text
stringlengths 1.55k
332k
| label
int64 0
8
|
|---|---|
the drawing figures are intended to illustrate the general manner of construction and are not necessarily to scale . in the detailed description and in the drawing figures , specific illustrative examples are shown and herein described in detail . it should be understood , however , that the drawing figures and detailed description are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed , but are merely illustrative and intended to teach one of ordinary skill how to make and / or use the invention claimed herein and for setting forth the best mode for carrying out the invention . with reference to fig1 - 5 , seat track locking mechanism 10 comprises a rack 12 , which in the illustrative embodiment is mounted to the vehicle frame so that the longitudinal axis 14 of rack 12 is parallel to the direction of motion of the vehicle seat 16 along its track 18 ( fig6 ). rack 12 is formed with a series of external threads 20 formed , for example by machining on a geared lathe or by running rack 12 through a threading die , so that external threads 20 run substantially the entire length of rack 12 . in the illustrative embodiment threads 20 comprise 5 / 8 - 18 unf class 2 threads . rack 12 is further formed , e . g ., by machining a pair of longitudinal grooves 22 , leaving rack 12 with a substantially “ i ”- shaped cross - section with a continuous web portion 24 and flanges 26 incorporating the external threads 20 . in addition to reducing the unnecessary weight of rack 12 , grooves 22 center rack 12 as it slides across the guide lands 52 located on lower cover plate 28 and upper cover plate 30 . seat track locking mechanism 10 further comprises a clock nut 32 which comprises a generally short cylindrical “ hockey puck ” shaped body which is formed , e . g ., by machining to include a first bore 34 along a chord of the circular face 36 of clock nut 32 , preferably along the diameter of the circular face 36 of clock nut 32 . a second bore 38 is formed in clock nut 32 , e . g ., by machining , to intersect first bore 34 thereby separating first bore 34 into a discrete first jaw portion 40 and second jaw portion 42 . first bore 34 is formed , e . g ., by tapping , to have internal threads 44 and 46 that correspond to the diameter and pitch of external threads 20 of rack 12 ( e . g ., 5 / 8 - 18 unf class 2 ). the internal threads 44 and 46 of first bore 34 may be formed either before or after second bore 38 is formed but in either event are formed in a continuous operation so that internal threads 44 and internal threads 46 have a continuous helical pitch and , therefore , a threaded rod inserted and threaded into internal thread 44 would continue to thread without binding through internal thread 46 . a portion of each internal threads 44 and 46 are removed , e . g ., by machining away , to form reliefs 48 and 50 , the function of which can be seen most clearly with reference to fig4 and 5 . as can be seen from fig4 , first jaw portion 40 and second jaw portion 42 have internal threads 44 and 46 respectively that are the same diameter and pitch as the external threads 20 of rack 12 and therefore grip rack 12 as would a conventional nut . reliefs 48 and 50 , however , enable clock nut 32 to be rotated (“ clocked ”) to a position where internal threads 44 and 46 are disengaged from external threads 12 and rack 12 is capable of simply sliding through clock nut 32 by passing through reliefs 48 and 50 . when clock nut 32 is clocked back into the position shown in fig5 , internal threads 44 and 46 of first jaw portions 40 and 42 engage external threads 20 of rack 12 as jaw members 40 and 42 engage the sides of rack 12 . seat track locking mechanism 10 further comprises the necessary linkage for clocking or rotating the clock nut from the disengaged to the engaged position and for locking it in the engaged position against unintentional release . clocking linkage 56 comprises a first toggle linkage 58 that is loaded in compression when moving clock nut 32 into the closed position and a second toggle linkage 60 that is loaded in tension when moving clock nut 32 into the closed position . first toggle linkage 58 comprises a compression link 62 and a toggle input link 64 . toggle input link 64 is pinned at the central pivot point 66 by pin 68 which passes through lower cover plate 28 , upper cover plate 30 , and input lever 70 . pin 68 is retained to input lever 70 with cotter pin 72 and spacer washers 74 as required . the output end 76 of input lever 70 is pinned to the end 78 of toggle input link 64 and crossover link 80 by means of pin 82 which is retained by means of cotter pin 84 , spacer 86 and washer 88 as required . compression link 62 is pivotably connected to clock nut 32 at pivot 90 and is pivotably connected to toggle input link 64 at pivot 92 . as first toggle linkage 58 moves clock nut 32 from the disengaged position as shown in fig4 to the engaged position as shown in fig5 , first toggle linkage 58 moves from a substantially over - center position to a very slightly ( approximately 5 °) over - center position on the opposite side with toggle input link 64 coming to rest against limit stop 94 . once in this position , any force on clock nut 32 attempting to move clock nut 32 from the engaged to the disengaged position merely presses toggle input link 64 against limit stop 94 and does not break the linkage open . second toggle linkage 60 comprises a tension link 96 and slave links 98 a and 98 b . tension link 96 is pivotably attached to clock nut 32 at pivot 100 and is pivotably attached to slave links 98 a and 98 b and to crossover link 80 at pivot 102 . slave links 98 a and 98 b are pivotably attached to lower cover plate 28 and upper cover plate 30 at pivot 104 . as second toggle linkage 60 moves clock nut 32 from the disengaged position as shown in fig4 to the engaged position as shown in fig5 , second toggle linkage 60 moves from a substantially before bottom - dead - center position as shown in fig4 to a slightly ( approximately 5 °) after bottom - dead - center position with slave links 98 a and 98 b and / or tension link 96 operatively resting against limit stop 106 . with second toggle linkage 60 in this position , any force attempting to move clock nut 32 from the engaged position into the disengaged position places tension link 96 in tension and merely causes slave links 98 a and 98 b and / or tension link 