has an skirt extension 40 for tensively supporting the top nozzle 22 , the description which follows is directed to the arrangement between the top nozzle 22 and only one of the spacer grid skirt extensions 40 . it should however be understood that each of the four available skirt extensions 40 are preferably used . the improved structure for removably supporting and attaching the top nozzle 22 includes thimble collars 44 which are welded or otherwise secured to the guide thimbles 14 and which are radially dimensioned to support the top nozzle 22 by bearing against the adapter plate 24 under compressive loading , and skirt extensions 40 formed in the top spacer grid 38 which removably attach , preferably without any loose attachment parts , to the sidewall 26 of the top nozzle 22 in order to support the fuel assembly under tensile loading . details of these elements and connections as well as another preferred embodiment of a quick disconnect top nozzle fuel assembly will now be described . according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention , compressive loads from the top nozzle 22 , such as loads imposed by the holddown springs 30 , are transmitted via the load collars 44 on the guide thimbles 14 , while tensive loads , such as lifting loads , are transferred through the top nozzle 22 onto upwardly extending skirt extensions 40 of the top spacer grid 38 . the top spacer grid assembly 38 may be fastened in any conventional manner , for example , by bulging techniques , to the guide thimbles 14 . thus , any tensive loads on the grid skirt extensions 40 are transferred through the spacer grids 38 to the guide thimbles 14 eliminating many of the costly , complex and loose components previously used to connect the guide thimbles to the top nozzle . as alluded to above , the guide thimbles 14 are clearance fitted into apertures 46 in the adapter plate 24 . the amount of radial clearance is preferably small , on the order of about two mils . preferably , at least the portion of the guide thimble 14 in the vicinity of the top nozzle 22 is formed of stainless steel and the load collar 44 is formed from a coaxial stainless steel sleeve brazed , welded , or otherwise attached on to the guide thimble in the vicinity of its top end . the load collar 44 is radially dimensioned to be larger than the aperture 46 , thereby any compressive load on the top nozzle 22 will be borne by the guide thimble 14 via the load collar 44 . however , the clearance fit between the guide thimble 14 and the apertures 46 permits the top nozzle to be removed from the guide thimbles in the manner described below and require no unlocking , unscrewing , or other detachment operations between the guide thimble 14 and the top nozzle 22 . the grid skirt extension 40 may be of any desired geometry for providing mechanical support to the fuel assembly while permitting adequate coolant flow through the fuel assembly . the skirt extention 40 extends along the sidewall 26 of the top nozzle 22 . it should be understood that the sheet metal skirt extensions 40 , while strong under tensive stresses , will buckle relatively easy under compressive loading and are therefore not primarily relied upon to provide compressive strength . each of the grid skirt extensions 40 includes means for securing the top spacer grid assembly 38 to the top nozzle 22 in a manner whereby it can support tensive loads . such means may include aperture 42 in the grid skirt extension which aligns with apertures 48 in the sidewalls 26 . each sidewall 26 has a spring steel tang 50 extending generally parallel to the sidewall 26 to form therebetween a space for the skirt extension 40 . a number of generally orthgonally locking pins 52 , corresponding to the number of aligned apertures 42 and 48 , are provided in the grid skirt extensions 40 . the tangs 50 may be welded , integrally formed with , or otherwise secured to the sidewall 26 or to the annular flange 28 . as best seen in fig2 a , the tang 50 preferably includes a notched end 54 which may be easily gripped by the end 56 of a pull - back tool 58 . as best seen in fig3 the end 56 of the pull back tool is complementary shaped with respect to the notched end 54 of the tang 50 . in use , the top nozzle 22 may be removed by pulling back the tang 50 , i . e . to the left as viewed in fig2 a , until the locking pin 52 clears the aperture 42 whereupon the top nozzle may be simply lifted off of the clearance fitted guide thimbles 14 . for reassembly , the tang 50 need only be pulled back with respect to the sidewall 26 enough to provide sufficient clearance between the sidewall and the locking pin 52 for passage of the grid skirt extension 40 . thereupon , the apertures 46 in the adapter plate 24 can be aligned with the guide thimbles 14 and the apertures 42 aligned with the apertures 48 and the locking pin 52 . upon release of the tang 50 , the locking pins 52 will lock the sidewall 26 to the grid skirt extensions 40 . turning now to fig4 a , and 5b , a second embodiment of the invention will be described . in the embodiment of fig4 the spacer grid skirt extensions 40 terminate in a tang 58 which is designed to engage the complementary slot 60 formed in the sidewall 26 of the top nozzle 22 . each tang 58 preferably has an upstanding flange portion 62 designed to be engaged by a combination lift and release tool 64 as described below . the sidewall 26 of the top nozzle is preferably provided with a hole 68 through which a skirt extention deflecting portion 66 of the lift release tool 64 is designed to protrude . the protruding portion 66 of the tool 64 may simply comprise a small cylindrical member sized to clearance fit through the hole 68 and protrude far enough to deflect the tang 58 out of engagement with the slot 60 . this is best seen in fig5 a . in this position , the top spacer grid 38 is unlatched from the top nozzle 22 . the tool 64 further comprises a tang capture portion 70 having a notched end 72 designed to capture a flange 62 on the tang 58 and hold the tang in a position deflected away from the sidewall 26 and out of mating engagement with the slot 60 so that when the protruding portion 66 of the tool 64 is withdrawn from contact with the tange 58 , i . e . moved to the right as viewed in fig5 b , the tang capture portion 70 of the tool 64 can be lowered to engage the the flange 62 allowing the top nozzle to be lifted . during lifting , the portion of the tool 64 which bears against the annular flange 28 may be used to support the top nozzle . thus , by modifying the top spacer grid assembly to support tensive loads on the fuel assembly and by providing load collars on the guide thimbles to support compressive loads , a fuel assembly according to the present invention can be quickly and simply constituted and reconstituted and individual fuel rods in a fuel assembly can be handled on a routine basis at the end of each fuel cycle merely by removing the top nozzle in the manner described above . in addition to the other advantage described above , the quick disconnect top nozzle permits the enrichment of fuel rods within each fuel assembly to be more precisely tailored to more closely approximate the optimum hydrogen to uranium ratio for a given burnup . further , the quick disconnect top nozzle permits rapid access to the fuel rods while eliminating the many costly , intricate , and loose attaching components of prior art attachment designs . the foregoing description of a preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed , and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings . other quick disconnect latching schemes between the top grid assembly and the top nozzle can be used and other compressive load supporting devices than simple load collars can be employed . the embodiments presented were choosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use comtemplated . it is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto . | 6 |
as hereinbefore stated , the use of alpha emitters provides substantial advantages in the treatment of cancer . it is also possible to treat inflamed joints particularly rheumatoid arthritis with radioisotopes . for the reasons that alpha emitters are useful in the treatment of cancer , they are also useful in the treatment of arthritic joints . radiation synovectomy has substantial advantages over the treatment by surgery , not the least which is that it can be repeated if the condition reoccurs . other therapies often result in the eventual replacement of the joint . as before stated , radiation synovectomy suffers from leakage of the radioactive material from the joint . the use of alpha emitters which have a very short range of effectiveness is somewhat helpful in alleviating this condition , particularly when combined with the carrier hereinafter described . colloids labeled with radionuclide have been used in the past for the treatment of cancer and also for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis . because the alpha emitters are effective over a relatively short cellular range , labelling thereof with colloids has not been popular . this is particularly true where the radionuclide normally would be distributed evenly throughout the colloid because the distance that the alpha particles travel from the center of the colloid to the outside of the colloid is such that very little effective radiation remains to be delivered to the affected situs . the use of colloids labeled with alpha emitting radionuclides are advantageously employed both for treating cancer cells and also for inflamed joints provided that there is some mechanism for plating the radionuclide essentially on the outer surface of the colloid and only on the outer surface . it has now been discovered that ferric hydroxide can be manipulated in such a way as to plate the radionuclide essentially on the outer surfaces of the colloid . radionuclides which are useful in the present invention include 211bi , 212bi , 213bi , 214bi , 212pb , 228th , 224ra , 211at , 254esm , 238np , 234np , 242am and various mixtures thereof . many of these materials are produced in reactors or cyclotrons , but it is well within the skill of the art to manufacture and isolate the above listed alpha emitters . for instance , the preparation of various bismuth isotopes as well as the lead - 212 is disclosed in the atcher et al . u . s . pat . no . 4 , 663 , 129 , issued may 5 , 1987 , the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference . methods of producing and separating astatine - 211 as well as certain bismuth radioisotopes has been reported in the literature , see for instance appl . radiat . isot . vol . 39 . no . 4 , pp . 283 - 286 , 1988 , reporting a paper on radiation oncology . see also , official journal of the american rheumatism association , arthritis and rheumatism , vol . 29 , no . 2 , february , 1986 in which the use of beta emitters for treatment of arthritic joints has been reported . the colloid of the present invention must be prepared in such a manner that rather than having the radioactive isotope uniformly distributed throughout the colloid as is the usual circumstance , the radionuclide is essentially only on the outer surfaces thereof . in order to make this particular colloid , a ferrous salt such as a sulfate is treated with a hydroxide such as ammonium hydroxide to provide ferrous hydroxide . after the addition of radioactive 212pb in the form of lead iodide , the ferrous hydroxide lead iodide mixture is mixed in air to oxidize the ferrous hydroxide to a ferric hydroxide colloid in which the lead isotope is attracted to and plates onto the outside surface of the colloid particles . the ferrous hydroxide may be formed either by starting with ferrous chloride or ferrous sulfate in an acid solution , such as a dilute hydrochloric acid . a suitable hydroxide such as ammonium hydroxide in reagent grade is used to convert the ferrous salt to the ferrous hydroxide . a vortex mixer is used to convert the ferrous hydroxide which does not attract the lead iodide in solution to ferric hydroxide which does attract the lead iodide in solution , the ferrous ion also converting the lead iodide to lead metal . in a specific example , ferrous chloride at a concentration of 5mg / ml in dilute hydrochloric acid is mixed with a 2 molar solution of hydriodic acid containing lead212 . reagent grade ammonium hydroxide , 14 . 5 molar , is added to the mixture to form a bluish green ferrous hydroxide precipitate in a solution with the ph greater than 7 . at this time the lead iodide remains in solution and is not attracted to the ferrous hydroxide particles . an air vortex mixer is used to agitate the ferrous hydroxide and lead iodide solution for approximately 30 seconds whereupon the bluish - green mixture disappears to be replaced by a dark yellow - brown mixture of ferric hydroxide which attracts the 212pb to the surface principally as a metallic lead although a portion of the lead is present as lead hydroxide . this method of forming a colloid results in a ferric hydroxide colloid having radioactive 212pb on the outer surface of the colloid either as lead metal or lead hydroxide and since the lead daughter , 212bi , is an alpha emitter , provides a colloid with the most effective positioning of the radioisotope . to study in - vivo the therapeutic effect of the intraperitoneal instillation of the radiocolloid , 212pb ferrous hydroxide , the ehrlich ascites carcinoma model was used . this carcinoma spontaneously arose in the ovary of the mouse . the carcinoma has been maintained by intraperitoneal inoculation and passage in swiss - webster mice . the virulence of the tumor was evaluated by inoculating groups of 10 mice ip with 10 0 to 10 7 cells . survival was then measured from the day of inoculation . the therapeutic effect of ip administration of 212pb ferrous hydroxide was evaluated by treating groups of 10 animals inoculated with 106 cells with single graded doses of 0 , 5 , 15 , and 50 uci &# 39 ; s and measuring survival . the effect of delaying therapy was determined by observing survival in groups of 10 animals with 10 6 cells treated with 50 uci &# 39 ; s of the radiocolloid 48 and 72 hours later . the cytotoxicity of 212pb was compared to x - rays . ehrlich carcinoma cells were grown in - vitro in 5cc of serum culture containing 72 . 5 % dulbecco &# 39 ; s modification of eagle &# 39 ; s media , 22 . 5 % ham &# 39 ; s nutrient mixture f - 12 , 5 % fetal bovine serum , 20 mg / ml epidermal growth factor , 5 ug / ml transferrin , 2 × 10 - 11 m 3 , 3 &# 39 ;. 5 triiodo - 1 - thyronine , 10 - 10 m cholera toxin , 1 . 8 × 10 - 4 m adenine , 0 . 4 ug / ml hydrocortisone , 50 units / ml mycostatin , 100 u / ml penicillin , and 100 ug / ml streptomycin . survival experiments were done on exponentially growing cells . cells were removed from flasks using trypsin suspended in serum containing media and seeded into 10 cm dishes at low density . between 500 and 40 , 000 cells were plated and allowed to enter exponential growth . to determine cellular survival after 212pb irradiation , the radionuclide complexed to dpta was diluted in complete culture medium . the activity of an aliquot was determined by counting the gamma rays in a spectrometer which was calibrated with a 228th source . cells were incubated at 37 ° c in media containing various radioactive concentrations of 212pb dpta . after the appropriate dose accumulated , the cells were washed and fed fresh media . control incubations were done in an identical fashion except the 212pb was replaced by 212pb which had decayed to determine chemical toxicity . for x - ray survival experiments cells were irradiated 18 hours after plating with a 250 kv maxitron operating at 26 ma ° at 0 . 8 gy / min . cultures were incubated for 18 to 24 days and then fixed and stained with crystal violet . colonies greater than 50 were scored as survivors . data points were analyzed by least square regression . the intrinsic radiosensitivity ( do ) was defined as the inverse of the slope of the exponential portion of the survival curve . the cell s ability to accumulate sublethal damage was measured by the extrapolation number , n , which is the back extrapolation of the slope of the ordinate . the ehrlich carcinoma cells were extremely virulent . the intraperitoneal injection of graded doses from 10 0 ( 1 cell ) to 10 7 cells caused ascites leading to the death of the animal within 57 to 58 days , respectively ( table 1 ) a tumor inoculum as small as 1 cell caused death in 80 % of the animals . treating animals 24 hours later inoculated with 10 6 tumor cells with graded doses of 212pb ferrous hydroxide prolonged survival . in the untreated inoculated animals the mean survival was 16 days . the mean survival after the injection of cold colloid along , 5 , 15 , or 50 uci &# 39 ; s of the radiocolloid was 15 , 49 , 63 , and 81 days , respectively ( table 2 ). the percentage of animals cured was related to the dose of the radionuclide administered . the cure rate was 0 , 10 , 23 and 40 %, respectively for the doses administered . delaying therapy to allow the tumor to progress decreasing survival . the mean survival in animals inoculated with 10 6 cells decreased to 45 and 34 days by delaying treatment 48 or 72 hours , respectively . in - vitro the ehrlich cells were more radiosensitive to alpha particles than x - rays ( table 3 ). the survival curve had a steeper slope after 212pb therapy . the radiosensitivity ( do ) was 220 cgy after x - ray and 65 cgy after 212pb irradiation . cells which were able to accumulate sublethal damage after x - rays were unable to do so after 212pb irradiation . there was a shoulder ( n = 1 . 7 )- an indication of the ability of the cells to accumulate sublethal damage - present on the x - ray survival curve . with 212pb treatment there was no shoulder ( n = 1 ) on the survival curve . the intraperitoneal administration of 212pb prolonged the median survival and produced cures in the ehrlich ascites tumor model . this tumor was extremely virulent with the injection of one cell capable of producing tumor and death in the animals . the survival was dose related with higher doses of 15 and 50 uci &# 39 ; s increasing survival threefold . the total eradication of tumor was seen in 24 % of the animals injected with these doses . the most compelling reason for the increased effectiveness of these particles if the direct ionization over a very short path length without the dependence upon cellular oxygenation for cytotoxicity . the use of these emitters may be most effective against microscopic disease . tumor burden present appears to be an important factor when considering the use of these emitters . by delaying the intraperitoneal instillation of 212pb up to 72 hours and allowing the tumor burden to increase both the survival and cure rates decreased . clinically alpha emitting radionuclides have the potential to be more efficacious than other beta - emitting radionuclides previously used such as gold - 198 and phosphorus - 32 . the cellular radiosensitivity was markedly increased in comparison to conventional gamma ( x - ray ) irradiation . survival was better with cells having no ability to accumulate sublethal danger after x - ray therapy . in comparison to beta - emitters , it is estimated that alpha irradiation has one - hundredth the range and may have up to ten times the energy deposition per unit path length making it more efficient in killing a tumor cell while perhaps sparing normal cells . as seen in the decay chain of 212pb both beta and alpha particles are produced ; however , considering that the total average energy per disintegration of 212pb , the beta energy contribution to the dose is negligible . table 1 . ______________________________________survival of animals inoculated with graded doses ofehrlich ascites tumor cells . number of days survivingcells injected minimum maximum mean % dead______________________________________10 . sup . 7 8 18 14 10010 . sup . 6 12 20 16 10010 . sup . 5 17 29 18 10010 . sup . 4 17 34 22 10010 . sup . 3 19 28 23 10010 . sup . 2 19 30 26 8010 . sup . 1 28 38 33 8010 . sup . 0 28 57 41 80______________________________________ table 2 . ______________________________________survival and cure of animals inoculated withehrlich ascites tumor cells treated 24 hours laterwith lead - 212 ferrous hydroxide . tumor survival ( days ) inoculum treatment min . max . mean % cure______________________________________10 . sup . 6 none 12 20 16 010 . sup . 6 cold colloid 12 22 15 010 . sup . 6 5 uci 212pb 21 150 49 610 . sup . 6 15 uci 212pb 26 150 63 1310 . sup . 6 50 uci 212pb 22 150 81 24______________________________________ table 3 . ______________________________________summary of the radiosensitivities of ehrlichcarcinoma tumor cells to x - rays and lead - 212 . do n______________________________________x - rays 220 1 . 7212pb 65 1______________________________________ do = radiosensitivity n = ability to accumulate sublethal damage rbe = relative biological effectiveness the use of these nuclides have the potential to add another treatment modality for microscopic carcinoma confined to the abdominal cavity . however , the concept is applicable to treatment of other types of carcinoma located in otherwise difficult areas . for instance , tumors of the liver are difficult to treat , but the colloid can be delivered through arterial blood flow to the liver , or for that matter , to any organ . delivery of the labelled colloid to inflamed joints , such as knees , fingers , toes and wrists promises an alternative therapy . while there has been disclosed what is considered to be the preferred embodiment of the present invention , it is understood that various changes in the details may be made without departing from the spirit , or sacrificing any of the advantages of the present invention . | 0 |
it is often desirable to automate the transfer of a fluid medium containing an analyte , e . g ., blood cells , from a sample container to an analytical device . automated transfer is also beneficial in situations where the analysis requires a relatively constant flow of fluid medium at relatively low flow rates , and avoiding sedimentation of any particles or separation of immiscible fluids is desirable . it may also be desirable to mix a sample with appropriate diluents , e . g ., those containing anticoagulants or other reagents , to facilitate subsequent processing and analysis . automated sample processing is also important for samples that may create hazardous aerosols or be biohazards or susceptible to contamination or degradation . with such samples , processing without a technician needing to open the container is preferable . furthermore , when a sample is being delivered to an analytical device , especially a microfluidic device , for analysis , methods that enhance wetting of the device in order to avoid entrapping bubbles , which could interfere with the analysis , are desirable . biological samples are frequently of low volume , and the ability to transfer a high percentage of the sample to an analytical device is desirable , particularly when a low quantity of an analyte from the sample is to be analyzed or detected by the device . several embodiments of a system that delivers a fluid medium , e . g ., a homogeneous or non - homogeneous mixture of particles , such as blood , to an analytical device , while also providing the ability to mix diluents with the sample , are described below . each of these embodiments will be described specifically with respect to a blood sample , but the methods and devices are broadly applicable to other fluid media , e . g ., solutions , suspensions , or mixtures of particles in a fluid medium . furthermore , although the following discussion focuses on mixtures of samples and diluents , any two or more fluid media may be combined using the methods and systems of the invention . this system is described with reference to fig1 a - 1 c . the system is based on positive displacement of blood from a sample container with inline dilution , control of sedimentation , and optional enhancement of mixing . a positive displacement pump , e . g ., a syringe pump , drives a pressurizing fluid , such as air or immiscible oil , into the sample container through an inlet , e . g ., a needle penetrating a septum . this influx of fluid displaces blood through an outlet , e . g ., a second needle penetrating the septum ( fig1 a ). in order to enable extraction of the majority of the blood sample from the sample container , the outlet is preferably long enough to reach the bottom of the tube . sedimentation is prevented by mechanically rocking the container through an angle of slightly less than 180 °, such that the tip of the inlet does not contact the blood . this arrangement avoids entrainment of pressurizing fluid in the blood to be delivered to an analytical device . diluent may be supplied from a reservoir by a second positive displacement pump to provide any desired level of dilution of the blood sample . because of the low reynolds - number laminar - flow regime of the sample and diluent , a means to enhance mixing of the streams , by putting energy into the system , may be employed . one method for accomplishing this is through the use of an acoustic transducer or mechanical fluid mixer ( fig1 b ). an alternate approach is to create a zone of higher reynolds - number flow , in the turbulent regime , e . g ., through the use of a microfabricated channel on the front end of a microfluidic device ( fig1 c ). mixing would be very rapid because of convective transport in this zone , and particle damage can be minimized by keeping the length of the turbulent zone short . fluids may also be mixed by diffusion . the system is based on the serial fluidic connection of a blood container , an analytical device , and a diluent reservoir . the system makes use of both inlet and outlet connections to the analytical device to enable priming or wetting of the device while diluting the blood sample to any desired volume . fig2 a is a schematic representation of the system . the system is operated as follows : a mechanical rocker holds a blood sample in the sample container , diluent from the reservoir is pushed by a positive displacement pump ( s 1 ) into the sample container through line l 1 , a fluidic switch , e . g ., a microprocessor controlled solenoid manifold , actuated to block flow to l 4 , l 2 , the analytical device , e . g ., a microfluidic device , and l 3 at a chosen flow rate to enable priming of the device and timely dilution of the blood . the flow rates may range from 0 . 1 - 200 ml / hr . once the blood is diluted to the desired volume , the pumping of s 1 is terminated , the diluted blood sample is then pumped by a positive displacement pump ( s 2 ) at a desired flow rate through l 3 , the device , l 2 , the fluidic switch actuated to block flow to l 1 , and l 4 into a waster container . the above steps can be repeated multiple times until sufficient sample fluid is contacted with the analytical device . in some embodiments , s 2 drives a pressurizing fluid , e . g ., air , into the sample container and displaces the blood through l 3 , the device , and out to waste via l 4 . a portion of the sample or the entire sample may be passed through the analytical device . in any of the embodiments herein , multiple sample containers may be connected to an analytical device via a branched l 3 or a plurality of l 3 connections . the plurality of sample containers can have independent displacement pumps ( s 2 ) or use a joint pump . at the end of the run , the pumping of s 2 is terminated . further processing may then occur . for example , s 1 is reengaged to flush diluent through the device and into the sample container , which now serves as a second waste container . in additional embodiments , additional fluid sources may be coupled to the fluidic switch , as shown in fig2 b . in these embodiments , s 3 may pump reagents into the analytical device , e . g ., to fix and prepare captured blood cells for staining with fluorescent probes , and additional pump s 4 may be used to introduce fluorescent probes , e . g ., fish reagents , into the device ( fig2 b ). additional fluid sources or reservoirs can also be coupled to the valve , l 1 , l 2 , l 3 , or l 4 . moreover , additional pumps ( s 5 , s 6 , s 7 . . . s 100 ) are also contemplated by the present invention and can be coupled to the valve or other elements of the system . additional diluent rinses may also be effected through s 1 or additional reservoirs attached to the system . in a preferred embodiment , the sample container has a small diameter cone bottom to contain and submerge the tip of l 3 in blood at all times with minimal loss of unprocessed sample ( fig2 c ). with reference to fig3 , another embodiment of the device , which is designated as a “ chip ,” disposes the blood in a sample container , e . g ., a syringe , s 2 and the diluent in another container , e . g ., a second syringe , s 1 . s 1 is connected to one port of an analytical device , and s 2 is connected to another port of the device . diluent is pumped through the device by displacement , e . g ., a combination of push and pull of syringes . the diluent primes the device and dilutes the blood in s 2 . s 2 may be in constant rotation to aid in mixing of the blood and buffer and to prevent cell sedimentation in the container during processing . a coupler may be employed to prevent rotation induced twisting of the fluid line connecting s 2 to the device . at least a portion of the diluted blood sample is then passed through the device and into s 1 . in this embodiment , the system contains two containers in series , a sample container and a diluent reservoir . an amount of blood is pumped by positive displacement from the sample container into the diluent reservoir , both of which are disposed on a mechanical rocker for mixing and sedimentation control . in this embodiment , dilution occurs in a pre - determined volume of buffer in a second tube . a controllable vent may be kept open until the blood sample is displaced into the second tube , after which the vent may be closed to allow subsequent positive displacement pumping to be used to displace the mixed sample ( e . g ., diluted sample ) from the second tube into an analytical device . a frit or filter on the vent outlet would prevent the discharge of any analyte - containing , e . g ., cell - containing , aerosols , and any contamination from the outside environment . with reference to fig4 , another embodiment of the system is based on positive displacement of blood contained in a sample container comprising an inlet and an outlet , e . g . a 100 - ml syringe , and buffer contained in a diluent reservoir comprising an inlet and an outlet , e . g . a 100 - ml syringe . the blood sample is optionally pre - diluted or otherwise manipulated before being placed in the sample container . the sample container and diluent reservoir are each fluidically coupled to an analytical device . the inlet of the sample container is disposed within a chamber capable of being pressurized , and optionally the inlet of the diluent reservoir is disposed within the same chamber or another chamber . in fig4 , the chamber is formed by a cap placed over a sample container and a diluent reservoir . a positive displacement pump , e . g ., a syringe pump , drives an immiscible pressurizing fluid , such as air , into the chamber . this influx of pressurizing fluid displaces blood through the outlet , and also the diluent , if present . the pressure inside the chamber may be controlled manually or by an external computer . in order to enable extraction of the majority of the blood sample from the sample container , pressure is maintained at an appropriate level within the chamber for a duration sufficient to effect partial or substantially complete emptying of this container . the progress of the sample delivery is timed or otherwise monitored by the external computer in order to determine when to stop . the sample container may be in constant rotation or otherwise agitated to prevent cell sedimentation in the container during processing . one skilled in the art may alter the specific components of the systems described in the above - examples to achieve the same purpose . for example , controlling the sedimentation of particles ( or otherwise maintaining a homogenous fluid medium ), i . e ., agitation , may be achieved by any means , including introduction of mechanical or acoustical energy or by circulating the fluid . examples include mechanical rocking , magnetic stirring , sonication , use of a bubble actuator , or fluid circulating . the frequency and amplitude of sonic waves may be optimized for the particular analyte involved , e . g ., living biological cells , to aid in mixing without any deleterious effects on the analyte . for magnetic stirring , a small magnet , preferably poly ( tetrafluoroethylene )- coated , could be placed in container requiring mixing , with the container located on a magnetic stir - plate . a relatively low rotational speed such as 1 per second may be employed to avoid damaging the analyte . furthermore , although separate input and output are described in the above - examples , a spike containing both or a co - axial input and output may be employed . it is also envisioned that a pressure relief device , e . g ., a valve , may be incorporated into any container to be pressurized to avoid hazardous release of analyte , e . g ., aerosolized blood , or loss of sample , in the event of a blockage of the tubing or flow passage to the analytical device . any suitable positive displacement pump may be used to transport fluids . examples include syringe pumps , introduction of a pressurizing fluid , preferably immiscible in the sample , to a container or through the use of a syringe attached to a syringe pump as a sample container , and regulated pressure sources . one advantage of using a regulated pressure source to drive fluids is that the pressure in the system is limited to the regulated source pressure . multiple , independently controlled positive displacement pumps may be used to provide any desired amount of one or more fluid media to the sample . for example , a pump controlling the displacement of a diluent may provide any desired level of dilution of a blood sample . fluids may also be transported via gravity feed , negative displacement ( e . g ., vacuum ), gas pressure , or an immiscible fluid , such as mineral oil . mixers may also be employed when two fluids are introduced into a connector , e . g ., a transfer line , when the reynolds number is low and when diffusional mixing is insufficient . such mixers may be employed in the connector or at an appropriate point in the analytical device . such mixers are known in the art . transfer lines , i . e ., fluidic connections , between components of the system may be any material suitable for use with the analytes and fluids employed , e . g ., plastics , ceramics , glass , or metals . connections between components can be made by any suitable , liquid tight connection , as known in the art . in addition , when small sample volumes are employed , connections that have low dead volume are preferable . for embodiments employing a chamber , any suitable chamber capable of being pressurized may be used . for example , a chamber may be formed by placing a cap over the inlet of the sample container , or over the entire sample container . alternatively , the sample container may be placed inside the chamber , e . g ., through an adjustable opening in the chamber . the chamber may be integrated with the device , entirely separate from the device , or formed by placing a cap in contact with the device . the chamber may also be a channel , e . g ., a tube , fitted to an inlet of a fluid containing reservoir and through which a pressurizing fluid may flow . the chamber , once pressurized , may be at any pressure greater than the pressure inside the analytical device . the chamber may or may not form an airtight seal when pressurized . the diluent reservoir may also be placed in the same chamber , or a second chamber capable of being pressurized may be used for the diluent reservoir . when two or more chambers are employed , they may be pressurized together or independently , e . g ., to provide different fluid flow rates . if a diluent reservoir is present , any diluent contained therein need not dilute sample in the methods and systems of the invention . in general , any sample container having at least one fluid port ( e . g ., an outlet ) and being suitable to contain the fluid medium of the sample may be employed in the methods and systems described . such containers may be made of any size , shape , or material . sample containers may also contain more than one port , e . g ., for output and to introduce diluent or a pressurizing fluid ( such as air , nitrogen , or a fluid immiscible in the sample on the time scale of pumping ). an outlet port may be used to deliver a sample to an analytical device , and an inlet port may be used to introduce a second fluid sample . a single port may also be used for dual purposes , e . g ., input of diluent and output of mixed sample ( e . g ., diluted sample ), as described . in one embodiment , the sample container is closed with a plug as shown in fig5 . this plug contains two ports , an outlet in the center of the plug and an inlet spaced apart from the outlet . the inlet is preferably not located within the depression . when the plug is inserted into a sample container , e . g ., a 50 ml tube , the tube is inverted , and the sample contacts the plug by gravity . the outlet is connected to a depression on the top of the plug in contact with the sample . a depression of the plug can be of any shape , e . g ., round or angular . the diameter of the depression is , for example , between ⅛ and ½ the diameter of the plug . when a pressurizing fluid , e . g ., air , is introduced into the container through the inlet , the resulting pressure buildup forces sample through the outlet , which may be threaded to fit small compression fittings . other types of fittings could be used in conjunction with corresponding machined details . the depression isolates a small volume of sample being introduced in the outlet at a given point in time and prevents entrainment of the pressurizing fluid into the sample . the design of the plug also reduces the possibility of pressurizing fluid from being introduced into the outlet during mechanical rocking , while also enabling withdrawal of a greater percentage of the fluid in the vessel . sealing may be provided by a pair of o - rings , e . g ., sized to fit typical 50 ml conical tubes . other tube sizes can be accommodated by appropriately sized plugs and o - rings . alternative sealing arrangements are also possible . for example , the plug may be fabricated from an elastic material and compression fit in the sample container . this plug is advantageous over the use of two needles , one short needle located near the top of a container and one long needle located at the bottom of the container , because of the difficulty of maintaining the long needle on the centerline of the vessel and the limited volume that can be delivered without uncovering the tip of the long needle during mechanical rocking . the plugs disclosed herein can be used with any system known in the art which requires delivery of a fluid medium from one container to a location outside the container . the plug is especially useful for partial or substantially complete removal of a fluid sample . for example , the systems and plugs herein can remove more than 95 %, 99 %, 99 . 5 %, 99 . 9 % or 99 . 99 % of a fluid sample from a sample container . the plug and system herein also allow for an automated high - throughput system for delivery of a solution to an analytical device . in some embodiments , sample flow rate and data obtained from an analytical device are simultaneously processed using a single computing unit . the methods of the invention may be employed in connection with any analytical device . examples include affinity columns , particle sorters , e . g ., fluorescent activated cell sorters , capillary electrophoresis , microscopes , spectrophotometers , sample storage devices , and sample preparation devices . microfluidic devices are of particular interest in connection with the systems described herein . exemplary analytical devices include devices useful for size , shape , or deformability based enrichment of particles , including filters , sieves , and deterministic separation devices , e . g ., those described in international publication nos . 2004 / 029221 and 2004 / 113877 , huang et al . science 304 , 987 - 990 ( 2004 ), u . s . publication no . 2004 / 0144651 , u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 837 , 115 and 6 , 692 , 952 , u . s . application nos . 60 / 703 , 833 and 60 / 704 , 067 , and the u . s . application entitled “ devices and methods for enrichment and alteration of cells and other particles ” and filed on sep . 15 , 2005 ; devices useful for affinity capture , e . g ., those described in international publication no . 2004 / 029221 and u . s . application ser . no . 11 / 071 , 679 ; devices useful for preferential lysis of cells in a sample , e . g ., those described in international publication no . 2004 / 029221 , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 641 , 628 , and u . s . application no . 60 / 668 , 415 ; and devices useful for arraying cells , e . g ., those described in international publication no . 2004 / 029221 , u . s . pat . no . 6 , 692 , 952 , and u . s . application ser . nos . 10 / 778 , 831 and 11 / 146 , 581 . two or more devices may be combined in series , e . g ., as described in international publication no . 2004 / 029221 . in particular embodiments , the analytical device may be used to isolate various analytes from a mixture , e . g ., for collection or further analysis . in one desirable embodiment , rare cells are retained in the device or otherwise enriched compared to other cells , as described , e . g ., in international publication no . 2004 / 029221 . exemplary rare cells include , depending on the sample , fetal cells , e . g . fetal nucleated red blood cells ( fnrbcs ), progenitor cells , stem cells ( e . g ., undifferentiated ), foam cells , cancer cells , immune system cells ( host or graft ), epithelial cells , endothelial cells , connective tissue cells , bacteria , fungi , viruses , and pathogens ( e . g ., bacterial or protozoa ). such rare cells may be isolated from samples including bodily fluids , e . g ., blood , or environmental sources , e . g ., pathogens in water samples . fetal red blood cells may be enriched from maternal peripheral blood , e . g ., for the purpose of determining sex and identifying aneuploidies or genetic characteristics , e . g ., mutations , in the developing fetus . cancer cells may also be enriched from peripheral blood for the purpose of diagnosis and monitoring therapeutic progress . bodily fluids or environmental samples may also be screened for pathogens , e . g ., for coliform bacteria , blood borne illnesses such as sepsis , or bacterial or viral meningitis . rare cells also include cells from one organism present in another organism , e . g ., cells from a transplanted organ . an analyte retained in or enriched by the device may , for example , be labeled , e . g ., with fluorescent or radioactive probes , subjected to chemical or genetic analysis ( such as pcr , rt - pcr , dna sequencing , mass spectrometry , or fluorescent in situ hybridization ), or , if biological , cultured . analytical devices may or may not include microfluidic channels , i . e ., may or may not be microfluidic devices . the dimensions of the channels of the device into which an analyte is introduced may depend on the size or type of analyte employed . preferably , a channel in an analytical device has at least one dimension ( e . g ., height , width , length , or radius ) of no greater than 10 , 9 . 5 , 9 , 8 . 5 , 8 , 7 . 5 , 7 , 6 . 5 , 6 , 5 . 5 , 5 , 4 . 5 , 4 , 3 . 5 , 3 , 2 . 5 , 2 , 1 . 5 , or 1 mm . microfluidic devices employed in the systems and methods described herein preferably have at least one dimension of less than 1 , 0 . 9 , 0 . 8 , 0 . 7 , 0 . 6 , 0 . 5 , 0 . 4 , 0 . 3 , 0 . 2 , 0 . 1 , or even 0 . 05 mm . the dimensions of an analytical device can be determined by one skilled in the art based on the desired application . in some embodiments , it may be desirable to wet the analytical device prior to use in order to prevent entrapment of , for example , gas bubbles . any wetting agent , such as those known in the art , may be used for purposes of wetting an analytical device herein . the wetting agents used may be contained in one or more wetting reservoirs and dispensed by one or more of the methods disclosed herein . for example , the wetting agent can be in a reservoir enclosed with a plug of the invention and an independent pressurizing system . removal of the wetting agent from the reservoir to the analytical device can be actuated by delivering a pressurizing fluid such as a gas to the reservoir through a first inlet to cause the wetting agent to be removed from a first outlet in the reservoir . in devices that rely on the uniform flow of fluid media , such as buffer - diluted blood , supplied by the dispensing systems described herein , it is preferable to avoid uneven wetting of the analytical device , e . g ., in microfluidic channels , that can cause uneven flow because of entrapped gas bubbles in unwet regions . any wetting method or agent can be employed in combination with an analytical device used in the systems described herein . the wetting agents used can be contained in one or more wetting reservoirs and dispensed by one or more of the methods disclosed herein . for example , the wetting agent can be in a reservoir enclosed with a plug of the invention and an independent pressurizing system . removal of the wetting agent from the reservoir to the analytical device can be actuated by delivering a pressurizing fluid such as a gas to the reservoir through a first inlet to cause the wetting agent to be removed from a first outlet in the reservoir . methods that address wetting include : 1 ) initial flow of buffer containing surfactant : this approach involves using a special buffer tailored to enhance wetting by incorporating a surfactant . this concentration is desirably low enough to avoid damaging the integrity of any analytes . 2 ) initial flow of buffer while exposing the device to acoustic vibrations : acoustic vibration , especially in the ultrasonic regime , can have a beneficial effect in promoting the wetting of surfaces . in this approach , the ultrasonic transducer may be incorporated into the device . 3 ) coating portions of the device , e . g ., the device lid , with a chemical layer chosen to enhance wetting , e . g ., a dried aqueous solution of sugar . 4 ) plasma etching of the device : a reactive plasma etch process can reduce the surface tension of aqueous solutions on polymers and other surfaces . for example , improving the wettability of the device lid , e . g ., a polymer film , can improve the wettability of the entire device . 5 ) assemble the device while submerged under buffer to ensure that the device is substantially wetted and free of gas ( e . g ., air ) bubbles . purging the device with carbon dioxide : the purge drives out air , and residual co 2 is rapidly dissolved into incoming priming buffer because of the high solubility of co 2 in aqueous solutions . other gases may be employed in other solvent systems . all publications , patents , and patent applications mentioned in the above specification are hereby incorporated by reference . various modifications and variations of the described method and system of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . although the invention has been described in connection with specific embodiments , it should be understood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiments . indeed , various modifications of the described modes for carrying out the invention that are obvious to those skilled in the art are intended to be within the scope of the invention . | 1 |
under a variety of reaction conditions and ratios of reagents , the reaction of 2 - nonafluorobiphenyl lithium and alcl 3 all appear to lead to the formation of a compound with the formula ar f 3 fal . sup .⊖ li . sup .⊕, resulting from fluoride abstraction by the strongly lewis acidic trisperfluoro - biphenyl aluminum species generated in situ ( fig1 ). ion exchange metathesis of this lithium salt with ph 3 ccl results in the formation of stable trityl perfluorobiphenyl aluminate ( pba . sup .⊖). the structure of pba . sup .⊖ has been characterized by x - ray diffraction and shows a non - associated trityl cation and aluminate anion . isolation and characterization of cationic group 4 complexes derived from pba the reaction of pba . sup .⊖ with various metallocene dialkyls readily generates the corresponding cationic complexes ( fig2 a - 2c ). the pba . sup .⊖ anion is weakly coordinated to the metal center via f . sup .⊖ bridges in these complexes . this coordination is evident from the large downfield shift (≧ 30 ppm ) of the al -- f f resonance in the 19 f nmr as compared to that of free pba . this coordination lowers the symmetry of the cation portion as well . furthermore , the coordinated anion is chiral . the relatively stable chirality of the anion stems from the bulkiness of the molecule which suppresses the rotation of the perfluoroaryl rings and renders the geometry fixed , resulting in nine ( 9 ) sets of characteristic resonances in the 19 f nmr . the influence of the anion chirality on the cation portion can be observed spectroscopically . in the reaction product of fig2 a , there are two diastereotopic ch 2 ph protons with 2 j value of 11 . 4 hz and two magnetically nonequivalent cp rings , which reflects the chiral environment of the coordinated anion . with diastereotopic ring substitution in the metallocene , the structure of the reaction product shown in fig2 b offers unique nmr probes for a better understanding of the molecular structure . coordination of an achiral anion such as ch 3 b ( c 6 f 5 ) 3 . sup .⊖ to the metal center of the cation portion of fig2 b results in the observation of two diastereotopic cp methyls and three types of cp ring protons having different chemical shifts . however , in the reaction product of fig2 b with a coordinated chiral anion , all the cp methyls ( four types ) and cp ring protons ( six types ) have different chemical shifts , clearly indicating the chiral induction of the anion . constrained geometry catalysts ( fig2 c ) activated by pba exhibit two distinct silyl methyls and four different cp methyls . the structure of the reaction product of fig2 c has been characterized by x - ray diffraction and reveals a chiral pba . sup .⊖ anion coordinated via an f - bridge with a zr -- f bond length of ( 2 . 123 )( 6 ) å . the zr -- ch 3 of bond distance of 2 . 21 ( 1 ) å is almost identical to that in ( cgc ) zr ( me )[ meb ( c 6 f 5 ) 3 ] ( 2 . 224 ( 5 )) å , reflecting the cationic character of the zirconium center . in cases where the bulkiness of cationic portion is increased , thereby pushing the anion away from the coordinative periphery , the product formed from the reaction appears neither stable nor isolable , e . g ., [( c 5 me 5 ) 2 zrme . sup .⊕ pba . sup .⊖ ]. however , this distant contact cation - anion pair exhibits extremely high activity for olefin polymerization when generated in situ . ph 3 . sup .⊕ pba . sup .⊖ has been synthesized in essentially quantitative yields as compared to the 30 - 50 % yields experienced with b ( c 6 f 5 ) 3 , currently a very important lewis acidic cocatalyst in the polyolefin industry . more particularly , reaction of ph 3 c . sup .⊕ pba . sup .⊖ with group 4 methyls proceeds cleanly to yield cationic complexes such as set forth below . ## str1 ## cpcp &# 39 ;= cp *= η 5 - c 5 me 5 = cp &# 34 ;= η 5 - 1 , 2 - me 2 c 5 h 3 r = phch 2 , ch 3 , alkyl or aryl group with c ≦ 20 ; hydride cpcp &# 39 ; mr . sup .⊕ pba . sup .⊖ may be any cyclopentadienyl , substituted cyclopentadienyl or bridged cyclopentadienyl complex paired with pba . sup .⊖, such as cp 2 zrch 2 ph . sup .⊕ pba . sup .⊖ ; cp 2 &# 34 ; zrch 3 . sup .⊕ pba . sup .⊖ ; ( 1 , 3 -( sime 3 ) 2 c 5 h 3 ) 2 zrch 3 . sup .⊕ pba . sup .⊖ ; cp &# 39 ; 2 zrch 3 . sup .⊕ pba . sup .⊖ ; ( cgc ) zrch 3 . sup .⊕ pba . sup .⊖ ; ( cgc ) tich 3 . sup .⊕ pba . sup .⊖ ; and rac - me 2 si ( ind ) 2 zrch 3 . sup .⊕ pba . sup .⊖ ( cgc = t bun me 2 si ( η 5 - me 4 c 5 ); ( ind = η 5 - c 9 h 6 ). for polymerization of olefin monomers , catalytic activities of the cations generated from pba . sup .⊖ can be greater than those of monomeric cations generated from b ( c 6 f 5 ) 3 in cases of bulky cp and cp &# 39 ; ligands presumably because pba . sup .⊖ functions as a non - coordinating anion as compared to the weakly coordinating anion meb ( c 6 f 5 ) 3 . sup .⊖. polymerization reactions show very high activities for α - olefin polymerization , and identify pba . sup .⊖ to be a truly non - coordinating anion . when polymerizing α - olefins larger than ethylene and particularly propylene and styrene , high isotacticity can be observed . all manipulations of air - sensitive materials were performed with rigorous exclusion of oxygen and moisture in flamed schlenk - type glassware on a dual - manifold schlenk line or interfaced to a high - vacuum line ( 10 - 6 torr ), or in a nitrogen - filled vacuum atmospheres glovebox with a high capacity recirculator ( 1 - 2 ppm o 2 ). argon ( matheson , prepurified ) and ethylene ( matheson , polymerization grade ) were purified by passage through a supported mno oxygen - removal column and an activated davison 4 å molecular sieve column . ether solvents were purified by distillation from na / k alloy / benzophenone ketyl . hydrocarbon solvents ( toluene , pentane ) were distilled under nitrogen from na / k alloy . all solvents for vacuum line manipulations were stored in vacuo over na / k alloy in teflon - valved bulbs . deuterated solvents were obtained from cambridge isotope laboratories ( all ≧ 99 atom % d ) and were freeze - pump - thaw degassed and dried over na / k alloy and stored in resealable flasks . non - halogenated solvents were dried over na / k alloy and halogenated solvents were distilled over p 2 o 5 and stored over activated davison 4 å molecular sieves . brc 6 f 5 ( aldrich ) was vacuum distilled over p 2 o 5 . alcl 3 , ph 3 ccl and buli ( 1 . 6m in hexanes ) were purchased from aldrich . the zirconocene and titanocene complexes cp 2 zrme 2 ; cp 2 zr ( ch 2 ph ) 2 ; ( 1 , 2 - me 2 c 5 h 3 ) 2 zrme 2 ; [ 1 , 3 -( sime 3 ) 2 c 5 h 3 ] 2 zrme 2 ; ( c 5 me 5 ) 2 zrme 2 ; me 2 si ( me 4 c 5 )( t bun ) zrme 2 ; and me 2 si ( me 4 c 5 ) t buntime 2 were prepared according to known procedures . nmr spectra were recorded on either varian vxr 300 ( ft 300 mhz , 1 h ; 75 mhz , 13 c ) or varian germini - 300 ( ft 300 mhz , 1 h ; 75 mhz , 13 c ; 282 mhz , 19 f ) instruments . chemical shifts for 1 h and 13 c spectra were referenced using internal solvent resonances and are reported relative to tetramethylsilane . 19 f nmr spectra were referenced to external cfcl 3 . nmr experiments on air - sensitive samples were conducted in teflon valve - sealed sample tubes ( j . young ). melting temperatures of polymers were measured by dsc ( dsc 2920 , ta instruments , inc .) from the second scan with a heating rate of 20 ° c ./ min . n - butyllithium ( 1 . 6m in hexanes , 25 ml , 40 mmol ) was added dropwise to bromopentafluorobenzene ( 18 . 0 g , 9 . 1 ml , 72 . 9 mmol ) in 100 ml of diethyl ether cooled by a cold - water bath . the mixture was then stirred for a further 12 h at room temperature . removal of the solvent followed by vacuum sublimation at 60 - 65 ° c ./ 10 - 4 torr gave 12 . 0 g of 2 - bromononafluorobiphenyl as a white crystalline solid . yield : 83 . 3 %. 19 f nmr ( c 6 d 6 , 23 ° c . ): - 126 . 77 ( d , 3 j f - f = 25 . 4 hz , 1 f , f - 3 ), - 135 . 13 ( d , 3 j f - f = 18 . 9 hz , 1 f , f - 6 ), - 138 . 85 ( d , 3 j f - f = 17 . 2 hz , 2 f , f - 2 &# 39 ;/ f - 6 &# 39 ;), - 148 . 74 ( t , 3 j f - f = 20 . 8 hz , 1 f , f - 4 ) - 150 . 13 ( t , 3 j f - f = 21 . 7 hz , 1 f , f - 4 &# 39 ;), - 154 . 33 ( t , 3 j f - f = 21 . 4 hz , 1 f , f - 5 ), - 160 . 75 ( t , 3 j f - f = 23 . 9 hz , 2 f , f - 3 &# 39 ;/ f - 5 &# 39 ;). to the above 2 - bromononafluorobipyhenyl ( 8 . 29 g , 21 . 0 mmol ) in a mixed solvent of 70 ml of diethyl ether and 70 ml of pentane was gradually added 13 . 2 ml of n - butyllithium ( 1 . 6m in hexanes , 21 . 0 mmol ) at - 78 ° c . the mixture was stirred for an additional 2 h , and aluminum trichloride ( 0 . 67 g , 5 . 0 mmol ) was then quickly added . the mixture was stirred at - 78 ° c . for 1 h and the temperature was then allowed to slowly rise to room temperature . a white suspension resulted after stirring for an additional 12 h . the mixture was filtered and the solvent removed from the filtrate in vacuo . to the yellow sticky residue was added 100 ml of pentane and the mixture was stirred for 1 h . the resulting white solid was collected by filtration and dried in vacuo to give 3 . 88 g of ar f 3 fal . sup .⊖ li . sup .⊕. oet 2 : yield : 72 . 4 % 1 h nmr ( c 7 d 8 , 23 ° c . ): 2 . 84 ( q , j = 7 . 2 hz , 4h , 2 - ch 2 o ), 0 . 62 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 6h , 2ch 3 ch 2 o --). 19 f nmr ( c 6 d 6 , 23 ° c . ): - 122 . 80 ( s , br , 3 f , f - 3 ), - 134 . 86 ( s , 3 f , f - 6 ), - 139 . 12 ( s , 6 f , f - 2 &# 39 ;/ f - 6 &# 39 ;), - 153 . 95 ( t , 3 j f - f = 18 . 3 hz , 3 f , f - 4 ), - 154 . 52 ( t , 3 j f - f = 20 . 2 hz , 6 f , f - 4 &# 39 ;/ f - 5 ), - 162 . 95 ( s , 6 f , f - 3 &# 39 ;/ f - 5 &# 39 ;), - 176 . 81 ( s , br , 1 f , al -- f ). the above lithium salt ( 1 . 74 g , 1 . 62 mmol ) and ph 3 ccl ( 0 . 48 g , 1 . 72 mmol ) were suspended in pentane and stirred overnight and the resulting orange solid was collected by filtration and washed with pentane . the crude product was then redissolved in ch 2 cl 2 and filtered through celite to remove licl , followed by pentane addition to precipitate the orange solid . recrystallization from ch 2 cl 2 / pentane at - 78 ° c . overnight gave 1 . 56 g of orange crystals of the title compound . yield : 70 . 5 %. analytical and spectroscopic data for pba are as follows : 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 , 23 ° c . ): 8 . 25 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 3h , p - h , ph ), 7 . 86 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 6h , m - h , ph ), 7 . 64 ( dd , j = 8 . 4 hz , j = 1 . 2 hz , 6h , o - h , ph ), 1 . 28 ( m ), 0 . 88 ( t ) ( pentane residue ). 19 f nmr ( cdcl 3 , 23 ° c . ): - 121 . 05 ( s , 3 f , f - 3 ), - 139 . 81 ( s , 3 f , f - 6 ), - 141 . 19 ( s , 6 f , f - 2 &# 39 ;/ f - 6 ), - 156 . 93 ( t , 3 j f - f = 18 . 3 hz , 6 f , f - 4 / f - 4 &# 39 ;), - 158 . 67 ( s , 3 f , f - 5 ). - 165 . 32 ( s , 6 f , f - 3 &# 39 ;/ f - 5 &# 39 ;), - 175 . 60 ( s , br , 1 f , al -- f ). anal . calcd for c 60 h 15 alf 28 . c 5 h 12 : c , 57 . 12 ; h , 1 . 99 . found : c , 57 . 16 ; h , 1 . 43 . cp 2 zr ( ch 2 ph ) 2 ( 0 . 081 g , 0 . 20 mmol ) and ph 3 c . sup .⊕ pba . sup .⊖ ( 0 . 261 g , 0 . 20 mmol ) were charged in the glove box into a 25 - ml reaction flask with a filter frit and the flask was reattached to the high vacuum line . toluene ( 15 ml ) was then vacuum - transferred into this flask at - 78 ° c . the mixture was slowly allowed to warm to room temperature and stirred for 4 h . the volume of toluene was next reduced to 5 ml and 10 ml of pentane was condensed into the flask at - 78 ° c . a suspension which formed was quickly filtered and the orange crystalline solid which was collected was dried under vacuum overnight . yield , 0 . 22 g ( 84 . 4 %). large orange crystals were obtained by slowly cooling a pentane solution of the compound to - 20 ° c . over a period of several days . 1 h nmr ( c 6 d 6 , 23 ° c . ): 6 . 95 ( t , j = 7 . 8 hz , 2h , m - h , ph ), 6 . 80 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 1h , p - h , ph ), 6 . 46 ( d , j = 7 . 2 hz , 2h , o - h , ph ), 5 . 45 ( s , 5h , cp ), 5 . 42 ( s , 5h , cp ), 2 . 47 ( d , j = 11 . 4 hz , 1h , -- ch 2 ), 1 . 92 ( d , j = 11 . 4 hz , 1h , -- ch 2 ). 19 f nmr ( c 6 d 6 , 23 ° c . ): - 117 . 09 ( t , 3 j f - f = 20 . 5 hz , 3 f ), - 133 . 17 ( t , 3 j f - f = 15 . 2 hz , 3 f ), - 138 . 60 ( d , 3 j f - f = 27 . 3 hz , 3 f ), - 139 . 53 ( t , 3 j f - f = 21 . 2 hz , 3 f ), - 146 . 34 ( s , br , 1 f , al -- f ), - 152 . 01 ( t , 3 j f - f = 24 . 3 hz , 3 f ), - 153 . 15 ( t , 3 j f - f = 20 . 9 hz , 3 f ), - 153 . 92 ( t , 3 j f - f = 18 . 3 hz , 3 f ), - 160 . 82 ( d , 3 j f - f = 21 . 4 hz , 3 f ), - 162 . 52 ( t , 3 j f - f = 24 . 53 hz , 3 f ), 13 c nmr ( c 7 d 8 , 23 ° c . ): 129 . 20 ( d , 3 j ch = 156 . 2 hz , ph ), 128 . 26 ( d , 3 j ch = 157 . 1 hz , ph ), 127 . 52 ( s , ipso - ph ), 125 . 42 ( d , 3 j ch = 158 . 1 hz , ph ), 114 . 77 ( d , 3 j ch = 176 . 5 hz , cp ), 66 . 68 ( t , 3 j ch = 122 . 8 hz , -- ch 2 ), anal . calcd for c 53 h 17 alf 28 zr : c , 48 . 82 ; h , 1 . 31 . found : c , 48 . 77 ; h , 1 . 36 . the procedure is the same as that of synthesis of example 2 above . yield : 81 . 7 %. 1 h nmr ( c 2 d 2 cl 4 , 23 ° c . ): δ 5 . 95 ( s , br , 1h , c 5 h 3 me 2 ), 5 . 77 ( s , br , 1h , c 5 h 3 me 2 ), 5 . 72 ( s , br , 1h , ( c 5 h 3 me 2 ), 5 . 46 ( s , br , 1h , c 5 h 3 me 2 ), 5 . 70 ( s , br , 1h , c 5 h 3 me 2 ), 5 . 40 ( s , br , 1h , c 5 h 3 me 2 ), 2 . 11 ( s , 3h , c 5 h 3 me 2 ), 1 . 98 ( s , 3h , c 5 h 3 me 2 ), 1 . 76 ( s , 3h , c 5 h 3 me 2 ), 1 . 70 ( s , 3h , c 5 h 3 me 2 ), 0 . 28 ( d , 1 j ch = 120 . 3 hz , zr -- 13 ch 3 ). 19 f nmr ( c 2 d 2 cl 4 , 23 ° c .) is similar to the product of example 2 except for a different chemical shift for the bridging f at - 143 . 38 ppm . anal . calcd for c 51 h 21 alf 28 zr : c , 47 . 71 ; h , 1 . 65 . found : 47 . 46 ; h , 1 . 37 . c 5 h 3 ( sime 3 ) 2 zrme . sup .⊕ pba . sup .⊖ ( 3 ) this complex was prepared as described in example 2 above . it decomposes in toluene solution within 2 h at 25 ° c . and undergoes rapid decomposition to a myriad of unidentified products at higher temperatures . characterization of the complex is based on very clean nmr scale reactions . this complex was generated in situ for polymerization studies . 1 h nmr c 7 d 8 , 23 ° c . ): δ 6 . 88 ( s , br , 1h , c 5 h 3 tms 2 ), 6 . 71 ( t , j = 2 . 1 hz , 1h , c 5 h 3 tms 2 ), 6 . 31 ( s , br , 1h , c 5 h 3 tms 2 ), 6 . 23 ( s , br , 1h , c 5 h 3 tms 2 ), 5 . 79 ( s , br , 1h , c 5 h 3 tms 2 ), 5 . 71 ( s , br , 1h , c 5 h 3 tms 2 ), 0 . 70 ( s , br , 3h , zr -- ch 3 ). 0 . 17 ( s , 3h , c 5 h 3 tms 2 ), 0 . 10 ( s , 3h , c 5 h 3 tms 2 ), - 0 . 05 ( s , 3h , c 5 h 3 tms 2 ), - 0 . 07 ( s , 3h , c 5 h 3 tms 2 ). 19 f nmr ( c 7 d 8 , 23 ° c . ): δ - 112 . 12 ( d , 3 j f - f = 12 . 2 hz , 3 f ), - 133 . 22 ( t , 3 j f - f = 15 . 5 hz , 3 f ), - 137 . 49 ( s , 3 f ), - 138 . 40 ( t , 3 j f - f = 21 . 7 hz , 3 f ), - 144 . 23 ( s , br , 1 f , al -- f ), - 153 . 41 ( m , 6 f ), - 154 . 15 ( t , 3 j f - f = 21 . 2 hz , 3 f ), - 161 . 80 ( d , 3 j f - f = 18 . 3 hz , 3 f ), - 162 . 82 ( t , 3 j f - f = 21 . 4 hz , 3 f ). ( cp &# 39 ; 2 zrme . sup .⊕ ( pba ). sup .⊖ ( 4 ) is too thermally unstable at 25 ° c . to isolate . the 1 h nmr monitored reaction of cp &# 39 ; 2 zrme 2 and ph 3 c . sup .⊕ pba . sup .⊖ in c 2 d 2 cl 4 clearly reveals the formation of ph 3 cch 3 ( δ 2 . 15 ) and a broad singlet at δ 0 . 25 assignable to the zrch 3 . sup .⊕ group . more than 4 cp methyl resonances at δ 1 . 97 - 1 . 72 ppm with different intensities are observed indicating the decomposition . complex 4 was generated in situ for polymerization studies . 19 f nmr ( c 2 d 2 cl 4 ): δ - 114 . 77 ( s , br , 3 f ), - 132 . 11 ( t , 3 j f - f = 15 . 2 hz , 3 f ), - 136 . 84 ( t , 3 j f - f = 22 . 0 hz , 3 f ), - 137 . 29 ( s , br , 3 f ), - 150 . 90 ( t , 3 j f - f = 20 . 9 hz , 3 f ), - 151 . 85 ( t , 3 j f - f = 23 . 9 hz , 3 f ), - 152 . 47 ( t , 3 j f - f = 24 . 5 hz , 3 f ), - 155 . 78 ( s , br , 1 f al -- f ), - 160 . 02 ( d , 3 j f - f = 16 . 5 hz , 3 f ), - 161 . 06 ( t , 3 j f - f = 21 . 2 hz , 3 f ). me 2 si ( me 4 c 5 )( t bun ) zrme 2 ( 0 . 148 g , 0 . 4 mmol ) and ph 3 c . sup .⊕ pba . sup .⊖ ( 0 . 523 , 0 . 4 mmol ) were reacted in the same manner as in example 2 to yield 0 . 35 g of the above complex as a white crystalline solid . yield : 64 . 8 %. the complex is quite soluble in pentane and cold pentane was used to wash the product . 1 h nmr ( c 7 d 8 , 23 ° c . ): 67 1 . 98 ( s , 3h , c 5 me 4 ), 1 . 82 ( s , 3h , c 5 me 4 ), 1 . 76 ( s , 3h , c 5 me 4 ), 1 . 27 ( s , 3h , c 5 me 4 ), 0 . 93 ( s , 9h , n - t bu ), 0 . 24 ( s , 3h , sime 2 ), 0 . 18 ( s , 3h , zr -- ch 3 ), 0 . 15 ( s , 3h , sime 2 ), 19 f nmr ( c 7 d 8 , 23 ° c .) δ - 108 . 92 ( s , br , 1 f , al -- f ), - 117 . 26 ( s , br , 3 f ), - 133 . 19 ( t , 3 j f - f = 12 . 1 hz , 3 f ), - 139 . 25 ( s , 6 f ), - 152 . 53 ( t , j f - f = 21 . 2 hz , 3 f ), - 153 . 00 ( d , 3 j f - f = 21 . 2 hz , 3 f ), - 153 . 00 ( d , 3 j f - f = 21 . 4 hz , 3 f ), - 153 . 76 ( t , 3 j f - f = 24 . 3 hz , 3 f ), - 160 . 94 ( t , 3 j f - f = 22 . 6 hz , 3 f ), - 162 . 80 ( t , 3 j f - f = 21 . 4 hz , 3 f ). 13 c nmr ( c 7 d 8 , 23 ° c . ): δ 130 . 19 ( c 5 me 4 ), 129 . 09 ( c 5 me 4 ), 127 . 18 ( c 5 me 4 ), 126 . 44 ( c 5 me 4 ), 124 . 33 ( c 5 me 4 ), 56 . 63 ( n -- cme 3 ), 38 . 58 ( q . j = 120 . 6 hz , n -- cme 3 ), 32 . 70 ( q . j = 120 . 8 hz , zr -- ch 3 ), 15 . 75 ( q , j = 127 . 9 hz , c 5 me 4 ), 14 . 05 ( q , j = 128 . 0 hz , c 5 me 4 ), 12 . 00 ( q , j = 127 . 8 hz , c 5 me 4 ), 10 . 18 ( q , j = 128 . 1 hz , c 5 me 4 ), 8 . 49 ( q , j = 121 . 0 hz , sime 2 ), 6 . 52 ( q , j = 120 . 9 hz , sime 2 ). anal . calcd for c 52 h 30 alf 28 nsizr : c , 46 . 37 ; h , 2 . 25 ; n , 1 . 04 . found : c , 46 . 65 ; h , 2 . 13 ; n , 0 . 89 . me 2 si ( me 4 c 5 )( t bun ) time . sup .⊕ pba . sup .⊖ me 2 si ( me 4 c 5 )( t bun ) time2 ( 0 . 065 g , 0 . 2 mmol ) and ph 3 c . sup .⊕ pba . sup .⊖ ( 0 . 261 , 0 . 2 mmol ) were reacted in the same manner as in example 2 to yield 0 . 12 g of the above complex as a yellow crystalline solid . yield : 46 . 0 %. due to its good solubility in pentane , a significant amount of the product remained in the filtrate , resulting in a low isolated yield . an nmr scale reaction indicates the formation of the compound in quantitative yield when the isolation is not required . 1 h nmr ( c 6 d 6 , 23 ° c . ): δ 2 . 01 ( s , 3h , c 5 me 4 ), 1 . 72 ( s , 3h , c 5 me 4 ), 1 . 61 ( s , 3h , c 5 me 4 ), 1 . 20 ( s , 3h , c 5 me 4 ), 0 . 93 ( s , 9h , n - t bu ), 0 . 75 ( d , j = 3 . 9 hz , 3h ), 0 . 21 ( s , h ), 0 . 06 ( s , 3h ). 19 f nmr is similar to that of 3 except slightly for different chemical shifts . anal . calcd for c 52 h 30 alf 28 nsiti : c , 47 . 91 ; h , 2 . 32 ; n , 1 . 07 . found : c , 47 . 47 ; h , 1 . 96 ; n , 0 . 87 . me 2 si ( ind ) 2 zrme 2 ( 0 . 082 g , 0 . 20 mmol ) and ph 3 c . sup .⊕ pba . sup .⊖ ( 0 . 261 , 0 . 20 mmol ) were reacted in the same manner as for the synthesis of 1 above to yield 0 . 19 g of the title complex as an orange crystalline solid . yield : 68 . 6 %. two diastereomers are found in a 1 . 3 : 1 ratio . 1 h nmr ( c 6 d 6 , 23 ° c .) for diastereomer a ( 56 %): δ 7 . 45 ( d , j = 8 . 7 hz , 1h , c 6 -- ho , 7 . 27 - 6 . 88 ( m , 4h , c 6 -- h ), 6 . 67 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 2h , c 6 -- h ), 5 . 88 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 1h , c 6 -- h ), 6 . 82 ( t , j = 3 . 3 hz , 1h , c 5 - βh ), 5 . 96 ( d , j = 3 . 3 hz , 1h , c 5 - βh ), 5 . 69 ( s , br , 1h , c 5 - αh ), 5 . 19 ( d , j hf = 2 . 1 hz , 3h , zr -- ch 3 ). diastereomer b ( 44 %): δ 7 . 94 ( d , j = 8 . 7 hz , 1h , c 6 -- h ), 7 . 27 - 6 . 88 ( m , 4h , c 6 -- h ), 6 . 58 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 2h , c 6 -- h ), 5 . 79 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 1h , c 6 -- h ), 6 . 42 ( d , j = 3 . 3 hz , 1h , c 5 - βh ), 5 . 85 ( d , j = 3 . 3 hz , 1h , c 5 - βh ), 5 . 56 ( s , br , 1h , c 5 - αh ), 4 . 80 ( d , j = 3 . 3 hz , 1h , c 5 - αh ), 0 . 46 ( s , 3h , sime 2 ), 0 . 25 ( s , 3h , sime 2 ), - 0 . 64 ( d , j hf = 2 . 1 hz , 3h , zr -- ch 3 ). 19 f nmr ( c 6 d 6 , 23 ° c .) for diastereomer a ( 56 %): δ - 115 . 86 ( s , br , 3 f ), - 132 . 23 ( s , br , 1 f , al -- f ), - 133 . 76 ( t , 3 j f - f = 18 . 3 hz , 3 f ), - 138 . 53 ( s , br , 3 f ), - 139 . 40 ( t , 3 j f - f 18 . 3 hz , 3 f ), - 153 . 10 ( t , 3 j f - f = 18 . 3 hz , 3 f ), - 153 . 44 ( t , 3 j f - f = 18 . 3 hz , 3 f ), - 154 . 72 ( t , 3 j f - f = 21 . 2 hz , 3 f ), - 161 . 18 ( t , 3 j f - f = 18 . 3 hz , 3 f ), - 162 . 86 ( t , 3 j f - f = 18 . 3 hz , 3 f ). diastereomer b ( 44 %): δ - 113 . 48 ( s , br , 3 f ), - 133 . 76 ( t , 3 j f - f = 21 . 2 hz , 3 f ), - 134 . 44 ( s , br , 1 f , al -- f ), - 137 . 89 ( s , br , 3 f ), - 139 . 09 ( t , 3 j f - f = 18 . 3 hz , 3 f ), - 153 . 10 ( t , 3 j f - f = 18 . 3 hz , 3 f ), - 153 . 28 ( t , 3 j f - f = 18 . 3 hz , 3 f ), - 153 . 73 ( t , 3 j f - f = 18 . 3 hz , 3 f ), - 161 . 03 ( t , 3 j f - f = 18 . 3 hz , 3 f ), - 162 . 68 ( t , 3 j f - f = 18 . 3 hz , 3 f ). 13 c nmr ( c 6 d 6 , 23 ° c . ): δ 134 . 02 , 132 . 96 , 132 . 43 , 128 . 31 , 127 . 67 , 127 . 28 , 126 . 95 , 126 . 64 , 126 . 21 , 125 . 90 , 125 . 81 , 124 . 88 , 124 . 20 , 124 . 10 , 123 . 57 , 122 . 89 , 122 . 01 , 121 . 98 ( c 6 - ring ), 119 . 16 , 116 . 56 , 115 . 96 , 114 . 94 , 112 . 90 , 112 . 79 ( c 5 - ring ), 91 . 82 , 90 . 95 , 89 . 30 , 89 . 20 , ( c 5 - si ), 51 . 46 , 51 . 73 , ( zr -- ch 3 ), - 1 . 31 , - 2 . 13 , - 2 . 88 , - 3 . 51 ( sime 2 ). anal . calcd for c 57 h 21 alf 28 sizr : c , 49 . 47 ; h , 1 . 53 . found : c , 49 . 09 ; h , 1 . 27 . in a glove box , a 250 ml flamed , 3 - necked round - bottom flask equipped with a magnetic stirring bar was charged with metallocene ( 5 - 10 mg ) and cocatalyst ph 3 c . sup .⊕ pba . sup .⊖, in a 1 : 1 molar ratio and the flask was then reattached to the high vacuum line . a measured amount of dry toluene ( 50 ml for this study ) was next condensed onto the solids and the mixture was warmed to room temperature with stirring for 10 min to preactivate the catalyst . the resulting solution was then equilibrated at the desired reaction temperature using an external constant temperature bath . gaseous ethylene or propylene was next introduced with rapid stirring and the pressure was maintained at 1 . 0 atm by means of a mercury bubbler . after a measured time interval , the reaction was quenched by the addition of 2 % acidified methanol . the polymer was collected by filtration , washed with methanol , and dried on the high vacuum line overnight to a constant weight . highly isotactic polypropylene is the result of propylene polymerization using pba . sup .⊖ as a catalyst . the reaction parameters and results are set forth in the table . table__________________________________________________________________________ethylene polymerization activities with metallocene / ph . sub . 3 c . sup .⊕ pba . sup .⊖ catalysts and polymerproperties activity . sup . aex . tp μmol of reaction polymer ( g polymer / mol t . sub . m . sup . d ah . sub . uno . catalyst (° c .) cat . time ( min ) yields ( g ) of cat · amt · h ) m . sub . w . sup . c mw / mn (° c .) ( cal / g ) __________________________________________________________________________ 9 cp . sub . 2 zrme . sub . 2 25 20 20 0 010 cp &# 34 ; zrme . sub . 2 25 20 30 0 . 18 1 . 80 × 10 . sup . 4 5 . 46 × 10 . sup . 5 6 . 0 139 . 4 40 . 511 ( cp . sup . tms . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 zrme . sub . 2 25 15 2 . 0 0 . 54 1 . 08 × 10 . sup . 6 1 . 26 × 10 . sup . 6 5 . 6 142 . 3 2912 cp &# 39 ;. sub . 2 zrme . sub . 2 25 15 0 . 67 1 . 15 6 . 90 × 10 . sup . 6 8 . 97 × 10 . sup . 4 4 . 6 138 . 0 53 . 913 cgczrme . sub . 2 25 15 10 0 014 cgctime . sub . 2 60 30 30 0 . 20 1 . 33 × 10 . sup . 4 2 . 05 × 10 . sup . 6 3 . 9 139 . 2 19 . 515 cgctime . sub . 2 110 30 5 . 0 0 . 20 8 . 00 × 10 . sup . 4 2 . 05 × 10 . sup . 6 3 . 1 142 . 5 24 . 416 rac - me . sub . 2 si ( ind ). sub . 2 zrme . sub . 2 60 20 120 0 . 65 1 . 63 × 10 . sup . 4 2 . 34 × 10 . sup . 4 3 . 59 145 -- __________________________________________________________________________ . sup . a carried out at 1 atm of ethylene and 50 ml of toluene on a high vacuum line . sup . b reproducibility between runs = 10 - 15 % . sup . c gpc relative to polystyrene standards . sup . d dsc from the second scan . sup . e for propylene polymerization the table summarizes ethylene polymerization activities by various metallocene catalysts activated with ph 3 c . sup .⊕ pba . sup .⊖. cp 2 zrme 2 exhibits virtually no activity for ethylene polymerization . this is presumably caused by the anion coordination through a zr -- f -- al bridge ( fig2 a ). however , as the ligand framework of the cation portion changes from cp ( c 5 h 5 ), to cp &# 34 ;( 1 , 2 ,- me 2 c 5 h 3 ), to [ 1 , 3 -( sime 3 ) 2 c 5 h 3 ], to cp &# 39 ;( c 5 me 5 ), the activity for ethylene polymerization increases dramatically ( examples 9 - 12 ) and reaches the highest level of 6 . 90 × 10 6 g of pe /( mole of cat - atm - h ) with the cp &# 39 ; 2 zrme 2 catalyst ( example 12 ). the polyethylene produced is highly linear with a melting temperature t m of 139 . 4 ° c . and crystalline with heat of fusion δhμ of 53 . 9 cal / g . as the bulkiness of cation portion increases , the degree of anion coordination drops significantly , clearly reflecting the relationship between the polymerization activity and the relative tightness of cation - anion pairing structure . in the case of the cp &# 39 ; ligand , the separation of cation and anion reaches an optimum condition for reactivity that results in the maximum polymerization activity and instability of the cationic complex derived therefrom as well . such a dramatic influence of the ligand framework substituents on polymerization activity is unprecedented and suggests the special features of the subject anion . pba . sup .⊖ is apparently such a large anion that separation of anion and cation can be easily and substantially tuned and optimized by selecting the appropriate bulky cation . for the sterically more accessible cgc type of catalyst , pba . sup .⊖ promotes no catalytic activity at room temperature , resulting from the strong anion coordination as reflected by the 66 ppm down - field shift of the al -- f f resonance as compared to pba . sup .⊖ ( fig2 c , example 13 ). however , as the temperature of polymerization increases , the polymerization activity increases dramatically ( examples 13 - 15 ) presumably due to a higher degree of separation of cation - anion pairs at higher temperatures . while the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention . in addition , many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof . therefore , it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention , but that the invention will include all embodiments and equivalents falling within the scope of the appended claims . various features of the invention are set forth in the following claims . | 8 |
reference will now be made in detail to several embodiments of the invention that are illustrated in accompanying drawings . whenever possible , the same or similar reference numerals are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts or steps . the drawings are in simplified form and are not to precise scale . for purposes of convenience and clarity only , directional terms such as top , bottom , left , right , up , over , above , below , beneath , rear , and front , may be used with respect to the drawings . these and similar to directional terms are not to be construed to limit the scope of the invention in any manner . the words attach , connect , couple , and similar terms with their inflectional morphemes do not necessarily denote direct or intermediate connections , but may also include connections through mediate elements or devices . the feed mechanism for the sewing machine may be separate from the rest of the machine or incorporated as a part thereof . it can feed the fabric independent of the other sewing machine mechanisms and , with the addition of the rotational or cross feed components of the feed mechanism , fabric can be fed in any direction . the feed dog moving in an elliptical path transports material over the throat plate . there are three computer controlled servo drive motors driving the feed mechanism : a vertical drive motor ( feed lift ), a horizontal drive motor ( feed travel ), and a rotational drive motor or a cross drive travel drive motor , all linked to a motor controller , a programming device or computer , and operator control panel or display . in the case of the rotational feed mechanism a “ joy stick ” type input device can be used to “ steer ” the fabric in any desired direction or path . typical sewing machines to which this feed mechanism can be adapted to include , but are not limited to : lockstitch machines — 301 type stitch , differential feeds , top feeds , feed - off - arm type machines , chainstitch machines — 401 type stitch , feed - up - arm type machines , coverstitch machines , blindstitch machines , zig - zag machines , overlock machines ( sergers ), tackers , and pattern sewers . referring now to fig1 , the sewing machine feed mechanism 200 is provided by a grouping of parts including the feed bar 152 . the feed lift bracket 150 communicates with the feed bar 152 at one end with pivot bracket 154 at the other end of feed bar 152 . the feed travel bracket 156 is secured to the feed bar 152 adjacent to the pivot bracket 154 . first drive block 160 communicates with the pivot cradle 174 on pivot bracket 154 . second drive block 162 communicates with the feed travel drive block cradle 172 on the feed travel bracket 156 . then third drive block 164 communicates with feed lift drive block cradle 170 on the feed lift bracket 150 . thus , front end 180 of feed bar 152 supports the feed lift bracket 150 . the top end 182 of feed bar 152 receives the feed dog 240 . the back end 184 of feed bar 152 has a pivot bracket 154 secured thereto . the bottom side 186 of feed bar 152 has feed travel bracket 156 secured thereto . the feed lift eccentric 190 communicates with third drive block 164 and is driven by feed lift servo motor 210 . the feed travel eccentric 191 communicates with second drive block 162 and is driven by feed travel servo motor 210 . pivot pin 214 cooperates with first drive block 160 . this structure provides cooperation between vertical feed lift motion 230 of third drive block 164 and horizontal feed travel motion 234 of drive block 162 . elliptical motion 232 of the feed dog 240 on the feed bar 152 occurs when the feed lift servo motor 210 and the feed travel servo motor 212 are rotated in conjunction . the vertical or feed lift servo motor 210 , and horizontal servo drive motor or feed travel servo motor 212 are capable of being programmed to achieve an elliptical motion . in addition , the motors can be programmed to achieve non - elliptical feed motions . for example , the feed motion could rise slowly vertically so as to reduce damage to the fabric , then move horizontally and retract down quickly and return horizontally quickly . also , the feed motion stitch length can be programmed by adjusting the time span for the vertical motion or by advancing the vertical motion partially and then retracting ( partial rotation of the motor ). the motors can also be programmed to do reverse feeding simply by changing the timing of when the vertical motion is activated relative to the horizontal motor . the “ tacking ” operation can be done with this type of sewing machine feed mechanism by simply programming the motors to move the fabric forward one stitch length and back one stitch length for a set number of sewing machine cycles . finally , this feed mechanism with separately driven motors can feed the fabric while not sewing . this can be used to achieve any desired stitch length for example by feeding the fabric in increments , sewing one stitch , and feeding the fabric again in increments and sewing one stitch , the effect is a long stitch length . this can be used to do “ basting ” where one or several stitches are put into a sewn product to temporarily hold pieces together . this is done in a number of areas that could now be programmed into a pattern where the product is moved automatically to the various points where basting is done without operator involvement . a third programmable servo motor or rotation servo motor 140 can be added to this feed mechanism to achieve fabric feeding in a desired or any direction or pattern as will be described next . adding fig2 to the consideration , rotation feature 106 is depicted . needle plate 110 is connected to support plate 112 . support plate 112 is supported by one or two of support post 114 . support post 114 , singly or more , receive rotation base plate 116 . rotation base plate 116 supports two sets of groove rollers 120 . one set of grooved rollers 120 is connected to guide rails 126 . the other set of grooved rollers 120 is optionally connected to guide rails 126 . guide rails 126 rest on rail support plate 118 . segment gear 130 is connected to rotation plate 116 and meshes with pinion gear 132 . pinion gear 132 is operated by rotation servo motor 140 . rotation servo motor 140 is in turn operated by motor controller 242 . input device 244 feeds information to motor controller 242 to control servo motor 140 . input device 244 and motor controller 242 may be joint or separate devices . motor controller 242 or input device 244 may be a joy stick , a computer or other appropriate device . with such a structure , the elliptical motion 232 of fig1 may be adjusted to any desired shape . the structure of motor controller 242 and input device 244 may be applied to the feed lift servo motor 210 or the feed travel servo motor 212 of fig1 or any other servo motor herein . referring to fig3 , sewing machine feed device 100 is positioned on sewing machine 102 under a right turn indicator 104 where needle plate 110 rotates . the feed device 200 and the rotation feature 106 provides a fabric transport method through the sewing machine 102 that is programmable , that can feed fabric in any direction and that is readily controllable and flexible . in fig4 , sewing machine feed device 200 is shown with its rotation feature 106 . needle plate 110 is mounted over support plate 112 . support plate 112 sits on a pair of support posts 114 . support posts 114 provide connection between support plate 112 and rotational base plate 116 . below the rotational base plate 116 is a rail support plate 118 . mounted between rotational base plate 116 and rail support plate 118 is guide rail 126 . while guide rail 126 is secured to support plate 118 , it is not directly secured to rotational base plate 116 . grooved rollers 120 are secured to rotational base plate 116 , preferably in a rotational fashion . the grooved rollers 120 are four in number and positioned on opposing sides of guide rail 126 . segment gear 130 is mounted and secured to rotational base plate 116 . segment gear 130 contacts and meshes with pinion gear 132 . pinion gear 132 is mounted on and secured to the rotational servo motor 140 , so that a desired rotation can occur . rotational servo motor 140 , mounted in this structure , permits efficient feeding of material through a sewing machine 102 ( fig3 ). in fig5 , the linear drive feature 200 is further explained in block diagram form as connecting to needle plate 110 . more particularly feed dog 240 communicates with needle plate 110 . feed dog 240 also communicates with feed bar 152 . feed bar 152 is connected to feed lift bracket 150 , pivot bracket 154 , feed travel bracket 156 . depending on the desired function , at least one of three procedures are followed . in fact elliptical systems and variations thereof may be achieved . in one case , feed lift bracket 150 is optionally connected to third drive block 164 . third drive block 164 is connected to feed lift eccentric 190 . feed lift eccentric 190 is operated by feed lift servo motor 210 . feed lift servo motor 210 is operated motor controller 242 and input device 244 as above described . in another case , feed bar 152 is connected to feed travel bracket 156 . feed travel bracket 156 cooperates with second drive block 164 , which in turn is connected to feed travel eccentric 191 . feed travel eccentric 191 is operated by feed travel servo motor 212 , which in turn , is controlled input device 244 as above described . in still another function , pivot bracket 154 cooperates with first drive block 160 as mounted on pivot pin 214 . the set ups are selectively operated in any desired combination . with the rotational feature 106 , the feed mechanism can now feed the fabric in any direction . with the feed dogs in the down position the needle plate is rotated by the rotational servo motor so that the feed dogs are pointing in the desired direction . when the feed dogs are on the vertical portion of their elliptical path they engage the fabric and then move the fabric horizontally in the direction set by the rotational motor . the feed dogs then retract down , the rotational motor repositions to the next desired direction and the cycle repeats . the fabric must be held stationary by the presser foot during the needle plate rotation . by a combination of programming the rotational motor with the forward and reverse directions of the horizontal and vertical motors any fabric direction can be achieved . the control of the fabric movement can be accomplished with a joystick . a joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling . the left , right , forward , and backward motion of the fabric could be controlled with a joystick . the fabric motion can also follow a programmed path . the location of each stitch can be inputted into a computer and stored . various programs can then be called up and used to drive the fabric feed mechanism and sewing machine to produce an infinite variety of paths , curves , patterns , and stitch types . fig6 depicts another embodiment of a sewing machine feed mechanism with second sewing machine feed device 300 . this top feed arrangement can be incorporated into a typical blindstitch machine . in this case , the feed dog 270 grips the fabric from the top . the primary feed dog 270 again moves in an elliptical motion driven by the vertical servo motor or feed lift servo motor 210 and its eccentric 190 and first drive block 160 and the horizontal servo motor or the feed travel servo motor 212 and its eccentric 191 and second drive block 162 . the primary feed dog 270 may also grip the fabric from the top and pulls the fabric through the sewing machine 102 . pivot pin 214 works to hold first drive block 160 in position pivot bracket 154 of motion bracket 152 . feed travel bracket 156 of motion bracket 152 receives second drive block 162 . feed lift bracket 150 of motion bracket 152 receives third drive block 164 . this structure permits the feed dog 270 to operate efficiently . in fig7 , another embodiment of sewing machine feed device 100 in the form third sewing machine feed device 400 is shown . a differential feed is accomplished . two mechanisms are arranged side - by - side such that the first feed dog 250 is behind the second feed dog 260 . each side can be activated separately . when first feed dog 250 is programmed to move a greater horizontal distance than second feed dog 260 the fabric is gathered . when first feed dog 250 is programmed to move less than second feed dog 260 the fabric is stretched . having the capability to program the sewing machine , when the fabric is to be gathered or stretched , can be important when sewing knit materials that act differently when pulled in different directions . in this case , there are two feed mechanisms placed side - by - side . the motors can be programmed so that the first feed dog 250 can move a greater horizontal distance than the second feed dog 260 resulting in stretching the fabric . when the first feed dog 250 is programmed to move a lesser horizontal distance than the second feed dog 260 the fabric 110 is gathered as desire . this is basically a duplicate version of fig6 . each of first feed dog 250 can move a greater horizontal distance than the second feed dog 260 motion is driven by its own vertical servo motor or feed lift servo motor 210 and its own eccentric 190 and first drive block 160 ; and the horizontal servo motor or the feed travel servo motor 212 and its eccentric 191 and second drive block 162 . each pivot pin 214 works to hold first drive block 160 in position pivot bracket 154 of motion bracket 152 . feed travel bracket 156 of motion bracket 152 receives second drive block 162 . this applies to each feed lift bracket 150 of motion bracket 152 receives third drive block 164 . fig8 provides an exploded view of a fourth embodiment for an omni - directional feed mechanism in the form of lateral eccentric guide 500 . in this case , a lateral component ( left or right ) is added to the sewing machine feed device 100 of fig1 , which fig1 is shown in phantom without numbers as cooperating with lateral eccentric guide 500 . this arrangement allows the three motions to move completely independent from one another . for the lateral eccentric guide 500 , first cross travel guide plate 502 and second cross travel guide plate 504 are positioned on opposite sides of sewing machine feed device 100 . third cross travel guide plate 506 aligns with first cross travel guide plate 502 . fourth cross travel guide plate 508 aligns with second cross travel guide plate 504 . four spacers 546 in two pairs are positioned between the third cross travel guide plate 506 and first cross travel guide plate 502 , and fourth cross travel guide plate 508 and second cross travel guide plate 504 . the four spacers 546 include first spacer 520 and second spacer 522 , and third spacer 524 and fourth spacer 526 . the first set of four apertures 548 appear in pairs in each of first cross travel guide plate 502 and second cross travel guide plate 504 . the second set of four apertures 550 appear in pairs in each of third cross travel guide plate 506 and fourth cross travel guide plate 508 . first spacer 520 and second spacer 522 connect a pair of the first set of apertures 548 and a pair of the second set of apertures 550 . third spacer 524 and fourth spacer 526 connect a separate pair of the first set of apertures 548 and a separate pair of the second set of apertures 550 . the cross travel servo motor 510 connects to the cross travel eccentric 512 , which in turn connects to the cross travel bracket 514 . centered in the cross travel bracket 514 is the cross travel drive block 516 . the cross travel bracket 514 is connected to the cross travel guide plate 518 . bushings 566 contact cross travel guide plate 518 and guide rods 544 . guide rods 544 also contact second set of apertures 550 at the opposing end thereof . more particularly , bushings 566 include first bushing 560 , second bushing 562 , third bushing 564 , and fourth bushing 566 . guide rods 544 include first guide rod 528 , second guide rod 530 , third guide rod 532 and fourth guide rod 534 , each of which contact its own member of the second set of apertures 550 . likewise first bushing 560 cooperates with first guide rod 528 . second bushing 562 cooperates with second guide rod 530 . third bushing 564 cooperates with third guide rod 532 . fourth guide rod 534 cooperates with fourth bushing 564 . this structure provides an inward movement 540 and an outward movement 542 , as shown by the respective arrows . the lateral eccentric motion 552 is depicted by an arcuate arrow . turning now to fig9 , sewing machine feed device 100 cooperates with lateral eccentric guide 500 . sewing machine feed device 100 has feed lift bracket 150 cooperating with third drive block 164 . the third drive block 164 is connected to the feed lift eccentric 190 , which is in turn connected to motor controller 242 . feed bar 152 is connected to both pivot bracket 154 and feed travel bracket 156 . feed travel bracket 156 is optionally connected to second drive block 162 . second drive block 162 is connected to feed travel eccentric 191 , which is in turn connected to feed travel servo motor 212 . feed travel circular 212 connects to motor controller 242 . motor controller 242 follows instructions from input device 244 . also connected to pivot bracket 154 is first drive block 160 which receives pivot pin 214 . motor controller 242 is connected to the feed cross travel servo motor 510 of the lateral eccentric guide 500 . the feed cross travel servo motor 510 is connected to the feed cross travel eccentric 512 , which in turn cooperates with the feed cross travel guide block 516 . the feed cross travel guide block 516 cooperates with the feed cross travel guide bracket 514 , which is connected to the center feed cross travel guide plate 518 . guide rods 544 supports the center feed cross travel guide plate 518 and the right feed cross travel guide plate 550 . spacers 546 separate the right feed cross travel guide plate 550 and left feed cross travel guide plate 548 . these arrangements allow fabric to be moved in any direction in the x - y horizontal plane ( x axis being the feed cross travel and y axis being the feed travel ). this method of fabric movement is useful for all sewing machines that produce a lockstitch ( stitch type 301 ) where the stitch can be formed with the fabric moving forward , reverse , left , or right . arcuate or elliptical movements are also permitted , especially with the structures as shown in fig8 and fig9 . for sewing machines that produce chainstitches ( stitch types 401 , 500 &# 39 ; s ) the fabric must have some forward component of movement in order to properly form the stitch . a single omni - feed mechanism as described above can be used to replace the feed mechanism in single and multi - needle chainstitch machines and sergers to do curved or straight patterns . by combining two omni - feed mechanisms these types of machines can produce closed patterns that include inside and outside turns . the material can be rotated 360 degrees by placing one feed dog behind the needle and the other feed dog in front of the needle . by programming the two cross feed motors to move in opposite directions the fabric can be rotated . this application , taken as a whole with abstract , specification , claims , and drawings being combined , provides sufficient information for a person having ordinary skill in the art to practice the invention as disclosed and claimed herein . any measures necessary to practice this invention are well within the skill of a person having ordinary skill in this art after that person has made a careful study of this disclosure . because of this disclosure and solely because of this disclosure , modification of this method and device can become clear to a person having ordinary skill in this particular art . such modifications are clearly covered by this disclosure . | 3 |
referring now to the drawings wherein like numerals designate similar and corresponding parts throughout the several views , in fig1 through 8 , inclusive , a peeling apparatus 40 is illustrated , according to my invention . an apple 41 , shown in phantom , is mounted on an arbor 42 which rotates about an axis &# 34 ; a &# 34 ;, it being understood that my invention is applicable to most fruits and vegetables , including but not limited to , pears , onions , potatoes and turnips . for purposes of description , as used herein , directions such as &# 34 ; forward &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; upward &# 34 ; and the like are indicated by the arrows &# 34 ; f &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; u &# 34 ;, respectively , in the drawings . the peeling apparatus 40 generally comprises a means for maintaining the location of a fruit or vegetable with respect to a peeling blade 43 ; a means for rotating the fruit or vegetable with respect to the peeling blade 43 during peeling . a distinguishing feature of my invention is that a continuous peeling strip 45 is produced rather than small peeling segments . with reference to fig1 - 3 , the arbor 42 cooperates with a pair of surfaces to maintain the location of the apple with respect to the peeling blade 43 . as shown in fig3 one surface is a surface of a counter top 74 while the other surface is the surface of a steady rest portion 59 of a handle 58 . it will be appreciated that surfaces of articles such as a table , chopping block or a custom block can be used in place of the counter top 74 . the arbor 42 is preferably detachable and is mounted in an end portion of a handle 44 . the handle 44 further serves as the means for rotating the apple 41 . as best seen in fig7 and 8 , the arbor 42 consists of three thin radial fins 46 which are equally spaced about an axis of the arbor 42 . the corners of the arbor 42 are rounded to facilitate the mounting of the apple 41 . the ends of the fins 46 opposite the rounded corners are attached to a short hex shaped shaft 47 . the axis of the arbor 42 is coincident with an axis &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; about which the apple 41 rotates . during the rotation of the apple 41 in the direction of arrow &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; in fig3 the apple 41 engages a sharp cutting edge 51 of the blade 43 to produce the continuous peeling strip 45 . the detachable arbor 42 is desirable for several reasons . it allows the use of optional arbors to accommodate differences in size , shape , hardness and texture of fruits and vegetables . it also simplifies the mounting and removal of the apple 41 and a cleaning of the arbor 42 . the odd number of fins 46 prevents planar stresses from developing which could split the apple 41 in half as the apple 41 is pressed on to the arbor 42 . the short hex shaft 47 at the end of the arbor 42 engages a corresponding shaped aperture at the end of a handle 44 . an existing screw driver handle which is used with interchangeable bits may be used , or a special handle having a hex aperture for attaching the arbor 42 . adjacent to the inner ends of the fins 46 is a circular collar 48 which is used for grasping the arbor 42 during the mounting or removal of the apple 41 . the construction of the peeling blade 43 which is an important element of my peeling apparatus 40 is best understood by reference to fig4 , 9 and 10 . the peeling blade 43 is a generally rectangular blade comprised of an arcuate front strip 49 joined to an arcuate rear strip 50 . the rear edge of the front strip 49 is spaced apart from the front edge of the rear strip 50 and is ground to a sharp knife edge 51 . the arcuate shape is desirable for generating the continuous peeling strip because of variations in the contours of fruits and vegetables . the arcuate shape allows the cutting edge 51 to generate a peeling strip as it follows the contour of the apple 41 . however , for fruits and vegetables in which abrupt changes in curvature do not occur , straight blades can be used with my invention . at the ends of the rear strip 50 are tabs 52 which extend forwardly to attach the rear strip 50 with small screws 53 to the ends of the front strip 49 . other tabs 54 extend outwardly from the ends of the rear strip 50 to engage apertures 55 in spaced apart arm portions 56 of the handle 58 to pivotally mount the blade 43 . the centers of the apertures 55 lie on an axis &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; about which the blade 43 may rotate a small amount to engage the cutting edge 51 with the apple 41 . the maximum amount of rotation of the blade 43 rotation about the axis &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; is governed by a small protuberance 57 which projects inwardly from one of the arms 56 to contact the rear strip 50 . limiting the amount of blade rotation is desirable for initially engaging the blade 43 with the apple 41 . the precise rotation of the blade 43 during peeling is determined by the contact of rear strip 50 with the apple 41 . the handle 58 which carries the blade 43 also serves as a means for controlling the motion of the blade 43 with respect to the apple 41 during peeling . the two - piece blade 43 is preferable over a single piece blade because it allows the front strip 49 to be made of a simple strip 49 of quality steel which is capable of maintaining a sharp cutting edge 51 and the rear strip 50 to be stamped of an easily formable low carbon steel . however , a single stamping can be used having a narrow slot for separating and offsetting the front and rear portions of the blade 43 . referring to fig9 and 10 , the relationship of the front strip 49 to the rear strip 50 is important to properly engage the cutting edge 51 with the apple 41 . as shown in fig9 the cutting edge 51 is offset below the pivot axis &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; and is offset below the rear strip 50 by small amounts . the cutting edge 51 is further offset forwardly of the pivot axis &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; and offset forwardly of rear strip 50 . during peeling , the engagement of the cutting edge 51 produces a torque which causes the rear strip 50 to rest on the apple 41 . the contact of the rear strip 50 with the apple 41 sets the depth of cut of the blade 43 and thickness of the peeling strip 45 . in an alternate embodiment 60 illustrated in fig3 - 33 , a narrow tab 61 extends rearwardly on the rear strip 50 to further control the rotation of the blade 43 and depth of cut of the cutting edge 51 . in an alternate embodiment illustrated in fig3 , a pair of blades 43 are mounted on a common handle for peeling large 63 and small 64 apples . in fig2 , 28 and 29 , embodiments 65 , 66 are disclosed for selectively adjusting the position of the apple 41 with respect to the cutting edge 51 . in an embodiment 65 shown in fig2 and 28 , the location of the surface of the steady rest which constrains the apple 41 with respect to the cutting edge can be adjusted . a small cylindrical post 67 in the center of an auxiliary steady rest 68 engages an aperture 69 of a steady rest 70 . a small rubber &# 34 ; o &# 34 ; ring 71 on the center post 67 provides a snug fit of the center post 67 in the aperture 69 . in the embodiment 66 of fig2 , a small cylindrical post 72 engages a threaded aperture 73 of a steady rest . the peeling apparatus 40 of fig1 through 8 is used in the following manner . the apple 41 is mounted on the arbor 42 as shown in fig1 and 2 by piercing the center of the apple 41 with the arbor &# 39 ; s fins 46 . the arbor 42 is next attached to the handle 44 by engaging the arbor &# 39 ; s hex end portion 47 with the handle 44 . after the arbor 42 is attached , the handle 44 is grasped with one of the user &# 39 ; s hands and the other handle 58 which carries the blade 43 is grasped with the other of the user &# 39 ; s hands and the apple is placed on the counter top 74 . the apple 41 is next oriented and engaged with the cutting edge 51 of the blade 43 as shown in fig3 . after the cutting edge 51 is engaged , the arbor 42 is continuously or non - continuously rotated with the user &# 39 ; s hand about the axis &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; in the direction of arrow &# 34 ; c &# 34 ;, and the blade 43 is traversed from side to side across the apple 41 in the direction of arrows h -- h to produce either a continuous peeling strip 45 or segments ( not shown ). during the traversal of the blade 43 across the apple 41 , the blade 43 may also be rotated with the handle 58 in the direction of the arrows g -- g as shown in fig3 to engage the outer portions of the cutting edge 51 with the apple 41 . after peeling has been completed , the apple 41 and arbor 42 are removed from the handle 44 , the collar 58 is grasped with a user &# 39 ; s hand and the apple 41 is removed from the collar 58 . in place of a manual means , such as the handle 44 of fig1 - 8 , a small batter operated or conventional ac motor may be used to rotate the apple 41 , it being necessary to control the motor &# 39 ; s speed by the usual gear or electronic means . in the alternate embodiment 75 of fig1 - 13 , the arbor 42 is detachably mounted in an existing power screwdriver 76 . the screwdriver 76 is exemplary of a batter operated means for rotating the apple 41 and cooperates with the arbor 42 to locate the apple 41 with respect to the blade 43 . the screwdriver 76 is mounted on a charging stand 77 which is supplied with the screwdriver 76 . the stand 77 rests on a counter to 78 such that the apple 41 overhangs an edge of a sink 79 to deposit the peeling 45 into the sink 79 . in fig1 , the charging stand 77 has been deleted to illustrate that the charging stand 77 is not an indispensable element of my invention . referring to fig1 through 17 , an embodiment 80 is shown wherein the arbor 42 is detachably mounted in a manual crank 81 which serves as the rotating means . the crank 81 cooperates with the arbor 42 to provide the means for positioning the apple 41 with respect to the blade 43 . the crank 81 is mounted in a housing 82 which rests on a surface 83 of a table or a counter top . the housing 82 is secured to the surface 83 with suction cups 84 at each of the corners of a base 93 . in the embodiment 86 of fig1 through 20 , the manual crank 81 and peeling blade 43 are supported on a common base 87 . a lower end portion of a handle 94 is rotatably connected to an intermediate member 92 which is pivotally connected to a slider plate 89 . the slider plate 89 is free to move in opposite directions in a track 88 of the base 87 . the handle 94 , intermediate member 92 , slider plate 89 and base 87 cooperate to provide the means for controlling the motion of the blade 43 during the continuous peeling . during peeling , the motion of the handle 94 is controlled with one of the user &# 39 ; s hands . in fig2 through 24 an embodiment 95 is shown which is exemplary of the use of an ac motor for rotating the apple 41 . in this embodiment 95 , the arbor 42 is detachably mounted in a conventional electric can opener 96 and cooperates with the can opener 96 to locate and rotate the apple 41 with respect to the blade 43 . in fig2 and 26 , an embodiment 97 is shown wherein a conventional electric mixer 98 is used in place of the can opener 96 . peelings from the apple 41 are deposited in a bowl . from the foregoing it will be apparent that my invention provides numerous advantages over existing peeling devices . moreover , my improved , efficient , easy - to - use peeler provides these advantages in homes , restaurants and other commercial establishments . a unique feature of my invention is that my invention can be used in a continuous or interrupted manner for peeling fruits and vegetables . although i have illustrated and described only several embodiments of my invention , it is not my intention to limit my invention to these embodiments , since other embodiments can be developed by obvious changes in material , shape as well as substitution , elimination and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit thereof . | 0 |
referring to fig1 a conventional endoscope system comprises an endoscope 2 and a light source unit 4 . as is known well , the endoscope 2 has an insertion section 6 to be inserted into a body cavity , a control section 10 for controlling the endoscope 2 to bend a bending portion 8 of the insertion section 6 , and an eyepiece section 14 for allowing the operator to observe an image on a region of interest through the insertion section 6 and a light guide 20 ( not shown ) extending in the control section 10 . a universal cord 16 extends from the control section 10 and has a plug or connector 18 at its end . the light guide 20 extends through the insertion section 6 , the control section 10 and the universal cord 16 . an end portion of the light guide 20 projects from the plug 18 , as shown in fig2 . the eyepiece section 14 has a mount 22 to which a camera unit ( not shown ) is attachable and terminals ( not shown ) connected to a motor and a photometer within the camera unit when the camera unit is mounted on the eyepiece section 14 . electrical power lines and signal lines connected to the terminals extend into the plug 18 through the control section 10 and the universal cord 16 . these lines are then connected to terminal rods of the plug 18 , respectively . referring to fig2 one of the electrical power lines 24 is shown and is connected to a corresponding terminal rod 26 . the plug 18 has a hollow case 27 through which the light guide 20 and the electrical power line 24 extend . a plug cover 28 made of an insulator is screwed in an opening of the hollow case 27 . the light guide 20 extends through the plug cover 28 . a cylindrical holder 30 for protecting the light guide 20 and the terminal rod 26 are embedded in the plug cover 28 . referring to fig2 the cylindrical holder 30 is projected from the end face of a cylindrical projecting portion 29 of the plug cover 28 in parallel with the central axis of the plug 18 . similarly , the surface of the terminal rod 26 which contacts with the cylindrical projecting portion 29 extends substantially parallel to the central axis of the plug 18 . further , the terminal rod 26 projects from the side surface of the cylindrical projecting portion 29 . other terminal rods ( not shown ) are arranged on the same circumference of the plug 18 and are embedded in the plug cover 28 . surfaces of the other terminal rods which contact with the cylindrical terminal rods 26 extend substantially parallel to the axis of the plug 18 and project from the side surface of the cylindrical projecting portion 29 . a knurled fastening ring 32 is rotatably fitted around the plug hollow case 27 . threads 34 are formed on the inner surface of the fastening ring 32 . a socket 38 having a structure as shown in fig3 is disposed on a front panel 36 of the light source unit 4 . the light source unit 4 has a light source 41 comprising an ellipsoidal mirror 40 and a lamp 42 , a power source circuit ( not shown ) and a photometer control circuit ( not shown ). the electrical power lines and the signal lines extend from the power source circuit and the photometer control circuit , respectively , to the socket 38 . these lines are connected to terminal plates fixed on the sockets 38 . referring to fig3 one of electrical power lines 43 is shown and is connected to a corresponding terminal plate 42 - 1 . an attachment ring 44 is inserted into a hole formed in the front panel 36 so as to bring a flange 46 of the attachment ring 44 in contact with the front surface of the front panel 36 . a ring - shaped fastening nut 48 is screwed on an annular portion 47 of the attachment ring 44 projecting from the rear surface of the front panel 36 . therefore , the front panel 36 is clamped by the flange 46 and the fastening nut 48 and the attachment ring 44 is fixed properly at the front panel 36 . threads 52 on which the fastening ring 32 is screwed are formed on an outer circumference of a ring portion 50 of the attachment ring 44 projecting outwardly from the front panel 36 . an annular stepped portion is formed on the inner surface of the ring portion 50 . a socket body 54 is made of an insulator and has an outer shape which corresponds to the inner shape of the attachment ring 44 . the socket body 54 is fitted in the attachment ring 44 . thus , the annular stepped portion on the outer circumferential surface of the socket body 54 comes in contact with the annular stepped portion of the ring portion 50 . a ring nut 56 is screwed in the annular portion 47 of the attachment ring 44 and the socket body 54 is clamped between the annular stepped portion of the ring portion 50 and the ring nut 56 . the socket body 54 has a cylindrical recess or hollow 58 which corresponds to the shape of the projecting portion 29 of the plug cover 28 . as shown in fig4 slots 60 - 1 , 60 - 2 , 60 - 3 , 60 - 4 and 60 - 5 which are open to the recess are axially formed in the socket body 54 around the axis of the socket and are substantially parallel thereto . terminal plates 42 - 1 , 42 - 2 , 42 - 3 , 42 - 4 and 42 - 5 having elastically deformable structure are received in the slots 60 - 1 , 60 - 2 , 60 - 3 , 60 - 4 and 60 - 5 , respectively . vertex portions 62 of the terminal plates 42 - 1 to 42 - 5 are completely received in the slots 60 - 1 to 60 - 5 , respectively . ends 64 of the terminal plates 42 - 1 to 42 - 5 are located short of the opening end of the socket body 54 . the width of the slots 60 - 1 to 60 - 5 is slightly larger than that of the terminal plates 42 - 1 to 42 - 5 . the terminal plates 42 - 1 to 42 - 5 are fixed by screws 68 to the socket body 54 through bending portions 66 , as shown in fig3 . a through hole 70 into which the cylinder holder 30 is inserted is formed in the socket body 54 . the plug 18 is fitted in the socket 38 , as shown in fig5 . the end face of the cylinder holder 30 of the plug 18 is faced to the through hole 70 of the socket 38 , and the end face of the plug cover 28 or the cylindrical projecting portion 29 is faced to the recess 58 of the socket 38 . then , the plug 18 is rotated to a predetermined position so that the cylinder holder 30 and the cylindrical projection portion 29 are inserted into the through hole 70 and the recess 58 respectively , the terminal rod 26 of the plug 18 is inserted into the corresponding slot 60 - 1 and other terminal rods are inserted into the corresponding slots 60 - 2 to 60 - 5 , respectively . when the fastening ring 32 of the plug 18 is rotated , the threads 34 of the plug 18 are engaged with the threads 52 of the attachment ring 44 of the socket 38 . therefore , the plug 18 is fixed in the socket 38 completely . the terminal rod 26 which is inserted in the slot 60 - 1 comes in contact with the vertex end 62 of the terminal plate 42 - 1 in the slot 60 - 1 . the terminal rod 26 is electrically connected to the terminal plate 42 - 1 properly . the end face of the light guide 20 within the cylindrical holder 30 inserted in the through hole 70 is located on the optical path of the light source 41 . therefore , light from the light source 41 can be guided in the light guide 20 . with the above arrangement , the plug 18 is completely and properly fixed in the socket 38 . further , when the plug 18 is detached from the socket 38 , an electrical hazard resulting from the terminal plate being contacted is prevented , assuring safe operation . even if a finger is inserted in the recess 58 of the socket 38 , the terminal plates 42 - 1 to 42 - 5 are not exposed and the finger can hardly be brought into contact with the terminal plates 42 - 1 to 42 - 5 within the slots 60 - 1 to 60 - 5 . further , since the terminal plates 42 - 1 to 42 - 5 are received in the corresponding slots , respectively , and are separated from the wall of the plug body , dust or water may not cause short - circuiting of the terminal plates . therefore , electronic components may not be damaged and electric shock can be prevented . | 0 |