96 to press against limit stop 106 but does not cause second toggle linkage to rotate past bottom - dead - center and therefore clock nut 32 is held firm . as can be seen from fig4 and 5 , as clock nut 32 is rotated by first and second linkages 58 and 60 , clock nut 32 is constrained to move in a circular path by means of guides 108 and 110 secured between lower cover plate 28 and upper cover plate 30 . to allow for minute adjustments , e . g ., for controlling backlash , tension member 96 is adjustable in length . this is accomplished by passing tension member 96 through a pillow block 116 that forms the connection between tension member 96 on the one hand and slave links 98 a and 98 b and crossover link 80 on the other hand . the tip 118 of tension link 96 is threaded to accept a nut 120 that prevents tension link 96 from withdrawing out of pillow block 116 when placed under tension . an anti - rattle spring 122 holds nut 120 firmly against pillow block 116 . as noted above , any force attempting to rotate clock nut 32 from the engaged position to the disengaged position merely causes first toggle linkage 58 and second toggle linkage 60 to press against their respective limit stops thereby preventing clock nut 32 from rotating . the lateral loads on clock nut 32 are also reacted through first toggle linkage 58 and second toggle linkage 60 , but in a unique and innovative way . with reference in particular to fig5 , a load tending to move cover plate 28 and the balance of seat track locking mechanism 10 along rack 12 to the right of fig5 will cause clock nut 32 , which is engaged with rack 12 to place tension link 96 in tension . because toggle linkage 60 is already in a slightly beyond bottom - dead - center position with slave links 98 a and 98 b and / or tension link 96 pressing against limit stop 106 ( through pillow block 116 ), the lateral load placing tension link 96 in tension merely causes slave links 98 a and 98 b and / or tension link 96 to press against limit stop 106 but does not cause second toggle linkage to rotate and therefore clock nut 32 is held firm against the lateral load . simultaneously , because tension link 96 is offset from the points of contact between jaws 40 and 42 , and rack 12 , the torque couple caused by the lateral load acting on tension link 96 , causes jaws 40 and 42 to rotate more firmly into engagement with rack 12 . as can be determined from the foregoing , the action of tension link 96 is effectively load - responsive , since the greater the lateral load , the more firmly clock nut 32 grips rack 12 . to ensure that the lateral load is reacted entirely by tension link 96 , clearance 67 between the pin and hole forming first pivot 90 ( and / or clearance between the pin and hole forming second pivot 92 ) prevents a lateral load in this first direction from reacting against first toggle linkage 58 . absent this clearance , that portion of the load reacted against compression link 62 would tend to reduce the torque couple that causes clock nut 32 to grip rack 12 and therefore would diminish the load - responsive action of tension link 96 . by ensuring that all of the lateral load in this first direction is reacted by tension link 96 the load - responsive action of tension link 96 is maintained . a load in the opposite direction , i . e . tending to move cover plate 28 and the balance of seat track locking mechanism 10 along rack 12 to the left of fig5 will cause clock nut 32 , which is engaged with rack 12 to place compression link 62 in compression . because toggle linkage 58 is already in a slightly over - center position with toggle input link 64 against limit stop 94 , the lateral load placing compression link 62 in compression merely presses toggle input link 64 against limit stop 94 and does not break the linkage open . therefore , clock nut 32 is held firm against the lateral load . simultaneously , because compression link 62 is offset from the points of contact between jaws 40 and 42 , and rack 12 , the torque couple caused by the lateral load acting on compression link 62 , causes jaws 40 and 42 to rotate more firmly into engagement with rack 12 . thus , in this second direction , the action of compression link 62 is effectively load - responsive , since the greater the lateral load , the more firmly clock nut 32 grips rack 12 . at the same time , because tension link 96 is capable of sliding through pillow block 116 , a lateral load in this second direction does not place tension link 96 in compression . absent this sliding connection , that portion of the load reacted against tension link 96 would tend to reduce the torque couple that causes clock nut 32 to grip rack 12 and therefore would diminish the load - responsive action of compression link 62 . by ensuring that virtually all of the lateral load in this second direction is reacted by compression link 62 , ( the force of anti - rattle spring 122 is at least an order of magnitude less than the tensile strength of compression link 62 ), the load - responsive action of tension link 96 is maintained . manual operation of seat track locking mechanism 10 is accomplished by means of an actuator rod ( not shown ) which is attached to the actuator hole 112 formed in input lever 70 . a resilient member such as compression spring 114 urges clock nut 32 into the engaged position and locks first and second toggle linkages 58 and 60 by urging crossover link 80 in the appropriate direction . although certain illustrative embodiments and methods have been disclosed herein , it will be apparent from the foregoing disclosure to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications of such embodiments and methods may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . for example , although in the illustrative embodiment the rack is secured to the vehicle and the clock nut is attached to the seat in certain circumstances , for example , if the clock nut is solenoid - actuated , it may be preferable to mount the clock nut mechanism to the vehicle and mount the rack to the vehicle seat . additionally other threads including square , acme , whitworth , bsf , buttress and even gear or other teeth profiles ( helical or non - helical ) may be incorporated , all without departing from the scope of the present invention . accordingly , it is intended that the invention shall be limited only to the extent required by the appended claims and the rules and principles of applicable law .