in fig1 , a customer &# 39 ; s telephone 102 is connected via twisted pair lines 104 to a cross - box 106 at a central office ( co ) 101 . the cross - box 106 is commonly referred to in the industry as a main distribution frame ( mdf ). typically , when the customer is being provided only plain old telephone service (“ pots ”), then a connection in the cross - box or connection frame 106 , connects the twisted pair lines 104 through connection wires 108 to low frequency lines 110 connected to class 5 switches 112 at the co 101 . the class 5 switches 112 interpret the dialed telephone number and work with the public switched telephone network (“ pstn ”) 114 to connect the customer &# 39 ; s call to its destination . when the customer has a personal computer 116 or otherwise wishes to add digital subscriber line (“ dsl ”) service , a dsl access multiplexer ( dslam ) 118 implemented at and / or in conjunction with the co 101 is added to the circuit for the customer . typically , the dsl service is used by the subscriber to connect to an internet protocol network 119 . to add the dslam 118 , a low frequency side of the dslam 118 is connected to the low frequency lines 110 to the class 5 switches 112 . this connection is done by breaking or disconnecting connection lines 108 in the cross - box 106 , and connecting the low frequency lines 110 to low frequency lines 111 with connection lines 120 in the cross - box 106 , as shown in fig1 . at the same time , a connection passing all frequencies from the dslam 118 and the customer is made by adding connection lines 122 between the lines 104 and lines 124 . lines 104 , 110 , 111 and 124 are usually twisted pair lines . now there is a twisted pair connection from the customer &# 39 ; s lines 104 through the connection lines 122 and through lines 124 to dslam 118 . if the connection lines 120 and 122 are not properly installed , then the dsl service to the customer will not operate . as illustrated in fig1 , to test the proper connection of the dslam 118 to the customer lines 110 via the cross - box 106 , a multi - loop tester 113 at the co 101 provides a test signal over the low frequency lines 110 , 111 and the connecting lines 120 to a signature circuit 126 implemented in connection with the dslam 118 . the signature circuit 126 will generate a signature signal in response to this test signal , which may be subsequently detected by the multi - loop tester 113 of the co 101 through the low frequency lines 110 , 111 and connecting lines 120 , and class 5 switches 112 . one embodiment for the signature circuit 126 will be described hereinafter with references to fig2 and 3 . the signature circuit 126 might be most easily applied to the network by incorporating it into a protector circuit 128 . the protector circuit 128 is used to protect the dslam 118 from voltage or current surges due to lightning strikes . as is well known , such lightning strikes can occur anywhere and , thus , may induce voltages and / or currents on any of the lines 104 , 108 , 110 , 111 , 122 , 124 and 130 and / or , more generally , within any of the devices and / or systems illustrated in fig1 . as shown in fig1 , the protector circuit 128 is coupled to the dslam 118 via internal and / or external lines 130 . thus , the protector circuit 128 and the signature circuit 126 may be integral to the dslam 118 and / or be distinct from the dslam 118 . these protector circuits 128 are regularly serviced and replaced . accordingly , incorporating the signature circuit 126 into the protector circuit 128 provides an easy method for installing the signature circuit 126 . a test signal to test low frequency lines 110 and 111 and their proper connection through line 120 in the cross - box 106 is supplied from the multi - loop tester 113 through the class 5 switches 112 . fig2 shows one preferred embodiment for the signature circuit 126 . the voltage polarity of the test signal is indicated in fig2 between line 111 a and line 11 lb ( i . e . wires of twisted pair line 111 of fig1 ). diode 206 allows current to flow only from node 201 to node 203 . however , an avalanche break - down diode , or zener diode , 208 will not permit a current flow i 1 until the voltage across zener diode 208 exceeds its breakdown voltage vz . when this occurs , the voltage between nodes 210 and 203 will be very close to the break - down voltage vz for the zener diode 208 as the forward bias voltage across diode 206 will be very small . above the breakdown voltage vz of zener diode 208 , current i 1 will flow through resistor 212 , zener diode 208 , and diode 206 and the magnitude of such current will be substantially equal to ( v 1 - vz )/ r the resistance of resistor 212 . thus , by applying a voltage pulse greater than vz between lines 111 a and 111 b and observing the current through the lines 111 a and 111 b during the pulse , a proper connection at the dslam 118 can be tested remotely from the co 101 . in fig3 , the voltage pulse v 1 is the test signal , and the resultant current signal i 1 is the signature signal . when a test signal v 1 ( voltage pulse for example ) is applied on twisted pair wires 111 a and 111 b and the magnitude of the pulse exceeds the breakdown voltage vz of the zener diode 208 , current will flow through the signature circuit 126 , and this current can be sensed as the signature signal . if the signature circuit 126 does not detect the test signal and generate the signature signal , then it is likely that the connection line 120 ( fig1 ) in the cross - box 106 has been improperly installed . of course other signature circuits might be designed to provide a voltage response , a frequency response , or a phase response . if the test signal were a frequency signal , the signature circuit would be designed to detect the test frequency signal and generate and return a signature frequency to the tester at the central office . the signature frequency would differ from the test frequency . if the test signal were a phase signal , the test signal would be transmitted as frequency pulses at a predetermined phase , the signature circuit would detect the frequency pulses , and send back to the central office frequency pulses with the phase shifted relative to the test signal pulses . in fig4 , a dslam 402 is connected to a cross - connection frame 400 through a cable 404 carrying multiple paired wires for multiple lines . each wire pair pin connection in the cable 404 will have a pair of pins in the connector 410 . fig4 illustrates an embodiment of the testing system and method where a signature circuit is embodied in a shoe 414 plugged between connectors 410 and 412 . in the shoe there are multiple signature circuits — one signature circuit between each telephone - line , wire - pair connection in the shoe . each signature circuit in test shoe 414 can be installed to connect between each pair of pins . between one of connectors 406 and 408 or connectors 410 and 412 , a signature circuit test shoe 414 is inserted . in fig4 , the test shoe 414 has pins that plug into sockets of connector 410 . the test shoe 414 has sockets to receive pins ( not shown ) of connector 412 . thus , test shoe 414 is connected between connector 410 and connector 412 . connector 412 connects to the connection frame 400 where wiring patches are made to connect the dslam 412 to the customer &# 39 ; s lines . without dsl service , the customer lines would be connected by patch lines 418 . with dsl service , the patch lines 418 are disconnected and low frequency patch lines 420 are connected between a dslam connection array 421 and a public switching telephone connection array 422 . patch lines 424 are connected between the dslam connection array 421 and a customer connection array 425 . a particular signature circuit has been shown and described , but it will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that any number of voltage signal , current signal , frequency signal , signature devices could be inserted as a signature circuit to implement the present invention . while the invention has been particularly shown and described with referenced to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various other changes in the form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 6 |
as shown in fig1 and 2 of the drawings , an earth boring bit generally designated by the reference number 10 includes a main bit body 12 supporting three rotatable conical cutter members 14 , 15 and 16 with only two of the cutter members 14 and 16 being shown in fig1 . each of the cutter members are arranged so that its axis of rotation is oriented generally toward the centerline 18 of the bit which coincides with the longitudinal axis of the borehole 20 . a central passageway 22 extends downwardly into the bit body 12 along the centerline 18 . the bit body 12 also includes an external threaded pin portion 24 for allowing the bit 10 to be connected to the lower end of a string of hollow drill pipe . the bit body 12 includes three depending arms with only two of the arms 26 and 28 being shown . each of the depending arms is provided with a journal portion and a bearing pin for rotatably supporting a respective cutter member in a conventional manner . each of the three arms of the bit 10 terminates in a shirttail that is disposed in close proximity to the wall of the borehole 20 . as is well known in the art , each of the rotary cone cutting members includes an internal cavity for receiving its respective bearing pin . bearing means are provided between each of the cone cutter members and the bearing pin within the internal cavity . the bearing means include a system of either friction or roller bearings and a system of ball bearings . with reference again to fig1 and 2 of the drawings , a multiplicity of tungsten carbide inserts 30 are embedded in the outer surface of the cone cutting members 14 , 15 and 16 for disintegrating the formations as the bit is rotated and moved downward . drilling fluid is forced downward through the center of the hollow drill pipe , passing into the central cavity 22 . passages 32 divide the flow of fluid passing through the cavity 22 into three distinct streams . the streams flow downwardly through the passages 32 to nozzles 34 which direct the fluid between the cutters to the bottom 36 of the borehole 20 , cleaning the borehole 20 and carrying the cuttings to the surface . as might be expected , the cutters 14 , 15 and 16 are subjected to the direct blast of fluid flowing through the nozzles 34 as well as the effect of the fluid deflected from the bottom of the borehole 36 . also , the cutter members 14 , 15 and 16 are continuously running in the cuttings generated as the cutter members engage the borehole bottom 36 . thus , the cutter members are subjected to extremely abrasive and / or erosive conditions that tend to wear , erode and abrade the material forming the exterior or cone shell of the cutter members . the cone shells of the cutter members 14 , 15 and 16 include grooves 38 and insert lands 40 . when drilling in relatively soft , abrasive formations where the bit is penetrating at a rapid rate , it can be expected that the abrasive formations will be in contact with the cone shells on the areas at the outer and inner edges of the insert lands 40 , as well as between the inserts 30 due to the penetration depth of the individual carbide cutting inserts 30 . when this cone shell contact occurs , the softer cone shell material will erode away next to the carbide inserts 30 until the inserts 30 become exposed enough that the retention ability in the cone shell is weakened , thus causing the loss of the inserts 30 and a reduction in bit life . conditions often exist where the pressure , volume , and weight of the circulating fluid is inadequate for flushing of the cuttings from the borehole . under these conditions , the cuttings generated by the action of the bit on the bottom of the borehole are not efficiently removed and tend to fall back to the bottom until a time when regrinding by the bit reduces the individual particles to a size small enough to be lifted by the circulating fluid . it can readily be appreciated that the bit will be working in a bed of abrasive cuttings under these conditions . as shown more clearly in fig2 of the drawings , each of the cutter members 14 , 15 , and 16 is provided with a plurality of spaced , circumferential rows of inserts 30 . the inserts are preferably formed from an extremely hard material , such as carbide . the inserts function is to penetrate and , to some extent , disintegrate the formations encountered by the bit during the drilling of the well borehole . each of the cutter members 14 , 15 and 16 includes a plurality of circumferential grooves 38 and lands 40 with the inserts 30 being located in the lands 40 . with reference to fig1 and 2 of the drawings , specific areas on each of the lands 40 and grooves 38 are applied with hardfacing material 42 by a process that will be described hereinafter . the provision of the hardfacing material 42 in the areas of the lands 40 and grooves 38 as will be described serves to increase the life and effectiveness of the bit by reducing the abrasion and / or erosion of the relatively soft cutter member material that supports the inserts . bits incorporating large amounts of bit offset will increase the degree of cutter sliding action in contact with the formation . with this extreme sliding action , the erosive wear on the cutter lands occurs at an accelerated rate . referring now particularly to fig2 the areas of major concern occur substantially at the inner 44 and outer 46 edges of the cutter lands 40 since this is where the least amount of cone shell section is found due to the limited space provided to allow for the next row of cutting inserts 30 on an adjacent cone . these areas can withstand little wear before exposing the inserts and reducing the retention ability of the cone . the edges formed by the junction of the lands 40 and grooves 38 will experience the most wear as follows : beginning at the gage row 48 , the wear is most pronounced at its inner edge 44 ; each successive inner row 50 will experience the most pronounced wear on both the inner 44 and outer 46 edges ; the final , or nose row 52 will experience the most pronounced or damaging wear on its outer edge 46 . current bits with a large degree of bit offset and high penetration rates have made cone shell erosion a significant factor in limiting bit life . in accordance with the present invention , the disposition of hardfacing material in these specific / critical areas in patterns that accommodate the placement of the insert cutters and prevent wear of these edges provides a simple , economical , timely , and effective means of protecting the valuable cone shell material and , thereby , prevents the loss of inserts during drilling operations . fig2 illustrates the preferred embodiment of the disposition of a band 54 of hardfacing material on the edges of the grooves 38 and semi - circular patterns 56 of hardfacing on the edges of the lands 40 adjacent to the inserts 30 . it will be understood that the greatest wear occurs on the inner edge 44 of the gage row 48 land 40 ; on the inner 44 and outer 46 edges of the inner row 50 lands 40 ; and on the outer edge 46 of the nose row 52 land 40 . fig3 illustrates another embodiment of a hardfacing pattern in accordance with the present invention wherein slot patterns 58 of hardfacing are located between the inserts 30 in the place of the semi - circular patterns 56 shown in fig2 . the cutter members 14 , 15 , and 16 of fig3 are the same as those of fig1 and 2 with the exception of a variation in the hardfacing pattern . as previously mentioned , the inserts 30 are retained in the cutter members 14 , 15 and 16 by the &# 34 ; hoop &# 34 ; tension generated as the inserts are pressed therein . fig4 - a through 4 - f illustrate a method of the present invention utilized to successfully and economically protect the lands and grooves immediately adjacent the inserts without losing the &# 34 ; hoop &# 34 ; tension . although fig4 a - 4f are directed to one of the lands 40 of the cutter member 14 having insert retaining holes 60 , it is to be understood that the present method applies to all of the lands 40 on each of the cutter members 14 , 15 and 16 . with reference to fig4 a - 4f of the drawings , the cutter members 14 , 15 , and 16 are machined to the desired configuration providing the lands 40 and grooves 38 after the inner bearing surface has been carburized . after machining , with the number and arrangement of the inserts predetermined , the pattern for the hardfacing of the lands 40 is marked , preferably with a numerically controlled ( n / c ) machine using conventional milling cutters and spacing ( indexing ) identical to that of the spacing of the insert holes 60 . as shown in fig4 - a , the appropriate hardfacing pattern on the lands 40 is seen as semicircular shapes 62 etched into the land surface . the shapes are designed to maintain a minimum of 1 / 16 &# 34 ; clearance from where the insert hole 60 will be . fig4 - b reflects a cross - sectional view which shows that the marking operation results in a relatively shallow depth of cut 64 . at this point , the location of the band 66 of hardfacing material ( see fig4 - f ) on the edge of the groove 38 does not have to be etched into the cutter . in place of etching or machining the hardfacing pattern , the lands 40 may be masked where the insert holes are to be drilled by a protective covering to be removed following the hardfacing application . after the marking procedure is complete , the surface of the cutter member , that is , the surface of the lands 40 and grooves 38 are cleaned , preferably by heating . after cooling , the marked patterns 62 are painted with a bonding agent , such as a silicate , covering and staying within the areas marked , the bonding agent is also used to create the width of the circumferential bands 66 at the edge of the grooves 38 adjacent to the lands 40 . a relatively fine particulate carbide 68 is then sprinkled on the silicate as shown in fig4 - c and 4 - d . manifestly , any suitable type of hardfacing material can be utilized with or without a bonding agent as required . when the silicate has dried , heat is applied to the hardfacing material 68 in any suitable manner , such as by the use of an atomic hydrogen or oxy - acetylene torch to permanently bond the hardfacing material 68 to the surface of the lands 40 and grooves 38 . upon completion of the application of hardfacing material 68 and after the cutter member has been heat treated ( quenched ), the cutter member is aligned on a numerically controlled ( n / c ) drilling machine 1 / 2 pitch out of sink with the hardfacing patterns 62 pitching sequence , the holes 60 are automatically drilled in proper sequence , avoiding the hardfacing material . then , the inserts 30 are pressed into the holes 60 by conventional means . as can be seen in fig4 - e and 4 - f , the hardfaced patterns 62 protect the edges of the land 40 adjacent the holes 60 . the patterns 62 and hole spacing are designed so that a minimum of 1 / 16 &# 34 ; clearance is maintained between the pattern 62 and the edge of the hole 60 at their nearest point . the circumferential bands of hardfacing 66 are substantially 1 / 8 &# 34 ; to 1 / 4 &# 34 ; wide and provide protection at the relatively thin section between the grooves 38 and the wall of the insert holes 60 ( see fig4 - f ). the method described hereinbefore provides a means of hardfacing material application in patterns for specified critical and vulnerable areas of the cutter member lands 40 and grooves 38 . the application economically prevents erosion and / or abrasion , yet does not destroy the ability of the cutter member to provide the tension force necessary to maintain the inserts 30 in their holes 60 . by drilling the holes 60 in the cutter member after heat treating , the cutter member material hardness is increased without the risk of deforming or damaging the holes 60 which is critical in maintaining uniform &# 34 ; hoop &# 34 ; tension around the holes 60 . at the same time , the foregoing procedure avoids the formation of stress around the insert holes . thus it will be appreciated that as a result of the present invention a highly effective drill bit and method is provided by which the principal object and others are completely fulfilled . it is contemplated and will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description and accompanying drawing illustrations that variations and / or modifications of the disclosed embodiment may be made without departure from the invention . for example , a variety of patterns of hardfacing material may be applied to the upper surface of the lands 40 provided that there is sufficient distance between the insert holes 60 and the hardfacing to allow for the minimum preferred clearance of 1 / 16 of an inch between the hardfacing and the edge of the holes 60 at their nearest point . accordingly , it is expressly intended that the foregoing description and accompanying drawings are illustrative of a preferred embodiment only , not limiting , and that the true spirit and scope of the present invention be determined by reference to the appended claims . | 8 |
further description of the present invention is provided with reference to the drawings and in particular to fig1 and 2 which depicts a plan view of microfluidic device 10 with a plurality of microchannels pathways formed in a substrate 12 . the microchannels 11 can be formed in any suitable substrate known in the art . in one embodiment , an excimer laser system is used to form microchannels 11 in a polycarbonate substrate . the dimensions of the microchannels are approximately 50 μm wide and 90 μm deep with a slightly rounded bottom as is best shown in fig2 . the polycarbonate microchannel chip , i . e ., substrate 12 is covered with an acrylic lid 13 containing a plurality of 2 - mm diameter holes 14 to provide fluid access to the microchannel 11 . the two pieces , i . e ., substrate 12 and lid 13 , were clamped together between glass slides and bonded by placing in a circulating air oven at 103 ° c . for 30 minutes . hydrogel plug 15 is formed in microchannel 11 using a modified procedure similar to the one described by rehman et al . ( rehman , f . n . ; audeh , m . ; abrams , e . s . ; hammond , p . w . ; kenney , m . ; boles , t . c ., nucleic acids research 1999 , 27 , 649 - 55 ) which is directed to fabricating dna copolymers on optical fibers . rehman et al . is herein incorporated by reference . hydrogel plug 15 is a porous matrix into which is incorporated , ligands to be used as a probe for analyzing a sample containing an analyte . in forming hydrogel plugs 15 , the microchannel 11 is filled with a solution containing 0 . 0006 % ( w / v ) riboflavin , 10 % ( w / v ) 19 : 1 acrylamide : bis - acrylamide , 10 - 15 μm acrylamide - modified oligomer , 0 . 125 % ( v / v ) temed , and 0 . 00007 % fluoresbrite beads in 1 × te ( 10 mm tris - hcl , 1 mm edta , ph 7 . 4 ) buffer , with an equivalent amount of the same solution placed into each of the fluid reservoirs . fluoresbrite beads were used as visualization markers to minimize fluid flow prior to photopolymerization . the microchannel 11 was illuminated with 515 - 560 nm light and the emission from the beads was detected at 590 nm . the movement of the fluoresbrite beads was then monitored while adjusting the volumes of each of the fluid reservoirs and the volumes of each of the fluid reservoirs was adjusted to balance the fluid reservoirs and minimize fluid flow in the microchannel 11 . the microchannel 11 was then illuminated with 340 - 380 nm light focused on a portion of the microchannel 11 for five minutes to effect polymerization . an adjustable aperture in the microscope illumination path was used to define the size of the illuminated spot ( typically between 500 μm and 600 μm diameter ) and , therefore , the size of the resulting hydrogel plug . after polymerization the photopolymerization solution was rinsed from the open channels on either side of the hydrogel plug 15 and replaced with either a buffer solution containing 0 . 5 m nacl and 1 × te ( 10 mm tris - hcl , 1 mm edta , ph 7 . 4 ) buffer or the same buffer containing complementary dna . the microfluidic device 10 was refrigerated and filled with 0 . 5 m nacl and 1 × te ( 10 mm tris - hcl , 1 mm edta , ph 7 . 4 ) buffer when not in use . platinum electrodes 24 a , 26 a are placed in contact with the solution in reservoirs 16 a and 17 a , respectively , and simultaneously electrodes 24 b , 26 b are placed in contact with the solution in reservoirs 16 b and 17 b and all electrodes 24 a , 24 b , 26 a , 26 b are connected to a high voltage power supply 18 . the current through the microchannel 11 is determined by measuring the voltage drop across a 100 kω resistor connected to the power supply in series with the microchannel 11 . the geometry of the microfluidic device 10 permits easy flushing and replacement of solutions in microchannel 11 on both sides of the hydrogel plug 15 after polymerization . in addition , the side - by - side microchannels 11 a , 11 b facilitate the concurrent photopolymerization of two adjacent microchannels allowing comparison of two channels photopolymerized under the same conditions , but containing different dna copolymers . it should be noted that chemical modifications of the microchannel walls is not required before photopolymerization to obtain stable hydrogel plugs . it is believed that the polymers are not chemically bound to the microchannel surface , but nonetheless are able to withstand pressures up to three psi and voltages as high as 100 v for short periods of time . the polymers are stable for extended periods of time to routine exposure to multiple 10 - minute applications of 10 - 25 v . for example , one microfluidic device was utilized for a total of several hours over the course of two days . advantageously , the exposure period of greater than 25 minutes at a voltage of 10 - 25 v should be avoided as such conditions could lead to polymer failure . the hydrogel filled microchannel 11 can be used to detect an analyte in a sample . for example , if the hydrogel plug 15 contains single strand dna ( ssdna ), it is possible to use the hydrogel plug 15 ( i . e ., polymer - filled microfluidic channel 11 ) to detect complementary dna via hybridization , as depicted in fig3 . the reproducibility and regeneration of dna detection of hydrogel plug 15 has been demonstrated . in an example , the hydrogel plug 15 a in microchannel 11 a contains an immobilized acrylamide - modified 20 - base oligomer gca cct tgt cat gta cca tc ( seq . id no . 1 ) identified as s 1 , and microchannel 11 b holds a hydrogel plug 15 b containing a second , different immobilized acrylamide - modified 20 - base oligomer agg ccc ggg aac gta ttc ac ( seq . id no . 2 ) identified as s 2 . a 12 μm solution of fluorescein - tagged s 1 complement and 0 . 5 m nacl in 1 × te buffer was electrophoresed into both hydrogel plugs 15 a , 15 b and rinsed with 0 . 5 m nacl in 1 × te buffer to remove unhybridized dna . the bound s 1 complement was denatured by the electrophoresis of 0 . 4 m naoh / 0 . 5 m nacl in 1 × te buffer through both hydrogel plugs 15 a , 15 b . the process was repeated in two instances , but in a third , the unbound dna is removed from the noncomplementary hydrogel plug by inverting the polarity of the electric field for both microchannels 11 a , 11 b and thereby reversing the movement of the unbound dna out of the hydrogel plugs 15 a , 15 b . in all examples , the hydrogel plug in microchannel 11 a contains an immobilized acrylamide - modified 20 - base oligomer s 1 , and the microchannel 11 b holds a hydrogel plug 15 b containing a second , different immobilized acrylamide - modified 20 - base oligomer s 2 . initially the wells 16 a - 19 a and 16 b - 19 b and associated segments of the microchannel 11 were filled with 12 μm of the s 1 complement tagged with fluorescein in a solution containing 0 . 5 m nacl and 1 × te ( 10 mm tris - hcl , 1 mm edta , ph 7 . 4 ) buffer . the wells 20 a - 17 a and 20 b - 17 b and associated segments of the microchannels 11 a , 11 b were filled with the 0 . 5 m nacl - 1 × te buffer alone . in the initial example , the complementary dna solution was electrophoresed into the polymer plug for five minutes at an applied potential of 25 v . once the hydrogel plugs 15 a , 15 b appeared to be full of the complementary dna , the wells 16 a - 19 a , 16 b - 19 b , 20 a - 17 a , 20 b - 17 b , and the associated microchannels segments , were all rinsed with 0 . 5 m nacl in 1 × te buffer and the clean buffer solution was then electrophoresed through both hydrogel plugs 15 a , 15 b at 25 v for 5 minutes . fluorescence images of the hydrogel plugs indicate that s 1 complement remains in the hydrogel plug 15 a which contains the immobilized s 1 probe , while the s 1 complement is largely flushed from the hydrogel plug 15 b which contains the noncomplementary s 2 probe . the remaining fluorescence at the edges of the hydrogel plug 15 b appears slightly different than the fluorescein fluorescence of the hydrogel plug 15 a , possibly as a result of riboflavin remaining in the hydrogel plug 15 b from the polymerization process . the hybridization of complementary dna targets with the probe dna - containing hydrogel plug is reversible . duplexes formed in the copolymer can be denatured either electrophoretically or chemically and the hybridization process repeated . for example , if the microchannels 15 a , 15 b are rinsed with 1 × te buffer containing no nacl and electrophoresis is re - initiated , a gradual , but incomplete , loss of complement from the hydrogel plugs occurs over a span of 10 - 15 minutes . a faster and more efficient method for removing the hybridized target dna is to electrophorese a denaturation solution of 0 . 4 m naoh / 0 . 5 m nacl into the polymer plug at 10 v for 10 min ., which removes not only the complement but also the riboflavin remaining from the photopolymerization process . in the other examples referred to above , the process is essential the same , with one change , namely , the rinsing of the wells 16 a - 19 a , 16 b - 19 b , 20 a - 17 a , 20 b - 17 b and associated segments of microchannels 15 a , 15 b is eliminated , and the electrophoresis voltage is simply inverted , just as the end of the polymer fills with dna . thus voltage inversion reverses the unbound dna out of the polymer hydrogel plug . treatment with aqueous naoh is a commonly used denaturation procedure in southern blot chemistry , and acrylamide hydrogels are known to be chemically stable under these conditions . the dna hydrogel plug 15 also acts to scavenge complementary dna and low concentrations of complementary dna in solution can be accumulated and concentrated in the hydrogel plug 15 . the ability of the hydrogel plugs 15 a , 15 b to concentrate dna is demonstrated by the following example with data presented in fig3 ( a ) to 3 ( d ). in fig3 ( a ) to 3 ( d ), a solution containing 150 nm tamra - tagged s 2 complement in 0 . 5 m nacl in 1 × te buffer was electrophoresed into an s 2 - containing hydrogel plug . this concentration is sufficiently low such that fluorescence was not observed from the solution in the open channel . however , with continued electrophoresis the tamra - tagged s 2 complement accumulated in the hydrogel plug over time . concentration profiles of accumulating tamra - tagged s 2 complement with increasing time of electrophoresis are shown in fig3 ( a ) to 3 ( d ). concentrations were determined by generating a calibration curve of fluorescence intensity vs . dna concentration after measuring the fluorescent intensities of solutions of tamra - tagged s 2 complement of varying known concentrations . then the fluorescence intensity of the hydrogel plug during the accumulation experiment was compared against the tamra - tagged s 2 complement calibration curve , resulting in concentration values for the tamra - tagged s 2 complement hybridizing in the hydrogel plug . the fluorescence was averaged across the entire width of the microchannel 11 for each data point along the length of the hydrogel plug 15 . the potential variation in tamra fluorescence intensity between solution and the hydrogel plug 15 environments was not considered in calculating concentrations . the sharp peak of tamra - tagged s 2 complementary dna seen on the far left is the accumulation of the complement in the open channel at the solution - plug interface due to the interface acting as an electrophoretic dam . after 25 minutes of electrophoresis , the fluorescence intensity reaches a plateau at a distance of approximately 40 to 100 μm into the plug . the intensity of the plateau roughly corresponds to a concentration of 20 μm in the plug , some two orders of magnitude higher than the initial 150 nm concentration of the solution in the microchannel . although the exact concentration of the acrylamide - modified ssdna in the hydrogel plug were not analytically measured , based on the operating conditions , it is calculated that the concentration of ssdna s 2 complement captured is 20 μm based on a hydrogel plug photopolymerization solution containing 15 μm of acrylamide - modified ssdna and the hydrogel plug which has not been rinsed with 0 . 5 m nacl in 1 × te buffer . it is possible to average the fluorescence intensity over a rectangle encompassing the entire hydrogel plug , thereby calculating the average concentration of complementary dna throughout the entire hydrogel . it is also instructive to calculate the position of the leading edge of fluorescence along the hydrogel plug , which was defined from concentration profiles like those shown in fig3 ( a )- 3 ( d ) as the distance from the left edge of the hydrogel at which the concentration first reaches 3 μm . the average concentration of complementary dna throughout the entire hydrogel plug and the position of the leading edge of fluorescence in the polymer plug , plotted as a function of electrophoresis time , is generally linear . the linear behavior of both the position of the edge and the average concentration indicate that , under these conditions , the rate of capture of dna targets is limited by the speed at which dna can be electrophoresed into the plug . the ability of this polymeric system to detect complementary dna can be considered an integrative process , where sensitivity will depend on the concentration of dna target , the concentration of dna probe in the hydrogel , and time allotted for electrophoresis . in another embodiment of the present invention , fig4 ( a ) and 4 ( b ) depict a single microchannel fluidic device 410 which can be used for multi - analyte detection . detection of multi - analytes can be realized by using different color fluorescing tags or by spatially localizing hydrogel plugs that contain different dna probes . three spatially - separated hydrogel plugs linear sections , 415 a , 415 b , 415 c , contain different sequence dna probes or no dna whatsoever where photopolymerized in the same microchannel 11 but located in a different linear section of the microchannel 411 . hydrogel plug section 415 a contains dna probes complementary to a fluorescein tagged target , s 1 , while the hydrogel plug section 415 c contains dna probes complementary to a tamra tagged target , s 2 best shown in fig4 ( b ). the two dna - containing plugs are separated by hydrogel plug section 415 b that does not contain probe dna . initially the entire chip or microfluidic device 410 was filled with a photopolymerization solution containing acrylamide - modified s 2 , and the hydrogel plug section 415 c was created by focusing uv light on the far right portion of the microfluidic channel 411 . the wells sections 414 , 417 , 419 and wells sections 420 , 421 , 422 and associated sections of the microchannel 411 were rinsed with 0 . 5 m nacl in 1 × te buffer and well section 417 - 421 of the microchannel 411 was rinsed by electrophorescing the 0 . 5 m nacl in 1 × te buffer through the section 417 - 421 of the microchannel 411 with the application of + 25 v from reservoir 420 to reservoir 419 . the wells sections 420 , 421 , 422 of the microchannel 411 were then filled with a photopolymerization solution containing no dna , and the hydrogel plug section 415 b was created by electrophorescing the polymerization solution through the hydrogel plug section 415 c and into the wells sections 417 - 421 of microchannel 411 via a + 25 v from reservoir 420 to reservoir 419 . uv light was then focused onto the center of the section 417 - 421 of microchannel 411 . the rinse and buffer electrophoresis was repeated , and in the third step a photopolymerization solution containing acrylamide - modified s 1 was introduced into the well sections 420 , 421 , 422 of the microchannel 411 . the hydrogel plug section 415 a was formed by electrophorescing the polymerization solution through hydrogel plug 415 c containing the s 2 and hydrogel plug 415 b having no dna and uv light was focused on the far left portion of the microfluidic channel 411 . a final rinse of the well sections 414 , 417 , 419 and well sections 420 , 421 , 422 of the microchannel 411 with 0 . 5 m nacl in 1 × te buffer completes the fabrication process . to demonstrate multi - analyte detection , a solution containing complements to both s 1 and s 2 was introduced into the well section 420 , 421 , 422 of the microchannel 411 and was electrophoresed through all three hydrogel plugs sections 415 a , 415 b , 415 c . after rinsing the well sections 414 , 417 , 419 and well sections 420 , 421 , 422 of the microchannel 411 with 0 . 5 m nacl in 1 × te buffer and electrophoresis of the buffer through the hydrogel plug sections 415 a , 415 b , 415 c to remove unbound dna complements at + 25 v from reservoir 420 to reservoir 419 , green fluorescence is observed predominantly from the hydrogel plug section 415 a indicating capture of the s 1 complement . conversely , red fluorescence is observed solely from the hydrogel plug section 415 c , indicating the presence of bound s 2 complement . although dna has been used herein as an exemplary ligand for use in the present microfluidic device , numerous additional ligands may be employed for use in the present device . a potentially useful list of ligands that could be immobilized in hydrogels for a variety analysis including single stranded dna for capturing dna and rna targets , double stranded dna for determination of protein - dna interactions , protein or enzymes for capturing target proteins for proteomic applications , dna aptamers for capturing target proteins for proteomic applications , and antibodies or antigens for immunoassay applications . further , catalytic dna or rna may be used for analysis of the metal ions , small molecules , metabolites , or proteins . in the case of catalytic nucleic acid applications , the catalytic dna or rna is immobilized in a first hydrogel and an analyte is electrophoresed or pumped through the first hydrogel where the catalytic dna or rna undergo self - cleavage . the cleaved strand , having been previously labeled with a fluorophore or suitable group , is then transported to a second hydrogel that contains an immobilized capture strand that is complimentary to the cleaved strand where it is captured . as a result , all cleaved strands are concentrated in the second gel and sensitivity is enhanced . in addition , multi - analyte detection is also possible using the present device where multiple catalytic dna &# 39 ; s or rna &# 39 ; s are immobilized in a first hydrogel and all are labeled with the same fluorophore . spatially separated additional hydrogels contain appropriate complimentary sequences which capture cleaved strands . spatial separation of the captured regions permits the same fluorescent tag to be used for all catalytic reactions . further , although previously described herein the analyte is electrokinetically driven through the porous matrix is generated by analyte flow , application of a pressure gradient can be used to induce flow of fluid and analyte through the pores of the matrix , thereby bringing analyte into contact with the ligands immobilized in the matrix . it will now be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention offers advantages previously not found in the art for use in achieving rapid multiplexed analysis of biological species in applications such as genomics , proteomics , and drug discovery , via biological ligands immobilized in hydrous gel plugs that are contained in microfluidic channels . further , different ligands can be immobilized in series in a single microfluidic channel by sequential photopolymerization of hydrogel plugs containing the different ligands . further , the present invention offers the advantage over prior systems by ensuring that target molecules collide with a captured ligand as the targets are electrophoresed through the hydrogel plugs . the primary advantages of the microfluidic hydrogel plugs versus two - dimensional bio - array formats include a greatly increased capacity relative to two - dimensional formats where monolayers of captured ligands are typically used because they three - dimensional nature of the gel plugs . in addition , the three - dimensional nature of the plugs generally increases the probability that the targets will encounter a captured ligand and biologically bind . further , mass transport of biological targets to capture ligands is greatly enhanced because all targets are electrophoretically driven through the gel plugs . therefore , analysis times are greatly reduced . because the gel plugs are confined to the reduced space of a microchannel , the driving of sample through the plugs results in a concentrating effect . in addition , hydrous plugs containing different ligands can be mobilized in series in microphoretic channels thereby allowing multiplexed detection of targets ( i . e ., analytes ). although the invention has been described above in relation to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that variations and modifications can be made in these preferred embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . | 1 |
the exemplary systems and methods described herein are related to various systems and methods that allow for the real space mapping of ionic diffusion and electrochemical reactivity in energy storage and conversion and electroresistive materials and devices based on spm - based detection of local strains induced by ion transport ( for example , diffusion or migration or both ), and interfacial and bulk electrochemical processes . more particularly , the systems and methods may allow for the spatially resolved qualitative and quantitative measure of local ion dynamics on the nanometer scale through the detection of strain that is developed due to ion redistribution when electrical fields are applied to electrochemically active storage materials . the methods described herein may be universally applied to study of cationic and anionic motion at the nanoscale volume level with high resolution in energy storage and generation systems such as , but not limited to , li - ion batteries , oxygen - containing fuel cells , and electroresistive and memristive devices . the specific embodiments described herein relate to the methodology employed to enable real space mapping of ionic diffusion and electrochemical reactivity in li - ion batteries and in oxygen - ion conductive solid surfaces . in one aspect of the disclosure , the oxygen reduction / evolution reaction phenomena on oxygen - conductive surfaces is mapped on the scale of several nanometers , well below the limit of micro - contact measurements . this allows for direct identification of local electrochemical reactivity and providing insight into local kinetic parameters . in another aspect li ion electrochemical activity is mapped in a li ion battery material . in accordance with the disclosure , bias - induced ionic dynamics including both transport and reactions are determined in a nanoscale surface region of a specimen through bias - induced volumetric changes are determined within a very small portion of the specimen . the mobile ion electrochemical activity in such extremely small volumes of a specimen is detected and measure through contact of a surface of the specimen with an spm probe . the spm probe has a tip that is extremely small and is capable of detecting very small changes in the surface of a material in contact with the probe tip . in accordance with the disclosure , a method and an apparatus for performing the method are described in which a quantitative measure of local ion dynamics on the nanometer scale is carried out through the detection of strain by means of contact with an spm probe tip . the strain in the material in contact with the probe is developed as a result of electrochemically - induced ion redistribution ( either transport or reaction ) when electrical fields are applied to an electrochemically active material . this technique is defined herein as electrochemical strain microscopy ( esm ). to enhance the performance of the probe tip , the tip can be coated with a solid electrolyte that is sensitive to a specific mobile ion . for example , the probe tip can be coated with a cation - containing electrolyte , such as a li or na - containing electrolyte or other anion , or a anion - containing electrolyte , such as an electrolyte including oxygen , fluorine , hydroxyl , and the like . in one exemplary embodiment , a high - frequency period voltage bias is applied between the cathode and the anode electrodes of a specimen , such as battery electrode material , and the spm probe acts as a passive probe of the local periodic surface displacement generated by the ion redistribution and the associated changes in the molar volume of the specimen . in another exemplary embodiment , the ( spm ) tip concentrates a periodic electric field in a nanoscale volume of material . in either method , the associated changes in molar volume result in local surface expansion and contraction , or lateral motion , or both that is transferred to the spm probe and detected by microscope electronics coupled with the probe . in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure , the extremely measurement high sensitivity of dynamic spm , potentially on the order of at least about 1 picometer and including , for example , a range of about 3 to about 10 picometers , enables the detection of ion concentration changes on the order of 10 % in 300 nm 3 volumes for typical values of chemical expansivity ( vegard ) coefficients . fig1 schematically illustrates the two methods described above . in fig1 a , a specimen 1 is subjected to analysis by an spm probe 2 . a pulsed voltage is applied to electrodes 3 and 4 to impart a periodic electric bias to an electrochemically active material 5 . an electric field 7 is set up in electrochemically active material 5 causing mobile ions to undergo chemical reactions with atoms making up the grain structures within the material 5 . these reactions lead to changes in a nanoscale volume v of material 5 creating a strain force 8 that causes surface 9 of material 5 to deform . the surface deformation is detected by spm probe 12 . fig1 b illustrates the alternative embodiment in which the spm probe 2 generates a periodic electric field in a nanoscale volume v of material 5 . spm probe 2 detects strain force 8 in the nanoscale volume v as a vertical or lateral , or a combined vertical and lateral displacement of surface 9 . the volumetric changes are created by the chemical reactions and transport of mobile ions in the nanoscale volume . fig2 illustrates an exemplary scanning probe microscopy ( spm ) system 10 that implements an electrochemical strain microscopy ( esm ) method of the present disclosure . the esm method is based on the application of a high - frequency periodic electric bias between an anode and a cathode of a li - ion thin film battery . a lock - in technique or equivalent is used to determine an oscillatory surface displacement on top of the li - ion thin film battery . the amplitude of the surface oscillations may be directly related to the concentration changes of li ions that is induced by the applied electrical bias ( v ac ) in small material volumes . a relationship between a local lattice parameter and the li ion concentration within a thin film battery is defined by the vegard tensor , or by defining the dependence of molar volume compounds on ion concentration . the amount of bias - induced li - ion flow is determined both by li - ion migration ( field driven ) and diffusion ( concentration driven migration ), both of which are essential for battery functionality . the alternative modes of excitation can include , but are not limited to the multifrequency ( for example , two or more ) at the fixed frequency , multiple frequency excitations with the use of the feedback loop to maintain resonance conditions , frequency sweeps at each spatial / voltage location , and broad band excitation ( band excitation ) without or with feedback . these alternative excitation methods are used to ensure the imaging at the cantilever resonance ( or adjusting driving frequency for variations in contact resonance frequencies along sample surface ). imaging at the resonance is preferred , but is not a required mode of esm . spm system 10 includes an atomic force microscopy ( afm ) system , although other spm implementations may be used . in one embodiment , spm system 10 includes an afm 12 , a sample 16 , a scanner 18 , and an add - on module 20 , shown in phantom . afm 12 may be any of a number of commercially - available afm systems , or equivalent instrumentation , such as , for example , a nanoindentor or a profilometer , or the like . cantilever 24 is equipped with a probe tip 26 , referred to simply as a “ tip .” afm 12 further includes a light source 28 such as a laser diode that generates a beam of light that is directed towards cantilever 24 and reflected toward a detector 30 , such as , for example , a four - quadrant photodetector . in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure , the reflected beam contains information regarding the deflection undergone by cantilever 24 . afm system 10 may include additional components , such as additional circuitry , firmware and / or processing modules . portions of afm system 10 may be implemented by one or more integrated circuits ( ics ) or chips . furthermore , controller module 22 and add - on module 20 may respectively include one or more modules or components . fig3 a depicts the topography of the polycrystalline licoo 2 surface of sample 16 . fig3 b depicts the deflection images of the polycrystalline licoo 2 surface using the tip . fig3 c illustrates a schematic drawing of the electrical connection of the tip in contact with sample 16 . in the present embodiment , sample 16 includes an all - solid thin - film li - ion battery test structure including a layered licoo 2 bottom cathode 24 , a lithium phosphorous oxynitride ( upon ) electrolyte 26 , and a top amorphous si anode 28 , all of which are deposited on a au / ni - coated al 2 o 3 substrate ( shown in fig9 ). layered licoo 2 is widely used as a cathode material in rechargeable lithium ion batteries and is relatively stable when in contact with ambient and aqueous environments . through the images illustrated in fig3 d and 3e , the utilization of a bias pulse to control local lithium concentration within the polycrystalline licoo 2 surface in accordance with the disclosure can be visualized . fig3 d illustrates a cantilever deflection image of the licoo 2 surface prior to the application of several approximately 2 - ms bias pulses of approximately 12 volts to the stationary tip 26 ( shown in fig6 ). tip 26 is positioned at a single point a in contact with the licoo 2 surface in an area where step edges are present within sample 16 . the afm measurements described in the present disclosure were performed with tip 26 in direct contact with the licoo 2 surface in air atmosphere and without any additional protective coating . referring to fig3 e , this image illustrates the cantilever deflection image of the licoo 2 surface after the application of the approximately 2 - ms bias pulses ( fig6 ). in comparing fig3 e and fig3 d , the topography of the licoo 2 surface at point b in fig3 e has changed relative to point a of fig3 d . this topography change indicates that a variation in material volume occurred as a result of a change in lithium concentration in the material following the application of the bias pulses . as seen in fig3 d and 3e , the step edge geometry of the licoo 2 surface remained substantially invariant prior to and after the application of the approximately 2 - ms bias pulses . the comparative images illustrated in fig3 d and 3e demonstrate the affect of applying local , short , high - voltage pulses that are well above the equilibrium redox potentials , to the licoo 2 surface ( in particular the cathode material ) of sample 16 . in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure , the induced electrochemical activity of the li ions , caused by the intercalated or de - intercalated lithium ions in the sample , enables the detection of molar volume changes and deformation of the licoo 2 surface . accordingly , the redistribution of lithium ions permits the quantitative mapping of ionic drifting and electrochemical activity in this class of materials using an spm technique . in one embodiment , a high - frequency periodic voltage vac is applied to the tip to measure ionic currents resulting from the local redistribution of lithium ions at the licoo 2 surface ( indicated as v ac in fig3 c ). as previously described , the electric field generated by the application of the periodic voltage v ac alters the local electrochemical potential of the lithium ions within the licoo 2 surface of sample 16 . the application of the periodic single frequency , multiple frequency , or band excitation voltage v ac changes the local concentration of the lithium ions , causing the lithium ions to diffuse through the solid , which changes the lattice volume of the licoo 2 surface at a contact region or area between tip 26 and the licoo 2 surface (“ tip - surface contact ”). in the demonstrated embodiment using the band excitation method , the use of a resonance enhancement technique enhances the sensitivity by a factor of approximately 30 to approximately 100 . ac voltages of varying frequencies are applied using a band excitation method to take advantage of the contact resonance enhancement . the ac voltage frequency can range from about 1 khz to about 10 mhz and including smaller ranges , for example , about 300 khz to about 400 khz . the tip - surface contact may be characterized as a harmonic oscillator having a resonant frequency determined by the young &# 39 ; s modulus of licoo 2 and the contact area between tip 26 and sample 16 . an amplitude of the resonance of the surface displacement at the tip - surface contact corresponds to the lithium ion mobility under the influence of an electric field . based on the utilization of a lock - in technique or its equivalents , the resonant amplitude of the surface displacement , measured in nanometers , may be determined , which yields information about the local bias - induced lithium concentrations and thus the lithium transport in the licoo 2 surface . the mathematical description for the tip - surface phenomena can be developed for several simplified cases . in the following description , it is assumed that the lithium ion transport processes are diffusion - limited and that the contribution of ion migration is minimal . in this case , the amplitude of the oscillating surface displacement u 3 , in units of distance , is ( in the high frequency regime ) represented by equation ( 1 ): where v ac is an alternating current ( ac ) voltage amplitude , d is the lithium diffusion coefficient , and the linear relation between an applied field and chemical potential is described by η . the coefficient β is an effective vegard coefficient that expresses an approximate and empirical linear relationship between lattice size and lithium concentration . referring to fig4 a to 4d , an exemplary map of the licoo 2 surface is shown . fig4 b depicts the measured contact resonance peaks resulting from an ac bias of approximately 1 v ( peak - to - peak ) applied to tip 26 at the three locations designated as circles “ a ”, “ b ”, and “ c ,” shown in fig4 a . fig4 c illustrates the spatial distribution of the resonance frequencies on the surface of sample 16 . the spatial distribution is indicative of a strong systematic variation that reflects changes in the effective young &# 39 ; s modulus for the different grain orientations and surface topography variations . fig4 d illustrates a spatial map of resonant amplitude indicative of regions of dissimilar response of the licoo 2 . in other words , the spatial map illustrates variations in lithium diffusion and intercalation behavior based on the high - frequency excitation at the three locations a , b , and c . li ion concentration was investigated spm probe analysis at a grain boundary and in at a location away from the grain boundary of sample 16 ( polycrystalline licoo 2 ) shown in fig3 c . fig5 illustrates the change in li ion concentration measured consecutively in two different locations on the anode surface following the application of a voltage pulse having an amplitude of − 18 v and a length 30 ms . to minimize electrostatic effects and reactivity at the tip — surface junction , the pulse was applied to the cathode ( the bottom electrode ) of the battery with the anode ( top electrode ) grounded . the pulse length was set in the millisecond range in order to minimize the changes in the charge state of the battery during imaging and to keep the measurement time of a single point sufficiently low to enable mapping on spatially resolved grids with a large number of sampling points . to induce a measurable li - ion flow with the millisecond voltage pulses , the applied pulse amplitudes were much higher than typical battery operation voltages . however , the battery showed no signs of damage ( such as rapid irreproducible changes and slow drifts in the esm image contrast , visible surface damage ), since the millisecond pulses are also much shorter than possible decomposition reaction kinetics . if the measurement is performed locally by the spm probe at a boundary - like feature , the esm response is increased after the voltage pulse and decays with a relaxation time on the order of about 100 ms . the relaxation is directly related to the redistribution of the li ions by diffusion transport , since the measurements are performed in the zero - field state , following the initial voltage pulse . assuming the diffusion coefficient for a li - ion is about 10 − 14 to 10 − 12 m 2 / s , the length scale over which li - ions diffuse during 100 ms can be about 30 - 300 nm , which is consistent with the signal generation volume for spm . to study the bias - dependent li - ion flow at each spatial location , in this voltage spectroscopy method , a slowly varying (˜ 1 - 10 hz ) dc bias v dc was applied between the cathode and anode in form of voltage pulses of 2 ms lengths and up to ± 15 v amplitude . the saw tooth voltage pulse is shown in fig6 . after each bias pulse the li - ion distribution was probed by applying 1 v ac to the battery during the bias - off state . in this manner , the li - ion flow on the time scale of the waveform ( about 0 . 1 - 1 s ) is probed through the changes of the esm response . similar to the pulse experiments , the time scale of the dc sweep is chosen such that corresponding li - ion diffusion length is comparable to the effective tip size , hence providing an optimal compromise between spatial resolution and signal strength . this time scale is also compatible with spectroscopy mapping , where the data is acquired over a grid of points over the sample surface . the advantage of using positive and negative voltages ( with zero time - average ) is that the li redistribution due to voltage pulses is ( at least partially ) reversible and the overall li profile within the material remains almost constant . the measured esm response during the bias sweep show hysteretic behavior , and the mechanisms for hysteresis loop formation can be qualitatively understood from the relaxation curve in fig5 . if the application of the bias pulse of given amplitude does not result in li - ion redistribution , or the induced relaxation is much faster than the time interval of the measurements in the bias - off state , the esm signal remains constant ( horizontal line ). another explanation is the total lack of li ions in the probed volume . if the relaxation time is larger than the time between the voltage pulse and the measurement , the hysteresis loop opens up . the area under the loop is directly proportional to the changes in li - ion concentration induced during the voltage cycle , and hence can be used to investigate the li - ion motion in amorphous si under the influence of an electric field . to map spatially resolved li - ion flows , esm loops with v dc =± 15 v and 7 hz frequency were measured on a 100 × 100 grid over a 1 μm by 1 μm area of sample 16 . the loop opening at 0 v dc associated with hysteresis of the strain response , was chosen as a convenient measure of the li - ion flows into or out of the region under the probe during the voltage sweep . the higher the loop opening , the larger amount of li - ions re distributed by the electric field , indicative of either higher li - ion concentration or a higher ionic mobility . fig7 a clearly shows the highest hysteretic response at the sharp boundary feature . in addition , strongly enhanced li - ion flow on the smoother boundary and a number of “ hot spots ” not associated with visible topographic defects are clearly seen . the observed behavior is highly reproducible and the high resolution maps acquired in the areas marked b and c in fig7 a of the scan are shown in fig7 b and 7c , respectively . the maps of fig7 a - 7b illustrate a 300 nm scan size with 6 nm grid size and show that the observed contrast ( hot spots within columnar grains ) are measured reproducibly and that the loop opening is not homogeneous along the boundaries , providing information on li - ion conduction channels on the nanometer scale . fig8 shows extracted displacement loops from the three different areas indicated by the circles in fig7 c . circle “ a ” indicates the boundary , circle “ b ” indicates a hot spot area within the grain , and circle “ c ” indicates a low - response region . the very sharp boundary features of the order of 20 nm lateral size suggests that the signal generating strain is very close to the surface . if the strain would be generated at the lipon / si interface , the measured strain on top of the si layer would appear diffuse , on the length scales of the film thickness ( except for the case of film formed by mechanically isolated columns , which is clearly not the case here ). a number of possible explanations exist for the origins of the observed sharp contrast at the topography minima . for example , a higher amount of li - ions in the sharp boundary regions can be explained by topographic field enhancement induced by the roughness of si - lipon interface . amorphous si films can exhibit a network of low density regions forming channels through the film . these low - density channels may offer a preferred or hindered li conduction path . the esm data identifies the high - contrast regions as those at which li - diffusion times are comparable with the experimental time , while zero contrast in grains can be attributed both to much higher and much lower diffusion times , or the lack of li - ions . alternatively , the mismatch in the electric conductivity between low - and high - density material can lead to the electric field enhancement at the topography minima , stimulating the one - dimensional electromigrative transport through the si . finally , the stray reactions at the tip - surface junction cannot be completely excluded ( however , this model does not offer any explanation for the formation of hot - spots not associated with any topographic features ). further insight into the origins of esm contrast and nanoscale mechanisms of battery functionality can be obtained from the esm hysteresis evolution during long - term spectroscopic imaging . here , repeated measurements ( cycling at 7 hz with ± 15 v dc ) over prolonged intervals have shown that the observed esm hysteresis slowly evolve with time . the systematic study of the influence of cycling on the local displacement loops was performed on a pristine battery sample . voltage spectroscopy maps were taken after different numbers of sinusoidal cycles ( 7 hz , 15 v amplitude ) up to 6 × 10 5 cycles . fig9 a - 9d show the evolution of the loop opening in the same area for repeated sinusoidal cycles of 1 × 10 4 , 3 × 10 4 , 1 × 10 5 , and 6 × 10 5 cycles , respectively . the hot spots visible in fig9 a continuously disappear , while , as shown in fig9 b - c , the li - ion flow at boundary - like features strongly increases . this shows that the li - ions saturate the low density channels first , followed by sideways diffusion , resulting in broader features in the map shown in fig9 d . fig1 shows the evolution of the hysteretic esm loops for the boundary regions with increasing cycle number . note that the sequence of images in fig9 a - 9d provides a direct nanoscale view in the li ion flow in the si anode on a nanoscale surface volume , and the li ion evolution with the charge state as further described below . to establish the origin of the observed changes in the esm signal of the battery test structure during high - frequency cycling , charge curves were measured for sample 16 in a pristine condition and for sample 16 in a strongly cycled condition using a constant current of 0 . 2 and 0 . 1 μa , respectively . fresh sample and cycled sample charge curves are shown in fig1 . for both of these batteries , the si was coated with a thin cr current collector prior to electrochemical characterization . before charging , the open circuit voltages of the pristine and cycled sample were both near zero as would be expected for an uncharged pristine si — licoo 2 battery . the fresh sample was charged up to 4 v and the capacity of the battery can be extracted to 1 . 62 μah , which is somewhat above the theoretical calculated capacity of 1 . 16 μah , estimated for extraction of half of the lithium , to li 0 . 5 coo 2 . the cycled sample , ( also shown in fig9 d ), was charged up to 4 . 2 v , but showed a strongly reduced capacity of only 0 . 44 μah compared to the theoretical one of 1 . 07 mah . these results suggest that high - frequency , high - voltage cycling partially charges the battery . further battery cycling following the results of fig1 is almost irreversible : only a fraction of the capacity is detected on the subsequent discharge curve . this irreversible capacity loss is well - known problem for si - anode materials , and could be related to the local li - ion transport through the si grain boundary - like feature . while various embodiments of the invention have been described , it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of the invention . for example , those skilled in the art will recognize that nanoindentation is another method that can be used measurement of volumetric changes in a material . in this technique , an indenter having a pyramid geometry is employed and the area of the indent is determined using the known geometry of the indentation tip . various parameters , such as load and depth of penetration are measured and a load - displacement curve is used to determine the mechanical properties of the material . accordingly , the invention is not restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents . | 6 |
referring now to fig1 a high pressure mercury arc lamp is indicated by reference character 11 . as is understood , lamp 11 emits light at a variety of wavelengths and must be cooled by a continuous flow of air . the lamp is positioned so that the arc is located essentially at one focus of an elliptical reflector 13 which collects the light given off by the lamp . light collected by the elliptical reflector 13 is directed , by way of a cold mirror 15 , through a window 16 which constitutes the entrance of a succession of filters , designated collectively by reference character 17 . the cold mirror 15 transmits wavelengths above 500 nanometers to a heat sink 24 while reflecting only shorter wavelengths into the optical projector system . heat sink 24 is provided with a cooling flow of air as described in greater detail hereinafter . the reflector 13 is focused at a first lens cell 19 . mounted on lens cell 19 are filters which block g - line and deep ultraviolet ( duv ) radiation . the light then passes through a narrow band filter 20 which isolates the i - line . this selected light is collected by a lens group 21 and is reflected off a mirror 23 . the light reflected by mirror 23 is directed by a further lens group 26 through a shutter assembly 29 into a kaleidoscope assembly 30 . the shutter assembly 29 is operated in coordination with the step - and - repeat mechanism for determining exposure at each position on the wafer . the kaleidoscope assembly 30 effects a spatial averaging of the light intensity . the light path is turned by additional mirrors 31 and 32 to reach a condenser lens 33 . condenser lens 33 directs the light through a reticle 34 which contains the pattern to be projected . an image of the reticle is projected onto a resist coated wafer 41 by a high resolution reduction lens 43 . the wafer 41 is carried on an x - y stage 45 so that different regions or sites on the wafer can be brought into the field of the projection lens 43 for successive exposures . the lamp 11 , elliptical reflector 13 , mirror 15 and window 16 are enclosed in a housing 51 . as indicated previously , lamp 11 requires a continuous flow of cooling air . this cooling air is drawn through housing 51 by a blower 53 which is connected to an air outlet 55 in the housing as illustrated in fig2 . air is admitted to the housing through an inlet 57 . the air drawn by the blower 53 is directed , through suitable ducting 54 , to the house exhaust which is typically provided at semiconductor fab facilities . the house exhaust system is also employed to draw cooling air past the heat sink 24 which is associated with the cold mirror 15 . preferably , air from outside the fab line clean room is ducted in to the heat sink to avoid draining the highly filtered fab line air . although the environmental air in a semiconductor fab line is heavily filtered , this filtering is directed at extracting particulate matter which could produce flaws in the image projected on the wafer or , if deposited on the reticle , could be reproduced on the wafer . this conventional filtering does not to any substantial extent remove volatile or gaseous compounds and many such compounds are present in a semiconductor fab line environment . in accordance with one aspect of the present invention , it has been discovered that hexamethyldisilazine ( hmds ) is commonly used to improve the adhesion of resists employed in semiconductor integrated circuit manufacture and that the photopolymerization products of hmds included silicon dioxide which is highly absorbtive at wavelength of 365 nanometers though it is highly transmissive at wavelengths which are only slightly longer and is almost transparent for visible light so that the presence of coatings of this material was not previously noticeable . in accordance with one aspect of the present invention , it has been found that most volatile photopolymerizable compounds and particularly hmds can be removed from an air stream by passing the air stream through a bed of activated carbon , e . g . activated charcoal . in the apparatus of fig1 and 2 , a composite filter 61 including an activated carbon bed is attached to the cooling air inlet 57 to the illuminator housing 51 . the construction of the composite filter 61 is illustrated in greater detail in fig3 . air enters through an opening 63 in a housing assembly 65 . a frame 67 creates an entrance plenum space and various filtering elements are assembled into the enclosure after the frame . a bed of activated carbon is provided as indicated by reference character 73 and this is followed by a hepa or so - called absolute filter 75 which blocks any particles shed by the activated carbon bed . in the commercially available filter illustrated , a retainer screen 67 and a coarse dust extracting media 69 are incorporated but do not provide a significant function in the system of the present invention . the filter assembly is completed by a cover 77 which provides an exit plenum space and an outlet connector 79 . the particular composite filter assembly shown in fig3 is available from the barneby & amp ; sutcliffe company of columbus , ohio as its model qdf . in view of the foregoing it may be seen that several objects of the present invention are achieved and other advantageous results have been attained . as various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention , it should be understood that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense . | 6 |
fig1 depicts a network environment in which the invention may be employed . as seen in fig1 , network 10 may include servers 11 and 12 , client workstation 13 , and peripheral devices 14 , 15 , 16 and 17 connected to network 18 . network connection 18 may be a local area network ( lan ), a wide area network ( wan ), or any other type of network . of course , the invention is not limited to the network shown in fig1 and many other devices may be included within the network environment . for instance , network 10 may include routers , additional computer workstations , additional servers , and additional peripheral devices . therefore , since virtually an unlimited number of devices could be included within network 10 , fig1 merely depicts a few of the devices that may be included for the sake of brevity . client workstation 13 is preferably a computer workstation and may be , for example , an ibm - compatible personal computer , a macintosh personal computer , a unix workstation , a sun microsystems workstation , or any other type of workstation . client workstation 13 preferably includes an ldap client application program that allows users to access a directory server application program in servers 11 and / or 12 , and to make changes in the directory server application ( hereinafter referred to as a “ directory server ”). some examples of directory server application programs are microsoft active directory server , netscape directory server and novell directory server . of course , these are merely examples of some directory server application programs that may be utilized in practicing the invention and the invention is not limited to these particular applications , but may be implemented with any directory server application . client workstation 13 is also preferably capable of communication utilizing a tcp / ip protocol . as will be described below , tcp / ip is utilized for receiving multicast messages that are multicast by a plug - in in the directory server . the ldap client application program in client workstation 13 communicates with the directory server application running in servers 11 and 12 via network 18 . communication between client workstation 13 and the directory server in servers 11 and 12 will be described in more detail below with regard to fig3 . additionally , the ldap client application program receives and processes multicast messages that are multicast by a multicast plug - in of the directory server in servers 11 and 12 . it should be noted that the ldap client application in client workstation 13 may be configured to either allow a user to make changes in the directory server , but not to receive multicast messages from the multicast plug - in , to only receive multicast messages from the multicast plug - in , but not to allow a user to make changes in the directory server , or to allow user to make changes in the directory server and to also receive multicast messages . additionally , it is not necessary that the ldap client application in client workstation 13 correspond to the directory server application in servers 11 and 12 in order for the ldap client application to be able to make changes in the directory server . that is , if the directory server application in servers 11 and 12 is netscape directory server , the ldap client application in client workstation 13 does not have to be a netscape directory server ldap client in order for a user to make changes in the directory server . since the communication between the ldap client and the directory server is being performed with the ldap protocol , any ldap client application could be utilized in client workstation 13 to make changes in the netscape directory server in servers 11 and 12 . an ldap client application in client workstation 13 is not the only way to make changes in the directory server application in servers 11 and 12 . changes could also be made in the directory server in servers 11 and 12 via a native application in servers 11 and 12 themselves . additionally , changes could be made by an embedded ldap client within a device on the network , or via a directory proxy . accordingly , the invention does not require that changes be made in the directory server by an ldap client application in client workstation 13 and it is an object of the invention to manage communication between various different types of devices on the network and the directory server for changes made in the directory server . peripheral devices 14 , 15 , 16 and 17 may be any type of peripheral device that may be included within network 10 . that is , they may be printers , copiers , facsimiles , routers , etc ., and although fig1 depicts them as being printers and copiers , they are not limited to such . however , for the sake of brevity , peripheral devices 14 , 15 and 16 will be described as printers and peripheral device 17 will be described as a network copier . it can readily be recognized that various types of printers and copiers may be included within network 10 . for instance , network 10 may include some printers that include newer network communication technology and some that include older network communication technology . that is , some of the printers may include the latest technology that provides the ability to communicate with the directory server directly . this type of printer may include an embedded ldap client . on the other hand , some of the printers on the network may be older printers , such as a legacy printer , that communicate via snmp and do not have the ability to communicate with the directory server directly . as such , this type of printer may require an intermediary device to be able to communicate with the directory server utilizing the ldap protocol . moreover , some of the printers on the network may be hybrid devices that include both an embedded ldap client that can communicate directly with the directory server utilizing the ldap protocol , and also include an snmp client that requires an intermediary for communicating with the directory server . for the sake of brevity , in network 10 , printer 14 is assumed to be a printer that includes an embedded ldap client that communicates directly with the directory server , printer 16 and copier 17 are assumed to be a legacy printer and a legacy copier , respectively , and therefore communicate utilizing snmp , and printer 15 is assumed to be a hybrid printer that includes an embedded ldap client and also communicates utilizing snmp . fig2 depicts an architecture of the communication protocols between each of devices 13 to 17 and the directory server in , for example , server 11 . as seen in fig2 , directory server 25 communicates with ldap client 27 , embedded ldap client device 28 , directory proxy 29 , and hybrid device 31 utilizing the ldap protocol . ldap client 27 may be , for example , an ldap client application as described above running in client workstation 13 . thus , ldap client 27 communicates directly with directory server 25 for making changes in the directory server . embedded ldap client 28 and hybrid device 31 may be printers , such as printers 14 and 15 respectively , that each include an embedded ldap client . one difference between embedded ldap client 28 and hybrid device 31 may be that hybrid device 31 also includes the capability of performing communication via snmp while embedded ldap client 28 communicates via ldap alone . directory proxy 29 communicates with directory server 25 via ldap for making changes in directory server 25 and acts as an intermediary , or translator between snmp device 30 and hybrid device 31 with directory server 25 . directory proxy 29 will be discussed in more detail below . directory server 25 also includes plug - ins 26 and 40 to 43 . plug - in 26 is a notification plug - in and will be described in more detail below , but briefly , notification plug - in 26 is called by directory server 25 whenever a change is made in directory server 25 . when the notification plug - in is called , it manages notification processes for notifying the appropriate devices on the network of the change . for instance , notification plug - in 26 may send out a unicast message to ldap enabled devices on the network , or it may call one of the multicast plug - ins ( 40 to 43 ) for sending a multicast message . when multicast plug - ins 40 to 43 are called by notification plug - in 26 , they generate an information packet about the change made in directory server 25 and multicast the packet to a multicast ip address . multicasting and unicasting will be described in more detail below . fig3 depicts a more detailed view of the internal architecture of server 11 . server 12 may be similar to server 11 and for brevity , only server 11 will be discussed . server 11 may be a server such as a compaq prosignia server or any other type of server . however , server 11 does not have to be a server per se , but may be any computer that is capable of running a directory server application program . as shown in fig3 , server 11 is connected to network 18 by connection 19 which is interfaced to network interface 35 . network interface 35 is preferably a network card which controls transmission and reception of information by server 11 over the network . interfaced with network interface 35 is tcp / ip layer 36 . tcp / ip is the preferred protocol for performing unicasting and multicasting , but any other protocol could be used instead . for a better understanding of unicasting and multicasting using tcp / ip , consider the following . there are generally three different categories of ip addresses : communication , broadcast and multicast . for the present discussion , only communication and multicast are pertinent and therefore , a discussion of broadcast will be omitted . for communication , a range of ip addresses are assigned that are utilized to specifically identify each device on the network . for example , each device attached to the network shown in fig1 would be assigned a different ip address that identifies that device on the network . each device may be manually assigned an ip address that it maintains , or an ip address may be automatically assigned by an application program each time the device is connected to the network . therefore , in performing unicasting , the ip address of each device that is to receive an information packet from the directory server plug - in 26 is setup in the plug - in configuration . as such , when the notification plug - in generates an information packet after a change has been made in the directory server , it transmits the packet to each device on the network that has been setup in the notification plug - in configuration . in multicasting , a range of ip addresses are assigned in which messages transmitted to one of the ip addresses are received only by members who have registered with the ip address . unlike the communication ip addresses , the ip addresses in the multicast range are not assigned to a specific device . rather , they are virtual addresses that represent a multicast group that receives messages sent to it and which then distribute the received messages to members who have registered with the group . thus , information packets are multicast by the directory server multicast plug - ins to a designated multicast group whereby they are distributed to registered members of the group . returning to fig3 , interfaced to tcp / ip layer 36 is ldap protocol layer 37 . ldap protocol layer 37 provides for communication between an ldap client and the directory server , such as directory server 25 in server 11 . the ldap protocol layer is utilized to communicate with directory server 25 regardless of whether the ldap client performing a change in the directory server is an ldap client in client workstation 13 , an embedded ldap client in embedded ldap client 28 or hybrid device 31 , or an ldap client in directory proxy 29 . thus , utilizing the ldap protocol , an ldap client can make changes in a directory server . fig4 depicts an example of an architecture of a messaging system and flow of multicast messages from server 11 to clients that have registered as members of at least one multicast group . fig4 only depicts an architecture for performing multicasting and unicasting will be described in more detail below . the messaging system of fig4 preferably uses a plug - in feature of the directory server application program . that is , when a change is made in the directory server , and the notification plug - in determines that a multicast message is to be sent out , the directory server calls the multicast plug - in which generates an information packet and multicasts it to a multicast group . however , a plug - in is not required and any other implementation which generates multicast information packets and multicasts them to a corresponding multicast group could be employed . in the present discussion , plug - ins that are supported as part of netscape directory server will be described , although plug - ins particular to other applications may be implemented similarly . as seen in fig4 , four types of multicast plug - ins may be implemented in netscape directory server 25 : add plug - in 40 , delete plug - in 41 , modify plug - in 42 , and search plug - in 43 . one type of plug - in supported by netscape directory server are post - operation plug - ins . as such , each of the foregoing multicast plug - ins for directory server 25 are preferably implemented as a post - operation plug - in . a post - operation plug - in is one in which , after an operation has been performed ( i . e . post - operation ), the appropriate plug - in is called . accordingly , when a change is made in the directory server , the directory server calls the appropriate multicast plug - in corresponding to the type of change made . that is , if a new object was added in the directory server , then the directory server would call an add plug - in . when the add plug - in is called , it generates an information packet about the add change and multicasts it to a multicast group corresponding to the type of change , whereby registered members of the multicast group receive the information packet . to send the information packet by multicasting , multicast addresses corresponding to each of the plug - ins are established . as such , each multicast plug - in has a corresponding multicast address that it sends the information packet to . for example , as seen in fig4 , add plug - in 40 sends information packets to multicast group 45 that is designated to receive the add information multicast packets . likewise , delete plug - in 41 has corresponding multicast group 46 , modify plug - in 42 has corresponding multicast group 47 and search plug - in 43 has corresponding multicast group 47 . an example of multicast ip addresses for each of the foregoing multicast groups may be as follows : when changes are made in the directory server by the ldap client , the notification plug - in calls the appropriate multicast plug - in , if required , whereby the multicast plug - in generates an information packet and multicasts the packet over the network to its corresponding multicast ip address . in order to receive the multicast messages , members register with each multicast group corresponding to the type of change information packet that they wish to receive . for example , as seen in fig4 , client 50 registers as a member of multicast groups 45 and 46 . therefore , it receives multicast messages corresponding to add and delete operations performed in directory server 25 . client 51 registers with multicast groups 45 , 46 , 47 and 48 and therefore receives multicast messages about add , delete , modify and search operations performed in directory server 25 . client 52 registers as a member of multicast groups 47 and 48 and therefore only receives multicast messages relating to modify and search operations performed in directory server 25 . in the present discussion , directory proxy 29 may register as a member of each of the foregoing multicast groups . thus , as described above , an ldap client interfaces with the directory server to make changes in the directory server , the directory server calls a notification plug - in that , when required , calls a multicast plug - in corresponding to the type of change made , the multicast plug - in generates a post - operation information packet and multicasts it over the network to a multicast group corresponding to the type of change , and clients who have registered with the multicast group receive the multicast message . for unicasting , notification plug - in 26 would be configured to send a change information packet for a change operation performed on a specific ldap enabled device on the network at an appropriate time . for example , notification plug - in 26 may be configured so that when a change is initiated by the directory server for a directory entry of an ldap enabled device , it generates an information packet and unicasts it to the device . notification plug - in 26 only sends a unicast message to the particular device that was changed in the directory server and not to other devices on the network . for instance , if the configuration of printer 14 were changed in directory server 25 , notification plug - in 26 would unicast a message only to printer 14 and not to printer 15 ( which is a hybrid printer that is also ldap enabled ). however , as will be described below , one caveat with unicasting is that , before the notification plug - in sends the unicast message , it first determines what ldap client performed the change operation . that is , if the ldap client in printer 14 initiated the change , then the plug - in would not send a unicast message to printer 14 informing it of the change since it was the ldap client in printer 14 that initiated the change . however , if the change was initiated by the ldap client in client workstation 13 , then the notification plug - in would send a unicast message to printer 14 to inform it of the change since the change was not initiated by the ldap client in printer 14 . fig5 depicts a more detailed configuration of the internal architecture of directory proxy 29 and its communication with various devices on the network . as shown in fig5 , directory proxy 29 includes ldap client 60 , snmp device discovery module 61 , snmp device monitoring / polling module 62 , snmp client 63 and ldap / snmp translator 64 . ldap client 60 communicates with directory server 25 utilizing the ldap protocol for performing changes in directory server 25 and for receiving ldap commands from directory server 25 that are to be translated and sent to snmp enabled devices on the network . ldap client 60 also receives multicast messages from various multicast groups , such as multicast groups 45 to 48 described above with regard to fig4 . additionally , ldap client 60 receives ldap commands from , and sends ldap commands to ldap / snmp translator 64 . snmp client 63 communicates with all snmp enabled devices on the network , including legacy ( snmp ) printer 16 and hybrid ( snmp / ldap ) printer 15 . snmp client 63 sends snmp commands to , and receives snmp commands from all snmp enabled devices on the network . additionally , snmp client 63 communicates with snmp discovery module 61 and snmp device monitoring / polling module 62 to transmit messages between modules 61 and 62 and all snmp enabled devices on the network . further , snmp client 63 communicates with ldap / snmp translator 64 to send snmp commands to , and to receive snmp commands from the translator . ldap / snmp translator formats snmp commands received from snmp client 63 into ldap format and sends the ldap commands to ldap client 60 . additionally , ldap / snmp translator 64 receives ldap commands from ldap client 60 , formats them into snmp commands , and sends them to snmp client 63 . snmp device discovery module 61 performs query operations through snmp client 63 to obtain information about all snmp devices on the network . additionally , snmp device discovery module 61 receives responses to the queries from all snmp devices on the network and sends snmp commands to snmp client 63 based on the responses . snmp device monitoring / polling module 62 also performs query operations through snmp client 63 to obtain information about all snmp devices on the network . one difference between modules 61 and 62 is that module 61 generally performs queries on startup of the directory proxy , whereas , module 62 generally performs periodic queries after startup to obtain update information from all of the snmp enabled devices . the operations of modules 61 and 62 will be discussed in more detail below . generally , there are three different types of devices that are connected to network 18 , a device with an embedded ldap client , an snmp device that does not have an embedded ldap client , and a hybrid device that is both an snmp device and also has an embedded ldap client . each of the devices on the network , their configuration information is maintained in a directory entry in directory server 25 . that is , directory server 25 includes a directory of all snmp enabled devices , all embedded ldap client devices and all hybrid devices . the directory entry is generally formatted according to a standardized schema and may include a schema extension . the standardized schema includes a source flag that indicates the source of changes made in the directory entry for the device . the source flag is set by notification plug - in 26 and may be set to 0 if the change is initiated by the directory server , i . e . by a native application or by an ldap client in workstation 13 , or may be set to 1 if the change is initiated by the device . each of these three types of devices , and how changes to the configuration of each of them may be made in the directory server will now be discussed with reference to fig6 . fig6 depicts three possible scenarios of how changes may be initiated for each of the three device types . in one scenario , changes are initiated for a device with an embedded ldap client . the changes for embedded ldap client devices may be initiated by the embedded ldap client in the device itself , or by the directory server , i . e . by an ldap client in workstation 13 or by a native - application in server 11 . in a second scenario , changes are initiated for an snmp device . the changes may be initiated by the snmp device itself or by the directory server . in a third scenario , changes are initiated for a hybrid device . again , the changes may be initiated by the device itself , in this case by either the snmp client in the device or by the embedded ldap client in the device , or the changes may be initiated by the directory server . each of these three scenarios will now be discussed in more detail . it should be noted that the following discussion generally describes changes being made to the configuration of devices for which an entry in directory server 25 already exists . however , it can readily be understood that other changes , such as deletion of devices from the network and addition of new devices to the network , would operate in a similar manner . therefore , for the sake of brevity , only operations involving changes to the configuration of devices already existing on the network will be discussed . as stated above , changes in the configuration of each of the devices on the network could be initiated either by the device itself or by the directory server . in the following discussion , both of these will be discussed by presenting two examples , one with a network administrator changing the ip address of the device at the device itself , and the another with the network administrator changing the ip address of the device in the directory server . the first type of device that will be discussed is a device with an embedded ldap client , such as printer 14 . printer 14 includes an embedded ldap client and does not include an snmp client . as such , it is a pure ldap enabled device and is not a hybrid device . as previously discussed with regard to fig2 , the embedded ldap client communicates directly with the directory server via the ldap protocol . therefore , changes in the configuration of the device are communicated between the device and the directory server directly via ldap , without the need for a translator . fig6 depicts a flowchart of process steps of how changes in each of the three types of devices are managed , including how changes in a device with an embedded ldap client are managed . in the first example of the embedded ldap client scenario , the administrator changes the ip address utilizing the embedded ldap client in printer 14 itself . in the first example , in step s 601 the administrator performs a process utilizing the embedded ldap client in printer 14 to change the ip address in printer 14 . when the change has been committed to printer 14 by the embedded ldap client , the embedded ldap client initiates communication with directory server 25 via the ldap protocol . once communication has been established , the embedded ldap client self publishes the change to the directory server utilizing an ldap_modify command . the embedded ldap client also sets the source flag to 1 . when the change has been committed to directory server 25 , notification plug - in 26 is called ( step s 602 ). once the change has been committed to the directory server , in step s 603 , the directory server notification plug - in 26 looks at the source flag to determine what notification process is to be performed . if the flag is set to 1 , then notification plug - in 26 knows that the change was initiated by the device and that it does not need to notify the device of the change . therefore , in the present example flow proceeds to step s 604 whereby notification plug - in 26 resets the source flag to 0 and the notification process ends . in the second example of the embedded ldap client scenario , the administrator changes the ip address of printer 14 in directory server 25 utilizing an ldap client at client workstation 13 . to make the change , the administrator activates the ldap client application at workstation 13 . the ldap client application is configured to access directory server 25 and more particularly , to access the objectclass that contains printer 14 . once the ldap client has been configured , the ldap client establishes communication with directory server 25 via the ldap protocol . once communication has been established , the ldap client application presents the administrator with a display of the directory structure for the objectclass that contains printer 14 on a display of client workstation 13 . utilizing the ldap client at workstation 13 , the administrator changes the ip address of printer 14 in directory server 25 ( step s 601 ). the ldap client application also sets the source flag to 0 . when the change has been made , the directory server calls notification plug - in 26 ( step s 602 ). in step s 603 , notification plug - in 26 determines if the source flag is set to 0 . in the present example , the source flag is set to 0 and therefore flow proceeds to step s 605 . in step s 605 , notification plug - in 26 looks at the directory entry for printer 14 to determine if the device is ldap enabled . this determination is performed in order for the notification plug - in to determine whether it is to send a unicast message to the ldap enabled device , or if it is to call one of the multicast plug - ins for sending a multicast message to be received by the directory proxy . if the notification plug - in determines that the device is ldap enabled , and in the present example printer 14 is ldap enabled since it has an embedded ldap client , then flow proceeds to step s 606 . in step s 606 , notification plug - in 26 generates a unicast message to inform the embedded ldap client of printer 14 that a change has been made in the directory entry of directory server 25 for printer 14 . the unicast message sent by notification plug - in 26 is merely a notification to the embedded ldap client that a change has occurred and does not contain any specific information about the change itself . upon receiving the unicast message , the embedded ldap client of printer 14 establishes communication with directory server 25 and reads the directory entry to obtain the change information ( step s 607 ). having obtained the change information , the embedded ldap client then updates the configuration of the device ( step s 608 ) and the process is complete . as a result of the foregoing second example , the ip address of printer 14 was changed in the directory server by an ldap client in workstation 13 , a notification plug - in in the directory server notified the embedded ldap client in printer 14 that a change has occurred in the directory server , and the embedded ldap client read the change information in the directory server and updated the configuration of printer 14 . in the second scenario , a pure snmp device will be discussed . fig6 also depicts process steps for how changes in snmp devices are managed . before describing examples of changes for snmp devices , however , a more detailed description will be made of how the directory proxy obtains information about snmp devices on the network , including obtaining information on startup ( snmp device discovery module 61 and it associated flowchart of fig7 ) and obtaining updates to all snmp devices on the network ( snmp monitoring / polling module 62 and its associated flowchart of fig8 ). in fig7 , snmp device discovery module 61 generally obtains network information about all snmp enabled devices on the network and then the information is processed through the directory proxy to the directory server . discovery module 61 obtains the network information from the devices either on startup of the directory proxy or during periodic polling operations for new devices . when the directory proxy is started , discovery module 61 detects all snmp devices on the network . to detect snmp devices on the network , discovery module 61 sends out a query ( snmp_query ) for network identification information about all snmp devices on the network ( step s 701 ). all snmp enabled devices on the network submit a reply to the query to discovery module 61 ( step s 702 ). the reply from the snmp enabled devices includes network identification information such as the device &# 39 ; s ip address , device type , model , mac address , device name , and mib board type . when discovery module 61 receives the reply from each device , it utilizes the network identification information of each device and sends out snmp_get commands to each of the devices that replied to the query ( step s 703 ). the snmp_get commands are sent to the snmp devices to obtain information from the snmp device &# 39 ; s mib , such as the network settings of the device , the status of the device and features of the device . each snmp device that receives the request reply with the requested information to discovery module 61 ( step s 704 ). upon receiving the requested information , discovery module 61 then communicates with snmp client 63 and sends the snmp device &# 39 ; s information to snmp client 63 ( step s 705 ). snmp client 63 then sends the snmp device &# 39 ; s information to ldap / snmp translator 64 ( step s 706 ). translator 64 formats the device &# 39 ; s information into ldap format , communicates with ldap client 60 and sends the ldap formatted snmp device &# 39 ; s information to ldap client 60 ( step s 707 ). ldap client 60 then establishes communication with directory server 25 to self publish the snmp device &# 39 ; s information to the directory server ( step s 708 ). ldap client 60 first utilizes an ldap_add command to attempt to add the snmp device &# 39 ; s information in directory server 25 . if an entry for the snmp device is already present in directory server 25 , then an error message is returned by the directory server to ldap client 60 . ldap client 60 then utilizes an ldap_modify command to replace the directory entry information in the directory entry of directory server 25 for the existing device . thus , changes can be initiated by the directory proxy on startup if a new device is detected on the network , or if the configuration of an existing device is changed prior to the directory proxy being started . this process of performing changes by the directory proxy on startup results in the same device management operations as if a change is initiated in the device . therefore , the discussion below regarding changes initiated in the device and the monitoring / polling module applies equally to changes that are initiated by the directory proxy &# 39 ; s discovery module . fig8 depicts process steps performed by snmp device monitoring / polling module 62 . snmp device monitoring / polling module 62 may operate in one of two modes , monitoring or polling . in a polling mode , module 62 generally performs periodic queries on the network to determine if any of the snmp devices have been updated . in this mode , after startup of directory proxy 29 and after discovery module 61 has completed its processing , monitoring / polling module 62 may perform periodic polling operations by sending out a change query message for updated information . for instance , module 62 may be configured to perform a polling operation every one second to query for selected mib data updates from all of the snmp devices detected on the network ( step s 801 ). if no updates have been performed , then none of the devices respond and the process ends after a set time - out period . if the configuration of any of the devices has been changed , then upon receiving the query , only those devices on the network which have been updated reply to the query with a change information reply indicating to monitoring / polling module 62 that a change has been made ( step s 802 ). upon receiving the change information reply message , module 62 then sends a request for the updated information to each device that replied ( step s 803 ). when the snmp device receives the request , it sends the updated information to module 62 ( step s 804 ). then , like module 61 , module 62 sends the information to snmp client 63 ( step s 805 ), snmp client 63 sends the information to ldap / snmp translator 64 ( step s 806 ) which formats the snmp information into ldap and sends the ldap formatted information to ldap client 60 ( step s 807 ), with ldap client 60 establishing communication with directory server 25 and self publishing the change in the directory server ( step s 808 ). rather than polling the network for updates , monitoring / polling module 62 could also monitor the network to listen for update messages from all snmp devices on the network regarding updates . in this regard , each snmp device on the network could send out a message on the network when a change has been made in the device . module 62 listens for the update messages and upon receiving a message , performs a request for the device that sent out the message to reply with the updated information . in this manner , steps s 803 to s 808 would be performed in the same manner as described above , with steps s 801 and s 802 merely being changed to listen for messages rather than polling the network for updates . returning now to the description of fig6 , changes in snmp devices and directory proxy 29 will now be discussed . as described above with regard to fig7 , upon startup of directory proxy 29 , discovery module 61 obtains information about all devices on the network and the information is processed through directory proxy 29 to ldap client 60 . ldap client 60 attempts to perform an ldap_add operation in directory server 25 , but receives an error message if an entry for the snmp device is already present in the directory server . ldap client 60 then performs an ldap_modify command to replace the directory entry of the snmp device in the directory server ( step s 601 ). ldap client 60 also sets the source flag to 1 for all snmp devices that have been added or modified . upon making the change in the directory server , notification plug - in 26 is called ( step s 602 ). then , in step s 603 notification plug - in 26 determines that the source flag is set to 1 and flow proceeds to step s 604 where the notification plug - in resets the source flag to 0 and the process ends . next , an example where the ip address of an snmp device , such as printer 16 , has been changed at the device itself will be discussed . it will be assumed that the directory proxy has been started and that monitoring / polling module 62 is currently polling the network for updates . an administrator changes the ip address of printer 16 at the printer . after the change has been committed to printer 16 , a polling operation of module 62 sends out an update query message on the network . since the configuration of printer 16 has been updated , printer 16 replies with an update information reply message . module 62 then sends a request to printer 16 for the updated information and printer 16 sends the updated information to module 62 . module 62 then sends the updated information to snmp client 63 , snmp client 63 sends the information to ldap / snmp translator 64 , and translator 64 formats the information from snmp into ldap and sends the ldap information to ldap client 60 . ldap client 60 establishes communication with directory server 25 , performs the change in directory server 25 and sets the source flag to 1 ( step s 601 ). then , notification plug - in 26 is called ( step s 602 ). in step s 603 , notification plug - in 26 determines that the source flag is set to 1 and therefore flow proceeds to step s 604 where notification plug - in 26 resets the source flag to 0 and the process ends . thus , the configuration of an snmp enabled device is changed at the device itself , the change is detected by the directory proxy by polling the network for updated information , and the change is performed in the directory server by the ldap client of the directory proxy . a description will now be made of a change to the ip address of an snmp enabled device ( printer 16 ) being made in the directory server utilizing an ldap client application in client workstation 13 . the ip address for printer 16 is changed in directory server 25 utilizing the ldap client of workstation 13 in the same manner described above with reference to the ip address being changed for embedded ldap client printer 14 . therefore , the discussion of the change being made in the directory server and the source flag being set to 0 ( step s 601 ) will not be repeated here . once the ip address for printer 16 has been committed in the directory server , notification plug - in 26 is called ( step s 602 ). then , in step s 603 notification plug - in 26 determines that the flag has been set to 0 in step s 601 and therefore it knows that it needs to notify the device of the change and flow proceeds to step s 605 . in step s 605 , notification plug - in 26 determines from the directory entry for printer 16 that printer 16 is an snmp enabled device and that it does not include an embedded ldap client . therefore , flow proceeds to step s 609 where notification plug - in 26 calls one of multicast plug - ins 40 to 43 , depending on the type of change operation made in the directory server . in the present case , modify plug - in 42 is called since a modify operation has been performed in directory server 25 . modify plug - in 42 generates an information packet and multicasts it to multicast group 47 . all registered members of multicast group 47 receive the information packet . in this regard , directory proxy 29 , and possibly other directory proxies on the network , register as members of multicast group 47 and therefore receive the information packet from the multicast plug - in ( step s 610 ). as such , directory proxy 29 may monitor the network for multicast messages about changes made in directory server 25 . the multicast message generally includes information that a change has been made and directory entry identification information of which directory entry was changed . upon receiving the multicast message , ldap client 60 of directory proxy 29 establishes communication with directory server 25 and reads the updated directory entry ( step s 610 ). upon obtaining the updated information , ldap client 60 sends the information to ldap / snmp translator 64 where the updated information is formatted into snmp and then sent to snmp client 63 ( step s 611 ). snmp client 63 communicates the updated information to printer 16 ( step s 611 ) where the new ip address is set in the mib of printer 16 . thus , as described above , changes in the configuration of snmp devices on the network are made in the directory server , the directory server notification plug - in calls a multicast plug - in that sends out a multicast message that is received by the directory proxy , the ldap client of the directory proxy communicates with the directory server , reads the updated information and sends it to the translator in the directory proxy , the translator formats the information from ldap into snmp and sends it to the snmp client in the directory proxy , and the snmp client sends the information to the snmp device where the new information is updated in the device . in the third scenario , i . e . a hybrid snmp enabled and ldap enabled device such as printer 15 , two examples will be discussed : one where changes are initiated in the directory server , and another where changes are initiated at the device itself . as previously discussed with regard to fig2 , a hybrid device communicates directly with the directory server via ldap and also communicates with the directory server via the directory proxy ( snmp ). therefore , the flow of communication in hybrid devices may include parallel processes ( ldap and snmp ) being performed at the same time . for example , during the discovery mode when printer 15 is first connected to the network , during startup of the directory proxy or during periodic polling operations of discovery module 61 for new devices , printer 15 may attempt to communicate with the directory server via two communication protocols , ldap and snmp . in this scenario , both protocols perform parallel processes to attempt to add an entry to the directory server for the new device at the same time . for instance , printer 15 includes an embedded ldap client that , when printer 15 is connected to the network , the embedded ldap client establishes communication with directory server 25 and attempts to add a new directory entry for printer 15 . however , printer 15 also communicates with directory proxy 29 via snmp and therefore , when the new device is connected to the network , discovery module 61 in directory proxy 29 detects the new device and obtains the device &# 39 ; s snmp information as described above with regard to fig7 . then , ldap client 60 of directory proxy 29 establishes communication with directory server 25 and attempts to add a new directory entry for printer 15 . in this scenario where parallel processes are being performed , i . e . both ldap and snmp , the process that establishes communication with the directory server first is the process that performs the add operation and the other process is managed , as will be described below , by the notification plug - in logic . that is , the notification plug - in in the directory server controls the management of hybrid devices . therefore , if the embedded ldap client in printer 15 establishes communication with directory server 25 first , it publishes the new entry for printer 15 in directory server 25 . then , when ldap client 60 establishes communication with directory server 25 and attempts to perform an ldap_add operation , it receives an error message because the embedded ldap client in printer 15 has already added the directory entry . therefore , ldap client 60 performs an ldap_modify operation to change the directory entry . as such , the notification plug - in in directory server 25 sees that the source flag has been set to 1 and does not perform further processing to notify printer 15 of the change by directory proxy 29 . however , if ldap client 60 of directory proxy 29 establishes communication with directory server 25 first , it adds the new directory entry for printer 15 . then , when the embedded ldap client of printer 15 establishes communication with directory server 25 , it performs the change and the notification plug - in sees that the source flag is 1 and therefore it does not perform further processing to change notify the device of the change . changes in the configuration of hybrid printer 15 may also be made to the directory entry in directory server 25 utilizing an ldap client in client workstation 13 or a native application program in server 11 as described above . the process for making changes in the configuration of printer 15 utilizing the ldap client of workstation 13 or a native application is the same as that described above for the embedded ldap client printer and the snmp printer and therefore , this process will not be repeated here . when the change is made in the directory entry of directory server 25 in step s 601 the source flag is set to 0 and notification plug - in 26 is called ( step s 602 ). notification plug - in 26 determines in step s 603 that the source flag is set to 0 , and determines in step s 605 that printer 15 is ldap enabled by referring to the directory entry . since notification plug - in 26 detects that printer 15 is ldap enabled , notification plug - in 26 unicasts a message to the embedded ldap client in printer 15 ( step s 606 ). the remaining process is the same as described above for printer 14 in that the embedded ldap client of printer 14 establishes communication with directory server 25 and reads the changed information ( step s 607 ), and the embedded ldap client performs the change in printer 15 ( step s 608 ). however , because printer 15 is a hybrid device , once the change is made in the configuration of printer 15 by the embedded ldap client , directory proxy 29 detects the change via monitoring / polling module 62 . upon detecting the change , module 62 then operates as described above to obtain the updated information from printer 15 and the updated information is processed through directory proxy 29 to ldap client 60 . ldap client 60 in directory proxy 29 establishes communication with the directory server 25 and may update the directory entry . in this regard , directory proxy 29 may be configured to recognize ldap enabled devices and to not perform further processing for these devices . that is , if directory proxy recognizes that a device is a hybrid device , it may be configured so that when it detects a change in a hybrid device , it allows the ldap client to handle the change and the directory proxy does attempt to perform the change . on the other hand , directory proxy 29 may overwrite the directory entry even if it has already been made by the ldap client . in this case , the source flag is set to 1 by the directory proxy when it makes the change . when notification plug - in 26 sees that the source flag is set to 1 , flow proceeds to step s 604 where notification plug - in 26 resets the source flag to 0 and the notification process ends . updates in the configuration of printer 15 may also be made at printer 15 itself . in this case , the update is performed in the same manner described above for updates in embedded ldap client devices . as described above , the embedded ldap client establishes communication with the directory server and the ldap client self publishes the change in the directory entry . upon committing the change to the directory server , the embedded ldap client set the source flag to 1 . then , notification plug - in 26 is called in step s 602 . in step s 603 , notification plug - in 26 determines that the source flag is set to 1 and flow proceeds to step s 604 where the plug - in resets the flag to 0 and the notification process ends . when the change is made in printer 15 utilizing its embedded ldap client , monitoring / polling module 62 of directory proxy 29 detects the change and obtains the changed information , whereby it is processed through directory proxy 29 to ldap client 60 . again , directory proxy 29 may be configured to ignore changes in ldap enabled devices . however , in a case where directory proxy 29 processes the change , ldap client 60 establishes communication with directory server 25 , publishes the change again and sets the source flag to 1 . notification plug - in 26 is called ( step s 602 ) and detects that the source flag is set to 1 ( step s 603 ). therefore , notification plug - in 26 resets the source flag to 0 and the process ends ( step s 604 ). thus , for hybrid devices , changes made at the device are communicated to the directory server via the embedded ldap client , and in some cases the directory proxy detects the change made by the embedded ldap client and performs the change again . in other cases , the directory proxy detects the change but determines that the device is ldap enabled and therefore allows the ldap client to handle the change . for changes made in the directory server , the change is communicated to the hybrid device via the embedded ldap client and the directory proxy detects the change and either allows the ldap client to handle the change or performs the change again . the invention has been described with particular illustrative embodiments . it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the above - described embodiments and that various changes and modifications may be made by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 7 |
the process of preparation of a memory thermoplastic composition from polycaprolactone and from polyurethane , according to the invention , is characterised in that the formation of the polyurethane from at least one polyol and from at least one polyisocyanate is carried out within the polycaprolactone . the simple mixing of pcl with previously polymerised pu not being suitable from the point of view of the mechanical properties , it is very important , according to the invention , for the formation of the polyurethane from polyol and from polyisocyanate to be effected or to be continued in the polycaprolactone in the softened state , so that the polymerisation of the pu is effected with interlocking of the network of the weakly thermoplastic or non - thermoplastic pu , in the highly thermoplastic network of the pcl . in brief , it will be possible for this purpose to employ two variations a and b , variation a being the preferred variation : mix the pcl with the means forming the pu , namely the polyols and the polyisocyanates , and then proceed with the polymerisation reaction of the pu ; initiate the polymerisation reaction forming the pu from its constituent compounds , mix the resulting reaction medium with the pcl so that the polymerisation of the pu continues in the pcl . according to an advantageous embodiment of of the present invention , the formation of the pu is carried out by the operational methods given above , from a means i selected from among the group constituted by polyisocyanates and their mixtures , and a means ii selected from the group constituted by polyols and their mixtures , the means i and ii being such that before the polymerisation reaction , the number of free nco groups of means i is substantially equal to the number of free oh groups of means ii . advantageously , the thermoplastic product according to the invention will be prepared by the reaction of means i and ii in the pcl , so that a final composition is obtained comprising : ( a ) - 60 to 100 parts by weight of pcl , and if necessary , the formation of the pu in the pcl will be carried out in the presence of one or several adjuvants , particularly at least one means selected from among the group constituted by inorganic fillers , colouring matters and plasticisers . it will thus be possible to use per 60 to 100 parts by weight of pcl ( c ) - at the most 35 parts by weight of inorganic filler , and / or ( d ) - at the most 5 parts by weight of plasticising agent . the preferred amounts are from 5 to 35 parts by weight for the means c and from 1 to 2 parts by weight for the means d , when , of course , means c and / or d are used . among mineral fillers which are suitable , may be mentioned particularly zno , caco 3 , tio 2 , ta 2 o 5 and talc ; and among plasticisers which are suitable , may be mentioned particularly stearic acid which plays also the role of lubricating agent . 1 . the mixture with stirring of the pcl with the means i and ii , at a temperature comprised between 75 and 130 ° c ., for 1 to 10 minutes , to initiate the formation of the pu in the pcl network , then 2 . the continuation of the formation of the pu in the network of the pcl at a temperature higher than or equal to 60 ° c . ( and preferably comprised between 60 ° c . and 100 ° c . ), for 10 to 30 minutes . the means c and / or c , when they are present , will be incorporated at stage 1 . advantageously , it is recommended at stage 1 . to carry out malaxation in a fluid type kneader , at 50 - 300 r . p . m ., and preferably at 150 r . p . m . the malaxation can be carried out under a nitrogen atmosphere particularly when it is effected at a temperature comprised between 100 and 130 ° c . preferably , it is recommended to carry out the malaxation at 80 ° c ., for 5 minutes , at 150 r . p . m . as indicated above , it is recommended that at the stage 1 , the means i and ii should be such that the number of free nco groups of the means i is substantially equal to the number of free oh groups of the means ii . at stage 2 it is recommended advantageously to pursue the polymerisation of the pu in the pcl at a temperature of the order of about 60 ° c . to about 80 ° c ., for about 20 minutes . in certain cases , it will be observable that the polymerisation of the pu in the network of the pcl is not completed at the end of stage 2 ; said polymerisation will then be left to continue by itself during cooling which takes place generally after stage 2 , or during storage after stripping . in addition , accordingly to the final destination of the product , the stage 2 may be employed in the course of a moulding operation [ moulding at a temperature of 60 to 100 ° c . ( preferably at a temperature of 60 to 80 ° c .) for 10 to 30 minutes ( preferably for 20 minutes ) in the case of use in orthopedics ], may be followed by moulding ( also in the case of use in orthopedics ), or again may be followed by an extrusion operation ( particularly in the case of other uses ). the means i which are suitable are polyisocyanates containing at least 2 free nco groups per molecule . among those may be mentioned particularly ( i ) the di -, tri - and tetra - isocyanates of formula r ( nco ) n , ( where n is a whole number having a value comprised between 2 and 4 , and r is particularly an aliphatic , cycloaliphatic , aryl or aralkyl group comprising from 4 to 15 carbon atoms ) such as 2 , 4 - toluenediiasocyanate , 2 , 6 - toluenediisocyanate , 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- diphenylmethanediisocyanate , 1 , 6 - hexamethylenediisocyanate , 1 , 4 - cyclohexanediisocyanate , 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- dicyclohexylmethanediisocyanate , and isophoronediisocyanate ( i . e . the diisocyanate derived from 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 2 , 5 - heptadiene - 4 - one ), ( ii ) prepolymers of the polyurethane type containing free nco groups and obtained by the reaction of an excess polyisocyanate with a polyol , a polyolether and / or a polyolester , and ( iii ) their mixtures . among the means i mentioned above , the most preferred polyisocyanates are 2 , 4 - toluenediisocyanate , 2 , 6 - toluenediisocyanate and 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- diphenylmethanediisocyanate , the preferred means being 2 , 4 - toluenediisocyanate and commercial toluenediisocyanate which contains 80 % by weight of 2 , 4 isomer and 20 % by weight of 2 , 6 isomer . the means ii which are suitable are polyols containing at least 2 free oh groups per molecule . among the latter may be mentioned particularly polyetherpolyols having an equivalent molecular weight comprised between about 80 and about 400 , and containing at least 2 free oh groups per molecule . these polyether - polyols are generally obtained by condensation of an alkylene oxide ( abbreviated oa ) such as ethylene oxide and propylene oxide with a diol such as ethyleneglycol , propyleneglycol , diethyleneglycol , hexamethyleneglycol , tetramethyleneglycol and cyclohexyl - 1 , 4 - dimethanol , a triol , a tetraol such as pentaerythritol , a pentol , a hexol such as dulcitol and sorbitol , and their mixtures . this condensation is carried out generally in the proportion of 1 to 20 oa groups per free oh group of polyol . among polyols ii which are suitable may be mentioned particularly polyester - polyols such as the products marketed under the name &# 34 ; isonol &# 34 ; rmj 101 and rmj 104 by the upjohn company , and under the name &# 34 ; scuranol &# 34 ; p 440 , p 460 , p 4004 and p 4001 by the rhone - poulenc company . advantageously it is possible to use commercially available polyether - polyols and in particular products manufactured and marketed by the pechiney - ugine - kuhlmann company under the names ugipol 1004 , 1010 , 1020 , 1061 , 1092 and 1093 which are condensation products of alkylene oxide with one or several diols , ugipol 1130 , 1131 , 1171 , 1180 , 1340 1370 , 1371 and 1372 which are condensation products of alkylene oxide with one or several triols , ugipol 3310 , 3320 , 3400 , 3420 , 3450 , 3460 and 3602 which are condensation products of alkylene oxide with one or several tetraols , pentols and / or hexols . if necessary , the means c and / or d , is useful in several applications . it is particularly suitable as orthopedic setting means , in accordance with the present invention ; it is also suitable as ( i ) means for detecting heat , ( ii ) insulating or connecting means , particularly in the field of seals and that of protective sheaths for electrical conductors and ( iii ) means for fastening inserts particularly for replacing pegs , as indicated respectively in french patent applications n ° 82 - 00857 and n ° 82 - 00858 , filed the same day as the present invention . there will now be considered the application of the product according to the invention as orthopedic setting means . the product is obtained according to three modifications a 1 and b 1 ( discontinuous ) and c 1 ( continuous ): modification a 1 : after stage 1 the malaxation is stopped , stage 2 placed in operation in the kneader , then the resulting product is molded or rolled ; modification b 1 : after stage 1 stage 2 is placed in operation in a mold ; and modification c 1 : stage 1 is carried out continuously in a fluid - tight kneader , then continuously the resulting mixture is injected into molds where stage 2 is put in operation . a product is obtained ( particularly in the form of a disc or sheet ) having a thickness comprised between about 1mm and about 7mm , and preferably between 2 . 5mm and 4 . 5mm . for use as orthopedic setting means , it is recommended advantageously to employ stage 1 so that there is a final composition containing ( a ) - 60 to 95 parts by weight of pcl , and ( b ) - 5 to 40 parts by weight of pu , in association , if necessary , with means c and / or d . thus a final thermoplastic product is provided which may be easily shaped and re - shaped hot ( hence reuseable ), which is endowed with an elastic memory , which is rigid at room temperature and / or the temperature of the body , which softens from 55 ° c . whilst keeping a part of its mechanical strength at 60 ° c ., and which possesses the advantage of not being opaque to x - rays . other advantages and characteristics of the invention will be better understood on reading the following examples of preparation which are in no way limiting but given by way of illustration . ( a ) in a fluid - tight bladed kneader in which a temperature of 80 ° c . and a stirring of 150 rpm is maintained , are introduced successively 800 g of polycaprolactone ( producted marketed by the by the union carbide company under the name &# 34 ; pcl 700 &# 34 ; and having an average molecular weight of about 40 , 000 ); when the polycaprolactone is softened ( that is to say about 2 to 5 minutes after the introduction of the pcl ), 70 g of polyether - polyol ( product marketed by the pechiney - ugine - kuhlmann company under the name of &# 34 ; ugipol 3602 &# 34 ; and having an equivalent molecular weight of about 140 ), then when the resulting mixture is softened and homogeneous ( that is to say about 2 to 5 minutes after the introduction of the polyether - polyol ), the stoichiometric amount ( 43 g ) of 2 , 4 - toluenediisocyanate . the resulting mixture is kept at 80 ° c . with stirring ( 150 rpm ) for 10 minutes . ( b ) the stirring is stopped and the mixture so obtained left to stand in the kneader at 80 ° c . for 10 minutes . ( c ) the mixture so obtained is poured into a rectangular mold and pressed at 80 ° c . for 10 minutes . a sheet having a thickness comprised between 2 and 4 mm is obtained which is left to cool to ambient temperature ( 15 °- 20 ° c .). ( a ) procedure was as indicated in example 1 ( a ) with a fluid - tight screw kneader replacing the 2 , 4 - toluenediisocyanate by commercial toluenediisocyanate which comprises 80 % by weight of 2 , 4 isomer and 20 % by weight of 2 , 6 isomer . ( b ) the mixture so obtained was continuously injected into molds and pressed at 80 ° c . for 20 minutes . ( c ) the molds were cooled to room temperature and from each mold was obtained a sheet having a thickness of 3 to 3 . 5 mm . ( a ) procedure was as indicated in example 1 ( a ) from 700 g of pcl (&# 34 ; pcl 700 &# 34 ;), from 25 g of polyether - polyol (&# 34 ; ugipol 3602 &# 34 ;) and from 15 g of commercial toluenediisocyanate . ( b ) the mixture so obtained was poured into a mold and pressed at 75 ° c . for 20 minutes . ( c ) the mold was cooled to room temperature to obtain a sheet having a thickness of 3 mm . ( a ) into a fluid - tight bladed kneader , in which a temperature of 75 ° c . and stirring of 200 rpm are maintained , are introduced successively : 1000 g of polycaprolactone ( having an average molecular weight of about 35 , 000 ); when the pcl is softened , 100 g of polyether - polyol ( 50 g of &# 34 ; ugipol 3602 &# 34 ; and 40g of &# 34 ; ugipol a004 &# 34 ;), then when the resulting mixture is softened and homogeneous 50g of commercial teluenediisocyanate . the temperature is kept at 75 ° c . and stirring at 200 rpm for 8 minutes . ( b ) the stirring is stopped and the polymerisation reaction of the pu is left to develop for 10 minutes at 80 ° c . ( c ) the resulting mixture is poured into a mold and pressed at 60 ° c . for 10 minutes . a sheet of 4 mm thickness is obtained . by proceeding as indicated in example 2 from the required amounts of pcl , ugipol 3602 and 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- diphenylmethanediisocyanate , a sheet of 3 to 4mm thickness is obtained containing 80 parts by weight of pcl and 20 parts by weight of pu . into a bladed kneader in which is maintained , under a nitrogen atmosphere , a stirring of 180 r . p . m ., is prepared a prepolymerisate of means i and ii by reaction at 110 °- 130 ° c ., for 2 to 5 minutes , of 100 parts by weight of &# 34 ; teracol 1000 &# 34 ; [ mixture of polytetramethylene - etherglycols of the formula where n is a number comprised between 6 and 42 and has an average value 13 . 63 , manufactured by the dupont de nemours company ] previously heated to 100 °- 105 ° c . for less than 1 hour under vacuum to remove traces of moisture , with 53 parts by weight of 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- diphenyl - methanediisocyanate previously heated to 70 ° c . in the reaction mixture thus obtained is introduced at 75 ° c . with stirring and under a nitrogen atmosphere 13 . 4 parts by weight of stearic acid , then 502 . 5 parts by weight of pcl having a molecular weight of about 40 , 000 , and finally 14 . 4 parts by weight of 1 , 4 - cyclohexyl - dimethanol . the mixture thus obtained is left under stirring for 5 minutes at 75 ° c . to continue the polymerisation of the pu . the resulting mixture is then run into rectangular moulds and pressed at 100 ° c . for 20 minutes to obtain , after cooling at 15 °- 20 ° c ., sheets having a thickness of 3 to 3 . 5 mm . under these operational conditions where the 1 , 4 - cyclohexyl - dimethanol , teracol 1000 and 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- diphenylmethanediisocyanate are in a molar ratio of about ( 1 : 1 : 2 ), a final sheet product is obtained containing approximately 2 parts by weight of stearic acid , and 25 parts by weight of pu interlocked in the network of 75 parts by weight of pcl . by proceeding as indicated in example 6 from 100 parts by weight of &# 34 ; teracol 1000 &# 34 ;, 53 parts by weight of 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- diphenylmethanediisocyanate , 19 . 4 parts by weight of stearic acid , 805 parts by weight of pcl of molecular weight about 40 , 000 , and 11 . 8 parts by weight of 1 , 6 - hexanediol , are obtained , after molding , sheets of 3 to 3 . 5 mm thickness , the final sheet product containing approximately 2 parts by weight of stearic acid , and 17 parts by weight of pu interlocked in the network of 83 parts by weight of pcl . the sheets according to the invention , and in particular those of examples 1 to 5 , lend themselves easily to molding on the portion of the surface of the body which needs orthopedic immobilising means , without force being necessary to stretch them . they are heated to 60 ° c ., particularly by immersion in water at this temperature before applying them to the skin . when hot , they are self - adhesive and adhere well to one another on simple pressure . after cooling , they have very good resistance to separation , high rigidity , cutting up then being done with scissors . after manipulation it is observed that they do not show any trace of the fingers of the manipulator , and after application to a portion of the skin and then cutting up to be removed there is observed on the inner surface of the splint the impressions of the skin ( pores , lines of the hand , etc . ); these findings and observations show that the sheets according to the invention , due to the fact of their elasticity , avoid by slight retraction any wobbling of the splint without occasioning excessive pressure on the surface to be molded . in other applications described in the above - indicated french patent applications , advantageously products obtained at stage 2 according to the invention will be used containing : ( ii ) for use particularly as insulating or connecting means ( protective seals and sheets ): | 8 |
the energy transformation of the wind power plant from translatory air movement to energy of rotation takes place by means of the rotor blades 10 which are pivotally mounted on the rotor hub 12 , and whose setting angle can be modified by means of the blade adjustment 14 . by means of the gear 16 which is driven on the rotor side by the hub 12 , the speed of the driven shafts is raised to 1500 to 3000 min − 1 . at the rapidly rotating driven shafts are driven , an auxiliary generator 18 and one or more pressure pumps 20 . the electric power generated by the auxiliary generator 18 is temporarily stored by a battery supplying the regulating device . these components are located in the gondola 22 of the wind power plant continuously oriented in accordance with the variable wind direction by means of the wind direction tracking system 24 . by means of a rotary passage 26 , the sea or brackish water 44 is fed into the storage tank 27 and supplied by means of valve 31 to the pressure pump 20 in the rotary gondola 22 . the pressure pump 20 places under pressure the sea or brackish water supplied . the pressure reservoir or tank 28 compensates load peaks , and therefore smooths the pressure distribution per time unit . by means of the regulating device 32 using the regulating valve 30 , the volume flow of the pressurized sea or brackish water and via the blade adjustment 14 , the output of the rotor are regulated so that they are matched to one another . below the gondola 22 , the filter units 36 and reverse osmosis unit 38 are located in a jointly rotating frame 34 . as a result of the suspension rotating with the gondola 22 , the pressure pipes can be firmly connected between the pressure pumps 20 and the filter unit 36 , as well as the reverse osmosis unit 38 . the drinking water tank 40 , which serves as a reservoir , is located below the reverse osmosis unit 38 . as a result of the overall height of the tank above the ground , the static pressure can feed the water via the drinking water pipe 42 over long distances . in the proposed solution , the wind power plant is installed directly at the sea or brackish water 44 so that the plant is surrounded on all sides by sea or brackish water 44 . by means of an untreated water filter 46 , the water passes into an untreated water reservoir 48 located below the water surface . by means of an electrolytic chlorination system 50 , the water is chemically pre - treated . an electrically operated lifting pump 52 feeds the sea or brackish water 44 via the untreated water lifting pipe 54 , the rotary passage 26 , and the storage tank 27 to the pressure pump 20 in the gondola 22 . parallel to the untreated water lifting pipe 54 is located the waste water pipe 56 which returns the salt water concentrate and filter sludge from the filter unit 36 to the sea or brackish water 44 . these pipes are arranged centrally to the outer pipe and are located in the climb - through pipe 58 within the drinking water tank 40 . said pipe 58 is also used for the ascent of personnel for maintenance or repair purposes , the lower tower part being reached through the entrance door 60 . the entire plant is connected by means of the foundation part 62 to the sea bed . the tower 66 is connected to the foundation part 62 by the bottom flange 64 . the tower 66 comprises the lower tower segment with the drinking water tank 40 , and the upper tower segment with the filter unit 36 and reverse osmosis unit 38 . both tower parts are interconnected by means of the connecting flange 68 . for maintenance purposes on the filter unit 36 and reverse osmosis unit 38 , the rotating frame 34 contains two maintenance platforms 70 , in each case below the subassemblies . equivalent elements can be substituted for the ones set forth above such that they perform in the same manner in the same way for achieving the same result . | 8 |
referring now to the drawings , fig1 depicts in purely schematic manner the disposition , within an electron beam column of a pattern - writing machine , of a deflector unit for deflecting an electron beam to enable scanning of a substrate surface for the purpose of writing an integrated circuit layout or other desired pattern . this use of the deflector unit is merely by way of example and such units can be employed for deflecting electron beams for other purposes . in the illustrated example , the column , which has a vertical orientation , comprises an electron gun eg generating an electron beam eb of desired electron voltage for propagation along the column vertical centre axis a and focusing by way of a conventional series of three lenses c 1 , c 2 and c 3 and intervening spray apertures ( not shown ) to form a spot on a suitably prepared writing surface of a movably mounted substrate s . a deflection unit d is located between the second and third ( final ) lenses of the series and serves to deflect the beam in a directionally controlled manner at , for example , two different rates to cause the focused beam spot to trace the intended pattern on the substrate surface in a field - by - field progression , in which connection the pattern is fractured into main fields and each of these is in turn into subfields . a slower rate of deflection , such as 100 khz , is provided for beam spot displacement between subfields of a main field to achieve coarse positioning of the spot to , for example , a nearest 20 microns and a faster rate of deflection , such as 25 mhz , is provided for fine spot displacement within each subfield to write pattern features within a range of , in this instance , 20 microns . the beam deflection is generally undertaken in a sequential process , as indicated by the dashed - line beam axis a ′, of bending the beam away from the column axis a through a predetermined first angle and then bending the beam back towards the axis through a predetermined second angle greater than the first angle by a factor dependent on the positional relationship of the deflector unit d to , in particular , the third lens c 3 . the deflection process has a twisting effect such as to impart to the beam an approximately helical course . the maximum displacement of the beam spot achievable by the beam deflection is typically 0 . 8 mm , with displacement beyond that range being produced by movement of the substrate itself relative to the column axis . the deflector unit shown in fig2 for providing the requisite dual rate beam deflection is constructed to function on the principle of variable intensity magnetic fields constraining the beam path away from and then back towards the column axis , the magnetic fields being generated by axially spaced sets of coils distributed around the axis in a specific configuration of diametrical opposition . opposed coils in each set are then controlled in opposite sense so that as field intensity is increased on one side it is decreased on the other to provide a desired beam deflection as described further below . the coils are carried by a coil former assembly 10 consisting , in the illustrated embodiment , of two coaxial hollow cylindrical inner formers 11 a , 11 b and two coaxial hollow cylindrical outer formers 12 a , 12 b . the outer formers are sleeved together at a complementary recess and sleeve projection 13 and internally stepped to provide recesses 14 receiving the inner formers , so that the latter are enclosed by the outer formers . the inner formers 11 a , 11 b are located in the recesses 14 in a fixed angular relationship to each other and to the outer formers 12 a , 12 b by keying . the assembly 10 is terminated at an upper , i . e . beam entry , end by a locating ring 15 serving to locate the assembly in a mount in the column in a fixed angular relationship thereto by keying . the formers and locating ring are glued together by , for example , cyanoacrylate or other suitable heat - resisting adhesive . the resulting assembly , which after fitting of the coils can be encapsulated in an electrically insulating bonding material , has a cylindrical shape with a continuous throughbore 16 of constant diameter made up of mating bores of the formers and defining a passage for the electron beam . in the mounted state of the deflector unit , the axis 17 of the throughbore 16 is coincident with the column vertical axis . each of the coil formers houses two diametrically opposite , radially inner coils 18 each wound in generally square or oblong shape and two similarly arranged and shaped , radially outer coils 19 arranged at 90 ° to the inner coils . each coil is disposed to lie in a cylinder wall segment of the respective former in such an orientation that two opposite sides of the rectangle defined by the coil winding extend parallel to the cylinder axis of the former and the other two sides extend in the circumferential direction of the former . each coil extends around approximately 120 ° of the former circumference with the result that in the circumferential direction the two outer coils 19 overlap the two inner coils 18 , the overlapping coil regions , however , being electrically separated . in addition , the coil sets 18 , 19 of the inner formers 11 a , 11 b are positioned to be slightly closer to the axis of the respective former than in the case of the coil sets 18 , 19 of the outer formers 12 a , 12 b , the closer the proximity of the coils to the beam the greater the achievable deflection sensitivity . the shape and overlapping arrangement of the coils in one of the coil formers , in particular the lower outer former 12 b , is apparent from fig3 . the relative arrangement of the four coil formers and the four sets of coils they carry is such that , with respect to the vertical orientation of the deflector unit when mounted in the column , the coil set 18 , 19 of a first or upper one 11 a of the inner formers is followed , in the direction of beam propagation , by that of a first or upper one 12 a of the outer formers and this in turn is followed by the coil set 18 , 19 of a second or lower one 11 b of the inner formers and finally by that of a second or lower one 12 b of the outer formers . the thus axially spaced coil sets 18 , 19 of the inner formers 11 a , 11 b are assigned to deflection of the beam for fine or subfield scanning and the axially spaced coil sets 18 , 19 of the outer formers 12 a , 12 b are assigned to deflection of the beam for coarse or main - field scanning . for ease of reference , the four formers are termed upper and lower subfield coil formers 11 a , 11 b and upper and lower main - field coil formers 12 a , 12 b in the following description . beam deflection is achieved by reciprocal change in energisation of the coils of one pair of opposite coils 18 or 19 in a former and / or of the coils of the other pair of opposite coils 18 or 19 in the same former , whereby the beam is deflected by magnetic field effect relative to the column axis through a given angle depending on the degree of reciprocal change and in a given direction within a 360 ° range depending on the relative action on the individual coils ; action solely on the coils of one pair 18 or 19 produces deflection in a direction of — by way of arbitrary designation − 0 ° or 180 ° and action solely on the coils of the other pair 18 or 19 produces deflection in a direction of 90 ° or 270 °, whilst selective action on the coils of both pairs 18 and 19 produces deflection in any desired intervening angle in the 360 ° range . for initial coarse scanning , the coil set of the upper main - field former 12 a is appropriately influenced to firstly push the beam away from the column axis through a first angle , after which the coil set of the lower main - field former 12 b is influenced in reverse sense to pull the beam back through a second angle greater than the first angle so that the beam passes through the focal centre of the final lens c 3 at such an inclination relative to the column axis that it can impinge on the substrate surface with a desired offset ( amount and direction ) from the point of intersection of the axis with the surface . the thus coarsely positioned beam spot can then be finely positioned during actual pattern writing , by analogous sequential influencing of the coil sets of the upper and lower subfield formers 11 a , 11 b . the beam deflection for fine scanning by the spot is undertaken at a preset clock rate selected to provide an intended electron dose at each dwell point of the spot for the purpose of writing by , for example , electron - induced erosion or other change in an electron - sensitive layer on the substrate surface . it is to be emphasised that the described numbers , arrangement and functional interaction of the coils of the coil formers are merely by way of example . a considerable degree of freedom exists for tailoring the number , size , shape and disposition of the coils to the requirements of an individual column and a particular scanning task . each coil is composed of a winding 20 or windings 21 of thin copper wire with an electrically insulating coating , the coils of the subfield coil formers 11 a , 11 b for higher - speed beam deflection over small distances each consisting of a single winding 20 and those of the main - field coil formers 12 a , 12 b for lower - speed deflection over greater distances each consisting of multiple windings 21 . due to their low inductance , the single windings 20 accept a faster rate of change in supplied current and consequently offer a faster rate of beam deflection for the small increments of beam spot movement within the 20 micron range . the coils are formed in each main - field ( outer ) former 12 a or 12 b by insertion of the respective winding wires into corresponding square or oblong slot receptacles produced in the formers by intersecting , externally open longitudinally oriented incisions 22 and circumferentially oriented incisions 23 , the longitudinal incisions 22 for the radially inner coils 18 being deeper than those for the radially outer coils 19 . in the case of the subfield ( inner ) formers 11 a , 11 b the coils are formed by insertion of the wires into externally open longitudinal incisions 24 and internally open longitudinal incisions 25 at the respective former and by laying the wires in circumferential direction on steps 26 at the ends of the former . the paths of the incisions 22 , 23 and windings 21 disposed therein to define the coils 18 , 19 are shown more clearly in fig3 . the provision of four coils in each set , overlapping of the coils and recessing in slot receptacles create unfavourable conditions of heat transmission to the surrounding former material under quasi - continuous operation of the coils , with limited scope for effectively cooling the coils and coil formers by forced air currents or other such measures . heat retention in the formers in such circumstances leads to expansion of and other stresses in both the coils and the formers , which in turn produce distortions in the magnetic fields generated by the coils and consequent undesired influences on the beam path when deflected . these influences cause errors in the writing of patterns , for which a high level of accuracy is usually essential . to eliminate or at least significantly mitigate these thermal influences , each former is made from a high - strength , non - magnetic and electrically non - conductive ceramic material which is selected so that the parameters of high thermal conductivity and low coefficient of expansion have primacy over the otherwise important factor of compatibility with machining requirements , but which still allows production of sufficiently robust components . a particularly suitable ceramic material is the translucent machinable aluminum nitride ceramic marketed as shapal - m ( registered trade mark ), which has a high thermal conductivity in the preferred range of above 50 w / m ° c ., in particular 90 to 100 w / m ° c ., but retains a sufficiently low coefficient of expansion of 4 . 4 to 5 . 2 × 10 − 6 /° c . the coefficient of expansion is generally similar to that of the conventionally used polyetheretherketone plastics material , but the thermal conductivity is markedly higher so as to provide enhanced dissipation of heat from the coils and substantially reduced tendency of the coils to expand under constant resistive heating during use . other ceramics , for example certain boron nitrides , may have satisfactory or even better thermal characteristics , but insufficient mechanical strength to satisfactorily withstand the stresses arising in manufacture and servicing of coil formers made from this material . due to its hardness ( 560 on the vickers scale ), the above - mentioned aluminum nitride ceramic imposes some machining constraints in production by comparison with more readily processible ceramics . the starting ceramic product in bar form is firstly heated in a furnace to allow machining , then turned and milled to define external and internal profile shapes and thereafter cut by a precision saw to form the incisions 22 to 25 for the slot receptacles . the hardness results in comparatively rapid consumption of machining tool bits and blades , which consequently require more frequent replacement ; this penalty is acceptable in terms of the piece numbers usually involved and in view of the substantial operational advantages gained from the stated thermal properties . other , more easily machinable ceramics do not offer the desired high level of thermal conductivity with retention of a low coefficient of thermal expansion . a coil former produced from the specified ceramic material can thus be used individually or incorporated in a coil former assembly to provide a deflector unit with significantly reduced susceptibility to thermally - induced magnetic field distortions and pattern writing error attributable to such distortions . the benefits are particularly noticeable in the case of coil former assemblies with multiply wound coil sets recessed in the formers , the high rate of heat conductance from the coils to the former material and from that material to the sub - atmospheric environment of the column then being such as to counteract the otherwise strong heat sink effect of the formers . | 7 |
referring first to fig2 wherein like numerals designate the same element throughout the several drawings , there are three fibers with at least one fiber being an optical fiber 10 braided together into an interwoven strand or braid 16 . in the preferred embodiment , the spatial bend frequency of the braid 16 corresponds to the optimum microbend frequency for the optical fiber 10 . the spatial bend frequency is thus set to obtain the greatest amount of microbending loss in the optical fiber . this maximizes the sensitivity to changes in length . alternatively , under some circumstances , it may be beneficial to decrease the sensitivity to changes in length ( e . g ., to increase the range of measurement ) through using a spatial bend frequency for the braid which is either greater or less than the optimum spatial bend frequency for the optical fiber used . the braid or strand 16 is then attached to a workpiece or structure to be measured at attachment points 18 and tensioned with a tension adjustment 20 . alternatively , the braid or strand 16 may be held in the desired level of tension by a tensioning means prior to and during its attachment to the workpiece or structure ; the tensioning means may then be removed following the attachment thus eliminating the tensioning means as a potential source of error and permitting a single tensioning means 20 to be used to install multiple braids . the braid 10 is thus preloaded in tension when installed on the workpiece or structure . this establishes the zero or reference length of the braid 10 and permits the measurement of both increases and decreases in the length of the workpiece or structure . alternatively , if the direction of the change in length to be measured is known in advance , the initial tension may be adjusted to produce the maximum range or sensitivity for the measurement . an optical signal applying means 22 is a source to provide light into each of the active optical fibers as is illustrated by the arrow in entering optical fiber 10 in fig2 . the light exiting the optical fiber 10 is directed to a photo - detector 28 which measures the intensity of the optical signal transmitted through the optical fiber 10 . conveniently , the optical signal applying means 22 includes a light source 24 and a light splitting means 26 connected to one end of each optical fiber 10 for simultaneously applying the optical signal . suitable light sources include a light emitting diode ( led ), laser , or laser diode . the detection means may include any means of detecting changes in the intensity of the optical signal at the wavelength of the optical signal applying means , such as a photodiode . an example of the light splitting means 26 includes a 3 db coupler with the aid of known optical splices . a beneficial arrangement of the splitting means includes a provision for a portion of the signal from the optical applying means to pass directly to a reference photodetector without passing through the optical fiber 10 . the signal from the photodetector 28 may then be ratioed to the signal from the reference photodetector to provide an output signal which is independent of any source intensity variations . the degree of sensitivity to microbend loss depends on the wavelength of the light employed and the fiber characteristics ; these establish the optimum spatial bend frequency for maximum attenuation as a result of microbending . the sensitivity of the braid or strand 16 can be altered by changing these parameters , or through changing the physical parameters of the braid . for a given spatial bend frequency , the longer the braid is , the greater the sensitivity is because of the larger number of spatial bends . conversely , a shorter braid has less sensitivity because the number of spatial bends is less . similarly , increasing the number of active optical fibers in the braid increases the number of spatial bends ; i . e ., for a given length and spatial bend frequency , a braid with two active optical fibers has twice the sensitivity of a braid with a single active optical fiber . the sensitivity of the braid or strand 16 may also be altered or adjusted through means which increase or decrease the amount of microbending which occurs as a result of a given change in length of the braid 16 ; such means include changing the relative stiffness of the filler strands relative to the active optical fiber ( s ). the output of the photodetector or other intensity detection means may be directed to some form of recording or graphing instrument ( not shown ) to provide a permanent record of any changes in length . also , a microprocessor 32 or other suitable linearizing electronics connected to the photodetector 28 via the transmission line linearizes the output of the photodetector for easy calculations or display . as the structure of the workpiece or strut 34 changes length between points 20 and 18 , the braid 16 tightens or loosens resulting in a change in the microbending loss in the optical fiber 10 . the light which was launched through the fiber changes in intensity as a result of the change in the microbend losses . this is readily related to the change in the length of the braid 16 through the microprocessor 32 , or other electronic means , and thereby to the change in length of the structure or workpiece to which the braid is attached . the braid or strand 16 comprises a plurality of fibers with at least one of the fibers being an optical fiber 10 . it can be seen that the plurality of optical fibers which comprise the braid 16 may consist of a single optical fiber 10 which is folded or bent back upon itself one or more times , such that with a suitable braiding means , the same continuous optical fiber 10 makes two or more passes through the braid 16 structure to provide increased sensitivity while simplifying the application of the sensor by decreasing the number of splitting means and optical splices required . this method may also be used to place the optical applying means and detecting means at the same or opposite ends of the braid 16 as may be required for a specific application . the braid can be readily embedded , suiting it for application in composite materials , cast refractories or concrete . it can be readily protected from mechanical damage with a simple tube , or by coating the braid with a compliant coating such as a silicon rubber . an aluminum coated glass - on - glass fiber is preferred , but any optical fiber which demonstrates microbending losses is suitable , including polyimide or plastic coated glass - on - glass or plastic optical fiber . the remaining fibers can be made of any suitable material that allows for braiding . for applications where the optimum sensitivity is unknown , it can be seen that it is beneficial for all of the fibers to be optical fibers , thus permitting the user to select the number of fibers which will be active and the number which will act only as fillers to achieve the required sensitivity . while a three - fiber braid is described , additional optical fibers can be readily added , improving sensitivity and permitting the sensor to be fabricated on commercial braiding or stranding equipment . the sensitivity of the fiber optic microbend sensor is increased with the addition of optical fibers to the braid . fig3 illustrates preliminary calibration data for the distributed microbend elongation sensor . a braided fiber length of 0 . 70 meters was used for these tests , with two active optical fibers and one filler fiber . the total sensor elongation range is about 1 mm and the response is nonlinear but repeatable over this range . it is straightforward to linearize a sensor output using appropriate microprocessor based electronics such as omos integrated circuits to detect and amplify the photodetector signal for example . the worst case response for small displacements about the initial length is approximately 0 . 1 mv / 1 , 000 nm . the elongation range will scale to about 5 mm for a 3 meter braid ( and strut ) length . the fiber optic microbend sensor in fig3 had a 2 - foot gage length , i . e ., length of optical fiber conductor 10 , using two active ( optical ) and one dummy ( non - optical ) fiber . it had a range of 0 . 040 inch and a resolution of 0 . 00002 inch ( 0 . 05 % of full scale ). the present invention is easily applied to the measurement of strain as well as elongation . through measurement of strain or displacement , it is also applicable to a variety of transduction applications including position , pressure , flow , or temperature . while a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention , it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles . one such example is that while the preferred embodiment has shown three optical fibers braided together , another embodiment is one optical fiber with two dummy fibers . another such example would be to perhaps braid as many as six optical fibers for increased sensitivity , for simplicity and low cost of manufacturing or for flexibility in application . | 6 |
embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . note that the following embodiments are merely examples as implementing means of the present invention , and can be applied to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . fig1 is a diagram of a mechanical branch current detection circuit according to the first embodiment . reference numeral 1 denotes a piezoelectric vibrator ; 2 , a pulse generating means for outputting to the piezoelectric vibrator 1 a pulse having a frequency corresponding to a frequency command output from a cpu 11 ( described below ); 3 , an inductor element which suppresses a rush current ; 4 , a capacitor for detecting a mechanical branch current flowing in the piezoelectric vibrator 1 ; 5 and 6 , voltage dividing resistors each of which detects the mechanical branch current ; 7 , a differential amplifier which detects a difference between the voltage applied to a connection portion between the piezoelectric vibrator 1 and capacitor 4 and that applied to a connection portion between the voltage dividing resistors 5 and 6 ; 8 , a differential amplifier which detects a voltage applied across the piezoelectric vibrator 1 ; 9 , an amplitude detection means for detecting the amplitude of an output voltage from the differential amplifier 7 ; 10 , a phase difference detection means for detecting a phase difference between the applied voltage to the piezoelectric vibrator 1 and the output voltage from the differential amplifier 7 ; and 11 , the cpu which receives the amplitude and phase difference information from the differential amplifier 8 and phase difference detection means 10 to output a frequency command signal to the pulse generating means 2 . fig2 is a circuit diagram around the piezoelectric vibrator 1 when showing the piezoelectric vibrator 1 in an equivalent circuit . the principle of detection of the mechanical branch current will be described below with reference to fig2 . im = j ω ( ac0 ) k - 1 + j ω ( k + ka - 1 ) c0 ( r + j ( ω l - 1 ω c ) ) ( v1 - v2 ) ( 1 ) where ac 0 (= cs ) is the electrostatic capacitance of the capacitor 4 , c 0 is the electrostatic capacitance of the damping admittance of the piezoelectric vibrator 1 , v 1 is the voltage applied to the connection portion between the piezoelectric vibrator 1 and capacitor 4 , v 2 is the voltage - divided output voltage from the voltage dividing resistors 5 and 6 , ω is a driving angular frequency , and k = r 2 /( r 1 + r 2 ) where r 1 is the resistance value of the voltage dividing resistor 5 , and r 2 is the resistance value of the voltage dividing resistor 6 . im =− jω ( 1 + a ) c 0 ( v 1 − v 2 ) ( 2 ) equation ( 2 ) is modified to obtain an output voltage ( v 1 − v 2 ) by v1 - v2 = - j 1 ω ( 1 + a ) c0 im ( 3 ) for example , when selecting the electrostatic capacitances of the damping admittance c 0 and capacitor cs to be equal to each other , a = 1 . hence , the output voltage is obtained by multiplying the mechanical branch current im by a value half the impedance of c 0 . also , the phase of the output voltage is leading by 90 ° from the mechanical branch current im . when k = 1 / 2 , r 1 = r 2 . also , if cs = ac 0 , r 1 = ar 2 . hence , even when the value of c 0 is not equal to that of cs , the mechanical branch current can be detected by changing the ratio of r 1 and r 2 . in this method , as compared with a conventional current detection method using a resistor , a power loss is smaller by an amount corresponding to the absence of a resistor in a current path to the piezoelectric vibrator 1 . additionally , the relatively high voltage can be detected since the current is detected using the impedance of the damping admittance . for example , when c 0 = 10 [ nf ], the current can be detected by multiplying the amplitude of the mechanical branch current 275 times , provided that a and the frequency are set to 1 and 30 ( khz ), respectively . note that since r 1 and r 2 are merely used as only the voltage dividing means , the voltage dividing circuit may be arranged by a capacitor , inductor , and the like . therefore , the amplitude of the output voltage from the differential amplifier 7 is proportional to that of the mechanical branch current . the amplitude detection means 9 converts the amplitude of an ac voltage into a dc voltage by using a circuit for obtaining an effective value and a rectifying means such as a diode . the output from the differential amplifier 7 is then input to the cpu 11 by using an a / d conversion means ( not shown ). the phase difference detection means 10 detects a phase difference between the voltage applied to the piezoelectric vibrator 1 and the output voltage from the differential amplifier 7 , and then outputs the phase difference to the cpu 11 . for example , the cpu 11 controls the mechanical branch current to a predetermined amplitude , and also controls the phase difference between the mechanical branch current and the applied voltage to a predetermined value . when the value of the mechanical branch current is smaller than the predetermined value , or the phase difference between the mechanical branch current and the applied voltage is larger than a predetermined value , the cpu 11 operates such that a driving frequency comes close to a resonance frequency . otherwise , the cpu 11 operates such that the driving frequency is separated from the resonance frequency . in order to control the amplitude of the mechanical branch current , the cpu 11 may control a voltage amplitude in place of the frequency of the applied voltage as an operational parameter . when the mechanical branch current is smaller than the predetermined value , the cpu controls the amplitude of the applied voltage to be large . otherwise , the cpu controls the amplitude of the applied voltage to be small . note that when monitoring the resonance state of the piezoelectric vibrator 1 by using the information of the phase difference between the applied voltage and the mechanical branch current , the phase shift of 90 ° from the actual value must be considered . when calculating the phase difference between the driving voltage and the mechanical branch current , the detected phase must be shifted by 90 °. the phase of the value corresponding to the mechanical branch current obtained in equation ( 3 ) is leading from that of the actual mechanical branch current , and is inversely proportional to an angular frequency . no problem is posed when the driving frequency is fixed . however , in order to control the amplitude by operating the driving frequency , the proportionality between the mechanical branch current and the detection value is slightly shifted . as a measure against this problem , the differentiating circuit which differentiates a detection signal may be added . this process is shown in the following equations . the actual waveform of the mechanical branch current is given by v1 - v2 = 1 ω ( 1 + a ) c0 im 0 ( j cos ω t - sin ω t ) ( 5 ) ( v1 - v2 ) ′ = - 1 ( 1 + a ) c0 im 0 ( j sin ω t + cos ω t ) = 1 ( 1 + a ) c0 im ( 6 ) from equation ( 6 ), the sign of the output voltage is changed with respect to the mechanical branch current by differentiating the output voltage . however , the amplitude value is not changed even if the angular frequency ω is changed . fig3 shows an example of the differentiating circuit . reference numeral 12 denotes an operational amplifier . the gain g of this differentiating circuit is obtained by where c 1 is the electrostatic capacitance of the capacitor , and r 3 is the resistance value of a feedback resistor . ( v 1 - v 2 ) g = c1r3 ( 1 + a ) c0 im0 ( cos ω t + j sin ω t ) = c1r3 ( 1 + a ) c0 im ( 8 ) from equation ( 8 ), the amplitude value does not change even if the angular frequency ω changes , as in equation ( 6 ). since the gain is negative , the phase matches that of the mechanical branch current . as described above , the differential operation can be executed in a simple circuit arrangement , and the mechanical branch current can be accurately detected by adding the differentiating circuit . assume that the phase of the mechanical branch current is not important for an application . in order to obtain only the amplitude of the mechanical branch current , the gradient of the waveform at the center ( the waveform average or about 0 ) of the waveform in equation ( 3 ) or ( 5 ) can be detected . fig4 shows an example . reference numeral 13 denotes a comparator ; and 14 , a reference voltage generating means 14 . the reference voltage generating means generates a voltage d 0 with a waveform slightly shifted from the center of the waveform . the comparator 13 compares an output signal vs from the differential amplifier 7 and the reference voltage d 0 , to output a signal at high level when the output from the differential amplifier 7 is larger than the reference voltage d 0 . the duty of the output signal from the comparator 13 slightly shifts from the duty of 50 %, and a time at high level is different from that at low level . reference numeral 15 denotes a pulse measurement means for detecting a difference between the time at high level and that at low level . fig5 shows waveforms of the respective parts in the circuit in fig4 . as shown in fig5 , the time difference between high level and low level is 2 t 1 . gradient g 1 is obtained by where vd is the voltage of the reference signal d 0 at the center of the waveform of the signal vs . g 1 corresponds to the amplitude in equation ( 6 ), and becomes a value corresponding to the amplitude of the mechanical branch current independent of the angular frequency ω . since the frequency has been known in advance , the value corresponding to the amplitude of the mechanical branch current independent of the frequency can be obtained by detecting the mechanical branch current and then multiplying the detection value by the frequency . since the vibration actuator generally has the driving voltage with a plurality of phases in detecting the mechanical branch current of the vibration actuator , the mechanical branch currents with the respective phases can be detected . however , when the phases of the plurality of currents are almost the same , it suffices a mechanical branch current with one phase is detected as a representative , and the values of the phases of the remaining currents are made almost equal to that of the detected phase . also , the mechanical branch current can be detected even when changing the order of the piezoelectric vibrator 1 and capacitor 4 . fig6 is a diagram of a mechanical branch current detection circuit according to the second embodiment . reference numeral 16 denotes an amplitude detection means for detecting the voltage amplitude of a connection portion between a piezoelectric vibrator 1 and a capacitor 4 ; 17 , an amplitude detection means for detecting the voltage amplitude of a connection portion between voltage dividing resistors 5 and 6 ; 18 , a phase difference detection means for detecting a phase difference between the voltage of the connection portion between the piezoelectric vibrator 1 and the capacitor 4 , and that at the connection portion between the voltage dividing resistors 5 and 6 ; 19 , a phase difference detection means for detecting a phase difference between a voltage applied to the piezoelectric vibrator 1 and that of the connection portion between the piezoelectric vibrator 1 and the capacitor 4 ; and 20 , a calculation means for receiving outputs from the amplitude detection means 16 and 17 and outputs from the phase detection means 18 and 19 to obtain the amplitude and phase of the difference voltage between the voltage at the connection portion between the piezoelectric vibrator 1 and the capacitor 4 and that of the connection portion between the voltage dividing resistors 5 and 6 . the calculation means 20 calculates a phase difference ps between the difference voltage and the voltage applied across the piezoelectric vibrator 1 , and the amplitude vs of the difference voltage . the amplitude vs and the phase difference ps can be obtained by vs = vc 2 + vr 2 - 2 · vc · vrcos ϕ ( 10 ) ps = tan - 1 ( ( vc + vr ) ( vc - vr ) tan ( ϕ 2 ) ) - tan - 1 ( vc + ( 1 + a ) vr ) ( vc - ( 1 + a ) vr ) tan ( ϕ 2 ) ) ( 11 ) where vc is the output from the amplitude detection means 16 , vr is the output from the amplitude detection means 17 , φ is the output from the phase difference detection means 18 . in equation ( 11 ), φ 0 which is the output from the phase difference detection means 19 may be used instead of φ . as described above , the amplitude and phase of the waveform difference can also be obtained by obtaining the respective amplitudes and relative phase differences of the voltage of the connection portion between the piezoelectric vibrator 1 and capacitor 4 and that of the connection portion between the voltage dividing resistors 5 and 6 . the value of ps is shifted by 90 ° from the actual mechanical branch current . hence , as in the first embodiment , the phase needs to shift by 90 ° to detect the resonance state . note that the phase difference between the applied voltage and mechanical branch current in the resonance state is generally 90 °. in order to shift the phase by 90 °, a differentiating means can be used as in the first embodiment other than a simple subtraction process . in the first embodiment , the differentiating means is inserted to the output of the differential amplifier 7 . however , in this embodiment , the differentiating means are inserted after the amplitude detection means 16 and 17 , respectively . the differentiating means is arranged as shown in fig3 and 4 . in this embodiment , the amplitude detection means 17 detects the amplitude of the voltage divided by the voltage dividing resistors 5 and 6 . however , the amplitude detection means 17 may detect the undivided voltage at the connection portion between the inductor element 3 and the piezoelectric vibrator 1 , and the calculation means 20 may multiply the value corresponding to the voltage dividing ratio of the voltage dividing resistors 5 and 6 by the output value from the amplitude detection means 17 , to divide the voltage . fig7 is a diagram of a mechanical branch current detection circuit in the third embodiment . in the above embodiments , a voltage is applied to a piezoelectric vibrator 1 via an inductor in the series circuit of the piezoelectric vibrator 1 and a capacitor 4 , to ground the capacitor 4 . however , in this embodiment , a voltage is applied across the series circuit of the piezoelectric vibrator 1 and capacitor 4 via a transformer to ground a connection portion between the piezoelectric vibrator 1 and the capacitor 4 . in fig7 , reference numeral 21 denotes a transformer . in this embodiment , the voltage at the connection portion between the piezoelectric vibrator 1 and the capacitor 4 is 0v . hence , although the differential amplifier 7 detects the mechanical branch current in the above embodiments , the voltage at the connection portion between voltage dividing resistors 5 and 6 represents a signal corresponding to the mechanical branch current in this embodiment . therefore , from equation ( 3 ), the voltage v 4 at the connection portion of the voltage dividing resistors 5 and 6 is obtained by v4 = j 1 ω ( 1 + a ) c0 im ( 12 ) a phase difference detection means 10 detects a phase difference between an applied voltage v 3 and the voltage v 4 corresponding to the mechanical branch current , thereby detecting the resonance state of the piezoelectric vibrator 1 . note that since the phase of the voltage at the connection portion between the voltage dividing resistors 5 and 6 is 90 ° leading from that of the mechanical branch current , the phase shift of 90 ° must be considered in detecting the resonance state . also , the phase shift of 90 ° may be corrected by differentiating the output voltage at the connection portion between the voltage dividing resistors 5 and 6 as in the above embodiments . in this embodiment , the voltage dividing resistors 5 and 6 are used as voltage dividing means . however , an intermediate tap may be arranged on the secondary side of the transformer to apply a driving voltage and also output the divided voltage . fig8 shows an example of this arrangement . reference numeral 22 denotes a transformer with a center tap on the secondary side . when c 0 = cs for a = 1 in equation ( 12 ), the intermediate tap may serve as the center tap which is a median on the secondary side . fig9 is a diagram of a mechanical branch current detection circuit in the fourth embodiment . in this embodiment , there are three or more voltage dividing resistors . of course , a voltage dividing element may be a capacitor or inductor in addition to the resistor . reference numeral 23 denotes a voltage dividing means which has output terminals corresponding to a plurality of voltage dividing ratios ; 24 , a selection means for selecting one of output voltages of the plurality of output terminals of the voltage dividing means ; and 25 , a temperature sensor . since the value of damping admittance c 0 of a piezoelectric vibrator 1 changes in accordance with temperatures , the ratio of the value of c 0 and that of cs of a capacitor 4 undesirably changes . hence , the voltage dividing ratio of the voltage dividing means needs to be modified in accordance with the change in ratio . thus , a relationship between a temperature detected by the temperature sensor 25 in advance and the optimal voltage dividing ratio is obtained to store data . when detecting the mechanical branch current , the voltage dividing ratio is determined from the data stored in accordance with the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 25 . the selection means 24 then selects an output terminal of the output terminal 23 corresponding to the voltage dividing ratio , to output the voltage . fig1 is a flowchart of a method of changing the voltage dividing ratio . first , the temperature sensor 25 detects the temperature of the piezoelectric vibrator 1 ( step s 1 ). the electrostatic capacitance of a damping admittance corresponding to the temperature is referred to from the data ( step s 2 ). the ratio ( a ) of the referred electrostatic capacitance and that of the capacitor 4 is obtained ( step s 3 ). an output terminal where the voltage dividing ratio of the voltage dividing means 23 is closest to the ratio of ( a ) is determined ( step s 4 ). finally , the selection means 24 selects the output terminal determined by the selection means 24 to output the voltage . as described above , the voltage dividing ratio which is most suitable to detect the mechanical branch current is selected . also , the voltage signal corresponding to the mechanical branch current can be detected by , e . g ., differentiating the output from the selection means 24 as in the conventional case . in the fourth embodiment , the relationship between temperature and voltage dividing ratio is obtained in advance . however , in this embodiment , an ac voltage with a predetermined frequency is applied such that a piezoelectric vibrator 1 hardly vibrates , and the voltage dividing ratio is set such that the voltage value output from a voltage dividing means 23 is smaller than a predetermined amplitude . that is , when the piezoelectric vibrator 1 hardly vibrates , the mechanical branch current is small . hence , a selection means 24 selects a terminal with the smallest amplitude of the output terminals of the voltage dividing means 23 . fig1 is a diagram of a mechanical branch current detection circuit in the fifth embodiment . reference numerals 26 and 27 denote low - pass filters . the low - pass filter 26 detects a signal in a main vibration frequency range of the piezoelectric vibrator 1 from the output signals from the selection means 24 . the low - pass filter 27 detects the signal in the main vibration frequency range of the piezoelectric vibrator 1 from the voltages applied to the piezoelectric vibrator 1 . reference numeral 28 denotes a bandpass filter which detects the signal of a harmonic component contained in a driving voltage , from the output signals from the selection means 24 ; and 29 , an amplitude detection means for detecting the amplitude of the output signal from the bandpass filter 28 . fig1 a to 12 c are timing charts showing waveforms of respective portions . since the driving voltage applied to the piezoelectric vibrator 1 has a voltage waveform vs which deforms in a vertically symmetrical trapezoid , the driving voltage contains an odd - numbered harmonic component . therefore , when the band of the bandpass filter 28 has a characteristic corresponding to a frequency 3 times the frequency of the ac voltage , and the band of the low - pass filter 26 has a characteristic corresponding to a frequency 1 . 5 times the resonance frequency of the piezoelectric vibrator 1 , the harmonic component and a fundamental wave can be detected . as a result , an output vl of the low path filter 26 is a sine wave with a frequency equal to the driving frequency , and an output vb from the bandpass filter 28 is a sine wave corresponding to a frequency 3 times the driving frequency . since the selection means 24 switches the output terminal of the voltage dividing means 23 to obtain the smallest output of the amplitude detection means 29 , the output can be set to obtain the optimal voltage dividing ratio while vibrating the piezoelectric vibrator 1 . fig1 shows a flowchart of setting the optimal voltage dividing ratio . first , 1 is assigned to a selection number n ( step s 11 ), and the selection means 24 selects the nth output terminal of the voltage dividing means ( step s 12 ). the output from the amplitude detection means 29 is then assigned to a variable s 0 ( step s 13 ). if the selection number n is the last selection number , the process is ended . otherwise , 1 is added to the selection number n , and then the selection number n is set to the selection means 24 ( steps s 14 , s 15 , and s 16 ). the output from the amplitude detection means 29 is received , and assigned to a variable s 1 ( step s 17 ). the size of the variable s 0 is compared with that of the variable s 1 . when the size of the variable s 0 is smaller , 1 is subtracted from the selection number n , and the selection number n is set to the selection means 24 to end the process ( steps s 18 , s 19 , and s 20 ). when the size of the variable s 0 is equal to or larger than that of the variable s 1 , the variable s 1 is assigned to the variable s 0 , and this process is repeated until the selection number is determined ( step s 21 ). as described above , the output terminal of the voltage dividing means 23 is selected such that the minimum output voltage can be obtained from the amplitude detection means 29 . the higher the predetermined frequency is obtained , the higher the output voltage is obtained when shifting the voltage dividing ratio . hence , a sufficiently higher frequency than the resonance frequency of the piezoelectric vibrator 1 is used , the more easily the optimal voltage dividing ratio is set . in this embodiment , the harmonic component is used . however , the actual driving may be executed after actually applying the high - frequency driving voltage before actuating , to obtain the optimal voltage dividing ratio . the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and various changes and modifications can be made within the spirit and scope of the present invention . therefore , to apprise the public of the scope of the present invention the following claims are made . this application claims priority from japanese patent application no . 2003 - 385189 , entitled “ current detection circuit and current detection method ” and filed on nov . 14 , 2003 , which is hereby incorporated by reference herein . | 7 |
the present invention relates to synthetic peptides that are based on the cdr of monoclonal pathogenic autoantibodies isolated from mice with experimental sle . such monoclonal antibodies are obtained from supernatants of hybridomas produced by fusion , for example , of spleen cells of c3h . sw mice immunized with an anti - 16 / 6 id mab , with x63 . 653 plasmacytoma cells ( waisman and mozes , 1993 ). examples of such peptides are those of formulas ia to va herein , based on , respectively , the cdr1 , cdr2 and cdr3 regions of the heavy chain of mab 5g12 and the cdr1 and cdr3 regions of the heavy chain of mab 2c4c2 ( waisman and mozes , 1993 ), and analogs thereof . analogs of parent peptides ia - va contemplated by the invention include substitution , deletion and addition analogs as described herein . substitution analogs have amino acid substitutions at different positions , these substitutions being made based on the volume , hydrophobic - hydrophilic pattern and charge of the amino acids . amino acids may be divided along the lines of volume , hydrophobic - hydrophilic pattern and charge . with respect to volume , those of ordinary skill in the art understand that the amino acids with the largest volume are trp , tyr , phe , arg , lys , ile , leu , met and his , while those with the smallest volumes are gly , ala , ser , asp , thr and pro , with others being in between . with respect to hydrophobic - hydrophilic pattern , it is well known that the amino acids gly , ala , phe , val , leu , ile , pro , met and trp are hydrophobic , whereas all of the remaining amino acids are hydrophilic . among the hydrophilic amino acids , ser , thr , gln , and tyr have no charge , while arg , lys , his and asn have a positive charge and asp and glu have negative charges . in selecting peptides to be tested for their potential in inhibiting the proliferative response of t lymphocytes of mice that are high responders to sle - inducing autoantibodies , it is important that the substitutions be selected from those which cumulatively do not substantially change the volume , hydrophobic - hydrophilic pattern and charge of the corresponding portion of the unsubstituted parent peptide . thus , a hydrophobic residue may be substituted with a hydrophilic residue , or vice - versa , as long as the total effect does not substantially change the volume , hydrophobic - hydrophilic pattern and charge of the corresponding unsubstituted parent peptide . it should be understood that other modifications of the peptides and analogs thereof are also contemplated by the present invention . thus , the peptide or analog of the present invention is intended to include a “ chemical derivative ” thereof which retains at least a portion of the function of the peptide which permits its utility in preventing or inhibiting t cell proliferative responses and autoimmune disease . a “ chemical derivative ” of a peptide or analog of the present invention contains additional chemical moieties not normally a part of the peptide . covalent modifications of the peptide are included within the scope of this invention . such modifications may be introduced into the molecule by reacting targeted amino acid residues of the peptide with an organic derivatizing agent that is capable of reacting with selected side chains or terminal residues . many such chemical derivatives and methods for making them are well known in the art . also included in the scope of the invention are salts of the peptides and analogs of the invention . as used herein , the term “ salts ” refers to both salts of carboxyl groups and to acid addition salts of amino groups of the peptide molecule . salts of a carboxyl group may be formed by means known in the art and include inorganic salts , for example , sodium , calcium , ammonium , ferric or zinc salts , and the like , and salts with organic bases such as those formed for example , with amines , such as triethanolamine , arginine , or lysine , piperidine , procaine , and the like . acid addition salts include , for example , salts with mineral acids such as , for example , hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid , and salts with organic acids , such as , for example , acetic acid or oxalic acid . such chemical derivatives and salts are preferably used to modify the pharmaceutical properties of the peptide insofar as stability , solubility , etc ., are concerned . and substitution analogs thereof in which met at position 5 is substituted by either ala or val ; gln at position 6 is substituted by either asp , glu or arg ; trp at position 7 is substituted by ala ; val at position 8 by ser ; and lys at position 9 is substituted by either glu or ala ; and deletion analogs thereof in which up to 5 amino acid residues are deleted from the c - terminal of peptide ia . and substitution analogs thereof in which thr in positions 9 and 10 are each substituted by either val or ala ; tyr at position 11 is substituted by phe ; asn at position 12 is substituted by asp ; gln at position 13 by glu ; lys at position 14 by glu ; and phe at position 15 by tyr , and deletion analogs thereof in which up to 5 amino acid residues are deleted from the c - terminal of peptide iia and substitution analogs thereof in which phe at position 6 is substituted by either thr or gly ; leu at position 7 is substituted by either ala or ser ; trp at position 8 is substituted by ala ; glu at position 9 is substituted by lys ; met at position 13 by ala ; and asp at position 14 by either lys or ser ; and deletion analogs thereof in which up to 5 amino acid residues are deleted from the c - terminal of peptide iiia . and substitution analogs thereof in which met at position 4 is substituted by ala ; asn at position 5 is substituted by either asp or arg ; trp at position 6 is substituted by ala ; val at position 7 by ser ; lys at position 8 by glu ; gln at position 9 by ala ; lys at position 13 by glu ; and ser at position 14 by ala ; and deletion analogs thereof in which up to 5 amino acid residues are deleted from the c - terminal of peptide iva . 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 y y c a r s g r y g n y w g q g t l ( v ) and substitution analogs thereof in which ser at position 6 is substituted by phe ; gly at position 7 is substituted by ala ; arg at position 8 is substituted by either ala or glu ; asn at position 1 is substituted by asp ; tyr at position 12 by phe ; and trp at position 13 by either his or ala ; and deletion analogs thereof in which up to 5 amino acid residues are deleted from the c - terminal of peptide va . once an analog in accordance with the present invention is produced , its ability to inhibit the proliferative response of t lymphocytes of mice that are high responders to sle - inducing autoantibodies may be readily determined by those of ordinary skill in the art without undue experimentation using tests such as those described herein . one test which may be readily conducted is for the ability of substituted peptides to inhibit in vitro the proliferative responses of certain t cell lines and clones specific to sle - inducing autoantibodies . the t cell lines and clones may , for example , be the t cell lines and clones specific to the 16 / 6 id mab ( fricke et al ., 1991 ) established from immunized lymph node cells of mice by previously described methodology ( axelrod and mozes , 1986 ). cells are exposed to the stimulating antibody presented on irradiated syngeneic spleen cells in the presence of enriched medium every two weeks . the t cell lines are cloned by the standard limiting dilution technique . the proliferative responses of these t cell lines and clones are tested , for example , by the method described in materials and methods , section ( g ), herein . another test which can be conducted in order to select analogs having the desired activity is to test for the ability of the substituted peptides to inhibit the ability of the t cell lines and clones to provide help to peptide - specific b cells in the presence of the parent peptide . the substituted peptides may also be tested for their ability to bind directly , following biotinylation , to mhc class ii products on antigen - presenting cells of the relevant strains . for this purpose , n - terminal biotinylation of the relevant peptides is performed at 0 ° c . with an excess of biotin - n - hydroxysuccinimide in aqueous solution ( mozes et al ., 1989 ). mouse splenic adherent cells or human peripheral blood lymphocyte ( pbl )- adherent cells ( 1 × 10 6 / sample ) are incubated with biotinylated peptides in pbs containing 0 . 1 % bovine serum albumin ( pbs / bsa ) at 37 ° c . for 20 hr , followed by incubation with phycoerythrin - streptavidin for 30 min at 4 ° c . after each incubation , the cells are washed twice with the above solution . thereafter , the cells are analyzed by flow cytometry using facscan . in each analysis , a minimum of 5000 cells are examined ( for above procedures , see , for example , mozes et al ., 1989 ; zisman et al ., 1991 ). a further test which can be conducted is to test for the ability of the analogs to inhibit cytokine secretion by the t cell line or by t lymphocytes oh lymph nodes of mice that are high responders to sle - inducing autoantibodies . the cytokines are detected as follows : il - 1 activity is assessed either by elisa using a pair of capture and detecting antibodies ( as described below for il - 4 , il - 6 , il - 10 ) or using the lbrm - 33 ( 1a5 ) assay ( conlon , 1983 ) in which 1a5 cells are stimulated in the presence of phytohemagglutinin ( pha ), with either supernatants or recombinant il - 1 at various concentrations to secrete il - 2 . following an overnight incubation , supernatants of 1a5 cells are transferred to the il - 2 dependent cytotoxic t lymphocyte ( ctll ) line . stimulation of the ctll line by il - 2 is measured after 24 hr by incorporation of 3 [ h ]- thymidine . il - 2 is directly detected using the il - 2 dependent ctll line or by elisa . levels of il - 4 , il - 6 , il - 10 , infγ and tnfα in the supernatants are determined by elisa using antibodies to the various cytokines ( phamingen , san diego , calif ., usa ) according to the manufacturers instructions . peptides which test positive in one or more of these in vitro tests will provide a reasonable expectation of in vivo activity . however , in vivo tests can also be conducted without undue experimentation . thus , for example , adult mice may be injected with the candidate peptide at either day − 3 or day 0 . the mice are then immunized with the disease - inducing autoantibody or with the peptide . ten days later , lymph node cells of the mice are tested for their ability to proliferate to the immunogen in order to find out the inhibitory capacity of the candidate peptide . another such in vivo animal test consists in measuring the therapeutic activity directly in the murine model in vivo for the production of sle as described above . the peptides can be injected into the mice in which experimental sle is induced by different routes at different dosages and at different time schedules . in order to determine the pharmnacokinetic parameters of the analogs , including volume of distribution , uptake into antigen - presenting cells and clearance , one can use biotinylated derivatives of the analogs . the concentration of the soluble fraction of the analogs in the various body fluids can be determined by elisa , using avidin - coated plates and specific anti - peptide antibodies . cell bound analogs can be analyzed by facs , using fluorochromo - conjugated avidin or streptavidin . furthermore , the treated mice can be tested periodically in order to determine the effect of the peptides on the autoantibody responses and on disease manifestations elicited in the mice by the sle - inducing autoantibody . another in vivo procedure consists in tolerizing newborn mice with the candidate peptide followed by immunization of the mice with the pathogenic autoantibody , such as 16 / 6 id +, or with the same peptide , and following the disease manifestations , such as serological findings associated with leukopenia , elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate , proteinuria , abundance of immune complexes in the kidneys and sclerosis of the glomeruli . it can thus be seen that , besides the preferred embodiments which have been shown to be operable in the examples herein , those of ordinary skill in the art will be able to determine additional analogs which will also be operable following the guidelines presented herein without undue experimentation . a relatively simple in vitro test can also be conducted in order to assay for the expected therapeutic efficacy of any given substituted peptide on any given sle patient . in order to assess the ultimate goal of producing peptides that will bind with high affinity to the appropriate mhc class ii molecules but will not lead to further activation of t cells and will therefore have a therapeutic effect on sle patients , the peptides may be assayed , following biotinylation , for their ability to bind directly to hla class ii products on antigen - presenting cells in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of the sle patients . healthy control donors and control peptides may be used in such assays to verify their specificity . a preferred form of the therapeutic agent of the invention is a peptide selected from the group of peptides of formulas i to v herein , including peptides ia to va and substitution and / or deletion analogs thereof . another preferred form of the therapeutic agent in accordance with the present invention is the form of a multi - epitope single peptide . thus , in a preferred embodiment , dual petides consisting of two different peptides selected from the group of peptides of formula 1 - v herein , are covalently linked to one another , such as by a short stretch of alanine residues or by a putative site for proteolysis by cathepsin . see , for example , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 126 , 249 and european patent 495 , 049 with respect to such sites . this will induce site - specific proteolysis of the preferred form into the two desired analogs . alternatively , a number of the same or different peptides of the present invention may be formed into a peptide polymer , such as , for example , polymerization of the peptides with a suitable polymerization agent , such as 0 . 1 % glutaraldehyde ( audibert et al . ( 1981 ), nature 289 : 593 ). the polymer will preferably contain from 5 to 20 peptide residues . such peptide polymers may also be formed by crosslinking the peptides or attaching multiple peptides to macromolecular carriers . suitable macromolecular carriers are , for example , proteins , such as tetanus toxoid , and linear or branched copolymers of amino acids , such as a linear copolymer of l - alanine , l - glutamic acid and l - lysine and a branched copolymer of l - tyrosine , l - glutamic acid , l - alanine and l - lysine ( t , g )- a - l -, or multichain poly - dl - alanine ( m . sela et al . 1955 , j . am . chem . soc . 77 : 6175 ). the conjugates are obtained , for example , by first coupling the peptide with a water - soluble carbodiimide , such as 1 - ethyl - 3 -( 3 ′- dimethylaminopropyl ) carbodiimide hydrochloride , and then performing the conjugation with the macromolecular carrier as described by muller , g . m . et al . ( 1982 ) proc . natl . acad . sci . usa 79 : 569 . the contents of the coupled peptide in each conjugate are determined by amino acid analysis , in comparison to the composition of the carrier alone . according to one embodiment of the present invention , one or more active peptides may be attached to a suitable macromolecular carrier or may be polymerized in the presence of glutaraldehyde . the peptides , polymers thereof or their conjugates with suitable macromolecular carriers , will be given to patients in a form that insures their bioavailability , making them suitable for treatment . if more than one peptide analog is found to have significant inhibitory activity , these analogs will be given to patients in a formulation containing a mixture of the peptides . the invention further includes pharmaceutical compositions comprising at least one synthetic peptide according to the invention , a conjugate thereof with a suitable macromolecular carrier or a polymer thereof optionally with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier . any suitable route of administration is encompassed by the invention , including oral , intravenous , subcutaneous , intraarticular , intramuscular , inhalation , intranasal , intrathecal , intraperitoneal , intradermal , transdermal or other known routes , including the enteral route . the dose ranges for the administration of the compositions of the present invention should be large enough to produce the desired effect , whereby , for example , an immune response to the sle - inducing autoantibody , as measured by t cell proliferation in vitro , is substantially prevented or inhibited , and further , where the disease is significantly treated . the doses should not be so large as to cause adverse side effects , such as unwanted cross reactions , generalized immunosuppression , anaphylactic reactions and the like . effective doses of the peptides of this invention for use in treating sle are in the range of about 1 μg to 100 mg / kg body weight . the dosage administered will be dependent upon the age , sex , health , and weight of the recipient , kind of concurrent treatment , if any , frequency of treatment , and the nature of the effect desired . the synthetic peptides and analogs of the invention , particularly those of sequences i to v herein , are aimed at inhibiting or suppressing specific antigen responses of sle patients , without affecting all other immune responses . this approach is of the utmost importance since most diagnosed patients are young women that have to be treated for many years and the currently accepted treatment for sle involves administration of immuno - suppressive agents , such as corticosteroids and / or cytotoxic drugs , that are both non - specific and have multiple adverse side effects . the present invention will now be described in more detail in the following non - limiting examples and the accompanying figures : a ) mice : mice ( balb / c and sjl / j ) were obtained from the jackson laboratory , bar harbor , me ., usa and from olac , show &# 39 ; s farm , bicesper oxon , england . mice were used at the age of 6 - 12 weeks . in some studies neonatal mice were also used . b ) human mab 16 / 6 id : the human mab 16 / 6 is an anti - dna antibody originally of the igm isotype and switched in culture to iggl . the mab was derived from a patient and expresses a common idiotype , the 16 / 6 id ( shoenfeld et al ., 1983 ; mendlovic et al ., 1988 ). the hybridoma cells secreting this mab are routinely grown in culture , and the antibody is isolated from culture supernatants using an affinity column of protein g coupled to sepharose ™. c ) production of mouse mab 5g12 and 2c4c2 : experimental sle was induced in c3h . sw female mice by immunization with the previously described murine anti - 16 / 6 id mab ( mendlovic et al ., 1989 ). four months later , two mice were sacrificed and their spleen cells were fused with x63 . 653 plasmacytoma cells . hybridoma cells that secreted autoantibodies were cloned by limiting dilution in 96 - well microtiter plates . the sequence characteristics of nine monoclonal autoantibodies secreted by nine of the hybridoma clones were characterized ( waisman and mozes , 1993 ). the mab designated 5g12 and 2c4c2 were isolated and affinity purified from the hybridoma supernatants using a goat anti - mouse ig - sepharose ™ 4b column . the 5g12 mab was found to be an anti - dna mab that bear the 16 / 6 id and have the igg2a isotype . the 2c4c2 mab was found to be an anti - dna and anti - cardiolipin mab and to be of the igm isotype . the nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences for the v h of both 5g12 and2c4c2 mab are presented in fig1 of waisman and mozes , 1993 , in which figure the cdr regions are boxed . d ) induction of experimental sle in mice : mice were injected with the human monoclonal 16 / 6 id ( 1 μg / mouse ) or the murine 16 / 6 id mab , e . g . mab 5g12 ( 20 μg / mouse ), in complete freund &# 39 ; s adjuvant in the hind footpads . three weeks following injection , the mice were boosted with the same amount of the immunizing antibody in phosphate - buffered saline ( pbs ). the mice were then tested for autoantibody production and clinical manifestations characteristic of experimental sle . e ) detection of sle - associated clinical manifestations : the erythrocyte sedimentation rate was determined by diluting the heparinized blood in pbs at a ratio of 1 : 1 . the diluted blood was then passed to a microsampling pipette and the sedimentation was measured 6 hours later . white blood cell counts were determined after the hemolysis of heparinized blood . proteinuria was measured in a semi - quantitative manner , using a combistix kit ( ames , stoke poges , slough , u . k .). immunohistology was performed by incubation of fixed frozen cryostat sections with fitc - labeled antibodies to mouse ig . staining was visualized via use of a fluorescent microscope . f ) enzyme - linked immunosorbent assay ( elisa ): elisa was utilized for the detection and quantitation of antibodies in experimental mice , and in humans . polystyrene microtiter plates were coated with the relevant antigen or antibody , and sera dilutions or supernatants derived from the human or mouse cell cultures were added to the blocked plates . specific binding was determined following the addition of peroxidase - conjugated antibodies against the appropriate immunoglobulin ( ig ) ( e . g . goat anti - human or goat anti - mouse peroxidase - conjugated antibodies ) and the peroxidase substrate . optical densities were read at 414 nm using an elisa reader . g ) proliferative responses of splenic and lymph node cells : cells ( 0 . 5 × 10 6 / well ) derived from the spleen and lymph nodes of treated and untreated mice were cultured in microtiter plates in the presence of different concentrations of the various immunizing pathogenic autoantibodies . at the end of 96 hours incubation , 0 . 5 μci of 3 h - thymidine was added for an additional 18 hours , after which cells were harvested and radioactivity was counted . h ) treatment of experimental mice : in order to either prevent induction of experimental sle or to cure mice afflicted with the disease , the following procedures were used : ( i ) newborn mice were tolerized with a peptide of the invention ( 100 μg of the peptide in pbs , intraperitoneally at 24 and 72 hours after birth ). six weeks later , the mice were immunized with the pathogenic autoantibody , e . g . 5g12 ( 16 / 6 id +) and examined for disease manifestations ; ( ii ) a first group of adult mice was injected with various concentrations of the peptides before disease induction with the pathogenic autoantibody or pathogenic t cell line ; another group was injected with the peptides to be tested for their therapeutic effect six weeks following immunization at the peak of the serological response ; and a further group was treated at 4 - 6 months post - immunization after the establishment of the overt sle disease . the number of injections with the peptides was determined based on their effect on the disease induction and progression . the effect of the peptide treatment on t cell proliferation , on the autoantibody production and on the disease manifestations was then evaluated . i ) proliferative responses of t cell lines and clones : t cell lines and clones specific to the 16 / 6 id were established from immunized lymph node cells as previously described ( axelrod and mozes , 1986 ). cells were exposed to the stimulating antibody presented on irradiated syngeneic spleen cells in the presence of enriched medium every two weeks . the t cell lines were cloned by the limiting dilution technique . cells ( 10 4 / well ) were cultured with 0 . 5 × 10 6 irradiated ( 3000 rad ) syngeneic spleen cells in the presence of different concentrations of either the specific stimulator of the line or control reagents . at the end of 48 hours incubation , 0 . 5 μci of 3 h - thymidine were added for an additional 18 hours , after which cells were harvested and radioactivity was counted . j ) proliferation and cytokine production by peripheral blood lymphocytes ( pbl ): pbl from human sle patients and of the appropriate control donors ( 2 × 10 5 / well ) were cultured in microtiter plates in enriched medium containing 10 % pooled ab sera in the presence of the human or mouse monoclonal 16 / 6id antibody , in the presence of peptides of the invention or in the presence of phytohemagglutinin ( pha ). the rate of proliferation was evaluated by the incorporation of 3 [ h ]- thymidine in the cell culture . non - relevant peptides were used as specificity controls . antigen and mitogen - stimulated cytokine production was quantitated in the supernatants of the above cultures using either the cytokine - dependent lines or the appropriate pairs of antibodies in elisa assays . inhibition of the proliferative responses was performed iii vitro by adding increasing doses of the tested peptide analogs into the proliferative culture mixtures . k ) human t cell lines and clones : human t cell lines specific to the 16 / 6id may be established from pbl of either sle patients or controls following stimulation in vitro with either the human or mouse mab 16 / 6 id or the peptides . the maintenance and cloning of the lines was performed similarly to that described above for the murine t cell lines , with the exception that the stimulation was performed using either autologous irradiated cells or ebv - transformed lines of autologous pbl ( used as antigen - presenting cells ). l ) biotinylation of peptides : n - terminal biotinylation of the peptides was performed in 0 . 1n sodium bicarbonate solution at room temperature , with excess of biotinamnidocaproate n - hydroxysuccinimide ester ( sigma , st . louis , mo .) dissolved in 1 - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone ( sigma ). m ) direct binding of biotinylated peptides to apc : spleen cells suspended in rpmi 1640 medium containing 10 % fcs were incubated in petri dishes for 60 min at 37 ° c . thereafter , non - adherent cells were removed , the plates were washed , and the adherent cells were collected from the plates using a rubber policeman ( costar , mass ., usa ). these cells ( 1 × 10 6 / 100 μl / tube ) were incubated with the biotinylated peptides in pbs containing 0 . 1 % bsa ( high purity grade , amresco , ohio , usa ) for 16 hr at 37 ° c ., followed by incubation with phycoerythrin ( pe )- streptavidin ( jackson immunoresearch ) for 30 min at 4 ° c . thereafter the samples were incubated with biotinylated anti - streptavidin ( 1 : 60 , vector laboratories , burlingame , calif .) and for an additional period with pe - streptavidin , all for 30 min at 4 ° c . the cells were washed twice with cold pbs / bsa solution after each incubation . thereafter , cells were analyzed by flow cytometry using the facsort cytometer and cellquest software ( beckton - dickinson , mountain view , calif .). three antibodies were used for inhibition of binding in these experiments : 34 - 5 - 3 ( anti - i - a b , pharmingen , san diego , calif . ); mkd6 ( anti - i - a d , beckton - dickinson ) and 10 . 3 . 6 . 2 ( anti - i - a s ( zamvil et al ., 1988 )). the synthetic peptides of the invention of the formulas ia , iia and iiia herein as well as control peptides were prepared with an automated synthesizer ( applied biosystem model 430a , germany ) using the manufacturer &# 39 ; s protocols for t - butyloxycarbonyl ( boc ) procedure ( see kent et al ., 1984 ; schnolzer et al ., 1992 ). briefly , in this procedure , commercially available side - chain protected amino acids were used , the amino acids being added at each step with at least 99 % efficiency . the protecting groups were removed from the peptides and were cleared from the resin with anhydrous hf . subsequently , the peptides were purified by extraction with ethyl acetate or isopropyl acetate and by hplc . the purity of the peptides ia , iia and iiia so obtained was then verified by hplc and amino acid analysis . for the preparation of peptides iva and va herein and analogs of the peptides ia to va of the invention , the same procedure as noted above may be used . the peptides ia , iia and iiia were then analyzed for their biological activity and other characteristics as set forth in examples 2 - 14 below . it is to be understood that the other peptides not so - tested may be subjected to the same analysis . detection of anti - dna antibodies in the sera of mice immunized with peptides ia and iiia sjl / j and balb / c female mice ( 6 - 8 week old ) were immunized with 20 μg of peptide ia or iiia of the invention , or with a control peptide designated p278 ( the peptide designated pep 278h described in published pct international application wo 94 / 03208 ) or with mab 5g12 emulsified in complete freund &# 39 ; s adjuvant ( cfa ) in the foot pads . three weeks later the mice received a booster injection with the same amount of peptide or mab , in pbs . thereafter , blood was drawn every two weeks . a fifth group included non - immunized mice . [ 0100 ] fig1 depicts the anti - dna antibodies in the sera of mice three months after the booster injection , and is very similar to the amount of the autoantibodies produced in later periods . as shown in fig1 a , sjl / j mice that were immunized with the peptide iiia ( open circles ) show a high level of anti - dna antibodies , that is higher than that of mice immunized with the whole antibody 5g12 ( open boxes ). low levels of anti - dna antibodies were observed in the sera of sjl / j mice immunized with either the peptide ia ( open diamonds ), control peptide p278 ( open triangles ) or normal non - immunized mice ( crossed square ). as shown in fig1 b , balb / c mice that were immunized either with the whole antibody 5g12 ( open boxes ) or the peptide ia ( open diamonds ) show presence of anti - dna antibodies in the sera . however , sera of balb / c mice immunized with either the peptide iiia ( open circles ), p278 ( open triangles ) or normal non - immunized mice ( crossed square ) did not show presence of anti - dna antibodies . elisa was utilized to test the presence of the anti - dna antibodies in the sera of the mice , as follows : plates ( nunc ) were coated for 90 min with 10 μg / ml of methylated bsa . thereafter the plates were washed ( all the washes were 3 times with pbs / 0 . 05 % tween 20 ( sigma )) and incubated for an additional 90 min with 10 μg / ml of single - stranded dna ( calf thymus dna ( sigma ) that was heated for 15 min at 90 ° c . and fast - cooled ). the plates were washed and blocked overnight with 1 % ovalbumin in pbs ( sigma ). thereafter , the plates were washed and incubated with the sera of the mice diluted in the blocking reagent , followed by wash and incubation with 1 : 500 dilution of goat anti - mouse igg ( fc receptor specific ) polyclonal antibody conjugated to peroxidase . the plates were then washed and developed using abts substrate ( sigma ), and the color was read using an elisa reader at 414 nm . results are expressed as mean od of each mouse group ( 5 mice per group ). detection of anti - nuclear extract ( ne ) antibodies in the sera of mice immunized with the peptides ia and iiia five groups of mice were immunized according to example 2 , and their sera were tested for the presence of anti - ne antibodies . as shown in fig2 a , sjl / j mice immunized with the mab 5g12 ( open squares ) or with the peptide iiia ( open circles ) produced a high level of anti - ne antibodies , whereas mice immunized with the peptide ia ( open diamonds ) or p278 control peptide ( open triangles ), or normal non - immunized mice ( crossed squares ), produced lower levels of anti - ne antibodies . as shown in fig2 b , balb / c mice immunized with the mab 5g12 ( open squares ) or with the peptide ia ( open diamonds ) produced high levels of anti - ne antibodies , whereas very low level of anti - ne antibodies was detected in the sera of balb / c mice immunized with the peptide iiia ( open circles ). no anti - ne antibodies were detected in the group of mice immunized with p278 control peptide ( open triangles ) or in normal non - immunized mice ( crossed squares ). elisa was utilized to test the presence of the anti - ne antibodies in the sera of the mice , as follows : plates ( nunc ) were coated with 5 μg / ml of of hela cells ne for 90 min . thereafter plates were washed and blocked , and elisa was continued the next day , as described in example 2 for anti - dna antibodies . detection of anti - rnp , sm , ro and la antibodies in the sera of mice immunized with the peptides ia and iiia the same sera of the mice as described in examples 2 and 3 were used for detection of anti - rnp , sm , ro and la antibodies . as shown in fig3 a , sjl / j mice immunized with the peptide iiia ( lined box ) produced extremely high levels of anti - ro autoantibodies , antibodies that are typical for sle in humans . high levels of anti - rnp , anti - sm and anti - la antibodies were detected not only in sjl / j mice immunized with the peptide iiia ( lined box ), but also with the peptide ia ( closed box ), as compared to normal mice ( open box ) or to mice immunized with the control peptide p278 ( dotted box ). as shown in fig3 b , balb / c mice immunized with the peptide ia ( closed box ) or the peptide iiia ( lined box ) produced very high levels of anti - rnp antibodies . however , balb / c mice immunized with the peptide iiia ( lined box ) showed very low levels of anti - sm , anti - la and anti - ro antibodies , as compared to balb / c mice immunized with the peptide ia ( closed box ) which produced detectable antibodies in the sera . plates were purchased as pre - coated plates and were blocked with 1 % ovalbumin in pbs for 2 hr . thereafter the plates were washed as in example 2 above , incubated in duplicates with 1 : 10 diluted sera , washed again and elisa was carried out as described in example 2 above . clinical manifestations of sle in mice immunized with the peptides ia and iiia balb / c and sjl mice were immunized with mab 5g12 or with peptides ia and iiia , and five months later were checked by two criteria for manifestation of sle : white blood cell count ( wbc ) and proteinuria . ( i ) white blood cell count ( wbc ): the mice were bled , their blood was diluted 1 : 10 with 1 % ( vol / vol ) acetic acid in order to eliminate the red blood cells , and white blood cells were counted under a normal light microscope . proteinuria : the urine of the mice was tested using combisticks ( combistix kit , ames ) for the presence of protein . high levels of protein in the urine are indicative of kidney damage , a typical manifestation of sle . the results for both wbc and proteinuria are shown in table 1 : mice immunized with either the mab 5g12 or the peptides ia or iiia had a lower number of white blood cells in comparison to non - immunized mice or those immunized with p278 control peptide . high levels of protein were measured in the urine of both balb / c and sjl mice immunized with mab 5g12 , of sjl mice immunized with the iiia peptide and of balb / c mice immunized with the ia peptide , while a smaller increase in protein level was detected in the urine of both mice immunized with control peptide p278 , of iiia - immunized balb / c mice anf of ia - immunized sjl mice . as shown in previous examples , the peptides ia and iiia were used for the immunization of different mouse strains , in parallel to their immunization with the whole monoclonal antibody . the draining lymph nodes of the mice proliferated to the immunizing peptides to different extents , depending on the mouse strains . thus , balb / c mice were found to be high responders to peptide ia , whereas sjl mice were found to be high responders to peptide iiia . both peptides were used in attempts to induce experimental sle using the protocol utilized for the pathogenic autoantibodies . it was found that sjl mice that were immunized with peptide iiia and balb / c mice that were immunized with peptide ia produced elevated levels of autoantibodies including anti - dna ( see fig1 ) and anti - ne antibodies ( see fig2 ). moreover , the immunized mice developed leukopenia and proteinuria ( see table 1 ) similarly to mice in which experimental sle has been induced using the murine anti - dna , 16 / 6id + pathogenic 5g12 mab . kidney analysis of the peptide - injected mice revealed mild immune complex deposits in part of the mice . these results indicate that peptides ia and iiia are important t cell epitopes of the whole molecule of the pathogenic autoantibody . in order to assess the correlation between the peptides of the invention and t cells , a t cell line specific to peptide iiia of sjl origin ( high responders to the peptide iiia ) was established . the t cells of the line proliferated specifically to the peptide iiia but not to non - relevant control peptide p278 , and upon stimulation with peptide iiia , secreted the thi - type cytokines , namely , il - 2 , ifnγ and tnfα . injection of the t cell line into syngeneic healthy mice led to the production of autoantibodies and development of clinical manifestations that are characteristic to mice with experimental sle . these results confirm the role of the cdr - based peptides of the invention in experimental sle and demonstrate the role of the peptide - specific t cells in the autoimmune disease . detection of anti - dna and anti - ne antibodies in the sera of balb / c mice tolerized with the peptide ia and immunized with either peptide ia or mab 5g12 in order to further elucidate the role of the peptides in sle , peptide ia was utilized for the induction of tolerance in balb / c mice . newborn mice were injected twice ( at day 1 and 3 ) with either peptide ia or a control peptide . thus , neonatal balb / c mice , 24 hr old , were injected intraperitoneally ( i . p .) with 100 μg of the peptide ia or the control peptide p307 ( a peptide related to myasthenia gravis described in published pct application no . wo 94 / 00148 ) in pbs , and received a second injection 48 hr later with the same amount of peptide . six to seven weeks after injection , the mice were immunized as described in example 2 above with either the mab 5g12 or the peptide ia . the mice were bled two weeks after boost ( and then periodically every two weeks ) and the sera of the mice were tested for the presence of anti - dna or anti - ne antibodies , as described in examples 1 and 2 above . the assays performed to measure these autoantibody titers in the sera of the experimental mice indicated that the mice that were tolerized with peptide ia did not produce significant titers of antibodies to either dna or nuclear extract antigens , whereas mice tolerized to the control peptide p307 prior to their immunization with peptide ia or the mab 5g12 produced high autoantibody titers . as shown in fig4 a - b , balb / c mice that were either tolerized with the peptide ia and then immunized with the mab 5g12 ( half - filled squares ), or tolerized with the peptide ia and then immunized with the same peptide ia ( filled squares ) produced lower levels of anti - dna and anti - ne antibodies in comparison with mice that were tolerized with the non - relevant peptide p307 and then immunized with the mab 5g12 ( filled triangles ), or tolerized with peptide 307 and then immunized with peptide ia ( filled circles ). this indicates that neonatal tolerization with the peptide ia could lower the levels of autoantibodies in the sera of mice later immunized with the peptide ia or the mab 5g12 . in vivo inhibition of lymph node cell ( lnc ) proliferation responses to the cdr - based peptides ia and iiia balb / c ( fig5 a ) and sjl ( fig5 b ) mice were immunized with peptides ia and iiia ( 20 μg / mouse in cfa i . d . in the hind footpads ), respectively . the mice were also injected i . v . with 200 μg of the above peptides in pbs either 3 days prior to immunization ( open squares ), at the immunization day ( open circles ) or at both dates ( open triangles ). ten days later the mice were sacrificed and their lymph nodes were removed and tested for proliferation in the presence of different concentrations of the immunizing peptide . control groups were of lnc taken from mice that were immunized but not treated ( filled squares ), or treated with control peptide , p307 ( half filled squares ). the culture mixtures were incubated for 96 hours in enriched rpmi medium containing 1 % normal mouse serum prior to addition of 3 h - thymidine . sixteen hours later cells were harvested and radioactivity was counted . results are expressed as mean cpm of triplicates . sd values did not exceed 10 %. as shown in fig5 a - b , both peptides ia ( 5 a ) and iiia ( 5 b ) inhibited proliferative responses of lnc of balb / c and sjl mice , respectively , when injected to the mice either 3 days prior to , or at the immunization day : up to 95 % of the proliferative capacity of the cells was inhibited by the peptides . the inhibition was specific since the proliferative responses of the lnc to con a were not inhibited by peptides ia and iiia ( not shown ). in vivo inhibition of lnc proliferation of mice immunized with mab 5g12 and treated with peptides ia and iiia balb / c ( fig6 a ) and sjl ( fig6 b ) mice were immunized with mab 5g12 ( 20 μg / mouse in cfa i . d . in the hind footpads ) and were injected ( 200 μg / mouse i . v . in pbs ) with either peptide ia or iiia , respectively . proliferation responses to mab 5g12 were measured in lnc taken from mice that were immunized and not treated ( filled squares ), treated concomitantly with immunization with the control peptide p307 ( half filled squares ) or treated with the appropriate cdr - based peptide ia ( 6 a ) or iiia ( 6 b ) ( open squares ). proliferation responses to the immunodominant cdr - based peptide ia and iiia was also monitored in lnc taken from non - treated mice ( filled circles ) or from mice treated with the appropriate cdr - based peptide ia or iiia ( open circles ). results are expressed as mean cpm of triplicates . sd values did not exceed 10 %. as shown in fig6 a - b , proliferative responses to mab 5g12 of lnc taken from mice treated with the appropriate cdr - based peptide were inhibited comparing to the responses of non - treated mice . in vivo inhibition of lnc proliferation to the human monoclonal anti - dna 16 / 6id antibody balb / c ( fig7 a ) and sjl ( fig7 b ) mice were immunized with human mab 16 / 6id ( 1 μg / mouse in cfa i . d . in the hind footpads ) and were injected ( 200 μg / mouse i . v . in pbs ) with either peptide ia or iiia , respectively . proliferation responses to mab 16 / 6id were measured in lnc taken from immunized but not - treated mice ( filled squares ), from mice treated concomitantly with immunization with the control peptide p307 ( half filled squares ) or from mice treated with the appropriate cdr - based peptide ia or iiia ( open squares ). proliferation responses were also shown to the immunodominant cdr - based peptide ia or iiia of lnc taken from 16 / 6id immunized non - treated mice ( filled circles ) or from mice treated with the appropriate cdr - based peptide ia or iiia ( open circles ). results are expressed as mean cpm of triplicates . sd values did not exceed 10 %. as shown in fig7 a - b , proliferative responses to mab 16 / 6id of lnc taken from mice treated with the appropriate cdr - based peptide ia or iiia were inhibited comparing to the responses of immunized but not treated mice , or mice treated with the control peptide p307 . binding of cdr - based peptides ia and iiia to the surface of splenic antigen - presenting cells ( apc ) splenic adherent cells ( 10 6 / 100 μl / tube ) isolated from balb / c , sjl , c3h . sw or c57bl / 6 mice were incubated for 16 hours with biotinylated cdr - based peptide ia or iiia followed by incubation with pe - streptavidin for 30 min at 4 ° c . thereafter the samples were incubated with biotinylated anti - streptavidin and for an additional period with pe - streptavidin , all at 4 ° c . for 30 min . after washing , the cells were analysed by flow cytometry using the facsort cytometer and cellquest software . the results are shown in fig8 : staining of cells that were incubated with the biotinylated cdr - based peptides is marked by solid lines , and background staining with non - biotinylated peptide is marked by broken lines . splenic antigen - presenting cells derived from all tested mouse strains ( except for c57bl / 6 mice that are resistant to induction of sle ) showed significant binding of both cdr - based peptides ia and iiia to mhc class ii products , indicating that their binding capacity agrees with the susceptibility of the mouse strains to sle induction . binding of the cdr - based peptides ia and iiia to apc was determined as described in materials and methods herein and the results are shown in table 2 . binding percentage was about 38 - 53 % for all strains , except for apc from c57bl / 6 strain which showed only 19 . 3 % and 8 . 5 % binding with peptides ia and iiia , respectively the binding was inhibited by the relevant anti - ia antibodies showing the specificity of the binding to mhc class ii products . the results are shown in table 3 : inhibition of binding was specific and ranged from 60 % to 100 %. [ 0130 ] table 3 inhibition of binding of peptides ia and iiia to apc by anti - ia mab % inhibition mouse strain h - 2 mab pep ia pep iiia balb / c d anti i - a d ( mkd6 ) 76 . 7 100 balb / c d anti i - a b ( 34 - 5 - 3 ) 0 0 sjl s anti i - a s ( 10 . 3 . 6 . 2 ) 100 92 . 8 sjl s anti i - a d ( mkd6 ) 0 0 c3h . sw b anti i - a b ( 34 - 5 - 3 ) 60 84 . 4 c3h . sw b anti i - a d ( mkd6 ) 0 25 c57bl / 6 b anti i - a b ( 34 - 5 - 3 ) 82 59 . 3 c57bl / 6 b anti i - a d ( mkd6 ) 0 0 detection of antibodies against peptides ia , iia and iiia , and anti - 16 / 6 id antibodies in the sera of sle patients and healthy controls human sle patients ( 32 patients ) were bled and their sera were tested by elisa for their ability to bind the peptides ia , iia and iiia , a control peptide p195 - 212 ( a myasthogenic peptide described in pct publication no . wo 94 / 00148 ) or mab 5g12 . detection of the antibodies was conducted on plates that were coated with 10 μg / ml of peptides ia , iia , iiia or p195 - 212 or mab 5g12 , in pbs for 2 hr , washed and blocked with 1 % ovalbumin in pbs for an additional 2 hr . elisa was continued as described after blockage in example 2 above , using goat anti - human igg polyclonal antibody conjugated to peroxidase . as shown in fig9 sle patients exhibited significantly higher levels of antibodies that bind either peptide ia ( open squares ), iia ( open diamonds ) or iiia ( open circles ), or mab 5g12 ( open triangles ), in comparison to healthy controls ( peptide ia - healthy — closed diamonds ; peptide iia - healthy — crossed circles ; peptide iiia - healthy — inverted open triangles ; 5g12 - healthy — half filled squares ). no binding could be observed when either sera of patients or controls were tested on plates coated with the non - relevant peptide p195 - 212 ( p195 - 212 - sle — crossed squares ; p195 - 212 - healthy — half filled diamonds ). the results indicate a correlation between the whole antibody molecule and the cdr - based peptides on the level of antibody titers . proliferation of pbl from sle patients and healthy controls in the presence of human 16 / 6 id mab and peptides peripheral blood lymphocytes ( pbl ) were isolated from the blood of sle patients or healthy controls using ficol gradient . thereafter , the pbl were incubated in the presence of different concentrations of the peptides ia , iia or iiia , or the human 16 / 6 id mab for 24 hr , when a sample was taken for il - 2 measurement . the assay was continued for a total of 7 days , and 3 h - thymidine was added for the last 16 hr . proliferation was detected by reading the amount of radioactivity incorporated into the dna of the cells . as is seen in table 4 , a lower proportion of the pbl taken from sle patients reacted to the peptides or to the 16 / 6 id mab , when compared to the healthy controls . the results are expressed in percentage of responder ( 34 % in the first line ) and the actual number of patients ( 11 out of 32 : 11 / 32 ) similar results were obtained when the levels of the il - 2 produced by the pbl in the presence of the peptides or the 16 / 6 id mab were tested , as shown in the next example . pbl were isolated from blood of sle patients or healthy controls using ficol gradient , and were incubated as in example 13 . a sample of 50 μl was removed 24 hr after the assay was started , and incubated in the presence of il - 2 sensitive cells ( ctld ) for 24 hr , after which 3 h - thymidine was added for 16 hr , and the plates were harvested and counted on a beta counter . as in table 4 , it can also be seen from table 5 that a lower proportion of the pbl taken from sle patients reacted to the peptides or to the 16 / 6 id mab , when compared to the healthy controls , thus indicating that the response to the peptide corresponds to that of t cells of the patient to the pathogenic human autoantibody . | 0 |