| 8 |
referring to fig1 , a canopy assembly according to the invention is shown at reference numeral 20 . the canopy assembly 20 is provided attached to a rollover protection bar 40 of a tractor 15 . one advantage of the present invention is that the sun shield 30 of the canopy assembly 20 can be quickly and easily attached and detached from the rollover protection bar 40 . the rollover protection bar 40 shown in fig1 and 4 is foldable and includes an upper portion 42 , a hinge 44 , and a lower portion 46 . however , it should be appreciated that while the canopy assembly 20 can be attached to a foldable rollover protection bar 40 on a tractor 15 , the canopy assembly 20 can also be attached to rollover protection bars that do not fold . in addition , it should be appreciated that the canopy assembly can be mounted on vehicles other than tractors . now referring to fig2 – 6 , the canopy assembly is shown in more detail . the canopy assembly 20 includes : a bracket assembly 100 shown in fig2 , 4 , and 6 ; a sun shield and attachment arms shown in fig3 and 4 ; and an attachment lock assembly shown in fig3 , 4 , 5 a , and 5 b . referring to fig2 , the bracket assembly 100 attaches to the upper rollover protection bar 42 and the attachment arms 204 and 202 ( see fig3 ). the bracket assembly 100 includes a first bracket mounting arm 120 , a second bracket mounting arm 130 , and a bracket mounting plate 110 extending therebetween , the bracket mounting plate 110 connecting the first bracket mounting arm 120 to the second bracket mounting arm 130 . when the canopy 30 is installed , the bracket mounting plate 110 of the bracket assembly 100 is fixed to the upper rollover protection bar 42 , the first bracket mounting arm 120 contacts and supports the first attachment arm 204 , and the second bracket mounting arm 130 contacts and supports the second attachment arm 202 . the bracket mounting plate 110 also includes a secondary bracket assembly 160 . the secondary bracket assembly 160 can include mounting slots 112 and clamp bars 166 that are adapted to receive mounting bolts 168 , mounting washers 164 , and mounting nuts 162 . installing the mounting bracket assembly 100 can include the steps of positioning the mounting plate 110 on the top side of the upper rollover protection bar 42 , positioning the clamp bars 166 on the bottom side of the upper rollover protection bar 42 , inserting mounting bolts 168 though the slots 112 in the mounting plate 110 and through the clamp bars 166 , and tightening the mounting nuts 162 onto the mounting bolts 168 until the bracket mounting plate 110 is securely attached to the rollover protection bar 40 . note that the bracket mounting plate 110 may include holes 302 or other features to ensure that it does not interfere with other features that may be attached to the upper portion of the rollover protection bar 42 . though the rollover protection bar shown in fig2 has a rectangular cross - section , it should be appreciated that the bracket mounting plate 110 may also be attached to a rollover protection bar that has a non - rectangular cross - section ( e . g ., a circular cross - section ). if the rollover protection bar has a circular cross - section , the secondary bracket assembly 160 can include rollover protection bar mounting brackets 169 , 170 and 171 shown in fig7 a , 7 b , and 7 c respectively . the rollover protection bar mounting brackets 169 , 170 , and 171 attach to the rollover protection bar and also attach to the bracket mounting plate 110 . though the mounting brackets 169 , 170 , 171 and the clamp bars 166 both secure the bracket mounting plate 110 to the rollover protection bar 40 , they are structurally different . in the embodiment shown in fig2 , the rollover protection bar 40 is sandwiched between the clamp bars 166 and the bracket mounting plate 110 ( i . e ., the clamp bars 166 do not independently attach to the rollover protection bar 40 ). on the other hand , in the embodiments shown in fig7 a , 7 b , and 7 c , the mounting brackets 169 , 170 , and 171 attach independently to the rollover protection bar 40 and the bracket mounting plate 110 attaches to the mounting bracket . in the embodiments shown in fig7 a , 7 b , and 7 c the mounting brackets 169 , 170 , and 171 serve as an interface between the bracket mounting plate 110 and the rollover protection bar 40 . it should be appreciated that , in accordance with the invention , the mounting plate 110 can be attached to the rollover protection bar 40 without clamp bars 166 or rollover protection mounting brackets 169 , 170 , and 171 . alternatives include , but not limited to , welding the bracket mounting plate 110 to the rollover protection bar 40 , or drilling holes into the rollover protection bar 40 and bolting the bracket mounting plate 110 directly to the rollover protection bar 40 . the bracket mounting arms 120 and 130 can include at least one contact flange 144 and one bracket catch 150 . the contact flange 144 provides structure that interfaces with other elements of the attachment lock assembly 220 that are mounted on the attachment arms 204 or 202 . the attachment lock assembly 220 will be discussed in detail below . the bracket catch 150 engages and supports the attachment arms 204 or 202 . during installation and removal of the sun shield 30 , the bracket catch 150 is adapted to support one end of an attachment arm 204 or 202 while allowing the canopy 30 to be rotated towards , and onto , the bracket assembly 100 , or away from , and off of , the bracket assembly 100 . the bracket catch 150 is shown in fig2 and 4 as a protrusion 152 . however , it should be understood that the bracket catch 150 can be any structure adapted to engage an attachment arm 204 or 202 and pivotally support one end of an attachment arm 204 or 202 . the bracket mounting arms 120 and 130 can include an angle adjustment mechanism 132 . the angle adjustment mechanism 132 may be used to level the sun shield 30 relative to the tractor , but it should be understood that the angle adjustment mechanism 132 can be used to set the sun shield 30 at any preferred angle . the angle adjustment mechanism 132 includes : a first adjustment plate 133 , a second adjustment plate 134 , and a adjustment mechanism fastener 140 that locks the first adjustment plate 133 to the second adjustment plate 134 . the adjustment mechanism fastener 140 includes through cuts 136 that are spaced at a radial distance r from a center hole 138 . the through cuts 136 can be constructed to receive a second adjustment plate fastener 142 that holds the second plate 134 at an angle relative to the first adjustment plate 133 . additional through cuts 136 and fasteners 142 can be included to ensure that the angle adjustment mechanism 132 does not unexpectedly come out of adjustment . note that in the preferred embodiment shown in fig2 , one additional though cut 136 and one additional second adjustment plate fastener 142 have been included on each bracket mounting arm 120 and 130 . referring to fig3 , it includes a sun shield 30 , a first attachment arm 204 , a second attachment arm 202 , an attachment lock assembly 220 , and engaging members 210 . the sun shield 30 can be any structure that is adapted to protect the tractor operator from the elements . in some embodiments the sun shields 30 can be made of fiberglass or opaque plastics so that they are both waterproof and sun proof . the attachment arms 204 and 202 can include two attachment lock assemblies 220 , two sun shield arms 203 , and two engaging members 210 , wherein each lock assembly 220 and each engaging member 210 is mounted on a different attachment arm 204 and 202 . as discussed above , the attachment arms 204 and 202 include sun shield arms 203 that are constructed to interface with the bottom surface of the sun shield 30 . the sun shield arms 203 of the attachment arms 204 and 202 can be secured to the sun shield 30 with fasteners 206 . fasteners 206 may include bolts 211 , washers 208 , and nuts 209 that are engage holes 300 in the sun shield and holes 301 in the sun shield arm 203 . in should be understood that the sun shield 30 can be fastened to the attachment arms 204 and 202 in many other ways including , but not limited to , the use of rivets , screws , adhesives , and interference fits . the attachment arms 204 and 202 include engaging members 210 . the engaging members 210 engage the bracket assembly 100 during installation and removal of the sun shield 30 . the engaging members 210 enable the attachment arms 204 and 202 to rest on , and pivot off of , the bracket assembly 100 . for stability , each attachment arm 204 and 202 can include its own engaging member 210 . the engaging members 210 can include a hook 270 and a slot 280 . during installation , the hook is adapted to rest upon the protrusions 152 on the bracket assembly 100 , thereby enabling the bracket assembly 100 to support one end of the attachment arms 204 or 202 . then , the attachment arms 204 and 202 can be rotated by the operator towards the bracket assembly 100 until the attachment arms 204 and 202 abut the bracket mounting arms 120 and 130 . during the rotation of the attachment arms 204 and 202 towards the bracket assembly 200 , the protrusion 152 slides from the hook 270 along the slot 280 to its end position 281 . as shown in fig4 , the rollover protection bar 40 can be folded over during installation and removal . folding over the rollover protection bar 40 lowers the upper portion of the rollover protection bar 42 thereby enabling a single operator to more easily install the sun shield 30 . though the engaging members 210 can include a hook 270 and a slot 280 , it should be appreciated that the engaging members 210 can be any structure adapted to engage the bracket assembly 100 such that one end of the attachment arms 204 and 202 can rest upon , and pivots on , the bracket assembly 100 . the attachment lock assemblies 220 are mounts to attachment arms 204 and 202 for securing the attachment arms 204 and 202 to the bracket assembly 100 . since the attachment arms 204 and 202 are connected together via the sun shield 30 , only one locking assembly is required . however , for added security , it is preferred that both attachment arms 204 and 202 include separate attachment lock assemblies 220 . the attachment lock assembly 220 as shown is an over - center mechanical latch 230 . the over - center mechanical latch is mounted on the attachment arms 204 and 202 at lock attachment points 205 and 207 . the over - center mechanical latch 230 includes a lever 234 , a linkage 236 , a plunger 237 , a retainer 250 , and a retainer fastener 232 . the linkage 236 is pivotally connected to the lock attachment point 205 and pivotally connected to the lever 236 . the plunger 237 is pivotally connected to the lock attachment point 207 and pivotally connected to the lever 236 . the plunger 237 includes an adjustment screw 239 that can be axially extended or retracted to ensure a positive secure contact between the plunger 237 and the contact flange 144 of the bracket mounting arms 120 or 130 . the point where the linkage 236 and the lock attachment point 205 connect and the point where the plunger 237 and the lever 234 connect defines a center line 238 . the linkage 236 and the plunger 237 are attached to the lever 234 at locations whereby when the lever 234 is in its closed position shown in fig5 a , the attachment point between the linkage 236 and the lever 234 is between the center line 238 and the attachment arms 204 or 202 , and when the lever 234 is in its open position , the attachment point between the linkage 236 and the lever 234 is on the opposite side of the center line 238 . it should be appreciated that the attachment locking assembly 220 can be any mechanism that can secure the attachment arm 202 or 204 to the bracket assembly 100 . other attachment locking assemblies 220 may include , but are not limited to , pins , clamps , hooks , and clips . the attachment lock assembly 220 can include a retainer otherwise know as a spring lock 250 that ensures that the lock assembly 220 does not open unexpectedly . the retainer 250 is particularly useful when the tractor 15 is driven in high wind