reference is made first to fig1 a which is a perspective view of the detector tube system of the present invention shown fully assembled with the rear face of the tube positioned upright towards the top of the page and the front face of the tube hidden from view . detector tube system 10 of the present invention , when fully assembled , is shown to be constructed from container body 12 that is welded to a rear end cap ( not seen beneath the potting material ) at rear end cap weld 20 . electrical feed through conductors 24 are shown to extend through potting material 28 . exhaust port 30 ( to be connected to a vacuum source ) is also shown extending through potting material 28 and is designed to be pinched off during the manufacturing process . reference is next made to fig1 b which shows a cross - sectional view of the detector tube stack 10 of the present invention . the assembly comprises a container body 12 which holds and positions a number of plates 32 , 34 , and 36 , in a stacked configuration as shown . ceramic spacers / insulators 18 a - 18 d provide substrates for a plurality of electrical connections 26 . a formed end cap 16 is structured on the front of the container body 12 , as well as a second formed end cap 14 on the rear of the container body 12 . appropriate welds 20 & amp ; 22 are positioned and made as indicated . electrical feed through conductors 24 ( five in the preferred embodiment ) are positioned and terminate in electrical connections 26 ( again five in the preferred embodiment ) as shown . an exhaust port 30 is placed and positioned as shown and is pinched off during the manufacturing process ( as described in more detail below ). a quantity of potting 28 is positioned within the formed end cap ( rear ) 14 of the container body 12 . the exhaust port 30 and electrical feed through connections 24 extend through the potting material 28 . fig2 is a detailed cross - sectional view of the stack configuration shown generally in fig1 b . the potting material 28 of thickness is shown at the top of this cross - section view where it is supported by the formed end cap ( rear ) 14 of the container body 12 . a collector plate 32 is positioned within the container body 12 using the spacers and insulator substrates 18 as described above . the collector plate 32 , having a thickness , is positioned in spaced relationship from formed end cap ( rear ) 14 , a distance , and from detection plate 34 ( neutron sensitive material in the example shown ) a distance , positioned within the center of the container body 12 . detection plate 34 , having a thickness , is positioned in spaced relationship from electron generating plate 36 a distance of . the electron generating plate 36 , having a thickness , is positioned immediately inside the formed end cap ( front ) 16 of the container body 12 separated by a distance . the electron emissions from the electron generating plate 36 bombard the neutron micro channel plate ( mcp ) 34 during the scrubbing process . the process is proximity focused rather than beam focused as in the prior art . the bias voltage across the neutron mcp creates a cascade typical of normal mcp operation . the current ( electron flow ) is collected by the anode ( collector ) plate 32 . the components described above are mechanically located and fixed in position by the series of ceramic insulators and conductive contact surfaces as required . all of these components are sealed inside of the metal container that provides for a hermetic ultra high vacuum ( uhv ) environment for the device to function . as shown , the container includes electrical feed through connections , a pinch off pumping port , and a flashable getter . referencing back to fig1 b , the various plates , spacers , and electrical connections associated with the detector tube stack are characterized according to the normal functionality associated with each of the individual plates and layers . as shown in fig1 b , various electrical contacts are provided on the appropriate surfaces of the spacers to which electrical conductors may be connected to provide the necessary voltages for operation of the electron source during the manufacturing process , as well as the operation ( signal detection ) off of the detector plate after the detector tube stack manufacturing process is complete . these electrical connections may vary according to the specific construction of both the electron generating source ( i . e ., the number of electron generating plates in the component ) as well as the particular arrangement of the spacers and the required electrical contacts . the electrical conductor representation shown in fig1 b and further in fig3 ( described below ) are merely representative of a number of possible structures for making electrical connection to the internal components of the closed detector tube stack . five such contacts are specified in the preferred embodiment as providing two contacts to the electron generating plate , two contacts to the detector plate , and a single contact to the collector plate . in addition , the metal can enclosure may be held at a set electrical potential . fig3 is a top plan view of the detector tube system of the present invention shown with the potting material removed for clarity . in this view , detector tube system 10 is again shown to be constructed primarily of container body 12 on top of which is positioned formed end cap ( rear ) 14 . a representative ceramic spacer 18 a is shown in dashed outline form in this view for purposes of identifying the alignment of one or more electrical feed through conductors 24 a - 24 c . rear end cap weld 20 is shown as the seam between container body 12 and formed end cap rear ) 14 . in addition , exhaust port 30 is shown as a cylindrical tube extending through formed end cap ( rear ) 14 and welded to the same at exhaust port weld 31 . electrical feed through conductors 24 a - 24 c ( five shown in this particular embodiment ) are sealed against apertures formed in formed end cap ( rear ) 14 in the manner shown and are further sealed by the use of the potting material ( not shown ) as described above . fig4 is a top plan view of the plate stack of the present invention shown removed from the container body as a manner of clarifying the various diametrical sizes of the spacers and plates within the detector tube stack . in this view , ceramic spacers 18 a , 18 b , and 18 d are shown . plate stack 19 in this view is shown to comprise collector plate 32 ( positioned on the top in this view ), as well as detector plate ( neutron sensitive material ) 34 shown in dashed outline form as hidden in this particular orientation . the relative differences between the diameters of the various components in the detector tube stack shown are established primarily to allow for ready access to the necessary electrical contacts positioned on each of the spacer components , and to center the various operational plates within the detector tube stack . a given exposed area for each of the relevant functional plates ( collector plate 32 , detection plate 34 , and electron generating plate 36 ) will vary according to the overall requirements of the detector . this cross - sectional functional diameter is best seen in fig1 b where internally each of the functional plates are oriented and positioned parallel and in proximity to one another to define a circular exposure area between them that in turn defines the functional characteristics of the detector tube , both in the manufacturing process and in its operation . the novel concepts of the invention include the use of a scrub source ( the electron generating plate ) inside of the packaged device . this allows for a completely welded metal container that is very robust and simple to manufacture . the scrub source can be used as a signal generator after the device is sealed to test and calibrate the device . the use of the getter ( the collector plate ) allows for residual gas pumping after the device is sealed and burned in . the method of manufacture is generally as follows . the components include : the scrub source plate ; the neutron sensitive plate ; and the anode plate . these components are arranged in a stack using metal rings for electrical contacts and ceramic spacers to insulate each component from one another . ceramic spacers are also located at the top and bottom of the stack to insulate the metal can from the sensor stack up . each component plate has appropriate electrical connections and is attached to a feed through conductor . the assembly process is as follows . a quality check is made of all components . the stack up of components is assembled with the scrub source plate , the neutron plate , the anode plate , the metal contact rings , and the contact spacers , as shown in fig1 a , 1 b & amp ; 2 . the above components are stacked up with the correct spacing and are placed into the base section of the metal container ( can ). the electrical connections are made and the cover is placed onto the can . the cover is welded ( laser or tig ) in place with a hermetic quality weld . the pinch off tube is connected to a helium leak detector and the can is leak checked . reference is next made to fig5 a for a furthe description of the individual device assembly process of the method of the present invention . assembly process 100 begins at step 102 whereby a quality check of all components to be assembled is carried out . this is followed at step 104 by the arrangement of the component stack to include the scrub source plate , the neutron detection plate , the anode plate , as well as the various metal contact rings and the contact spacers described above . at step 106 the arranged component stack is then installed into the base of the metal enclosure . various electrical connections are made at step 108 . the can cover is positioned and welded in place at step 110 and the helium leak check is performed at step 112 . the individual device assembly being completed , the process then proceeds to the multi - device process at step 114 . the next part of the process may be carried out on a number of detector enclosures being produced at the same time . an array of containers may be configured on assembly trees and processed in steps as a group . an advantage of this tree system of processing is that it is scalable . that is , tree one may carry out loading ; tree two may carry out pumping and bake out ; tree three may carry out scrubbing ; and tree four may carry out pinch off , sealing , and unloading . the manufacturing process is scalable since trees can be added anywhere on the line . it is likely that there would be multiple trees scrubbing at the same time , for example . if each process took one day to complete ( for example ), then day five would begin the second loading of tree one and every day would yield finished product after that . reference is next made to fig5 b which is a flow chart describing the multi - device manufacturing process of the method of the present invention . multi - device process 120 is initiated at step 122 where multiple manufactured containers are arranged on an assembly tree as described above . at step 124 a vacuum source is connected and pumps down the containers to a pre - bake out pressure . the method than proceeds at step 126 to carry out the container bake out process before initiating electron scrubbing at step 128 . the duration of the scrubbing is adjusted according to power level and the desired signal to noise ratio for the detector at step 130 . the multi - device process then proceeds at step 132 by pinching off the tubing components on each of the devices and then sealing and unloading the individual containers from the assembly tree . this results in the finished product at step 134 . the manufacturing process is therefore highly efficient since there is less investment in assembly processing than with a hot or cold indium sealing process . additionally , if the container / can fails a leak check , it can be re - worked and checked again many times . if the can is deemed unusable , it can be disassembled and the components can be re - used with little risk of damage . one key feature is that the sensor is packaged and sealed into the container / can before it is pumped . when the leak check is passed , the container / can is attached to a pumping station . a pumping station can accommodate a large quantity of containers / cans to be processed . the tree is then “ pumped down ” to a pre - bake out base pressure . an oven is placed around the loaded tree and the process is performed . when the bake is completed the scrubbing process can begin . depending on the ev ( power level of the scrub source ), and required signal to noise ratio of the finished sensor , this scrubbing step in the process can take several days . the various components in the assembly of the present invention may be constructed of various materials known in the art for such elements internally operational in a vacuum environment . the collector plate , for example , should be constructed of a conductive metal with an oxidation free surface that does not insulate against or resist the electrons that are generated by the internal workings of the detector . a nickel based material may be preferred , but polished aluminum or stainless steel may also be utilized for the material of the collector plate . the basic concepts of the present invention may be implemented in conjunction with detector tube stacks that contain more than one electron generating plates and more than one neutron sensing micro channel plates ( mcp ). the multiple plates in each case would of course dictate additional electrical contacts in order to carry out the operation of each of the components either during the manufacturing process or during the operational process . the typical exhaust port of the present invention may be constructed from copper vacuum tubing and may exit any surface of the detector , although the preferred embodiment places the same onto the rear end cap where each of the electrical penetrations are also made . the exhaust port may be directed straight out of the detector as shown in the figures , or may bend ninety degrees relative to the indicated attachment surfaces . some flexibility with regard to the tubing is desired in order to allow multiple detectors to be variously stacked or arranged during processing in the multi - device manufacturing method described . the relative dimensions and spacing in the detector tube stack ( seen most accurately in fig2 ) may also vary according to the specific characteristics required of the detector . in fig2 the direction of particle detection is from the bottom of the page to the top , i . e ., from the front of the detector to the rear . formed end cap ( front ) 16 of the detector housing is a vacuum tight metal skin such as % inch to ¼ inch thick stainless steel or aluminum . such thicknesses are necessary in order to prevent the vacuum within the detector from collapsing or crumpling the skin wall . the electron generating plate must be far enough away from this front face enclosure wall as to prevent any arcing . a preferred dimension ( ) may be 0 . 050 inches , or a distance in the range of 0 . 020 inches to 0 . 250 inches . electron generating plates are available in thicknesses similar to standard micro channel plates ( mcp ) such as 0 . 4 mm , 0 . 5 mm , or 1 . 0 mm thick . the spacing between the electron generating plate and the detection plate ( ) may be as small as 0 . 010 inches but is preferably in the range of 0 . 025 inches to 0 . 050 inches , again simply to avoid arcing between the plates . the thickness of the micro - channel plate ( detector plate ) may be a standard thickness , as described above ranging from 0 . 4 mm to 1 . 0 mm . again these include commercially available products such as 0 . 4 mm , 0 . 5 mm , 0 . 6 mm , 0 . 8 mm , and 1 . 0 mm thick plates . the spacing from the mcp to the detector output ( collector plate ) may be similar to the spacing between the remaining plates as described above . in the case that the detector output contact anode consists of a phosphor coated optic , a generally greater voltage is applied which requires increased spacing between the component and the formed end cap ( rear ) of the overall enclosure . this spacing may preferably be from 0 . 020 inches to 0 . 100 inches as higher voltages are usually used to accelerate detector signal electrons to surfaces requiring additional photonic output . the collector anode for the detector may be a thin sheet of metal as described above , such as 0 . 5 mm thickness . detectors , no matter how well they are pumped out in initial processing , are not immune to having less than all molecules or atoms of volatile species initially pumped out of the detector prior to the processing , or immune from bulk materials used to construct the detector that may outgas volatile species over the life of the detector . in either case gas may accumulate inside the detector after it has been sealed and a non - evaporable getter is normally positioned within the detector to sequester the molecules to the getter and remove them the operational internal surfaces of the detector plates . during the burn - in of a detector , a slow initial activation of the detector for the first time , care is taken to not electrically arc the internal components . the various electrical contacts internal to the system ( see fig1 b ) will have wire conductors welded or soldered to them that provide the various isolated voltages at the detector contact surfaces . these electrical conductors are attached and soldered to the inner post of the electrical feed through during the assembly phase prior to attaching them . welding and electrical testing is typically done by hand . the loaded detector enclosures are baked under vacuum to several hundred degrees centigrade ( between 300 and 500 degrees centigrade ). the electron scrubbing occurs after the manufacturing systems and detectors have substantially cooled down to between room temperature and 100 degrees centigrade . assembly trees of loaded detectors may run with global common voltages to the same functional feed - through conductors or each detector may have dedicated power supplies as necessary . the level of process control tends to be better with dedicated power supplies to each of the individual detector components . voltages and currents are slowly ramped up during mcp activations ( scrubbing of the mcp component ) to normal detector voltages and currents . additional quality checks are carried out during the manufacturing process . a clean pumped out detector is interfaced or connected to a helium leak detection system wherein a small partial pressure of helium is introduced to the outer surfaces of the detector and a leak checker senses for small levels of helium penetrating through or around the detector &# 39 ; s seals or surfaces . the present invention again provides for multi - detector assembly steps that exceed the typical loading levels and output rates of traditional detector vacuum processing systems . the present invention may in practice hold several times more detectors than traditional vacuum manufacturing systems ( twelve versus fifty detectors on - line at a time per system ). although the preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a round ( cylindrical ) package at a 40 mm diameter format , various other configurations are possible . 50 mm or 75 mm round formats may function in the same manner as described above . it is also possible for a square 50 mm by 50 mm format to operate at the same manufacturing structures and through the same manufacturing steps as described above . on balance , the manufacture of a round detector is more efficient than that of a square detector but certain applications may prefer square detectors in their final use and in assemblies with various components in which the detector functionality will be carried out . although the present invention ( apparatus and methods ) has been described in conjunction with a preferred embodiment , those skilled in the art will recognize alternate embodiments appropriate for use with different types of detectors and different manufacturing environments . the example provided relates primarily to a neutron detector although other types of particle and em radiation detectors could also be manufactured using the principles of the present invention . in addition , the specific geometry ( shape and size ) shown for the detector stack is likely to vary depending on the particular application to which the detector is placed . in the example shown the basic neutron detector might use , for example , a 40 mm tube body with a welded anode ; an 18 mm neutron detector mcp style plate ; and an 18 mm electron generating plate . the adaptor rings would be designed and fabricated to fit the 18 mm and 40 mm components as required and provide electrical contact to the tube body connections . the desired front end spacing would be set by the spacer placements and thicknesses . the welds would engage the typical indium trough at the front end of the 40 mm tube body . the construction would include a sensor stack container that would completely envelope the 40 mm tube body when the lid is attached and would further include five high vacuum electrical feed throughs , a nickel pinch off tube with cf flange attachment for pumping system connection , upper and lower ceramic spacers to insulate and stabilize the tube body inside of the can , all of which will minimize overlaps and virtual leak paths . the basic methodology which may be adapted ( again to specific types of detectors and specific manufacturing environments ) includes the steps of : arranging and constructing the stack ( and surrounding components ); leak checking ( re - working as necessary ); connecting ; pumping ; baking ; scrubbing ; testing ( basic operational ); pinching off ; and final testing ( particle source ). a further improvement to the manufacturing process may be achieved through the use of an ion pump that is maintained on the container / can . this would provide the added benefits of removing any gasses released during testing and / or burn in . the ion pump may also function as a vacuum gauge to quantify any noise or sensitivity data during testing . component damage can be avoided if the vacuum pressure is monitored and is not too high . | 8 |
referring now to fig1 which schematically illustrates a processing system 3 in accordance with the present invention , processing system 3 includes a photographic processor 5 . photographic processor 5 is preferably a self contained processor which includes no external plumbing for supplied processing chemical solutions . self - contained processor 5 could include internal or external plumbing for waste solution . processor 5 can be any one of a number of types of processors . non - limiting examples of processors that could be used in the present invention include processors such as is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 383 , 727 ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 784 , 661 ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 864 , 729 ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 890 , 028 , copending u . s . application ser . no . 09 / 920 , 495 , or co - pending gb application no . 0122457 . 5 . in addition to these processors and their methods for applying processing solutions to film , methods such as inkjet or spray bar application of processing solutions , for example , as is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 477 , 301 or u . s . pat . no . 5 , 758 , 223 , may be employed in the present invention . processor 5 is adapted to be fluidly connected with a processing solution supply system or cartridge 12 which supplies known processing solutions for processing photographic film or material in processor 5 . processing solution supply system or cartridge 12 is adapted to hold and supply developer solution , bleach solution , fix solution and a final rinse or cleaning solution to processor 5 . optionally , processing solution supply system 12 could include a waste cartridge for collecting waste solution after having gone through a processing cycle in processor 5 , and further , the waste cartridge could include a device for treating the waste solution . a processing solution supply system or cartridge 12 which can be utilized in the present invention is described in co - pending u . s . application ser . no . 09 / 823 , 076 or in research disclosure no . 408110 . as a still further option , and in order to conserve packaging material used by processing system 5 , processing solution system or cartridge 12 could be adapted to be refurbished at a refurbishing station 14 , for re - use in processor 5 . the features of the refurbishment basically involves at least cleaning out the processing solution containers and replacing those containers where damage or wear causes the container to no longer be used . a refurbishing system in accordance with the features of the present invention is described in research disclosure no . 408110 or co - pending application ser . no . 09 / 823 , 076 . a refurbishing system as described in this co - pending application involves a method of distributing photoprocessing solution from a source of manufacture to a photofinishing site which utilizes a packaging system that can be re - used several times , until damage or wear causes its physical integrity to render it unusable . the repeated re - use of the robust container reduces the amount of packaging materials consumed per unit area of imaging materials processed . as a still further feature of processing system 3 of the present invention , processor 5 could include a heat recovery system 7 as described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 290 , 404 . this provides for an efficient use of energy for processing system 3 by capturing and using heat generated by the mechanical , electrical or electro - mechanical components of the processor to process photographic material . also , a water recovery and supply system 9 provides for efficient re - use of water within the system of processing 5 . more specifically , an efficient water recovery system includes water recovery from humid air sources for reuse in the processing system as described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 383 , 727 . wash water recovery and supply system 9 could be separate or integrated with processor 5 . as described above , the interaction of the consumption of chemistry , water , packaging material and energy contribute to the total efficiency of a photographic processor . however , the nature of the relationship between the different parameters makes it difficult to design an efficient processor which takes into account all of these parameters since an improvement in one category may have an adverse effect on another . applicants note that a processor which exhibits preferred eco - efficiency characteristics is a konica qp - 32 film processor ( originally offered for use with the konica qd - 21 minilab system ) and this processor is used as a reference processor in the present invention . more specifically , the values representing the consumption of chemistry , water , packaging material and energy per unit amount of film processed in the konica qp - 32 film processor are used as reference values . in the konica qp - 32 film processor , it has been determined that for a unit amount or roll of film processed , the processor consumes 0 . 0085 kg of chemistry per roll ; 0 . 071 liter of water per roll ; 0 . 0057 kg of packaging material per roll ; and 0 . 77 mj of energy per roll . with respect to the present invention , these values will be considered reference values for determining an fpei for a processor . therefore , the fpei for the konica qp - 32 is 1 . 0 . eco - efficiency is generally expressed as a ratio of product or service value divided by environmental influence . in the present invention , the product value of a fully automated color film processor is defined as the number of rolls or unit amount of film developed . as noted upon , four environmental influences or parameters have been defined : water consumption ; chemistry consumption ; packaging consumption ; and energy consumption . all of these influences or parameters have been cited by the wbcsd as relevant to product eco - efficiency . in order to avoid a mathematical error in the ratio when one or more environmental influences is reduced to a value of zero , the conventional eco - efficiency ratio noted above has been inverted with respect to the present invention , and is expressed as follows : the fpei is preferably composed of four elements : liters of water consumed per roll or unit amount of film developed ( wt ); kilograms of chemistry consumed per unit amount or roll of film developed ( ch ); kilograms of packaging material consumed per unit amount or roll of film developed ( pk ); and megajoules of electrical power consumed per roll or unit amount of film developed ( en ). the fpei is calculated by the following formula ( equation ( 1 ): wtref = a reference amount of water needed to develop a unit amount of film ; wtact = an actual amount of water consumed per unit amount of film developed in the photographic processor ; chref = a reference amount of chemistry needed to develop the unit amount of film ; chact = an actual amount of chemistry consumed per unit amount of film developed in the photographic processor ; pkref = a reference amount of packaging material needed to develop the unit amount of film ; pkact = an actual amount of packaging material consumed per unit amount of film developed in the photographic processor ; enref = a reference amount of energy needed to develop the unit amount of film ; and enact = an actual amount of energy consumed per unit amount of film developed in said photographic processor . as indicated above , a unit amount can refer to a single roll of film or multiple rolls spliced together to form a batch . wt is calculated by adding the amount of water contained in all photochemical supply solutions ( wss ) to the water replenished during the processor operation ( wr ). both volumes are expressed in liters per standard roll or unit of film . a standard roll or unit includes 24 exposures of 35 mm film . ch is calculated by adding the mass ( less water ) of the chemical ingredients contained in all photochemical supply solutions consumed in order to process a standard roll of film . pk is calculated by adding the mass of all the packaging materials that are consumed in association with processing a standard roll of film . packaging materials include , but are not limited to , items associated with the supply of water or photochemistry such as bottles , closures , boxes , dividers , wrappers and cases , and specifically , the items with respect to the photofinishing solution chemical supply cartridge or system 12 . en is calculated by assuming that a typical film processor has four modes of power consumption during operation : sleep mode , warm - up mode , idle mode , and processing mode . in sleep mode , the processing solutions are not heated , but some type of timing device may be active to enable the processor to begin heating solutions at a predetermined time . in practice , a processor may operate in sleep mode for twelve hours per day . warm - up mode is a transient condition in which the processor components are heated to a desired temperature state . no processing occurs during warm - up mode . the time period for warm - up ( t warm - up ) is dependent upon the processor design . in processing mode , film is actively being processed ; solutions are held at a defined temperature , and drive motors and dryers are operating . in practice , a processor may operate in this mode each day for the amount of time required to process 25 standard rolls of film ( t processing ), end to end . t processing is dependent on processor design . idle mode is the state in which the processor can begin processing film immediately , but is not actively processing . typically , a processor operates in idle mode for the balance of the day ( t idle ( hrs )= 24 − 12 − t warm - up − t processing ( hrs )). power consumption in sleep , idle , warm - up and processing modes can be measured with a standard wattmeter . these values are denoted as watts sleep , watts idle , watts warm - up and watts processing . accordingly , the following formula ( 2 ) is used to calculate en : en ( mj / roll )={ 0 . 0036 mj / watt - hr *[( watts sleep * 12 )+ watts processing * t processing + watts warm - up * t warm - up + watts idle * t idle ]}÷ 25 . ( 2 ) improvements in eco - efficiency are realized in a fully - automated color film processor by combining the attributes or parameters noted above . more specifically , improvements in eco - efficiency can be achieved by minimizing the mass and / or the volume of photochemical solution that is heated by the processor , managing the intelligent energy of the electrical components of the processor , simplifying the processor design to minimize power consumption , minimizing the time required to process the film , recovering waste heat produced during operation of the processor , recovering and re - using water evaporated during operation of the processor , minimizing the mass of packaging material , re - using packaging materials , and applying integrated silver recovery technology for simplified waste handling . inclusion of these attributes and using the reference values for the konica qp - 32 processor , equation ( 1 ) results in a fpei of greater than 1 . 0 , preferably greater than or equal to 1 . 05 , and most preferably greater than or equal to 1 . 1 . in designing an eco - efficient processor in accordance with the present invention , processing system 3 includes photographic processor 5 as shown in fig1 as well as a solution supply system 12 . processor 5 is preferably designed as a self - contained processor that has no external plumbing for supplying or discharging the chemical processing solutions to or from the processor , while the solution supply system is basically designed as a cartridge that is adapted to be fluidly connected to the processor . solution supply system 12 is adapted to supply chemical processing solution or water to photographic processor 5 to process photographic film . in the design of photographic processor 5 , an average consumption of water , chemistry , packaging material and energy per unit amount of photographic film processed in the processor is based on equation ( 1 ) noted above . that is , in determining the fpei for a particular processor , first , it is needed to determine the value that you will use for the reference amount of water needed to develop a unit amount of film . for this purpose , the konica qp - 32 film processor is utilized and it is known that this processor uses 0 . 071 liters of water per roll . this value is divided by the actual amount of water consumed per unit amount of film developed in processor 5 . additionally , a reference amount of chemistry needed to develop the unit amount of film is determined . again , the konica qp - 32 film processor can be used as a reference value and it is known that this processor uses 0 . 0085 kg of chemistry per roll . the reference value of chemistry is thereby divided by the actual amount of chemistry consumed per unit amount of film developed in processor 5 . additionally , a reference amount of packaging material needed to develop the unit amount of film is determined . again , using the konica qp - 32 film processor as a reference value , it is known that this processor uses 0 . 0057 kilograms of packaging material per roll . this value is divided by the actual amount of packaging material consumed per unit amount of film developed in processor 5 . finally , a reference amount of energy needed to develop the unit amount of film is determined . using the konica qp - 32 film processor as a reference value , it is noted that this processor uses 0 . 77 mj of energy per roll of film . this value is divided by the actual amount of energy consumed per unit amount of film developed in photographic processor 5 . all of the above is in accordance with equation ( 1 ). the sum of the above noted values is thereafter divided by four to provide for the fpei , also in accordance with equation ( 1 ). knowing the parameters necessary to provide for a preferred fpei , processor 5 of the present invention can be designed so as to provide for an index score that is greater than 1 . 0 , which is an fpei for a processor ( konica qp - 32 film processor ) that is considered to have acceptable eco - efficient properties . therefore , processor 5 can be designed to take into account the interrelationship with respect to the amount of water , the amount of chemistry , the amount of packaging material and the amount of energy used and / or consumed by the photographic processor per unit amount or roll of film , to provide for an efficiency index for the photographic processor which is greater than 1 . 0 . as noted above , a desired fpei should be greater than 1 . 0 , preferably greater than or equal to 1 . 05 and most preferably greater than or equal to 1 . 1 . by using the fpei equation noted above , it is possible to adjust the parameters noted above with respect to equation ( 1 ) to design a processor which takes into account all of the above parameters . the invention has been described in detail with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof , but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention . | 6 |
fig7 illustrates an exemplary chirp controlled optical modulator 30 formed in accordance with the present invention . for the purposes of discussion , the components of modulator 30 that are similar to components of prior art modulator 10 carry the same reference numerals and their functionality is not discussed in detail . in this particular embodiment of the present invention , a phase modulation control section 32 is included in modulator 30 and is located “ inside ” the modulator with rf data modulation section 34 ( which functions in the manner of the prior art as described above to impress an electrical modulating input signal on a cw optical signal propagating through the structure ). in the embodiment of fig7 , a separate dc bias section 36 is also shown . the use of dc bias in a modulator is well - known in the art , and is used to ensure that the modulator provides the desired phase shift around a specific operating point . the dc operating point is shown on fig5 as preferably located mid - way between the maximum and minimum values of the output power . in accordance with the present invention , each portion 33 - l and 33 - r of phase modulation control section 32 is driven by the same signal ( as opposed to the use of complementary signals used to drive the rf data modulation section ), so that each arm “ sees ” the same overall phase adjustment , noted as ψ in fig7 , where as a result of the addition of this phase adjustment section , φ is now defined as follows : thus , by controlling the value of ψ , the chirp of the overall modulator can be controlled . in particular , the length l phase of phase adjustment section 32 is optimized to provide the desired value of ψ and , as a result the desired chirp value . moreover , the same data input signal used to drive rf data modulation section 34 can be used to drive phase adjustment section 32 . fig8 contains a pair of “ eye diagram ” plots ( i . e ., signal output as a function of time ) for a data rate of 10 gb / s , showing the improvement in performance by virtue of adding a phase adjustment section to a silicon - based optical modulator . fig8 ( a ) is the eye diagram associated with a prior art silicon - based modulator , such as modulator of fig3 , measured for a modulator length l data of 350 μm . fig8 ( b ) is a plot of a modulator formed in accordance with the present invention , adding a phase adjustment section of l phase = 250 μm . the improvement in eye opening from controlling chirp is noticeable in the eye diagram of fig8 ( b ), especially at / near the low output power , “ logic 0 ” value . fig9 contains plots of the chirp parameters associated with the eye diagrams of fig8 ( a ) and ( b ), where the chirp of the prior art shown in fig9 ( a ) is positive in value for an extended portion of the bit period and never goes below “ zero chirp . in contrast , fig9 ( b ) illustrates the chirp associated with a modulator of the present invention , showing a substantial reduction in chirp ( and , at times , a negative chirp value ) within the bit period . various types of “ segmented ” optical modulators have been previously proposed . for example , u . s . pat . no . 7 , 515 , 778 , issued apr . 7 , 2009 and assigned to the assignee of this application , discloses a segmented modulator where the rf section comprises a plurality of segments to accommodate a multi - level input signal . this “ segmented ” approach may be used in accordance with the present invention to provide a tunable chirp control through a tunable phase modulation control section . fig1 illustrates an exemplary optical modulator 40 formed in accordance with this aspect of the present invention , in this case showing the use of a single input data encoder 42 to provide inputs to both rf data modulation section 34 and phase adjustment section 32 . the ordering of components along the arms of the interferometer is not important ; in this embodiment , phase adjustment section 32 is positioned before rf data modulation section 34 . as with the arrangement of fig7 , a complementary signal pair is used to differentially drive segments 35 - l and 35 - r of rf data modulation section 34 . in this particular arrangement as shown in fig1 , phase modulation control section 32 comprises two separate segments along each arm , denoted as segments 44 - l and 46 - l along waveguide arm 16 , and segments 44 - r and 46 - r along waveguide arm 18 . segments 44 - l and 44 - r are shown as having a first length l phase , 1 and therefore impart a first phase delay ψ 1 to the propagating optical signal . segments 46 - l and 46 - r are shown as having a second length l phase , 2 , imparting a second phase delay ψ 2 to the propagating optical signal . in accordance with the present invention , therefore , by controlling the activation of these segments ( via the input signals from encoder 42 ), the additional phase delay added to the output signal can be selected from the three different values : ψ 1 , ψ 2 , or ψ 1 + ψ 2 . obviously , the inclusion of additional segments allows for further control of the applied phase delay . as mentioned above , it is also possible to locate the phase modulation control section of the inventive modulator “ outside ” of the modulation element itself , along either one of the input and output waveguide sections . fig1 is a simplified diagram of an optical modulator 50 formed in accordance with this embodiment of the present invention . in this case , a phase modulation control section 32 - i is positioned along input waveguide section 12 and is controlled by the same rf data input signal that drives arm 33 - l of rf data modulation section 34 . phase modulation control section 32 - i is shown has having a length l phase , 1 for imparting a phase of ψ 1 onto the incoming signal propagating along waveguide section 12 ( before it is split along waveguide arms 16 , 18 ). the use of only a single segment to provide the phase adjustment to the propagating signal introduces less of a capacitive load than the embodiments described above with the phase modulation control section located inside of the modulator and requiring a pair of segments to introduce the phase adjustment along each waveguide arm . fig1 illustrates a similar embodiment as shown in fig1 , in this case illustrating an optical modulator 60 with a phase modulation control section 32 - o disposed along output waveguide section 14 and controlled by the inverted rf data signal used to control segment 35 - r of rf data modulation section 34 . as shown , phase modulation control section 32 - o has a length of l phase , o selected to introduce a phase delay ψ o into the optical output signal . again , the use of a single segment to provide the phase adjustment introduces less capacitance into the modulator than the embodiments requiring the use of a pair of segments . as with the embodiment shown in fig1 , it is possible to utilize a segmented phase modulation control section at either the input or output of the modulator . fig1 illustrates an exemplary optical modulator 70 , showing in this particular embodiment both an input phase modulation control section 32 - i and an output phase modulation control section 32 - o ( where it is to be understood that only a single segmented phase modulation control section may also be used ). as with the segmented embodiment described above , input phase modulation control section 32 - i is shown as comprising a pair of segments 72 - i and 74 - i , each of a different length and thus imparting a different phase delay ψ i1 and ψ i2 to the input cw optical signal . a control element 76 is shown in this particular embodiment as providing the input drive signals to input phase modulation control section 32 - i , where either one or both ( or neither ) of the segments may be energized for a given application , thus providing a controlling amount of phase adjustment to the modulator to control the chirp exhibited by the output signal . similar control of segmented output phase modulation control section 32 - o provides the same ability to control the amount of chirp present in the output signal by controlling the phase introduced to the output signal . in summary , by virtue of adding one or more segments to the modulator , the phase of the input signal can be controlled to provide the desired chirp behavior for a specific application / system configuration . the relatively small size of a semiconductor modulator ( as compared to prior art lithium niobate modulators ) allows for the “ extra ” phase sections to be added to the modulator without unduly increasing the size of the overall device or otherwise impacting the performance of the modulator . indeed , it is possible to model the semiconductor modulator as “ lumped elements ” and thus avoid the complicated traveling - wave electrode structure associated with prior art lithium niobate modulators . it is further to be understood that while the specific embodiments described above are associated with a silicon - based optical modulator , the same properties of phase , chirp and the like are present in other semiconductor - based modulators ( i . e ., iii - v based modulating devices ) and the principles of incorporating one or more phase modulation control sections in these other modulator configurations will provide chirp control in the same manner . thus , the spirit and scope of the present invention is considered to be limited only by the claims appended hereto : | 6 |
circular shearing blade 10 shown in fig1 is composed of an annular , flat , hard metal body 11 having a thickness d 2 and being composed of 78 . 5 mass percent wc , 10 mass percent ( ti , ta , nb ) c , 11 . 5 mass percent co , and a titanium nitride layer 12 applied by the process to be described below to a thickness d 1 . the thickness d 2 of the hard metal body is 0 . 5mm and the thickness d 1 of the titanium nitride layer 12 is about l . 5 μm . the blade 10 has an external diameter d of 106 . 5 mm and an internal diameter d of 70 mm . a pulsed direct voltage in a plasma - supported cvd process is employed for depositing the coating and is , generally , a rectangular voltage having a maximum amplitude between 200 and 900 volts and a period duration between 20 μms and 20 ms . deviations which form non - vertical ascending and descending edges , as well as tilts , are also conceivable insofar as the condition remains met that , between two maximum voltage values , the direct voltage does not drop to zero but always remains above the lowest ionization potential of any of the participating cvd gases and below 50 % of the maximum voltage deflection . preferably , the ratio of the average residual direct voltage to the maximum pulsed direct voltage is set to lie between 0 . 02 and 0 . 5 . according to a modification of the process , the ratio of pulse length , duration of the positive voltage signal of a pulse , to the pulse interval between two pulses ranges from 0 . 1 to 0 . 6 . the deposition temperature was about 550 ° c . so that , under the set conditions , a layer growth rate ranging between 0 . 5 and 10 μm / h developed . the schematic curve ( voltage ( v ) versus time ( t )) for the pulsed direct voltage is shown in fig3 . u g identifies the lower cut - off voltage determined by the lowest ionization potential of any of the gases participating in the cvd process . the circular shearing blades coated by means of the inventive plasma pulse cvd process were also plane parallel having a deviation & lt ; 0 . 003 mm and a roughness value r z of & lt ; 0 . 08 μm . at a test station , comparison tests were made between uncoated circular shearing blades and circular shearing blades coated according to the invention . the length of the cut was about 590 km . the circular shearing blades without surface coating became dull in the normal manner as a function of the duration of the test . increasing dullness was evidenced by decreasing quality of the edge of the cut magnetic tape . the tape edge developed beads . with circular shearing blades equipped with a titanium nitride coating according to the present invention as described , uniform tape edge quality at a very high level could be realized from beginning to end of the test . as a whole , the inventive circular shearing blade permitted the realization of twice the service life without resharpening . the circular shearing blade according to the invention is employed , for example , in an arrangement as shown in fig2 in which several circular shearing blades 10 are fastened next to one another on shafts 13 and 14 . the oppositely rotating shafts ( indicated by arrows 16 and 17 ) cut a thin band 15 of coated plastic into strips of uniform width which are wound onto a carrier as magnetic tapes . with the inventive plasma - activated cvd ( pacvd ) process , layers of tin , tic and ti ( c , n ) can be deposited on a hard metal substrate individually or in any desired sequence from gas mixtures of ticl 4 h 2 n 2 and / or ch 4 , e . g ., as multi - layered coating having a preferred layer sequence , beginning at the substrate , of tin / ti ( c , n )/ tin . titanium carbonitride can be deposited in any desired mixing ratio of c / n . the typical characteristics and compositions of inventive pacvd layers are listed in the table below : ______________________________________ tin ti ( c , n ) tic______________________________________hardness hv 0 . 05 2000 - 2400 2200 - 3400 3000 - 3400lattice constant ( nm ) 0 . 424 0 . 424 - 0 . 433 0 . 433typical analysis (%) ti 77 . 5 78 . 4 78 . 1n 19 . 9 11 . 2 -- c -- 8 . 4 18 . 9o 0 . 2 0 . 9 1 . 2cl 0 . 6 1 . 1 0 . 8______________________________________ in addition to titanium , nitrogen and / or carbon and oxygen , the layers also preferably include between 0 . 5 and 4 mass percent chlorine . cutting tools produced according to the process of the invention exhibited long service lives . for example , cutting plates spkn 1203 edr coated with tic / ti ( c , n )/ tin by cvd and those coated by pacvd with 3 μm tin , were used to cut blocks of a heat treated 42 crmo4v steel ( 1 , 000 n / mm 2 ) and were compared with one another . after a cutting path of 1 , 200 mm , the cvd - coated plate exhibited break - outs at the major cutting edge , while the pacvd - coated plate ( according to the invention ) is still able to cut after a cutting path of twice that length . this test shows that cutting bodies coated according to the inventive pacvd process are considerably tougher . however , they also have advantages compared to cutting bodies coated by pvd at a coating temperature about 500 ° c . although the latter also have improved toughness characteristics , their wear resistance did not reach that of cutting plates coated according to the invention as will be confirmed by the following two tests . in another test , cutting plates were tested which were coated with tin or tin / ti ( c , n )/ tin by pacvd and with tin by pvd . the principle of the cutter test is shown in fig6 and the results of the test are shown in fig4 . fig6 shows a cutting plate 30 ( wsp ) having a major cutting edge 20 , a plane cutting edge 24 , and a cutter axis 26 acting on a workpiece 22 . feed direction is shown by arrow 28 . fig4 compares a pvd coating 1 of tin , a pacvd coating 2 of tin , and a pacvd coating 3 of tin - ti ( c , n )- tin , all having a thickness of about 3 μm and all being applied to a reversible cutting plate sekn 1203 aftn , substrate ttm - s . the cutter was a widax - heinlein m68 ( diameter 80 , 1 tooth ). during cutting of c45 steel ( cutting rate 200 m / min , cutting depth 5 mm , feed / tooth 0 . 1 mm ), the harder multilayered inventive coating as a whole shows the best results . pacvd coatings also have advantages for cutting highly alloyed , austenitic steels as indicated by the result of a further cutting test shown in fig5 ( cutting plate : sekn 1203 aft ; workpiece material : 28nicrmo74 , 195 × 700 mm ; cutter , 6 teeth : widax m65 ( 80 o ); cutting rate : 200 m / min ; cutting depth : 5mm , feed / tooth 0 . 2 mm ; cutting length : 14 m ; wear due to cratering : not measurable ). fig5 shows the width of wear trace in mm for the major cutting edge ( hs ) and the plane cutting edge ( ps ) for comparative pvd and inventive pacvd coatings . in these and other tests it could be noted that the service lives known for pvd coatings were surpassed by inventive plasma - activated cvd coatings . in other cutting tests , service lives could be realized for tools produced according to the process of the invention which were more than twice , sometimes even three times as long as for the prior art cutting plates . the titanium carbide layers deposited in a further embodiment have a fracture structure which has a clearly noticeable finely crystalline configuration . their microhardness lay between 3000 and 3400 hv 0 . 05 . 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 . | 1 |
a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig3 to 6 . [ 0026 ] fig3 is a schematic side view of a magnetic field generator 38 to which the present invention is applicable . as shown , the magnetic field generator 38 comprises two plate yokes 40 and 42 supported in parallel by way of two pillar or column yokes ( only one is shown and denoted by 44 ). the generator 38 further comprises two permanent magnets 46 and 48 , which carry respectively two pole pieces 50 and 52 on opposite surfaces thereof as in the prior art referred to in the opening paragraphs . as mentioned above , each of the magnets 46 and 48 is fabricated using a plurality of magnetized rectangular or cubic blocks . each of the magnets is typically an nd — fe — b , sm — co , or sm — n — fe type magnet by way of example . further , each of the pole pieces 50 and 52 comprises a soft iron substrate on which laminated silica - steel boards are provided , or made of soft ion . comparing the two magnetic field generators 10 and 38 respectively shown in fig1 and 3 , the generator 38 is provided with two pillar yokes . however , this difference in structure has no meaning , and the present invention can also be applied to the generator 10 of fig1 . the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail . it is assumed that the permanent magnets 48 and 48 have already been installed on the plate yokes 40 and 42 , respectively . [ 0028 ] fig4 is a diagram schematically showing how to install the pole piece 62 under the magnet 46 ( viz ., at a predetermined position defined on the lower surface of the magnet 46 ) using an assembling apparatus ( denoted by 60 ). although not shown in fig4 the assembling apparatus 60 is strongly held by a suitable supporter that is typically rested on the floor on which the plate yoke 40 is placed . as an alternative , the supporter might be settled within the yoke structure . the assembling apparatus 60 generally comprises a hollow rectangular guide case 62 which is roughly exemplified in fig5 a screwed rod 64 , and a cap or lid 66 through which the rod 64 rotatably advances toward the magnet 48 . the guide case 62 is preferably made of non - magnetic material such as aluminum , and has upper and lower plates 64 a - 64 b and side plates 64 c and 64 d ( fig5 ) for defining the path along which the pole piece 52 is inserted and advanced . although it is not shown in fig4 and 5 how to attach or fasten the cap 66 to the end of the guide case 62 , the cap 66 can detachably be attached to the end of the guide case 62 using known technology , and as such , the detail thereof is omitted for brevity . when the apparatus 60 is set to a predetermined position as illustrated in fig4 , the inner surface of the upper side 64 a is aligned with the lower major surface of the magnet 48 . when starting the installation of the pole piece 52 , the rod 64 is removed together with the cap 66 . subsequently , the pole piece 52 is inserted into the guide case 62 as shown in fig5 and the cop 66 is attached after which the rod 64 is inserted into a screwed hole provided in the cap 66 . in the above , it is preferable to apply suitable lubricant such as grease to the upper surface of the pole piece 62 and also to the lower surface of the magnet 48 in order to reduce the friction therebetween . thereafter , the pole piece 52 is advanced toward the magnet 48 by rotating the screw rod 84 as schematically shown in fig4 until being positioned under the center portion of the lower surface of the magnet 48 . as mentioned above , the magnetic attracting forces between the magnet 48 and the pole piece 52 reaches as large as about 10 - ton . however , according to the experiment conducted by the inventor , the maximum force required to push the pole piece 52 until setting the same on the predetermined position under the magnet 48 was as small as about 2 - ton . more specifically , the experiment was implemented with the following conditions . that is , the frame structure such as shown in fig3 has 1 . 5 meters in width , 2 meters in depth , and 1 . 4 meters in height . the plate yokes 40 and 42 were supported using two pillars as shown in fig3 . further , two nd — fe — b type magnets 46 and 48 are provided , between which there exists magnetic field strength of about 0 . 2 - tesla . the pole piece 52 was disk - shaped and has a diameter of 1 meter , and 100 mm in height including the circumferential protrusion . still further , a normal type machine grease was applied to the top surface of the pole piece 52 and the lower surface of the magnet 48 . after the pole piece 52 has been installed onto the lower surface of the magnet 48 , the other pole piece 50 is then installed onto the magnet 46 as shown in fig6 . in fig6 the members or potions corresponding to those described in fig4 are denoted by like numerals plus primes . it is readily understood from the foregoing that the process of installing the lower pole piece 50 is substantially identical to that discussed above , and accordingly , further description thereof is deemed redundant , and as such , will be omitted for brevity . it is to be noted that the order of installing the pole pieces 52 and 60 is optional and in no way limited to that described above . in the above , the screw rod 64 is used to push the pole pieces 50 and 52 . however , it is within the scope of the present invention to employ other known suitable pushing apparatus such as using a piston and cylinder . still further , it is possible to install both the pole pieces 50 and 52 simultaneously by devising the supporters for supporting both the assembling apparatuses 60 and 60 ′. the foregoing descriptions show only one preferred embodiment . however , other various modifications are apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention which is only limited by the appended claims . therefore , the embodiment described are only illustrated , not restrictive . | 8 |
the principles and operation of fast , low - power reading of a flash memory may be better understood with reference to the drawings and the accompanying description . fig1 shows an exemplary internal architecture for a flash memory 100 . the primary features include an input / output ( i / o ) bus 102 and control signals 104 to interface to an external controller , a memory control circuit 106 to control internal memory operations with registers for command , address and status signals . one or more arrays 108 of flash eeprom cells are included , each array having its own row decoder ( xdec ) 110 and column decoder ( ydec ) 112 , a group of sense amplifiers and program control circuitry ( sa / prog ) 114 and a data register 116 . presently , the memory cells usually include one or more conductive floating gates as storage elements but other long - term electron charge storage elements may be used instead . the memory cell array may be operated with two levels of charge defined for each storage element to therefore store one bit of data with each element . alternatively , more than two storage states may be defined for each storage element , in which case more than one bit of data is stored in each element . the external interface i / o bus 102 and control signals 104 can include the following : cs — chip select . used to activate flash memory interface . cle — controls the activating path for commands sent to the command register of memory control circuit 106 . ale — controls the activating path for address to the address register of memory control circuit 106 . re — serial data - out control . when active , drives the data onto i / o bus 102 . we — controls writes to the i / o port . ad [ 7 : 0 ]— address / this i / o bus is used to transfer data between data bus controller and the flash memory command , address and data registers of memory control 106 . in addition to these signals , it is also typical that the memory have a means by which the storage subsystem controller may determine that the memory is busy performing some task . such means could include a dedicated signal or a status bit in an internal memory register that is accessible while the memory is busy . this interface is given only as an example as other signal configurations can be used to give the same functionality . fig1 shows only one flash memory array 108 with its related components , but a multiplicity of such arrays can exist on a single flash memory chip that share a common interface and memory control circuitry but have separate xdec 110 , ydec 112 , sa / prog 14 and data register 116 circuitry in order to allow parallel read and program operations . data are transferred from the memory array through the data register 116 to an external controller via the data registers &# 39 ; coupling to the i / o bus ad [ 7 : 0 ] 102 . this data transfer is referred to in the appended claims as “ exporting ” the data from flash memory 100 . data register 116 is also coupled to sense amplifier / programming circuit 114 . the number of elements of data register 116 coupled to each sense amplifier / programming circuit element may depend on the number of bits stored in each storage element of the memory cells , flash eeprom cells each containing one or more floating gates as the storage elements . each storage element may store a plurality of bits , such as two or four , if the memory cells are operated in a multi - state mode . alternatively , the memory cells may be operated in a binary mode to store one bit of data per storage element . row decoder 110 decodes row addresses for array 108 in order to select the physical page to be accessed . row decoder 110 receives row addresses via internal row address lines 118 from memory control logic 106 . column decoder 112 receives column addresses via internal column address lines 120 from memory control logic 106 . rows 124 of array 108 also are referred to herein as “ word lines ”. columns 126 of array 108 also are referred to herein as “ bit lines ”. for simplicity of illustration , only the first four rows 124 , the last four rows 124 , the first four columns 126 and the last four columns 126 of array 108 are shown explicitly in array 108 . the cells of array 108 are at the intersections of word lines 124 and bit lines 126 . in each bit line 126 , the cells are connected in series , as in nand flash memories , rather than in parallel as in nor flash memories . bit lines 126 are ordered , e . g . from left to right , so that the leftmost bit line 126 is assigned the ordinal number “ 1 ”, the next - to - leftmost bit line 126 is assigned the ordinal number “ 2 ”, etc . the operation of memory control circuit 106 in reading data from flash memory array 108 and writing data to flash memory array 108 now will be described . fig2 is a simplified block diagram of memory control circuit 106 . a register enable circuit 204 has inputs coupled to an address register 206 , to a command register 202 and to a latch enable circuit 210 . upon receiving from the external controller an ale control signal 104 that indicates that an address descriptor is to follow , register enable circuit 204 activates an enable line padr , which causes a subsequent chunk address descriptor from the external controller on i / o bus 102 to be latched in to address register 206 . a latch enable circuit 210 coupled to address register 206 thereupon activates latch enable lines x and y to latch the chunk address stored in address register 206 into appropriate row and column latches of address latches 212 . the chunk addresses stored in address latches 212 are then provided over appropriate lines of internal row address lines 118 to row decoder 110 and internal column address lines 120 to column decoder 112 . upon receiving from the external controller a control signal 104 that indicates that data are to follow ( because the external controller wants to write the data to flash memory array 108 ), register enable circuit 204 activates an enable line pdat that causes a chunk of data on i / o bus 102 to be latched into data register 116 . upon receiving from the external controller a cle control signal 104 that indicates that a command is to follow , register enable circuit 204 activates an enable line pcmd , which causes a subsequent read or write command from the external controller on i / o bus 102 to be latched into command register 202 . a command decoder 208 thereupon reads the command stored in command register 202 . if the command is a write command , command decoder 208 decodes the command to activate a program line pgm . a program enable circuit 216 receives the program line pgm and the most significant bit from the chunk address stored in address register 206 and activates , in response thereto , program enable lines 123 provided to sense amplifier / programming circuits 114 to selectively activate their program / verify modes of operation to program the data in data register 116 into flash memory array 108 . if the command is a read command , command decoder 208 decodes the command to activate a sense enable circuit 214 that in turn activates sense enable line 122 provided to sense amplifier / programming circuits 114 to selectively activate their sense modes of operation to sense the threshold voltages stored in the cells at the intersections of the latched row 124 and the latched columns 126 of flash memory array 108 . the results of the sensing are loaded into data register 116 that then is read by the external controller . each read command from the external controller causes data to be read from a single row 124 of flash memory array 108 as specified by the chunk address descriptor . hence , each row value of address latches 212 is for a respective row 124 of flash memory array 108 . the column latches of address latches 212 are for groups of columns 126 of flash memory array 108 , with columns 126 grouped per column latch in a manner that saves the power conventionally spent on sensing soft bits . conventionally , each group of column latches corresponds to an entire physical page on each row 124 of flash memory array 108 . depending on how memory 100 is configured , each row 124 of cells could itself be a single physical page , or alternatively each row 124 of cells could include two , three or more physical pages . a command from the external controller to write data to a physical page causes sense amplifier / programming circuits 114 to program all the cells of the targeted physical page . a command from the external controller to read the hard bits of a physical page causes sense amplifier / programming circuits 114 to sense the hard bits of all the cells of the targeted physical page . a command from the external controller to read soft bits of a physical page causes sense amplifier / programming circuits 114 to read soft bits of all the cells of the targeted physical page . fig3 is a high - level schematic block diagram of a flash memory device 300 in which flash memory 100 is controlled by an external controller 302 . controller 302 is connected or connectable with a host system such as a personal computer , a digital camera , a personal digital assistant . it is the host which initiates commands , such as to store or read data to or from memory array 108 , and provides or receives such data , respectively . controller 302 converts such commands into command signals that can be interpreted and executed by memory control circuit 106 . controller 302 also typically contains buffer memory for the user data being written to or read from memory array 108 . a typical memory device 300 includes one integrated circuit chip 304 that includes controller 302 , and one or more integrated circuit chips 306 that each contains a memory 100 . the trend , of course , is to integrate the memory array and controller circuits of such a memory device together on one or more integrated circuit chips . memory device 300 may be embedded as part of the host system , or may be included in a memory card that is removably insertable into a mating socket of host systems . such a card may include the entire memory device , or the controller and memory array , with associated peripheral circuits , may be provided in separate cards . the power spent on sensing and reading hard and soft bits is composed of two portions — the first part is the power it takes to sense the memory cells into data register 116 ( that is — applying reference voltages to the cells and spending power on sensing the results of the comparisons made against them ), and the second part is the power it takes to transfer (“ export ”) the read values from data register 116 over bus 102 into external controller 302 ( where the error correction decoder and other estimation functions are typically located ). the grouping per column latch of columns 126 of flash memory array 108 that is described herein reduces the power of the first portion — the sensing of the memory cells . as noted above , conventionally , a command from external controller 302 to read soft bits of a physical page causes sense amplifier / programming circuits 114 to read soft bits of all the cells of the targeted physical page . there are cases where we do not actually need the soft bits value for all the memory cells of a physical page , only for some of the memory cells . nevertheless , conventionally , all the soft bit values of all the cells of a read physical page are sensed into data register 116 . but if not all those values are needed , this unnecessarily wastes power . for example if a flash memory cell consumes 100 [ nano amp ] of current when being sensed , and if the number of cells taking part in the decoding computation is 16k ( ignoring parity bits and management bits for simplicity ), then if only half of the sensed bits are needed by the decoder , then the flash memory wastes 8k × 100 = 800k [ nano amp ]= 0 . 8 [ milli amp ], each time a sensing operation ( a threshold voltage comparison ) is done for a single soft bit sensing . it should be noted that some soft bits require more than one sensing operation for each cell . typically the first soft bit needs one threshold voltage comparison per cell state , the second soft bit needs two more threshold voltage comparisons per cell state , the third soft bit needs four more voltage comparisons per cell state , etc . sensing soft bits of only some of the cells of a physical page may be required for cells in which either of the following occurs : the hard bits of the cells have already been sensed beforehand , and only the soft bits of some of the cells now are needed . the data of some cells are not required at all during read , neither the hard bits nor the soft bits . the only remaining point to discuss in order to show the usefulness of the selective sensing of soft bits that is described herein is to explain when it may be the case that we do not need all the soft bit values but only a portion of them . this is indeed the case in the following four examples : a . the physical phenomena that cause errors in flash memory cells may be different for different states of the cells . for example , a major source of errors is the drifting of the threshold voltage of memory cells with time because of leakage of electrons from the floating gates of the cells . it is typically the case that cells that are in high states ( that is — states corresponding to high threshold voltages ) are much more affected by drift phenomena than cells that are in low states ( that is — states corresponding to low threshold voltages ). this drift phenomenon is sometimes referred to as data retention . therefore it is reasonable to expect that cells that reside in low states are quite reliable and will not benefit much from an additional soft bit or bits . on the other hand , cells that reside in high states are less reliable and can benefit from the additional information provided by ( a ) soft bit ( s ). a decoder designer may therefore implement the following rule — when reading soft bits ( because the decoding failed or did not converge in a designated time frame when using only hard bits ), sense only soft bit values corresponding to cells that are in the upper half of the group of states ( e . g . the eight highest states out of the sixteen states in a four - bit - per - cell flash memory ). b . one type of decoder has the property of decoding of a code word by decoding sub - words of the full word . if one such sub - word fails to decode on its own , only then is information from other sub - words ( both sub - words that did not successfully decode and sub - codes , i . e ., successfully decoded sub - words ) brought to help decode that sub - word . soft bits may be used with such decoders after the failure of a sub - word decoding attempt and before the information from other sub - words is employed . soft bits may be read for the failing sub - word in order to attempt to decode the failing sub - word independently of external information from other sub - words . but if only one sub - word fails and needs soft bits , there is no need to sense and transfer soft bits of all other sub - words , especially the other sub - words that decoded successfully . therefore a designer of such a decoder may take advantage of the grouping per column latch of columns 126 of flash memory array 108 that is described herein and sense only the soft bit values of the sub - words that actually need them . c . in some flash storage systems the chunk of data read as a unit from the memory (“ page ” in the terminology of flash memories ) is larger than the chunk of data used for the error correction process . in other words , a chunk of data is stored in a group of cells corresponding to a physical page of the memory ( each cell storing one or more data bits ), but for the purpose of decoding the data the chunk is divided into separate code words . a typical example is a physical page of 32k cells , with each cell storing two data bits ( for a total of 64k bits ), that is divided into four code words each containing 16k bits that are stored in 8k cells . each such code word is independently decoded . therefore it may be the case that one of the code words needs soft bits for successful decoding while the other code words do not . in such a case the storage system designer may employ the grouping per column latch of columns 126 of flash memory array 108 that is described herein and sense to data register 116 only the soft bit values corresponding to the cells storing the initially - failed code word . d . in some flash storage systems the chunk of data read as a unit from the memory (“ page ” in the terminology of flash memories ) is larger than the chunk of data used for statistical estimation , for example of cross - coupling between cells . for sufficiently accurate estimation of cross coupling coefficients only a fraction of the page may be required . for the typical case of case “ c .” above , out of 32k cells only 10k cells could be needed to estimate the cross coupling coefficients which can be then employed for all 32k cells of a word line . in this case only the first 10k cells are sensed for both hard bits and two soft bits per cell in word line n and in word line n + 1 . based on these bits , the cross coupling coefficients are generated . subsequently , only the hard bits of word line n + 1 and the hard bits and one soft bit per cell of word line n are employed to compensate for cross coupling using the generated cross - coupling coefficients . the outcome is that the soft bits of word line n + 1 and the second soft bit of each of the last 22k cells of word line n are not sensed while the power and possibly the time associated with this sensing is saved . in principle , address latches 212 could include one column latch per bit - line 126 . each column latch would determine whether its corresponding bit - line 126 is operative during the read sense phase and whether current is flowing through that bit - line 126 . however , such a design is both expensive in requiring many latches and also complex in the interaction of flash memory 100 with external flash controller 302 , as controller 302 has to specify the desired state of each latch . a much preferable design enables and disables the power consumption of groups of many bit - lines 126 in one signal . for example each group of bit - lines 126 corresponding to one of the sub - words of example b can be controlled by a single respective column latch of address latches 212 . alternatively , each group of bit - lines 126 corresponding to a code word of example c , or a group of example d , can be controlled by a single column latch of address latches 212 . although example a is not well supported by this preferred implementation , nevertheless some power savings could be obtained for this example as well . assuming one of the hard bits of the four - bit - per - cell example is indicative if the cell belongs to the eight upper states or to the eight lower states , then in a single sensing operation it is determined if the cell belongs to the upper or lower eight states . this bit can be used to change the v bl ( the bit line drain side voltage ) to zero and thus inhibit all non - relevant bit lines . this means however that in this case soft bit should be read after the hard bits and not together with the hard bits because before the hard bits are read we cannot distinguish between the upper and lower eight levels . even though it seems limiting , this is the typical case when soft bits are considered together with error correction . when external controller 302 has to enable or disable each group of bit - lines 126 , the following options are available for address descriptors recognized by memory control circuit 106 : 1 . a typical read command of a flash memory includes an address pointing to a specific byte ( or word , in the less common 16 - bit flash memories ). the most significant bits of the address define the page being read and the least significant bytes define the byte from which sequential reading is desired . if a read command points , for example , to byte 3072 out of 4096 bytes in a page , it can be taken as an indication that controller 302 intends to read only the highest quarter of the page . flash memory 100 may be configured so that in such case ( where the read address points to offset n within the addressed page ), to avoid sensing of all bit - lines with offsets less than n . 2 . the previous option sets a starting offset for sensing but not an ending offset . if the setting of both a starting offset and an ending offset is desired , flash memory 100 may support a command ( to be issued prior to the read command ) that explicitly sets two numbers — one for the lower sensed address and one for the upper sensed address . any bit - line 126 outside the specified range then is not sensed . 3 . if finer resolution control , by external controller 302 , of which cells are sensed is desired , than flash memory 100 may be configured to contain a “ sensing control register ” of several bits , each bit controlling one section of the page . for example , a 4 kb page may be divided into eight 512 bytes sectors , each controlled by one bit from an eight - bit register . flash memory 100 , if so configured , supports a command ( issued before the read command ) that sets the sensing control register to any desired bit pattern , thus allowing any combination of sectors to be sensed while all other sectors are not sensed . the setting of the limits in method 2 and the setting of the register in method 3 may be for one read only and repeated for each page read , or may remain in effect until changed or reset to a default value . like the power spent by flash memory . 100 and external controller 302 to sense and read hard and soft bits , the time that external controller 302 spends in reading soft bits from flash memory 100 is composed of two portions — the first part is the time it takes to sense the memory cells into data register 116 ( that is — the time to apply reference voltages to the cells and sense the results of the comparisons made against them ), and the second part is the time it takes to transfer (“ export ”) the read values from data register 116 over bus 102 to external controller 302 . there are cases where we do not actually need the soft bits value for all the memory cells of a physical page , only for some of them . conventional systems nevertheless always transfer all the soft bit values of all cells to external controller 302 . but if not all those values are really needed , this unnecessarily wastes time . a typical flash bus cycle may be between 30 and 50 nanoseconds , in which time 8 bits are transferred ( or 16 bits in the less common case of 16 bit flash devices ). if the number of cells taking part in the decoding computation is 16k ( ignoring parity bits and management bits for simplicity ), but only half of the bits are needed by the decoder , then an 8 - bit flash device having a bus cycle of 50 nanoseconds wastes 8 × 1024 × 50 / 8 = 51 , 200 nanoseconds = 51 . 2 microseconds , each time a soft bit is read . transferring out only part of the data residing in a data register of a nand flash memory ( e . g ., data register 116 of flash memory 100 ) does not require any additional circuitry or commands in the flash memory — every flash memory that supports the reading of soft bits has the capability ( using standard available commands ) to start data transfer from any arbitrary address in the data register , transfer out any desired number of bytes sequentially from the starting address , and then re - position the transfer pointer to any desired second address in the data register , transfer sequentially any number bytes , and so on . the only remaining point to discuss in order to show the feasibility and usefulness of partial data transfer out of a data register such as data register 116 is to explain when it may be the case that we do not need all the soft bit values but only a portion of them . this is indeed the case in the following examples — a . the physical effects causing errors in flash memory cells affect different states of the cells differently . for example , a major source of errors is the drifting of the threshold voltage of memory cells with time because of leakage of electrons from the floating gates of the cells . it is typically the case that cells that are in high states ( that is — states corresponding to high threshold voltages ) are much more affected by drift phenomena than cells that are in low states ( that is — states corresponding to low threshold voltages ). therefore it is reasonable to expect that cells that are read ( using only hard bits ) in low states are quite reliable and will not benefit much from an additional soft bit or bits . on the other hand , cells that are read ( using only hard bits ) in high states are less reliable and can benefit from the additional information provided by ( a ) soft bit ( s ). a decoder designer may therefore implement the following rule — when reading soft bits ( because the decoding failed when using only hard bits ), read only soft bit values corresponding to cells that are in the upper half of the group of states ( e . g . the eight highest states out of the sixteen states in a four - bit - per - cell flash memory ). b . as noted above , one type of decoder has the property of starting decoding of a code word at sub - words of the full code word . if one such sub - word fails to decode on its own , only then is information from other sub - words ( both sub - words that did not successfully decode and sub - codes , i . e ., successfully decoded sub - words ) brought to help decode that subword . soft bits may be used with such decoders after the failure of a sub - word decoding and before the information from other sub - words is used . soft bits may be read for the failing sub - word in order to attempt to decode the failing sub - word locally without external information from other sub - words . but if only one sub - word failed and needs soft bits , there is no need to transfer soft bits of the other ( non - failing ) sub - words . therefore a designer of such a decoder may transfer only the soft bit values of the sub - words that actually need them . c . in some flash storage systems the chunk of data read as a unit from the memory (“ page ” in the terminology of flash memories ) is larger than the chunk of data used for the error correction process . in other words , a chunk of data is stored in a group of cells corresponding to a physical page of the memory ( each cell storing one or more data bits ), but for the purpose of decoding the data the chunk is divided into separate code words . a typical example is a physical page of 32k cells , with each cell storing two data bits ( for a total of 64k bits ), that is divided into four code words each containing 16k bits that are stored in 8k cells . each such code word is independently decoded . therefore it may be the case that one of the code words needs soft bits for successful decoding while the other code words do not . in such a case the storage system designer may transfer to external controller 302 only the soft bit values corresponding to the cells storing the initially - failed code word , even if the soft bits of the whole physical page are read from the memory cells to the data register at the same time and are ready to be transferred to the controller . fig4 is a high - level block diagram of a system 400 in which most of the functionality of controller 302 is effected by software . system 400 includes a processor 402 and four memory devices : a ram 404 , a boot rom 406 , a mass storage device ( hard disk ) 408 and a modified flash memory device of fig3 as a flash memory device 412 , all communicating via a common bus 414 . the difference between flash memory device 300 of fig3 and flash memory device 412 is that the controller of flash memory device 412 functions only as an interface to bus 414 ; the rest of the functionality of controller 302 of fig3 as described above is emulated by flash memory driver code 410 that is stored in mass storage device 408 and that is executed by processor 402 to interface between user applications executed by processor 402 and flash memory device 412 , and to manage the flash memory of flash memory device 412 . in addition to the conventional functionality of such flash management driver code , driver code 410 emulates the functionality of controller 302 of fig3 with respect to saving power and time in reading the flash cells of flash memory device 412 , as described above . driver code 410 typically is included in operating system code for system 400 but also could be freestanding code . the components of system 400 other than flash memory device 412 constitute a host 420 of flash memory device 412 . mass storage device 408 is an example of a computer - readable storage medium bearing computer - readable driver code for using , as reference cells of a flash memory array , cells of the flash memory array that otherwise would not be used for any purpose . other examples of such computer - readable storage media include read - only memories such as cds bearing such code . a limited number of embodiments of methods for saving time and power in reading the cells of a flash memory , and of a memory , device and system that use the methods , have been described . it will be appreciated that many variations , modifications and other applications of the methods , device and system may be made . | 6 |
hereinafter , certain embodimefnts of an x - ray device in accordance with the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig4 is a functional block diagram showing a portable x - ray device provided with a collimator . referring to fig4 , a user command for preliminarily identifying an x - ray irradiation region is inputted though a user interface 21 prior to taking an x - ray image of an object . responsive to the user command thus inputted , a control unit 23 causes a battery 25 to supply an electric current to a collimator 27 . using the electric current , the collimator 27 generates a laser pointer with a specific pattern and directs the laser pointer toward an image capturing unit 20 ( see fig6 and 7 ). the laser pointer appearing on the image capturing unit 20 enables the user to identify an x - ray irradiation region prior to taking an image of the object . a target portion of the object is positioned in the x - ray irradiation region identified through the laser pointer . then , a user command for taking the image of the object is inputted through the user interface 21 . in response to the user command thus inputted , the control unit 23 causes the battery 25 to supply an electric current to an x - ray generation unit 11 . using the electric current , the x - ray generation unit 11 generates a beam of x - rays and irradiates it toward the image capturing unit 20 so that the image capturing unit 20 can take an x - ray image of the object . fig5 schematically illustrates the internal construction of an x - ray device with a laser pointer collimator in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig5 , the x - ray device includes a laser light generator unit 31 which is supplied with an electric current to generate laser light . examples of the laser light generator 31 include : a solid - state laser in which the crystals of artificial ruby , glass or yag ( yttrium aluminum garnet ) containing chromium ions are used as a laser light generating material ; a gas - state laser in which a mixture gas of helium and neon , argon , krypton , carbon dioxide or a mixture gas of helium and nitrogen is used as a laser light generating material ; and a semiconductor laser in which laser light is generated by allowing an electric current to flow through a p - n junction diode consisting of p - type and n - type gallium arsenide semiconductors . preferably , the laser light generator 31 is supplied with an electric current from the battery 25 . the x - ray device includes a patterning lens 32 having a plurality of through - holes formed in a specified pattern . the laser light generated in the laser light generator 31 is transmitted through the through - holes so that the laser light corresponding to the pattern of the through - holes can be irradiated on a reflection mirror 15 . the reflection mirror 15 is positioned on an x - ray irradiation axis 12 in an inclined relationship with respect thereto and serves to reflect the laser light coming from the patterning lens 32 in the same direction as the x - ray irradiation axis 12 . the x - ray device includes a shutter for regulating an x - ray irradiation region . the shutter includes shutter blades 17 and 18 symmetrically arranged above and below the x - ray irradiation axis 12 . typically , shutter blades for regulating the length of the x - ray irradiation region and shutter blades for regulating the width of the x - ray irradiation region are symmetrically arranged at the upper , lower , left and right sides of the x - ray irradiation axis 12 . for the purpose of convenience in description , however , only the shutter blades 17 and 18 arranged at the upper and lower sides of the x - ray irradiation axis 12 are shown in fig5 . the x - ray irradiation region is changed by increasing or decreasing the gap size between the shutter blades 17 and 18 . the illumination area of the laser light reflected from the reflection mirror 15 is regulated by the shutter blades 17 and 18 . the illumination area of the laser light is substantially the same as the x - ray irradiation region . fig6 schematically illustrates the internal construction of an x - ray device in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig6 , the beam of x - rays generated in an x - ray tube 11 is irradiated on the image capturing unit 20 . a shutter for regulating the x - ray irradiation region is arranged in front of the x - ray tube 11 along the x - ray irradiation direction . it is preferred that the distance d between the focal point of the x - ray tube 11 and the shutter is as small as possible . the shutter includes an upper shutter blade 110 for regulating the upper edge of the x - ray irradiation region and a lower shutter blade 111 for regulating the lower edge of the x - ray irradiation region . although only the upper and lower shutter blades 110 and 111 are shown in fig6 for the purpose of convenience in description , it should be appreciated that the shutter further includes left and right shutter blades for regulating the left and right edges of the x - ray irradiation region . the beam of x - rays emitted from the x - ray tube 11 is irradiated on the image capturing unit 20 through the shutter , at which time the x - ray irradiation region on the image capturing unit 20 are regulated by the upper , lower , left and right shutter blades . laser irradiation units 120 and 121 , which constitute a visual indicator unit defined in the claims , are attached to the rear surfaces ( the outer sides ) of the upper shutter blade 110 and the lower shutter blade 111 opposite from the x - ray tube 11 . the laser irradiation unit 120 attached to the upper shutter blade 110 emits laser light along the upper edge of the beam of x - rays irradiated on the image capturing unit 20 through the shutter . the laser irradiation unit 121 attached to the lower shutter blade 111 emits laser light along the lower edge of the beam of x - rays irradiated on the image capturing unit 20 through the shutter . the laser light emitted from the laser irradiation units 120 and 121 indicates the upper and lower edges of the x - ray irradiation region on the image capturing unit 20 . similarly , laser irradiation units ( not shown ) are attached to the rear surfaces ( the outer sides ) of the left shutter blade and the right shutter blade opposite from the x - ray tube 11 . the laser irradiation unit attached to the left shutter blade emits laser light along the upper edge of the beam of x - rays irradiated on the image capturing unit 20 through the shutter . the laser irradiation unit attached to the right shutter blade emits laser light along the right edge of the beam of x - rays irradiated on the image capturing unit 20 through the shutter . the laser light emitted from the laser irradiation units attached to the left and right shutter blades indicates the left and right edges of the x - ray irradiation region on the image capturing unit 20 . fig7 schematically shows a modified example of the x - ray device in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention . the x - ray device shown in fig7 is essentially the same as the x - ray device illustrated in fig6 , except that the laser irradiation units 120 and 121 are attached to the front surfaces ( the inner sides ) of the upper shutter blade 110 and the lower shutter blade 111 that face toward the x - ray tube 11 . this holds true in case of the laser irradiation units attached to the left shutter blade and the right shutter blade . fig8 , 9 a and 9 b are views for specifically explaining the shutter employed in the present invention . referring to fig8 , a first shutter includes an upper shutter blade 110 and a lower shutter blade 111 , both of which serve to shift the x - ray irradiation region in the vertical direction . a second shutter includes a left shutter blade 113 and a right shutter blade 114 , both of which serve to shift the x - ray irradiation region in the lateral direction . the first and second shutters are moved vertically and laterally in an overlapped state to form an aperture s of varying size that defines the x - ray irradiation region . the movement of the first and second shutters will be described in detail with reference to fig9 a and 9b . referring first to fig9 a which is a side view of the shutters , the upper shutter blade 110 and the lower shutter blade 111 of the first shutter are curved to have a first radius r 1 from the focal point of the beam of x - rays . the upper shutter blade 110 and the lower shutter blade 111 are movable upwards or downwards along the arc of a circle with the first radius r 1 . the laser irradiation units 120 and 121 are attached to the lower end of the upper shutter blade 110 and the upper end of the lower shutter blade 111 , respectively . as the upper shutter blade 110 and the lower shutter blade 111 move upwards or downwards along the arc , the laser irradiation units 120 and 121 are also moved along the same trajectory as that of the upper shutter blade 110 and the lower shutter blade 111 . the laser irradiation unit 120 attached to the upper shutter blade 110 emits laser light in the direction a along the upper edge of the beam of x - rays to indicate the upper edge of the x - ray irradiation region on the image capturing unit 20 . the laser irradiation unit 121 attached to the upper shutter blade 111 emits laser light in the direction b along the lower edge of the beam of x - rays to indicate the lower edge of the x - ray irradiation region on the image capturing unit 20 . referring next to fig9 b which is a top plan view of the shutters , the left shutter blade 113 and the right shutter blade 114 of the second shutter are curved to have a second radius r 2 from the focal point of the beam of x - rays . the left shutter blade 113 and the right shutter blade 114 are movable to the left or the right along the arc of a circle with the second radius r 2 . laser irradiation units 123 and 124 are attached to the right end of the left shutter blade 113 and the left end of the right shutter blade 114 , respectively . as the left shutter blade 113 and the right shutter blade 114 move to the left or the right along the arc , the laser irradiation units 123 and 124 are also moved along the same trajectory as that of the left shutter blade 113 and the right shutter blade 114 . the laser irradiation unit 123 attached to the left shutter blade 113 emits laser light in the direction c along the left edge of the beam of x - rays to indicate the left edge of the x - ray irradiation region on the image capturing unit 20 . the laser irradiation unit 124 attached to the right shutter blade 114 emits laser light in the direction d along the right edge of the beam of x - rays to indicate the right edge of the x - ray irradiation region on the image capturing unit 20 . fig1 schematically shows the construction of the laser irradiation unit . referring to fig1 , the laser irradiation unit includes a laser light generator 151 for generating laser light and a patterning lens 153 for changing the laser light into a specified pattern before it is irradiated on the image capturing unit . the laser light generator 151 may be a solid - state laser , a gas - state laser or a semiconductor laser , the classification of which depends on the material used and the mode of operation . the patterning lens 153 has a plurality of through - holes arranged in a predetermined pattern and designed to create a laser identification mark that indicates the upper , lower , left or right edges of the x - ray irradiation region . the laser light generated in the laser light generator 151 is split into an array of light beams of a predetermined pattern while passing through the through - holes of the patterning lens 153 . then the array of light beams is irradiated on the image capturing unit and is used as the laser identification mark that indicates the x - ray irradiation region . fig1 a and 11b illustrate different examples of the laser identification mark formed on the image capturing unit 20 by the array of light beams passing through the through - holes of the patterning lens 153 . while the laser light is employed to indicate the x - ray irradiation region in the foregoing embodiments , it may also be possible to use other coherent light depending on the application of the present invention . this also falls within the scope of the present invention . fig1 schematically shows the internal construction of an x - ray device in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig1 , the beam of x - rays generated in the x - ray tube 11 is irradiated on the image capturing unit 20 . a shutter for regulating the x - ray irradiation region is arranged in front of the x - ray tube 11 along the x - ray irradiation direction . it is preferred that the distance d between the focal point of the x - ray tube 11 and the shutter is as small as possible . the shutter includes an upper shutter blade 210 for regulating the upper edge of the x - ray irradiation region and a lower shutter blade 211 for regulating the lower edge of the x - ray irradiation region . although only the upper and lower shutter blades 210 and 211 are shown in fig1 for the purpose of convenience in description , it should be appreciated that the shutter further includes left and right shutter blades for regulating the left and right edges of the x - ray irradiation region . the upper and lower shutter blades 210 and 211 and the left and right shutter blades are moved vertically and laterally depending on the size of the x - ray irradiation region preset by an irradiation region setting unit 230 . the irradiation region setting unit 230 includes a setting part for presetting the size of the x - ray irradiation region and a drive part for driving the shutter depending on the size of the x - ray irradiation region preset by the setting part . although not shown in the drawings , the drive part includes a plurality of gears operatively connected to the shutter and an electric motor for rotating the gears . depending on the size of the x - ray irradiation region preset by the setting part , the drive part displaces the upper and lower shutter blades 210 and 211 and the left and right shutter blades to form an aperture corresponding to the x - ray irradiation region on the image capturing unit 20 . fig1 a and 13b illustrate different examples of the setting part of the irradiation region setting unit 230 . in one example of the setting part illustrated in fig1 a , a rotary knob is mounted to a housing of the x - ray device . a reference mark that indicates the current size of the x - ray irradiation region is placed on the top surface of the rotary knob . a plurality of graduations “ 1 ”, “ 2 ” and “ 3 ” that indicates the varying size of the x - ray irradiation region is placed on the housing 61 of the x - ray device . the size of the x - ray irradiation region can be arbitrarily set by turning the rotary knob so that the reference mark on the rotary knob can be aligned with one of the graduations “ 1 ”, “ 2 ” and “ 3 .” in another example of the setting part illustrated in fig1 b , the setting part includes a display and a keypad arranged on the surface of the housing of the x - ray device . the key pad includes a plurality of size selection keys “ 1 ”, “ 2 ” and “ 3 ” that can be pressed to select the size of the x - ray irradiation region and an input key that can be pressed to input the size of the x - ray irradiation region selected . if a user presses , e . g ., the size selection key “ 2 ”, the length and width of the x - ray irradiation region is displayed on the display to read , e . g ., “ size 2 , 45 cm × 45 cm ”. then the user presses the input key to finalize the task of selecting the size of the x - ray irradiation region . referring again to fig1 , a laser irradiation unit 220 is arranged on the opposite side of the upper shutter blade 210 from the x - ray tube 11 . the laser irradiation unit 220 irradiates laser light toward the image capturing unit 20 to indicate the x - ray irradiation region whose size has been selected by the irradiation region setting unit 230 . fig1 a , 14 b and 14 c illustrate different examples of the laser identification mark appearing on the image capturing unit . referring to fig1 a and 14b , the size of the x - ray irradiation region preset through the use of the irradiation region setting unit 230 is indicated on the image capturing unit 20 by irradiating the laser light to form a laser identification mark having an angle bracket shape or a square shape . turning to fig1 c , the size of the x - ray irradiation region preset through the use of the irradiation region setting unit 230 is indicated on the image capturing unit 20 by irradiating the laser light to form a laser identification mark having a dot axis shape . referring again to fig1 , it is preferred that the laser irradiation unit 220 is arranged in a position nearest to the shutter insofar as it does not interrupt the beam of x - rays irradiated toward the image capturing unit 20 through the shutter . the laser irradiation unit 220 is fixedly arranged on the opposite surface of the shutter from the x - ray tube 11 so that the deviation between the actual x - ray irradiation region actually irradiated by the beam of x - rays and the target x - ray irradiation region indicated by the laser identification mark is equal to or smaller than a first threshold value . if the user presets the x - ray irradiation region through the use of the irradiation region setting unit 230 , the shutter blades are moved to ensure that the beam of x - rays is irradiated on the preset x - ray irradiation region . the user can determine the actual x - ray irradiation region by observing the laser identification mark mapped to the size of the preset x - ray irradiation region . fig1 schematically shows a modified example of the x - ray device in accordance with the third embodiment of the present invention , in which a camera unit 321 is used in place of the laser irradiation unit 220 . referring to fig1 , the beam of x - rays generated in the x - ray tube 11 is irradiated toward the image capturing unit 20 . a shutter for regulating the x - ray irradiation region is arranged in front of the x - ray tube 11 along the x - ray irradiation direction . it is preferred that the distance d between the focal point of the x - ray tube 11 and the shutter is as small as possible . the shutter includes an upper shutter blade 310 for regulating the upper edge of the x - ray irradiation region and a lower shutter blade 311 for regulating the lower edge of the x - ray irradiation region . although only the upper and lower shutter blades 310 and 311 are shown in fig1 for the purpose of convenience in description , it should be appreciated that the shutter further includes left and right shutter blades for regulating the left and right edges of the x - ray irradiation region . the upper and lower shutter blades 310 and 311 and the left and right shutter blades are moved vertically and laterally depending on the size of the x - ray irradiation region preset by an irradiation region setting unit 330 . the irradiation region setting unit 330 includes a setting part for presetting the size of the x - ray irradiation region and a drive part for driving the shutter depending on the size of the x - ray irradiation region preset by the setting part . although not shown in the drawings , the drive part includes a plurality of gears operatively connected to the shutter and an electric motor for rotating the gears . depending on the size of the x - ray irradiation region preset by the setting part , the drive part displaces the upper and lower shutter blades 210 and 211 and the left and right shutter blades to form an aperture corresponding to the x - ray irradiation region on the image capturing unit 20 . a camera unit 321 is arranged on the opposite surface of the shutter from the x - ray tube 11 . the camera unit 321 is designed to take an image of the x - ray irradiation region on the image capturing unit 20 . it is preferred that the camera unit 321 is arranged in a position nearest to the shutter insofar as it does not interrupt the beam of x - rays irradiated toward the image capturing unit 20 through the shutter . the camera unit 321 is fixedly arranged on the opposite surface of the shutter from the x - ray tube 11 so that the deviation between the actual x - ray irradiation region actually irradiated by the beam of x - rays and the target x - ray irradiation region taken by the camera unit 321 is equal to or smaller than a first threshold value . fig1 is a functional block diagram showing a visual indicator module employed in the x - ray device shown in fig1 . referring to fig1 , the visual indicator that forms a part of the x - ray device includes a camera unit 321 for taking an image of the x - ray irradiation region , a display unit 325 for displaying an actual x - ray irradiation region and a control unit 323 responsive to a user command inputted through a setting unit for controlling the display unit 325 to display the actual x - ray irradiation region extracted from the image of the x - ray irradiation region . the control unit 323 is supplied with the image of the x - ray irradiation region taken by the camera unit 321 . responsive to the user command inputted through the setting unit , the control unit 323 identifies the actual x - ray irradiation region contained in the image of the x - ray irradiation region . then the control unit 323 controls the display unit 325 to display the actual x - ray irradiation region with or without an identification mark . fig1 schematically shows the internal construction of an x - ray device in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention , which is provided with an independently arranged laser irradiation unit . as shown in fig1 , the x - ray device includes laser irradiation units 420 and 421 arranged independently of the shutter . the x - ray device further includes an irradiation region setting unit 430 that displaces the upper and lower shutter blades 410 and 411 and the left and right shutter blades to form an aperture corresponding to the x - ray irradiation region preset by the user . the x - ray device further includes a laser drive unit 240 associated with the irradiation region setting unit 430 . the laser drive unit 240 controls the laser irradiation units 420 and 421 in synchronism with the movement of the shutter . in other words , the laser irradiation units 420 and 421 are controlled by the laser drive unit 240 to irradiate a beam of x - rays toward the image capturing unit 20 so that a laser identification mark indicating the x - ray irradiation region preset through the use of the irradiation region setting unit 430 can be displayed on the image capturing unit 20 . the x - ray device of the foregoing embodiments may be operated through the use of a general computer having a computer - readable medium that stores a program needed to operate the x - ray device . examples of the computer - readable medium include a magnetic storage medium ( e . g ., a rom , a floppy disk and a hard disk ), an optical recording medium ( e . g ., a cd rom and a dvd ) and a carrier wave ( e . g ., transmission through the internet ). while certain preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described hereinabove , the present invention is not limited thereto . it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the claims . | 0 |