conditions , over uneven terrain , or used in other conditions that would cause a great deal of vibrations that might unexpectedly unlock the attachment lock assembly 220 . the retainer 250 is position such that when the lever 234 of the over - center mechanical latch 230 is in its closed position , the retainer 250 springs against the lever 234 and prevents the lever 234 from unexpectedly opening , even when jostled . the retainer 250 is attached to the attachment arms 204 or 202 via a retainer fastener 232 . the retainer fastener 232 can include , but is not limited to , nut and bolt combinations , rivets , screws , or welds . it should be appreciated that the retainer 250 can be any mechanism that is adapted to prevent the unexpected unlocking of the attachment lock assembly 220 . the retainers according to the invention , may include , but are not limited to , straps , pins , clasps , hooks , and clips . the attachment arms 204 and 202 may further include handles 290 . handles 290 shown in fig3 and 4 are located on the attachment arms 204 and 202 opposite the engaging members 210 . the handles 290 are shown as through cuts in the attachment arms 204 and 202 that are sufficiently large for one to hold onto . it should be appreciated that the handles 290 can be of many other configurations so long as they provide structure that can be conveniently gripped by a human hand . referring to fig6 , an alternative embodiment of the adjustment mechanism fastener 140 of the angle adjustment mechanism 132 is shown . in the alternative embodiment the though cuts 136 comprise discrete through holes 137 . the alternative embodiment of the adjustment mechanism 131 shown in fig6 works substantially like the embodiment of the adjustment mechanism 132 shown in fig2 and 4 . the alternative embodiment of the angle adjustment mechanism 131 is advantageous because the adjustment mechanism 132 is operable even if the first pate 133 is not firmly pressed against the second plate 134 . in the above specification , examples and data provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the composition of the invention . since many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention , the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended .
| 1 |
the present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings , in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown . this invention may , however , be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein ; rather , these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be through and complete , and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art . referring now to the drawings there is shown in fig2 and fig3 , a preferred embodiment of the invention demonstrating repairing a rotator cuff . two arthroscopic portals 30 , 32 are formed in the shoulder 34 , such as by a scalpel . the humeral head 36 and rotator cuff tendons 38 are present . a curved or arcuate drill guide 16 having a central lumen is inserted into one of the portals , as shown in fig5 . the use of the arcuate drill guide is important in rotator cuff repair to miss neurovascular structures and avoid the acromion . the resulting curved tunnel also transfers biomechanical forces placed on the sutures over a radius of bone to minimize stress points on bone and suture alike . if required , cortical bone may be removed prior to insertion of the arcuate drill guide . the central lumen of the arcuate drill guide 16 has a protruding flexible stylus 4 therein that is advanced into the humeral head lateral of , or through , the torn rotator cuff . the stylus 4 , shown in fig4 b , is formed of a memory retaining material , such as nitinol . the stylus may have a cutter formed in an end thereof , such as a drill or mill type cutter . in the embodiment shown in fig4 a , the forward end of the arcuate drill guide 16 is curved . advancement of the arcuate drill guide 16 may be by manual pressure or by assisted manual force using , for example , a mallet , or by a power tool , such as a drill . the arcuate drill guide forms an arcuate tunnel in the bone . after the arcuate drill guide 16 is fully advanced , the stylus is withdrawn , leaving a small void in the bone that is present beyond the leading edge of the arcuate drill guide as shown in fig5 and fig6 . as shown in fig1 , straight drill guide 2 is used to guide instruments through the other portal , i . e ., the superior portal . the straight drill guide 2 has a lumen therein . a trephine guide pin 6 is positioned within this lumen . the guide pin may be formed of nitinol , stainless steel , or other materials well know to those skilled in the art . sufficient space is present within the drill guide lumen for placement of the trephine guide pin 6 ( shown in fig4 c ), so that the guide pin has a sloppy fit within the drill guide . not shown in fig1 is where some rotator cuff tears would allow the curved portion of the guide 16 to also pierce the rotator cuff to achieve two suture fixation points and thus a stronger repair . some tears will allow neither the trephine pin 6 , 8 or arcuate guide 16 to pierce the rotator cuff . a separate instrument such as a knot passer , shown in fig1 and fig1 or a suture passer known to those skilled in the art may be needed to pierce dysfunctional tissue . the trephine 8 , shown in fig4 d , is inserted through the lumen of straight drill guide 2 . the trephine 8 has a larger diameter than the trephine guide pin 6 , but will rotate within the lumen . the trephine 8 enlarges the tunnel , and is moved past the arcuate shaped tunnel formed using the arcuate drill guide 16 as shown most clearly in fig7 . in operation , the trephine 8 is retracted so that other steps may be performed . for example bone morphogenic proteins or other growth factors may be injected through the lumens . as shown in fig8 the trephine may have calibration marks 20 , 22 to indicate the depth of insertion and retraction of the trephine . the bone tunnels intersect / bisect as shown . with the trephine in place , but with the stylus 4 and the trephine guide pin 6 removed from the