in fig1 numeral 1 identifies a known photographic lens . this may be suitable for a motion picture or still camera ; not shown . preferably the lens is of large aperture , i . e ., is &# 34 ; fast &# 34 ;, or high speed photographically , and has a medium or long focal length . an example is the zeiss planar lens , f 1 . 4 with a focal length of 85 millimaters ( mm ) and a film size of 35 mm . a similar lens of 50 mm focal lenght is also suitable . film 2 is disposed in the focal plane of the lens , which may be black and white or color sensitive , as regards the film emulsion . transparent planar disc 3 of the invention is mounted in any suitable non - interfering optical manner , closely in front of the front element 4 of lens 1 . a distance of 6mm is suitable . a special effect in portraiture can be obtained by increasing this distance to 30 mm or more . the effect is a sharp central area with a light &# 34 ; halo &# 34 ; surround upon the image area of the film . with a 30 mm or more spacing from the lens disc 3 may have a larger diameter than shown in fig1 . a suitable mounting for disc 3 is transparent support 5 . it has a diameter in excess of the optical diameter of lens 1 . this support can be attached to the front of the lens , or to the case of the camera so long as the spacing from lens to disc is approximately maintained . such mounting means 8 is schematically shown . it is important that the surfaces of the disc and of the support be planar , and parallel as well . irregularities in these surfaces cause optical distortions of the image on film 2 , though these are slight as a general matter . fig2 shows the elemental components of the attachment . transparent disc 3 is illuminated at a point on the periphery by light source 6 . the latter is preferably a built - in - lens flashlight incandescent lamp of the 222 type , although any other similar kind of light source may be used . light rays from the lamp enter the periphery of disc 3 at the nearest point thereof . thereafter the light rays are internally reflected many times , of which light rays 7 are illustrative . this results in the whole periphery being illuminated . it is found that points 7 &# 39 ; and 7 &# 34 ; are more strongly illuminated than are other points around the periphery . however , this does not detract from the substantial uniformity of the diffuse illumination on film 2 . in passing , the optical phenomenon involved in the internal reflections is similar to that involved in optical fibers or &# 34 ; light pipes &# 34 ;. substantial uniformity of illumination of the periphery of disc 3 can be attained by adding further lamps spaced around the periphery , this is shown in fig4 and the arrangement may also be employed in fig2 . three lamps , 6 , 6 &# 39 ; and 6 &# 34 ; are spaced at third points around the periphery . the additional lamps are a convenient way of increasing the illumination upon film 2 , when such is useful . it has been found that an amount of light provided by from one to three lamps is useful . each lamp emits about 5 . 28 lumens at rated voltage . as shown in fig4 the lamps 6 may be quite close to the optical elements to conserve light . also , the light emitted by each lamp can be adjusted electrically , as by providing rheostat 9 in series with a source of electricity , such as batter 10 , in an electrical circuit that connects the plural lamps in parallel . the same electrical elements may be connected to the single lamp 6 of fig2 . alternately , with plural lamps , the lamps can be connected electrically in series and also in series with rheostat 9 and source 10 . an improved embodiment of the optics is shown in fig3 and 4 . when disc 3 alone is used the focal position of lens 1 is slightly altered . by adding annular transparent planar element 12 , with preferably an air gap between the inner surface thereof and the outer periphery of disc 3 , this alteration of focus is eliminated . that is , the slight alteration of focus is made uniform for substantially all of the rays passing through lens 4 , and so the clarity of the image is preserved . typically , both elements 3 and 12 are the same kind of transparent material and have the same thickness . the annular aperture between them may be 1 or 2 mm . normally , the two elements are cemented to support 5 by an optically transparent cement , in a coaxial relationship . if , for any reason , the relationship is not coaxial , the invention works , even if the elements touch peripherally . however , they must not be peripherally cemented . in the embodiment of fig4 it is satisfactory for lamps 6 , 6 &# 39 ; and 6 &# 34 ; to direct light to annular element 12 . the light passes through that element and impinges upon the central disc 3 , therein to provide the desired diffuse illumination by a lighted periphery as has been previously described . the light from the inner periphery of annular element 12 contributes to the illumination of film 2 , but by only a comparatively small fraction of that contributed by the outer periphery of disc 3 . the transparent material for elements 3 and 5 , and also 12 , if used , may be any imperfection - free glass , having parallel planar surfaces . one optically acceptable glass is boro - silicate crown . normally , the glass will be colorless , but slight tints may be introduced for specific purposes or special effects . such tinted glass acts as a color filter . a more delicate and pleasing effect is obtained by using colored lamps 6 , with which the highlights in the image remain clear . the transparent material may also be an optically acceptable clear plastic . one such is an acrylic resin , sold as &# 34 ; lucite &# 34 ; by du pont de nemours , i . e . & amp ; co . the optical element structure of the alternate embodiment of fig5 may be any that have been previously shown . disc 3 and annular element 12 are both shown in fig5 . a fiber optical cable 15 is employed to conduct light to the periphery of the outer annular optical element 12 . a rounded tip 15ais preferably supplied at the light exit end of the fiber optical cable . the tip may touch or not touch the outer periphery of annular element 12 . the rounded tip has a lens effect , focusing the light forward away from the run of the cable . the fiber optical cable can conveniently be attached to a strobe flash unit 16 . this arrangement is well suited for a still picture camera . one strobe flash is made to occur during the time the film 2 is exposed to the desired field of view . fig6 shows alternate embodiments for the periphery of transparent disc 3 . if the periphery is given a cross - section other than that perpendicular to the planar surface of the disc , as shown in fig1 a greater proportion of the light that impinges on the whole periphery is transmitted into lens 1 . in fig6 a the periphery is beveled on the side next to lens 1 . in fig6 b the periphery is beveled on both sides , dispersing somewhat more light into the lens . in fig6 c the periphery is rounded with a radius equal to , or greater , than the full thickness of disc 3 . any of the peripheral surfaces may be given a &# 34 ; rough grind &# 34 ;, rather than being polished . such a grind results in more light being emitted from the periphery for a given light input . fig7 illustrates a further embodiment , in which the periphery of the disc 3 &# 39 ; is not circular , as was disc 3 . the shape shown is octagonal . a star shape and even a square are also satisfactory . the periphery illumination from these shapes is fully diffuse as the illumination reaches film 2 . the only restriction to the shapes is that disc 3 &# 39 ; shall not noticably interfere with the image - forming rays entering lens 1 . the camera includes , of course , shutter means 16 , such that , when open , admits the illumination from the periphery of disc 3 concomitantly with the exposure of film 2 to the field of view to be photographed . | 6 |
fig1 and 2 represent two versions of the flow chart explaining the steps of encryption for the present invention . fig1 was the original diagram as can be found in the provisional patent of the present invention . while maintaining the essential core of the invention , fig2 is the revised encryption diagram with a more clear representation and the elimination of unneeded steps . before explaining the details of the revised diagram , it is good to note the difference between the two diagrams . the original diagram uses the term variable exchange table ( vet ) which is now referred to as the more generally used and understood term , pseudorandom permutation . furthermore , what was originally denoted as a vet setting ( vs ) is now referred to as a state variable ( sv ), and the output of a vet is now referred to as an intermediate cryptographic variable ( cv ). the terms have been modified for ease of understanding . fig1 contains all of the same steps as the revised diagram except the generation of the authentication tag 270 and the initialization of the state variables 500 . at the time of submission of the provisional patent , the cryptographic strength of the present invention was still undetermined . in order to compensate for the uncertainty , additional steps 115 , 120 , and 150 were added to the encryption method to facilitate the combination of the output of the final pseudorandom permutation with an aes keystream through an exclusive or ( xor ) function to produce ciphertext . said additional steps were thought to further protect the ciphertext from attacks . further consideration and evaluation have eliminated the need for said additional steps , and therefore they have been removed from the revised diagram . note that corresponding steps in the two diagrams have been numbered the same ( ex 125 corresponds to 225 ). fig2 illustrates the steps involved in an encryption embodiment of the present invention . from the start , a key and counter are loaded 200 in order to initialize the pseudorandom permutations if necessary 205 and 210 . the next step initializes the state variables and counters with an nonce 500 which is described in further detail in fig5 . once the plaintext is acquired 225 , the first plaintext block is combined with the initialized state variables and stepped through a series of four pseudorandom permutations 230 - 245 resulting in the first ciphertext block 255 . before the next plaintext block can be encrypted , the state variables are updated using the intermediate cryptographic variables 260 . this cycle continues 265 and 225 for all plaintext blocks . optionally , the final state variables can be combined to form an authentication tag 270 . the details of the embodied encryption method are described to a greater extent in the next diagram . fig3 represents an encryption embodiment of the present invention wherein m plaintext blocks p i 301 are each passed through a sequence of four pseudorandom permutations 303 resulting in m ciphertext blocks 304 . in this embodiment each of the four permutations 303 are keyed with different keys k 1 , k 2 , k 3 , and k 4 . the embodied method includes the step of initializing the state variables 302 by passing an nonce 310 through a randomization function 500 that is discussed in detail below . once the state variables are initialized , the first plaintext block p i 301 a is combined with the initial state variable sv 1 0 302 a through modular 2 n addition where n is the size of a plaintext block . the result of said combination is passed into the first pseudorandom permutation f k1 303 a producing an intermediate cryptographic variable cv 12 1 ( the cryptographic variable between the first pseudorandom permutation fk 1 303 a and the second fk 2 303 b ) which will be fed forward to encrypt the next plaintext block p 2 301 b . continuing with the encryption of p 1 301 a , cv 12 1 is combined with the second initialized state variable sv 2 0 302 b through modular 2 n addition and passed into the second pseudorandom permutation f k2 303 b resulting in cv 23 1 . the encryption continues to follow the same pattern for the two remaining pseudorandom permutations f k3 303 c and f k4 303 d where the result of f k4 303 d is the first ciphertext block c 1 304 a . for the encryption of the next plaintext block p 2 301 b , the state variables 305 must be updated using a feedback mechanism as will be described . the first state variable sv 1 1 305 a produced following the encryption of the first plaintext block p 1 301 a is generated by combining the previous state variable sv 1 0 302 a with the output from the previous block &# 39 ; s third permutation cv 34 1 through modular 2 n addition where n is the size of a plaintext block . the second state variable sv 2 1 305 b is generated by combining the previous state variable sv 2 0 302 b with the output from the previous block &# 39 ; s first permutation cv 12 1 through modular 2 n addition . similarly , the third state variable sv 3 1 305 c is generated by combining the previous state variable sv 3 0 302 c with the output from the previous block &# 39 ; s second permutation cv 23 1 through modular 2 n addition . the fourth state variable sv 4 1 305 d is generated by combining the previous state variable sv 4 0 302 d with the output from the previous block &# 39 ; s first permutation cv 12 1 and the current block &# 39 ; s first state variable sv 1 1 305 a , through modular 2 n addition . it should be noted that the calculation of sv 1 1 305 a should occur before the calculation of sv 4 1 305 d . furthermore , while the described embodiment of the present invention stores the state variables sv 1 , sv 2 , sv 3 , and sv 4 , derived embodiments could entail the same spirit of the present embodiments without actually storing the state variables . the step of storing state variables is disclosed in the present invention for ease of understanding . the encryption of all further plaintext blocks p 2 301 b through p m 301 c are conducted in the same manner as the encryption of p 1 301 a . for example , the second plaintext block p 2 301 b is conducted in the same manner as the encryption of the first plaintext block p 1 301 a substituting the updated state variables 305 for the previous state variables 302 . fig4 represents a decryption embodiment of the present invention wherein m ciphertext blocks c 1 404 are each passed through a sequence of four inverse pseudorandom permutations f k − 1 403 resulting in m plaintext blocks p i 401 . in this embodiment each of the four inverse permutations f k − 1 403 are keyed with the same keys used in the encryption in fig3 . the embodied method includes the step of initializing the state variables 402 by passing an nonce 410 through a randomization function 500 that is discussed in detail below . once the state variables 402 are initialized , the first ciphertext block c 1 404 a is passed into the first inverse pseudorandom permutation f k4 − 1 403 d . the result of said inverse pseudorandom permutation f k4 − 1 403 d is combined with the initial state variable sv 4 0 402 d through modular 2 n subtraction where n is the size of a ciphertext block producing an intermediate cryptographic variable cv 34 1 ( the cryptographic variable between f k3 − 1 403 c and f k4 − 1 403 d ) which will be fed forward to decrypt the next ciphertext block c 2 404 b . continuing with the decryption of c 1 404 a , cv 34 1 is passed into the second inverse psuedorandorandom permutation f k3 − 1 403 e . the result of said inverse permutation f k3 − 1 403 c is combined with sv 3 0 using modular 2 n subtraction producing cv 23 1 . the decryption continues to follow the same pattern for the two remaining inverse pseudorandom permutations f k2 − 1 403 b and f k1 − 1 403 a where the result of f k1 − 1 403 a is combined with sv 1 0 402 a using modular 2 n subtraction to produce the first plaintext block p 1 401 a . for the decryption of the next ciphertext block c 2 404 b , the state variables 405 must be updated using a feedback mechanism as will be described . the state variable sv 1 1 405 a , produced following the decryption of the first ciphertext block c 1 404 a , is generated by combining the previous state variable sv 1 0 402 a with the input from the previous block &# 39 ; s second inverse permutation cv 34 1 through modular 2 n addition where n is the size of a ciphertext block . the second state variable sv 2 1 405 b is the output of the previous block &# 39 ; s third inverse permutation f k2 − 1 403 b . similarly , the state variable sv 3 1 405 c is the output of the previous block &# 39 ; s second inverse permutation f k3 − 1 403 c . the state variable sv 4 1 405 d is generated by combining the previous state variable sv 4 0 402 d with the input from the previous block &# 39 ; s fourth inverse permutation cv 12 1 and the current block &# 39 ; s state variable sv 1 1 405 a , through modular 2 n addition . it should be noted that the calculation of sv 1 1 405 a should occur before the calculation of sv 4 1 405 d . furthermore , while the described embodiment of the present invention stores the state variables sv 1 , sv 2 , sv 3 , and sv 4 , derived embodiments could entail the same spirit of the present embodiments without actually storing the state variables . the step of storing state variables is disclosed in the present invention for ease of understanding . the decryption of all further ciphertext blocks c 2 404 b through c m 404 c are conducted in the same manner as the decryption of c 1 404 a . for example , the second ciphertext block c 2 404 b is conducted in the same manner as the decryption of the first ciphertext block c 1 404 a substituting the updated state variables 405 for the previous state variables 402 . fig5 illustrates the function of generating initial values by randomizing a nonce as used in fig3 , 4 , 9 , and 10 . the purpose said function is to initialize the state variables and counters to unique and unpredictable values . the nonce or input to the function may be a random number , an incrementing counter , or any value as long as it has not been used before in the context of a given key ( s ). it should be noted that the nonce need not be secret . the initialization function parses a unique value into m blocks n i 501 and passes each block through a sequence of m pseudorandom permutations 503 resulting in values that are used in the initial setup of both the encryption and decryption methods . padding may be necessary in order to facilitate equal sized blocks . the number of blocks m and the number of pseudorandom permutations m must always be the same . in the present embodiment of the initialization function , m is equal to 4 . the randomization function keys each of the four permutations f k 503 with different keys k 1 , k 2 , k 3 , and k 4 . the embodied method includes the step of initializing the state variables 502 to a constant such as zero . once the state variables 502 are initialized , the first block n 1 501 a is combined with the initial state variable sv 1 1 502 a through modular 2 n addition where n is the size of a block . the result of said combination is passed into the first pseudorandom permutation f k1 503 a producing an intermediate cryptographic variable cv 12 1 ( the cryptographic variable between the first pseudorandom permutation f k1 503 a and the second f k2 503 b ) which will be fed forward to encrypt the next block n 2 501 b . continuing with the randomization function of n 1 501 a , cv 12 1 is combined with the second initialized state variable sv 2 1 502 b through modular 2 n addition and passed into the second pseudorandom permutation f k2 503 b resulting in cv 23 1 . the randomization continues to follow the same pattern for the two remaining pseudorandom permutations f k3 503 c and f k4 503 d where the result of f k4 503 d is the first ctr value ctr 1 0 504 a . it should be noted that some embodiments may not use the generated ctr 504 values . for the next block n 2 501 b , the state variables 505 must be updated using a feedback mechanism as will be described . the first state variable sv 1 n2 505 a produced following the randomization of the first block n 1 501 a is generated by combining the previous state variable sv 1 n1 502 a with the output from the previous block &# 39 ; s third permutation cv 34 1 through modular 2 n addition where n is the size of a block . the second state variable sv 2 n2 505 b is generated by combining the previous state variable sv 2 n1 502 b with the output from the previous block &# 39 ; s first permutation cv 12 1 through modular 2 n addition . similarly , the third state variable sv 3 n2 505 c is generated by combining the previous state variable sv 3 n1 502 c with the output from the previous block &# 39 ; s second permutation cv 23 1 through modular 2 n addition . the fourth state variable sv 4 n2 505 d is generated by combining the previous state variable sv 4 n1 502 d with the output from the previous block &# 39 ; s first permutation cv 12 1 and the current block &# 39 ; s first state variable sv 1 n2 505 a , through modular 2 n addition . it should be noted that the calculation of sv 1 n2 505 a should occur before the calculation of sv 4 n2 505 d . furthermore , while the described embodiment of the present invention stores the state variables sv 1 , sv 2 , sv 3 , and sv 4 , derived embodiments could entail the same spirit of the present embodiments without actually storing the state variables . the step of storing state variables is disclosed in the present invention for ease of understanding . the randomization of all further plaintext blocks n 2 501 b through n 4 501 d are conducted in the same manner as the randomization of n 1 501 a . for example , the second plaintext block n 2 501 b is conducted in the same manner as the randomization of the first plaintext block n 1 501 a substituting the updated state variables 505 for the previous state variables 502 . after the four blocks 501 are each randomized , the resulting state variables sv 1 0 , sv 2 0 , sv 3 0 , and sv 4 0 508 can be used as initial state variables for fig3 , 4 , 9 , 10 . similarly , the resulting randomized values , ctr 1 0 , ctr 2 0 , ctr 3 0 , and ctr 4 0 504 can be used as initial counters for fig9 , 10 . fig6 presents an elevated look at the method for generating an authentication tag from the results of the previously described encryption embodiment . the diagram includes an abbreviated version of the encryption method 300 in which each sequence of pseudorandom permutations is depicted in a single encryption function e i 601 . the final encryption function e m 601 c produces four final state variables 602 which are concatenated to form an authentication tag 603 . as explained previously , an authentication tag is used to provide an integrity check on encrypted data . fig7 represents an alternative embodiment of the method for generating an authentication tag from the results of the encryption embodiment . as in fig6 , the diagram includes an abbreviated version of the encryption method 300 . in this alternative embodiment , each final state variable 702 is combined with its corresponding initial state variable 701 through an xor function 703 before being concatenated to form the authentication tag 704 . this alternative embodiment masks the final state variables from being openly accessible to an attacker and may serve to increase the cryptographic strength of the present invention . fig8 represents an embodied method for performing an integrity check of a message after decryption . the diagram includes an abbreviated version of the decryption method 400 in which each sequence of inverse pseudorandom permutations is depicted in a single decryption function d i 802 . the received message includes a previously generated authentication tag at 805 in addition to the ciphertext 801 . said authentication tag was previously generated during encryption as is depicted in fig6 . the final decryption function d m 802 c produces four final state variables 803 which are concatenated to form an authentication tag at ′ 804 . the received authentication tag at 805 identifies the original message that was encrypted , while the newly generated authentication tag at ′ 804 identifies the received message . with the two authentication tags , an integrity check 806 is performed as follows . if the two authentication tags are not equal , the message was modified between its encryption and decryption and should be rejected . conversely , if the authentication tags are equal , it can be assured with high probability that the message has not been tampered with and can be accepted . it should be noted that an integrity check could also be performed using a previously generated authentication tag as in fig7 . the method for generating an authentication tag during decryption would match the encryption method in fig7 followed by an integrity check as in the present figure . fig9 represents a further aspect the present invention wherein counters are added . in the same manner as the embodiment in fig3 , m plaintext blocks p i 901 are each passed through a sequence of four pseudorandom permutations f k 903 resulting in m ciphertext blocks c i 904 . each of the four permutations f k 903 are keyed with different keys k 1 , k 2 , k 3 , and k 4 . the embodied method includes the step of initializing the state variables 902 and counters 906 by passing a nonce 900 through a randomization function 500 that has been previously defined . once the state variables and counters are initialized , the first plaintext block p 1 301 a is combined with the initial state variable sv 1 0 902 a through modular 2 n addition where n is the size of a plaintext block . the result of said combination is passed into the first pseudorandom permutation f k1 903 a producing an intermediate cryptographic variable cv 12 1 ( the cryptographic variable between the first pseudorandom permutation f k1 903 a and the second f k2 903 b ) which will be fed forward to encrypt the next plaintext block p 2 901 b . continuing with the encryption of p 1 901 a , cv 12 1 is combined with the second initialized state variable sv 2 0 902 b through modular r addition and passed into the second pseudorandom permutation f k2 903 b resulting in cv 23 1 . the encryption continues to follow the same pattern for the two remaining pseudorandom permutations f k3 903 c and f k4 903 d where the result of f k4 903 d is the first ciphertext block c 1 904 a . for the encryption of the next plaintext block p 2 901 b , the state variables 905 must be updated using counters and a feedback mechanism as will be described . the first state variable sv 1 1 905 a produced following the encryption of the first plaintext block p 1 901 a is generated by combining the previous state variable sv 1 0 902 a with the output from the previous block &# 39 ; s third permutation cv 34 1 and a counter ctr 1 0 906 a through modular 2 n addition where n is the size of a plaintext block . the second state variable sv 2 1 905 b is generated by combining the previous state variable sv 2 0 902 b with the output from the previous block &# 39 ; s first permutation cv 12 1 and a counter ctr 2 0 906 b through modular 2 n addition . similarly , the third state variable sv 3 1 905 c is generated by combining the previous state variable sv 3 0 902 c with the output from the previous block &# 39 ; s second permutation cv 23 1 and a counter ctr 3 0 906 c through modular 2 n addition . the fourth state variable sv 4 1 905 d is generated by combining the previous state variable sv 4 0 902 d with the output from the previous block &# 39 ; s first permutation cv 12 1 and the current block &# 39 ; s first state variable sv 1 1 905 a and a counter ctr 4 0 906 d through modular 2 n addition . the counters 906 are then incremented using function 1100 . it should be noted that the calculation of sv 1 1 905 a should occur before the calculation of sv 4 1 905 d . furthermore , while the described embodiment of the present invention stores the state variables sv 1 , sv 2 , sv 3 , and sv 4 , derived embodiments could entail the same spirit of the present embodiments without actually storing the state variables . the step of storing state variables is disclosed in the present invention for ease of understanding . the encryption of all further plaintext blocks p 2 901 b through p m 901 c are conducted in the same manner as the encryption of p 1 901 a . for example , the second plaintext block p 2 901 b is conducted in the same manner as the encryption of the first plaintext block p 1 901 a substituting the updated state variables 905 for the previous state variables 902 . fig1 represents a decryption embodiment of the present invention wherein m ciphertext blocks c i 1004 are each passed through a sequence of four inverse pseudorandom permutations 1003 resulting in m plaintext blocks p i 1001 . in this embodiment each of the four inverse permutations 1003 are keyed with the same keys used in the encryption in fig9 . the embodied method includes the step of initializing the state variables 1002 and initial counters 1006 by passing a nonce 1000 through a randomization function 500 that has been previously defined . once the state variables and counters are initialized , the first ciphertext block c 1 1004 a is passed into the first inverse pseudorandom permutation f k4 1003 d . the result of said inverse pseudorandom permutation f k4 − 1 1003 d is combined with the initial state variable sv 4 0 1002 d through modular 2 n subtraction where n is the size of a ciphertext block producing an intermediate cryptographic variable cv 34 1 ( the cryptographic variable between f k3 − 1 1003 c and f k4 − 1 1003 d ) which will be fed forward to decrypt the next ciphertext block c 2 1004 b . continuing with the decryption of c 1 1004 a , cv 34 1 is passed into the second inverse psuedorandorandom permutation f k3 − 1 1003 c . the result of said inverse permutation f k3 − 1 1003 c is combined with sv 3 0 using modular 2 n subtraction producing cv 23 1 . the decryption continues to follow the same pattern for the two remaining inverse pseudorandom permutations f k2 − 1 1003 b and f k1 − 1 1003 a where the result of f k1 − 1 1003 a is combined with sv 1 0 1002 a using modular 2 n subtraction to produce the first plaintext block p 1 1001 a . for the decryption of the next ciphertext block c 2 1004 b , the state variables 1005 must be updated using a feedback mechanism as will be described . the state variable sv 1 1 1005 a produced following the decryption of the first ciphertext block c 1 1004 a is generated by combining the previous state variable sv 1 0 1002 a with the input from the previous block &# 39 ; s second inverse permutation cv 34 1 and a counter ctr 1 0 1006 a through modular 2 n addition where n is the size of a ciphertext block . the second state variable sv 2 1 1005 b is the output from the previous block &# 39 ; s third inverse permutation f k2 − 1 1003 b and a counter ctr 2 0 1006 b through modular 2 n addition . similarly , the state variable sv 3 1 1005 c is the output from the previous block &# 39 ; s second pseudorandom permutation f k3 − 1 1003 c and a counter ctr 3 0 1006 c through modular 2 n addition . the state variable sv 4 1 1005 d is generated by combining the previous state variable sv 4 0 1002 d with the input from the previous blocks fourth inverse permutation cv 12 1 and the current block &# 39 ; s state variable sv 1 1 1005 a and a counter ctr 4 0 1006 a through modular 2 n addition . the counters 1006 are then incremented using function 1100 . it should be noted that the calculation of sv 1 1 1005 a should occur before the calculation of sv 4 1 1005 d . furthermore , while the described embodiment of the present invention stores the state variables sv 1 , sv 2 , sv 3 , and sv 4 , derived embodiments could entail the same spirit of the present embodiments without actually storing the state variables . the step of storing state variables is disclosed in the present invention for ease of understanding . the decryption of all further ciphertext blocks c 2 1004 b through c m 1004 c are conducted in the same manner as the decryption of c 1 1004 a . for example , the second ciphertext block c 2 1004 b is conducted in the same manner as the decryption of the first ciphertext block c 1 1004 a substituting the updated state variables 1005 for the previous state variables 1002 . fig1 represents an embodied method for modifying the counters from one block encipherment to the next . the method takes as input four counters ctr 1 i through crt 4 i and produces four counters ctr 1 i + 1 through crt 4 i + 1 . the steps taken in the embodied method model a typical mileage odometer from an automobile where ctr 1 is the lowest order of magnitude and ctr 4 is the highest order of magnitude . the embodied method always begins by incrementing the lowest order counter ctr 1 1105 through modular 2 n addition where n is the size of the counter in bits . if ctr 1 has reset itself and is equal to zero 1110 , the embodied method continues to increment ctr 2 1115 in the same manner as ctr 1 . if ctr 1 is not zero 1110 , the method exits 1140 a and the resulting counters are stored for use in encrypting or decrypting the next block . each subsequent counter is incremented in the same manner as long as all lower order counters are equal to zero . in one embodiment of the present invention , a method for encrypting a plaintext message comprises receiving at least one plaintext message , wherein the plaintext message forms at least one plaintext block , encrypting said plaintext block by applying 2 or more pseudorandom permutations to each block , and modifying an input to each said pseudorandom permutation by at least one state variable which is modified for each plaintext block by at least one of previously generated permutation outputs , previously generated permutation inputs , ciphertext , and plaintext . the method comprises generating at least one ciphertext block from the output of each plaintext block &# 39 ; s final pseudorandom permutation , partitioning the plaintext message into a plurality of equal size plaintext blocks , padding the plaintext message to facilitate the equal sized plaintext blocks , wherein the modification of the state variables comprises at least one of : modifying the state variable for a first pseudorandom permutation by an output of a next to the last pseudorandom permutation from the previous block , modifying the state variable for a final permutation by an output of the first pseudorandom permutation from the previous block and the state variable for the first pseudorandom permutation from the current block , and modifying the state variables for all other pseudorandom permutations by an output of the preceding pseudorandom permutation from the previous block , wherein the state variables are modified using at least one of modular 2 n addition and modular 2 n subtraction wherein n represents the size of a block , and wherein the state variables are modified using a bitwise exclusive or ( xor ). the method comprises initializing the state variables before encrypting the first plaintext block by randomizing a nonce and padding the nonce in order to facilitate the initialization of the state variables , wherein the initialized state variables are unique from other initialized state variables in a context of a session key , wherein the number of pseudorandom permutations determines the number of state variables , wherein the pseudorandom permutations are at least one of : block ciphers , keyed substitution tables , s - boxes , and rotors , wherein each pseudorandom permutation is keyed by at least one different key , wherein each pseudorandom permutation is keyed by a same key , wherein a portion of the pseudorandom permutations may be substituted for the inverses of a remaining portion of the pseudorandom permutations , and wherein the pseudorandom permutations and inverse pseudorandom permutations may be arranged in any order . the method comprises generating an authentication tag from a combination of the state variables , wherein the generation consists of concatenating the resulting state variables after the encryption of the final plaintext block , wherein the generation consists of concatenating the resulting state variables after the encryption of a chosen plaintext block , wherein the generation consists of concatenating the resulting state variables after the encryption of the final plaintext block , concatenating the initial state variables , and combining the two sets of concatenated variables through an exclusive or ( xor ), comprises attaching the authentication tag to a ciphertext message , wherein the number of state variables determines the size of the authentication tag , and comprises modifying the input to a pseudorandom permutation by at least one counter , and initializing the counters before encrypting the first plaintext block by randomizing a nonce . in another embodiment of the present invention , an apparatus for encrypting a plaintext message comprises logic to form at least one nonce block from at least one nonce , memory to store at least one state variable , an initializer to set the at least one state variable to at least one initial value , wherein the logic is coupled to the memory and to the initializer , wherein the logic includes at least two pseudorandom permutations to sequentially randomize each nonce block , wherein the logic combines the at least one state variable with inputs to the pseudorandom permutations , and wherein the logic generates the at least one state variable of a current nonce block from at least one of : state variables of a previous nonce block , outputs from the previous nonce block &# 39 ; s pseudorandom permutations , and inputs to the previous nonce block &# 39 ; s pseudorandom permutations , wherein the memory stores outputs of final pseudorandom permutations as initial values to use in an encryption or decryption , wherein the memory stores final state variables as initial values for use in an encryption or decryption , wherein the logic adds at least one bit of padding to the nonce to generate equal sized nonce blocks , wherein the number of pseudorandom permutations is equal to the number of nonce blocks and the number of state variables , wherein the pseudorandom permutations are at least one of : block ciphers , keyed substitution tables , s - boxes , and rotors , wherein a portion of the pseudorandom permutations may be substituted for inverses of a remaining portion of the pseudorandom permutations . in a further embodiment of the present invention , a computer readable medium comprising instructions for : receiving at least one plaintext message , wherein the plaintext message forms at least one plaintext block , encrypting said plaintext block by applying 2 or more pseudorandom permutations to each block , modifying an input to the pseudorandom permutations by at least one state variable , modifying the at least one state variable after each plaintext block is encrypted for use in encrypting a next plaintext block , modifying the at least one state variable for a first pseudorandom permutation by an output of a next to last pseudorandom permutation from a previous block , modifying the at least one state variable for a final permutation by an output of the first pseudorandom permutation from the previous block and the at least one state variable for the first pseudorandom permutation from the current block , and modifying the at least one state variable for all other pseudorandom permutations by an output of a preceding pseudorandom permutation from the previous block . the computer readable medium comprises instructions for initializing the at least one state variable before encrypting a first plaintext block by randomizing a nonce , modifying the input to a pseudorandom permutation by an internal counter , generating an authentication tag from a combination of the state variables , generating at least one ciphertext block from an output of each plaintext block &# 39 ; s final pseudorandom permutation , wherein the pseudorandom permutations are at least one of : block ciphers , keyed substitution tables , s - boxes , and rotors . although an exemplary embodiment of the system of the present invention has been illustrated in the accompanied drawings and described in the foregoing detailed description , it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed , but is capable of numerous rearrangements , modifications , and substitutions without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth and defined by the following claims . for example , the capabilities of the invention can be performed fully and / or partially by one or more of the elements . also , these capabilities may be performed in the current manner or in a distributed manner and on , or via , any device able to provide and / or receive information . further , although depicted in a particular manner , various modules or blocks may be repositioned without departing from the scope of the current invention . still further , although depicted in a particular manner , a greater or lesser number of modules and connections can be utilized with the present invention in order to accomplish the present invention , to provide additional known features to the present invention , and / or to make the present invention more efficient . also , the information sent between various modules can be sent between the modules via at least one of a wireless source , and a wired source and via plurality of protocols . | 7 |
the special purpose neurocomputer system of the present disclosure is shown in a preferred embodiment thereof in fig1 . the basic architecture involves a series of processors designated as nodal processors which are identical in nature and which have been designated as processors 10 , 20 , 30 , . . . i . . . n . since the number of processors is a variable , the designation &# 34 ; n &# 34 ; is used to signify the total number of nodal processors in the system and any selected intermediate in the system may be designated as processor &# 34 ; i &# 34 ;. for certain purposes , the series of nodal processors are referred to as np 1 , np 2 , . . . np n . as will be seen in fig1 the overall system may be observed in terms of &# 34 ; nodes &# 34 ; whereby each &# 34 ; node &# 34 ; consists of a set of intercooperating units . for example , the first node may be conceived as involving the nodal processor 10 together with the units designated as the &# 34 ; nodal weight and delay memory &# 34 ; 36 , the schedule memory 46 , the decision algorithm 56 , each of which provides inputs to the nodal processor 10 . additionally , the first &# 34 ; node &# 34 ; would also include a temporary memory latch 15 which receives outputs from the nodal processor 10 . likewise , each subsequent node has its own memory latch as 15 2 , 15 3 , . . . 15 n . in fig1 a typical &# 34 ; node &# 34 ; is shown as node 2 with heavy broken lines to show the nodal unit . then similarly , each of the series of other nodes concatenated into the system include the same type of units ( 36 n , 46 n , 56 n ) which characterize every other node . during each operating cycle , a nodal processor such as 10 or 20 , etc ., consults its schedule unit 46 ( 46 2 , etc .) and the schedule unit informs it as to how many machine cycles it should wait before it evaluates the decision rule and outputs its result . the decision rule , previously cited as equation a2 , is given as follows : ## equ3 ## since it is observed that each neuron waits a number of small time steps , or &# 34 ; epochs &# 34 ; ( δt = one machine cycle ), before evaluating its input and deciding to change its current output state , the equation a2 is the &# 34 ; decision &# 34 ; to change its output state and is determined according to the parameter values in equation a2 . the nodal processor , such as 10 , 20 , etc ., will perform the computation of equation a2 and output the result to the network memory 18 . this transfer to the network memory is provided via bus 14 , temporary memory latch 15 , and bus 17 . since a processor &# 39 ; s output is simply a 1 or a 0 , all of these buses are one bit wide . the computation of equation a2 by the nodal processor requires input that represents the output of previous computations of other processors . this data is provided in a multiplexed fashion on bus 19m . all of the data stored in the network memory , unit 18 , will be presented to each processor in a multiplexed fashion in one machine cycle . input from bus 11 , from the processor - controller 70 informs the processor 10 , etc ., which previous state is currently being presented on bus 11 . this information consists of an 8 - bit integer , with a &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; meaning the current state of the network is being presented , a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; meaning the state one machine cycle in the past , etc . in conjunction with the delay information from the nodal weight and delay memory , 36 , this data from the controller 70 allows the processor 10 , 20 , etc ., to determine the past state of any other processor . for example , if n 12 = 3 , from the weight and delay memory 36 , then , when data from the controller 70 indicates that the state of the network as of 3 machine cycles ago is currently presenting itself on bus 19m1 , processor 10 will record the value , 1 or a 0 , presented on the second line of that bus . in other words , as the history of the system is presented on bus 19m1 , n ij provides an index informing the j th processor which value to utilize from the i th line on bus 19m1 . the computation of equation a2 also requires input that represents the &# 34 ; connection weight &# 34 ; between any processor i and any processor j . this information is also contained in the weight and delay memory 36 in the form of an array , fig6 . each entry in this array , w ij , represents the &# 34 ; amount &# 34 ; of &# 34 ; force &# 34 ; that one particular nodal processor is to exert upon another . large positive values tend to encourage two processors to be in the same state ; large negative values tend to encourage opposite states . as discussed previously , the nodal weight and delay memory 36 contains the information for the connection weight array , w , and the fixed delay array , n . n is an n × n array configured similar to w ( see fig6 ) where each entry n ij represents the number of machine cycles that the output of unit i is to be delayed before its output is utilized by unit j . each entry in w will be stored as a 16 - bit signed integer , and each entry in n , an 8 - bit unsigned integer . this array is n × p bits where another array for &# 34 ; n ij &# 34 ; is resident in the nodal weight - delay unit 36 and has a similar representation to the one shown absove for w ij . here , in the n ij array , the number stored for each slot of n ij is an &# 34 ; unsigned &# 34 ; integer of 8 bits that represents the number of machine cycles that the output of processor i is to be delayed before its output is recesived and utilized by processor j . the delay schedule memory 46 , contains information telling the processor 10 how many machine cycles to wait before it evaluates the decision rule ( equation a2 ). this information consists of a series of integers . for example , a typical series might look like the following : 2 , 1 , 3 , 2 , 2 , 2 , 1 , 3 , 3 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 2 , 4 , 3 , 1 , 4 , 3 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 4 , 4 , 3 , 2 , 4 , 4 , 4 , . . . the total length of series will be less than 2 , 000 entries . the numbers in the series are chosen randomly from a discrete uniform distribution whose upper bound is constantly increasing . by this we mean that initially these integers might be samples from [ 0 , 1 , 2 ], and finally , samples from [ 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]. note that the delayed information contained in the array &# 34 ; n &# 34 ; is fundamentally different that the information stored in the delay schedule memory ( shown as 46 in fig1 ). the information in the delay schedule memory represents random delays , and is responsible for the asynchronous operation of the computer . as stated above , this delay tells the processor how many machine cycles to wait before it evaluates the decision rule ( equation a2 ). whereas the information in entry &# 34 ; n ij &# 34 ; in array n tells the processor that when it does evaluate the decision rule , it is to use the state of processor i &# 34 ; n ij &# 34 ; machine cycles in the past . in short , the delay schedule tells &# 34 ; when &# 34 ; the decision rule is to be evaluated , and the array n , and w , contained in the nodal weight and weight - delay memory 36m tells the processor &# 34 ; how &# 34 ; to evaluate that rule . the decision algorithm memory 56 , shown in fig1 contains the algorithm , in appropriate machine language , for nodal processor , unit 10 in fig1 for the computation of the decision rule , equation a2 . as seen in fig1 the network memory 18 provides output data of n bits on the &# 34 ; state history bus &# 34 ; designated as 18 mx . these output bits ( n bits ) are fed to the multiplexor 16 for distribution on output bus 19 to various of the processors via distribution buses such as 19 m1 and 19 m2 , . . . , 19 mi . . . 19 mn . the content arrangement of history memory 18 is shown in fig4 . the processor - controller 70 informs the nodal processor 10 ( and also processors 20 , 30 , . . . n ) via bus 11 as to which one of the particular past states is currently being presented on the &# 34 ; state history bus &# 34 ; 18 mx . fig4 indicates how each nodal processor is recorded as being &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; during any given machine cycle . as will be seen in fig1 a processor - controller 70 monitors the nodal system network and also provides an output through the i / o controller 80 which may present a display to the terminal 85 . the terminal 85 may be a cathode - ray tube output display or it may be merely a digital printout of selected information . the processor - controller 70 may be any general purpose processor or may even be a unit such as the currently available types of personal computers . the processor - controller 70 is used to continuously examine the current state of the network by scanning the network memory 18 . the network memory 18 contains a history of the past states of each of the processors 10 , 20 , 30 , . . . n , as seen in fig4 and table i . the object of the comparison of these past states is in order to see whether or not the &# 34 ; state condition &# 34 ; of each of the nodal processors 10 , 20 , 30 , . . . n has finally settled down to an unchanging set of data states which would indicate that the network has reached a point of &# 34 ; stability &# 34 ;. as long as changes keep occurring in the status states of each of the processors , it is understood that nonoptimum solutions are still being provided , and it is only when the optimum or close - to - optimum solution has been found that the status data in the network memory 18 will indicate that the status states of each of the processors have settled down into a semipermanent or permanent set of data which remains unchanging as various possibilities ( different tour paths ) are being explored . thus , a problem is deemed solved or &# 34 ; optimized &# 34 ; when stability of the data status states is achieved , or alternatively , some predetermined number of cycles has passed and the most probable optimum solution is at hand . stability of the &# 34 ; status states &# 34 ; is achieved when the comparison of successive states shows that the state bits are no longer changing from cycle to cycle and thus it is probable that a point of stability or optimization has occurred in the network . the processor - controller 70 will continuously provide information to each of the nodal processors 10 , 20 , 30 , . . . n about which particular state of the overall global system is currently being presented on the state bus 18 mx . the processor - controller 70 operates to initialize the computer by downloading data on bus 11 to each of the nodal processors 10 , 20 , 30 , . . . n . this downloaded data on bus 21 would include connection weights and delays to the nodal weight and delay memory 36 , the random delay schedule to the delay schedule memory 46 , and the decision algorithm for the decision algorithm memory 56 . in addition , the processor - controller will initialize the network history memory 18 via bus 18c . this initial data will set the memory with random values , 1 or 0 . since most current processors have limitations on the number of input data lines allowable for input signals , the number of nodes in the network will most likely exceed the number of data input lines coming into each nodal processor 10 , 20 , 30 , etc . thus , the data , as it is presented to each nodal processor , must be multiplexed through the multiplexor 16 . in fig1 the multiplexor 16 is seen receiving the output data of n bits from the history network memory 18 via the state history bus 18 mx . the network history memory 18 of fig4 can be thought of as a two - dimensional n × p array where the entries in each row represent the state of each processor ( the first entry corresponds to the state of first processor , the second entry the state of the second , and so on ) at some time in the past . the first row , for example is the current state , x ( t )=( x 1 ( t ), x 2 ( t ), . . . , x n ( t ). the second row represents the state of each processor one machine cycle in the past , x ( t )= x 1 ( t - δt ), x 2 ( t - δt ), . . . , x n ( t - δt ), and the last row , the state p machines cycles in the past x ( t )= x 1 ( t - pδt ), x 2 ( t - pδt ), . . . , x n ( t - pδt ). the history data from the network memory 18 is presented to the processor - controller 70 via multiplexor 16 and to the processor - controller 70 on a row - by - row basis , in sequence during each machine cycle . all rows are presented in sequence in each machine cycle . during each machine cycle , the &# 34 ; current state &# 34 ; of each one of the nodal processors 10 , 20 , 30 , . . . n is read into the network memory 18 from each of the n latches which constitute the series of memory latches 15 1 , 15 2 , 15 3 . . . 15 n shown in fig1 . in fig1 the temporary state memory latch 15 is shown receiving input on bus 14 from the nodal processor 10 and also receiving data on bus 12 . an output bus 17 conveys the state information from the latch 15 over to the network memory 18 . since each of the nodal processors 10 , 20 , 30 , . . . n waits a certain number of machine cycles before evaluating ( according to the decision rule of equation a2 ) its input and deciding whether it should change state , ( 0 or 1 ) its &# 34 ; current &# 34 ; state must be preserved during these dormant periods . thus , the the current state will sit in latch 15 and be presented to the network history memory 18 during each machine cycle . thus , each of the &# 34 ; nodes &# 34 ; in the system will have its own temporary memory latch such as 15 , 15 1 , 15 2 , 15 3 , . . . 15 i , . . . 15 n , and each of the nodal processors 10 , 20 , . . . n , will be presenting its current state , for each machine cycle , to the network memory which can then store and carry a history of the state condition of each of the nodal processors for each of the previous machine cycles including the current machine cycle . in the work of hinton , sejnowski and ackley , on the boltzmann machine , there was noted that delays in the system will &# 34 ; mimic &# 34 ; synaptic noise of the chemical synapse . these researchers and others have modeled the output function of a neuron as a &# 34 ; sigmoid - shaped &# 34 ;, cumulative distribution -- indicating the probability of maintained firing versus the input stimuli signals . in the boltzmann machine , neurons are modeled as stochastic units whose output is a boltzmann distribution . in this distribution , &# 34 ; temperature &# 34 ; is a parameter which governs the amount of randomness , and consequently the shape . this temperature parameter is an &# 34 ; external &# 34 ; method of influence on the system . contrarily , the presently described system uses &# 34 ; internally generated &# 34 ; delays to mimic noise and to avoid local minima . the system network disclosed herein has similarities with both hopfield &# 39 ; s two - state model , and also to the boltzmann machine . hopfield had demonstrated that a symmetrically connected network of binary neurons would find a &# 34 ; local minima &# 34 ; of an extrinsic quantity , which he identified as the system &# 39 ; s &# 34 ; energy &# 34 ;. he showed that this model can function as an error - correcting content addressable memory . in his later work , the two - state model was dropped for a non - linear analog model . the &# 34 ; smoothness &# 34 ; of the analog model was shown to accentuate the identification of &# 34 ; good &# 34 ; solutions to optimization problems . in the boltzmann machine , low energy states are achieved by &# 34 ; simulated annealing &# 34 ;, a method of utilizing &# 34 ; noise &# 34 ; to escape the local minima ( partially optimum solutions ). by starting with the &# 34 ; temperature &# 34 ; parameter relatively &# 34 ; high &# 34 ; and then slowly lowering it , the probability of locating a stable state with low energy was significantly enhanced . this process , called simulated annealing , was modeled since it emulates the attainment of low energy quantum states in metals by slow cooling . the presently disclosed delay model system network resembles the boltzmann machine in that delays do seem actually to mimic &# 34 ; noise &# 34 ;, and noise allows the escape from local minima . however , unlike the boltzmann machine , the present system provides randomness , and the variability of that randomness is provided as a function of time , and these factors appear to be an intrinsic property of the presently disclosed delay model system network . the presently disclosed neuronic system network is similar to hopfield &# 39 ; s two - state model . the network consists of n &# 34 ; neurons &# 34 ; where each neuron has two states which are indicated as &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; ( not firing ) or &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, ( firing at a maximum rate ). the output of the i th neuron is connected to the input of the j th neuron with a &# 34 ; weight &# 34 ; designated as a w ij . as will be seen in fig6 the nodal weight - delay memory 36 of fig1 is seen to provide a relationship table whereby the weight - delay time relationship between any two individual neuronic processors in the network is provided for and shown in fig6 . the matrix w is symmetric , that is to say , the output of neuron i in relationship to neuron j has the same weight as the neuron j has to the neuron i . since no neuron may synapse on itself , there is seen a set of diagonal zeroes to indicate this in fig6 . this system network of neurons ( processors ) is asynchronous in the sense that each neuron waits a random , integral number of machine cycles , called &# 34 ; epochs &# 34 ; ( δt ), before evaluating its input and deciding to change its current state . each processor waits a certain number of machine cycles before evaluating the decision rule of equation a2 to determine whether to remain in the same state or to change its state ( 0 or 1 ). then , its current state , will reside in latch 15 and then be presented to the history memory during each machine cycle for storage therein . this number of machine cycles is chosen from a uniform distribution , [ 1 , 2 , 3 , . . . r ] where r is the maximum number of epochs a neuron waits before it &# 34 ; evaluates &# 34 ; its current status . the decision to change the output state is made according to the &# 34 ; decision rule &# 34 ; which is often called the mcculloch - pitts decision rule which was discussed in the bulletin of mathematical biophysics , vol . 5 1943 in an article entitled &# 34 ; a logical calculus of the ideas imminent in nervous activity &# 34 ; by w . s . mcculloch and walter pitts . this decision rule is shown accordingly to be represented by the hereinbelow equation marked equation b1 : ## equ4 ## where e 0 is the threshold and n is a square matrix of n × n . the &# 34 ; threshold &# 34 ; symbol e 0 is essentially the same concept as that shown in the previous equation a2where the symbol u i is used for the threshold value . the elements of n are integer samples from a uniform distribution [ 0 , 1 , 2 , . . . p ]. they reflect a &# 34 ; fixed &# 34 ; delay time of n ij time steps between the neuron unit i and the neuron unit j . p represents the maximum number of past states of the system that are to be retained , in history memory 18 . the quantity x j ( t - n ij δt ) is the &# 34 ; state &# 34 ; of the j th neuron ( 1 = on or 0 = off ) at some time in the past , in terms of the number of past machine cycles . as previously stated in equation a3 , the current state of the network may be described by the vector x equal to ( x 1 , x 2 , x 3 . . . , x n ). this represents the overall condition of the network in terms of the status of each one of the processors as to wehther they are on {= 1 } or off {= 0 }. thus , some concept of the conditional stability or &# 34 ; unchangingness &# 34 ; of the network can be represented . in the system network described herein , several sets of simulations were performed . for example , in the first set of simulations , the parameters were set up as follows : the elements of w ij ( see fig6 ) were set up with real valued samples from the uniform distribution [ minus the square root of n , and then the square root of n ], such that the symbol w ij is equal to w ji , and w ii is equal to zero . during these simulations , with random initial starting points , it was seen that &# 34 ; stable points &# 34 ; were almost always found . stable points were identified only after the network returned the same global state vector for m epochs . the time elapsed before a stable state was found varied widely from a minimum of 50 epochs , and in one run the system surged for over 1 , 000 epochs before the run was terminated without convergence . the system appears to move through configuration space randomly until some small islands of stability are reached . these islands involved two to three neurons whose state was unchanged for at least m epochs . when this condition occurred , the system usually continued with more and more neurons becoming &# 34 ; frozen &# 34 ; and with a relatively rapid convergence to a stable state . this behavior , though rather unexpected , may , however , be subject to some qualitative explanation . it is useful to think of the model neurons ( processors ) that obey the mcculloch - pitts decision rule as making decisions based on the update information that reached them through their inputs . however , when &# 34 ; delays &# 34 ; are present , the neurons are making decisions based on &# 34 ; past states &# 34 ; of the system . since the state of the system is usually constantly changing , there is a &# 34 ; nonzero &# 34 ; probability that with old information , a neuron will err in its decision . the neuron will thus not increase its firing rate , when it normally would have if its input information had been properly current in time . the longer a neuron goes without changing state , the higher the probability of its transmitting current ( present ) information to those neurons that are connected to it . as the state of more and more neurons becomes &# 34 ; fixed &# 34 ;, the remaining neurons will be found to utilize a higher percentage of &# 34 ; undelayed &# 34 ; inputs . consequently , the &# 34 ; noise - like &# 34 ; effects caused by the delays is dimiminished , thus a more rapid propensity toward a stable condition occurs . for a second set of simulations that were tried , it was sought to measure the neurons &# 39 ; output distribution at various levels of activity . the motivation was to determine how often a neuron &# 34 ; made a mistake &# 34 ; as a result of receiving old information . it was expected that when activity was high , ( a lot of neurons evaluating their input per each epoch ) that the errors resulting would be high . and likewise , when the activity was low , ( only a few neurons evaluating their input per epoch ) that the errors would be low . the first set of simulations had shown that the probability of a neuron &# 39 ; s changing state actually &# 34 ; decreased &# 34 ; as the network converged . consequently , the noise - like effects of delays had to be separated from the tendency of the network to progress toward a stable point . this necessitated the introduction of another global parameter &# 34 ; p &# 34 ; which was identified as the &# 34 ; probability &# 34 ; of a neuron &# 39 ; s changing state . this should be distinguished from the symbol &# 34 ; p &# 34 ; which represents the number of past machine cycles of status data being held in the history memory 18 . in the second set of simulations , it was arranged that all parameters remain the same except r , which was allowed to vary , and n , which was set to 100 . neurons evaluated their inputs according to two decision rules : ( i ) the first utilized delay times ; ( ii ) the second decision rule did not utilize delay times so that the symbol n ij was equal to zero for all sets of ij . recordings were taken when the results of the two rules disagreed . a histogram that measured the number of times a disagreement between the two rules occurred was plotted versus a weighted sum of the input , e . unlike the first set of simulations , state vectors were not updated according to the results of the decision rules to inhibit convergence . rather , the decision to change a neuron &# 39 ; s state was determined by sampling a uniform distribution between zero and one . if the result was less than &# 34 ; p &# 34 ; ( probability of a neuron &# 39 ; s changing state ), the neuron &# 39 ; s state was flipped . statistics were gathered but not until at least 25 epochs had elapsed , in order to insure that enough state history was maintained to observe the true effects of the delays . it was found that the recorded histograms , such as that shown in fig7 closely matched the cumulative output distribution which was used in other probabilistic models . thus these histograms will follow a pattern which is indicated by the shown hereinbelow equation b2 . ## equ5 ## where e is the weighted sum of the input . the parameter e 0 shifts the curve horizontally , while t governs the shape . for a small value of t , the curve resembles a step function ; for large values of t , the curve resembles a stretched - out &# 34 ; s &# 34 ;. t can be considered the measure of the level of noise or &# 34 ; temperature &# 34 ; of the system . neurons whose output function obey equation b2 with t equal to zero are called &# 34 ; deterministic &# 34 ;. fig8 and 9 show the resulting histograms which fit with equation b2 . in fig8 the statistics were recorded for 500 epochs . the p equals 0 . 1 , and p equals 3 , and t equals 23 as computed from the fit . in fig9 the parameters were p = 0 . 01 , r = 3 , and t = 7 . 7 . similar large shifts in t were found with changes in r . r represents the maximum number of epochs that a neuron waits before it evaluates its current status . additional histograms were also computed with nonrandom connection matrices . &# 34 ; w &# 34 ; was loaded with &# 34 ; weight - delay times &# 34 ; appropriate for a neural solution of the five - city travelling salesman problem as developed by hopfield and tank in 1985 and 1986 . in this case , the sigmoid shape was maintained but the curve was shifted horizontally . that this curve narrows with low activity , and as the network converges on a stable point , would suggest that with an appropriate choice of activity , the system might be made to &# 34 ; cool &# 34 ; slowly and consequently yeild &# 34 ; good &# 34 ; solutions to optimization problems . such a system could be designated as exhibiting &# 34 ; auto - annealing &# 34 ;. as a result of the developments of a neuron - simulated system network , it was seen that the two - state model type neurons with connections delays have an intrinsic sigmoid - shaped output distribution similar to that used in other probabilistic models . in spite of this random or stochastic component , the simulations showed that , after identifying stable isolated neurons , the system usually proceeded to find a stable state . samples of output distribution which were obtained showed that the distribution narrowed -- indicating that the system was becoming deterministic , or &# 34 ; cooling &# 34 ;-- as the network evolved toward a stable state . the amount of noise in the network , or &# 34 ; temperature &# 34 ;, was also dependent on the mean firing rate . it is thus considered that a combination of these two effects provided a natural way for a delayed system to minimize the system &# 39 ; s &# 34 ; energy &# 34 ;. there has thus been described a preferred embodiment of a special purpose neurocomputer system for solving optimization problems . however , other embodiments and variations may still operate on the concepts disclosed herein and may be defined by the following claims . | 6 |
fig2 is a schematic representation of the internal construction of an ultrasonic transducer 30 . in this figure , elements which are indicated by the same reference numbers as in fig1 are identical to the corresponding elements of fig1 . in fig2 , backing element 14 and the insulation layer 20 of fig1 are replaced by a cylindrical sleeve 32 ( i . e ., backing element ) which is made of in insulating material , preferably eptfe , which fills the entire space between the interior surface of element 14 and the opposed surface of tube 18 . eptfe was selected because it contains entrained air , is hydrophobic and is widely accepted for medical applications inside a living body . however , it is contemplated other materials including other materials containing entrained air may be utilized , so long as they would not be harmful if placed inside a living body and would not deteriorate in that environment . the elimination of water backing element 14 and insulation layer 20 results in simpler construction and easier manufacture and assembly of transducer 30 . ptfe is a material which has long been available from dupont under the trademark teflon ®. with an eptfe backing in place of a water backing , the power efficiency of the transducer can be improved by about 20 % or more , and the internal temperature of the transducer can be reduced from the range of 310 ° f . to the range of 220 ° f . since eptfe sleeve 32 is electrically nonconductive , the electrical conductors of cables 13 which were previously attached to backing element 14 are now connected directly to a conductive area on the inner surface of sleeve 12 . also , the insulation layer 20 of fig1 may be eliminated for the same reason . otherwise , the structure of transducer 30 is identical to that of transducer 10 . two identical water backed transducers were utilized to test the efficacy of the present transducer construction . one transducer was left unchanged , and on the other , the backing element 14 and insulating layer 20 removed and replaced by sleeve 32 of eptfe which completely filled the space between transducer 12 and tube 18 . eptfe sleeve 32 was press fitted onto tube 18 and within sleeve 12 . each transducer was mounted within a brass reflector , placed in a water bath and sonicated at 100 watts for 60 seconds . during sonication , the power output of the transducer was measured , and at the conclusion of the test , the temperature inside the transducer was measured by a temperature sensor placed within tube 18 . the test was repeated several times for reach transducer . the average power output for the water backed transducer was 45 . 4 watts , while the average power output for the eptfe backed transducer was 54 . 7 watts . at the same time , the maximum temperature recorded inside the water backed transducer was 307 ° f ., while the maximum temperature recorded inside the eptfe backed transducer was 219 ° f . there are believed to be a number of reasons for the superior performance of the eptfe backed transducer . consideration of these will serve as an effective guide to the selection of alternate insulating materials for the backing element . first of all , the interface between the piezoelectric material of sleeve 12 and eptfe sleeve ( with its entrained air ) 32 provides a very effective reflection of ultrasonic energy . however , there is another contribution to the more efficient energy conversion of the eptfe backed transducer . in the water backed transducer , protrusions 14 a effectively damped vibration of sleeve 12 wherever they touch it . eptfe sleeve 32 , on the other hand , is very soft and has no similar deleterious effect on the vibration of sleeve 12 . this accounts , in some part , for the more efficient energy conversion of the eptfe backed transducer . as far as the reduction in core temperature of the transducer is concerned , this is probably accounted for by the presence of the relatively thick sleeve 32 of insulating material . additional benefits of the eptfe backed transducer include the replacement of sleeve 20 and backing element 14 with a much simpler construction involving only a sleeve of insulating material , and the elimination of the complications introduced by the use of water inside the transducer . in a typical application , tube 18 typically has an outside diameter of approximately 1 . 14 mm . transducer 12 might have outside diameter of approximately 1 . 5 - 2 . 5 mm , a wall thickness of approximately 0 . 1 - 0 . 5 mm and a length of approximately 0 . 5 - 16 mm . sleeve 32 would fill the gap between the inside of transducer 12 and tube 18 . sleeve 32 has a wall thickness in the range of approximately 0 . 25 - 1 . 25 mm . most preferably , transducer 12 is 6 mm in length , has an outside diameter of 2 . 44 mm and a wall thickness of 0 . 116 mm . transducer 12 may have any outside diameter which is appropriate for its application , with a progressively larger thickness for larger transducers . fig3 is a schematic representation of an embodiment of a probe 40 containing a transducer in accordance with the present invention . probe 40 includes a catheter 52 having a distal end bearing an outer , reflector balloon 54 ; an inner , structural balloon 58 ; and a transducer subassembly 50 in accordance with the present invention . u . s . pat . no . 6 , 635 , 054 and international publication wo 2004 / 073505 disclose in more detail various probe structures of this type . the disclosures of u . s . pat . no . 6 , 635 , 054 and international publication wo 2004 / 073505 are incorporated herein , in their entirety , by reference . supporting tube 18 communicates with the interior lumen 53 of catheter 52 . supporting tube 18 may also extend through the forward wall 59 of balloon 58 . alternatively , tube 18 may be connected to another tubular structure 60 which extends through forward wall 59 of balloon 58 . tube 18 may have a lumen to pass device such as a guide wire 62 , or a sensor or pass a fluid such as a contrast medium . because the tube 18 is continuous with the lumen 53 of catheter 52 , and tube 18 or tubular structure 60 communicates with the forward wall 59 , the device provides a continuous passage . the thermal insulation provided by sleeve 32 ( fig2 ) protects the devices or fluids introduced through tube 18 from the heat generated by the transducer . prior to use , probe 40 would be in a collapsed state , in which both balloons 54 and 58 are collapsed about transducer subassembly 50 . probe 40 could , for example , be for use in cardiac ablation , in which case it could be inserted over a guide wire , through a sheath which , in accordance with conventional practice , has previously been threaded through a patient &# 39 ; s circulatory system and into the left atrium of the heart . however , there are other known techniques for positioning the probe , including surgical procedures . following that , structural balloon 58 may be inflated by injecting through a lumen of catheter 52 a liquid , such as saline solution , which has an ultrasonic impedance approximating that of blood . reflector balloon 54 is inflated by injecting through another lumen of catheter 52 a gas , such as carbon dioxide . owing to the different ultrasound impedance of the two inflation media , the interface between balloons 54 and 58 would then reflect ultrasound waves forward , through the distal portion of balloon 58 . although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed for illustrative purposes , those skilled in the art will appreciate that many additions , modifications and substitutions are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . | 0 |
referring now to the drawings , which are intended to illustrate the preferred embodiments of the invention , fig1 shows an apparatus 10 that includes an undulating strip shaped element 12 and a handle 14 . strip element 12 includes a first series of folds 16 that are substantially aligned with one another thereby forming a first edge 18 ( see fig3 ) which is an imaginary line that passes along the outer surfaces of the first series of folds 16 . strip element 12 also includes a second series of folds 20 that are substantially aligned with one another thereby forming a second edge 22 ( see fig3 ) which is an imaginary line that passes along the outer surfaces of the second series of folds 20 . the folds function as hinges that allow the strip to straighten as will be explained later . between sequential folds are intermediate segments 30 . some of the intermediate segments , such as the segment between folds 24 and 28 , include a connection means 32 and are referred to herein as connection segments 33 . other intermediate segments , such as the segment between folds 24 and 26 , do not include a connection means and are referred to as guiding segments 35 . the guiding segments are used to force the display article toward the opposing connection segment so that the display article &# 39 ; s engagement means can easily and reliably engage the strip &# 39 ; s connection means . guiding segments 35 include a curved portion 37 that forces the display card toward connection means 32 . curved portion 37 is located proximate the fold that connects the guiding segment to its abutting connection segment . a reinforcing rib 39 stiffens the curved portion 37 so that it will not yield during the attachment process . rib 39 also contacts an end of protrusion 60 thereby insuring that folds 60 are properly spaced along the length of handle 14 . strip shaped element 12 has two ends . the leading end 54 of strip 12 may include a flat rectangular section 58 onto which information pertaining to the product may be printed . in addition , leading end 54 includes a hook which functions as a means for securing a strip loaded with display articles to a support structure such as a shelf in a store . attached to strip 12 is handle 14 . the strip and handle are secured to one another at a plurality of points of contact 42 . handle 14 includes an elongated portion 44 that traverses virtually the entire length of first edge 18 . in this embodiment , elongated portion 44 has a first end 46 and a second end 48 ( see fig4 ). to facilitate practical handling of apparatus 10 , strip 12 should be connected to handle 14 at two or more points of contact . one point of contact should be near the first end 46 of handle 44 and another point of contact should be near the second end 48 of handle portion 44 . additional points of contact may be needed near the middle of handle portion 44 to prevent sagging of the undulated strip when the apparatus is held by an operator as shown in fig5 . a terminal section 50 abuts first end 46 to form a t - shaped handle . another component of handle 14 is midsection 52 which is secured to the side of the handle opposite the points of contact 42 . midsection 52 is preferably shaped to facilitate manual grasping of the apparatus as shown by the phantom hand shown in fig4 . several protrusions 60 extend from elongated portion 44 toward strip 12 . the protrusions are located between consecutive folds in the first series of folds . the protrusions serve as spacers between the folds . fig2 a , 2b , 2 c and 2 d show the top , bottom , left side and right side views , respectively , of the apparatus shown in fig1 . the preferred embodiment of connection means 32 is shown in fig1 and 3 . however , the connection means could take a variety of shapes provided the connection means releasably secures the display articles to strip 12 . the connection means may be formed as an integral part of the strip shaped element or the connection means may be formed separately and then secured to the strip by the use of an adhesive or mechanical attachment . referring now to fig3 , a first embodiment of connection means 32 are formed on the surfaces of connection segments 33 . in this embodiment , the connection means includes a tab 34 that has a proximate end 36 , contacting connection segment 33 , and a distal end 38 . cavity 40 , which is the space between tab 34 and connection segment 33 , provides a releasable connection that is used to engage the engagement means on the display articles as will be explained below . in the preferred embodiment , only one connection means is formed on every other intermediate segment . however , if desired , more than one connection means could be secured to a single connection segment . furthermore , connection means could be secured to every intermediate segment rather than every other segment . a second embodiment of the connection means is shown in fig4 . in this embodiment , a flexible projection 70 extends from connection segment 33 to form a barb or finger 72 that can be used to trap a portion of the display article &# 39 ; s planar component 102 between connection segment 33 and projection 70 . to function properly , the distance between the free end of finger 72 and connection segment 33 , designated distance “ c ” in fig4 , must be less than the thickness of planar component 102 which is designated as distance d in fig4 . because friction is used to secure the display article to the strip , the planar component does not need an opening 104 defined therein as shown in fig1 . to remove the display article shown in fig4 from a fully extended strip as generally shown in fig1 , the consumer would pull on the display article with sufficient force to overcome the friction between the planar component and the flexible projection . an apparatus of this invention may be manufactured using an injection molding process that forms the apparatus as a unitary component . the apparatus can be injection molded from materials such as polypropylene , styrene , acrylonitrile - butadiene - styrene ( abs ) and polyethylene . the material used will influence the design parameters of the apparatus , especially the thickness of the points of contact and folds . critical aspects of an injection molded apparatus are the points of contact that secure the strip to the handle and the folds that define the first and second edges of the strip . the points of contact must be frangible so that the handle can be easily separated from the strip by twisting the handle about the elongated section &# 39 ; s longitudinal axis until the points of contact are broken thereby releasing the handle from the strip . the points of contact must be able to keep the handle and strip secured to one another during normal handling of the apparatus prior to contacting the connection means to the display articles as will be explained below . at the same time , the points of contact must be frangible so that the handle can be easily separated from the strip by twisting the handle with one hand . preferably , the strength of the points of contact will allow the handle to be separated from the strip by turning the handle &# 39 ; s terminal section 50 one quarter of a turn either clockwise or counterclockwise . if needed , the handle may be turned two or more times to insure complete separation of the handle from the strip . the folds , 16 and 20 , that define the first and second edges of strip 12 are critical parts because the folds must act as durable hinges . the folds must be sufficiently flexible to allow the collapsed strip to be straightened after the strip has been loaded with display items and then hung from a support structure . if the folds are too stiff , the loaded strip will not be able to elongate and function in a satisfactory manner . if the folds are too thin , the strip could tear at the folds thus destroying the integrity of the strip . an alternative to making the apparatus as a unitary component is to make strip 12 and handle 14 as separate components and then secure them to one another . the apparatus could be designed so that the handle is secured to the folded strip by an interference fit . the apparatus could also be assembled by gluing the handle to the folded strip provided the glued connections can be easily broken by twisting the handle as described above . in another embodiment , the strip could be formed from individually molded connection segments and guiding segments which are joined to one another to form a flexible strip which is then attached to a handle . referring now to fig5 , 7 and 8 , the preferred process for securing display articles to a folded strip merchandiser will now be described . beginning with fig5 , apparatus 10 is provided . the apparatus includes handle 14 and undulating strip shaped element 12 that are secured to one another . strip 12 has a plurality of releasable connection means 32 located along the length of the strip . apparatus 10 is positioned over a plurality of display articles 100 . the articles are arranged in an open ended container 101 . as shown in fig1 , each display article has a planar component 102 , such as a rectangularly shaped piece of paperboard , that defines an opening 104 therethrough and a shallow cup shaped tray typically formed of a transparent thermoformable material secured to the planar component . an edge 106 defines the perimeter of the planar component . preferably , opening 104 is located proximate edge 106 . referring again to fig5 , the display articles are aligned and separated within the container to correspond to the distance between the strip &# 39 ; s connection means . each article has at least one releasable engagement means incorporated into the article . in this embodiment , the engagement means is the opening 104 in planar component 102 . as shown by the phantom hand in fig5 , the apparatus can be easily controlled with one hand . fig6 discloses a container 101 holding a plurality of display articles 100 and an apparatus 10 that has been partially inserted over the display articles . in this view , an edge 106 of each display article &# 39 ; s planar component 102 is contacting the convex surface of curved portion 37 which forms a part of guiding segment 35 . as the apparatus is forced toward the display articles , the planar component is laterally displaced toward tab 34 which is designed to extend through opening 104 in component 102 . reliable insertion of the tab into the opening is assured by the relative positioning of the curved portion of guiding segment 35 and the distal end of tab 34 . specifically , the curved portion of the guiding segment must extend laterally toward and beyond the distal end 38 of tab 34 . as shown in fig3 , the preferred arrangement of tab 34 and curved portion 37 is achieved when the shortest distance between the distal end 38 of tab 34 and the connection segment from which tab 34 extends , shown as distance a in fig3 , is equal to or greater than the shortest distance , represented by distance b in fig3 , between the curved portion 37 of guiding segment 35 and the connection segment from which tab 34 extends . as shown in fig6 , the motion of inserting apparatus 10 onto the plurality of display articles forces edge 106 of planar component 102 toward the guiding segment where the edge contacts the convex surface of curved portion 37 of guiding segment 35 thereby forcing the planar component in the opposite direction and against the tab . due to the contact between the tab and planar component , the tab immediately extends through opening 104 as soon as opening 104 passes the distal end 38 of tab 34 . fig7 represents the step of fully contacting the apparatus &# 39 ; strip to the plurality of display articles so that the strip &# 39 ; s releasable connection means completely engage the display articles &# 39 ; releasable engagement means . the apparatus is loaded by grasping apparatus 10 about midsection 52 of handle 14 and forcing the entire apparatus downward onto the plurality of display articles until tabs 34 are able to extend through openings 104 in the display articles &# 39 ; planar component 102 . the apparatus may then be pulled away from the display articles to force the portion of the planar component located between opening 104 and the planar component &# 39 ; s edge 106 to become firmly wedged in cavity 40 thereby suspending the article from the strip member . fig8 shows an isometric view of a loaded apparatus prior to separating handle 14 from strip 12 . a plurality of display articles 100 are releasably secured to strip 12 . protrusions 60 extend from handle 14 and separate portions of the strip &# 39 ; s intermediate segments from one another . the flat , rectangular section 58 of strip 12 forms a first end . fig9 discloses a cross section of container 101 holding a plurality of display articles 100 after the apparatus &# 39 ; strip has fully engaged the display articles , the handle has been separated from the strip 12 and the leading end &# 39 ; s rectangular section 58 has been folded toward the first edge 18 of undulating strip 12 . container 101 can be closed by folding over the container &# 39 ; s flaps 103 and sealing the container with glue or tape . the loaded container can then be shipped to a store where a store employee can open the box , grasp the leading end of strip 12 and pull the loaded strip from the box as shown in fig9 . shown in fig1 is a strip as it is pulled from a container after the strip has been loaded with a plurality of display articles as described above . the loaded strip is pulled from the container by grasping the leading end 54 of undulating strip shaped element 12 and pulling the loaded strip from the container . because each of the display articles has been secured to the strip by engaging each of the display articles with a connection means located on the strip , the display articles are removed from the container as the strip is pulled from the container the above description is considered that of the preferred embodiments only . modifications of the invention will occur to those skilled in the art and to those who make or use the invention . therefore , it is understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings and described above are merely for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention which is defined by the following claims as interpreted according to the principles of patent law . | 0 |
embodiments of the present invention provide a substrate support assembly ( e . g ., an electrostatic chuck ) having a protective layer formed over a ceramic body of the substrate support assembly . the protective layer may provide plasma corrosion resistance for protection of the ceramic body . the protective layer may be a bulk sintered ceramic article ( e . g ., a ceramic wafer ) that is metal bonded to the ceramic body using a nano - bonding technique . various bonding materials such as in , sn , ag , au , cu and their alloys could be used along with a reactive foil . in one embodiment , the ceramic body is a bulk sintered ceramic body ( e . g ., another ceramic wafer ). when the ceramic body does not include a chucking electrode , the metal bond may function as a chucking electrode for the electrostatic chuck . the ceramic body may additionally be metal bonded to a thermally conductive base by another metal bond . the thermally conductive base may include heating elements as well as channels that can be used to regulate temperature by flowing liquid for heating and / or cooling . the metal bond between the thermally conductive base and the ceramic body provides a good thermal contact , and enables the thermally conductive base to heat and cool the ceramic body , the protective layer and any substrate held by the electrostatic chuck during processing . embodiments provide an electrostatic chuck that can be as much as 4 x cheaper to manufacture than conventional electrostatic chucks . moreover , embodiments provide an electrostatic chuck that can adjust temperature rapidly and that is plasma resistant . the electrostatic chuck and a substrate being supported may be heated or cooled quickly , with some embodiments enabling temperature changes of 2 ° c ./ s or faster . this enables the electrostatic chuck to be used in multi - step processes in which , for example , a wafer may be processed at 20 - 30 ° c . and then rapidly ramped up to 80 - 90 ° c . for further processing . the embodiments described herein may be used for both columbic electrostatic chucking applications and johnson raybek chucking applications . in another embodiment , reactive foil is manufactured that has preformed surface features . the reactive foil may be manufactured by depositing alternating nanoscale layers of two reactive materials such as aluminum and nickel onto a template that has surface features . the surface features of the template may correspond to surface features of one or more substrates that the reactive foil will be used to bond . for example , if the one or more substrates have holes in them , then the template may have steps corresponding to the holes . these steps may cause reactive foil formed on the template to have preformed holes that correspond to the holes in the substrate . fig1 is a sectional view of one embodiment of a semiconductor processing chamber 100 having a substrate support assembly 148 disposed therein . the substrate support assembly 148 has a protective layer 136 of a bulk ceramic that has been metal bonded to a ceramic body of the substrate support assembly 148 . the metal bond may include a combination of metals , such as a combination of indium , tin , aluminum , nickel and one or more additional metals ( e . g ., such as gold or silver ). the metal bonding process is described in greater detail below . the protective layer may be a bulk ceramic ( e . g ., a ceramic wafer ) such as y 2 o 3 ( yttria or yttrium oxide ), y 4 al 2 o 9 ( yam ), al 2 o 3 ( alumina ) y 3 al 5 o 12 ( yag ), yalo3 ( yap ), quartz , sic ( silicon carbide ) si 3 n 4 ( silicon nitride ) sialon , minn . ( aluminum nitride ), alon ( aluminum oxynitride ), tio 2 ( titania ), zro 2 ( zirconia ), tic ( titanium carbide ), zrc ( zirconium carbide ), tin ( titanium nitride ), ticn ( titanium carbon nitride ) y 2 o 3 stabilized zro 2 ( ysz ), and so on . the protective layer may also be a ceramic composite such as y 3 al 5 o 12 distributed in al 2 o 3 matrix , y 2 o 3 — zro 2 solid solution or a sic — si 3 n 4 solid solution . the protective layer may also be a ceramic composite that includes a yttrium oxide ( also known as yttria and y 2 o 3 ) containing solid solution . for example , the protective layer may be a ceramic composite that is composed of a compound y 4 al 2 o 9 ( yam ) and a solid solution y 2 - xzr x o 3 ( y 2 o 3 — zro 2 solid solution ). note that pure yttrium oxide as well as yttrium oxide containing solid solutions may be doped with one or more of zro 2 , al 2 o 3 , sio 2 , b 2 o 3 , er 2 o 3 , nd 2 o 3 , nb 2 o 5 , ceo 2 , sm 2 o 3 , yb 2 o 3 , or other oxides . also note that pure aluminum nitride as well as doped aluminum nitride with one or more of zro 2 , al 2 o 3 , sio 2 , b 2 o 3 , er 2 o 3 , nd 2 o 3 , nb 2 o 5 , ceo 2 , sm 2 o 3 , yb 2 o 3 , or other oxides may be used . alternatively , the protective layer may be sapphire or mgalon . the protective layer may be a sintered ceramic article that was produced from a ceramic powder or a mixture of ceramic powders . for example , the ceramic composite may be produced from a mixture of a y 2 o 3 powder , a zro 2 powder and an al 2 o 3 powder . the ceramic composite may include y 2 o 3 in a range of 50 - 75 mol %, zro 2 in a range of 10 - 30 mol % and al 2 o 3 in a range of 10 - 30 mol %. in one embodiment , the hpm ceramic composite contains approximately 77 % y 2 o 3 , 15 % zro 2 and 8 % al 2 o 3 . in another embodiment , the ceramic composite contains approximately 63 % y 2 o 3 , 23 % zro 2 and 14 % al 2 o 3 . in still another embodiment , the hpm ceramic composite contains approximately 55 % y 2 o 3 , 20 % zro 2 and 25 % al 2 o 3 . relative percentages may be in molar ratios . for example , the hpm ceramic composite may contain 77 mol % y 2 o 3 , 15 mol % zro 2 and 8 mol % al 2 o 3 . other distributions of these ceramic powders may also be used for the ceramic composite . the processing chamber 100 includes a chamber body 102 and a lid 104 that enclose an interior volume 106 . the chamber body 102 may be fabricated from aluminum , stainless steel or other suitable material . the chamber body 102 generally includes sidewalls 108 and a bottom 110 . an outer liner 116 may be disposed adjacent the side walls 108 to protect the chamber body 102 . the outer liner 116 may be fabricated and / or coated with a plasma or halogen - containing gas resistant material . in one embodiment , the outer liner 116 is fabricated from aluminum oxide . in another embodiment , the outer liner 116 is fabricated from or coated with yttria , yttrium alloy or an oxide thereof . an exhaust port 126 may be defined in the chamber body 102 , and may couple the interior volume 106 to a pump system 128 . the pump system 128 may include one or more pumps and throttle valves utilized to evacuate and regulate the pressure of the interior volume 106 of the processing chamber 100 . the lid 104 may be supported on the sidewall 108 of the chamber body 102 . the lid 104 may be opened to allow excess to the interior volume 106 of the processing chamber 100 , and may provide a seal for the processing chamber 100 while closed . a gas panel 158 may be coupled to the processing chamber 100 to provide process and / or cleaning gases to the interior volume 106 through a gas distribution assembly 130 that is part of the lid 104 . examples of processing gases may be used to process in the processing chamber including halogen - containing gas , such as c 2 f 6 , sf 6 , sicl 4 , hbr , nf 3 , cf 4 , chf 3 , ch 2 f 3 , cl 2 and sif 4 , among others , and other gases such as o 2 , or n 2 o . examples of carrier gases include n 2 , he , ar , and other gases inert to process gases ( e . g ., non - reactive gases ). the gas distribution assembly 130 may have multiple apertures 132 on the downstream surface of the gas distribution assembly 130 to direct the gas flow to the surface of the substrate 144 . additionally , the gas distribution assembly 130 can have a center hole where gases are fed through a ceramic gas nozzle . the gas distribution assembly 130 may be fabricated and / or coated by a ceramic material , such as silicon carbide , yttrium oxide , etc . to provide resistance to halogen - containing chemistries to prevent the gas distribution assembly 130 from corrosion . the substrate support assembly 148 is disposed in the interior volume 106 of the processing chamber 100 below the gas distribution assembly 130 . the substrate support assembly 148 holds the substrate 144 during processing . an inner liner 118 may be coated on the periphery of the substrate support assembly 148 . the inner liner 118 may be a halogen - containing gas resist material such as those discussed with reference to the outer liner 116 . in one embodiment , the inner liner 118 may be fabricated from the same materials of the outer liner 116 . in one embodiment , the substrate support assembly 148 includes a mounting plate 162 supporting a pedestal 152 , and an electrostatic chuck 150 . in one embodiment , the electrostatic chuck 150 further includes a thermally conductive base 164 bonded to an electrostatic puck 166 by a metal or silicone bond 138 . alternatively , a simple ceramic body may be used instead of the electrostatic puck 166 , as will be described in greater detail with reference to fig3 . an upper surface of the electrostatic puck 166 is covered by the protective layer 136 that is metal bonded to the electrostatic puck 166 . in one embodiment , the protective layer 136 is disposed on the upper surface of the electrostatic puck 166 . in another embodiment , the protective layer 136 is disposed on the entire surface of the electrostatic chuck 150 including the outer and side periphery of the thermally conductive base 164 and the electrostatic puck 166 . the mounting plate 162 is coupled to the bottom 110 of the chamber body 102 and includes passages for routing utilities ( e . g ., fluids , power lines , sensor leads , etc .) to the thermally conductive base 164 and the electrostatic puck 166 . the thermally conductive base 164 and / or electrostatic puck 166 may include one or more optional embedded heating elements 176 , embedded thermal isolators 174 and / or conduits 168 , 170 to control a lateral temperature profile of the support assembly 148 . the conduits 168 , 170 may be fluidly coupled to a fluid source 172 that circulates a temperature regulating fluid through the conduits 168 , 170 . the embedded isolator 174 may be disposed between the conduits 168 , 170 in one embodiment . the heater 176 is regulated by a heater power source 178 . the conduits 168 , 170 and heater 176 may be utilized to control the temperature of the thermally conductive base 164 , thereby heating and / or cooling the electrostatic puck 166 and a substrate ( e . g ., a wafer ) being processed . the temperature of the electrostatic puck 166 and the thermally conductive base 164 may be monitored using a plurality of temperature sensors 190 , 192 , which may be monitored using a controller 195 . the electrostatic puck 166 and / or protective layer may further include multiple gas passages such as grooves , mesas and other surface features , that may be formed in an upper surface of the puck 166 and / or the protective layer . the gas passages may be fluidly coupled to a source of a heat transfer ( or backside ) gas , such as he via holes drilled in the puck 166 . in operation , the backside gas may be provided at controlled pressure into the gas passages to enhance the heat transfer between the electrostatic puck 166 and the substrate 144 . in one embodiment , the electrostatic puck 166 includes at least one clamping electrode 180 controlled by a chucking power source 182 . in alternative embodiments , the metal bond may function as the clamping electrode . alternatively , the protective layer may include an embedded clamping electrode ( also referred to as a chucking electrode ). the electrode 180 ( or other electrode disposed in the puck 166 or protective layer ) may further be coupled to one or more rf power sources 184 , 186 through a matching circuit 188 for maintaining a plasma formed from process and / or other gases within the processing chamber 100 . the sources 184 , 186 are generally capable of producing an rf signal having a frequency from about 50 khz to about 3 ghz and a power of up to about 10 , 000 watts . in one embodiment , an rf signal is applied to the metal base , an alternating current ( ac ) is applied to the heater and a direct current ( dc ) is applied to the chucking electrode . fig2 depicts an exploded view of one embodiment of the substrate support assembly 148 . the substrate support assembly 148 depicts an exploded view of the electrostatic chuck 150 and the pedestal 152 . the electrostatic chuck 150 includes the electrostatic puck 166 or other ceramic body , as well as the thermally conductive base 164 attached to the electrostatic puck 166 or ceramic body . the electrostatic puck 166 or other ceramic body has a disc - like shape having an annular periphery 222 that may substantially match the shape and size of the substrate 144 positioned thereon . in one embodiment , the electrostatic puck 166 or other ceramic body may be fabricated by a ceramic material . suitable examples of the ceramic materials include aluminum oxide ( al 2 o 3 ), aluminum nitride ( aln ), titanium oxide ( tio ), titanium nitride ( tin ), silicon carbide ( sic ) and the like . in one embodiment , the ceramic body is a bulk sintered ceramic , which may be in the form of a wafer . the thermally conductive base 164 attached below the electrostatic puck 166 or ceramic body may have a disc - like main portion 224 and an annular flange 220 extending outwardly from a main portion 224 and positioned on the pedestal 152 . in one embodiment , the thermally conductive base 164 may be fabricated by a metal , such as aluminum or stainless steel or other suitable materials . alternatively , the thermally conductive base 164 may be fabricated by a composite of ceramic , such as an aluminum - silicon alloy infiltrated sic or molybdenum to match a thermal expansion coefficient of the ceramic body . the thermally conductive base 164 should provide good strength and durability as well as heat transfer properties . an upper surface of the protective layer 136 may have an outer ring 216 , multiple mesas 210 and channels 208 , 212 between the mesas . fig3 illustrates a cross sectional side view of the electrostatic chuck 150 . referring to fig3 , the thermally conductive base 164 is coupled to a ceramic body 302 by a first metal bond 304 . the ceramic body 302 may be a bulk sintered ceramic such as aluminum oxide ( al 2 o 3 ), aluminum nitride ( aln ), titanium oxide ( tio ), titanium nitride ( tin ), silicon carbide ( sic ) and the like . the ceramic body 302 may be provided , for example , as a thin ceramic wafer . in one embodiment , the ceramic body has a thickness of about 1 mm . the ceramic body 302 may have an electrode connection 306 formed therein ( e . g ., by drilling a hole through the ceramic body and filling the hole with an electrically conductive material . the electrode connection 306 may connect a metal bond that functions as a clamping electrode to a chucking power source and / or to an rf source . the first metal bond 304 facilitates thermal energy exchange between the ceramic body 302 and the thermally conductive base 164 and may reduce thermal expansion mismatch therebetween . the metal base 164 may include multiple conduits ( e . g ., an inner conduit 168 and an outer conduit 170 ) through which fluids may be flowed to heat or cool the electrostatic chuck 150 and a substrate 144 . the metal base 164 may additionally include one or more embedded heaters 176 , which may be resistive heating elements . the first metal bond 304 mechanically bonds the thermally conductive base 164 to the ceramic body 302 . in one embodiment , the metal bonding material 304 includes tin and / or indium . alternatively , other metals may be used . additionally , the first metal bond 304 may include a thin layer of aluminum and nickel ( e . g ., having a thickness of about 2 - 4 mil in one embodiment ) between two layers of other metals ( e . g ., between two layers of tin ). in one embodiment , the thin layer is initially a reactive multi - layer foil ( referred to herein as a reactive foil ) composed of alternating nanoscale layers of reactive materials such as aluminum and nickel . during a room temperature metal bonding process , the reactive foil may be activated ( e . g ., ignited ), creating a near instantaneous reaction generating upwards of 1500 degrees c . this may cause upper and lower layers of metal , which act as a solder , to melt and reflow to bond the thermally conductive base 164 to the ceramic body 302 . in one embodiment , the reactive foil is nanofoil ®, manufactured by indium corporation of america . the electrostatic chuck 150 additionally includes a protective layer 136 that is coupled to the ceramic body 302 by a second metal bond 308 . the protective layer 136 may be provided , for example , as a thin ceramic wafer . mesas ( not shown ) may be formed on a surface of the protective layer , and the protective layer and ceramic body may include holes for the flow of helium and holes for lift pins . such holes may be formed before or after the protective layer 136 is bonded to the ceramic body . the second metal bond 308 may be substantially similar to the first metal bond 304 , and may have been generated using a room temperature bonding process ( e . g ., using an ignitable reactive foil ). in one embodiment , the reactive foil has preformed foil features that correspond to surface features of the protective layer and / or the ceramic body . for example , the reactive foil may have preformed holes that correspond to helium holes and lift pin holes in the protective layer . reactive foil having preformed foil features is described in greater detail below with reference to fig8 a - 11 . in one embodiment , both the first metal bond 304 and the second metal bond 308 are formed at the same time . for example , the entire structure may be pressed together in a fixture , and reactive foil between the thermally conductive base and ceramic body may be activated at approximately the same time as reactive foil between the protective layer and the ceramic body to form both metal bonds in parallel . bond thickness may be approximately 25 microns to 500 microns ( e . g ., 150 to 250 microns in one embodiment ). the thickness of protective layer 136 may be selected to provide desired dielectric properties such as a specific breakdown voltage . in one embodiment , when the electrostatic chuck is to be used in a columbic mode , the protective layer has a thickness of between about 150 - 500 microns ( and about 200 - 300 microns in one example embodiment ). if the electrostatic chuck is to be used in a johnson raybek mode , the protective layer may have a thickness of around 1 mm . as mentioned above , the protective layer 136 is a bulk sintered ceramic . in one embodiment , the protective layer is a ceramic composite as described above , which has a high hardness that resists wear ( due to relative motion because of thermal property mismatch between substrate & amp ; the puck ) during plasma processing . in one embodiment , the ceramic composite provides a vickers hardness ( 5 kgf ) between about 5 gpa and about 11 gpa . in one embodiment , the ceramic composite provides a vickers hardness of about 9 - 10 gpa . additionally , the ceramic composite may have a density of around 4 . 90 g / cm3 , a flexural strength of about 215 mpa , a fracture toughness of about 1 . 6 mpa · m 1 / 2 , a youngs modulus of about 190 gpa , a thermal expansion of about 8 . 5 × 10 − 6 / k ( 20 - 900 ° c . ), a thermal conductivity of about 3 . 5 w / mk , a dielectric constant of about 15 . 5 ( measured at 20 ° c . 13 . 56 mhz ), a dielectric loss tangent of about 11 × 10 - 4 ( 20 ° c . 13 . 56 mhz ), and a volume resistivity of greater than 10 15 ω · cm at room temperature in one embodiment . in another embodiment , the protective layer is yag . in another embodiment , the protective layer is sapphire . in still another embodiment , the protective layer is yttrium aluminum oxide ( y x al y o z ). a gasket 310 may be disposed at a periphery of the electrostatic chuck 150 between the protective layer 136 and the ceramic body 302 . in one embodiment , the gasket 310 is a fluoro - polymer compressible o - ring . in another embodiment , the gasket is a liquid polymer that cures under pressure to form the gasket . the gasket 310 provides a protective seal that protects the metal bond 308 from exposure to plasma or corrosive gases . a similar gasket may encircle and protect the first metal bond 304 . note also that a similar type of gasket 314 may be used to seal off and separate the electrode connection 306 from the first metal bond 304 . a quartz ring 146 , or other protective ring , surrounds and covers portions of the electrostatic chuck 150 . the substrate 144 is lowered down over the electrostatic puck 166 , and is held in place via electrostatic forces . if the electrostatic chuck 150 is to be used for columbic chucking , then the thickness of the protective layer ( dielectric above the electrode ) may be about 200 microns to about 1 mm . if the electrostatic shuck 150 is to be used for johnson raybek chucking , then the thickness of the protective layer may be about 1 mm to about 1 . 5 mm . fig4 illustrates a cross sectional side view of one embodiment of an electrostatic chuck 400 . the electrostatic chuck 400 has a ceramic body 410 metal bonded to a protective layer 415 by a metal bond 420 and further bonded to a metal plate 455 by a silicone bond or other bond 496 . in one embodiment , the ceramic body has a thickness of about 3 mm . the ceramic body 410 may include one or more heating elements 418 . in one embodiment , the ceramic body 410 includes an electrode embedded therein . in another embodiment ( as shown ), an electrode 485 may be embedded in the protective layer 415 . in yet another embodiment , a metal bond 420 may at as an electrode . in one embodiment , an upper portion 492 of the protective layer 415 that lies above the electrode 485 has a thickness of greater than 200 micron ( e . g ., 5 mil in one embodiment ). the thickness of the upper portion 492 of the protective layer 415 may be selected to provide desired dielectric properties such as a specific breakdown voltage . after the protective layer 415 is placed ( and ground to a final thickness in some embodiments ), mesas 418 are formed on an upper surface of the protective layer 415 . the mesas 418 may be formed , for example , by bead blasting or salt blasting the surface of the protective layer 415 . the mesas may be around 3 - 50 microns tall ( about 10 - 15 in one embodiment ) and about 200 microns in diameter in some embodiments . additionally , multiple holes 475 are drilled through the ceramic body 410 and / or protective layer 415 . these holes 475 may be drilled before or after the protective layer 415 is bonded to the ceramic base 410 , and holes in the protective layer 415 may line up with holes in the ceramic body 410 and / or base 455 . in one embodiment , holes are drilled through the protective layer 415 , ceramic body 410 and base 455 after the bonding is performed . alternatively , holes may be drilled separately and then aligned prior to bonding . the holes may line up with preformed holes in a reactive foil used to form the metal bond 420 between the ceramic body 410 and protective layer 415 . in one embodiment , gaskets 490 are placed or formed at a perimeter of the metal bond 420 and where the holes 475 meet the metal bond 420 . the gaskets formed around the holes 475 may be omitted in some implementations in which the metal bond 420 is not used as an electrode . in one embodiment , the holes 475 have a diameter of about 4 - 7 mil . in one embodiment , the holes are formed by laser drilling . the holes 475 may deliver a thermally conductive gas such as helium to valleys or conduits between the mesas 418 . the helium ( or other thermally conductive gas ) may facilitate heat transfer between a substrate and the electrostatic chuck 400 . it is also possible to deposit the mesas 418 on top of substrate support ( e . g ., onto the protective layer 415 ). ceramic plugs ( not shown ) may fill the holes . the ceramic plugs may be porous , and may permit the flow of helium . however , the ceramic plugs may prevent arcing of flowed plasma . fig5 illustrates one embodiment of a process 500 for manufacturing an electrostatic chuck . at block 505 of process 500 , a ceramic body is provided . the provided ceramic body may be a ceramic wafer . the ceramic wafer may have undergone some processing , such as to form an electrode connector , but may lack heating elements , cooling channels , and an embedded electrode . at block 510 , a lower surface of the ceramic body is bonded to a thermally conductive base by performing a metal bonding process to form a first metal bond . at block 515 , a bulk sintered ceramic protective layer is bonded to an upper surface of the ceramic body by the metal bonding process to form a second metal bond . the protective layer may be a ceramic wafer having a thickness of about 700 microns to about 1 - 2 mm . the metal bonding process is described with reference to fig7 . in one embodiment , the upper surface of the ceramic body is polished flat before bonding it to the protective layer . at block 520 , the second metal bond is coupled to a sealed electrode connection . this coupling may occur as a result of the metal bonding process that forms the second metal bond . at block 525 , a surface of the protective layer is ground down to a desired thickness . the protective layer may be a dialectic material over a clamping electrode , and so the desired thickness may be a thickness that provides a specific breakdown voltage ( e . g ., about 200 - 300 microns in one embodiment ). at block 530 , mesas are formed on an upper surface of the protective layer . at block 535 , holes are formed in the protective layer and the ceramic body ( e . g ., by laser drilling ). note that the operations of block 530 may be performed after bonding the protective layer to the ceramic body ( as shown ), or may be performed prior to such bonding . plugs may then be formed in the holes . in an alternative embodiment , the ceramic body may be bonded to the base after the mesas are formed , after the holes are formed and / or after the protective layer is bonded . fig6 illustrates another embodiment of a process for manufacturing an electrostatic chuck . at block 605 of process 600 , a ceramic body is provided . the provided ceramic body may be a ceramic puck that includes one or more heating elements . the ceramic puck may or may not include an embedded electrode . at block 610 , a lower surface of the ceramic body is bonded to a thermally conductive base . the bond may be a silicone bond in one embodiment . in another embodiment , the bonding material may be a thermal conductive paste or tape having at least one of an acrylic based compound and silicone based compound . in yet another embodiment , the bonding material may be a thermal paste or tape having at least one of an acrylic based compound and silicone based compound , which may have metal or ceramic fillers mixed or added thereto . the metal filler may be at least one of al , mg , ta , ti , or combination thereof and the ceramic filler may be at least one of aluminum oxide ( al 2 o 3 ), aluminum nitride ( aln ), titanium diboride ( tib 2 ) or combination thereof . at block 615 , a bulk sintered ceramic protective layer is bonded to an upper surface of the ceramic body by a metal bonding process to form a metal bond . the metal bonding process is described with reference to fig7 . at block 620 , a surface of the protective layer is ground down to a desired thickness . the protective layer may be a dialectic material over a clamping electrode , and so the desired thickness may be a thickness that provides a specific breakdown voltage . at block 625 , mesas are formed on an upper surface of the protective layer . at block 630 , holes are formed in the protective layer and the ceramic body ( e . g ., by laser drilling ). in an alternative embodiment , the ceramic body may be bonded to the base after the mesas are formed , after the holes are formed or after the protective layer is bonded . fig7 illustrates one embodiment for performing a metal bonding process . at block 705 , a surface of a first body is coated with a first metal layer . the metal layer may be tin , indium or another metal . at block 710 , a surface of a second body is coated with a second metal layer . the first body and second body may be , for example , a protective layer , a ceramic body or a thermally conductive base . for ceramic bodies ( e . g , the ceramic body or protective layer ), coating the surface with a metal layer may include first forming a titanium layer on the surface . titanium has properties that cause it to form strong bonds with ceramics ( such as by forming bonds with oxygen molecules in ceramics ). a metal layer may then be formed over the titanium . the metal layer may be tin or indium , for example . if tin is used for the metal layer , then processes of below 250 degrees c . may be performed using the electrostatic chuck since tin has a melting temperature of 250 degrees c . if indium is used for the metal layer , then processes of below 150 degrees c . may be performed using the electrostatic chuck since indium has a melting temperature of 150 degrees c . if higher temperature processes are to be performed , than a metal having a higher melting temperature should be used for the metal layers . the titanium layer and the subsequent metal layer may be formed by evaporation , electroplating , sputtering , or other metal deposition or growth techniques . alternatively , the first metal layer may be a first sheet of solder ( e . g ., a sheet of tin or indium ) that is positioned against the first body , and the second metal layer may be a second sheet of solder that is positioned against the second body . in one embodiment , the first metal layer and second metal layer are each approximately 1 - 20 mils thick ( e . g ., 25 - 100 microns in one embodiment ). at block 715 , a gasket is applied on a periphery of the coated surface of the first body or second body . the gasket will protect the coated surface from interaction with corrosive gases or plasmas . in one embodiment , the gasket is a compressible o - ring . alternatively , the gasket may be a liquid that cures under pressure to form the gasket . at block 720 , the coated surface of the first body is positioned against the coated surface of the second body with a reactive foil therebetween . in one embodiment , the reactive foil is approximately 50 - 150 microns thick . at block 725 , pressure is applied to compress the first body against the second body . the pressure may be about 50 pounds per square inch ( psi ) in one embodiment . while the pressure is applied , at block 730 the reactive foil is activated . the reactive foil may be activated by providing a small burst of local energy , such as by using optical , electrical or thermal energy sources . ignition of the reactive foil causes a chemical reaction that produces a sudden and momentary localized burst of heat up to about 1500 degrees c ., which melts the first and second metal layers , causing them to reflow into a single metal bond . this nano - bonding technique for forming a metal bond precisely delivers localized heat that does not penetrate the bodies being bonded . since the bodies are not heated , the bodies may have a significant mismatch in coefficients of thermal expansion ( cte ) without a detrimental effect ( e . g ., without inducing stress or warping ). fig8 illustrates one embodiment of a process 800 for manufacturing a reactive foil sheet having preformed foil features . at block 805 of process 800 , a template having surface features is provided . the template may be any rigid material in one embodiment . the template may have a substantially planar surface , with one or more surface features . alternatively , the template may have a non - planar surface with or without surface features . the surface features may include positive steps ( e . g ., standoffs ) and / or negative steps ( e . g ., holes or trenches ) in a surface of the template . the steps may have a height or depth that is sufficient to cause a first portion of a deposited reactive foil sheet that covers the step to be discontiguous with a second portion of the reactive foil sheet that covers a remainder of the template . for example , standoffs may have a height of about 1 - 25 mm , and holes / trenches may have a depth of about 1 - 25 mm in one particular embodiment , the steps have a height or depth of about 2 - 10 mm instead , deposited reactive foil may have the shape of the non - planar regions . the surface features may also include non - planar regions such as bumps , dips , curves , and so forth . these surface features may not cause any portions of a deposited reactive foil sheet to be discontiguous with other portions of the reactive foil sheet . at block 810 , alternating nanoscale layers of at least two reactive materials are deposited onto the template to form a reactive foil sheet . in one embodiment , the reactive materials are metals that are sputtered onto the template . the reactive materials may also be formed by evaporation , electroplating , or other metal deposition or growth techniques . thousands of alternating layers of the two reactive materials may be deposited onto the template . each layer may have a thickness on the scale of one nanometer to tens of nanometers . in one embodiment , the reactive foil is approximately 10 - 500 microns thick , depending on the number of nanoscale layers that the reactive foil includes . in a further embodiment , the reactive foil is about 50 - 150 microns thick . in one embodiment , the two reactive materials are aluminum ( al ) and nickel ( ni ), and the reactive foil is a stack of al / ni layers . alternatively , the two reactive materials may be aluminum and titanium ( ti ) ( producing a stack of al / ti layers ), titanium and boron ( b ) ( producing a stack of ti / b layers ), copper ( cu ) and nickel ( producing a stack of cu / ni layers ) or titanium and amorphous silicon ( si ) ( producing a stack of ti / si layers ). other reactive materials may also be used to form the reactive foil . for some surface features , a height or depth of the surface feature may cause a portion of a deposited reactive foil sheet to be discontiguous with other portions of the reactive foil sheet . in many cases , this discontinuity is intended . however , if no discontinuity is desired , then an angle of the template with regards to a deposition source may be controlled to eliminate any such discontinuity . in one embodiment , the template is rotated and / or the angle of the template with relation to the deposition source is changed during the deposition process . in another embodiment , multiple deposition sources having different locations are used . the arrangement of the deposition sources may be set to maximize coverage of a non - planar surface and / or surface features while minimizing thickness variations in the alternating layers . at block 815 , the reactive foil sheet is removed from the template . the reactive foil sheet may have a weak mechanical bond to the template , enabling the reactive foil to be removed from the template without tearing . the reactive foil sheet may have foil features that correspond to surface features of the template . for example , the reactive foil sheet may have voids corresponding to the regions of the template that had steps . additionally , the reactive foil sheet may have non - planar ( e . g ., three dimensional ) features corresponding to three dimensional features in the template . the features may have various sizes and shapes . the preformed foil features may correspond to surface features of one or more substrates that the reactive foil is designed to bond . accordingly , the formed reactive foil may be production worthy . for example , the reactive foil may be set in place on a substrate having surface features and energized to create a metal bond without first machining the reactive foil to accommodate the surface features . fig9 a illustrates deposition of nanoscale metal layers onto a template 900 having surface features . the template 900 has a substantially planar surface 905 with three surface features 910 , 915 , 922 . surface features 910 and 915 are steps having a height 920 . the height 920 is sufficiently tall to cause nanoscale metal layers deposited 925 onto the features 910 , 915 to be discontiguous with nanoscale metal layers deposited 925 onto a remainder of the template &# 39 ; s surface 905 . surface feature 922 is a non - planar ( e . g ., three dimensional ) feature . metal layers 925 deposited onto feature 922 are contiguous with metal layers deposited onto the remainder of the template &# 39 ; s surface 905 . fig9 b illustrates a reactive foil sheet 950 having preformed foil features 960 , 965 , 970 . the reactive foil sheet 950 is formed by depositing alternating nanoscale metal layers onto template 900 of fig9 a . the reactive foil sheet 950 is substantially planar . however , reactive foil sheet 950 includes a non - planar feature 970 caused by deposition over surface feature 922 of template 900 . foil features 960 and 965 are voids in reactive foil sheet 950 , and correspond to surface features 910 , 920 of template 900 . fig1 a illustrates deposition of nanoscale metal layers onto a template 1000 having a non - planar surface 1005 . the template 1000 may have a three dimensional shape as shown , or may have any other three dimensional shape . fig1 b illustrates a non - planar reactive foil sheet 1050 having a three dimensional shape that matches the three dimensional shape of template 1000 . this three dimensional shape may correspond to a three dimensional shape of two substrates that the reactive foil will be used to bond together . accordingly , the reactive foil sheet 1050 may be place onto one of the substrates in an orientation and position that causes a shape and any features of the reactive foil sheet 1050 to line up with a shape and features of the substrate . the second substrate may then be placed over the reactive foil sheet , and the reactive foil sheet may be ignited . because the reactive foil sheet has a shape that matches the substrates that it will bond , the reactive foil sheet will not be deformed or torn . this may minimize or eliminate leakage paths that might otherwise be caused by attempting to use a planar reactive foil sheet to bond non - planar surfaces . the reactive foil sheets with preformed features described herein may be used to bond any two substrates . the reactive foil sheets may be particularly useful for applications in which a room temperature , rapid bond is to be formed without vacuum and between substrates having surface features . for example , the reactive foil may be used to bond an electrostatic puck with helium holes to a cooling base plate . the reactive foil sheets described herein may also be used to bond a protective layer over a showerhead , which may have thousands of gas distribution holes as well as divots and / or standoffs around the gas distribution holes . the reactive foil sheets may also be used to bond semiconductor devices , solar devices , and other devices . fig1 illustrates a continuous reactive foil 1100 formed of interlocking reactive foil sheets 1105 , 1110 , 1115 , 1120 . the perimeters of the reactive foil sheets 1105 - 1120 may have a tessellating puzzle shape that enables the reactive foil sheets 1105 - 1120 to interlock . the tessellating puzzle shape may be formed by depositing alternating nanoscale metal layers over a template having a step around a perimeter of the template with the tessellating puzzle shape . accordingly , the above described process 800 may be used to create interlocking reactive foil sheets . these interlocking reactive foil sheets enable any sized substrate to be bonded using a metal bonding process without introducing leakage pathways . the preceding description sets forth numerous specific details such as examples of specific systems , components , methods , and so forth , in order to provide a good understanding of several embodiments of the present invention . it will be apparent to one skilled in the art , however , that at least some embodiments of the present invention may be practiced without these specific details . in other instances , well - known components or methods are not described in detail or are presented in simple block diagram format in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention . thus , the specific details set forth are merely exemplary . particular implementations may vary from these exemplary details and still be contemplated to be within the scope of the present invention . reference throughout this specification to “ one embodiment ” or “ an embodiment ” means that a particular feature , structure , or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment . thus , the appearances of the phrase “ in one embodiment ” or “ in an embodiment ” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment . in addition , the term “ or ” is intended to mean an inclusive “ or ” rather than an exclusive “ or .” when the term “ about ” or “ approximately ” is used herein , this is intended to mean that the nominal value presented is precise within ± 10 %. although the operations of the methods herein are shown and described in a particular order , the order of the operations of each method may be altered so that certain operations may be performed in an inverse order or so that certain operation may be performed , at least in part , concurrently with other operations . in another embodiment , instructions or sub - operations of distinct operations may be in an intermittent and / or alternating manner in one embodiment , multiple metal bonding operations are performed as a single step . it is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative , and not restrictive . many other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading and understanding the above description . the scope of the invention should , therefore , be determined with reference to the appended claims , along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled . | 8 |
referring to the drawings , the invention can be seen to reside in a shower tray or bath 1 as shown in fig1 . in the description of the preferred embodiments , reference will be made to a shower tray 1 , however , it should be noted that other apparatus and particular baths , tubs and the like , may also incorporate this invention where suitable . this preferred embodiment of the shower tray 1 is designed to be placed in a corner of the room such that sides 2 and 3 of the apparatus 1 are placed adjacent walls within the room . a further portion 4 is placed on an interior side of the apparatus 1 protruding into the room and has a sill 5 to which the shower doors or similar apparatus may be fitted . in this embodiment , a recess 6 is provided within a portion of the sill 5 to act as a drainage channel . the recess 6 has an opening 7 to allow the flow of water from the recess 6 back into the interior side of the sill 5 and down into the base 8 of the apparatus 1 . this may then allow drainage back into the drain 9 at a low point in the base 8 . it can be seen in this preferred embodiment , the recess 6 is placed adjacent an end of the sill 5 and , in this embodiment , two such drainage portions are provided adjacent each end of the sill 5 at an intersection between the sill 5 and a portion of the apparatus 1 to lie adjacent a wall 2 or 3 . in use , prior art methods of construction have provided doors or similar apparatus placed on the sill 5 which has a c - shaped channel running along the sill 5 so that the ends of the arms of the channel reside on the sill 5 with the back of the channel uppermost and separated from the sill 5 . adjacent the corners of the sill where it resides against the walls 2 and 3 , channels are often provided as part of the door apparatus , so that the door or similar apparatus may fit within the channel . this channel running down the walls 2 or 3 adjacent the end of the sill 5 is generally placed with the arms of the channel extending outwardly from the wall to engage the door . it is recognised in such prior art constructions that some water will run along the face of the door and into the channel against the walls 2 and 3 . this water then flows down onto the channel placed on the sill 5 and this apparatus generally provides a drainage hole in the upper surface of the channel so that the water may flow into the space between the legs of the channel sitting on the sill 5 . such typical constructions then provide for the use of silicone or similar sealants against the outer leg of the channel sitting on the sill 5 , so that water cannot flow pass this sealant and onto the floor surrounding the apparatus 1 . however , such prior art constructions rely on the security of this silicone sealant so that sufficient pressure can build up within the channel sitting on the sill 5 to force the water back in past the inner leg of the channel and towards the interior of the shower tray . the reliance on a pressure system to pass the water into the interior of the shower tray places greater reliance and greater likelihood of finding weak spots in the sealant adjacent the outer leg of this base channel . in the present invention , the recess portion 6 and its opening 7 back into the interior of the tray provides a specific drainage channel for the drainage of this water back into the interior of the tray . although silicone sealants may still be used on the channel sitting on the sill 5 , the drainage channel or recess 6 now allows a low pressure drainage back into the tray to reduce the likelihood of the passage of water to the outside edge of the apparatus 1 and onto this surrounding floor . turning now to fig3 the connection between the shower tray 8 and the wall 3 is shown in cross - section . a typical arrangement is the provision of a floor 9 , a bottom plate 10 and spaced apart studs 11 to form the construction of the room in which the shower tray 8 is housed . of course , alternative arrangements exist and may still be used in conjunction with this apparatus . it can be seen that the shower base 8 turns into an upstanding flange 12 which is provided about that portion of the perimeter of the shower tray 8 adjacent the walls 2 and 3 . in addition , the preferred form provides a step 16 in the upstanding flange intermediate of a top edge 17 of the flange 12 and the base 8 of the shower tray . the step 16 allows for some accommodation of the wall lining 18 to extending pass the top edge 17 of the flange 12 without the formation of a shadow line from a gap between the lining 18 and flange 12 . in this present invention , a spacing means 19 is provided on or adjacent the top edge 17 to space the wall lining 18 from this top edge 17 and create an air gap 20 between the wall lining 18 and an upper portion 21 of the flange 12 adjacent the top edge 17 . the spacer 19 may be provided by any convenient means and in this particular embodiment is shown as a separate portion having legs 22 and 23 to engage about the upper portion 21 and an inwardly directed flange 24 to provide the necessary spacing between the wall lining 18 and the upper portion of the flange 21 . it can be also seen that the spacer 19 is provided with an upper surface created by the flange 24 on or adjacent which a wallboard 25 may reside . in the preferred form of the invention , the spacer 19 as provided by the section having legs 22 , 23 and flange 24 is provided as a continuous section from relatively resiliently flexible material so that it may be tightly squeezed over the top edge 17 of the flange 12 and form a reasonable seal at that point . alternatively it may be desirable to provide an inwardly directed flange similar to the flange 24 integral with the top edge 17 of the upstanding flange 12 as part of the shower tray itself . in further alternatives , the spacer 19 could be provided by a block of material placed adjacent the top edge 17 . in use , prior art showers merely provided for the wall lining to lie adjacent the upper portion 21 of the shower tray 8 and provided a bead of silicone therebetween to create a seal . however , capillary action is likely between the lining 18 and the upper portion 21 and this can draw moisture up to the bead of silicone . provided the silicone is in good repair and no portions are missed , the silicone may well seal this adequately . however , should there be any mistakes in the placement of the silicone so that small gaps appear or should the silicone sealant age with time and become brittle and cracked , water may seep past the silicone and into the wall space . this can create damage to the remainder of the structure of the house such as the studs 11 , bottom plate 10 and floor 9 . in this present invention , the creation of the air gap 20 stops or minimises the likelihood of capillary action between the wall lining 18 and the flange 12 of the shower tray 8 . if it is desired , a silicone sealant may be used in conjunction with the apparatus , however , this may prove unnecessary with the provision of the air gap stopping the climbing of water up behind the wall lining 18 . in addition , should any water manage to reside in the air gap 20 , such water is likely to travel along the step 16 provided on the preferred form of the invention towards the ends of the wall lining 18 at which the sill 5 is provided . at these points , any excess water that has managed to get into this gap 20 may drain down into the recess 6 forming the drainage channel as described previously . the passage of water along the step 16 in the region of the air gap 20 is still relatively sealed off from the remainder of the wall 3 through the particular form of the provision of the spacer 19 . the passage of water up the flange portion 21 intermediate of the legs 22 and 23 of the spacer 19 is a difficult path for water flow and the only likely point of passage for water from the air gap 20 other than into the drainage channel 6 is a requirement for the water to get between the inwardly turned flange 24 and the wall lining 18 . thus it can be seen that this connection between the shower tray or bath 8 and the wall 3 and the method of construction involved providing the shower tray 8 and placing it adjacent the wall with the spacer 19 to space the wall lining 18 from the upstanding flange portion 21 creates an air gap which will limit or eliminate the passage of water between the wall lining 18 over the upper edge 17 of the tray or bath 8 . this connection may work in conjunction with the previously described drainage channel 6 provided in the sill 5 of the apparatus as well . although the step 16 reduces the visual discontinuity between the flange 12 and lining 18 and provides a specific drainage path , the spacer alone is sufficient for the invention to inhibit the passage of water into the supporting wall . when both the spacer element for the wall lining and the drainage channels 6 and 7 are provided on the same unit , it may be necessary to fill the area 30 as shown on fig2 . the plan view in fig2 shows the upstand flange 21 and the region 30 substantially corresponds with the top of the step 16 should this be provided all the way to the outer edge of the shower tray . where this is adjacent the drainage channel 6 , it may be necessary to inhibit the further passage of water along this step pass the drainage 6 and to encourage the water into the drainage channel 6 and out the outlet 7 into the shower tray . this region 30 may be filled in any suitable manner such as by silicon sealant or , in the preferred form , the flange 21 may be thickened in this region to take up the space provided along the remainder of this flange by the spacer such that the flange 21 substantially abuts the wall liner in this region . thus it can be seen that the invention provides a shower tray or bath and a method of constructing such a shower or bath installation which overcomes many of the problems in sealing prior art apparatus . wherein the foregoing description reference has been made to specific components or integers of the invention having known equivalents then such equivalents are herein incorporated as if individually set forth . although this invention has been described by way of example and with reference to possible embodiments thereof it is to be understood that modifications or improvements may be made thereto without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention . | 0 |
the following description of a preferred embodiment ( s ) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention , its application , or uses . for ease of description , only one exemplary embodiment is herein described in detail . however , it should be understood that a person of ordinary skill in the art would contemplate that any of a plurality of embodiments may utilize the same themed cemetery construction for many different themes including stadiums , landmarks , buildings , parks , and the like . it should be understood that the use of a car racing stadium is utilized only for illustration purposes only and is in no way limited to only race car stadiums . fig1 illustrates an overall perspective view of a themed cemetery 1 . the themed cemetery 1 may take any of a plurality of shapes and sizes , depending on the desires and accommodations necessary for those wishing to be interned at the location . the themed cemetery 1 may take the form of a car racing facility 3 as illustrated in fig1 , but may also take the form of any preferred landmarks , including sports stadiums , arenas , famous landmarks such as parks , buildings , structures , vehicles , trains , planes and the like . for illustrative purposes , fig1 illustrates a themed cemetery 1 in the form of a racing car facility 3 such as those found in famous car racing tracks like daytona raceway , ( not shown ) california raceway ( not shown ) and / or the indianapolis raceway ( not shown ). as illustrated in fig1 , the themed cemetery 1 in the form of a racing car facility 3 may have a plurality of sections included therein . for example , the racing car facility 3 may have many of the same features commonly found on the actual racing car facility 3 for which it is modeled . the themed cemetery 1 may include grandstands 5 , commonly found in most real world racing car facilities . the grandstands 5 may include a plurality of areas including at least a seating area 7 , media box areas 9 , and grandstand burial areas 11 . it is contemplated that the grandstand 5 take the same form and shape as the real world racing car facilities and be approximately the same relational size to the real facilities . as mentioned earlier , the grandstands 5 of the themed cemetery 1 may have a seating area 7 which may be used by those individuals that come to visit those interned there . the seating area 7 of the grandstands 5 may also provide an area which may be suitably familiar to the individuals that may be visiting loved ones buried in the themed cemetery 1 . for example , friends that may have attended baseball games together and held season passes or attended race car events together and sat in the same location for years , may desire to sit in those same locations in the grandstands 5 when visiting the friends and / or relatives that may be buried at the themed cemetery 1 . a greater sense of familiarity may be provided with the seating area 7 of the grandstand 5 . moreover , providing adequate seating area 7 may also allow for the accommodation of more people in the themed cemetery 1 and may also relax some of the anxiety related to visiting individuals at a cemetery . additionally , as illustrated in fig1 , the themed cemetery 1 may also have a grandstand area 5 which may include media boxes 9 or luxury boxes . these media / luxury boxes 9 may be located in similar locations as those in the real world facilities . many individuals have luxury boxes and a great deal of their social life while they were alive revolved around these luxury boxes 9 . these media / luxury boxes 9 may be utilized as either visitor areas or , in the alternative , may be utilized as burial areas for those wishing to be buried in the areas that many spent so much time in . however , as these media / luxury boxes 9 in real life cost significantly more than regular seating areas 7 , similarly , the media / luxury boxes 9 may cost more to be buried therein which may increase the exclusivity and profitability to the owner of the themed cemetery 1 facility . the luxury boxes 9 may encompass the entirety of the outside edge 13 of the themed cemetery 1 and may have the added advantage of looking out away from the themed cemetery 1 to property located adjacent ( not shown ). these luxury boxes 9 may include similar characteristics as those found in the real world facilities including glass 15 which looks towards the infield area 17 , the grandstand seating area 7 and even into the winning circle 25 , and the track 29 itself . included in the grandstands 5 may be a grandstand burial area 11 . as enumerated above , many individuals may have spent much of their time at a particular sporting event , such as season tickets for baseball games where the season ticket holder held the same seats for many years . the themed cemetery 1 may provide the individual with the ability to be buried or interned in much the same location or seating area where that individual may have spent so much of their leisure time . additionally , visitors that knew the individual well , would know that the individual had been buried in the grandstand burial area 11 at a location that was close or at the location where that individual spent much of their leisure time . many visitors may have at one point or the other , gone to a sporting event with the person interned or buried there and may have fond memories of their time with that individual . the grandstand burial area 11 may also provide nostalgic and / or fond memories for the individuals that visit the deceased , creating a positive atmosphere as opposed to the deserted , and desolate prior art cemetery grounds that provide the atmosphere that would provoke the fond and happy memories , thereby creating a positive cemetery visitor experience . fig1 also illustrates the track area 29 of the themed cemetery 1 car racing facility 3 . the track area 29 could be akin to the baseball field , football field , etc . of another type of facility and is utilized for illustrative purposes only . the track area 29 may have been the focus of the deceased individuals &# 39 ; attention when they were participating or viewing the event . the individual may have some fondness for being buried in the place for which they focused so much of their attention . from the facility owner &# 39 ; s standpoint , the track area 29 or the field area in the case of a baseball field , or football field may comprise the majority of the area of the facility and may be the least expensive portion of the themed cemetery 1 to buy . moreover , because the track area 29 may comprise a large portion of the surface area of the themed cemetery 1 , the facility owners may utilize the space to promote aesthetic features of the cemetery 1 including different vegetation / plants 31 , along with statues 35 , benches 37 ( see fig2 ) and the like . the track area 29 may allow for a park - like atmosphere which includes plants 31 , traditional seating areas 37 and walkways 39 which may allow visitors to walk around the track area 29 to view other parts of the themed cemetery 1 , sit in the grandstands 5 and to find the appropriate loved family or friend that may be interned or buried at a particular location within the track area 29 . the track area 29 may even be divided into a first area 41 and a second area 43 . the first area 41 may comprise more uniform tombstones 47 that lie at ground level and may complete the aesthetic appearance of a track area 29 . moreover because of their proximity to other tombstones 49 , the first area 41 may be marketed as a cheaper area to purchase than other areas of the themed cemetery 1 . the second area 43 of the track area 29 may be marketed by the facility owners as a more expensive , larger plot area of the themed cemetery 1 . as illustrated in fig2 , more ornate tombstones 51 may be located in this second area 43 than those present in the first area 41 of the track area 29 . the tombstones 51 may include larger headstones 55 , mausoleums 57 and / or more decorative and specific memorials 59 . these specific memorials 59 may include figures such as racing cars 61 , favorite players / drivers , favorite number designators 63 and many other optional indicia that may show the deceased &# 39 ; s preferred and / or love for that specific pastime . fig2 further illustrates the themed cemetery 1 and the continuation of the theme throughout the entire facility , which in the case of the race car facility 3 , may include the general presence of racing flags , such as winner &# 39 ; s flags , caution flags , and the like that may be incorporated both figuratively into the ground coverings , and other memorial areas and may even include things like trophies 69 which may be placed ornamentally around the entirety of the race car facility 3 themed cemetery 1 . additionally , it is contemplated that the second area 43 may have specific memorials 59 and larger headstones 55 , which would likely necessitate larger spaces between a first plot 71 and a second plot 73 . thereby walkways 39 may be incorporated between a first plot 71 and a second plot 73 and vegetation 31 may be incorporated into the spaces therebetween . fig2 further illustrates the winner &# 39 ; s circle area 25 of the themed cemetery 1 . the winner &# 39 ; s circle area 25 may be set up similarly to the winner &# 39 ; s circle of the real world facility . moreover , the winner &# 39 ; s circle area 25 may be marked with ornate decorations such as vegetation 31 and trophies 69 which may mark it as such . additionally , it is contemplated that the winner &# 39 ; s circle may be utilized as a burial place for those wishing to be buried in this specific area whereby the facility owner may choose to charge a premium for burial at that specific location or may use the winner &# 39 ; s circle as a visitor &# 39 ; s area only with seating areas and the like set up . the winner &# 39 ; s circle 25 may be at a focal point to the entire themed cemetery 1 , whereby the grandstands 5 and the track area 29 all encircle the winner &# 39 ; s circle 25 which may increase the value and location of the burial spots close to the winner &# 39 ; s circle 25 . individuals may wish to be buried near that area as many people will desire to visit this area because of its unique ornamentation including plaques and potentially other memorabilia from actual races / sporting events . also illustrated in fig2 is the outside edge 79 of the second area 42 of the track area 29 . as can be seen , larger headstones 55 may be located in this area that may be adjacent to the winner &# 39 ; s circle 25 . moreover , statues 81 may also be placed in this area . in an exemplary embodiment , a statute 81 representing the likeness of a deceased individual may be displaced whereby the individual statue 81 may be wearing their favorite jacket / article 83 of clothing having the indicia of the sporting event or the racing number 85 of their favorite driver thereon . the statue may be displayed to show the deceased individual &# 39 ; s love and enthusiasm for a particular sport , event or particular individual , driver or the like , yet still have the personalized touch of bearing the likeness of the deceased individual . again , the use of the deceased individuals &# 39 ; pastimes may bring joy and fond memories to those visitors that are visiting the themed cemetery 1 . the atmosphere may also play a part in encouraging the fond memories of visitors that come into the themed cemetery 1 such that they may re - live some of the experiences that they may have had with their departed loved ones . fig3 further illustrates the grandstands area 5 and the entrance area 87 of the themed cemetery 1 . as can be appreciated , the entrance area 87 may lead directly onto the track area 29 and into the grandstand area 5 as would be normally found in a real world facility . facility owners may also lease the space in the entrance area , or the outside surface of the themed cemetery 1 to potential sponsors and / or advertisers that may wish to advertise and sponsor the facility . this may allow for increased revenue in the themed cemetery 1 and may also lead to the credibility of the facility as many of the real world facilities have similar sponsorships and advertising appearances throughout the entire facility . for example , if a stadium has advertisements placed along the outfield wall , the themed cemetery 1 may lease the space to potential sponsors or businesses that wish to lease the space which would make the themed cemetery 1 look similar to the real world stadium advertisements that people have come accustomed to seeing in the real world facility . fig3 also illustrates the grandstand area 5 with stairs 89 leading to the grandstands area 5 and stairs 89 leading to the track area 29 . the grandstands area 5 may have a plurality of walls 91 which may separate the grandstand areas 5 from the track area 29 . the walls 91 may also be set up to accept urns holding the cremated remains of the deceased . each section of the wall 91 may have plaques 93 located thereon which may identify the final resting place of the individuals interned within that area . it should be understood that the walls 91 may be of sufficient thickness to allow for a plurality of cremated remains to be placed within them , along with the plaques 93 which identify the individual &# 39 ; s identity . also included in the grandstand area 5 as illustrated in fig1 may be a seating area for visitors to come and spend time at the themed cemetery 1 when visiting loved ones . fig4 illustrates the inner field area 101 of the themed cemetery 1 . the inner field area 101 may continue the theme of the facility . in this exemplary embodiment , the inner field area 101 of a race car facility may comprise mechanic pits and other holding areas . in this particular embodiment , it may be more desirable to have an inner field area 101 which may be more park like with ponds 103 , seating areas 105 and other ornamental features 107 which are still consistent with the overall themed cemetery 1 which may include pedestals 111 having cars , trophies and other activities associated with the theme . additionally , walkways 113 may be provided to allow walking from one side 115 of the track area 29 to a second side 117 of the track area 29 . other ornamental features and characteristics may be provided to enhance the theme of the cemetery while not detracting from the aesthetic pleasure of the surrounding areas . referring to fig5 - 10 , the themed cemetery system 1 comprises any of a plurality of shapes and sizes , depending on the desires and accommodations necessary for those wishing to be accommodated , e . g ., interred , at the location , in accordance with alternative embodiments of the present disclosure . for example , the themed cemetery system 1 may take the form of a baseball stadium ( fig5 ), a football stadium ( fig7 ), a hockey arena ( fig8 ), golf course ( fig6 ), a park ( fig1 ), and / or an entertainment venue , such as a casino ( fig9 ), by example only . advertising and promotional space may also be provided within the themed cemetery system 1 to coincide with the advertising and promotional space provided at the corresponding facility after which the themed cemetery system is represented . for example , the advertising and promotional space 120 may be disposed on an outside wall of the modeled facility of the themed cemetery system 1 . referring to fig5 - 8 , a themed cemetery system 1 comprises : a property simulating a entertainment facility comprising at least one entertainment themed , the property comprising : at least one portion simulating at least one entertaining area 500 of the entertainment facility ; a plurality of burial plots 510 located in relation to the property simulating the entertainment facility , each plot 510 of the plurality of burial plots 510 capable of accommodating at least one of a casket ( not shown ), an urn ( not shown ), a mausoleum ( not shown ), and contents thereof ( not shown ), each plot 510 comprising a distinct revenue value relative to any other plot 510 at a given time , and the distinct revenue value depending on a location of each plot 510 within the property simulating the entertainment facility ; and at least a portion 502 comprising at least one advertising space , such as the advertising and promotional space 120 , in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure . still referring to fig5 - 8 , the at least one entertainment themed comprises at least one of live theatre , cinema , concert , an art exhibition , a television , radio , gambling , convening , resort , and any other form of entertainment , wherein entertainment includes music , art , performing art , cinema , television , any other amusement associated with a venue . the at least one advertising space , such as the advertising and promotional space 120 , is disposed in relation to at least one wall 91 of the property and is disposed on the property in manner that is consistent with at least one advertising and promotional space of the entertainment facility , e . g ., the facility after which the themed cemetery represents , such as the grauman &# 39 ; s chinese theatre , the hollywood bowl , the hollywood palladium , disneyland , the walt disney concert hall , the greek theatre , cesar &# 39 ; s palace , the mgm grand hotel , the bellagio , and the like . still referring to fig5 - 8 , the system 1 further comprises burial headstones 512 having memorabilia related to the entertainment facility . the property further comprises at least one seating area , such as seating areas 7 , 37 . the at least one entertaining area 500 comprises a first area 501 and a second area 502 , the first area 501 comprising a plurality of generally uniform , ground level tombstones 51 at a first revenue value , and the second area comprising a plurality of ornate tombstones 55 at a second revenue value , the second revenue value being higher than the first revenue value ( see also . fig2 .). the plurality of generally ground level tombstones 51 of the first area are disposed in a manner resembling a entertaining surface for the entertainment facility . the plurality of ornate tombstones 55 of the second area comprises a plurality of headstones ( not shown ) corresponding to a plurality of specific memorials . the plurality of specific memorials comprises at least one at least one representation ( not shown ) of an entertainment poster , a stage actor , a movie star , a television star , a celebrity , an entertainment personality , a studio owner , a studio executive , a reality show personality , an online personality , a newscaster , a broadcaster , and the like . the first area 501 comprises a plurality of ornamental features ( not shown ) consistent with the at least one entertainment themed of the entertainment facility . still referring to fig5 - 8 , a method of creating a themed cemetery system 1 comprises : providing a property simulating a entertainment facility comprising at least one entertainment themed , the property comprising : providing at least one portion simulating at least one entertaining area 500 of the entertainment facility ; providing a plurality of burial plots 510 located in relation to the property simulating the entertainment facility , each plot 510 of the plurality of burial plots 510 capable of accommodating at least one of a casket ( not shown ), an urn ( not shown ), a mausoleum ( not shown ), and contents thereof ( not shown ), each plot 510 comprising a distinct revenue value relative to any other plot 510 at a given time , and the distinct revenue value depending on a location of each plot 510 within the property simulating the entertainment facility ; and providing at least a portion comprising at least one advertising space , such as the advertising and promotional space 120 , in accordance with another alternative embodiment of the present disclosure , still referring to fig5 - 8 , in the method of creating a themed cemetery system 1 , providing the at least one entertainment themed comprises providing at least one of live theatre , cinema , concert , an art exhibition , a television , radio , gambling , convening , resort , and any other form of entertainment , wherein entertainment includes music , art , performing art , cinema , television , any other amusement associated with a venue . still referring to fig5 - 8 , in the method of creating a themed cemetery system 1 , providing the at least a portion , comprising the at least one advertising space , such as the advertising and promotional space 120 , comprises disposing the at least one advertising space in relation to at least one wall , such as the wall 91 , of the property ; and providing the at least a portion , comprising the at least one advertising space , such as the advertising and promotional space 120 , comprises disposing the at least one advertising space on the property in a manner that is consistent with at least one advertising and promotional space of the entertainment facility , e . g ., the facility after which the themed cemetery represents , such as grauman &# 39 ; s chinese theatre , the hollywood bowl , the hollywood palladium , disneyland , the walt disney concert hall , the greek theatre , cesar &# 39 ; s palace , the mgm grand hotel , the bellagio , and the like . the method further comprises providing burial headstones having memorabilia related to the entertainment facility after which the system 1 represents . also , the step of providing the property further comprises providing at least one seating area , such as seating areas 7 , 37 . still referring to fig5 - 8 , in the method of creating a themed cemetery system 1 , providing the at least one portion , simulating at least one entertaining area 500 , comprises providing the at least one entertaining area 500 with a first area 501 and a second area 502 , the first area 501 providing comprising providing generally uniform , ground level tombstones 51 at a first revenue value , and the second area 502 providing comprising providing ornate tombstones 55 at a second revenue value , the second revenue value being higher than the first revenue value . the step of providing the generally ground level tombstones 51 of the first area 501 comprises disposing the generally ground level tombstones 51 in a manner resembling a entertaining surface for the first area 501 , wherein providing the ornate tombstones 55 of the second area 502 comprises providing the headstones ( not shown ) corresponding to specific memorials . the step of providing the headstones corresponding to specific memorials comprises providing at least one representation ( not shown ) of an entertainment poster , a stage actor , a movie star , a television star , a celebrity , an entertainment personality , a studio owner , a studio executive , a reality show personality , an online personality , a newscaster , a broadcaster , and the like . the step of providing the at least one entertaining area 500 comprises providing the first area 501 with ornamental features consistent with the at least one entertainment themed of the entertainment facility after which the system 1 represents . the above - described device may be altered by means known in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention . the inventive subject matter , therefore , is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims . the terms “ comprises ” and “ comprising ” should be interpreted as referring to elements , components , or steps in a non - exclusive manner , indicating that the referenced elements , components , or steps may be present , or utilized , or combined with other elements , components , or steps that are not expressly referenced . while the invention has been described in what is presently considered to be an exemplary embodiment , many variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art . accordingly , it is intended that the invention not be limited to the specific illustrative embodiment , but be interpreted within the full spirit and scope of the appended claims . | 4 |
a switch connecting structure according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings . fig1 - 4 illustrate a first embodiment of a switch connecting structure according to the present invention in which a circular movement is placed in a square watch case . fig1 is a plan view illustrating an important part . a push button and a case are shown in cross section . fig2 is a plan view of a supporting plate . fig3 is a plan view of a switch regulating plate . fig4 is a side view illustrating how a movement assembly is disposed . the components corresponding to those in the related art ( illustrated in fig1 ) are labeled with the corresponding numerals and characters . a circular movement 1 is capped by a supporting plate 3 illustrated in fig2 . a contact spring 3 a is suspended from the body of the supporting plate 3 on the outer periphery of the plate 3 , extending around the movement and having a contact portion 3 b at the tip . the tip contact portion 3 b abuts a restricting portion 3 c suspended from the body of the supporting plate 3 , thereby preventing the supporting plate 3 from springing out . the contact springs 3 a are provided along the outer periphery of the supporting plate 3 at four locations in this example in a substantially symmetrical manner . the supporting plate 3 is fixed to the movement by screwing , adhesive bonding , or the like . the switch regulating plate 6 illustrated in fig3 is attached to cap the substantially entire surface of the supporting plate 3 . the switch regulating plate 6 is provided with a switch spring 6 a suspended therefrom at a position along the outer periphery corresponding to the contact spring 3 a of the supporting plate 3 . the switch spring 6 a provided at the switch regulating plate 6 extends substantially in parallel to a inside wall of the body of a watch case 5 , and a tip 6 b of the plate 6 is curved inward substantially in the “ u ” shape near a position where it contacts the abutment portion 4 b of a push button 4 when the push button 4 is operated . at a position extended from and facing the tip portion 6 b , a round portion 6 c roundly curved is formed . the switch regulating plate 6 is provided with a plurality ( four in fig3 ) of hook portions 6 d hooking onto the movement of the watch and substantially equally spaced apart from one another on the outer periphery thereof . as illustrated in fig4 , the contact spring 3 a suspended from the supporting plate 3 mounted on the movement of the watch is located to be level with the movement having the circuit board 2 , and extends in parallel thereto . the switch regulating plate 6 is disposed over and covers the supporting plate 3 , hooked onto the movement of the watch by the hook portion 6 d . in the plan view as illustrated in fig1 , the contact portion 3 b at the tip of the supporting plate 3 is disposed to face the switch contact portion 2 a of the circuit board 2 , the round portion 6 c extending from the tip portion 6 b of the switch regulating plate 6 is disposed so as to abut a central portion of the contact spring 3 a of the supporting plate 3 , and an externally operated component , i . e . the abutment portion 4 b at the tip of the push button in this example , is disposed so as to abut the tip portion 6 b of the switch regulating plate 6 . functions and effects of the above first embodiment will next be described . when the depression portion 4 a of a desired push button 4 is pressed , the abutment portion 4 a at the tip of the push button 4 first presses substantially vertically down the tip portion 6 b of the switch regulating plate 6 , and the round portion 6 c curved to face the tip portion 6 b presses down the contact spring 3 a of the supporting plate 3 in the substantially central direction of the movement 1 . the contact portion 3 b at the tip of the supporting plate 3 is brought into contact with the switch contact portion 2 a provided at the circuit board 2 . the above - described operation of the push button 4 causes an electrical connection with various elements of the electronic components mounted on the movement 1 . fig9 is a plan view for describing how the pressing force of the push button is conveyed in the first embodiment illustrated in fig1 . as indicated by arrows , the pressing force of the push button 4 acts in the substantially vertical direction on the tip portion 6 b of the switch regulating plate 6 , and the force is applied from the switch regulating plate 6 to the supporting plate 3 in the substantially central direction of the movement 1 , thereby avoiding the problem in the related art , i . e . abnormal wear - off or deformation of the contact spring 3 a of the supporting plate caused by the tip portion of the push button slidingly contacting at a point with the contact spring of the supporting plate when the push button 4 is repeatedly pressed . as a result , reliability of electrical connection can be improved . as the plurality of hook portions 6 d are disposed substantially equally spaced apart on the outer periphery of the switch regulating plate 6 , accurate attachment of the switch regulating plate 6 to the supporting plate 3 is ensured without any troublesome fixing operations such as screwing . further , as the hook portion 6 d makes it possible to hold the switch regulating plate 6 more stably , depression of the push button 4 can be surely performed without lifting the switch regulating plate 6 . further , by simply supplying the switch regulating plate 6 to a customer , he / she can easily place the basic circular movement 1 into a desired square watch case 5 . as described above , use of the switch regulating plate enables easy placement of the basic circular movement into the square watch case having a different shape . further , repetitive use of the push button does not cause abnormal wear - off or deformation of the contact spring of the supporting plate . thus , an inexpensive switch connecting structure with excellent reliability can be provided . next , a second embodiment of a switch connecting structure according to the present invention in which a circular movement is placed into a square watch case will be described with reference to fig5 and 6 . fig5 is a plan view illustrating an important part of the invention , and the push button and the case are shown in cross section as in fig1 . fig6 is a plan view illustrating the switch regulating plate . the supporting plate similar to that described with reference to fig2 in the first embodiment is employed in this embodiment . the components corresponding to those in the related art ( fig1 ) and the first embodiment are labeled with the corresponding numerals and characters . the supporting plate 3 illustrated in fig2 is attached to cap the circular movement 1 . on the outer periphery of the supporting plate 3 , the contact spring 3 a is suspended from the body of the supporting plate 3 , extending around the movement and having the contact portion 3 b at the tip . the tip contact portion 3 b abuts the restricting portion 3 c suspended from the body of the supporting plate 3 , thereby preventing the supporting plate 3 from springing out . the contact springs 3 a are formed at four locations in this example along the outer periphery of the supporting plate 3 in the substantially symmetrical manner . the supporting plate 3 is fixed to the movement by screwing , adhesive bonding , or the like . the switch regulating plate 6 is attached to cap the substantially entire surface of the supporting plate 3 . at the outer peripheral location of the switch regulating plate 6 corresponding to the contact spring 3 a of the supporting plate 3 , the switch spring 6 a is provided suspended therefrom . the switch spring 6 a provided at the switch regulating plate 6 extends substantially in parallel to a inside wall of the body of the watch case 5 , and the tip portion 6 b is curved inward in the “ s ” shape near the location where it contacts the abutment portion 4 b of the push button 4 when the button 4 is pressed . the plate 6 is further provided with the round portion 6 c having a round shape at the location further extended from the tip portion 6 b . the switch regulating plate 6 is further provided with a plurality ( four in fig6 ) of hook portions 6 d hooking onto the movement of the watch and disposed substantially equally spaced apart from one another on the outer periphery , suspended from the plate . the positional relations between these components in the vertical direction are the same as those in the first embodiment . in the plan view as illustrated in fig5 , the contact portion 3 b at the tip of the supporting plate 3 is disposed facing the switch contact portion 2 a of the circuit board 2 , the round portion 6 c extended from the tip portion 6 b of the switch regulating plate 6 is disposed so as to abut the central portion of the contact spring 3 a of the supporting plate 3 , and an externally operated component , i . e . the abutment portion 4 b at the tip of the push button in this example , is disposed so as to abut the tip portion 6 b of the switch regulating plate 6 . the functions and effects of the above second embodiment are basically the same as those of the first embodiment . more specifically , when the depression portion 4 a of a desired push button 4 is pressed , the abutment portion 4 b at the tip of the push button 4 first presses substantially vertically down the tip portion 6 b of the switch regulating plate 6 , and the round portion 6 c extending from the tip portion 6 b presses down the contact spring 3 a of the supporting plate 3 in the substantially central direction of the movement 1 . the contact portion 3 b at the tip of the supporting plate 3 is brought into contact with the switch contact portion 2 a provided at the circuit board 2 . the above - described operation of the push button 4 causes an electrical connection with various elements of the electronic components mounted on the movement 1 . the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the tip of the switch regulating plate 6 in the second embodiment extends from the tip portion 6 b to the round portion 6 c in the “ s ” shape . as the tip of the round portion 6 c faces outward , the switch regulating plate 6 is less likely to intertwine with other regulating plates or components than that of the first embodiment when a plurality of plates 6 are handled together or the plate 6 is handled with other components . the other effects of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment . that is , use of the switch regulating plate enables easy placement of the basic circular movement into the square watch case having a different shape . further , repetitive use of the push button does not cause abnormal wear - off or deformation of the contact spring of the supporting plate . thus , an inexpensive switch connecting structure with excellent reliability can be provided . next , a third embodiment of a switch connecting structure according to the present invention in which a circular movement is placed into a square watch case will be described with reference to fig7 and 8 . fig7 is a plan view illustrating an important part of the invention , and the push button and the case are shown in cross section as in fig1 . fig8 is a plan view illustrating the switch regulating plate . the supporting plate similar to that described with reference to fig2 in the first embodiment is employed in this embodiment . the components corresponding to those in the related art ( fig1 ) and the first embodiment are labeled with the corresponding numerals and characters . the supporting plate 3 illustrated in fig2 is attached to cap the circular movement 1 . on the outer periphery of the supporting plate 3 , the contact spring 3 a is suspended from the body of the supporting plate 3 , extending around the movement and having the contact portion 3 b at the tip . the tip contact portion 3 b abuts the restricting portion 3 c suspended from the body of the supporting plate 3 , thereby preventing the supporting plate 3 from springing out . the contact springs 3 a are formed at four locations in this example along the outer periphery of the supporting plate 3 in the substantially symmetrical manner . the supporting plate 3 is fixed to the movement by screwing , adhesive bonding , or the like . the switch regulating plate 6 is attached to cap the substantially entire surface of the supporting plate 3 . at the outer peripheral location of the switch regulating plate 6 corresponding to the contact spring 3 a of the supporting plate 3 , the switch spring 6 a is provided in a plane . the switch spring 6 a provided at the switch regulating plate 6 extends substantially in parallel to a inside wall of the body of the watch case 5 , and the tip portion 6 b extends from the switch spring 6 a suspended therefrom . the tip portion 6 b is formed at a position where it receives and contacts the abutment portion 4 b of the push button 4 in a plane when the button 4 is pressed . a flat plate portion 6 e curved from the tip portion 6 b in the form of a flat plate is horizontally provided to be level with the contact spring 3 a of the supporting plate 3 , and has a corner 6 f formed in a direction parallel to the contact spring 3 a . the switch regulating plate 6 is further provided with a plurality ( four in fig8 ) of hook portions 6 d hooking onto the movement of the watch and disposed substantially equally spaced apart from one another on the outer periphery , suspended from the plate . the positional relations between these components in the vertical direction are the same as those in the first embodiment . in the plan view as illustrated in fig7 , the contact portion 3 b at the tip of the supporting plate 3 is disposed facing the switch contact portion 2 a of the circuit board 2 , the corner 6 f of the flat plate portion 6 e extending from the tip portion 6 b of the switch regulating plate 6 is disposed so as to abut the central portion of the contact spring 3 a of the supporting plate 3 , and an externally operated component , i . e . the abutment portion 4 b at the tip of the push button in this example , is disposed so as to abut the tip 6 b of the switch regulating plate 6 . the functions and effects of the above third embodiment are also basically the same as those of the first embodiment . more specifically , when the depression portion 4 a of a desired push button 4 is pressed , the abutment portion 4 b at the tip of the push button 4 first presses substantially vertically down the tip portion 6 b of the switch regulating plate 6 , and the corner 6 f of the flat plate portion 6 e extending from the tip portion 6 b presses the contact spring 3 a of the supporting plate 3 in the substantially central direction of the movement 1 . the contact portion 3 b at the tip of the supporting plate 3 is brought into contact with the switch contact portion 2 a provided at the circuit board 2 . the above - described operation of the push button 4 causes an electrical connection with various elements of the electronic components mounted on the movement 1 . the third embodiment differs from the first and second embodiments in the shapes of the switch spring 6 a , the tip portion 6 b , and the flat plate portion 6 e . such shapes enable to reduce the spring width of the switch spring 6 a , and therefore required pressing force of the push button can be reduced . the other effects of the third embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment . that is , use of the switch regulating plate enables easy placement of the basic circular movement into the square watch case having a different shape . further , repetitive use of the push button does not cause abnormal wear - off or deformation of the contact spring of the supporting plate . thus , an inexpensive switch connecting structure with excellent reliability can be provided . | 6 |
the fluidized bed detector ( fbd ) of the present invention is basically a system containing detecting elements wherein the detecting elements are suspended in the system using electrical fields , magnetic fields , acceleration forces , or any combination thereof to retain the particles against a counter - flow of a fluid such as a liquid or gas containing the target of interest . in one embodiment , the system could be a centrifuge ( to increase sedimentation rates ) using centrifugal force to counterbalance the force of the fluid flow . detection particles are initially introduced into the analysis chamber by flowing them into the bottom while the chamber is spinning . the forces acting in the fbd can be mathematically modeled with equations 1 - 3 . the particles are retained in the spinning chamber by the balancing of two forces : the centrifugal force ( equation 1 ) ( this could also or alternatively be a magnetic or electrical field or a gravitational force ), which causes the particles to exit the outside ( bottom ) of the spinning chamber , and the fluid flow ( equation 2 ), which causes the particles to exit the inside ( top ) of the chamber . when these two forces are in balance ( equation 3 ), no particles exit the chamber — only the flowing liquid ( which may contain the targets of interest ) exits the top and bottom . when there is a target molecule in the fluid flow , the balance of the two forces is disrupted causing the detecting element to exit the chamber . the balance of the forces can be disrupted by a cell being killed ( the cell is the detecting element ), by the binding of the target to the detecting element , the cross linking of two particles , or two particles previously cross - linked breaking apart . these two forces have different physical sources . movement by the centrifugal force depends on the density of the particles relative to the fluid . movement by the fluid flow depends on the average face area ( surface area projected along the fluid flow ) of the particles . during the detection event , the particles change their density relative to their face area . ( face area is the area projected into the flow . for a sphere this area is just a circle with the same diameter as the sphere . for a cylinder , it is a complex function of the tumbling rate and end area .) two examples of how interacting particles can change their density relative to face area are shown in fig2 . the cause of this change depends on the type of assay and particles being employed . once this change occurs , the centrifugal and flow forces are no longer balanced and the particle leaves the centrifugal chamber ( either though the bottom or top ) where it is detected by some means , for example absorption , fluorescence , change in magnetic signature ( such as a magnetic particle changing the impedance of a coil ), colorimetric assay , etc . because single particles can be readily counted and measured , a change in a single particle , of the many suspended in the chamber , may be detectable . unlike many assays that rely on binding of antibodies or nucleic acids to surfaces and binding of the target to those species , the fluidized bed is well mixed by the incoming flowing stream so that kinetics are rapid . additionally , a large excess of particles may be present allowing more rapid kinetics due to concentration effects without compromising sensitivity . ( for example , in competitive immunoassays , the greatest sensitivity is found when the concentration of the antibody is one - half the concentration of the analyte ( due to antibodies having two binding sites ). as immunoassay kinetics requires two entities to interact , the reaction rate is dependent on both the concentration of the analyte and antibody ( a second order reaction ). therefore , the time for interaction must increase as the inverse square of the analyte concentration .) fig3 shows the basic concept for the fbd using labeled particles . the particles may be either living cells or inert particles . fig4 shows the model fbd constructed for preliminary testing and the inside of a commercial unit used for blood processing . the commercial unit employs balances and precision gears to rotate the upper stage at twice the rotational speed as the arm . a preliminary system used belts and a variable - speed drill motor to turn the main centrifuge . the speed was controlled with a laboratory variac and not automatically stabilized ( the user needed to make small adjustments until the desired speed was obtained ). the speed was monitored using a magnetic pick - up reed switch with a permanent bar magnet mounted on the rotor arm . the signal from the switch triggered a strobe light , which allowed movies to be made of the flow , and was also fed into a rs232 port of a computer . the signal into the rs232 port provided the start bit for pseudo - character ( basically read as the ascii null character ), which was read by the computer . the timing between characters was measured and averaged every few seconds ( the program allowed variable averaging ) to report the rpms of the centrifuge . with this preliminary system , 1000 rpm movement could be generated . with the center of the cell at an average distance of 19 cm , this would produce 112 g force on the particles at 1000 rpm . better balancing of this preliminary design may allow faster speeds and is important as the g force increases as the square of the rotational velocity . the higher the g force , the better the resolution between two objects . commercial systems can achieve over 6000 rpm . one advantage of the fbd system of the present invention over other fluidized bed collection schemes is that debris does not have to be separated before the sample is tested . many test samples , such as food , contain particles or debris that are not of interest . for most flow - though assays , these particles must be separated either with filters or by centrifugation before the sample is assayed or the particles will interfere . the fbd does not have this requirement . there are no filters , small paths , or sharp angles to plug in the fbd . the path is continuous . only those particles meeting the density - size - flow balancing will be retained . by using particles as the detection element in the fbd they have the advantage over living cells in that they can be engineered to have a wide range of densities that can then handle a wide range of fluid flows and discriminate against nuisance particles . for example , fig5 shows the flow of colloidal ion particles ( used as models of dirt and for their color ) through the fbd while retaining the latex beads . milk ( high protein content and homogenized particles ), diluted tomato paste , and diluted ketchup were run though the fbd while retaining the latex beads being tested as sensors . the tomato paste and ketchup left some strands of pulp indicating that a higher flow with denser sensor particles would have been advantageous . the fbd may be very useful in food testing for bacteria as a large number of samples can be tested quickly in a flow system and allowing isolation of particles that may be cultured for confirmation of the presence of a certain bacterial species . another advantage of the fbd , is that upon release of the detecting element , the released detecting element selectively can be captured , separated , concentrated , analyzed , or any combination thereof . when the detecting element is released , it carries with it the target material . when detected , the detecting element can be shunted selectively into a collection system for further analysis or disposal where the other components of the test matrix are shunted for disposal or further analysis . this selective separation ability provides the opportunity to concentrate targets from large volumes as part of the initial warning system . the fbd system has flexible requirements for the labels used in the detector . one class of materials could be inert materials such as either polymer or glass based beads . having the materials homogeneous in diameter and density makes construction easier . the beads have antibodies , nucleic acids , complexes , or any combination thereof on their surfaces , which in the presence of a target molecule either cross - links two or more particles ( sandwich assay ) or breaks a complex apart ( displacement assay ). the term antibodies can refer to a number of protein binding molecules such as antibodies , antibody fragments , enzymes , or engineered peptides that selectively recognize other molecules . the term nucleic acids is being used to encompass a wide range of dna or rna selective binding molecules — they may also be dna or rna bases with non - conventional backbones such as peptide nucleic acids ; however , dna or non - conventional backbones are preferred over rna as it is more stable in solution . the term complexes can refer to molecules that recognize other small species such as metal ions . examples may be edta , which is selective for calcium or six histidines , which is selective for nickel . for these complexes , the binding of the metal ion is unlikely to change the particle density sufficiently to be useful . instead , the target metal ion will displace a ligand attached to a larger molecule or particle in a displacement type assay . cross linking of two particles changes the average face area to density ratio and the complex will flow out the bottom of the spinning chamber where it is detected by some means , for example fluorescence . thus , the presence of a large target molecule / species ( virus , bacterium , or dna ) that can form a sandwich assay will be detectable by the release of labeled particles . note that the target is not labeled , so raw material can be analyzed without preparatory steps . the release of labels ( fluorescent latex spheres in one configuration ) indicates the presence of a given target . small molecules also can be detected by disrupting ( displacement assay ) a preformed complex that has the correct buoyancy when two particles are bound together but not when separated . the labeled particles of the disrupted complex would flow out the top ( hence a detector on that outlet ). unlike normal agglutination assays , a single binding event can be detectable . additionally , unlike surface assays , the fluidized bed is well mixed by the incoming flowing stream so that kinetics of interaction is rapid . because the measurements are made outside the chamber , a large excess of particles may be present on the inside as these are never seen by the detector , which may be a coulter counter - like system . for sentinel systems , it is often useful to have living organisms present as test subjects . bacteria or human cells are not ideal because they may be killed or react to any number of materials that are not acutely toxic , such as high salt concentrations or ph changes . however , cells are much easier to keep alive than higher order organisms and more can be fit in a given space . consider the inert particles , discussed above , as replaced by cells . the basic concept is to continuously maintain cells or bacteria in the fbd while outside nutrients and test compounds are introduced . fluidized beds have been considered for just such a scheme as they allow continual harvesting of valuable proteins that may be secreted by the cells and a constant monitoring of the media ( see u . s . pat . no . 4 , 939 , 087 to van wie et al ., jul . 3 , 1990 , the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference ). the fluidized bed allows greater cell densities to be achieved and faster growth . although much more complicated than inert particles , living cells could be used in several ways : the cells are maintained by their density and size in the system and respond by changing their protein coat or releasing materials when outside compounds trigger some biochemical process . almost any type of cell response that is selective in the changing environment and occurs on the reporter - cell surface can be detected by this system . for example , when cells die , there density decreases and they would flow out of the fbd . thus , even responses to viruses would be detectable . the released materials would be detected in the flowing stream by addition of antibodies or by engineering the released materials to be inherently fluorescent or by adding a dye to the exit stream that selectively labels the target cells . instead of detecting the released materials in the stream one could combine the living cells with inert particles . if the reporter cells excreted a protein or other large molecule into the medium , this could be detectable by crossing - linking the reporting labels . for example , if the labels were particles of a similar density to the cells and contained antibodies to an excreted protein , say anti - luceferase , then the excreting of the luceferase by the cells would cross - link the reporter particles and cause them to be released ( in this case , the reporter particles would likely be latex beads , which are predominately spherical . these complexes are released from the centrifugal reactor because the centrifugal force is no longer counterbalanced by the incoming flowing liquid . the force that the flowing liquid force exerts is based on the face area exposed to the flow where as the centrifugal force acts on the density ( which is different , generally higher , than the incoming media otherwise the particles would not move ). cross - linked particles have a higher density to face surface area than do single particles because they do not always face parallel to the incoming liquid ( i . e . one particle shields the other ). thus , they will move to the bottom of the fbd . as envisioned with the fbd , even the presence of dna or other large molecules that do not affect the cell population could be detectable . in this case , there would be no biological amplification and only a reliance on the cross - linking of the particles would occur . cells that die tend to have a different density then living cells and would be swept from the fbd . the living cells could be stained with a dye upon release and the fluorescence of the stain monitored to essentially count the release vs . time . if a major increase in release is noted , then the death of the cells in the fbd must be from some cause — toxin or virus that would need to be investigated further . one could distinguish the release of cells from the fbd vs . cells present in the feed water by staining or more specifically by antibody interactions . the antibody interactions would allow identification of a number of released cells as the antibodies could be specific to a certain cell type . for example , the cells could be stained with a live - dead stain such as the sytox green stain sold by molecular probes . this stain does not stain cells that have intact membranes . the antibodies may be labeled with a fluorescent dye such as rhodamine . only those cells that had both fluorophores present would be considered counted and released . unfortunately , continual addition of antibodies is expensive unless the antibodies were recovered in the flowing fluid and may not be necessary if the incoming fluid has few cells present that will stain . stains are relatively cheap . to save resources , one could prestain the incoming fluid but that gets more complex as the stain would be present in the fbd chamber . to be successful , a prestain could be designed to change some property that increases the staining and then reduces it . for example , the incoming test fluid may be adjusted to a low ph , which could increase staining . then the system is buffered to neutrality when it flows though the fbd chamber . another stain is added on the outlet that stains everything at neutrality . only those cells with the second stain and without the prestain would be considered for detection . alternatively , the incoming fluid may be passed through a bed , such as activated charcoal , to remove the stain but not the potential target toxins . one could also engineer the cells to produce a fluorescent protein and retain it to identify the cell . each cell type would be engineered to produce a different fluorescent protein . some cellular systems have on their surface receptors and can cross - link in the presence of a given antigen . these receptors may be engineered , as in phage display protein libraries , to be similar to antibodies in their binding , recognition , and specificity . cross linking of two cells causes their release from the fbd chamber . this system is preferable for ease of detection , but is really no better than the use of inert particles coated with antibodies , as discussed above . in fact , one could use killed cells as the inert particles for cost considerations and just prestain them or have them engineered to be fluorescent . a number of different flow cells were tested to achieve laminar flow . examples are shown in fig6 . if the cells had an inlet that went parallel to the axis , i . e . directly into the bottom , the flow was very erratic . having the inlet with a curved flow helped . also , having an inlet with a pressure chamber ( as shown for the long cell in fig6 g ) helped but the chamber tended to entrap the particles used for labels . the inlet on the cell in fig6 j was the optimum found for a uniform flow . the centrifugal force decreases as the radius decreases whereas the force due to fluid flow is constant . the flow cell should be tapered to provide stability in retention of the particles as the taper decreases the fluid flow in proportion to the radius . a slightly greater increase in taper than predicted on a quadric exponential was optimum . this shape is shown in fig6 e . additional cells with both a taper and a bulb , for particle storage , allow different shear forces depending on the position in the cell . the above descriptions are those of the preferred embodiments of the invention . various modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the invention . it is therefore to be understood that the claimed invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described . any references to claim elements in the singular , for example , using the articles “ a ,” “ an ,” “ the ,” or “ said ,” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular . | 6 |
looking first at fig1 , and 3 the common elements in each figure include a prime mover or vehicle engine 10 connected to drive a primary fluid pump 12 which supplies fluid to each of a pair of steering cylinders 14a , mounted on the left side of the vehicle and 14b , mounted on the right side of the vehicle . note that the vehicle shown in the figures is normally operated in the manner where the engine means 10 follows the cylinders 14a and b when the vehicle is moving forward . the operator sits facing the normal forward direction and his left corresponds to the left side of the vehicle . fluid delivery is directed to each individual cylinder through the selective valving means shown generally as 16 . appropriate fluid lines will be discussed with each of the individual drawings . common to the first three figures is the emergency fluid pump 18 which may deliver fluid past the one - way check valve 20 through a fluid line to the primary fluid delivery system . emergency fluid pump 18 is activated upon a signal from a sensing means generally 24 ( not specified in fig3 ) which initiates engagement of a clutch means , generally 26 , which allows the ground drive source 30 to drive the emergency pump 18 whenever the vehicle is moving and the supply of fluid from the primary fluid pump 12 has been reduced . fluid for use by the primary fluid pump 12 or the emergency fluid pump 18 may be drawn from the reservoir source of fluid 32 or from different reservoirs as deemed necessary . fig1 presents the basic emergency steering system of this invention . this simplified layout of the hydraulic fluid system is schematically presented as operative in an articulated vehicle generally 32 , having a drive means housing portion 34 pivotally connected at point 36 to a forward portion 40 which would normally be of a leading portion of the vehicle when the vehicle is traveling forward . the operation of the simplified steering system shown in fig1 depends on adequate fluid flow to the steering cylinders 14a and 14b . the vehicle engine 10 drives the primary fluid pump 12 through shaft 28 ( common to fig1 and 3 ) which obtains fluid from the reservoir 32 by means of conduit 42 and delivers fluid by means of conduit 44 to the selective valving means 16 . a one - way check valve 46 allows fluid to flow only from the primary fluid pump 12 and not to the primary pump 12 . the selective valving means 16 may include all the steering valving needed to direct fluid from the pump 12 to the approporiate steering cylinders including such items as a steering wheel , a small displacement hand pump , relief valves of various types , fluid direction control valves in control circuits . an embodiment of the selective valving means 16 will be further detailed in the explanation of fig2 . the fluid is directed to the appropriate chambers of the double acting steering cylinders through the means provided by the selective valving means 16 , conduit 50 which is split to provide fluid to the rear chamber ( orifice 52 ) of the left steering cylinder 14a and to the front chamber ( orifice 54 ) of the right steering cylinder 14b , and conduit 56 which is also split to provide fluid passage to the rear chamber ( orifice 60 ) of the right steering cylinder 14b and to the front chamber ( orifice 62 ) of the left steering cylinder 14a . the operation of the double acting steering cylinders is conventional . emergency steering system in the basic embodiment of fig1 includes an emergency fluid pump 18 which may be supplied with fluid from reservoir source of fluid 32 by the conduit 64 and provides fluid to conduit 44 through conduit 66 past check valve 20 . a pressure sensing means generally 24 is electrically communicative through conduit 68 with a clutch means , generally 26 . the pressure sensing means also includes a pressure supply line 70 which can communicate the pressure in conduit 44 to a spring loaded sensing valve . a source of electrical energy such as the battery 72 supplies current to the sensing switch as well as to the magnetic clutch 74 . in operation of the fig1 embodiment a pressure sensitive electrical switch 76 between the battery 72 and the magnetic clutch is held open ( i . e . electricity cannot pass from the battery to the magnetic clutch ) by pressure in the pressure supply line 70 as a result of pressure in conduit 44 which indicates that the primary fluid pump is operative . if the pump 12 ceases to pump due to engine or pump failure , etc . sufficient fluid at a preset pressure ( set at the pressure switch 76 ), the pressure seen by the pressure supply line 70 is decreased . the pressure sensitive switch will then close allowing electrical current to pass from the battery 72 to the conventionally operating magnetic clutch 74 which then engages the emergency pump 18 to a ground drive source 30 . in the fig1 sketch the ground drive source 30 is a transmission which is always turning as long as the final drive 80 is in motion . the final drive 80 is always in motion when the vehicle is in motion . if the vehicle continues in motion without fluid output from the primary pump 12 the final drive 80 will drive the ground drive source 30 which in turn will drive the emergency pump 18 . the emergency pump 18 will draw hydraulic fluid from a reservoir , either the main or an auxiliary , and deliver this fluid to the fluid conduit 44 which leads , eventually , to the steering cylinders 14a and b . check valve 46 ensures fluid flow to the selective valving means 16 rather than back to the primary pump 12 . clarity of the diagram necessitated the conduit and mechanism layout shown in fig1 . it should be noted that the pickup point or tee between the conduit 44 and the pressure supply line 70 would be as close to the selective valving means 16 as possible as would check valve 46 and the connection or tee between conduit 66 and 44 . this would minimize the loss of fluid pumped by the emergency pump 18 in case of a rupture of conduit 44 . a more complicated steering system is presented in fig2 where the steering system of an articulated vehicle is presented . although this system is similar to the embodiment of the system shown in fig1 it is a more reasonable disclosure of what would be found in a vehicle needing an emergency steering system of this type . the embodiment shown in fig2 relies on two fixed displacement pumps of different capacities to supply fluid to a steering valve at either a low volume or a high volume in order to turn the vehicle either at a slow rate or at a fast rate . the operation of vehicle steering requires that the prime mover or engine 10 drive the primary fluid pump 12 in tandem with the secondary fluid pump 80 . these pumps draw fluid from the filter equipped reservoir 32 by means of fluid conduit 82 . the fluid is continuously pumped to the open center steering valve 90 via fluid conduits 84 ( from 12 ) and 86 which directs fluid as required to steering cylinders 14a and b through conduits 50 and 56 . when the steering valve 90 is in the center position as shown , fluid pressure in all the chambers ( orifices thereof being 52 , 62 , 60 and 54 ) will be equal as the output of the secondary pump 80 will be split at the neutral gate 92 and will be directed to the reservoir 32 through conduit 94 past pressure relief valve 96 which will be opened allowing fluid flow to the return line 100 . the output of the primary pump 12 circulates through the neutral gate 92 of the sleeve valve 90 to the reservoir 32 through fluid conduit 84 and return line 100 as its output is not needed . furthermore the output of the primary pump 12 is used only in situations requiring fast steering which is often in an articulated loader , for instance . fast steering operation will be explained presently . firstly , it may be beneficial to consider the operation of the steering system in slow steering demands . when the vehicle operator turns a steering wheel 102 to the right a small steering pump 104 capable of delivering a small volume of fluid supplies fluid through conduit 106 to shift the steering valve 90 one gate to the right in a conventional manner . with the steering valve 90 positioned such that fluid from the fluid conduits 84 and 86 may pass through gate 110 and a right turn will be executed . fluid from the secondary pump 80 passes through the gate 110 , through conduit 56 into the chambers adjacent to the orifices 62 in 14a and 60 in 14b . as there is pressure increase in these chambers fluid will be forced out the chambers adjacent to the orifices 52 and 54 . this displaced fluid will pass through conduit 50 , through the gate 110 , through conduit 94 pass low pressure relief valve 96 , through return line 100 to the reservoir 32 . a portion of the fluid from line 94 will pass through 112 to the steering pump system . the pressurization of the front chamber ( 62 ) of the left steering cylinder 14a and the rear chamber ( 60 ) of the right steering cylinder 14 b results in a slow right turn of the vehicle . in a fast steering situation the output of the primary pump 12 will be delivered to the steering cylinders 14 . for fast steering the hand pump 104 allows increased fluid flow to the steering valve 90 such that the fast right gate 114 of the steering valve controls the fluid flow . fluid from pump 12 passes through conduit 84 to the fast right gate 114 which is blocked by design so fluid then opens the one - way check valve 116 so that fluid passes into line 86 thus joining the output of the secondary pump 80 to pass through the fast right valve gate 114 to the steering cylinders . just as in the slow steering example the chambers adjacent to the ports 62 and 60 will be pressurized forcing fluid out of the chambers adjacent to ports 52 and 54 which will then go to the reservoir as long as the relief valve 96 remains open . ( when the relief valve closes fluid will flow to the steering pump system through conduit 112 .) the fast steering circuit provides a considerable amount of fluid to the steering cylinders . the function of both slow and fast turns to the left are similar in principle to the operation of the system as described for turns to the right . the slow left gate of the steering valve 90 is shown as 120 while the fast gate for left turns is shown at 122 . the emergency steering system of fig2 includes an emergency fluid pump 18 which may be driven by a ground drive source 30 through the engagement of a clutch means , generally 26 , which in this case is an electromagnetic clutch 124 . the emergency fluid pump is supplied with fluid from the reservoir 32 through the means of fluid conduit 82 . the pump supplies fluid to the steering system by conduit 126 which incorporates a one - way check valve 20 allowing fluid to flow from the pump but not to the pump by a conduit 126 . the electromagnetic clutch 124 is incorporated in an electrical circuit 130 which includes a battery source of energy 132 , a master switch 134 , and a pressure sensitive switch 136 which senses pressure in conduit 86 and when the pressure drops below a preset value the switch passes electrical energy . a warning light 140 , operative upon completion of the circuit by the pressure sensitive switch 136 , may be mounted in the vehicle to inform the vehicle operator that the emergency pump has been engaged . the operation of the emergency steering system is relatively simple . an example of the performance of this system would originate with the failure of the prime mover or vehicle engine 10 . when this unit stops , the driven pumps , both primary 12 and secondary 80 , will cease to provide fluid to the steering valve . as there will be no fluid flow there will not , obviously , be any steering capability on the vehicle . when the pump ceases pumping the fluid in line 86 will bleed back through the pump allowing a pressure drop in fluid conduit 86 . this pressure will rapidly fall below the threshold pressure of the pressure sensitive switch 136 thus allowing this switch to be closed . assuming that the master switch 134 , which may be tied into the ignition system of the vehicle , has been closed . the current will flow from the battery 132 to the electromagnetic clutch which will engage the clutch between the ground driven source 30 and the emergency fluid pump 18 . the ground driven source in this preferred embodiment would be one end of an output shaft of a torque converter . this shaft is always in motion when the wheels of the vehicle are in motion thus ensuring that the pump could always be driven upon engagement of the magnetic clutch 124 . as stated earlier the emergency pump 18 will draw fluid from the reservoir and deliver it via conduit 126 to fluid conduit 86 of the steering system . one - way check valve 142 ensures that fluid will flow to the steering valve and will be metered to the appropriate steering cylinders . note that the supply of fluid from the emergency pump progresses to the slow steering system . this is necessary as the emergency fluid pump 18 is only large enough to supply a limited amount of fluid . by design it would be reasonable to expect that this pump supply enough fluid to enable the vehicle operator to drive himself out of immediate danger . the emergency steering system is not contemplated as a replacement of the primary and secondary pumps but it will enable the articulated vehicle to be controlled upon either a prime mover failure or pump failure . although the emergency fluid pump 18 is shown to be driven in one direction it may be desirable in certain situations to have an emergency fluid pump of the type that has the input shaft rotatable in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction and still deliver fluid to the outlet of the pump under pressure . a pump of this type may be desirable in an embodiment of the invention in order to assure steering fluid delivery regardless of the direction of rotation of the vehicle wheels driving through the drive means to the torque converter output shaft and the emergency steering pump drive shaft . the emergency steering system will automatically cease operation on an increase in fluid pressure in line 86 above the threshold setting of the pressure sensitive switch 136 . for instance , if a stalled engine 10 is restarted by the vehicle operator the primary 12 and secondary 80 pumps will again pump fluid . this will cause ( fluid pressure from pump 80 ) the disengagement of the electromagnetic clutch 124 thus isolating the emergency fluid pump 18 from the ground drive source 30 . fig3 along with fig4 and 5 present another alternative ground drive to emergency pump clutch device . in fig3 the layout and equipment presented is similar to the equipment of fig1 only the electromagnetic clutch and the pressure sensitive electric switch is not used . where appropriate , identification numbers in fig3 are identical to those of fig1 when the equipment is identical . alternatively provided in this embodiment is the use of a fluid motor or cylinder 142 which is shown schematically in fig4 and 5 . this type of clutch means is represented in fig3 by item 26 . this clutch means receives a pressure signal from conduit 144 which communicates with the conduit 44 which leads from the primary fluid pump 12 to the selective valving means generally 16 . looking at fig4 the fluid cylinder 142 is shown in an attitude representing a disengaged state of the clutch means . fluid has been provided to the cylinder by means of conduit 144 which has displaced piston 146 against spring 150 thus allowing pulley wheel 152 to approach output pulley wheels of the ground drive source ( pulley wheel 154 ) and the emergency fluid pump ( pulley wheel 156 ) such that there is slack in the pulley belt 160 . as shown in fig5 upon failure of the primary steering system pump or the prime mover , fluid pressure in conduit 44 will decrease and consequently allow the evacuation of fluid from the cylinder 142 as the spring 150 will force the piston toward the port of the cylinder . as the piston moves it will carry its piston rod and the attached pulley wheel 152 away from the ground drive and pump drive pulley wheels . this will result in the tightening of pulley belt 160 and the driving of the emergency pump pulley wheel ( and pump ) by means of the ground drive pump . although the embodiment expressed by the fig3 , and 5 do show a working embodiment it is presented herein to communicate the principle or gist of the invention . what has been accomplished in this invention is the use of steering system pressure to determine the need for the delivery of emergency steering fluid and to use the lack of system pressure during a pump failure to trigger the engagement of an emergency fluid delivery system . although the system described in this disclosure is primarily concerned with an emergency steering system , it is obvious that a ground drive system of this type could be well utilized in a hydraulic brake system , an implement hydraulic system or other hydraulic devices that work when the host vehicle is in motion . thus it is apparent that there has been provided in accordance with the invention an emergency steering system that fully satisfies the objects aims and advantages set forth above . while the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof it is evident that many alternatives , modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description . accordingly it is intended to embrace all such alternatives , modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the appended claims . | 1 |
referring to the drawings in detail , pedals 50 , 52 are shown in fig1 in their most forward and rearward positions of the preferred embodiment . during operation of the exercise apparatus , pedals 50 , 52 follow the inclined elliptical pedal curve 5 for the toe and 3 for the heel . the lower leg 7 and upper leg 9 are shown in the lowermost contact with pedal 50 while lower leg 7 ′ and upper leg 9 ′ are shown in the uppermost contact with pedal 52 . the angles 4 , 6 as measured from the pedal 50 , 52 surface to the lower leg 7 , 7 ′ remain close to 90 degrees during operation for effective force transfer during load but can articulate approximately plus or minus 10 degrees to exercise the ankle and lower leg muscles . note that elongate heel curve 3 is longer than elongate toe curve 5 . handles 62 , 64 follow arcuate path 11 coordinated with the movement of pedals 50 , 52 . locking devices 24 , 26 can be loosened to allow handles 62 , 64 to slide relative to handle supports 66 , 68 to bring the arcuate path 11 closer or further away from the operator as desired . handles 60 , 62 can also be removed from handle supports 66 , 68 if desired . shroud 8 is slotted to allow movement of handle supports 66 , 68 and foot supports 54 , 56 . with either handle 62 , 64 forward , an operator can easily step into the seat or with handles 62 , 64 positioned side by side , an operator can step through from either side for easy ingress and egress . referring to the forward portion of the preferred embodiment shown in fig2 and 3 , pedals 50 , 52 are attached to inclined foot support members 54 , 56 which are connected to coupler links 58 , 60 at pivots 31 , 33 and to first rocker links 28 , 30 at pivots 95 , 97 . first rocker links 28 , 30 are connected to frame member 55 at pivot 35 . coupler links 58 , 60 are connected to crank arms 20 , 22 at pivots 21 , 23 and to second rocker links 80 , 82 at pivots 25 , 27 . second rocker links 80 , 82 are attached to frame member 57 at pivot 81 . crank arms 20 , 22 are connected generally opposed in crank bearing housing 90 forming a crank pivot axis . crank bearing housing 90 is attached to frame members 71 and 73 . crank arms 20 , 22 , coupler links 58 , 60 , and second rocker links 80 , 82 form a crank - rocker mechanism where the pivots 31 , 33 located upon coupler links 58 , 60 follow an elliptical path ( not shown for clarity ). the elliptical motion of coupler link pivots 31 , 33 impart elliptical motion to foot support members 54 , 56 along with pedals 50 , 52 . during operation , pedals 50 , 52 articulate providing modest dorsi - flexion and plantar flexion foot rotation about the ankle . crank arms 20 , 22 and coupler links 58 , 60 are shown in toggle positions in fig2 and 3 . an operator seated in seat 49 with feet positioned on pedals 50 , 52 could have difficulty overcoming the toggle position during startup . to avoid a difficult start , handles 62 , 62 are somewhat out of phase with pedals 50 , 52 to move crank arms 20 , 22 for better force transmission from the coupler links 58 , 60 to crank arms 20 , 22 once the feet are applying force upon pedals 50 , 52 . pulley 10 is attached to crank arm 22 to rotate about the pivot axis . flywheel 17 is connected to frame member 78 at pivot 37 and is engaged with pulley 10 by belt 19 . once the pedals 50 , 52 are moving , the momentum of flywheel 17 supplies energy to drive through the toggle positions without notice by the operator . adjustable load resistance is provided by friction band 69 acting upon flywheel 17 with spring 34 and adjustment knob 18 . frame members 72 , 74 are configured to rest on a horizontal surface and are connected by frame member 70 . frame members 55 , 57 , 70 , 71 , 73 , 75 , 76 , and 79 are interconnected for the framework . seat 49 as shown in fig1 is movably attached to frame member 70 by seat support 99 for adjustment of operator leg length . rotation device 2 allows seat 49 to swivel for side access . arm exercise is provided by handles 62 , 64 shown in fig1 , 2 and 3 . handles 62 , 64 are adjustably connected to handle supports 66 , 68 . first arm links 40 , 42 are connected to handle supports 66 , 68 at pivots 61 , 63 and to frame member 75 at pivots 41 , 43 . first arm links 40 , 42 further extend beyond pivots 41 , 43 to connect to connector links 92 , 94 at pivots 13 , 15 . connector links 92 , 94 are connected to foot support members 54 , 56 at pivots 91 , 93 . second arm links 44 , 46 are connected to handle supports 66 , 68 at pivots 65 , 67 and to frame member 75 at pivots 45 , 47 . referring to fig4 and 5 , pedals 50 , 52 are shown in their most forward and rearward positions of the first alternate embodiment . during operation of the exercise apparatus , pedals 50 , 52 follow the inclined elliptical pedal curve 115 . the lower leg 7 and upper leg 9 are shown in the lowermost contact with pedal 50 while lower leg 7 ′ and upper leg 9 ′ are shown in the uppermost contact with pedal 52 . the angles 4 , 6 as measured from the pedal 50 , 52 surface to the lower leg 7 , 7 ′ remain close to 90 degrees during operation for effective force transfer during load but can articulate to exercise the ankle and lower leg muscles . handles 62 , 64 follow arcuate path 11 coordinated with the movement of pedals 50 , 52 . locking devices 24 , 26 can be loosened to allow handles 62 , 64 to slide relative to handle supports 66 , 68 to bring the arcuate path 11 closer or further away from the operator as desired . handles 60 , 62 can also be removed from handle supports 66 , 68 if desired . with either handle 62 , 64 forward , an operator can easily step into the seat or with handles 62 , 64 positioned side by side , an operator can step through from either side for easy ingress and egress . pedals 50 , 52 are attached to foot supports 102 , 104 which are connected to coupler links 58 , 60 at pivots 31 , 33 and to guide links 106 , 108 at pivots 101 , 103 . coupler links 58 , 60 are connected to crank arms 20 , 22 at pivots 21 , 23 and to rocker links 80 , 82 at pivots 25 , 27 . rocker links 80 , 82 are attached to frame member 57 at pivot 81 . guide links 106 , 108 are pivotally connected to rocker links 80 , 80 at pivots 105 , 107 . crank arms 20 , 22 can be connected generally opposed in crank bearing housing 90 forming a crank pivot axis or crank arms 20 , 22 can be connected so as to be non - parallel for easy start up in a toggle position of a pedal . crank bearing housing 90 is attached to frame members 71 and 73 . crank arms 20 , 22 , coupler links 58 , 60 , and rocker links 80 , 82 form a crank - rocker linkage where the pivots 31 , 33 located upon coupler links 58 , 60 follow an elliptical path ( not shown for clarity ). the elliptical motion of coupler link pivots 31 , 33 impart elliptical motion to foot support members 102 , 104 along with pedals 50 , 52 . during operation , pedals 50 , 52 articulate providing modest dorsi - flexion and plantar flexion foot rotation about the ankle . crank arms 20 , 22 and coupler links 58 , 60 are shown in toggle positions in fig2 and 3 . an operator seated in seat 49 with feet positioned on pedals 50 , 52 could have difficulty overcoming the toggle position during startup except that pedal 52 positions lower leg 7 ′ such that the lower leg 7 ′ is tangent to elongate curve 115 allowing force transfer for startup . the drive system and framework is the same as the preferred embodiment . arm exercise is the same as the preferred embodiment except that connecting links 110 , 112 are connected to rocker links 80 , 82 at pivots 25 , 27 . referring to fig6 for the second alternate embodiment , pedal 50 is shown in the lowermost position while pedal 52 is shown off the uppermost position of the elongate curve 117 . this occurs because crank arms 20 and 22 are connected at the pivot axis so as to be non - parallel . pedal 52 positions the lower leg 7 ′ tangent to elongate curve 117 for easy startup . handle 64 is shown positioned off the end of arcuate path 11 allowing force transfer from the arms to aid in toggle startup . guides 106 , 108 are now connected to frame member 79 at pivot 123 and to foot supports 120 , 122 at pivots 119 , 121 . foot supports 120 , 122 are connected to coupler links 58 , 60 at pivots 31 , 33 and support pedals 50 , 52 . connecting links 110 , 112 are connected to rocker links 80 , 82 at pivots 25 , 27 and to arm links 40 , 42 at pivots 13 , 15 . the arm exercise linkage system , drive system , and framework is similar to the preferred embodiment of fig1 , 2 and 3 . the seat 49 is shown in fig4 and 6 having knobs 135 which can be loosened to move seat support 130 along frame member 70 . the present 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 scope of the invention is , therefore , indicated by the claims , rather than by foregoing description . all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope . | 0 |
referring to the figures , and in particular to fig1 - 3 , a magnetically - locked coaxial switch assembly incorporating the principles of the present invention is indicated generally by the reference character 10 . the switch assembly 10 includes a switch unit 11 having a generally rectangular two - section enclosure or housing 12 , and a magnetic key unit 13 having a similarly shaped enclosure or housing 14 . the switch unit housing 12 is formed of a non - magnetic material such as a hard plastic or a die cast metal and may be provided with apertured ears ( not shown ) for mounting to a support structure . the switch unit housing 12 includes on one end a coaxial fitting 15 for receiving a first coaxial cable segment 16 through which rf signals are conveyed into the switch , and a second coaxial fitting 17 ( fig4 ) for receiving a second coaxial cable segment 18 through which rf signals are conveyed from the switch to the subscriber . the key unit housing 14 , which is dimensioned to fit in overlapping relationship to the front , top and side surfaces of switch unit housing 12 , is also formed of a non - magnetic material such as hard plastic or a die cast metal . an actuator shaft 20 extending through the front surface of switch unit housing 12 enables the switch assembly to be conditioned to open and closed positions as desired . actuation of this shaft is accomplished by the user by means of an actuator knob 21 on the front surface of key unit 13 . this knob is mounted on a shaft segment 22 ( fig3 ) which extends through the key unit to the rear surface 23 of the key unit housing , where an axially - extending recess 24 including a flat keying surface is provided in the end of the shaft for telescopingly receiving the exposed and complementarily - keyed end of actuator shaft 20 . the key unit also includes a magnetic field source in the form of a permanent magnet 25 which unlocks the switch unit when the key unit is in position . recesses 26 and 27 in the sidewalls of the key unit housing provide clearance for connectors 15 and 17 when units 11 and 12 are engaged . referring to fig4 and 5 , the two sections of housing 12 of switch unit 11 define an interior cavity 30 . coaxial connectors 15 and 17 each include respective electrically conductive body portions 31 and 32 projecting from the switch unit housing for receiving the outer conductor of a coaxial cable , respective electrically conductive center contact portions 33 and 34 for receiving the center conductor of a coaxial cable , and respective dielectric insert portions 35 and 36 for supporting and electrically isolating the center contact portions . connector 15 connects , for example , to a subscriber distribution cable while connector 17 connects to a cable leading to the subscriber &# 39 ; s television receiver . a ground connection is provided between the connectors by either forming housing 12 of an electrically - conductive material or by providing an electrically - conductive shield within the housing between the connectors . a conductive bridging member or metal switch pole 40 , which comprises a spring contact fixedly attached at one end to the center conductor 33 of coax connector 15 , electrically connects the center conductor to either the center conductor 34 of coax connector 17 , or to a stationary contact 41 mounted within housing 12 by means of an electrically non - conductive support 42 . the free end of the spring contact 40 is fitted with a contact portion 43 which engages either the center contact 34 or the stationary contact 41 . the stationary contact 41 is connected to the electrically - conductive housing 12 at point 45 by means of an impedance 44 , which in practice is selected to correspond to the characteristic impedance of coaxial cable segment 16 so that when the switch unit 11 is open the incoming line is properly terminated . spring contact 40 is biased into engagement with either center contact portion 34 or stationary contact 41 by means of an actuator arm 46 pivotably mounted within cavity 30 . actuator arm 46 includes a slot - like recess 47 at one end within which the spring contact 40 is received . when actuator member 46 is rotated to a clockwise position , as shown in fig4 spring contact 40 is biased to establish electrical connection with contact 41 . this is the open position of switch unit 11 in which the input coaxial cable segment is terminated by impedance 44 . when actuator member 46 is rotated counterclockwise as shown in fig5 the switch unit is in its closed position and spring contact 40 is biased against the center contact 34 of connector 17 to establish an electrical connection between coaxial cable segments 16 and 18 . the actuator arm 46 is mounted on and rotatably coupled to a stub shaft 50 and is biased into either its clockwise or counterclockwise position by means of a helical compression spring 51 fixedly attached at one end to the actuator arm and fixedly attached at its other end to housing 12 . this spring is preferably maintained under partial compression so as to flex to either one side or the other of arm 46 , thereby providing an over - center toggling action . a first inclined edge portion 52 on actuator arm 46 provides a positive stop for the arm in its clockwise direction , as shown in fig4 and a second edge portion 53 provides a positive stop for the arm in its counterclockwise position , as shown in fig5 . in accordance with one aspect of the invention , actuator arm 46 is locked in either its clockwise or counterclockwise position by means of a locking pin 54 mounted for reciprocative movement in a direction transverse to the plane of rotation of arm 46 . referring to fig6 locking pin 54 is slidably mounted within a cylindrical collar 55 which is seated within a recess 56 provided in the front section of housing 12 . locking pin 54 includes a magnetized portion 57 of increased diameter at one end and is biased so as to interfere at its other end with rotation of actuator arm 46 by means of a helical compression spring 58 . in the normal locked condition of switch unit 11 spring 58 biases the locking pin into an interference relationship with actuator arm 46 whereby rotation of the actuator member from either its closed clockwise position or open counterclockwise position is prvented . this is shown in fig6 . however , when key unit 13 is engaged to switch unit 11 , as in fig7 the permanent magnet 25 within the key unit produces a magnetic field which attracts the magnetic portion 57 of the locking pin . the force of this is sufficient to overcome the bias of spring 58 and pull the pin out of its interfering relationship with actuator arm 46 . the actuator arm is then free to rotate between its clockwise and counterclockwise positions to provide the desired positioning of contact arm 40 . in accordance with another aspect of the invention , a slip - clutch rotational coupling is provided between the externally - accessible shaft segment 20 of switch unit 11 and the shaft segment 50 on which actuator arm 46 is mounted to prevent damage to the switch from excessive force being applied to actuator arm 46 when the actuator arm is locked by pin 54 . referring to fig8 in one form the slip - clutch coupling may be obtained by means of an axially - extending aperture 60 in the end of shaft segment 50 within which a shank portion 61 of reduced diameter on the inside end of shaft segment 20 is frictionally fitted . a collar portion 62 of increased diameter on shaft segment 20 prevents segment 20 from being pulled from the housing . in an alternate embodiment of the slip - clutch coupling , shaft segment 50 is received within a recess 63 provided on the end of shaft segment 20 . rotational coupling is obtained between the two shaft segments by means of a convex washer 64 , a c washer 66 , and a resilient washer 65 compressed between washers 64 and 66 . the two housing sections 13 form an enclosure for the coaxial cable connectors and their electrical interconnections which render these elements inaccessible without disassembly of the switch unit housing . normally , such disassembly is avoided by either permanently bonding the two housing sections together , or by joining the housing sections by means of special fasteners requiring special tools for engagement . in use , the switch unit 11 is conditioned to either an open or a closed state by engaging the key unit 13 to the switch unit 11 , as shown in fig1 and 7 . this simultaneously displaces pin 54 to unlock actuator arm 46 , and rotatably couples the arm to the user - accessible knob 21 . all that remains is for the user to rotate the knob to the desired position , as indicated by indices on the key unit housing . any misalignment of shaft segment 20 prior to engagement of the switch and lock units , such as might result from slippage of the internal clutch during attempted actuation of the switch without release of the magnetic locking pin , is easily corrected by aligning the flat ( or other shaft alignment key ) as shown by indices on the switch unit housing prior to engagement of the key unit . thus , applicant has provided a magnetically - locking coax switch assembly which avoids the use of tumbler and cylinder - type lock assemblies while providing protection against unauthorized actuation . the switch assembly is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and capable of providing reliable service even after long - term exposure to weather , making it ideally suited for catv and similar applications wherein a large number of switch assemblies are required . while a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown and described , it will be appreciated that changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention . it is , therefore , intended that all such changes and modifications be covered by the following claims . | 7 |