drill guides , one or more strands of suture 14 are passed through the lumens of the drill guides , likely converging through a re - approximated rotator cuff tear , and through the two bisecting bone tunnels . the suture also passes through the humeral head ( bone ), and exits the central lumen . the suture or multiple sutures are advanced through the arcuate drill guide 16 by the suture stylus 12 , shown in fig4 f or a knot pusher 112 . the hook probe 10 , shown in fig4 e shown in fig1 is inserted through the lumen of the trephine to hook the suture advanced by the suture stylus 12 or knot pusher 112 at approximately the intersection of the tunnels , as shown in fig9 . the suture or sutures are advanced past the point of the vacated trephine tunnel . removal of the drill guides 2 , 16 leaves the suture in place for tying . multiple suture passes allow for tying of the suture material . for example , three ( 3 ) suture passes allow tying three ( 3 ) simple stitches 40 as shown in fig2 . fig3 shows two arthroscopic mattress stitches 42 where the initial suture in the center bone tunnel was used to pass two sutures . the two sutures were tied twice with their adjacent sutures to form mattress stitches . alternatively , the outside suture strands could have been used to pull the corresponding central suture into the outside tunnel , resulting in one less knot left in the patient , and the opportunity to use a sliding knot . as shown in fig9 , the arcuate drill guide 16 and the straight drill guide 2 may be connected by a handle 44 . the handle positions the relative angles of the drill guides for forming the tunnels as described . the drill guides are positioned by the handle so that intersecting / bisecting tunnels are formed as disclosed herein . both drill guides could be straight , with the drill guides angled in a non - parallel fashion to form intersecting / bisecting tunnels . the handle may also be used to receive and transfer a force for advancing the drill guides , such as by striking the handle with a mallet . benefits of the present invention over the use of suture anchors include the introduction of minimal foreign material in the patient , a larger “ healing footprint ” ( which is variable with the distance between lumens ) and the use of lumens as injection ports for plate rich / poor blood / growth factors or other growth factors . this method of arthroscopic bone / suture tunnel creation also has applications in shoulder laberal repair and posterior cruciate ligament and anterior cruciate ligament repair , without , or at least reducing , the requirement of suture anchors , staples or screws . the geometry of the apparatus relates to an arthroscopic creation of bone tunnels and simultaneous suture passing to repair a torn or partially torn rotator cuff . fig1 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention wherein the method of arthroscopic attachment of tissue to bone uses a different drill guide configuration to address the anatomic structure of the genohumeral joint , which are different that rotator cuff repair . fig1 shows parallel drill guide lumens 102 , 103 that are useful for superior labrum deficiencies or tears . fig1 shows yet another embodiment of the present invention having a drill guide that is similar to the rotator cuff guide , having one arcuate lumen 216 and one straight lumen 202 but having a different converging angle for inferior laberal repair . aside from these differences in the apparatus , the method of arthroscopic securing tissue to the glenoid is the same as described for attaching the rotator cuff to the humeral head . as an alternative to using the suture stylus shown in fig4 , there is shown in fig1 a hollow tube or as is more preferably known , a knot pusher 112 , of small diameter . the knot passer 112 contains a single strand or multiple strands of suture material having an enlarged end , such as a knot 114 , threaded through the central lumen . as is apparent to those skilled in the art , the knot passer may be made of a rigid or flexible material . a knot 114 at the distal end of the strand or strands allows the suture to be passed into position . the tube 112 can be removed and the suture can be left behind as with the stylus of fig4 or the tube 112 can be used to provide improved tactile feedback when contacting the hook probe 10 , plus a means of suture protection . the suture 114 can be left in place where it is captured by a hook probe , such as shown in fig4 e and fig9 or other suitable means known to those skilled in the art , such as a loop . the hook probe or other instrument may be in place prior to inserting the tube 112 to engage the knot / tube junction and withdraw the suture ( s ) from the tube . fig1 is an embodiment of a knot passer 212 having a modified distal tip 211 and as shown more clearly in fig1 , an inner knot pusher 216 having a smaller diameter that knot passer 212 . this would be used to pass sutures through the tissue when neither the trephine or arcuate guide cannot reach dysfunctional tissue . the knot passer 212 contains a single strand or multiple strands of sutures 214 , threaded through the central lumen . a knot formed at the distal end of the strand or strands 214 allows the suture to be pushed into position . the knot passer tip 211 may be angled to form a shape point . the knot passer 212 tube has a slot 218 running the longitudinal length of the tube as shown in fig1 . in a like manner , the inner knot pusher 216 has a slot 217 running the longitudinal length . when the knot passer and the inner knot pusher are rotated the slots 217 , 218 are aligned so that the device may be easily removed from the sutures . in fig1 there is show another modified knot passer 312 having a modified distal end 311 herein the end is curved . many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which this invention pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings . therefore , it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims . although specific terms are employed herein , they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation .
| 0 |
fig1 a illustrates a schematic , cross - sectional view of a process chamber 100 according to one embodiment . the process chamber 100 may be used to process one or more substrates , including the deposition of a material on an upper surface 116 of a substrate 108 . the process chamber 100 may include a chamber body 103 that may include a lower wall 114 , a side wall 136 and an upper wall 138 . one or more of walls 114 , 136 , 138 may define a processing region 156 . the upper wall 138 may be made of a reflective material or coated with a reflective material . the lower wall 114 may be transmissive to thermal radiation emitted by a heat source 145 , such as a plurality of lamps , and may be transparent to the thermal radiation , defined as transmitting at least 95 % of light of a given wavelength or spectrum . materials useable for the lower wall 114 include quartz and sapphire . in one embodiment , the lower wall 114 is a quartz dome and is transparent to the emission spectrum of the plurality of lamps . a substrate support 106 may be disposed between the upper wall 138 and the lower wall 114 . a lower liner 164 may be coupled to the side wall 136 . the lower liner 164 may be formed from quartz , sapphire , or other materials compatible with processing in the chamber and the various process gases . the lower liner 164 may include a ledge 168 extending inward toward the substrate support 106 . the ledge 168 may have a recess 169 for receiving an edge ring 166 . the edge ring 166 may block a gap between the substrate support 106 and the lower liner 164 to prevent process gases from entering a region 158 defined by the substrate support 106 , the lower liner 164 and the lower wall 114 . the substrate 108 may be supported by the substrate support 106 , which is supported by a central shaft 132 . the substrate support 106 may be disposed in the processing region 156 . one or more lift pins 105 may lift the substrate 108 from the substrate support 106 as the substrate support 106 is lowered to a lower position , so the substrate 108 can be moved in and out of the process chamber 100 by a robot ( not shown ). a heat source 145 , such as an array of heat lamps 180 positioned in a lamphead 182 , may be disposed below the lower wall 114 to provide thermal energy to the substrate 108 . words such as below , above , up , down , top , and bottom described herein do not refer to absolute directions , but to directions relative to a basis of the process chamber 100 . a cooling channel may be formed in the lamphead 182 for cooling the lamps 180 . each lamp may be positioned in an opening 184 formed in the lamphead 182 , and the side walls 186 of the opening 184 may be coated with a reflective material for focusing and / or directing the thermal radiation emitted by the lamps 180 . a pumping ring 170 may be disposed on the lower liner 164 , and one or more exit ports 172 may be formed between the pumping ring 170 and the lower liner 164 . a gas distribution plate 128 may be disposed in the processing region 156 . the gas distribution plate 128 may be disposed on the pumping ring 170 and may be secured to the pumping ring 170 by any suitable fastening device , such as bolts or clamps . the gas distribution plate 128 may be made of a heat - resistant and chemical - resistant material , such as quartz or sapphire . an interface plate 130 , described in more detail below in connection with fig2 a and 2b , may be disposed on the gas distribution plate 128 for enclosing portions of the gas distribution plate 128 . the interface plate 130 may be bolted to the gas distribution plate 128 . the interface plate 130 may have a surface 109 facing the gas distribution plate 128 and the surface 109 may be coated with a reflective or absorptive coating , such as a dielectric reflective coating . seals 190 , such as o - rings , may be disposed between the pumping ring 170 and the upper wall 138 and between the lower liner 164 and the lower wall 114 . during operation , one or more process gases may be introduced into the process chamber 100 via a gas feed 110 , reaching the upper surface 116 of the substrate 108 through the gas distribution plate 128 , and out of the process chamber 100 via the one or more exit ports 172 . to promote center - to - edge uniformity , the process gases can reach the center and edge of the upper surface 116 of the substrate 108 at the same time by using the gas distribution plate 128 . fig1 b illustrates a schematic , cross - sectional view of the process chamber 100 according to one embodiment . instead of having an upper wall 138 shown in fig1 a , the process chamber 100 may include a structure 111 disposed on the side wall 136 and the pumping ring 170 . the structure 111 may include a plurality of compartments 113 , and each compartment 113 may include a gas feed 115 for introducing one or more process gases into the processing region 156 via the compartments 113 and the gas distribution plate 128 . the structure 111 may be made of a reflective or absorptive material . alternatively , a surface 117 of the structure 111 facing the gas distribution plate 128 may be coated with a reflective or absorptive material . a single compartment 113 may cover one or more through holes formed in the gas distribution plate 128 . fig2 a and 2b illustrate cross - sectional views of the gas distribution plate 128 . as shown in fig2 a , the gas distribution plate 128 may include a first surface 201 and a second surface 207 opposite the first surface 201 . the gas distribution plate 128 may include a plurality of through holes 202 extending from the first surface 201 to the second surface 207 and a plurality of blind holes 204 that partially extend from the first surface 201 toward the second surface 207 . the opening of each through hole 202 and each blind hole 204 may be circular , hexagonal , or any suitable shape . the opening of each through hole 202 may have the same shape as the opening of each blind hole 204 , or have a different shape as the opening of each blind hole 204 . the process gases flow through the through holes 202 to reach the substrate 108 ( fig1 ). each blind hole 204 may include side surfaces 203 and a bottom surface 205 . the bottom surface 205 may face the upper surface 116 of the substrate 108 . the side surfaces 203 and the bottom surface 205 of each blind hole 204 may be coated with a reflective or absorptive material to improve temperature control of the gas distribution plate 128 . during operation , the gas distribution plate 128 may be heated by the heat source 145 ( shown in