referring now to the drawings , wherein numeral 10 in the drawings generally denotes a device for grinding tungsten welding electrodes . the device 10 comprises a motor ( not shown ) in a motor housing 12 , a motor flange 14 screwed to the motor housing 12 and a cylindrical housing part 16 arranged on the motor flange 14 . the motor flange 14 and the housing part 16 constitute guiding blocks for guiding electrodes . the housing part 16 is connected to the motor and the motor flange in a way which is described below in greater detail . a grinding wheel assembly 18 with grinding wheels 20 and 22 having different graining rotates in the plane between the motor flange 14 and the housing part 16 . in fig4 the motor flange 14 is separately shown . the flange 14 is provided with bore holes 24 . the flange is screwed to the motor through these bore holes as shown in fig1 . a plate like depression 26 is provided on the end of the motor flange 14 which is remote to the motor . this depression serves as a receiving unit for the grinding wheel assembly 18 . this is shown in the exploded view of fig1 and 2 . a connecting shaft 30 is screwed above the grinding wheel assembly 18 . the connecting shaft 30 is separately shown in fig3 . the shaft 30 has an upper portion 28 . furthermore the shaft 30 has an internally threaded bore hole 32 . the bore hole 32 is provided with a collar 34 projecting outwardly in an axial direction . the grinding wheel assembly 18 is set on this collar acting as a centering means . the grinding wheels of the grinding wheel assembly 18 are provided with a central bore hole 38 and an off - axis bore hole 40 . the central bore hole 38 is positioned and centered on the collar 34 . the rotation is effected about the axis of the bore hole 38 , a pin 36 engaging the bore hole 40 and transmitting the driving power to the grinding wheel assembly 18 . the grinding wheel assembly 18 is fixed with the screw 37 in the inner thread of the shaft 30 . fig1 shows the exploded grinding wheel assembly 18 with a cutting wheel 42 in the middle and grinding wheels 20 and 22 on both sides thereof , the grinding wheels having either the same , a different or a partial graining . the grinding wheel assembly 18 comprises a rough grained grinding wheel 20 ( fig9 ) and a fine grained grinding wheel 22 which otherwise has the same constitution . a further middle wheel 42 is disposed between the two grinding wheels 20 and 22 of the grinding wheel assembly the middle wheel 42 having a particularly thin edge . this edge serves for cutting the electrodes with improved cutting behaviour . additionally to the central bore hole 38 and the off - axis bore hole 40 for a fixed connection of the wheels 20 , 22 and 42 further off - axis bore holes 64 and 56 are provided in the middle wheel 42 ( fig1 ). projections 68 provided on the wheel 20 extend through each of the holes into the corresponding recess in the wheel 22 and a projection on the wheel 22 extending into the corresponding recess 70 in the wheel 20 . if the grinding wheel assembly 18 is mounted with the shaft the essentially cylindrical housing portion 16 is coaxially arranged on the motor flange 14 . the housing portion 16 is shown in detail in fig5 . the housing part 16 has a center bore hole 44 . the center bore hole 44 is aligned with the bore holes 38 of the grinding wheel assembly 18 and the rotational axis of the shaft 30 . a depression 50 is provided around the bore hole at the plane surface 46 of the housing ( see fig2 ). this depression 50 has about the same dimensions as the depression 26 in the motor flange 14 . the depressions 26 and 50 together form a cavity when the assembly is assembled ( fig6 ). the cavity serves to receive the grinding wheel assembly 18 . the housing 16 has a depression 52 on its plane surface 51 on the upper end serving for receiving means for the removal of grinding leftovers such as dust and other leftovers . furthermore the housing 16 has a slit 54 in a radial direction extending along the entire width of the housing . the slit 54 is wide enough to insert electrodes . when the grinding wheel assembly 18 rotates the electrode can be shortened at the middle wheel 42 by cutting off the worn end of the electrode . as in the housing 16 a slit 52 is provided in the motor flange 14 . the slits 52 and 54 in the motor flange and in the housing 16 are aligned as it is shown in fig6 . a bore hole 60 is provided in the housing 16 . the bore hole 60 extends over the entire length of the housing . a screw 62 ( fig1 ) engages through the bore hole 60 for screwing the housing 16 to the motor flange 14 . the screw 62 is screwed into a nut 72 which is provided in a recess 74 in the motor flange 14 . the motor flange has a pin 66 whereon the housing 16 can be inserted with a bore hole 58 ( fig2 ). in such a way the housing 16 is tightly fixed to the motor flange 14 by only one screw ( 62 ). this enables a particularly simple and quick disassembling and assembling if a grinding wheel must be exchanged . contrary to known assemblies with two grinding wheels a shaft 30 with a particularly short neck may be used in the present assembly . the housing 16 and the motor flange 14 have groups 76 and 78 of lateral openings . these groups of lateral openings extend along the circumference of the housing and the motor flange , respectively , in the direction of the grinding wheel next to the housing or motor flange , respectively , on the plane end 48 . each group comprises six lateral openings 82 of different diameter which is indicated by an engraving 80 over the lateral opening . the angle under which an electrode is inserted in a lateral opening 82 contacts a grinding wheel is the same within each group of lateral openings . it can be seen from the drawing , that the lateral opening 82 has a diameter of 1 . 6 mm and a grinding angle of 22 . 5 degrees . the angle for each group is indicated by a further engraving 84 above the first engraving . in the present embodiment there are four different angles possible for grinding the electrode tips . also , electrodes with as many as up to six different diameters can be used . the electrode is so well guided by the lateral opening 82 that reproducible results can be achieved without any expense or danger . more grinding angles , further electrode diameters or the use of a grinding surface with different graining are considered by providing similar lateral openings 90 in the motor flange 14 . an electrode can be , for example , roughly pre - grinded by guiding it through the opening 82 in the housing 16 . the grinding wheel 22 having a grinding surface which is upwardly directed has a rough graining . for the fine grinding the opening 90 in the motor flange 14 is used . the corresponding grinding wheel 20 having a grinding surface which is downwardly directed has a fine graining . furthermore , the housing 16 has a group of openings vertically extending from the upper end to the lower end of the housing 16 . the openings of this group also have different diameters corresponding to the diameters of the previously mentioned groups . the openings of the group 92 enable the perpendicular grinding of the electrode tips . the entire assembly is screwed on a hand - held unit . the grinding wheel assembly is positioned directly in front of the ball bearing of the motor shaft . this prevents lurching at high angular rates . the assembly is much shorter than comparable assemblies having two grinding wheels . it is , therefore , much easier to handle . it requires less components and it is thereby cheaper in transport , keeping and production . an alternative embodiment is shown in fig1 - 14 . a grinding wheel assembly 118 is provided , which is the same as the grinding wheel assembly 18 of fig1 . the grinding wheel assembly 118 is driven by a motor through a shaft . the grinding wheel assembly 118 is disposed between a motor flange 114 and a guiding block 116 . in fig1 the motor flange 114 is separately shown . the flange 114 is provided with bore holes 124 . the flange is screwed to the motor through these bore holes as shown in fig1 . the motor flange 114 constitutes a solid guiding block . the grinding wheel assembly 18 is disposed between the guiding block 116 and the motor flange 114 . this is shown in the exploded view of fig1 and the cross sectional view in fig1 . in this embodiment , the housing portion 116 does not need a center bore hole or a depression . the housing 116 has a slit 154 in a radial direction extending along the entire width of the guiding block . the slit 154 is wide enough to insert electrodes . when the grinding wheel assembly 118 rotates the electrode can be shortened by cutting off the worn end of the electrode . as in the guiding block 116 a slit 152 is provided in the motor flange 114 . the slits 152 and 154 in the motor flange and in the housing 16 are aligned as it is shown in fig1 . two bore holes 160 and 161 are provided in the guiding block 116 . the bore holes 160 and 161 extend over the entire length of the guiding block . screws 162 engage through the bore holes 160 and 161 for screwing the housing 116 to the motor flange 114 . two nuts 172 and 173 are provided to maintain a distance between the motor flange 114 and the guiding block 116 . the grinding wheel assembly 118 rotates in the space between the motor flange 114 and the guiding block 116 . the screw 162 extends through the nut 172 into a bore hole 174 in the motor flange 114 . the guiding block 116 and the motor flange 114 have groups of lateral openings as it is the case with the housing of the first embodiment . in an alternate embodiment only one screw 262 can be utilized . this enables a quicker assembling and disassembling if , for example , the grinding wheel 218 is exchanged . this screw 262 extends through a bore hole 242 , as it is shown in fig1 . a further alternative embodiment is shown in fig1 and fig1 . a grinding wheel assembly 318 is provided , which is the same as the grinding wheel assembly 118 of fig1 . contrary to the second embodiment the guiding block 316 does not have lateral openings . it is , therefore , much flatter than the guiding blocks or housings of the previous embodiments . as in the third embodiment , the guiding block 316 is fixed to a motor flange 314 by means of only one screw 362 and a nut 372 . the guiding block 316 constitutes a lid for protection of the grinding wheel assembly 318 . it also serves to grind electrodes flat without tip . fig1 shows an embodiment which is similar to the embodiment of fig1 , 17 . however , instead of a screw 362 and a nut 372 the guiding block 416 forms an integral part of the motor flange 414 . the entire part is screwed to the motor housing . the grinding wheel assembly ( not shown ) rotates therebetween . in all embodiments , the grinding wheel assembly has a first grinding surface which is directed into a direction towards the motor . thereby , the motor flange can be used as a guiding block . | 1 |
the process and polyester fiber - rubber compositions of this invention are demonstrated with the following rubber masterbatches . all parts are by weight . santocure ns , an accelerator , is n - tert - butyl - 2 - benzothiazolesulfenamide and thiofide , an accelerator , is bis ( 2 - benzothiazolyl ) disulfide . ______________________________________rubber masterbatchesmasterbatch a b c______________________________________natural rubber 100 . 0 50 . 0 50 . 0sbr 1712 -- 68 . 8 -- sbr 1778 -- -- 48 . 0polybutadiene rubber -- -- 15 . 0carbon black ( fef ) -- 50 . 0 -- carbon black ( gpf ) -- -- 45 . 0carbon black ( isaf ) 45 . 0 -- -- silica -- -- 5 . 0zinc oxide 3 . 0 3 . 0 5 . 0stearic acid 2 . 0 2 . 0 1 . 0hydrocarbon softener 5 . 0 -- 5 . 0wax -- -- 2 . 0antidegradant -- -- 2 . 0resorcinol adhesive -- -- 1 . 5total 155 . 0 173 . 8 179 . 5______________________________________ vulcanizable compositions are prepared by mixing sulfur and accelerator with portions of a rubber masterbatch . polyester fiber - rubber compositions are prepared with polyester 1000 / 2 tire cord and the properties of the compositions and tire cord stability are determined as described above . the data are shown in tables 1 - 3 . polyester fiber - natural rubber composites of the invention are illustrated in table 1 . referring to table 1 , stock 1 is a control with a non - amine commercial accelerator and stock 2 is a control with an amine - bearing commercial accelerator . stocks 3 - 6 illustrate the invention containing phosphinothioyl amino sulfide accelerators . the cure data indicate that the phosphinothioyl - t - butylamino sulfide accelerator is functionally equivalent to the non - amine commercial accelerator but exhibits about 50 percent greater processing safety ( 33 . 5 versus 22 . 7 minutes ). the cure data further indicates that the phosphinothioyl anilino sulfide accelerators exhibit greater processing safety than the amine - bearing commercial accelerator . more significantly , the cord stability data demonstrate that the polyester cords of the polyester fiber composites vulcanized with phosphinothioyl amino sulfide accelerators retain greater strength than the polyester cords in a rubber composite vulcanized with the amine - bearing commercial accelerator . polyester fiber - rubber composites comprising blends of natural and synthetic rubbers are illustrated in tables 2 and 3 . the cord stability data confirm that polyester cord in composites vulcanized with phosphinothioyl amino sulfides ( table 2 , stocks 3 - 7 and table 3 , stock 3 ) degrade less thereby retaining greater cord strength than polyester cord vulcanized with amine - bearing commercial accelerators . the improved polyester cord stability in composites vulcanized with phosphinothioyl amino sulfide accelerators is unexpected , especially with phosphinothioyl - t - butylamino sulfide accelerators , since they contain the same amine moiety as in the amine - bearing commercial accelerator . table i__________________________________________________________________________ 1 2 3 4 5 6__________________________________________________________________________masterbatch a 155 . 0 155 . 0 155 . 0 155 . 0 155 . 0 155 . 0sulfur 2 . 5 2 . 5 2 . 5 2 . 5 2 . 5 2 . 5thiofide 0 . 5 -- -- -- -- -- santocure ns -- 0 . 5 -- -- -- -- di - n - butoxyphosphinothioylt - butylamino sulfide -- -- 0 . 5 -- -- -- di - n - butoxyphosphinothioylanilino sulfide -- -- -- 0 . 5 -- -- di - n - butoxyphosphinothioyln - isopropylanilino sulfide -- -- -- -- 0 . 5 -- di - n - butoxyphosphinothioyln - methylanilino sulfide -- -- -- -- -- 0 . 5mooney scorch at 121 ° c t . sub . 5 , min . 22 . 7 40 . 2 33 . 5 45 . 5 48 . 4 45 . 6rheometer at 153 ° c r max , nm 5 . 0 7 . 1 5 . 3 4 . 0 3 . 6 3 . 5 t . sub . 90 - t . sub . 2 , min . 13 . 1 7 . 8 13 . 7 24 . 4 25 . 8 25 . 7stress - strain at 153 ° c cure time , min . 30 20 30 45 45 45 300 ° modulus , kg ./ cm . sup . 2 93 129 96 89 81 75 uts , kg ./ cm . sup . 2 198 267 225 189 172 174 elongation , % 500 500 530 510 500 520cord stability % strength retention press cure 2 hours at 175 ° c 76 71 78 79 83 81__________________________________________________________________________ table 2______________________________________ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7______________________________________masterbatch b 173 . 8 → → → → → → sulfur 2 . 0 → → → → → → thiofide 1 . 5 -- -- -- -- -- -- santocure ns -- 1 . 5 -- -- -- -- -- di - n - butoxy - phosphinothioyl - t - butylamino sulfide -- -- 1 . 5 -- -- -- -- diisopropoxy - phosphinothioyl - t - butylamino sulfide -- -- -- 1 . 5 -- -- -- di - n - butoxy - phosphinothioylanilino sulfide -- -- -- -- 1 . 5 -- -- diisopropoxy - phosphinothioylanilino sulfide -- -- -- -- -- 1 . 5 -- diisopropoxy - phosphinothioylmorpholino sulfide -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 . 5mooney scorchat 135 ° ct . sub . 5 , min . 10 . 8 20 . 0 11 . 0 11 . 4 19 . 6 22 . 6 16 . 5rheometerat 153 ° cr max , nm 6 . 2 7 . 4 6 . 1 6 . 7 4 . 4 5 . 0 3 . 3t . sub . 90 - t . sub . 2 , min . 16 . 8 7 . 8 16 . 1 14 . 2 28 . 3 27 . 0 53 . 8cord stability % strength retentionpress cure2 hours at 175 ° c 83 69 83 83 90 87 88sealed tubeat 150 ° c48 hours 82 82 -- 85 -- -- 8796 hours 80 70 -- 78 -- -- 78______________________________________ table 3______________________________________ 1 2 3______________________________________masterbatch c 179 . 5 → → sulfur 2 . 3 → → thiofide 1 . 4 -- -- santocure ns -- 1 . 4 -- diisopropoxyphosphinothioylt - butylamino sulfide -- -- 1 . 4mooney scorch at 135 ° ct . sub . 5 , min . 12 . 9 19 . 3 13 . 9rheometer at 153 ° cr max , nm 5 . 7 7 . 8 7 . 0t . sub . 90 - t . sub . 2 , min . 32 . 4 7 . 3 11 . 5stress - strain at 153 ° ccure time , min . 60 30 30300 % modulus , kg ./ cm . sup . 2 49 88 84uts , kg ./ cm . sup . 2 150 165 162elongation , % 600 480 490cord stability % strength retentionsealed tube at 150 ° c48 hours 86 89 9296 hours 82 83 87______________________________________ although the invention has been illustrated by typical examples , it is not limited thereto . changes and modifications of the examples of the invention herein chosen for purposes of disclosure can be made which do not constitute departure from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 2 |
described below are examples of applications of the present invention in a theatrical show . however , its use for other purposes , including training , involves no substantial changes . a video information system according to the invention comprises a sectional screen 1 ( fig1 ) having a plurality of cells . as illustrated in the embodiment shown in fig1 the sectional screen 1 has two longitudinal cells 2 and 3 and two transverse cells 4 and 5 . all cells of the screen 1 are rotatable and / or movable in space at least in one direction , the three - dimensionally variable multiple - plane screen system being formed . variation of the three - dimensional position of cells of the screen 1 is carried out at will both for one of the cells and for a group of cells in any direction depending on information sent to each of the cells , their form and effect being produced by this information . described below are embodiments of multiple - plane systems wherein one or several cells are moved or turned in space . however , the described embodiments do not encompass every possible combination of three - dimensional positions of cells , nor do they describe all possible combinations of the cell types within one screen . moreover , the multiple - plane screen system is described as applied to a theatrical stage performance , which does not limit all possible uses thereof mentioned above . as mentioned above , fig1 shows the screen 1 having the four cells 2 through 5 . each of the cells 2 to 5 has an axis 6 , 7 , 8 and 9 , respectively , about which the cells are turned at a certain angle . the axes 6 and 7 of rotation of the cells 2 and 3 extend along the lateral edges of the screen 1 . the axes 8 and 9 of rotation of the cells 4 and 5 extend along the upper edge of the screen 1 . the cell 5 is shown turned at an angle of 120 ° with respect to the plane of the longitudinal cells 2 and 3 . the lateral edges of the screen 1 . described below ( fig2 and 3 ) are embodiments of a sectional screen 12 or 13 having a different number of cells . as the sectional screen 1 is used in a theatrical stage performance , pylons 10 and 11 are disposed along the lateral edges of the screen 1 . in fig2 the screen 12 has longitudinal cells 2 , 3 , 14 , 15 and 16 , the cells 2 and 3 being lateral cells , and transverse cells 4 , 5 and 17 , the longitudinal cells 14 to 16 and the transverse cell 17 being moved backwards deeper behind the main plain of the screen 12 which plane coincides in this embodiment with the plane of the transverse cell 4 , and the cell 17 being in a different plane with respect to the cells 14 to 16 . furthermore , the transverse cell 5 is turned upwards with respect to the main plane of the screen 12 , and the lateral cells 2 and 3 are turned backwards deeper with respect to the main plane of the screen 12 . a video information system shown in fig3 differs from the abovedescribed systems in that it has one more group of movable cells having a transverse cell 18 moved backwards deeper behind the screen 13 with respect to the cell 17 and longitudinal cells 19 and 20 mounted in front of the cells 14 to 16 and turned with respect to these cells . fig4 and 6 show some examples of applications of the multiple - plane three - dimensional screen system . fig4 shows a diagrammatic view of a control desk and information concerning the flight of a spacecraft . information concerning location of a spacecraft 21 in outer space and with respect to the earth 22 is sent to the cell 5 of the screen 13 ; the necessary maps 23 , diagrams 24 and alphanumeric information 25 are displayed on the cells 14 , 15 and 16 . the lateral cells 2 and 3 show a projection 26 of street fragments , and details 27 decorating the room of a control desk 28 are placed in cells 19 and 20 . the control desk 28 is disposed in front of the screen 13 . fig5 shows a projection of an apartment in several planes of a multiple - plane three - dimensional screen system according to the invention . in this system , the cell 5 of the screen 12 is turned at an angle of 90 ° with respect to the vertical plane , the cell 15 is moved backwards , and the cells 2 and 3 are turned with respect to the cells 14 and 16 . the cell 5 displays a projection 29 of a perspective view of a city ; the cell 15 displays a projection 30 of a perspective view of another end of the city which projection is a continuation of projections 31 and 32 presented in the form of stained - glass pictures as viewed out of the windows disposed in cells 14 and 16 . displayed on the same cells 14 and 16 are projections 33 of aparatment walls which projections are parts of projections 34 , 35 of other walls which are projected on the lateral cells 2 and 3 . fig6 shows another projection of the video information image on the screen 12 having the cell 15 moved backwards and the cell 5 turned . a projection 36 of the sky is displayed on the cell 5 and partially on the cells 4 and 17 , an image 37 of a helicopter and a projection 38 of the earth surface are shown on the lateral cells 14 and 16 , and an image 39 of a landing spacecraft module is displayed on the cell 15 . the video information in accordance with fig4 through 6 which is represented on the screen 1 ( 12 or 13 ) may vary in time at will producing different three - dimensional scenes changing three - dimensionally and in time . this ensures a strong psychological and emotional impact upon the audience by producing the illusion of their direct participation in the events taking place by instantly changing the place where these events occur and bringing the audience from one place to another . in order to enhance the impact upon the audience , scenery accessories are placed in front of any cell of the screen 1 . in fig4 lamp posts 40 are installed in front of the cells 2 and 3 in order to enhance the three - dimensional perception of a general picture of the city street fragment by combining it with the projection 26 of the city street , and the desk 28 is disposed in front of the cells 14 through 16 . in fig5 furniture pieces 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 supplementing the idea of the apartment serve the same purpose . furthermore , a real theatrical stage performance may take place in front of the screen 1 , the real cast 46 acting in front of the cells 2 and 3 , 14 through 16 and 19 , 20 of the screen 12 or 13 ( fig4 through 6 ). other examples of combining the scenery with the screen 1 to which , e . g ., a television image is sent are illustrated in fig7 and 9 . in fig7 additional screens 49 are installed in front of the lateral cells 2 , 3 turned with respect to a cell 48 , and fig8 shows a television image 50 which is common for all the cells 2 , 3 , 48 of the screen 1 and the additional screens 49 . in fig9 scenery details 51 are installed in front of the screen 1 , and a television image 52 integrally viewed with the scenery details 51 is displayed on the screen 1 . the video information system according to the invention is made up of several multiple - plane three - dimensional screen systems disposed either in parallel with , and one after another as shown in fig1 , 12 and 13 , or at an angle with respect to one another ( fig1 ), or along two or more curvilinear surfaces ( fig1 ), or along a circle ( fig1 ). fig1 through 13 show a plan view of a video information system comprising three screen systems 54 , 55 and and 56 , the cells 2 , 3 , 5 , 48 being disposed in a different manner in each of these systems . thus the lateral cells 2 , 3 of the system 54 are turned and moved backwards with respect to the transverse cell 5 which is disposed at an angle with respect to the cells 2 , 3 , and the cell 4 is spaced from the cell 5 . the cells 2 and 3 , 14 and 16 of the system 55 are also turned and moved backwards , and the cells 14 , 16 are additionally moved with respect to the lateral cells 2 and 3 of the system 54 ; the cell 15 is moved with respect to the transverse cell 5 of the system 55 , the cell 5 being turned upwards with respect to the longitudinal cells 2 , 3 , 14 through 16 of the same system . the cells 2 , 3 and 48 of the system 56 are disposed in parallel with the cells 14 , 16 and 15 of the system 55 , respectively . in fig1 , the systems 54 and 55 are made similar to each other , and the system 56 has two cells 57 and 58 disposed in its centre and spaced from each other . in fig1 , the systems 54 and 55 are made identical and similar to the system 54 shown in fig2 and the system 56 is identical with the system 55 shown in fig1 . multiple - plane three dimensional screen systems 59 , 60 and 61 ( fig1 ) are aligned or disposed at an angle with respect to each other so as to form a stage triptych in the centre of which an auditorium 62 is disposed . in fig1 , multiple - plane three - dimensional screen systems 63 , 64 and 65 are disposed along a part of one circle , and similar screen systems 66 , 67 and 68 are disposed along a part of another circle of a greater radius . the screen systems 63 through 65 and 66 through 68 are disposed one after another so as to produce a general perception effect . the auditorium 62 is disposed at the centre of the entire video information system . any other curvilinear surface may be used instead of a circle . information may be sent to the video information system by any known method from projectors 69 &# 39 ;, the number of projectors depending on the form of the sectional screen and the type of information . the number of projectors installed is , e . g ., equal to the number of cells , the individual information units being sent to each cell . information received from one or several projectors may be arranged on the cells in any possible way . if the video system has several screen systems , e . g . as shown in fig1 through 15 , each of these systems has its own projector 69 ( fig1 ) or a group of projectors 69 . information from the projectors 69 and 69 &# 39 ; is simultaneously or independently sent to one and the same cell by direct projection , respectively . fig1 illustrates an embodiment of moving cells . each cell 14 , 15 , 16 of the screen 1 or 12 is secured to a frame 70 mounted on a carriage 71 which moves along guide members 72 disposed along two curvilinear surfaces . scenery pieces 75 are mounted in a similar manner on carriages 73 moving along guide members 74 . the guide members 74 are disposed along curvilinear surfaces similar to those in which the guide members 72 are disposed . to ensure movement of the cells 15 in a different direction , the system has guide members 76 along which the carriage 71 of the cells 15 moves . a carriage 77 carrying the scenery pieces 75 also moves along guide members 76 . the guide members and carriages are widely used in stage equipment for theatrical entertainment performances . operation of the video system during a theatrical presentation showing the launching of a spacecraft is described below . shown in the foreground is the control desk 28 ( fig4 ) which is easily accessible for members of the cast 46 acting on the stage . the image of a demonstration panel containing the necesssary maps 23 , diagrams 24 and information 25 which change during the performance in form and content is sent by projectors to the cells 14 through 16 . information on location of the spacecraft 21 in the outer space is sent by the projector to the cell 5 , this information also changing in time . in the second act of the theatrical show , the position of the cells 2 , 3 , 14 through 16 on the stage and the type of information displayed on these cells are changed , and other scenery accessories are disposed in front of them . the second act of the scenario of the outer space flight unfolds in an apartment , the city streets image being projected on the cells 5 and 15 , the decorative stained - glass - like panels showing the streets as viewed from the windows being projected on the cells 14 and 16 , the projections 34 and 35 of the apartment walls being displayed on the cells 2 and 3 . several stage planes are thus produced : a view of the apartment in the foreground , a view of the city streets in the background , and scenery accessories 41 through 45 disposed in front on the foreground . as the scenario is unfolding , the actor 46 is really in any of these grounds , i . e . in the space required by the scenario : in the street , apartment , on the square , etc . a tv - set on the screen of which the spacecraft flight is watched is in the apartment . moreover , the image 21 of the spacecraft flying above the city is displayed on the cell 5 . fig6 completes the scenario of the spacecraft launching . the audience can see at one and the same time and at different scenery grounds the real image of different three - dimensional scenes changing in time and space : the preparation of the search group with the image of the helicopter 37 on the cell 14 providing the foreground , the spacecraft landing shown on the cell 15 providing the background , the earth surface area where the spacecraft landing module will land shown on the cell 16 ( the foreground ). such scenario unfolding in space and time ensures a strong psychological and emotional impact upon the audience since it enhances the illusion of its direct participation in the events . the video system according to the invention offers the functions of an independent space infinitely changing in space and time , i . e . capable of being doubled , trebled , quadrupled so as to form a cyclic closed space . as a result , a theatrical show is produced which is transformable in space and time , capable of producing , together with the cast performance , the maximum effect of the audience &# 39 ; s presence and participation in a given theatrical show and carrying it to any place which is in the scenario and which the up - to - date television and cinematography is capable of showing . thus , the provision of television with monitors capable of directly picking out any events from real life as well as real people and actors and immediately carry them from the stage to the screen plane provides the video system with unlimited maneuverability and multiple - aspect character of situations produced on the screen and makes it possible to program by means of electronic tricks , i . e . to prepare in advance information objectives and objectives as formulated by the producer by modulating them and providing computer programs of future scenes , events and extreme life situations . the use of the video system according to the invention also makes it possible to view background pictures accompanying the main performance and the events of the scenes which are hidden from the audience and take place in other planes . moreover , in the production of all abovementioned effects of the video information system according to the invention , the information is actually presented within full angle of vision of the eye ( somewhat less than 180 °) whereas all known visual systems provide the maximum angle of vision of 90 ° which also speaks in favour of this video system . the examples of application of the video system according to the invention for providing a theatrical show have been herein illustrated . it is quite similarly used in an exhibition complex for producing three - dimensional information which changes in time and will permit a more interesting and colourful representation of the desired exhibition information . moreover , the video system may be used as a trainer for training and sepcialists in various branches of science and technology with mass involvement of trainees and provision of conditions and situations approximatley the real ones and also for taking decisions in time shortage conditions , the training information changing in time and space . this invention can be used most effectively for theatrical performances , cinema and television programs , exhibitions , advertizing , and in various training devices to simulate various realistic situations . | 6 |
fig1 a through 1g show different operating modes of a switching regulator , or equivalent , wherein all diagrams of the operating modes are shown as a linear progression of a regulator output from a minimum output voltage to a maximum output voltage , except fig1 b where vlow is greater than vhigh which causes a hysteresis effect between vmin and vmax . threshold voltages vhigh and vlow are adjusted to different values in the voltage range vmin to vmax to establish different modes of operation . there are three different operating modes , sleep , automatic and normal . in the sleep mode the regulator is operated at low power to conserve energy when the circuitry supported by the regulator is not being used . in the automatic mode the operation is determined by the output current of the regulator , and in the normal mode the output of the regulator is a constant voltage delivered at a wide range of currents . in automatic mode there are at least two current conditions which dictate a mode , high current for a normal operation and low current for a sleep condition operation . these two conditions in the automatic operating mode are relative and application dependent , which defined by a relative value of current and not defined by a specific current value . in fig1 a where vmax & gt ; vhigh & gt ; vlow & gt ; vmin , if the output voltage of the regulator is between voltages , vmax and vhigh , the regulator is in a forced sync / normal mode and if the output voltage is between voltages , vlow and vmin , the regulator is in a forced sleep mode . between threshold voltages vhigh and vlow the switching regulator is in an automatic mode , wherein the operating mode is decided by the output current . in fig1 b vmax & gt ; vlow & gt ; vhigh .& gt ; vmin sets up a condition where there is a hysteresis caused by vlow being greater than vhigh . above vlow is the forced sync / normal mode and below vhigh is the forced sleep mode . between vhigh and vlow is a hysteresis in which the sleep mode is maintained as the output voltage is increase from vmin , past vhigh and then past vlow . similarly the sync / normal mode is maintained as the output voltage is decreased from vmax past vlow to vhigh where the mode changes to the forced sleep mode when the voltage passes the vhigh threshold . the hysteresis is useful in avoiding mode bounce where the voltage setting is close to the mode change threshold causing the device to go back and forth between the two modes . fig1 c shows the mode setting when vmax & gt ; vhigh & gt ; vlow = vmin . since vlow equals vmin there is no forced sleep mode . above vhigh is the forced sync / normal mode and below vhigh is the automatic mode where the operation mode is decided by the output current . in fig1 d vhigh equals vmax and vhigh & gt ; vlow & gt ; vminin . this creates two operating modes , automatic mode between vlow and vmax and forced sleep mode between vlow and vmin . in fig1 e vhigh is set to vmax and vlow is set to vmin , which sets the switching regulator in the automatic mode for the full range of the output voltage of the regulator . in fig1 f vhigh equal vlow and both equal vmin , this places the entire regulator output from vmax to vmin in a forced sync / normal operating mode , and in fig1 g vhigh equals vlow and both equal vmax , which places the entire regulator output from vmin to vmax in a forced sleep mode . in fig2 is a block diagram of an exemplary switching regulator 20 , or converter , where the input is digital including the output voltage target ( v - target ), threshold voltages vhigh ( v - high ) and vlow ( v - low ) are all held in internal registers 21 , or latches . sources of the digital signals are from digital interfaces , for example i2c interface 22 , an eprom and / or fuses 23 . a digital compare circuit 24 is used to compare v - high with the target digital value ( v - target ) and to compare v - low with the target digital value . these two digital compare circuits 24 provide an input to the mode change control logic 25 to provide a sync / normal threshold signal and a sleep threshold signal to the analog control circuits 26 that drive the buck driver circuit 27 connected to the load . the initial default digital values are loaded from the eprom or fuse circuit at startup of the regulator . the digital value of the v - target signal is dynamically changed or updated through the external interface i2c , or equivalent , and v - target is converted to an analog signal with a dac 27 and applied to an error amplifier 28 . the analog switch control regulates the analog output voltage to the v - target signal . v - target is always compared to v - high and v - low to decide the converter / regulator mode depending upon the outputs of the two comparators . the exemplary switching regulator of fig2 discussed herein has a buck type driver circuit coupled between the load and the analog control circuit 26 , which in effect provides a step down dc to dc switching regulator . it should be understood that the techniques discussed herein can also be applied to a boost and a buck - boost style regulator where the boost type output driver is adapted to the switching regulator and provides a boosted output voltage , or the buck - boost type driver circuit that provides an inverted output voltage in a step up / step down driver stage . further , there are variations of the switching regulator where a portion of the input circuitry is analog affecting signal management to produce a comparable switching regulator . however , the use of adjustable threshold voltages to determine the operating mode of the regulator remains consistent across the variations in the design and style of the various switching regulators . in fig3 is shown a regulator 30 that is a variation of the regulator 20 in fig2 . in regulator 30 the target value 31 is analog which necessitates analog compare circuits . since v - high and v - low are digital signals a dac 32 is required to connect the digital v - high and v - low signals to the analog compare circuits 33 . shown in fig4 is a regulator 40 in which the threshold voltages v - high 41 and v - low 42 are analog signals along with the target voltage 31 . the digital circuitry required for regulators 20 and 30 is no longer required leaving regulator 40 more susceptible to process and device variations . regulators 20 , 30 and 40 each have a buck type output circuit as shown in fig5 b between the analog control circuits 26 and the regulator load . the buck type driver circuit can be replaced by the boost driver circuit of fig5 a or the buck - boost driver circuit of fig5 c by adapting each driver circuit to the analog control circuit 26 . while the disclosure has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure . | 7 |
fig1 a , 1aa , 1b , 1b &# 39 ;, 1b &# 34 ;, 1c and 1d are each and all directed to different view - illustrations of the same common embodiment . accordingly , to the extent that these different figures illustrate common elements , the indicia are identical . fig2 a , 2b , 2c and 2d are each and all directed to an alternate related embodiment illustrating different views of the alternate embodiment . accordingly , to the extent that the alternate embodiment illustrates substantially corresponding structure of substantially corresponding functions as contrasted to the embodiment of fig1 a and the like , the indicia are related , to facilitate understanding of the similarity in the alternate embodiment . to the extent that elements are the same in different views of this alternate embodiment , indicia of the alternate embodiment in the different illustrations thereof are likewise identical to one another . once a particular indicia has been identified as to name and function thereof for either embodiment , description thereafter is not repeated for different view nor for the other embodiment , except in some cases in order to facilitate or improve understanding and an improved ease of following meaning in the description of the invention . as above noted , the present invention includes in one form thereof , the deflector structure and mechanism thereof considered alone , for use on any particular lug - removing pneumatic impact gun as above - identified . in another form , apart from other preferred and alternate embodiments of the inventive deflector structure and mechanism thereof , another form of the invention is the novel combination inclusive of the particular lug - removing pneumatic impact gun itself as a further novel and inventive combination , achievable of a result not heretofore possible . the above - described deflector structure and mechanism thereof of this invention is easily installable onto the particular lug - removing pneumatic impact gun above - described , namely typically the ingersol rand air pneumatic tool currently identified by that company as models 231 and 231 - 2 . use of the inventive most preferred embodiments of the different alternate embodiments of the invention , allow ( cause ) the blast of air from the respective left and right exhaust ports thereof to be discharged laterally to the opposite sides of the air pneumatic tool above - noted , instead of being discharged forwardly , i . e . instead of being discharged straight - out toward and against miscellaneous debris previously discussed above . the inventive deflector structure and mechanism thereof can be easily installed on the old models already in the hands of the consuming public , and / or can be installed during manufacture before sale of the resulting novel combination , by mere use of the same forwardly - positioned bolt / screw that for years has been used and is currently still used on this particular lug - removing pneumatic impact - gun air blast - deflector . it is merely required that the forwardly - positioned bolt ( screw ) as hereinafter identified , be removed , inserted through the through - space screw / bolt aperture of the deflector structure and mechanism thereof , and reinserted within the gun &# 39 ; s forward - receiving bolt / screw aperture ( receptacle ) and a tightening thereof , with the resulting mounting of the novel inventive defector structure and mechanism of the present invention , to result in the novel gun - combination thereof . accordingly , the invention may be better understood by reference to the following indicia description of elements thereof for the different above - noted figures . in fig1 a , there is shown in an inverted state , the embodiment 3 having the vertically positionable flange 7 as left and right flanges 7a and 7b ( left and right , as they would be positioned and mounted on the above - described , particular , lug - removing pneumatic impact gun ), the bottom right and left edges 7aa and 7bb , the left and right top edges 12a and 12b , and the bolt - receiving through - space hole 10 formed in the vertically positionable flange intermediate between the left and right flanges 7a and 7b . fig1 aa illustrates the same embodiment 3 structure and features as that of fig1 a , also illustrated in the inverted position relative to its normal mounting position , except here illustrating a view as it would appear prior to the final bending and / or forming and / or molding in the final - shaped state as bent or formed or molded with a 90 - degree bend along the above - described lower edges ( lower edges when positioned for or after mounting on the particular above - described gun ) 7aa and 7bb between the vertically positionable flanges 7a and 7b and the horizontally - rearwardly positionable deflector baffles - proximal portions 8a and 8b . also shown are the rearwardly upwardly angularly positionable right and left deflector baffles - distal portions 8aa and 8bb angled obliquely upwardly and rearwardly as positioned when mounted on the particular above - described gun . also shown , is the recessed or slotted - structure between the lower edges 7aa and 7bb , allowing the forward edges 7aa and 7bb to be slightly angled upwardly ( as described relative to the position when mounted on the particular above - described gun ) along sideward portions thereof , when bent along the illustrated dotted - line representing the locations of the forward edges 7aa and 7bb . fig1 b in its back view of the same embodiment 3 shows the same elements above - described for fig1 aa , except additionally showing the positions of the respective oppositely laterally - extending left and right diverted air - blast channels 11a and 11b as they would be located when the embodiment 3 is mounted on the particular air gun as illustrated in respective fig1 c and 1d . fig1 b &# 39 ; illustrates for the embodiment 3 the same elements and features as described for preceding figures of the embodiment 3 , except better illustrating the right upwardly angle sidewardly - extending bottom distal portion 8b relative to the more downwardly - positioned centerline location of the indented or slot location 9 in the mounted position typically shown in fig1 c . fig1 b &# 34 ; illustrates for the embodiment 3 the same elements above - described , except better illustrating the relative locations of the respective above - described elements to one another in this bottom view as it would be viewed in the mounted state and position as typically shown in fig1 c . fig1 c illustrates the novel gun - combination 5 in a right - side view of the combination , in addition to elements previously described , better showing their relationships to the particular above - described gun . additionally , the otherwise conventional and currently commercially available above - described particular lug - removing pneumatic impact gun 13 is illustrated as to conventional parts / elements thereof such as the lug - engaging element 19 and the forward plate 15 mounted by the forward bolts / screws inclusive of the lower forward bolt / screw 16 , the handle 17 , the gun - actuation trigger 18 , the torque - impact adjustment adjustable switch 20 for adjusting between low and high impact positions 21 ranging from zero - impact position to the highest torque impact position 5 , illustrating typical positions ranging from zero up to position 5 often and normally present , noting that for lug - removing purposes it is normally necessary and critical to have the gun set at the maximum torque position number 5 . also shown is forwardly - positioned gun portion 23 . also shown in phantom dotted lines is the typical prior art pneumatic air - providing line 22 as it would be positioned and mounted to the gun . fig1 d illustrates the same elements as previously described , except additionally showing in the cut - aways the forwardly - directed right and left gun blast - air exhaust vents 14aa and 14bb , as well as showing corresponding left - side elements described only for right - side elements in fig1 c , such as right and left portions 15a and 15b of the front plate ( edge ) 15 , and the right and left bottom portions 23a and 23b of the forwardly - extending gun portion 23 of fig1 c . fig2 a there is shown in an inverted state , the embodiment 4 having the vertically positionable flange 7 &# 39 ; as left and flanges 7 &# 39 ; a and 7 &# 39 ; b ( left and right , as they would be positioned and mounted on the above - described particular lug - removing pneumatic impact gun ), the bottom right and left edges 7 &# 39 ; aa and 7 &# 39 ; bb , the left and right top edges 12 &# 39 ; a and 12 &# 39 ; b , and the bolt - receiving through - space hole 10 &# 39 ; formed in the vertically positionable flange intermediate between the left and right flanges 7 &# 39 ; a and 7 &# 39 ; b . fig2 b in its back view of the same embodiment 4 shows the elements corresponding to those described in above - described for fig1 aa and to some extent in fig2 a and 1a , including the machined portions 7 &# 39 ; a and 7 &# 39 ; b that have the secondary remaining lesser thickness as compared to the above - described predetermined thickness retained by the unground ( unmachined ) portions 8 &# 39 ; a and 8 &# 39 ; b , and the thereby formed positions of the respective oppositely laterally - extending left and right diverted air - blast channels 11 &# 39 ; a and 11 &# 39 ; b as they would be located when the embodiment 4 is mounted on the particular air gun 13 &# 39 ; as illustrated in respective fig2 c and 2d . fig2 c illustrates the novel gun - combination 6 in a right - side view of the combination , in addition to elements previously described , better showing their relationships to the particular above - described gun . additionally , the otherwise conventional and currently commercially available above - described particular lug - removing pneumatic impact gun 13 &# 39 ;, the elements thereof corresponding to elements described - above for gun 13 of the gun - combination 5 of fig1 c as to the conventional parts / elements thereof . fig2 d illustrates for the embodiment 4 the same elements as previously described , except additionally showing in the cut - aways corresponding to those described for embodiment 3 of fig1 d , here for the embodiment 4 showing the forwardly - directed right and left gun blast - air exhaust vents 14 &# 39 ; aa and 14 &# 39 ; bb , as well as showing corresponding left - side elements described only for right - side elements in fig2 c , such as right and left portions 15 &# 39 ; a and 15 &# 39 ; b of the front plate ( edge ) 15 &# 39 ;, and the right and left bottom portions 23 &# 39 ; a and 23 &# 39 ; b of the forwardly - extending gun portion 23 &# 39 ; of fig2 c . as should apparent from the preceeding disclosure and descriptions thereof , to mount the vertically positionable flanges 7 or 7 &# 39 ; through the bolt or screw - receiving apertured hole 10 or 10 &# 39 ; thereof , the bolt or screw 16 or 16 &# 39 ; is simply removed from it position of mounting the plate 15 or 15 &# 39 ;, the aperture - hole 10 or 10 &# 39 ; is merely matched with the correspondingly positioned bolt or screw - receiving hole ( not shown ) in the plate 15 with the deflector vertically positionable flanges 7 or 7 &# 39 ; extending upwardly against the gun forwardly - extending portions 23a and 23b or 23 &# 39 ; a and 23 &# 39 ; b , and thereafter inserting the bolt or screw 16 or 16 &# 39 ; through the hole 10 or 10 &# 39 ; and tightening the bolt or screw to tightly secure the plate 15 or 15 &# 39 ; and the mounted above - described blast deflector of this invention , as typically shown in the novel mounted combinations of fig1 c and 1d and 2c and 2d . it is within the scope of the invention to make such variations and substitution of equivalents and modifications as would be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in this particular art . | 8 |
referring now to the drawings , aspects of preferred embodiments of an integrated machine control and gage control , constructed and operable according to the present invention , are shown . in fig1 , a machine tool 10 is illustrated , which is intended to be representative of a wide variety of machines in which a machine control and a gage control can be integrated according to the invention . machine tool 10 in particular , represents a honing machine having a tool column 12 or well - known construction and operation , for supporting and operating a honing tool 14 for honing bores in workpiece , such as bores 16 in workpieces 18 . generally , during a typical honing process , a cylindrical tool 14 having an outer surface containing a radially expandable outer element carrying a layer of abrasives , is positioned in a bore of a workpiece . the tool is rotated about its axis and radially expanded within the bore for applying pressure thereagainst , while reciprocating movement is effected therebetween , as denoted by the adjacent vertical arrow , for abrading material , or stock , from the bore surface , for honing or finishing the bore to a desired size and surface characteristic , in the well - known manner . a more complete description of construction and operation of the pertinent aspects of a representative honing tool column of a honing machine is contained in co - pending cloutier , et al , u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 596 , 836 entitled honing feed system having full control of feed force , rate and position , the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety . also referring to fig2 , four workpieces 18 are illustrated as being held by a like number of fixtures 20 , respectively , at equally spaced locations around a top surface 22 of a rotary index table 24 . table 24 is a commercially available device , controllably rotatable about its center , as denoted by the arrow in fig1 , by an indexing drive 26 , to enable selectably individually positioning the workpieces 18 at a predetermined index position with the bore 16 thereof beneath tool 14 , in the well known manner . machine tool 10 additionally includes a gage column 28 disposed adjacent to rotary index table 24 , at a second index position , as illustrated in fig1 ( gage column 28 is illustrated rotated about the table for a frontal view in fig2 ). gage column 28 is also of well - known construction and operation , and is illustrated as an air gage , including an air probe 30 insertable into a bore 16 of a workpiece 18 at the second index position , for measuring a size and optionally one or more other characteristics of the bore , such as , but not limited to , straightness , shape , profile , and centricity about a center axis thereof . the probe motion is preferably conventionally servo controlled , i . e ., vertically movable , as denoted by the accompanying arrow , such that measurements can be made at one or more locations along the length of the bore , and gage column 28 is operable for outputting a signal or signals representative of the measurements , for use by machine tool 10 , as will be explained . machine tool 10 includes a processor based controller 32 , preferably using an industrial pc architecture , having a cpu connected in operative control of tool column 12 , indexing drive 26 of rotary index table 24 , and gage column 28 , and other servos used in the machining and gaging processes , via suitable interfaces , i . e ., appropriate drivers , interface cards that can plug into slots of controller 32 in the well known manner and connected to the respective apparatus via conductive paths 34 , such as wires of the wiring harness , individual or bundled cables , or a wireless network . the sensor of gage column 28 is also suitably connected to the controller cpu via an appropriate interface ( i . e ., plug in card or the like , and conductive path ( i . e ., wire 34 ) in the well known manner . other sensors ( if used ) of the gage can also be connected to controller 32 in this , or another suitable manner . controller 32 , tool column 12 , drive 26 , and gage column 28 , are also connected to a suitable power supply 36 for receiving power therefrom , such as a regulated line voltage , via suitable conductive paths 34 such as wires or the like . referring also to fig3 , the system architecture of controller 32 uses a conventional control bus , denoted by arrow 38 , for communications between the cpu and other devices , here , including the tooling and gage apparatus and other machine servos , and an operator interface connected to an input and display device 40 , which can be , for instance , a conventional crt or flat panel display , with touch screen functions and / or dedicated switches , keyboard , and the like . controller 32 is configured and operable multi - tasking , including for simultaneously running several software programs , including a machine control program and a gaging control program , both of which can be proprietary or third party supplied . these programs utilize shared memory , as denoted by arrow 42 to enable the programs to access data from each other via the shared memory , i . e . a portion of the cpu &# 39 ; s ram , while running at the same time . this is advantageous , as it facilitates selected data , particularly newly captured gage measurement data ( and older data ) of the gage program , to be accessible by the machine control program virtually as soon as the data is stored in the shared memory 42 , and selected machine control data , e . g . operating state data , positional data , stored in the shared memory 42 to be available directly and immediately to the gage control program , without the need for transfer over hardwired interfaces or connections , i . e ., control bus 38 or a data bus , or other possibly slower communications path , such that the programs can use the other &# 39 ; s data without delay , which thereby greatly reduces the latency so prevalent with other control methods , as discussed above . fig3 graphically depicts operations or processes that can be simultaneously performed by controller 32 , to illustrate the advantage in operational speed achieved by the system of the invention utilizing shared memory 42 . in particular , controller 32 is operable to run the gaging program , which can comprise , for instance , a bore sizing process for determining the size and other characteristics of a bore being measured by the probe of gage column 28 , as a function of the inputs from the sensor of the gage column , as that data is received , and other information . at the same time , selected data is outputted , for instance , in text and / or graphical form , and displayed by display device 40 . also at the same time , selected data from this process is stored in shared memory 42 , and is virtually immediately accessible by the machine control , for use , for instance , in a honing process simultaneously running with the bore sizing process . as another example , if the machine control is operating a servo or other apparatus , for instance , operating gage column 28 to lower air probe 30 into a bore of a workpiece located therebelow , this positional information can be stored in shared memory 42 , and is immediately and directly accessible by the gage controller , for instance , so as to enable it to collect sensor data at appropriate times , or to accurately correlate the sensor data with positional data , such as the position of the probe in the workpiece bore . as still another example , bore size data for a previously honed workpiece can be determined by the gaging program , and stored in shared memory 42 , for immediate use by the machine control program , for adjusting honing parameters , for instance , feed system position and / or feed force , stroke speed , dwell time , and the like , for compensating for tool wear , correcting defects , and / or imparting particular desired characteristics to the subject bore . this also enables implementing operator inputs , for instance , desired bore correction parameters , more quickly . still further , the shared memory 42 can be configured to allow access and data collection by other programs , such as , but not limited to , statistical process control programs , that can also be run by controller 32 . referring also to fig4 and 5 , flow diagrams 44 and 46 are shown illustrating representative steps of an in - process gaging routine , and a post - process gaging routine , respectively . referring in particular to diagram 44 of fig4 , after calculation of a tool compensation value , machine and gage cycles are performed using data in the shared memory from the gage cycle . in this routine , after a machine cycle for honing a workpiece or part to some extent , the part is measured as part of a gage cycle . the gage cycle processes the measurements by the gage , and the machine cycle is then complete , only if the shared data from the gage cycle indicates that the workpiece or part has been satisfactorily honed . if not , the machine control runs the machine cycle again , and this loop is repeated , as necessary , until satisfactory gage data is present . when the machine cycle is complete , the machine control will utilize the gage data , for calculating a new tool compensation value . this data can also be utilized for other purposes , such as statistical process control . referring more particularly to the flow diagram 46 of fig5 , the machine cycle is started by the machine control , after calculation of a tool compensation value , also by the machine control , which is based on data in the shared memory from a previous gage cycle . after completion of the machine cycle , the machine control moves the workpiece or part to the gage . for machine 10 , this would involve indexing table 24 to position the part beneath the gage column . the gage cycle is then initiated by the gage control , the gage probe being moved into the bore of the part , by the machine control . the gage cycle is performed , and when complete , the gage control processes the data , which is used by the machine control for calculating the new tool compensation value . thus , it should be apparent that the above steps illustrated herein can be performed utilizing the shared data , in an expedient manner which eliminates much of the latency found to be problematic with other control methodologies . additionally , this advantage is achieved using simplified apparatus , including a single controller , operable by a single power supply , and which can interface with a single i / o device , such as a touchscreen or the like . it will be understood that changes in the details , materials , steps , and arrangements of parts which have been described and illustrated to explain the nature of the invention will occur to and may be made by those skilled in the art upon a reading of this disclosure within the principles and scope of the invention . the foregoing description illustrates the preferred embodiment of the invention ; however , concepts , as based upon the description , may be employed in other embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention . accordingly , the following claims are intended to protect the invention broadly as well as in the specific form shown . | 6 |
a number of preferred examples of the image display device pertaining to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to accompanying drawings . the configuration and operation of an image display device , which is the first preferred embodiment of the invention , will be successively described with reference to fig1 through fig1 . fig1 shows the image display device , the first embodiment of the invention , in particular the display unit of a personal digital assistance having an optical touch panel . in a display area 1 , pixels 2 are arranged in the shape of a matrix . to each of the pixels 2 , a reset line 4 a and a light - up line 4 b are connected in the horizontal direction , and a signal line 5 is connected in the vertical direction . a vertical scanning circuit ( vtscn ) 6 is provided at one end each of the reset line 4 a and the light - up line 4 b , and a signal voltage input circuit ( sgvin ) 7 , at one end of the signal line 5 . a display signal input line 8 is connected to the signal voltage input circuit 7 . at the same time , optical detecting elements 3 are also disposed in the shape of a matrix in the display area 1 . to each of the optical detecting elements 3 , a y output line 11 is connected in the horizontal direction and an x output line 12 is connected in the vertical direction . one end of the y output line 11 is connected to a y output scanning circuit ( scn_yout ) 13 , and one end of the x output line 12 is connected to an x output scanning circuit ( scn_xout ) 14 . incidentally , the y output scanning circuit 13 and the x output scanning circuit 14 output to a y output line 15 and an x output line 16 , respectively . the other ends of the y output line 11 and the x output line 12 are commonly connected to a high voltage source terminal 10 . next will be described the configuration of the pixel 2 . fig2 shows the configuration of the pixel 2 . one end of a storage capacitor 24 is connected to the signal line 5 , and the other end of the storage capacitor 24 is connected to the gate of a p - type poly - crystal drive tft 21 . the source of the drive tft 21 is connected to a power supply line 25 , and its drain is connected to an organic el ( electro - luminescence ) light emitting element 20 via a light - up switch 22 , which is an n - type poly - crystal drive tft . the other end of the organic el light emitting element 20 is connected to a common cathode cc . further , a reset switch 23 , which is another n - type poly - crystal drive tft , is connected between the drain and the gate of the drive tft 21 , and the gates of the light - up switch 22 and of the reset switch 23 are connected to the light - up line 4 b and the reset line 4 a , respectively . next will be described the configuration of the optical detecting element 3 . fig3 shows the configuration of the optical detecting element 3 . one end of a detection element reset switch 31 , which is an n - type poly - crystal si - tft , is connected to the power supply line 25 , and the other end of the detection element reset switch 31 is connected to the gate of an x output tft 33 , which is an n - type poly - crystal si - tft , the gate of a y output tft 32 , which is a p - type poly - crystal si - tft , and an optical detection diode 30 , which is a poly - crystal si thin film diode . the other end of the optical detection diode 30 is connected to a low voltage power supply line 26 . a detection element reset line 34 is connected to the gate of the detection element reset switch 31 , and the y output line 11 and the x output line 12 are connected to both ends of the y output tft 32 and both ends of the x output tft 33 , respectively . hereupon , the physical structure of the optical detecting element 3 will be described with reference to fig4 and fig5 . fig4 shows the layout of the optical detecting element 3 , wherein thin solid lines represent aluminum ( al ) wiring ; thick solid lines , gate wiring ; broken lines , poly - crystal si islands ; and circles , contact holes . it is therefore seen that the detection element reset switch 31 , the y output tft 32 and the x output tft 33 are realized as areas where thick solid lines and broken lines cross . incidentally , al wiring 35 here is a structural element for connecting poly - crystal si islands and tft gate electrodes . fig5 shows the sectional structure of the part along line aa - bb in fig4 . a display unit 37 itself is disposed over a glass substrate ( gls ) 36 , and one poly - crystal si island is formed between aa and bb above . the poly - crystal si island is doped with p - type and n - type impurities as illustrated excepted in the non - doped region i immediately underneath the gate of the detection element reset switch 31 , and the optical detection diode 30 is also fabricated in this way . an n - region is arranged in the channel region at the gate edge of the detection element reset switch 31 . this n - region provides the detection element reset switch 31 with an ldd ( lightly doped drain ) structure for reducing off - currents . next will be described the operation of this display unit with reference to fig6 through fig9 . fig6 shows the configuration of one frame ( frm ) in this display unit . one frame period consists of three periods including a write period wrt , a light emission period ilm , and a detection period sns as illustrated therein . in fig6 , time t proceeds from left to right . the operation in this each period will be described below in due sequence . fig7 is an operational timing chart of the write period wrt , wherein the upper part shows that the tfts whose gates are connected to the reset line 4 a and the light - up line 4 b are on , and the lower part , they are off . the voltage v 5 of the signal line 5 is high in the upper part and low in the lower part . this is a period in which a display signal voltage is written into each pixel 2 , and fig7 shows writing onto three lines including the n - th , ( n + 1 )- th and ( n + 2 )- th . in writing onto the n - th line , first the reset line 4 a and the light - up line 4 b are turned on , and at this time a display signal voltage is applied to the signal line 5 . when the reset line 4 a and the light - up line 4 b are tuned on , the drive tft 21 is diode - connected and connected in series to the organic el element 20 in the pixel 2 . then , when the light - up line 4 b is turned off , the light - up switch 22 is turned off , and the gate voltage of the drive tft 21 becomes stabilized when it reaches a threshold voltage vth . when this takes place , a display signal voltage is applied to the other end of the storage capacitor 24 . when the reset line 4 a turns off the reset switch 23 hereupon , the storage capacitor 24 stores a state in which the threshold voltage vth of the drive tft 21 is generated on the gate side of the drive tft 21 when the display signal voltage is applied to the signal line 5 side . what has been described so far is the writing of the display signal voltage onto one line of the pixel 2 , and the same operation is repeated for each subsequent line . next , fig8 is an operational timing chart of the light - up line 4 b and the signal line 5 in the light emission period ilm wherein , as in fig7 , the upper part shows an on state and the lower part , an off state . this also applies to the voltage v 5 of the signal line 5 , which is high in the upper part and low in the lower part . this is the light emission period for each pixel 2 , and the light - up switch 22 of every pixel is turned as every the light - up line 4 b is turned on . if a triangular waveform as shown in fig8 is entered here as the voltage v 5 of the signal line 5 , the drive tft 21 of each pixel will remain off as long as the voltage of the triangular waveform is higher than the prewritten display signal voltage , and will become off when the voltage of the triangular waveform becomes lower than the prewritten display signal voltage . thus , the light emission period of the organic el element 20 can be modulated with the prewritten display signal voltage , and light emission display matching the display signal voltage is thereby made possible without being affected by any fluctuation in the characteristics of tfts constituting the pixel 2 . next , fig9 is an operational timing chart of the detection period sns , wherein , as in fig7 , the upper part shows the on state of the detection element reset line 34 and the lower part , the off state of the same . vsns denotes the detection voltage , which is the voltage at the two ends of the optical detection diode 30 , the upper line representing the high level and the lower , the low level . the operations of the y output scanning circuit 13 and the x output scanning circuit 14 are also shown in this chart , but they will be described afterwards with reference to fig1 . this is a period of optical detection , wherein the pixel is not lit as every light - up line 4 b shown in fig8 is turned off . in this period , first , as the detection element reset line 34 remains on for a certain duration and the detection element reset switch 31 is turned on , a reset voltage is applied to both ends of the optical detection diode 30 . after that , when the detection element reset line 34 is turned off and the detection element reset switch 31 is also turned off , the detection voltage vsns of the optical detection diode 30 remains at the high level “ h ” if no light comes incident as indicated on ( ca1 ) or drops to the low level “ l ” if any light comes incident as indicated on ( ca2 ). as the voltage of the optical detection diode 30 is then applied as it is to the gates of the y output tft 32 and the x output tft 33 , which are p - type tfts , in the case of ca1 wherein no light comes incident , the y output tft 32 and the x output tft 33 remain off or , in the case of ca2 wherein a light does come incident , the y output tft 32 and the x output tft 33 vary to an on state . as the drain - source routes of the y output tft 32 and the x output tft 33 here are connected in series by the y output line 11 and the x output line 12 , respectively , if any of the optical detecting elements 3 , connected in series as shown in fig1 , is not irradiated with light or is irradiated only at a low level of brightness , the outputs themselves of the y output line 11 and the x output line 12 will take on high impedances . by detecting them in the x and y directions , the address of the optical detecting element 3 not irradiated with light or irradiated only at a low level of brightness can be readily found out . this address detection structure will be described below with reference to fig1 . fig1 shows the configuration of the x output scanning circuit 14 shown in fig1 . one end of a preset switch 41 controlled with a preset line 42 is connected to the x output line 12 entered in parallel , while the other end of the preset switch 41 is grounded . further , an end of the x output line 12 is grounded via an x output line capacitor 43 , and is connected to an x signal output line 16 via an x scan switch 45 . incidentally , the gate of the x scan switch 45 here is successively scanned by an x scanning circuit ( scn_x ) 44 . the x output scanning circuit 14 operates as shown in fig9 . after the detection element reset line 34 is turned off , the preset switch 41 controlled with the preset line 42 is turned on to preset ( pst ) the x output line capacitor 43 . after that , if the output of the x output line 12 is at a low impedance , the x output line capacitor 43 will be returned to a high voltage by a power source provided at the other end of the x output line 12 , but if the output of the x output line 12 is at a high impedance , the x output line capacitor 43 will remain preset to a low voltage . by successively reading the capacitances of the x output line capacitors 43 then by scanning with the x scanning circuit 44 , it can be determined whether or not there is any which is not irradiated with light or irradiated only at a low level of brightness among the optical detecting elements 3 on the pertinent line . incidentally , description of the operation of the y output scanning circuit 13 is dispensed with here because it is the same as that of the x output scanning circuit 14 . whereas detection of lights from the optical detecting elements 3 are detected within one frame in this embodiment as described above , since the scanning by the x scanning circuit 44 and the y scanning circuit is only to scan the x output line capacitors 43 and the y output line capacitors , it can be completed in a short period of time substantially equal to one horizontal period . this detection period sns is only about , for instance , 50 μsec to 100 μsec . furthermore , since light emission of every pixel is stopped during this optical detection period , there is no possibility for crosstalk from the displayed image to optical detection to arise . since optical detection is possible only in a very short period of time in this embodiment , crosstalk can be avoided by stopping light emission during the detection period . next will be described the overall configuration and operation of a personal digital assistance having the optical touch panel which constitutes this embodiment of the invention . fig1 shows the overall configuration of the personal digital assistance having the optical touch panel which constitutes this embodiment . within a personal digital assistance 58 , a cpu ( central processing unit ) 55 , a frame memory ( mem ) 56 , numeric keys and a wireless input interface circuit ( i / f ) 57 are connected to a graphic control circuit ( grpctl ) 53 by a system bus 60 . the output of the graphic control circuit 53 is entered into a timing control circuit ( tmctl ) 52 , and the display signal input line 8 and a prescribed control signal line 51 are connected from the timing control circuit 52 to a display unit ( disp ) 50 . details of the display unit 50 here have already been described . outputs are provided from the display unit 50 to the y signal output line 15 and the x signal output line 16 , and they are entered into the graphic control circuit 53 via a position detection circuit ( pos ) 54 . when a prescribed instruction is entered from the input interface circuit 57 to the cpu 55 via the system bus 60 , the cpu 55 operates the frame memory 56 in accordance with this instruction , and transfers necessary instructions and display data to the graphic control circuit 53 . here upon , the graphic control circuit 53 enters prescribed instructions and display data into the timing control circuit 52 , which converts these signals into signals having prescribed voltage amplitudes , and transfers control signals and display signals to circuits disposed on a glass substrate , which constitutes the display unit 50 . the display unit 50 displays the transferred display signals and , at the same time , supplies optical touch panel outputs to the y signal output line 15 and the x signal output line 16 from time to time as requested . the position detection circuit 54 extracts from these outputs touch input address information entered with a finger , stick or the like , and feeds back the obtained touch input address information to the graphic control circuit 53 on a real time basis . in response to this , the cpu 55 judges what kind of touch input instructions has been entered and alters the display signals as required . such alterations may include , for instance , altering the part of the displayed image corresponding to the touched part . the design of the embodiment of the invention so far described can obviously be modified in various ways without deviating from the spirit of the invention . for instance , the glass substrate used as the tft substrate can be replaced with some other transparent insulating substrate , such as a quartz glass substrate or a transparent plastic substrate . or an opaque substrate can as well be used if the organic el light emitting element 13 is structured for top emission . any mention of the number of pixels , panel size and similar factors was intentionally refrained from the foregoing description of this embodiment , because the invention is not confined to these specifications or formats . regarding the number of displayed pixels , the optical opening for displayed pixels can obviously be expanded by appropriately reducing the number of optical detecting elements . further in this embodiment , though organic el elements are used in the pixel part , liquid crystal display elements can as well be used in place of them . in this case , optical detection free from crosstalk of the displayed image can be made possible by fully turning off the back light . if not full turning - off , the brightness can be reduced low enough to make crosstalk negligible . in this case , obviously it is preferable for the brightness of light emission in the optical detection part to be as uniform as practicable . further in this embodiment , though n - type poly - crystal drive si - tfts are used as the detection element reset switches 31 , evidently the voltage of the detection element reset line 34 can be reduced by replacing them with p - type poly - crystal drive si - tfts . these various modifications are not confined to this embodiment , but can basically be applied to the other embodiments to be described below . another image display device , which is a second preferred embodiment of the present invention , will be described below with reference to fig1 and fig1 , as the basic structure and operation of a personal digital assistance having the optical touch panel , which is the second embodiment , are the same as those of the first embodiment already described , and this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the structure and operation of the optical detecting elements , these differences will be described below . fig1 shows the configuration of an optical detecting element 3 b . the cathode of the optical detection diode 30 , which is a poly - crystal si thin film diode , is connected to the power supply line 25 , and the gate of an x output tft 33 b , which is an n - type poly - crystal drive si - tft , the gate of a y output tft 32 b , which is another n - type poly - crystal drive si - tft , and one end of a detection element reset switch 31 b , which is still another n - type poly - crystal drive si - tft , are connected to the anode of the optical detection diode 30 . the other end of the detection element reset switch 31 b is connected to the low voltage power supply line 26 . the detection element reset line 34 is connected to the gate of the detection element reset switch 31 b , and the y output line 11 and the x output line 12 are connected to the two ends of the y output tft 32 b and those of the x output tft 33 b , respectively . next will be described the operation of the optical detecting element 3 b . fig1 is an operational timing chart of the detection period sns , wherein the upper level of the detection element reset line 34 represents on and the lower level represents off . incidentally , vsns denotes the detection voltage , which is the voltage on the anode side of the optical detection diode 30 , the upper line representing the high voltage and the lower , the low voltage . this is a period of optical detection , wherein the pixel is not lit as every light - up line 4 b is turned off as in the first embodiment . in this period , first , as the detection element reset line 34 remains on for a certain duration and the detection element reset switch 31 b is turned on , the anode voltage vsns of the optical detection diode 30 is reset to a low level . after that , when the detection element reset line 34 is turned off and the detection element reset switch 31 b is also turned off , the anode voltage of the optical detection diode 30 remains at the low level “ l ” if no light comes incident as indicated on ( ca1 ) or rises to the high level “ h ” if any light comes incident as indicated on ( ca2 ). the anode voltage vsns of the optical detection diode 30 is then applied as it is to the gates of the y output tft 32 b and the x output tft 33 b , which are n - type tfts . therefore , if no light comes incident , the y output tft 32 b and the x output tft 33 b will remain off or , if a light comes incident , the y output tft . 32 b and the x output tft 33 b vary to an on state . as the y output tft 32 b and the x output tft 33 b here are connected in series by the y output line 11 and the x output line 12 , respectively if any of the optical detecting elements 3 , which are connected in series , is not irradiated with light or is irradiated only at a low level of brightness , the outputs themselves of the y output line 11 and the x output line 12 will take on high impedances . by detecting them in the x and y directions , the address of the optical detecting element 3 not irradiated with light or irradiated only at a low level of brightness can be readily found out as in the first embodiment . still another image display device , which is a third preferred embodiment of the present invention , will be described below with reference to fig1 and fig1 . as the basic structure and operation of a personal digital assistance having the optical touch panel , which is the third embodiment , are the same as those of the second embodiment already described , and this embodiment differs from the second embodiment in the structure and operation of the optical detecting elements , these differences will be described below . fig1 shows the configuration of an optical detecting element 3 c . the optical detection diode 30 , which is a poly - crystal si thin film diode , is connected to the power supply line 25 , and the gate of an x output tft 33 c , which is a p - type poly - crystal drive si - tft , the gate of a y output tft 32 c , which is another p - type poly - crystal drive si - tft , and a detection element reset switch 31 c , which is an n - type poly - crystal drive si - tft , are connected to the anode of the optical detection diode 30 . the other end of the detection element reset switch 31 c is connected to the low voltage power supply line 26 . the detection element reset line 34 is connected to the gate of the detection element reset switch 31 c , and the y output line 11 and the x output line 12 are connected to the two ends of the y output tft 32 c and to those of the x output tft 33 c , respectively . next will be described the operation of the optical detecting element 3 c . fig1 is an operational timing chart of the detection period sns , light emission period ilm and the write period wrt , wherein the upper level of the light - up line 4 b represents on and the lower level represents off . regarding the voltage v 5 of the signal line 5 , the upper line represents the high voltage and the lower represents the low voltage . to compare here fig1 with fig8 , which is the timing chart of the first embodiment , it is seen that the voltage v 5 of the signal line 5 is at the low level in the detection period sns . this results in light emission from every pixel in the detection period sns . to compare this embodiment with the second , the x output tft 33 c and the y output tft 32 c are p - type , instead of n - type , poly - crystal drive si - tfts . for this reason , the outputs of this embodiment are such that the y output tft 32 c and the x output tft 33 c remain on when no light comes incident , while the y output tft 32 c and the x output tft 33 c vary to off when a light comes incident . as the y output tft 32 c and the x output tft 33 c here are connected in series by the y output line 11 and the x output line 12 , respectively , if any of the optical detecting elements 3 , which are connected in series , is irradiated with light or is irradiated at a high level of brightness , the outputs themselves of the y output line 11 and the x output line 12 will take on high impedances . since every pixel emits light during the detection period in this embodiment , if anything is in contact with the display , reflection from that part will become greater to make that part as if its brightness were increased . therefore , a touch panel function can be realized in this embodiment by detecting that high brightness part . in particular , even if the brightness in the surrounding environment is low , a highly sensitive touch panel function can be realized in this embodiment . to add , it is evidently possible to let external light - intercepting type optical detection as in the second embodiment and contact part - reflecting type optical detection as in this embodiment coexist in a single display , and to use either of the two types as desired . yet another image display device , which is a fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention , will be described below with reference to fig1 and fig1 . as the basic structure and operation of a personal digital assistance having the optical touch panel , which is the fourth embodiment , are the same as those of the first embodiment already described , and this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the structure and operation of the optical detecting elements , these differences will be described below . fig1 shows the configuration of an optical detecting element 3 d . the optical detection diode 30 , which poly - crystal si thin film diode , is connected to a power supply line 26 d , and the gate of the x output tft 33 , which is a p - type poly - crystal drive si - tft , and the gate of the y output tft 32 , which is another p - type poly - crystal drive si - tft , are connected to the other end of the optical detection diode 30 . the y output line 11 and the x output line 12 are connected to the two ends of the y output tft 32 and to those of the x output tft 33 , respectively . next will be described the operation of the optical detecting element 3 d . fig1 is an operational timing chart of the detection period sns , wherein the upper level of the power supply line 26 d represents on ( high voltage ) and the lower level represents off ( low voltage ). incidentally , vsns denotes the detection voltage , which is the voltage on the cathode side of the optical detection diode 30 here , the upper line representing the high voltage and the lower represents the low voltage . this is a period of optical detection , wherein no pixel is lit as every light - up line 4 b is turned off as in the first embodiment . in this period , first , as the power supply line 26 d remains on for a certain duration and the optical detection diode 30 is biased in the forward direction , the cathode voltage of the optical detection diode 30 is reset to a high level . after that , when the power supply line 26 d is turned off , the cathode voltage vsns of the optical detection diode 30 remains at the high level “ h ” if no light comes incident as indicated on ( ca1 ) or drops to the low level “ l ” if any light comes incident as indicated on ( ca2 ). the cathode voltage vsns of the optical detection diode 30 is then applied as it is to the gates of the y output tft 32 and the x output tft 33 , which are p - type tfts . therefore , if no light comes incident , the y output tft 32 and the x output tft 33 will remain off or , if a light comes incident , the y output tft 32 and the x output tft 33 vary to an on state . as the y output tft 32 and the x output tft 33 here are connected in series by the y output line 11 and the x output line 12 , respectively , if any of the optical detecting elements 3 , which are connected in series , is not irradiated with light or is irradiated only at a low level of brightness , the outputs themselves of the y output line 11 and the x output line 12 will take on high impedances . by detecting them in the x and y directions , the address of the optical detecting element 3 d not irradiated with light or irradiated only at a low level of brightness can be readily found out as in the first embodiment . this embodiment has an advantage that the structure of the optical detecting elements can be simplified and a large display pixel area can be secured by making the power supply line 26 d variable . still another image display device , which is a fifth preferred embodiment of the present invention , will be described below with reference to fig1 . as the basic structure and operation of a personal digital assistance having the optical touch panel , which is the fifth embodiment , are the same as those of the fourth embodiment already described , and this embodiment differs from the fourth embodiment in the structure and operation of the optical detecting elements , these differences will be described below . fig1 shows the configuration of an optical detecting elements 3 e . an optical detection diode 30 e , which is configured by diode - connecting a p - type poly - crystal si - tft , is connected to a power supply line 26 e , and the gate of the x output tft 33 , which is a p - type poly - crystal drive si - tft , and the gate of the y output tft 32 , which is another p - type poly - crystal drive si - tft , are connected to the other end of the optical detection diode 30 e . the y output line 11 and the x output line 12 are connected to the two ends of the y output tft 32 and to those of the x output tft 33 , respectively . this embodiment , besides providing the same benefits as the fourth embodiment , has an advantage of permitting fabrication in an all - tft configuration . furthermore , a similar configuration is made possible with n - type tfts instead of p - type tfts by reversing the voltage relationship . there is another cost advantage that an all p - mos process or an all n - mos process can be applied by appropriate combination with the configuration of display pixels . yet another image display device , which is a sixth preferred embodiment of the present invention , will be described below with reference to fig1 and fig2 . as the basic structure and operation of a personal digital assistance having the optical touch panel , which is the sixth embodiment , are the same as those of the first embodiment already described , and this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the structure and operation of an x output scanning circuit 14 f and an y output scanning circuit 13 f , these differences will be described below . fig1 is an operational timing chart of the detection period sns , wherein the upper level of the detection element reset line 34 represents on and the lower level represents off . incidentally , vsns denotes the detection voltage , which is the voltage at the two ends of the optical detection diode 30 here , the upper line representing the high voltage and the lower representing the low voltage . the operations of the y output scanning circuit 13 f and the x output scanning circuit 14 f are also shown in this chart , but they will be described afterwards with reference to fig2 . this is a period of optical detection , wherein no pixel is lit as every light - up line 4 b is turned off . in this period , first , as the detection element reset line 34 remains on for a certain duration and the detection element reset switch 31 is turned on , a reset voltage is applied to both ends of the optical detection diode 30 . after that , when the detection element reset line 34 is turned off and the detection element reset switch 31 is also turned off , the detection voltage vsns of the optical detection diode 30 remains at the high level “ h ” if no light comes incident as indicated on ( ca1 ) or drops to the low level “ l ” if any light comes incident as indicated on ( ca2 ). as the voltage of the optical detection diode 30 is then applied as it is to the gates of the y output tft 32 and the x output tft 33 , which are p - type tfts , in the case of no light coming incident , the y output tft 32 and the x output tft 33 remain off or , in the case of a light coming incident , the y output tft 32 and the x output tft 33 vary to an on state . as the y output tft 32 and the x output tft 33 here are connected in series by the y output line 11 and the x output line 12 , respectively , if any of the optical detecting elements 3 , which are connected in series , is not irradiated with light or is irradiated only at a low level of brightness , the outputs themselves of the y output line 11 and the x output line 12 will take on high impedances . by detecting them in the x and y directions , the address of the optical detecting element 3 not irradiated with light or irradiated only at a low level of brightness can be readily found out . next will be described the configuration of this address detection circuit with reference to fig2 . fig2 shows the configuration of an x output scanning circuit ( scn_x ) 14 f . the x output line 12 entered in parallel is provided with the preset switch 41 controlled with the preset line 42 , while the other end of the preset switch 41 is grounded . the x output line 12 is connected to the x output line capacitor 43 via a sampling switch 46 f controlled by a sampling gate line 47 f via an x output line capacitor 43 , and is further connected to the x signal output line 16 via the x scan switch 45 . incidentally , the gate of the x scan switch 45 here is successively scanned by the x scanning circuit 44 . the x output scanning circuit 14 f operates as illustrated in fig1 . exactly when the detection element reset line 34 is turned on , the preset switch 41 controlled by the preset line 42 is turned on to preset ( pst ) the x output line 12 . after that , if the output of the x output line 12 is at a low impedance , the x output line capacitor 43 will be returned to a high voltage by a power source ( not shown ) connected to the source terminal 10 provided at the other end of the x output line 12 , but if the output of the x output line 12 is at a high impedance , the x output line capacitor 43 will remain preset to a low voltage . by successively sampling ( spl ) and storing the capacitances of the x output line capacitors 43 then with the sampling switch 46 f controlled by the sampling gate line 47 f , and then reading them out successively by scanning with the x scanning circuit ( scn_x ) 44 , it can be determined whether or not there is any which is not irradiated with light or irradiated only at a low level of brightness among the optical detecting elements 3 on the pertinent line . incidentally , description of the operation of the y output scanning circuit 13 is dispensed with here because it is the same as that of the x output scanning circuit 14 . since the x output line 12 and the y output line 11 can be sampled at the same point of time in this embodiment , any influence of a difference in scanning time between the x scanning circuit 44 and the y scanning circuit can avoided , resulting in an advantage of making possible more accurate optical detection . the invention can eliminate crosstalk between displayed images and optical inputs and provide an image display device having an optical touch panel free from input trouble . further by integrating this optical touch panel with a display , the image display device can be provided at a lower cost . | 6 |
fig1 shows a schematic view of a preferred embodiment of combustion engine 1 according to the invention . combustion engine 1 has a housing 2 , in which is situated a space or chamber 3 . arranged in chamber 3 is a rotor 4 , on which are mounted vanes or blades 5 a , 5 b , 6 a , 6 b . the four vanes divide the chamber into a number of compartments . housing 2 , chamber 3 and rotor 4 have a general cylindrical shape . rotor 4 has a number of recesses 7 a – h for receiving fuel . the recesses are arranged on either side of the rotor and can take different forms . the form is generally cup - shaped or groove - shaped . an example of a cup shape is a hemisphere or a bowl with an elliptic section resembling half an egg . an example of a groove - shaped form is a half - cylinder . shown in fig1 by way of illustration are hemispherical recesses 7 a – d . the number of recesses 7 amounts to two or more per side and depends on the engine capacity . for illustrative purposes , it is expected that a number of between four and ten per side will suffice for an engine capacity of 100 cc . on the inside of housing 2 are situated means for metered supply of fuel . these fuel dosing means preferably comprise fuel injectors 8 which are adapted for direct injection . arranged close to fuel injectors 8 is an ignition mechanism 9 , for instance a spark plug , for igniting the fuel . ignition mechanism 9 is not necessary , since the engine can also operate in accordance with the principle of self - ignition . fig5 shows by way of illustration a second embodiment of a rotary engine according to the invention without ignition mechanism . fig2 shows combustion engine 1 in schematic front view . combustion engine 1 has a shaft 10 for fixing the engine to the real world . the work produced by the engine can be transferred by coupling to one of the many transmission mechanisms known in the field . in the shown preferred embodiment the rotor 4 is coupled for this purpose to a side piece 13 for driving a toothed wheel 14 by means of a drive belt 15 . fig3 a – 3d show a schematic cross - section through combustion engine 1 with the rotor respectively in a first , second , third and fourth position . rotor 4 is provided with a first pair of vanes 5 a , 5 b which are rotatable about a rotation axis 5 . a second pair of vanes 6 a , 6 b is rotatable about a second rotation axis 6 . the first rotation axis 5 and second rotation axis 6 run substantially parallel to each other at some mutual distance and extend in the line of chamber 3 . both rotation axes are arranged eccentrically in the chamber . the two vanes 5 a , 5 b in the first pair are rotatable independently of each other , as are two vanes 6 a , 6 b in the second pair . this will be further elucidated with reference to fig4 . situated on the outer ends of the vanes are hinges respectively 15 a , 15 b and 16 a , 16 b which give the vanes sufficient freedom of movement relative to rotor 4 . a first important function of the vanes is to divide chamber 3 into compartments . for this purpose the vanes follow the wall of chamber 3 during rotation . each vane is provided on its outer ends , in both radial and axial direction , with a suitable sealing material . some clearance is utilized here between the wall of the chamber and the edge of the seal in order to allow the rotation of the rotor to proceed without hindrance . an example of a suitable sealing material is ceramic material . a second important function of the vanes is power transmission . in this respect the first pair of vanes 5 a , 5 b are also designated as compression vanes and the second pair of vanes 6 a , 6 b are designated working vanes . the form of chamber 3 is generally of a non - round cross - section . chamber 3 is assembled from three eccentric cylinders which partly overlap each other . the cross - section is made up of three eccentric circles . in fig3 a – 3d the left - hand part of chamber 3 takes the form of ( a part ) of a circle l with axis 5 as centre and a radius which is approximately equal to the radial dimensions of vanes 5 a and 5 b . the right - hand part of chamber 3 takes the form of ( a part ) of a circle r with axis 6 as centre and a radius which is approximately equal to the radial dimensions of vanes 6 a and 6 b . the central part of chamber 3 has the form of ( a part ) of a circle m . the ratio of the volumes of the associated cylinders l and r determines the performance of the combustion engine . these volumes can be adjusted by choosing the position of axes 5 and 6 and through the choice of the radial dimensions of the vanes . the optimal volume ratio is a function of the compression ratio . for example , at a compression ratio of 1 : 18 , which is usual for a diesel engine , the volume ratio is approximately volume l : volume r = 1 : 3 . rotor 4 has a substantially round cross - section . the diameter hereof is substantially equal to the diameter of the circle forming the central part m , in this embodiment this is the smallest diameter of chamber 3 . on the underside of the chamber are situated an intake 11 for air and an exhaust 12 for combustion gases . during rotation the chamber is divided into compartments , the volume of which changes . the number of compartments varies and is three or four , depending on the position of the rotor . in this manner the function of the intake stroke , the compression stroke , power stroke and the exhaust stroke of the combustion engine is realized , which will be elucidated hereinbelow . fig3 a shows the rotor in a first position . the chamber is now divided into three compartments , respectively 3 a – 3 c . in compartment 3 a air is drawn in by means of intake 11 . the air present in compartment 3 b is compressed to the the maximum in recess 7 a and in all compartments located in the same row . fuel injectors 8 now inject fuel into one or more recesses ( depending on the desired power ), so that a combustible mixture is created per injected recess . if the fuel is petrol , this preferably takes place in a ratio of 1 part fuel to 14 parts air . the mixture is brought to explosion by means of spark plug 9 . in compartment 3 c expansion takes place after a preceding combustion and work is produced . fig3 b shows rotor 4 in a second position , in which the rotor is rotated approximately 45 degrees in clockwise direction . the chamber is still divided into three compartments , which are now designated 3 a , 3 c and 3 d respectively . the volume of compartment 3 a has increased further due to air being drawn in by means of intake 11 . after the combustion compartment 3 b of fig3 a becomes compartment 3 c which , as a result hereof , expands and produces work . the volume of compartment 3 d decreases further during exhausting of the combustion gases present herein by means of exhaust 12 . fig3 c shows rotor 4 in a third position , in which the rotor has again been rotated approximately 45 degrees further in clockwise direction . the chamber is now divided into four compartments , 3 a – 3 d respectively . in compartment 3 a new air is drawn in by means of intake 11 . the air present in compartment 3 b is compressed . in compartment 3 c expansion still takes place after combustion , and work is produced . the combustion gases in compartment 3 d are further discharged by means of exhaust 12 . fig3 d shows the rotor in a fourth position , in which the rotor has again been rotated approximately 45 degrees further in clockwise direction . the chamber is still divided into four compartments , 3 a – 3 d respectively . the volume of compartment 3 a increases further by air being drawn in by means of intake 11 . the air present in compartment 3 b is further compressed . in compartment 3 c expansion still takes place after combustion and work is still produced . the last combustion gases left in compartment 3 d are discharged by means of exhaust 12 . fig4 shows a schematic cross - section through a part of the combustion engine of fig1 in side view . rotation axes 5 and 6 , on which are mounted the vanes ( 5 a , 5 b ) and ( 6 a , 6 b ), run through shaft 10 . each of the vanes in the first pair ( 5 a , 5 b ) is provided with a substantially centrally situated , protruding portion for mounting on rotation axis 5 . protruding portion 25 a of vane 5 a is shown by way of illustration in fig4 . vane 5 b is provided with a similar protruding portion . each of the vanes in the second pair ( 6 a , 6 b ) is provided with a substantially centrally situated recess with a protruding portion on both sides for mounting on rotation axis 6 . shown in fig4 are only protruding portions 26 a and 26 b of vane 6 a with a recess therebetween . vane 6 b has a similar construction . all protruding portions are provided with suitable bearings , such as slide bearings . summing up , the volumes of compartments 3 a – 3 d change cyclically due to rotation of the rotor 4 . these volume changes are analogous to the volume changes of a piston in the known otto engine and have the same function , i . e . cyclical realization of an intake stroke , a compression stroke , a power stroke and an exhaust stroke . in the combustion engine according to the invention combustion takes place twice per rotation and work is produced twice per rotation . the preparations for bringing about fuel combustion again , i . e . drawing in and compressing the required gases , generally take place in the left - hand part ( l ) of chamber 3 , while the most recent combustion is dealt with by means of power transfer and the exhausting of combustion gases in the right - hand part ( r ). in the rotary engine according to the invention only air is drawn in . the indrawn air is first compressed to the maximum . the fuel is then injected separately into one or more of the recesses / compartments 7 . the recesses have a relatively very small volume , so that relatively very little time is required to fill each recess with fuel and to cause complete combustion of the resulting mixture . at the moment of injection , the recesses are almost completely separated from each other . this is brought about by the form of the recesses and by the position of the recesses at the moment of injection . at the moment of injection the compressed air is heated such that the conditions required for self - ignition are fulfilled , so that the use ( and therefore the presence ) of an ignition mechanism is no longer necessary . a second preferred embodiment of the rotary engine can therefore be obtained by omitting the ignition mechanism 9 in all the figures . fig5 shows by way of illustration a schematic view of this second preferred embodiment of the combustion engine according to the invention without ignition mechanism . fig5 is otherwise identical to fig1 . it is noted that an extra fuel injector 8 can be arranged instead of ignition mechanism 9 for an optimum fuel distribution per recess and an even more rapid and cleaner combustion . the performance of the rotary engine according to the invention shows a clear improvement relative to the performance of the known four - stroke otto engine , as is shown in the table below . the following ratios apply at equal power . doubling of the rotation speed of the rotary engine results in doubling of the required cylinder capacity , volume , weight and production costs for the otto engine to produce the same power . it is noted that the rotary engine is described as petrol engine by way of illustration . the rotary engine according to the invention is however also suitable for diesel . once in use , it is even possible to fill up alternately with different types of fuel ( provided the tank is as empty as possible before filling ) without structural modifications . the rotary engine is also suitable for application in all types of vehicle . some examples are cars , motorbikes , mopeds and scooters , but also aeroplanes and ships . the invention is not therefore limited to the shown and described preferred embodiments , but extends generally to any embodiment which falls within the scope of the appended claims as seen in light of the foregoing description and drawings . | 5 |
referring to fig1 the invention is shown in its simplest form , consisting of alternating near and distant portions . a fundamental advantage of this invention is that the lens shown has no weighting , ballasting or prism used to orient the lens in a particular orientation . another aspect of this embodiment is that the area of near and distant focal lengths are equal and independent of pupil size . this pupil size independence can be realized by recognizing that the ratio of areas for near and distant vision remains the same for any circle within the lens concentric with the lens . referring now to fig2 a lens is shown similar to the lens fig1 having equal areas of near and distant focal length . again , there is no weighting , prisming or ballasting of the lens , but a larger number of segments which is potentially more difficult to manufacture , yields improved vision because of a more uniform distribution of near and far focal points over the entire lens . one skilled in the art can appreciate that a fundamentally similar , but crude approximation of these segmented lens described herein is the method of compensating for presbyopia known as &# 34 ; monovision &# 34 ;. in the monovision system the patient is fitted with one contact lens for distant vision in one eye and a second contact lens for near vision in the other eye . although it has been found that with monovision a patient can acceptably distinguish both distance and near objects , there is a substantial loss of depth perception . by having both distant and near focal length in both eyes , the wearer of the lens according to the present invention can not only have acceptable vision at both distant and near focal lengths , but also attains a fair degree of steroscopic vision wherein depth perception is achieved . as can be seen from fig1 and 2 , unlike prior art lens designs that eliminated the need for ballasting by having a radially symmetric lens ( a lens with a concentric distant and near lens portions ), the present design does not require orientation because it consists of radial segments . these segments maintain equal areas of near and far focal lengths for an area within a circle concentric with the lens independent of the circles size , analogous to the pupil of the eye as it dilates and contracts with the amount of light incident upon eye . in this way the lens of the present invention has the advantage that the ratio between the distant and near portion of the lens can either be set at each radius or can be a controlled function of the pupil size . the advantage of using an aspheric surface of either near or distant portion , or on both , is that the aspheric shapes allow a design to be fabricated which has a uniform and equal lenticular junction and edge thickness . this is not possible with spherical sections . although it is possible to design a lens according to the present invention with spherical sections that would meet optical requirements , the use of the aspheric surfaces on either one or both of the focal lengths areas minimizes step height difference between the surfaces and irritation to the eye . further , placing the optical surface on the front of the lens eliminates cornea insult , injury and debris entrapment . as stated above , use of spherical surfaces is totally acceptable from the optical standpoint and can be utilized in certain embodiments , particularly with placement of the optical surface on the front of the lens against the eyelid rather than against the cornea . the appropriate design of optical aspherical surfaces for artificial eye lenses is given in my copending application u . s . ser . no . 557 , 261 filed on july 24 , 1990 now u . s . pat . no . 5 , 050 , 981 . in addition , other advantages of the use of the aspheric lens over typical spherical optical surfaces are described in this pending application . other design techniques can be used to lessen the step height difference between near and distance segments for either the aspherical or spherical segment lens design . referring to fig3 a arcuate boundary between the near and distance segments of the lens can be used to decrease the height difference , particularly at intermediate points . using an arcuate boundary between the segments decreases the step height by defining a path that is at an angle to the gradient between the two segment heights . in practice , the arc is drawn with one end of the arc at the lens center and the other at the edge of the optic zone with the center of curvature placed along the perpendicular fg of the line connecting the two end points of the arc chord , cb . arc chord , cb is a portion of a circle having a center point along line segment fg and radius r as shown in fig3 . a typical arc segment would be one where the radius is longer than the arc chord , for example , a ratio of two to one between the arc radius and the chord bisector . ratios of two to one or greater would be expected to yield good results , although a ratio of less than two to one may be used , with the limiting case being a semicircle having its midpoint along line segment cb . the arcs defining the boundaries would be placed upon the lens as shown in fig3 ., having the symmetric pattern shown . fig4 shows another embodiment utilizing arcuate boundaries in this embodiment with the advantage of having additional near and distant segments . referring now to fig5 an embodiment of the invention is shown maintaining a substantially constant ratio of distant and near lens areas independent of pupil size . rather than using segments with boundaries from the center to the circumference , the lens is divided into line segment chords across the lens . by way of specific example , reference is now made to fig6 showing a comparison between the segment surface position for the distant focal portion of the lens and the near focal portion for a segmented aspheric bifocal lens made according to the embodiment shown in fig1 . in this example a lens is shown having a distant prescription of - 5 . 25 diopters with a near vision portion add of + 1 . 50 diopters , yielding a near portion vision having an absolute optical power of - 3 . 75 . in numerical form it can be seen that the step height difference between the segments is less for the aspheric surface than for the spherical lens surfaces . given are the height of the far focal surface , the near focal surface and the difference between these two at the boundary for both aspherical and the spherical lens design as a function of position from the center of the lens . ______________________________________position far near ( mm ) surface surface delta______________________________________surface height comparison : aspheric distance & amp ; aspheric near contact lens0 . 00 - 0 . 07000 - 0 . 07000 0 . 000000 . 10 - 0 . 06749 - 0 . 06740 - 0 . 000090 . 20 - 0 . 06498 - 0 . 06480 - 0 . 000180 . 30 - 0 . 06247 - 0 . 06220 - 0 . 000270 . 40 - 0 . 05996 - 0 . 05960 - 0 . 000360 . 50 - 0 . 05746 - 0 . 05700 - 0 . 000460 . 60 - 0 . 04991 - 0 . 04919 - 0 . 000720 . 70 - 0 . 04237 - 0 . 04139 - 0 . 000980 . 80 - 0 . 03483 - 0 . 03359 - 0 . 001240 . 90 - 0 . 02729 - 0 . 02579 - 0 . 001501 . 00 - 0 . 01974 - 0 . 01799 - 0 . 001751 . 10 - 0 . 00712 - 0 . 00499 - 0 . 002131 . 20 0 . 00550 0 . 00801 - 0 . 002511 . 30 0 . 01812 0 . 02101 - 0 . 002891 . 40 0 . 03074 0 . 03401 - 0 . 003271 . 50 0 . 04336 0 . 04701 - 0 . 003651 . 60 0 . 06114 0 . 06520 - 0 . 004061 . 70 0 . 07892 0 . 08338 - 0 . 004461 . 80 0 . 09670 0 . 10157 - 0 . 004871 . 90 0 . 11448 0 . 11976 - 0 . 005282 . 00 0 . 13226 0 . 13795 - 0 . 005692 . 10 0 . 15531 0 . 16132 - 0 . 006012 . 20 0 . 17836 0 . 18469 - 0 . 006332 . 30 0 . 20141 0 . 20807 - 0 . 006662 . 40 0 . 22446 0 . 23144 - 0 . 006982 . 50 0 . 24751 0 . 25481 - 0 . 007302 . 60 0 . 27598 0 . 28335 - 0 . 007372 . 70 0 . 30446 0 . 31189 - 0 . 007432 . 80 0 . 33293 0 . 34043 - 0 . 007502 . 90 0 . 36140 0 . 36897 - 0 . 007573 . 00 0 . 38988 0 . 39751 - 0 . 007633 . 10 0 . 42397 0 . 43121 - 0 . 007243 . 20 0 . 45806 0 . 46491 - 0 . 006853 . 30 0 . 49215 0 . 49861 - 0 . 006463 . 40 0 . 52624 0 . 53231 - 0 . 006073 . 50 0 . 56033 0 . 56601 - 0 . 005683 . 60 0 . 60029 0 . 60484 - 0 . 004553 . 70 0 . 64025 0 . 64368 - 0 . 003433 . 80 0 . 68021 0 . 68252 - 0 . 002313 . 90 0 . 72016 0 . 72136 - 0 . 001204 . 00 0 . 76012 0 . 76020 - 0 . 00008surface height comparisonspheric distance & amp ; spheric near contact lens0 . 00 - 0 . 07000 - 0 . 07000 0 . 000000 . 10 - 0 . 06749 - 0 . 06740 - 0 . 000090 . 20 - 0 . 06498 - 0 . 06479 - 0 . 000190 . 30 - 0 . 06247 - 0 . 06219 - 0 . 000280 . 40 - 0 . 05996 - 0 . 05959 - 0 . 000370 . 50 - 0 . 05745 - 0 . 05699 - 0 . 000460 . 60 - 0 . 04991 - 0 . 04016 - 0 . 000750 . 70 - 0 . 04236 - 0 . 04133 - 0 . 001030 . 80 - 0 . 03481 - 0 . 03350 - 0 . 001310 . 90 - 0 . 02727 - 0 . 02567 - 0 . 001601 . 00 - 0 . 01972 - 0 . 01784 - 0 . 001881 . 10 - 0 . 00708 - 0 . 00472 - 0 . 002361 . 20 0 . 00557 0 . 00841 - 0 . 002841 . 30 0 . 01821 0 . 02153 - 0 . 002321 . 40 0 . 03085 0 . 03465 - 0 . 003801 . 50 0 . 04349 0 . 04777 - 0 . 004281 . 60 0 . 06133 0 . 06629 - 0 . 004961 . 70 0 . 07917 0 . 08482 - 0 . 005651 . 80 0 . 09700 0 . 10334 - 0 . 006341 . 90 0 . 11484 0 . 12187 - 0 . 007032 . 00 0 . 13268 0 . 14039 - 0 . 007712 . 10 0 . 15585 0 . 16448 - 0 . 008632 . 20 0 . 17903 0 . 18857 - 0 . 009542 . 30 0 . 20220 0 . 21265 - 0 . 010452 . 40 0 . 22538 0 . 23674 - 0 . 011362 . 50 0 . 24855 0 . 26083 - 0 . 012282 . 60 0 . 27726 0 . 29070 - 0 . 013442 . 70 0 . 30597 0 . 32058 - 0 . 014612 . 80 0 . 33468 0 . 35045 - 0 . 015772 . 90 0 . 36339 0 . 38032 - 0 . 016933 . 00 0 . 39210 0 . 41019 - 0 . 018093 . 10 0 . 42660 0 . 44614 - 0 . 019543 . 20 0 . 46110 0 . 48208 - 0 . 020983 . 30 0 . 49559 0 . 51803 - 0 . 022443 . 40 0 . 53009 0 . 55398 - 0 . 023893 . 50 0 . 56459 0 . 58992 - 0 . 025333 . 60 0 . 60520 0 . 63232 - 0 . 027123 . 70 0 . 64582 0 . 67471 - 0 . 028893 . 80 0 . 68643 0 . 71711 - 0 . 030683 . 90 0 . 72705 0 . 75950 - 0 . 032454 . 00 0 . 76766 0 . 80190 - 0 . 03424______________________________________ as can be appreciated by one skilled in the art making reference to my above referenced patent application describing the use of aspheric surfaces in eye lens design , the constant κ associated with a particular lens surface curvature is an important selection process . in the above example , the κ value used for establishing the aspherical curve for the near and distant vision surfaces in the aspheric lens design are different . the κ value for the distant portion is - 0 . 2 and the κ value for the near portion is - 1 . 06 . these values are established for the present invention by design trial and error , but with the consideration the the κ value for the near portion should be approximately 1 . 00 and the κ for the far portion set to keep the lenticular junction difference at or near zero . referring now to fig7 there is shown in graphic form the step height difference between segments using aspherical lens surfaces . there is little improvement over the use of spherical lens surfaces near the center of the lens and the step height is small in any case . however , halfway between the center and the edge , about 3 millimeters from the center of the lens , there is a step of about 0 . 008 millimeters , for an improvement of about 0 . 011 mm . at the edge the improvement is 0 . 034 mm . in addition to providing less irritation to the cornea or eyelid , the decreased step differential and decreased center thickness allows increased local oxygenation of the cornea . the arcuate boundary between segments of a multifocal lens reduce the step height between segments by traversing a path at a substantial angle to the gradient formed by the two different heights of lens material rather than having a boundary that substantially follows the gradient between the two heights of the lens segments . molding technology which allows precision molding of corrective eye lenses with high quality and repeatable optical surfaces now makes possible lenses with complex curvatures and surfaces . as can be appreciated by one skilled in the art , once the mold is made virtually any type of lens shape regardless of its complexity can be made repeatedly and with very little increase cost over simpler shapes . a lens of the above type is preferably manufactured by molding . in general , the molding process preferred is that described in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 495 , 313 and 4 , 889 , 664 . in this process , the lens surface mold to be made is not made on the surface that will immediately mold the lens but is made one step removed on a metal surface which is used to make a plastic styrene mold which is then used to make the lens . as used in this specification , the word &# 34 ; mold &# 34 ; is used to refer to any previous generation of mold used in making the lens , that is not only the surfaces used to make lens itself , but the surfaces used to make the molds that ultimately make the lens . the metal molds containing the multifocal segmented surfaces are made by selecting the appropriate lens powers from conventional spherical or aspherical molds . in the above example , these would be the surfaces corresponding to the - 5 . 25 diopters and the surface corresponding to a - 3 . 75 diopters . these mold surfaces would then be cut into segments which are similar and interchangeable . preferably , making segment cuts which correspond to diameters of the lens surface through the center point of the lens . these metal molds are precision cut with wire electrodynamic machining devices to produce segments with very little material loss and extremely close fit by optical polishing of the cut walls . molds produced in this way can be fitted together to produce a segmented multifocal lens and bonded to produce a surface that can be used to make a mold that ultimately makes the contact lens . these segments may be bonded together in making the contact lens mold and then separated for later reuse . referring to fig8 although it is an advantage of this invention that equal surface areas for both the near and distant focal lengths can be maintained independent of pupil diameter , it is possible to make a lens according to the present invention having a predetermined ratio of near and distant focal length areas as shown . this is sometimes advantageous because near vision is particularly difficult in low light conditions . with the lens shown in fig8 it is possible to have a predetermined ratio of distant to near focal length independent of pupil diameter . referring to fig9 another embodiment of the invention is shown where the ratio between the area of near and distant focal length can be made to be a function of pupil diameter . in this instance , where the pupil diameter is small , there is an equal area of near and distant focal lengths . as the pupil diameter increases , however , such as under low light conditions , the ratio of near to distant focal length increase as can be readily seen and appreciated by one skilled in the art . it is easy to tailor not only the ratio of areas between near and distant focal length but also the point at which a transition is made and any of these configurations are easily manufactured by molding after the first lens mold is constructed as described above . in use the lens of the present invention gave results that were expected . a lens designed according to fig1 was constructed for a presbyopic patient with the distant segment powers corresponding to his distance prescription and with an add power of + 2 . 00 diopters . the actual lens construction was - 5 . 50 diopters / minus - 3 . 50 diopters of alternating spherical segments . clinical results with this patient yield both distant and near acuity of 20 / 20 . stereopsis was measured to a small as 40 arc seconds . this number represent a clinically normal level of stereopsis found in emmetropes as well corrected ametropes , including presbyopes wearing corrective spectacles . the above description is given by way of example only and variation thereon can be practiced within the scope of the following claims . | 8 |
although the disclosure hereof is detailed and exact to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention , the physical embodiments herein disclosed merely exemplify the invention which may be embodied in other specific structure . the scope of the invention is defined in the claims appended hereto . referring to fig1 a self - locking mounting clip system 1 is illustrated that includes the present invention . the mounting system 1 is particularly useful for mounting a wide variety of document storage components to vertical supports in a work place environment . for example , the mounting system may be used to assemble a cabinet , represented by reference numeral 3 to a sturdy support structure represented by reference numeral 5 . other typical applications include mounting a paperbasket to a vertical wall panel in an office . thus , it will be understood that the invention is not limited to any particular type of support structure or to the type of component mounted to the support structure . in accordance with the present invention , the self - locking mounting clip system 1 comprises at least one mounting clip 7 and an upright frame member 9 for each mounting clip . the frame members 9 are depicted as having channel cross - sections . however , any shape structural member of sufficient strength and rigidity is acceptable , such as angle irons and h - shaped cross - sectional members . in each instance , the frame member is formed with a series of vertically aligned vertically oriented slots 11 that pass through a front wall 13 of the frame member . the slots 11 are preferably equidistantly spaced , with a land 15 of the frame member material between adjacent slots . to mount the cabinet 3 or other component to the support structure 5 , the mounting clips 7 preferably are fastened to the back side of the cabinet . looking also at fig2 and 3 , each mounting clip comprises a base portion 17 and a series of angled connectors 19 joined to the base . to attach the mounting clip to the cabinet , a suitable flange or similar member is employed . the flange is designed to suit the particular storage component that is to be mounted to the support structure . with a component such as cabinet 3 , a flange 21 that makes a right angle with the base 17 is satisfactory , but other attachment configurations are also acceptable . conventional screws 23 may be used to attach the mounting clip to the cabinet . with particular attention to fig2 each angled connector 19 comprises a short generally horizontal stem 25 and an angular plate 27 . the stem first end 29 is integrally joined to the mounting clip base 17 along the free edge 30 thereof . the angular plate 27 is integrally joined to the stem 25 at the second end 31 thereof . each stem has top and bottom surfaces 33 and 35 , respectively . the angular plate 27 of each angled connector 19 is preferably formed as a parallelogram having an outside end 37 and an opposed inside end 47 that is joined to the stem second end 31 . the angular plate outside end 37 is preferably vertical when the mounting clip 7 is in the operative position shown . the opposed sides 39 and 41 of each angular plate make angles of approximately 45 ° with the stem second end 31 . consequently , the angular plate side 41 and the base free edge 30 form a crotch 46 therebetween . turning to fig4 and 5 , the cabinet 3 is mounted to the support structure 5 by means of the mounting clip system 1 by first aligning the outer ends 37 of the mounting clip angled connectors 19 with the slots 11 in the frame member 9 . the cabinet and mounting clip 7 are then moved horizontally toward the frame until the angular plate ends 37 enter the corresponding slots . to facilitate insertion of the angular plates , the lower corners 43 thereof are chamfered . once the angular plate ends have entered the frame member slots , the cabinet and mounting clip must undergo a vertical downward motion simultaneously with a horizontal motion in order for the angular plates to completely enter the slots , fig5 . consequently , to remove the cabinet from the support structure , a reverse bidirectional motion of the cabinet and mounting clips is required , thereby increasing the difficulty of removing the cabinet from the support structure and decreasing the risk of accidentally dislodging the cabinet . further in accordance with the present invention , the mounting clip 7 is formed with a notch 45 between the base portion 17 and each of the angular plates 27 . each notch 45 is defined by a portion of the free edge 30 of the base , the lower surface 35 of the stem 25 , and a portion of the angular plate end 47 , which is longer than the second end 31 of the stem . the length of the stem bottom surface 35 is slightly greater than the thickness of the wall 13 of the mounting frame 9 . when the mounting clip 7 fully engages the frame member 9 , notches 45 engage the respective lands 15 between the slots 11 . notch and land engagement contribute to the permanence of the connection between the cabinet 3 and the support structure 5 . to remove the cabinet , a three - step procedure is required : the cabinet must be vertically moved to disengage the notches from the frame member lands , the cabinet must be moved simultaneously in horizontal and vertical directions to partially disengage the angular plates 27 from the slots , and the cabinet must be moved in a horizontal direction to completely remove the angular plates from the slots . therefore , removing the cabinet requires a conscientious effort to perform the required sequence of events , and unintentional or accidental removal is unlikely . thus , it is apparent that there has been provided , in accordance with the invention , a self - locking mounting clip system that fully satisfies the objects , aims and advantages set forth . while the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof , it is evident that many alternatives , modifications , and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing invention . accordingly , it is intended to embrace all such alternatives , modifications , and variations as fall within the spirit and broad scope of the amended claims . | 0 |
fig1 shows a block diagram of a control unit 10 for an adaptive vehicle - speed controller . control unit 10 in this context includes an input circuit 12 , at least one microcomputer 14 and an output circuit 16 . these elements are connected to each other via a communication system 18 for data and information exchange . input lines 20 from a measuring device 22 for registration of the vehicle speed , an input line 24 from a control element 26 operable by the driver for setting the operating state of the vehicle - speed controller and the setpoint distance , and an input line 28 from a distance - measuring device 30 , e . g ., a radar device , are fed to input circuit 12 . a quantity representing the speed of the drive unit and determined by a speed sensor 50 is fed via an input line 48 to input circuit 12 , and a clutch actuation signal of a clutch sensor 54 is fed via an input line 52 . furthermore , additional input lines 32 to 34 from measuring devices 36 to 38 for the detection of additional vehicle performance quantities that are used in the adaptive vehicle - speed control are fed to input circuit 12 . performance quantities of this type are , for example , steering angle , transverse acceleration , gear step , etc . in the shown example , measuring device 36 is a rotational - speed comparison device , which provides information about the instantaneous gear step . control unit 10 , there the at least one microcomputer 14 , influences the performance of the vehicle &# 39 ; s drive unit within the context of the adaptive vehicle speed control via at least one output line 40 and corresponding control elements 42 ( e . g ., electronic engine control unit ). furthermore , in an exemplary embodiment , control unit 10 influences the braking force at the wheel brakes of the vehicle via an output line 44 and corresponding control elements 46 ( e . g ., a brake system having abs / tcs elements ). at block 56 in fig2 , a program routine begins that is executed by microcomputer 14 at regular time intervals on the order of several milliseconds . in step 58 , a positive or negative setpoint acceleration asetpoint is calculated on the basis of the input variables fed via input lines 20 , 24 , 28 , 32 , 34 and , depending on the traffic situation , is used to keep to the desired speed selected by the driver or the distance from the vehicle driving in front . in step 60 a manipulated variable smotor , which is to be fed via output circuit 16 and output line 40 to drive - system control elements 42 , is then formed on the basis of setpoint acceleration asetpoint . if a negative setpoint acceleration asetpoint ( deceleration ) is required and the braking torque that the drive unit is able to generate is insufficient for this deceleration , then in step 60 a manipulated variable sbrake is also formed , which is to be fed via output circuit 16 and output line 44 to control elements 46 of the braking system . whether the driver has operated the clutch is then checked in step 62 using the signal of clutch sensor 54 . if so , it may be assumed that the driver intends to change gears , but whether the driver wants to increase or reduce the gear step is still unknown . which gear is selected when the clutch is actuated is known on the basis of the signal of the rotational - speed comparison device . in step 64 , an upshift probability p is then calculated that specifies the probability of the driver selecting the next higher gear step as target gear tg . the calculation of this probability is made on the basis of the available input variables , e . g ., on the basis of the actual speed of the vehicle , which is made available by measuring device 22 , and on the basis of the actual speed of the drive unit communicated by speed sensor 50 . moreover , signals of distance measuring device 30 as well as manipulated variable smotor or other signals made available by the electronic engine control unit that give information about the instantaneous load of the engine , e . g ., may also be considered . if , for example , the speed of the engine is already close to the upper limit speed , the transmission is not yet in the highest gear step and , moreover , distance measuring device 30 does not report any obstacles that would provide a cause for a deceleration of the vehicle , then it may be practically certain that the driver intends to upshift , and upshift probability p has the value 1 . if , on the other hand , the engine is already running at low speed and the load is relatively high , e . g ., on uphill stretches , and / or if a reduction of the vehicle speed is required within the context of distance regulation , it may be almost certain that the driver will downshift , and upshift probability p has the value 0 . in other situations , for example , at average speed and average load , upshift probability p will have an average value between 0 and 1 that is to be determined by microcomputer 14 using prescribed criteria . in an example embodiment , step 64 may also be carried out before step 62 . this means that the determination of upshift probability p occurs continuously in each program cycle , so that the upshift probability upon actuation of the clutch is already known . in an example embodiment , it is also possible , on the basis of the continuously checked criteria on which step 64 is based , to output a shift prompt to the driver if a gear change is presented based on the instantaneous engine operating conditions . in this case , it may simply be assumed , upon determination of the upshift probability in step 64 , that the driver will heed the shift prompt . in step 66 , a function that describes the time - dependency of drive - unit setpoint speed n is then determined on the basis of upshift probability p and on the basis of target gear tg . in step 68 , the drive - unit speed is then regulated to the setpoint value given by this function . depending on the arrangement , this regulation may occur in microcomputer 14 , in that the actual rotational speed received via input line 48 is compared to the setpoint speed , and a corresponding control command is output via output line 40 , or the setpoint speed is simply output via output line 40 and the actual speed control remains left to the electronic engine control unit . if in step 60 a value other than 0 was determined for manipulated variable sbrake , then following step 68 this manipulated variable is output in step 70 to control elements 46 of the brake system before the program cycle is terminated at block 72 . if , on the other hand , it was determined in step 62 that the driver has not actuated the clutch , then steps 64 to 68 are skipped and instead manipulated variable smotor is output in step 74 to control elements 42 of the drive system , before step 70 is carried out . thus , as long as the clutch is not actuated , the adaptive cruise control operates by intervening in the drive system ( step 74 ) and / or in the brake system ( step 70 ). however , in the operational phases in which the driver keeps the clutch actuated , the adaptive cruise control is only partially deactivated in the method described here , that is , only intervention in the drive system is stopped , while , if necessary , an intervention in the brake system is still possible . via this example embodiment of the method , the driver is substantially unburdened , e . g ., in situations in which the vehicle driving ahead brakes relatively forcefully . the driver is able then to downshift calmly in order to select a gear step corresponding to the lower speed without the automatic braking of his own vehicle being interrupted during the shift operation and the actuation of the clutch . the selection of the time - dependent function for the setpoint speed in step 66 has the purpose of automatically adapting the speed during the phase in which the clutch is actuated to the speed corresponding to the anticipated new gear so that when the clutch is released , a transition that is as jolt - free as possible may be achieved . if upshift probability p is greater than 0 , then target gear tg is a gear step higher than the currently selected gear , and the speed function is selected in such a manner that the engine speed is brought nearer to the value that results from the actual speed of the vehicle and the gear step in the target gear . graphically represented in fig3 are examples for possible time - dependent curves of the setpoint speed function at different upshift probabilities p . top curve 76 in fig3 represents the signal of clutch sensor 54 . the clutch is actuated at time t 0 and released again at time t 1 . curve 78 represents the time - dependent change of setpoint speed n for the case in which a high upshift probability p has been calculated ( p = 0 . 9 ). upon actuation of the clutch at time t 0 , the setpoint speed is equal to the actual engine speed , which is determined by the actual speed of the vehicle and the gear step in the previous gear . after time t 0 the setpoint engine speed and , thus , also the actual engine speed is reduced at a relatively steep ramp to value n ( tg ), which is determined by the actual vehicle speed and the transmission ratio in the target gear , that is , in the next higher gear step . once this value is reached , the engine speed is kept constant so that upon reengagement of the clutch at time t 1 , a jolt - free transition may occur . in the determination of engine speed n ( tg ), changes of the actual vehicle speed that occur within the time interval between t 0 and t 1 because of , for example , the declivity or acclivity of the road or because of a braking maneuver ( step 70 ) are also considered . the ramp steepness ( dn / dt ) of the speed function is adapted in each case so that target speed n ( tg ) is reached within a certain time span , which is a function of upshift probability p . curve 80 represents the case in which upshift probability p has an average value ( p = 0 . 5 ). in this case , the ramp steepness is reduced in such a manner that target speed n ( tg ) is only reached within a greater time span . in this context , it is accepted that at the time of clutch reengagement at t 1 , the target speed will have not yet been fully reached , so that a moderate jolt occurs . however , in the case in which the driver is not upshifting , but rather downshifting , there is still a higher engine speed at the moment of clutch reengagement so that the jump from the instantaneous speed to the higher speed n ( tg + 2 ), which corresponds to the next lower gear , turns out to be smaller . in this manner , a transition having diminished jolt may also be achieved when downshifting , as is illustrated by dashed curve 82 . the lower upshift probability p is , the more slowly the setpoint speed is reduced . curve 84 illustrates the case of a very low upshift probability ( p = 0 . 1 ). in this case the setpoint speed during the actuation duration of the clutch is kept constant so that the jolt during the now more probable downshifting turns out to be even less ( curve 86 ), while , in the case in which the driver instead upshifts , a somewhat greater jolt is then accepted . in fig3 , a time interval tave is drawn that corresponds to the driver - specific average duration of clutch actuation known from previous clutch actuations . in the example described here , the ramp slope ( dn / dt ) of the setpoint engine speed function is dependent not just on upshift probability p , but also on empirical value tave . the time interval within which , after actuating of the clutch , the speed is adapted to relevant target speed n ( tg ) is given in each case by a specified percentage of tave that is a function of p . given great upshift probability ( curve 78 ), this time span is , for example , 75 % of tave . in this manner , a jolt - free transition may be achieved also in the case in which , as in the example shown here , the actual duration of clutch actuation is somewhat smaller than average value tave . when there is lower upshift probability , for example , when p = 0 . 5 , the time span for the speed adaptation in the shown example is 2 * tave . this means that the speed difference between the output speed and the target speed has been precisely reduced to one - half when the driver releases the clutch again after the average time of actuation tave . in this manner , a transition having diminished jolt may be achieved both when upshifting and when downshifting . if the driver keeps the clutch actuated for a very long time , as is indicated by dashed curve 88 , then the speed is reduced further to idle speed n ( idle ) after expiration of a specified time interval following the clutch actuation ( at t 0 ), in the shown example after 1 . 5 * tave . because in the method described here the adaptive cruise control remains latently active during the actuation phase of the clutch as well ( steps 58 , 60 and 74 in fig2 ), situations may also be detected in which it is foreseeable that , upon reengagement of the clutch and , thus , upon unrestricted resumption of cruise control , a deceleration of the vehicle is required and , thus , a high braking torque of the engine is desirable . in this case , a setpoint speed function may be selected in such a manner that the speed is already brought back to idle speed n ( idle ) within a brief time after actuation of the clutch , so that a high braking torque of the drive system is available after the clutch reengagement . | 1 |
unless defined otherwise , all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art . the term “ connected ” as used herein generally refers to pieces which may be joined or linked together . the term “ coupled ” as used herein generally refers to pieces which may be used operatively with each other , or joined or linked together , with or without one or more intervening members . the term “ directly ” as used herein generally refers to one structure in physical contact with another structure , or , when used in reference to a procedure , means that one process effects another process or structure without the involvement of an intermediate step or component . in some embodiments , a system for transferring sample from ambient pressure to high vacuum may include a carrying capsule , a load lock , a buffer chamber , a pump chamber , and an inert gas reservoir . the capsule may be coupled to the load lock chamber , with , for example , an easy to connect chain link and a metal - elastomer seal . the loadlock may be coupled to the pump chamber via a conduit and further coupled to an inert gas reservoir via a pneumatic valve and vent port with a long path coil via pneumatic valve . the buffer chamber may be coupled to the pump chamber via a pneumatic valve and furthermore to the sample analysis chamber ultra - high vacuum analysis chamber via a pneumatic valve . the pump chamber may have a high vacuum pump backed by a mechanical pump . the conduit may include a manual valve that is upstream from the orifice and a pneumatic valve . furthermore , pressure gauges may be coupled to one or more of the buffer chamber , a loadlock , and / or a pump chamber . a mass spectrometer may be coupled to the buffer chamber . the transferring of samples to a sample analysis chamber may include a linear translator and a rotational translator . the linear translator may include a two prong metal fork and an elevating plate including a pin . the elevating plate may function to elevate throughout the duration of the linear stroke . the linear translator may function to lock a sample bar into a conformation suitable for retrieving the sample bar from a capsule and delivering the sample bar to the sample analysis chamber . the sample bay may hold multiple samples that may be transferred during a single linear stroke . the capsule may include a receiving fork with a spring loaded plate to secure the sample bar during transport and for facilitating the transfer of the sample into and out of the capsule . a goal of the system disclosed herein ( referred to herein as rox or nanorox ) is to reduce oxidation at the nano scale using differential pumping to transition from atmospheric pressure ( viscous flow ) to uhv conditions ( molecular flow ). in some embodiments , differential pumping may allow a user to acquire a repeatable and tunable pressure spike , followed by a pump down curve as a function of time . these 2 - dimensional curves are analyzed and fitted to a plurality of functions with multiple coefficients . these coefficients are assigned as figures of merit ( foms ) and are applied as a quality control measure of the sample transfer reliability prior to loading samples into a surface analysis chamber under uhv . in combination with mass spectrometry analysis of gases , foms may be used to quantitatively evaluate if samples have or have not been exposed to oxidants and / or hydrocarbon contamination at levels above the specifications of an application . thus , a user can evaluate the reliability of the entire transfer and loading process using a set of foms for each of the chambers of rox ( e . g ., capsule , load lock , buffer , and pumping chamber ), including an fom for a glove box where environmentally samples were prepared under an inert environment . fig1 depicts an installation layout of an example nanorox interface coupled to a load lock chamber of a uhv surface analysis chamber . in some embodiments , the interface may include a plurality of chambers , including a pump chamber , a load lock chamber and a buffer chamber . the pump chamber may include a turbomolecular pump . the interface may further include a capsule for sample transfer , as well as a linear stoke translator and a rotational translator . in this example , the linear stoke translator is 36 inches long , but may be longer or shorter depending on the parameters of the interface and analysis chamber . the capsule for sample transfer may be equipped with one or more manual valves configured to isolate samples during the transfer from one chamber to another . the linear stoke and rotational translators may be configured to manipulate and retrieve samples from the capsule , and may transfer samples to a linear translator coupled to the surface analysis chamber . the interface may include a mass spectrometer , which may be used for residual gas analysis . the turbomolecular pump may be configured to match vacuum conditions within the sample transfer capsule to the vacuum conditions of the load lock chamber . fig2 depicts a schematic diagram of the rox coupled to a surface analysis chamber under ultra - high vacuum . in some embodiments , the sample transfer capsule may be coupled to a load lock chamber via a manual valve ( v5 ) and a seal , such as a viton seal . the load lock chamber may be coupled to a pressure gage ( p2 ). the load lock chamber may be coupled to a buffer chamber via pneumatic valve v3 . the buffer chamber may be coupled to a pressure gage ( p1 ). the buffer chamber may be further coupled to sample analysis chamber a via pneumatic gate valve v1 and further coupled to a pump chamber via pneumatic valve v2 . the pump chamber may be coupled to a pressure gauge ( p3 ). the pump chamber may be coupled to a turbomolecular pump , which may be further coupled to a roughing pump . the pump chamber and load lock chamber may be coupled through a conduit . the conduit coupling the pump chamber and load lock chamber may include a manual valve ( v6 ), a flexible metal tube ( t1 ), an orifice and a pneumatic valve ( v4 ). the conduit may be further connected to a purge outlet via a pneumatic valve ( v8 ), a 1 meter long coil , and a flowmeter . the load lock chamber may be coupled to a purge gas reservoir via a conduit which may include a pneumatic valve ( v7 ). the purge gas reservoir may contain nitrogen ( n 2 ), argon ( ar ) or another inert gas . the reservoir may be kept under a controlled pressure . the load lock chamber may be further coupled to sample analysis chamber a via a conduit that includes a manual leak valve and a pneumatic valve ( v9 ). sample analysis chamber a may be coupled to sample analysis chamber b via a gate valve . a mass spectrometer ( m1 ) may be coupled to the buffer chamber . the capsule chamber may be coupled to a glove box or other sample preparation chamber . a sample may thus pass from the glove box to the load lock chamber before entering the buffer chamber under uhv conditions , and eventually to the sample analysis chambers . within the interface , the overall base pressure may be set on the magnitude of 2 × 10 − 8 torr . using the turbomolecular pump , the load lock chamber and capsule chamber may be pumped down from 850 torr of inert gas to high vacuum , ( on the order of − 2 × 10 − 7 torr ), in less than 12 minutes . a user may control the 7 pneumatic valves and read pressure from three gauges in a manual mode . this may be accomplished through instructions executed by a controller , for example a code written in labview software . in a semiautomatic mode , a user can execute a code with subroutines to acquire a set of pressure peaks & amp ; pressure - vs .- time curve pump down curves . the total pump down time may be chosen by the user . the pump down curves may be used to extract figures of merit ( fom ) in order to qualify sample transfer reliability . sample transfer reliability may include testing rox and the chamber where the samples originated ( e . g ., a glove box ) by using a set of figures of merit . for rox and a glove box , for instance , they may be labeled as rox - fom and gb - fom , respectively . these foms may form the basis for analyzing sample transfer reliability . in combination with the foms described above , a mass spectrometer for residual gas analysis ( rag ) may be integrated into the rox to verify the pump down curves of rox as well as to absolutely differentiate between oxidant exposure and outgassing of samples . under 850 torr of static inert gas , samples may be exposed to ˜ 1 ppm o 2 and 1 ppm h 2 o during transport from glove box to the surface analysis chamber , or vice - versa . levels of o 2 and h 2 o depend on the purity of the inert gas supply , and not on the design of rox interface . the capsule may be designed to carry a commercial sample bar , for example a kratos sample bar with 12 samples per load ( where sample size is ≦ 5 mm ×≦ 5 mm ×≦ 1 mm ) during transfer . the capsule may transport solid and / or powder samples under 850 torr of an inert gas ( e . g ., n 2 or argon ) or under vacuum . the rox interface may be installed as an interface on an existing load lock chamber of a surface analysis chamber or directly as a load lock on a surface analysis chamber . in the latter , rox may be used to load both air sensitive or air stable samples directly into the surface analysis chamber . fig3 depicts an example installation layout of a rox pump chamber coupled to a load lock chamber . the pump chamber may include a turbomolecular pump , which may be further coupled to a mechanical or roughing pump . in this example , the turbomolecular pump is configured to pump gas at a rate of 200 l / s . as shown in fig1 and 2 the pump chamber may be coupled to a buffer chamber . a pneumatic valve ( v2 ) may be included between the pump chamber and buffer chamber such that valve v2 may control gas flow from the buffer chamber to the pump chamber . the pump chamber may be coupled to pressure gauge p3 . in some examples , gauge p3 may be a cold cathode pressure gauge . gauge p3 may be configured to measure pressures within a predetermined range of possible pump chamber pressures , for example from 600 torr to 2 × 10 − 9 torr . the pump chamber may be further coupled to the load lock chamber via a conduit including manual valve v6 . the conduit coupling the pump chamber to the load lock chamber may be configured as a flexible metal hose ( t1 ), which may comprise an orifice ( o1 ) and a pneumatic valve ( v4 ). orifice o1 may be configured as two conflate flanges bolted against each other in a manner so as to press a copper gasket between the two flanges while connecting the load lock to the pump chamber . pneumatic valve v4 may control gas flow from the load lock to orifice o1 and to the pump chamber during pump down events . the pump chamber may allow rox to be pumped independently from the uhv surface analysis chamber . the pump chamber may be engaged during the differential pumping of the load lock chamber , which may allow the pump chamber to transition from laminar flow to molecular flow without interruption while exclusively using the turbomolecular pump . fig4 a depicts a top - down view of an example installation layout of a buffer chamber connecting to a pump chamber and a load lock chamber . fig4 b depicts a side view of the same example installation layout . in this example , the buffer chamber is a six - way chamber , equipped with a glass view port and a cold cathode pressure gauge ( p1 ). the buffer chamber may be coupled to a uhv surface analysis chamber via a port including a conflat flange , and further coupled to a mass spectrometer . the buffer chamber may include pneumatic valve v1 , which may be configured to isolate the buffer chamber from the uhv surface analysis chamber . in some embodiments , the buffer chamber may include pneumatic valve v2 , which may be configured to isolate the buffer chamber from the pump chamber , as described above in regards to fig2 and 3 . in some embodiments , the buffer chamber may include pneumatic valve v3 , which may be configured to isolate the buffer chamber form the load lock chamber . the buffer chamber may be kept under the lowest vacuum level of the chambers included in the interface , for example a pressure on the order of 2 × 10 − 8 torr . this pressure may be maintained by intermittently using the turbomolecular pump included in the surface analysis chamber , and the turbomolecular pump included in the pump chamber . the cold cathode gauge , p1 , may primarily be used to record the pressure spike and pressure - vs .- time pump down curves while masses for water and molecular oxygen are selected for the mass spectrometer . both of these curves may be used to generate the figures of merit ( fom ) to evaluate and qualify the reliability of sample transfer . fig5 a depicts an example installation layout of a sample transfer capsule coupled to a load lock . the capsule may be coupled to the load lock via manual valve v5 and further coupled to the load lock through kf flanges coupled to an evac chain clamp and an elastomer seal . fig5 b depicts a diagram of an example chain clamp . as depicted here , the chain clamp is configured as an evac chain clamp . the clamp may press two kf flanges together while in place . fig5 c depicts a diagram of an example elastomer seal . as depicted here , the seal is an nw40 seal including an aluminum outer ring and a teflon inner ring . the elastomer seal may be used for multiple sample transfer applications and may be configured to seal under high vacuum conditions . fig5 d depicts a schematic diagram of a sample transfer capsule in accordance with the present disclosure . the capsule is shown with a manual valve , and may include a receiving fork . the receiving fork may facilitate transfer of a sample bar to a linear translator head that includes a fork and an elevating plate . through the use of the kf flanges , an elastomer seal and an evac chain clamp , the sample capsule may be quickly connected to the load lock chamber of the interface . fig6 a depicts a schematic diagram of components of a sample transfer capsule , including a receiving fork , sample bar and modified head of a linear translator . a diagram of a commercially available linear translator is shown for reference in fig6 e . the linear translator , for example , a linear translator with a 36 inch stroke , may include a head is configured to enable a plate to elevate for the duration of the stroke of the translator . the head may be modified to include a fork to facilitate transfer of the sample bar . fig6 b depicts a diagram of an example head of a linear translator modified to include a fork and pin . the fork and pin allow the head of the linear translator to lock onto the sample bar during transfer . the linear translator may thus be used either to retrieve a sample bar from the capsule or to load a sample bar into the capsule . fig6 c depicts a diagram of an example sample bar holding 25 samples , the samples having dimensions of 1 = 0 . 5 mm , w = 0 . 5 mm and h = 0 . 1 mm . the sample bar may be used to transfer samples between chambers , including between uhv chambers . for example , the sample bar may be configured to transfer samples between a tof - sems chamber and a kratos xps chamber , or vice - versa . fig6 d depicts a diagram of an example receiving fork . the receiving fork may be integrated into the sample chamber and may facilitate transfer of a sample bar to or from the head of the linear translator . fig1 a depicts a schematic diagram of a sample transfer capsule . fig1 b depicts a schematic diagram of a spherical chamber positionable in the depicted sample transfer capsule . fig1 c depicts a schematic diagram of an actuation control arm with 2 degrees of freedom . in some embodiments , actuation is provided by a control arm with two degrees of freedom . in some embodiments , rotation provides a locking mechanism . rotation may provide yaw rotation to produce offset in the horizontal plane . translation may provide vertical plane offset and enable removal of the stage interlocking mechanism once the canier bar is handed off to the instrument translation arm . fig7 a depicts a front - view of an example installation layout of a load lock . in this example , the load lock includes a single orifice ( o1 ) for differential pumping . fig7 b depicts a side - view of the example installation layout of a load lock as shown in fig7 a . the load lock chamber may include pressure gauge p2 . pressure gauge p2 may be a pirani pressure gauge , and may be configured to measure pressures within a predetermined range of possible pump chamber pressures , for example from 5 × 10 − 4 torr to 1000 torr . the load lock chamber may include pneumatic valve v4 . pneumatic valve v4 may control gas flow leading to orifice o1 . orifice o1 may couple two conflat flanges : a first flange from pneumatic valve v4 , and a second flange from flexible tube t1 . the flanges may be bolted against each other to press a “ blank ” copper gasket , for example a gasket with a 0 . 385 mm diameter orifice at the center . the flanges may engage the copper gasket while connecting the load lock to the pump chamber . the load lock chamber may include pneumatic valve v7 . pneumatic valve v7 may serve as an inlet and may control the flow of inert gas ( e . g ., argon or nitrogen ) during purging . in some embodiments , the load lock chamber may include pneumatic valve v8 . pneumatic valve v8 may serve as an outlet and may control venting of the inert gas flow during purging . the load lock chamber may include metal coil c1 . metal coil c1 may be configured to increase the path length during purging . metal coil c1 may minimize the quantity of air back streaming into load lock during purging of the load lock as well as when the purging stops , for example during the time period between the time point when v8 closes to the time point when v7 closes . the load lock chamber may include leak valve l1 . leak valve l1 may be used to control the gas flow from the load lock into the surface analysis chamber where a residual gas analyzer mass spectrometer may be housed . fig8 a depicts a diagram of an example pneumatic angle valve assembly . the valve body may include two ports . each port may include conflate flanges and may use copper gaskets as seals . the valve body may be coupled to an actuator connect to a power supply and configured to supply a constant rate of pressurized air , in response to commands from a controller . fig8 b - d depict diagrams of components of an example pneumatic angle valve assembly . the assembly may include a bonnet flange , for example , a circular bonnet flange . the assembly may further include a poppet with an o - ring seal , for example an elastomer o - ring seal . the configuration of the valve assembly may be regulated by the actuator . the actuator may provide power to the assembly via pressurized air . the pressurized air may be used to translate the valve &# 39 ; s poppet up ( port open ) or down ( port close ). the poppet may be attached to the valve &# 39 ; s body via a circular bonnet flange . the poppet has an o - ring seal to seal the valve &# 39 ; s body ports . the valve body is a vacuum tight chamber that is flanged into a larger vacuum chamber via conflat flanges , for example 1 . 33 ″ conflat flanges with copper gaskets . fig9 a - b depict an example installation layout of a pneumatic angle valve assembly . pneumatic valve v4 is shown with 1 . 33 ″ conflate flanges with copper gaskets , and is shown coupled to a conduit between the pump chamber and the load lock chamber . fig9 c - e depict a schematic diagram of gas flow through a pneumatic angle valve assembly . the valve assembly may include a flange with an oxygen - free gasket , for example a 1 . 5 cm diameter gasket . the valve assembly may further include orifice o1 . orifice o1 may have diameter of 0 . 388 mm , and may be bored on the center of an oxygen - free gasket , for example a blank gasket with a thickness of 2 . 5 mm . the orifice may further be pressed between two conflate flanges to form an ultra - high vacuum seal . as represented by the dotted line in fig9 b , gas may enter valve v4 from the load lock or capsule , passing through a flange . gas may subsequently pass through the orifice and travel out of the valve assembly and to the pump chamber . during differential pumping of gases in the load lock , the pneumatic valve may actuate the gas flow from load lock into v4 while the 0 . 385 mm diameter orifice modulates the gas throughput into the pump chamber . fig1 a - d depict perspective views of a pneumatic valve assembled with two orifices . in this example , the first orifice ( o1 ) is drilled on the center of the head of the poppet valve . the second orifice ( o2 ) in this example is drilled on the center of a blank copper gasket . in this example , the o1 has a diameter of 0 . 385 mm and o2 has a diameter of 1 . 0 mm . the diameter of the orifices may differ depending on the application and the size and configuration of the pneumatic valve . in general , the diameter of the second orifice may be larger than the diameter of the first orifice . fig1 depicts a schematic diagram of two angle valves in series . in this example , pneumatic valve v4 is shown coupled to the load lock chamber . pneumatic valve v4b is shown coupled to pneumatic valve v4 downstream of the load lock chamber . pneumatic valve v4b is further coupled to the pump chamber . in this example , during differential pumping of gases in the load lock , the pneumatic valve ( v4 ) may actuate the gas flow from the load lock into v4b , while orifice # 1 ( 0 . 385 mm diameter orifice ) modulates the gas flow from atmospheric pressure to 0 . 1 torr while v4b is in the close position . when the pressure drops below 0 . 1 torr , v4b opens and orifice # 2 ( 1 . 0 mm diameter orifice ) modulates gas throughput from 0 . 1 to 0 . 01 torr into the pump chamber . the main function of the second orifice is to increase the throughput by a factor of three . thus , the total time during differential pumping is reduced , while achieving lower pressures prior to the pressure spike and pump down . fig1 depicts a schematic diagram of the rox coupled to a surface analysis chamber under ultra - high vacuum . each chamber of the rox is shown with a range of pressures that may be obtained via differential pumping . with differential pumping , a transition may be made from atmospheric pressure ( 760 torr ) to uhv ( 10 − 8 torr ) in under 12 minutes . the capsule chamber and load lock chamber may both transition between pressures of 800 torr and 10 − 7 torr . the buffer chamber may transition between pressures of 10 − 4 torr and 10 − 8 torr . the pump chamber may transition between pressures of 5 torr and 10 − 8 torr . the surface analysis chamber may maintain a pressure on the order of 10 − 9 torr . fig1 depicts a schematic diagram of orifice located between a load lock chamber and a pumping chamber . in rox , the load lock and pump chambers are connected with one flexible tube and a pneumatic valve ( v4 ), both equipped with uhv conflat flanges as schematically shown in fig1 . typically , two conflat flanges press a metal gasket ring as a seal to prevent air leaks under uhv conditions . for differential pumping , rox may use a blanket metal gasket ( or disc ) that has a 0 . 385 mm diameter orifice at the center . the orifice modulates the gas flow rate between the load lock and pump chamber during pump down from atmospheric pressure ( 800 torr ) to 0 . 1 torr − ( set pressure point at the load lock chamber ) using a turbomolecular pump backed by a mechanical pump . in the pump chamber , the initial pressure , prior to differential pumping is shown as 0 . 8 torr . following differential pumping , the final pressure in the pump chamber is shown as 10 - 5 torr . thus , differential pumping causes the load lock chamber to transition from laminar flow to viscous flow , and causes the pump chamber to transition from viscous flow to molecular flow . the initial pressure differential , p i ll / p i pc is shown on the magnitude of 900 . the fmal pressure differential , p f ll / p f pc is shown on the magnitude of 7000 . this allows the pump chamber to transition uninterruptedly from viscous to molecular flow exclusively using a turbomolecular pump ( backed by a rough , mechanical pump ). at the end of differential pumping , gas throughput is increased by rerouting the gas flow into the buffer and pump chambers . there exist numerous advantages to applying differential pumping using a turbomolecular pump . for example , gas molecules are given momentum such as gas flow in one direction during a pump down ( with the exception of hydrogen gas ), preventing backstreaming of oxidants ( e . g ., water and molecular oxygen ) and contaminants ( e . g ., oil vapor ) from roughing pumps , ( e . g ., a mechanical or scroll pump ), into capsule , load lock , buffer , and pump chambers , including the surface analysis chamber during the transition from atmospheric pressure to high vacuum conditions . turbomolecular pumps have the widest operating pressure range and are capable of crossing over from high vacuum ( molecular flow ) to backing vacuum ( viscous flow ˜ 3 torr ) and back to high vacuum without detrimental changes in performance . further , turbomolecular pumps provide consistent throughputs in both low vacuum viscous and molecular flow regimes . these throughputs do not vary over time and not are dependent on the lifetime of hardware components of the turbomolecular pump . in general , a turbomolecular pump either operates fully at its specifications or completely malfunctions due to one or more faulty components . in other words , turbomolecular pumps have only two states : on or off . the off state is most likely due to a faulty component . still further , turbomolecular pumps may provide an uninterrupted and continuous pump down , pressure peaks followed by a pump down , and pressure - vs .- time curves during the transition from differential pumping to high conductance pumping path . differential pumping via a turbomolecular pump actuates a gas load ( or amplitude ) of a pressure spike into the buffer chamber as gases from the load lock chamber or the sample capsule travel on their way to the pump chamber . this gas load allows a pressure spike and pump down vs . time curves to be recorded a sampling rate of 10 milliseconds ( this sampling rate is the fastest rate achievable with this configuration and is limited by the pressure controller ). further , this process yields highly repeatable pressure spikes , followed by the pump down , and repeatable pressure - vs .- time curves . this repeatability allows a user to generate foms for rox and other equipment needed as part of the transfer ( e . g ., glove box ). fig1 depicts an embodiment of a method 100 for a semi - automated routine to activate differential pumping . the method will be described in reference to a rox apparatus , such as the apparatus diagramed in fig1 , but may be applied to similar apparatuses . method 100 may begin at 102 with determining the status of the load lock chamber . if the load lock chamber is under atmospheric pressure and manual valve v5 is closed , method 100 may proceed . at 104 , method 100 may include closing valves v3 and v4 . this will isolate the load lock chamber from the buffer and pump chambers . at this point , the load lock chamber may be filled with 780 torr of argon ( 99 . 995 %, water and molecular oxygen & lt ; 0 . 2 ppm ) following purging for a user determined purge time interval with an inert gas . at 106 , method 100 may include opening valve v1 and closing valve v2 . as a result of this , pumping to the buffer chamber is switched from the pumping chamber to the pump of the surface analysis chamber . this valve sequence allows for evacuation of the buffer chamber using pumps from the surface analysis chamber . this step minimizes outgassing from the walls of the buffer chamber and maintains the buffer chamber in the uhv range (& lt ; 4 × 10 − 8 torr ). at 108 , method 100 may include opening valve v6 . this manual valve usually remains open . at 110 , method 100 may include opening valve v4 . this step activates differential pumping between the load lock and pump chamber . gas throughput may be modulated via a 0 . 385 mm diameter orifice ( o1 ) while the pump chamber is under continuous pumping by a turbomolecular pump ( backed by a rough pump ). at 112 , method 100 may include allowing the load lock pressure to decrease below 0 . 1 torr , followed by closing valve v1 and maintaining valve v4 in the open state . this step continues differential pumping but isolates the buffer chamber from the stc chamber of the surface analysis chamber . at 114 , method 100 may include opening valve v3 followed by opening valve v2 . as a result of this , argon gas is re - routed into the buffer chamber ( which has a higher gas throughput ) and directly into the pump chamber while valve v4 remains open . at 116 , method 100 may include evacuating the buffer and load lock chambers for 360 seconds with the turbomolecular pump . as a result of this action , the pressures in the load lock and buffer chambers should drop below 2 × 10 − 7 torr . at this point , the capsule is under atmospheric pressure ( e . g ., inert gas at 760 torr ) 27 . an objective of differential pumping is to evacuate the capsule from atmospheric pressure to a vacuum pressure of 0 . 1 torr or an alternative chosen set point . at 118 , method 100 may include opening valve v1 and closing valve v2 . as a result of this action , pumping of the buffer chamber is switched from the pumping chamber to the pumps of the surface analysis chamber . at 120 , method 100 may include closing valve v3 . this action isolates the load lock from the buffer chamber . at 122 , method 100 may include opening valve v6 . valve v6 is usually open . at 124 , method 100 may include opening valve v5 . this action manually opens the valve of the capsule . the pressure between the load lock chamber and capsule may equilibrate to 350 torr . at 126 , method 100 may include opening valve v4 . this action activates differential pumping between the load lock and pump chamber . gas throughput is controlled and limited via the orifice ( o1 ) while the pump chamber is under continuous pumping by a turbomolecular pump ( backed by a rough pump ). at 128 , method 100 may include allowing the pressure in the load lock to drop from 350 torr to less than 0 . 1 torr , followed by closing valve v1 and maintaining valve v4 in the open state . this action continues differential pumping , but isolates the buffer chamber from the stc chamber of the surface analysis chamber . at 130 , method 100 may include opening valve v3 , followed by opening valve v2 . this action results in argon gas being re - routed into the buffer chamber and directly into the pump chamber while valve v4 remains open . at 132 , method 100 may include allowing the pressure in the buffer , load lock , and capsule chambers to decrease to the set pressure point , for example 2 × 10 - 7 torr . the result of this action is that the load lock and capsule chambers are under vacuum and ready for sample retrieval and introduction into the surface analysis chamber . fig1 depicts an example plot of representative pressure vs . time curves during a differential pumping operation . the differential purging operation is depicted in three stages : load lock purging , differential pumping and high conductance . during load lock purging , the load lock pressure ( line a ) and pump chamber pressure ( line b ) remain substantially constant . the pressure in the buffer chamber increases , then decreases to 4 × 10 − 8 torr . as the operation switches to differential pumping , the pump chamber pressure spikes to 1 . 3 torr . following this transition , the load lock , pump chamber and buffer chamber pressures decrease throughout the differential pumping chamber , until the load lock pressure reaches 0 . 1 torr . at this point , valve v1 is closed , causing a pressure spike in the pump chamber and buffer chamber . following this spike , the turbomolecular pump is allowed to evacuate the chambers for 360 seconds , resulting in the pump down vs . time curve during high conductance . fig1 a - c depict diagrams of an example application of the rox . the depicted application involves transferring samples from a glove box to a uhv surface analysis chamber . in some embodiments , samples may be transferred in the opposite direction , from the analysis chamber to the glove box . samples may be synthesized in a glove box under inert gas , for example argon at 1000 torr . the inert environment may contain trace levels of water and molecular oxygen , on the order of 1 part - per - million , or a partial pressure of 10 − 4 torr . samples may be transferred using a capsule from the glove box to the analysis chamber ( or vice - versa ). the surface analysis chamber may be under uhv , with partial pressure on the order of 2 × 10 - 9 torr , and may contain traces of water and molecular oxygen on the order of 10 − 9 - 10 − 10 torr . the surface analysis chamber may include an analysis instrument , for example an x - ray photoelectron spectrometer ( xps ). the rox interface may be applied in the transfer of samples , using a capsule to physically carry the samples , from a glove box or other high pressure chamber to a surface analysis chamber or other uhv chamber . rox may be coupled to the surface analysis chamber either as an interface or in conjunction with an existing load lock chamber . sample transfer may be facilitated from multiple purge boxes . a subroutine or combination of subroutines may be run in conjunction with the transfer of samples from a glove box to a uhv chamber . the subroutines may be utilized to measure pressure curves , including a pressure spike and pump down vs . time curves , and may be further utilized to develop figures of merit ( foms ) for the sample transfer . as described above with regard to differential pumping , following the loading of samples to a capsule in a glove box under atmospheric pressure , the capsule may be evacuated from atmospheric pressure to high vacuum using differential pumping . differential pumping may be executed by pneumatic valves in a semiautomatic sequence mode . after differential pumping is completed , other pneumatic valves may be activated to switch to high conductance pumping . pressure gauges may be used to measure and record pressure spikes and pump down vs . time curves . pressure spikes and pump down vs . time curves may be acquired for a plurality of distinct pumping stages , including rox conditioning , environment pumping , capsule pumping and outgassing . the pressure spikes and pump down vs . time curves may then be fit to a plurality of parameterized functions . the fit parameters may be designated as foms , and may be further utilized to evaluate the reliability of sample transfer . fig1 depicts a flow chart for an example high level method for using rox analysis for transferring samples between chambers and acquiring figures of merit . in one example , samples are transferred from a glove box to a surface analysis chamber . the method illustrates four subroutines that are described further below including rox conditioning , environment pumping , capsule pumping and outgassing , but more or fewer subroutines may be used to define pumping stages . each subroutine may include numerous steps or sequences . the rox conditioning subroutine may include checking inert gas purity ( e . g ., argon ), purge sequence , and vacuum baseline levels of the load lock , pump , and buffer chambers . this subroutine may ensure that the load lock has returned to baseline vacuum after it has been exposed to ambient air during the release and re - attachment of the capsule . the environment pumping subroutine may include checking the purity of a carrier inert gas ( e . g ., argon from a glove box where samples were loaded ) in the capsule with respect to the purity of the inert gas in rox ( e . g ., argon ). the capsule may be opened to release gases into an evacuated load lock and then closed during pump down . the capsule pumping subroutine may include opening the manual valve of the capsule and maintaining the valve open during pump down . this subroutine further includes checking the vacuum baseline level of the capsule carrying samples . the outgassing subroutine may include isolating the buffer chamber , load lock chamber and capsule from the pump chamber , checking for the rate of outgassing of samples in the capsule by recording a pressure rise for 60 sec . following the pressure rise , the pump chamber may reconnected , and a pump down of the chamber and capsule may be commanded a function of time . table 1 depicts a matrix that may be used to evaluate sample transfer from a glove box to a surface analysis chamber using pump down curve ratios . set i comprises baseline curves for rox acquired using 99 . 9995 % argon ( including less than 0 . 5 ppm of h 2 o and o 2 ) as a reference . after loading samples in a glove box and reconnecting the capsule to rox , curves e2 , c2 and o2 are measured from gases which originated from the glove box . the ratios have a parameterized fitting method to calculate in a finite number of steps a set of foms at the four distinct pumping stages of rox conditioning , environment pumping , capsule pumping and outgassing . fig1 depicts an example plot of representative pressure vs . time curves during a differential pumping operation . the plot depicted in the example depicts representative spectra measured using the rox conditioning subroutine showing ( 1 ) load lock purge , ( 2 ) differential pumping and ( 3 ) high conductance pumping . without a break in pressure recording , the load lock was re - pressurized with 200 torr of inert gas , pump down is re - start with ( 4 ) differential pumping , followed by ( 5 ) high conductance pumping . changes in pressure were recorded at the load lock , pump , and buffer chambers ; each equipped with its own pressure gauges . fig1 depicts each pressure - vs .- time curve , overlayed using different colors , recorded at these chambers . the purpose of re - pressurization is to check the “ condition ” of rox by recording the pressure spike & amp ; pump down vs . time curves for the second time at the buffer chamber ( curves c and f ). a detailed analysis of these curves depicts a variation of these curves is due to intrinsic water level ( 0 . 5 part - per - million ) contained within the inert gas argon gas source . if all the components of rox are performing to specifications , the variation of these curves is set based on acceptable limits . fig2 depicts a flow chart for an example method for measuring pressure spike and pump down vs . time curves and calculating figures of merit for rox conditioning . the method may be executed as part of a larger routine or subroutine , such as the method shown in fig1 , or may be executed independently . in some embodiments , following the completion of this method , an additional method may be executed , for example , the method shown in fig2 . this method or similar methods may be used to calculate fom values for a sample transfer routine . table 2 depicts a description of values of pressure spike and pump down vs . time curves as depicted in fig1 . values in table 2 may be derived through a method , such as the method depicted in fig2 . in regions ii and iv for the load lock , differential pumping is executed by pressure values chosen for the initial and final pressure for the load lock ( curves a & amp ; d ), pump ( curves b & amp ; e ), and buffer ( curves r1 & amp ; r2 ) chambers . these pressure set points may be chosen by the user . in regions iii and v , figures of merit ( fom ) are derived for the rox from the pressure - vs .- time curves ( d & amp ; h ) where the magnitude of the pressure spike may be primarily determined by the final pressure of the load lock and pump down pressure or total time may be chosen by the user . fig2 depicts an example plot of example pressure spike and pump down vs . time curves for a buffer chamber . in this example , prior to launching the 1st and 2nd pressure spike , the baseline pressure of the buffer chamber is maintained at ˜ 3 × 10 − 8 torr using pumps of the surface analysis chamber . the ensuing pressure spike , which has the same magnitude for both pump downs , serves as a time reference , allowing a direct comparison between the 1st and 2nd pump down when plotted on the same scale , using time as an independent variable . the line shape and magnitude of the pressure spike is measured using a sampling rate of 50 hz , i . e ., every 20 millisecond . after starting the pressure spike , the total time for each pump down is set to 360 sec , using the beginning of the pressure spike as a reference . foms may be calculated from the values derived for the two pressure spikes and pump down vs . time curves depicted in fig2 . the first pressure spike and pump down may be recorded after purging and labeled as r1 . a one - point analysis fom may be calculated at 3 . 5 and 355 seconds and labeled as 1 - dimensional fom ( 1 - d fom - r1 ). the second pressure spike and pump down may be recorded after re - pressurization of the load lock and subsequent pump down and labeled as r2 . a one - point analysis fom may be calculated at 3 . 5 and 355 seconds and labeled as 1 - dimensional fom ( 1 - d fom - r2 ). a full range analysis fom may be calculated from t = 0 to 355 seconds and labeled as 2 dimensional fom ( 2 - d fom - rox ratio ) where the ratio is set equal to { absolute ( r1 − r2 )}/ r1 . the 2 - d fom - rox ratio may be represented by a curve by plotting this ratio as a dependent variable against time from t = 0 to t = 355 seconds . fig2 depicts an example plot of two example pressure spike and pump down vs . time curves acquired with rox conditioning and one - dimensional figures of merit . using the pressure spikes as a time reference peak , the pump down curves , r1 and r2 , are overlapped by plotting then against time as the independent variable . the magnitude of these pressure spikes ( pressure 3 . 1 × 10 − 2 torr ) are identical since the gas flow is under viscous flow , while the pump down region is under molecular flow ( pressure & lt ; 1 × 10 − 5 torr ) after ˜ 3 seconds after the spike . 1 - d fom for r1 & amp ; r2 are pressure values which are measured at 3 . 5 and 355 seconds . the divergence is due to water adsorption on the wall of the chambers . the baseline pressure is 1 . 1 × 10 − 7 torr . table 3 depicts a summary of 1 - dimensional foms for rox conditioning as described above . at t = 3 . 5 and t = 355 seconds , the pressure and ratio values in table 3 may be considered typical values for rox conditions , and therefore may be assigned as 1 - d foms for rox conditioning . fig2 depicts an example plot of example pressure spike and pump down vs . time curves acquired during rox conditioning and used to calculate two - dimensional figures of merit . within the molecular flow region , the pump down ratio , { absolute ( r1 − r2 )}/ r1 , vs . time is divided into two domains . r2 initially sharply diverges from r1 between 2 . 5 to 5 seconds and then reaches at steady state between 5 - 100 seconds . this time domain is labeled the divergence domain . from 100 to 360 seconds , both r1 and r2 are slowly converging as the buffer and load lock chambers are pumping down to the baseline pressure , i . e ., 3 × 10 - 8 torr . this region is labeled as the convergence domain . the divergence domain may be used to determine if levels of oxidant ( s ) or / and molecular contaminant , ( e . g ., water and outgassing solvents ), are above the specifications of rox . this region is fitted to single or a sum of exponential functions with the following form : in both examples , x 0 is a constant , not a fitting coefficient . the fitting parameters , ( y 0 , a1 , a2 , tau1 , and tau2 ) of this function may be assigned as the values for the figure of merits for divergence due oxidants and / or contamination . x is time , serving as the independent variable , from 2 to 100 seconds . the convergence domain may be used to determine a pump down rate between 100 and 360 seconds . it may be fitted to a simple linear function ( i . e . f = ax + b ). the fitting parameters ( a = rate and b = y intercept ) of this function may be assigned as the values for the foms for this domain . x is time , serving as the independent variable , from 100 to 360 seconds . if the convergence domain does not fit to a linear function , it may be fitter to a single exponential function with the following form : the fitting parameters , ( y 0 , a , tau ) of this function may be assigned as the values for the foms for the convergence domain due to the concentration of oxidants and / or contamination during the pump down . a user may decide if the values of these parameters meet the specification for their applications with respect to the acceptable levels of oxidant ( s ) and / or molecular contaminant ( e . g ., water and pump oil ). fig2 depicts a flow chart for an example method for two - dimensional rox figures of merit analysis . the method may be executed as part of a larger routine or subroutine , such as the method shown in fig1 , or may be executed independently . in some embodiments , following the completion of this method , an additional method may be executed , for example , the method shown in fig2 . this method or similar methods may be used to calculate fom values for a sample transfer routine . fig2 - 27 show example plots of example curve fitting as described above . fig2 depicts an example plot of an example curve fit of a ratio curve at a divergence domain using a single exponential function ( experimental ratio 250 vs . single exponential equation fit 252 ). fig2 depicts an example plot of an example curve fit of a ratio curve at a divergence domain using a sum of two exponential functions ( experimental ratio 260 vs . double exponential equation fit 262 ). fig2 depicts an example plot of an example curve fit of a ratio curve at a convergence domain using a linear function ( experimental ratio 270 vs . linear equation fit 272 ). as shown in fig2 , the single exponential function does not fit the ratio curve at the divergence domain for this example . however , the sum of two exponential functions does fit the ratio curve at the divergence domain for this example , as shown in fig2 . as shown in fig2 , a linear function fits the ratio curve at the convergence domain for this example . table 4 depicts a summary of the curve fits of the ratio curve at the divergence and convergence domains as depicted in fig2 - 27 . the curve fits may be used to calculate six fom values for rox conditioning through a method of quality control , for example through a method of statistical processing control ( spc ). spc may be used to ensure that rox operates at its full potential . fig2 depicts a flow chart for an example method for evaluating the environment to test gaseous contents of a glove box . the method may be executed as part of a larger routine or subroutine , such as the method shown in fig1 , or may be executed independently . in some embodiments , following the completion of this method , an additional method may be executed , for example , the method shown in fig3 . this method or similar methods may be used to calculate fom values for a sample transfer routine . fig2 depicts an example plot of two example pressure spike and pump down vs . time curves acquired with rox environment and glove box environment routines and one - dimensional figures of merit . using the pressure spikes as a time reference peak , the pump down curves , e1 and e2 , may be overlapped and plotted against time as the independent variable . the magnitude of these pressure spike ( pressure 2 . 7 × 10 − 2 torr ) are identical since the gas flow is under viscous flow while the pump down region is under molecular flow ( pressure & lt ; 1 × 10 − 5 torr ) after ˜ 2 . 5 seconds . 1 - d fom for e1 & amp ; e2 are pressure values measured at 3 . 5 and 355 seconds . table 5 depicts a summary of the 1 - dimensional foms for environment pumping based on the pump down curves depicted in fig2 . the ratio fom is set equal to [ absolute ( e1 − e2 )]/ e1 . at t = 3 . 5 and t = 355 seconds , the ratio values may be assigned as 1 - dimensional foms for environment pumping . fig3 depicts a flow chart for an example method for two - dimensional rox figures of merit analysis . the method may be executed as part of a larger routine or subroutine , such as the method shown in fig1 , or may be executed independently . in some embodiments , following the completion of this method , an additional method may be executed , for example , the method shown in fig3 . this method or similar methods may be used to calculate fom values for a sample transfer routine . fig3 depicts an example plot of example pressure spike and pump down vs . time curves acquired during an environment routine and used to calculate two - dimensional environment figures of merit . within the molecular flow region , the pump down ratio , { absolute ( e1 − e2 )}/ e1 , vs . time is divided into two domains . e2 initially sharply diverges from e1 between 2 . 5 to 5 seconds and then reaches at steady state between 5 - 100 seconds . this time domain is labeled the divergence domain . from 100 to 360 seconds , both e1 and e2 are slowly converging as the buffer and load lock chambers are pumping down to the baseline pressure , e . g ., 1 × 10 − 7 torr . this region is labeled as the convergence domain . fig3 - 33 show example plots of example curve fits of ratio curves as described above . fig3 depicts an example plot of an example curve fit of a ratio curve at a divergence domain using a sum of two exponential functions ( experimental ratio 320 vs . sum of two exponential equations fit 322 ). the sum of two exponential functions fits the ratio curve at the divergence domain for this example . this curve fit maybe used to calculate environmental pumping fom values between 2 . 8 and 100 seconds . fig3 depicts an example plot of an example curve fit of a ratio curve at a convergence domain using a linear function ( experimental ratio 320 vs . linear equation fit 322 ). the linear function fits the ratio curve at the convergence domain for this example . this curve fit maybe used to calculate environmental pumping fom values between 100 and 360 seconds . table 6 depicts a summary of the curve fits of the ratio curve at the divergence and convergence domains as depicted in fig3 - 33 . the curve fits may be used to calculate six fom values for environment pumping through a method of quality control , for example through a method of statistical processing control ( spc ). fig3 depicts an example plot of normalized residual gas analysis figures of merit at 1000 × magnification . at 1000 fold magnification , trace contaminants can be observed , including c + , h 2 o + , o 2 + 38 ar + , as well as unidentifiable masses m / e 15 + , 16 + , 18 + and 26 + . in this example , trace contaminants are detected for the glove box 350 including m / e 26 + and co2 +, and trace contaminants are detected for rox 352 , including m / e 15 + , 16 + and 17 + . for some applications , these contaminants may be at acceptable levels . trace levels of water and oxygen are shown at equivalent levels in both the rox and the glove box . thus , this comparison demonstrates the ability of rox to transfer samples under argon with equivalent trace levels of oxidants compared to a glove box . fig3 depicts a flow chart for an example method for evaluating capsule pumping to test a sample capsule and samples enclosed therein . the method may be executed as part of a larger routine or subroutine , such as the method shown in fig1 , or may be executed independently . in some embodiments , following the completion of this method , an additional method may be executed , for example , the method shown in fig4 . this method or similar methods may be used to calculate fom values for a sample transfer routine . fig3 depicts an example plot of two example pressure spike and pump down vs . time curves acquired with rox capsule and glove box routines and one - dimensional figures of merit . using the pressure spikes as a time reference peak , the pump down curves , c1 and c2 , are overlapped and plotted against time as the independent variable . the magnitude of these pressure spike ( pressure 2 . 7 × 10 - 2 torr ) are identical since the gas flow is under viscous flow while the pump down region is under molecular flow ( pressure & lt ; 1 × 10 - 5 torr ) after ˜ 2 . 5 seconds . 1 - d fom for c1 & amp ; c2 are pressure values measured at 6 and 355 seconds . table 7 depicts a summary of the 1 - dimensional foms for capsule pumping based on the pump down curves depicted in fig3 . the ratio fom is set equal to [ absolute ( c1 − c2 )]/ c1 . at t = 3 . 5 and t = 355 seconds , the ratio values may be assigned as 1 - dimensional foms for capsule pumping . fig3 depicts a flow chart for an example method for two - dimensional rox figures of merit analysis . the method may be executed as part of a larger routine or subroutine , such as the method shown in fig1 , or may be executed independently . in some embodiments , following the completion of this method , an additional method may be executed , for example , the method shown in fig4 . this method or similar methods may be used to calculate fom values for a sample transfer routine . fig3 - 39 show example plots of example curve fits of ratio curves as described above . fig3 depicts an example plot of an example curve fit of a ratio curve at a divergence domain using a single exponential function ( experimental ratio 380 vs . single exponential equation fit 382 ). the single exponential function fits the ratio curve at the divergence domain for this example . this curve fit maybe used to calculate capsule pumping fom values between 3 . 4 and 100 seconds . fig3 depicts an example plot of an example curve fit of a ratio curve at a convergence domain using a linear function ( experimental ratio 390 vs . linear equation fit 392 ). the linear function fits the ratio curve at the convergence domain for this example . this curve fit maybe used to calculate capsule pumping fom values between 100 and 360 seconds . table 8 depicts a summary of the curve fits of the ratio curve at the divergence and convergence domains as depicted in fig3 - 39 . the curve fits may be used to calculate fom values for capsule pumping through a method of quality control , for example through a method of statistical processing control ( spc ). fig4 depicts a flow chart for an example method for evaluating outgassing to test pressure rise vs . time curves due to outgassing after exposure to argon at 850 torr . the method may be executed as part of a larger routine or subroutine , such as the method shown in fig1 , or may be executed independently . in some embodiments , following the completion of this method , an additional method may be executed , for example , a method for opening the sample transfer capsule to load samples into an analysis chamber under uhv . this method or similar methods may be used to calculate fom values for a sample transfer routine . fig4 a and 41b show example curve fit plots using power functions that may be used to calculate outgassing fom values between 175 and 350 seconds . fig4 a an example plot of the curve fit of an example pressure vs . time curve for rox ( experimental ratio 410 vs . power equation fit 412 ). fig4 b an example plot of the curve fit of an example pressure vs . time curve for a glove box ( experimental ratio 414 vs . power equation fit 416 ). in both plots , the power equation fits the experimental ratios derived for outgassing . fig4 depicts an example of an installation design for a rox interface . fig4 depicts a schematic diagram of an example rox installation design as a lock on a surface analysis chamber . in this example , the surface analysis chamber is a time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometer ( tof - sims ) analysis chamber . to install rox on a tof - sems analysis chamber , the rox interface was redesigned to accommodate the space constraints , vibration limitations , and protect the vacuum integrity of the tof - sems analysis chamber . the pumps of the tof - sems for the load lock may be used to evacuate the interface and maintain vacuum on the order of 1 × 10 − 8 torr . fig4 a - d depict data showing how installation of rox may be used to reduce the oxidation of samples at the nano scale . a first case study was performed evaluating the growth of native oxide on a silicon surface , in this example a commercial silicon wafer , as measured by xps . a first experiment was performed comparing the oxidation of silicon in ambient air and under vacuum for 6 hours following the etching of silicon oxide . a cleaned silicon with native silicon oxide was included for comparison . a second experiment was performed evaluating the oxidation of silicon under vacuum , under 850 torr of argon in a glove box , and under 850 torr of argon in rox for six hours following the etching of silicon oxide . a cleaned silicon with native silicon oxide was included for comparison . in the second experiment , argon purity was 99 . 9995 % with less than 0 . 5 ppm of water and molecular oxygen . fig4 a - d depicts an example set of plots depicting the oxidation of a crystalline silicon wafer . xps spectra are shown for the oxidation of si in air ( 43 a - b ) and − 850 torr of argon ( 43 c - d ). the si 2p transition clearly depicts two oxidation states of si substrate 460 ( 99 . 7 ev ) and silicon oxide 462 ( 102 ev ). compared to native silicon oxide 464 , oxidation of an etched silicon was 55 % in air and ˜ 10 % in argon . both ( a ) rox 466 and ( b ) glove box 468 showed similar oxidation rates for silicon . in this patent , certain u . s . patents , u . s . patent applications , and other materials ( e . g ., articles ) have been incorporated by reference . the text of such u . s . patents , u . s . patent applications , and other materials is , however , only incorporated by reference to the extent that no conflict exists between such text and the other statements and drawings set forth herein . in the event of such conflict , then any such conflicting text in such incorporated by reference u . s . patents , u . s . patent applications , and other materials is specifically not incorporated by reference in this patent . further modifications and alternative embodiments of various aspects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this description . accordingly , this description is to be construed as illustrative only and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the general manner of carrying out the invention . it is to be understood that the forms of the invention shown and described herein are to be taken as the presently preferred embodiments . elements and materials may be substituted for those illustrated and described herein , parts and processes may be reversed , and certain features of the invention may be utilized independently , all as would be apparent to one skilled in the art after having the benefit of this description of the invention . changes may be made in the elements described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described in the following claims . | 8 |
the present invention provides many benefits over prior art intake valve systems and may also be applied to other non - engine applications in which it is desirable to have a robust variable opening valve . while the invention will be described in a presently preferred embodiment in which the opening in the valve in a fully open position has a circular cross - section , the valve may be configured to have a non - circular cross section at a wide open position for various applications . similarly , while the embodiments which are described illustrate a fully closed position and direct one to one gearing , both the gearing and cylinder cross section may be changed to provide different minimum throttle openings and slopes of area vs throttle inputs as desired . reference will now be made to preferred and alternative embodiments of the invention , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings . while the invention will be described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments , it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the invention to these embodiments . on the contrary , the invention is intended to cover alternatives , modifications and equivalents , which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . furthermore , in the following detailed description of the present invention , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide an understanding of the present invention . however , it should be noted that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details . in other instances , well known methods , procedures and components have not been described in detail as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the present invention . fig1 is a perspective view of a valve body 100 according to the invention mounted on a cylinder head of an internal combustion engine . fig1 a illustrates an exploded view of the variable throttle valve 100 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention . the variable throttle valve 100 includes a block or body 102 , a first cylinder or barrel 104 coupled to the body 102 and a second cylinder or barrel 106 coupled to the body 102 . in addition , the valve 100 includes a first gear 108 , a second gear 110 , a side piece 112 and an axle 114 . the first gear 108 is coupled to the first cylinder 104 and also coupled to a bearing set ( not shown ) configured in the inner side of the side piece 112 . similarly , the second gear 110 is coupled to the second cylinder 106 and also coupled to a bearing set ( not shown ) configured in the inner side of the side piece 112 . the axle 114 is preferably coupled to the first cylinder 104 , whereby the axle 1 14 extends through the side piece and the first gear 108 to the first barrel 104 . alternatively , the axle 114 is coupled to the second barrel 106 . as shown in fig1 a , the block 102 includes several apertures . on the front face of the block 102 is a first opening or passage 116 and a second opening or passage 118 . the first passage 116 extends from the front face 124 to the back face 126 . similarly , the second passage 118 extends from the front face 124 to the back face 126 of the block 102 . although the preferred embodiment includes two passages 116 and 118 , alternatively , the block 102 may have any number of passages to support different types of induction intake system . the block 102 includes two side inserts 120 and 122 , wherein the first barrel 104 couples to the first insert 120 and the second barrel 106 couples to the second insert 122 . as shown in fig1 a , the first gear 108 couples to the first barrel 104 and the second gear 110 couples to the second barrel 106 . preferably , the first gear 108 and the second gear 110 are of the same size and dimension . alternatively , the first gear 108 and the second gear 110 are of a different size and dimension . when the barrels 104 and 106 are positioned within the block 102 , the first gear 108 and the second gear 110 are geared together such that the rotation of one of the barrels will cause the other barrel to rotate in cooperation with the barrel . although only two gears 108 , 110 , are shown in this example , more than two gears may be used in the event that a gear train of a different ratio is used . alternatively , the barrels may be driven by other means , such as levers , electro - mechanical stepper motors or the like to accomplish the appropriate synchronized opening . fig1 b illustrates a perspective view of one of the cylinders 106 used in the variable throttle valve according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention . the barrel or cylinder 106 preferably includes a first aperture 103 and a second aperture 109 . alternatively , the number of apertures would depend on the number of passages that are present in the block , if a block is used in the throttle valve apparatus . alternatively , if a block is not used , the number of apertures would depend on the number of throttle valves that are desired . the aperture 103 serves as an opening through which flow passes through . preferably , the flow would be an air flow . alternatively , the flow would be some other medium , such as other gases or even liquids . the aperture 103 is preferably a semi - circular shape to conform to the shape of the passage 116 in the block 102 . alternatively , the aperture 103 is any other shape or pattern , such as square , rectangular , etc . the cylinder 106 includes an axis 99 that passes through the length of the cylinder 106 , whereby the cylinder 106 is configured to rotate about the axis 99 . fig2 a illustrates a perspective view of the variable throttle valve in an open position according to the present invention . it should be noted that the block 102 has been omitted from fig2 a - 2c for illustration purposes , although it is not necessary that the block 102 be used to practice the present invention . as shown in fig2 a , the barrels 204 and 206 are positioned such that the semi - circular apertures 203 and 205 form a channel or conduit which is a complete circular aperture . the channel is designated as being in the open position , because the maximum amount of flow passes through the channel . the first gear 208 and the second gear 210 are coupled to one another such that the rotation of one of the barrels will cause the other barrel to rotate in cooperation with the barrel . the rotation of the first barrel 204 causes the second barrel 206 to also rotate , thereby allowing the circular aperture to increase or decrease in dimension or diameter as the barrels rotate . for instance , as shown in fig2 a , the valve 200 is shown in the open position . applying a torque force to the axle 214 will cause the axle 214 to rotate . shown in fig2 a , the rotation is preferably provided in a clockwise manner . it should be noted that the axle 214 alternatively rotates in a counter - clockwise manner . once the axle 214 rotates clockwise , the first barrel 204 also begins to rotate clockwise about axis 99 . since the first gear 208 is coupled to the first barrel 204 and also geared to the second gear 210 , the second gear 210 will rotate counter - clockwise along axis 98 . as described above , the second gear 210 is coupled to the second barrel 206 , therefore the second barrel 206 rotates counter - clockwise as the first barrel 204 rotates clockwise . the rotation of the first barrel 204 and the second barrel 206 causes the complete circular aperture to change in dimension , as shown in fig2 b . fig2 b illustrates a perspective view of the variable throttle valve in an intermediate position according to the present invention . as the first barrel 204 rotates in the clockwise manner and the second barrel 206 rotates in the counter - clockwise manner , the dimension of the channel decreases in size . this decrease in dimension prevents the maximum amount of flow to pass through the channel . further , as shown in fig2 c , the variable throttle valve 200 is in a closed position as the first barrel 204 and the second barrel 206 rotate opposite of one another even further . fig3 a illustrates a perspective view of the variable throttle valve 300 in an open position according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention . as described above in relation to fig2 a , the maximum amount of flow is able to pass through the channel when the first aperture 205 and the second aperture 203 are preferably configured to form a complete circular opening . since the passages 316 and 318 of the block body 302 are preferably circular in shape , the first and second apertures 205 and 203 will be configured to be in communication with the passage 316 when the valve 300 is in the open position , as shown in fig3 a . similarly , the third and fourth apertures 207 and 209 will be configured to be in communication with the passage 318 when the valve 300 is in the open position . thus , the maximum amount of flow is able to flow through the passages 316 and 318 when the valve 300 is in the open position and the channel has the largest dimension . fig3 b illustrates a perspective view of the variable throttle valve 300 within the block in an intermediate position according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig3 b ., the block 302 includes two passages 316 and 318 and the first barrel 304 as well as the second barrel 306 positioned within the block 302 . the valve apparatus 300 shown in fig3 b is in an intermediate position , because the channel is not in complete communication with the passages 316 and 318 . thus , an intermediate amount of flow between the minimum and maximum is able to pass through the passages 316 and 318 . fig3 c illustrates a perspective view of the variable throttle valve 300 in a closed position according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention . as described above in relation to fig2 c , the minimum amount of flow is able to pass through the first barrel 204 and the second barrel 206 , because there is no channel through which the flow is able to pass . therefore , only a predetermined minimum amount of flow is able to pass through the passages 316 and 318 . the operation of the variable throttle valve of the present invention will now be discussed in view of fig3 a - 3c . in the preferred embodiment , the valve 300 is placed in an automobile engine , wherein the block 302 is configured such that air enters through the passages 316 and 318 on the front side 324 and exits through the passages on the back side of the block 326 . once the air exits the block 302 , the air mixes with fuel which is discharged by the fuel injectors . in fig3 c , the engine is preferably in an idle state whereby the valve 300 is in a closed position . as described above , only a predetermined minimum amount of air passes between the first barrel 304 and the second barrel 306 , due to a small amount of space between the first barrel 304 and the second barrel 306 in the closed position . as the throttle is increased , the axle 314 rotates in response to the gas pedal being depressed . the rotation of the axle 314 causes the first barrel 304 to rotate in the same direction as the axle 314 and along axis 99 . the first gear , which is coupled to the first barrel 304 , also rotates about axis 99 . since the first gear and the second gear are geared together , the rotation of the first gear causes the second gear to rotate in cooperation with the first gear . as described above , the first gear and the second gear preferably rotate in the opposite direction from one another . alternatively , the first gear and the second gear rotate in the same direction with one another by use of a gear train ( not shown ). as the second gear rotates about axis 98 , the second barrel 306 also rotates about axis 98 . as described above , the first gear and the second gear may be of the same size and dimension . therefore , both barrels 304 and 306 rotate at the same rate and distance with respect to one another . alternatively , the barrels 304 and 306 may be configured such that one barrel rotates at a different rate and distance from the other barrel . as the first barrel 304 rotates with the axle 314 , the second barrel 306 preferably rotates the same distance in an opposite direction . thus , as the axle 314 rotates further , the apertures of the first barrel and second barrel begin to enlarge in the passage due to the rotation of the barrels , thereby forming a channel . at this point , the valve 300 is in an intermediate position , whereby some air then passes through the channels as well as the passages of the block 302 . in an electronically controlled engine , the engine management system in the engine can determine the desired dimension of the channel and the amount of air passing through the block 302 and cause the appropriate amount of fuel to be released and mix with the air before the mixture is sent to the cylinders . as the throttle is further advanced , the axle 314 rotates further , thereby causing the first barrel 304 and the second barrel 306 to rotate further about their respective axes . the further rotation of the first and second barrels 304 and 306 cause the apertures to rotate such that the channel becomes larger . as the channel becomes larger , more air is allowed to pass through the passage , because there is less obstruction of the barrels in the passage . at full throttle , the first barrel 304 and the second barrel 306 are rotates such that the apertures form a circular channel that is in complete communication with the passages . the valve 300 is in an open position at this point , whereby the maximum amount of air passes through the passages and the channels . in this manner , the first barrel 304 and the second barrel 306 are rotated relative to each other to provide the appropriate amount of flow through the variable throttle valve of the present invention . the present invention has been described in terms of specific embodiments incorporating details to facilitate the understanding of the principles of construction and operation of the invention . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made in the embodiments chosen for illustration without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , reference herein to specific embodiments and details thereof is not intended to limit the scope of the claims appended hereto . | 5 |
many of the fastening , connection , manufacturing and other means and components utilized in this invention are widely known and used in the field of the invention are described , and their exact nature or type is not necessary for a person of ordinary skill in the art or science to understand the invention ; therefore they will not be discussed in detail . applicant hereby incorporates by reference u . s . pat . no . 5 , 220 , 804 for a high heat flux evaporative cooling system . although spray cooling is herein described as the preferred method of two - phase cooling , the present invention is not limited to such a system . spray cooling is only discussed in detail to provide a known preferred embodiment . now referring to fig1 , a two - phase thermal management system 4 is shown . a cooling fluid ( not shown ) is pressurized by a pump 5 . an exemplary cooling pump 5 is described by u . s . pat . no . 6 , 447 , 270 . the cooling fluid may be any one of a wide range of commonly known dielectric or non - dielectric fluids , including but not limited to fluorinert ( a trademark of 3m company ), hydrofluorether , and water mixtures . cooling fluid travels from pump 5 , through a supply manifold 20 , and to a plurality of supply branches 21 a , 21 b , 21 c and 21 d . fluid from supply branches 21 a - 21 d delivers the pressurized cooling fluid to a plurality of spray modules 10 a , 10 b , 10 c and 10 d . the preferred method of constructing and using spray module 10 a - 10 d is described by u . s . pat . no . 5 , 220 , 804 incorporated by reference to this application . the &# 39 ; 804 patent describes a spray module capable of high heat flux thin film cooling . fluid is deposited onto a heated surface in a fashion that promotes the creation of a thin coolant film . the coolant film absorbs energy by through evaporation . the overall heat transfer of the module is partly a function of the thickness of the coolant film and the pressures within the spray module . although it is highly desirable , in terms of efficiency , to have all the liquid transform into vapor within the spray module , the exit fluid typically has a quality less than 100 percent . referring back to fig1 and according to the present invention , the fluid leaving spray modules 10 a - 10 d travels through a plurality of return branches 22 a - 22 d , and into a return manifold 23 . return manifold 23 delivers two - phase fluid to a heat exchanger 8 wherein the two - phase cooling fluid returns to a pure liquid state prior to re - pressurization by pump 5 . although four spray modules are shown in the accompanying drawings , the present invention is not limited to a certain number of spray modules within thermal system 4 . in fact , in datacenter type applications , tens to hundreds of spray modules may be connected in parallel . for each spray module there will be a corresponding supply branch and return branch . thermal management system 4 is ideally suited for applications where numerous components to be cooled are located in a given space . for instance , fig4 shows an equipment rack 30 commonly used in the networking or telecom industry . chassis 12 a - 12 d may be mounted to rack 30 which is secured to a floor . chassis 12 a - 12 d may be any number of available electronic enclosures including : routers , hubs , switches , power supplies , multiplexers , optical transmission equipment and the such . each chassis 12 a - 12 d may be of a different height , but will typically be of a standard specification driven height . for instance , chassis 12 a may be four rack units in height , and chassis 12 b may be only one rack unit in height . the ability to use a wide range of chassis types within rack 30 provides the ability to construct a wide range of applications specific computing configurations . fig4 is shown with thermal system unit 6 mounted below chassis 12 d . preferably , thermal management unit 6 contains pump 5 , heat exchanger 8 , and any number of common liquid cooling system components , such as monitoring equipment , sensors , reservoirs , filters and the like . thermal management unit 6 delivers pressurized single phase coolant to supply manifold 20 and in the direction of chassis 12 d . along the length of supply manifold 20 , a series of supply branches 21 a - 21 d are fluidly connected with a spacing corresponding to rack units . each supply branch 21 a - 21 d provides fluid to a corresponding chassis 12 a - 12 d . unlike the prior art , branches 21 a - 21 d are fluidly connected to supply manifold 20 at acute angles . fluid entering supply branches 21 a - 21 d has a vector component in the direction of fluid travel in supply manifold 20 and provides the means for minimizing pressure losses between pump 5 and spray modules 10 a - 10 d . wherein the branches of a prior system ( fig2 ) may have single phase resistance coefficients ( k factors ) of one to two , the acute angles between supply branches 21 a - 21 d and supply manifold 20 provides individual resistances less than one . also located on rack 30 is return manifold 23 . similar to supply manifold 20 , return manifold 23 is connected to return branches 22 a - 22 d in a fashion that creates acute angles between them . because the fluid flowing through braches 22 a - 22 d and supply manifold 23 is two - phase , this acute angle provides significant system benefits . the fluid leaving return branches 22 a - 22 d has a vector component in the direction of travel of fluid within return manifold 23 and provides the means for minimizing fluid momentum losses between spray modules 10 a - 10 d and heat exchanger 8 . the acute angle formed between return manifold 23 and return branches 22 a - 22 d also provides the means for reducing backpressures on spray modules 10 a - 10 d . return manifold 23 is shown in more detail in fig3 . each individual return branch 21 a , 21 b , 21 c and 21 d is preferably connected to return manifold 23 through the use of a plurality of quick disconnect fittings 25 a , 25 b , 25 c and 25 d . quick - disconnect fittings 25 a - 25 d allow fluid to pass when a branch is inserted , but stops fluid from escaping once a branch is removed . quick - disconnect fittings are widely available from companies such as colder products company . placing a series of valved fittings , such as quick - disconnect fittings 25 a - 25 d , along the length of supply manifold 20 and return manifold 23 with spacing corresponding to rack units further creates the means for providing chassis configuration flexibility within rack 30 . a wide range of chassis , of varying height , may be installed even after rack 30 is installed in the field . supply manifold 20 and return manifold 23 may extend the entire length of rack 30 , or just a portion if an application warrants . supply manifold 20 and return manifold 23 may both be located on the same side of rack 30 , separate sides ( as shown in fig4 ), and either in the front or back side of rack 30 . it is also possible to have the vertical rails of rack 30 house return supply manifold 20 and return manifold 23 . optimal construction of supply manifold 20 , supply branches 21 a - 21 d , return branches 22 a - 22 d and return manifold 23 are application specific . for example , if space is limited in front of the rails of rack 30 , it may be desirable to have a square shape to supply manifold 20 and return manifold 23 . if supply manifold 20 and return manifold 23 are to be captured within the rails of rack 30 , then a round cross section may be desirable . optimal sizing is a function of the number of thermal management units in the system , the type of thermal management system , the type of fluid used , and the heat generated by the components . in some applications is may be desirable to size return manifold 23 sufficiently to promote gravity induced liquid — vapor separation within . it may also be desirable to size return manifold 23 sufficiently to separate any non - condensable gasses from the cooling fluid . a controllable valve 29 located at the highest point of return manifold 23 could provide the ability to vent unwanted non - condensable gases from the system . isr has verified the performance of the system using two 103 watt spray modules , a pump delivering roughly 20 p . s . i . of fluid pressure at 160 ml per minute , utilizing fluorinert 5050 cooling fluid , and 1 / 4 inch diameter polyurethane tubing for supply manifold 20 , supply branches 21 a - 21 d , return branches 22 a - 22 d , and return branch 22 . although polyurethane tubing was used during testing , metallic materials are preferred for long term use with fluorinert ( a trademark of 3m ). flexible polyurethane tubing is commercially available under the tradename tygothane ( a trademark of norton company corp .) fig5 , shows the alternative embodiment described above , wherein return manifold 23 is constructed from flexible tubing . a plurality of splitter fittings 26 a and 26 b are inserted into return manifold 23 . splitter fittings 26 a and 26 b are commercially available in 45 degree angles and can be manufactured in angles less than 45 degrees . fittings 26 a and 26 b may also have integral quick - disconnect features . the flexible tubing embodiment shown in fig5 provides the means for a low momentum loss manifold system capable of three dimensional shapes and configuration flexibility . the embodiment of fig5 , may be used to connect chassis 12 a - 12 d to return manifold 23 ( as shown ), but can also be used to connect , in parallel , multiple spray modules within a single chassis . thus , cooling fluid may be collected within an enclosure from multiple spray modules via a first plurality of return branches , which is fed into a secondary plurality of return branches , which in turn is fed into return manifold 23 . while the low momentum loss manifold system herein described constitutes preferred embodiments of the invention , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these precise form of assemblies , and that changes may be made therein with out departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . for example , return branches 22 a - 22 d may be mounted perpendicular to return manifold 23 , but contain an internal baffle that alters the trajectory of liquid and vapor coolant leaving return branches 22 a - 22 d in the direction of flow within return manifold 23 . for further example , it should be obvious to one skilled in the art that spray modules 10 a - 10 d may be global spray cooling modules each integral to a chassis or enclosure . | 7 |
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