fig1 ). the process gases flowing into and out of the blind holes 204 provide temperature control of the gas distribution plate 128 . the gas distribution plate 128 may be formed by boring the through holes 202 and the blind holes 204 in a solid piece of material , such as a solid piece of quartz material . the gas distribution plate 128 may have a shape that corresponds to the shape of the substrate 108 . in one embodiment , the gas distribution plate 128 is circular . the gas distribution plate 128 may have a dimension , such as a diameter , that is greater than the corresponding dimension of the substrate 108 . in one embodiment , the substrate 108 is circular and has a diameter or about 300 mm , and the gas distribution plate 128 is also circular and has a diameter of about 400 to 600 mm . the pattern of the through holes 202 and the blind holes 204 may be configured so the process gases are evenly distributed to the upper surface 116 of the substrate 108 and the layer formed on the upper surface 116 of the substrate 108 is uniform . in one embodiment , the through holes 202 alternate with the blind holes 204 along a linear direction , as shown in fig2 a . in one embodiment , the through holes 202 form a plurality of concentric rings , the blind holes 204 form a plurality of concentric rings , and the rings of the through holes 202 and the rings of the blind holes 204 are alternating . one or more temperature sensors , such as pyrometers , ( not shown ) may be placed inside one or more of the blind holes 204 . fig2 b shows the gas distribution plate 128 having the interface plate 130 disposed thereon . the interface plate 130 may be disposed adjacent the first surface 201 of the gas distribution plate 128 , and may be fastened to the gas distribution plate 128 by a fastening device 222 , such as a bolt , as shown in fig2 b . the interface plate 130 may have a plurality of through holes 211 , and each through hole 211 is aligned with a through hole 202 of the gas distribution plate 128 . two or more openings 212 a , 212 b may be formed in the interface plate 130 adjacent each blind holes 204 . a phase change material may be flowed into each blind hole 204 via an inlet 214 and a first opening 212 a , and out of each blind hole 204 via a second opening 212 b and the outlet 216 . the blind holes 204 may be in fluid communication with each other by a channel ( not shown ) formed on the interface plate 130 or by a channel formed in the gas distribution plate 128 around the through holes 202 . a pressure control system ( not shown ) may be employed to control the pressure inside the blind holes 204 . the pressure control system may vary the boiling point of the phase change material within each blind hole 204 in order to control the temperature of the gas distribution plate 128 . for example , the pressure inside the blind holes 204 may be controlled so the phase change material inside the blind holes 204 will change phase at a predetermined temperature . as the gas distribution plate 128 reaches the predetermined temperature , the phase change material inside the blind holes 204 changes phase , such as from a liquid to a vapor , which absorbs heat without increase the temperature of the gas distribution plate 128 . in this configuration , multiple set - points for the temperature of the gas distribution plate 128 can be achieved by adjusting the pressure of the phase change material , and agile thermal transients may be enabled within the gas distribution plate 128 . alternatively , a cooling fluid may be circulated through the gas distribution plate 128 via the blind holes 204 . the cooling fluid , such as water or helium gas , may be flowed into the blind holes 204 via the inlet 214 and the first opening 212 a , and out of the blind holes 204 via the second opening 212 b and the outlet 216 . the openings 212 a , 212 b formed in the interface plate 130 may be utilized for fluid communication among the blind holes 204 . in another embodiment , the blind holes 204 are in fluid communication with each other via a channel ( not shown ) formed in the gas distribution plate 128 . the channel may be connected to one or more openings ( not shown ) formed in the side surface 203 and / or the bottom surface 205 . a seal 220 , such as an o - ring , may be disposed between the gas distribution plate 128 and the interface plate 130 surrounding each blind hole 204 . fig3 is a top view of the gas distribution plate 128 according to one embodiment . the gas distribution plate 128 includes the plurality of through holes 202 and the plurality of blind holes 204 . as shown in fig3 , each opening of the through holes 202 and blind holes 204 has a circular shape . the opening of the through holes 202 and blind holes 204 may have other suitable shapes , such as hexagonal , or a mixture of circular and hexagonal . the through holes 202 and the blind holes 204 may be formed in the gas distribution plate 128 in any suitable arrangement . in one embodiment , as shown in fig3 , the holes 202 , 204 have a hexagonal tiling arrangement . the number of holes 202 , 204 may be maximized by using a closest packing arrangement of the holes 202 , 204 . the particular arrangement that achieves closest packing depends on the shape and dimension of the holes 202 , 204 . for circular holes of similar size , as shown in fig3 , it is believed that a hexagonal tiling arrangement achieves a closest packing arrangement . a ratio of total area of through holes 202 to total area of blind holes 204 may be from about 0 . 5 to about 3 . 0 , such as between about 0 . 8 to about 2 . 0 , for example about 1 . 0 , depending on the thermal control capability needed for a particular embodiment . the holes 202 , 204 may have any predetermined sizing and spacing . in the embodiment shown in fig3 , the holes 202 , 204 are circular , with diameter of about 0 . 5 mm to about 10 mm , such that the holes 202 have the same dimension as the holes 204 . the number of holes 202 , 204 may be maximized by minimizing the thickness of the wall . in one embodiment , the wall thickness separating two adjacent holes 202 , 204 is about 0 . 5 mm or more . with holes 202 , 204 of dimension 1 cm and spacing of about 0 . 5 mm , a gas distribution plate 128 for processing a 300 mm wafer may have less than 50 to about 300 holes , depending on the size and spacing of the holes , of which 50 to 80 % may be through holes 202 and 20 to 50 % may be blind holes 204 . it should be noted , that a first plurality of the holes 202 , 204 may have a first spacing , and a second plurality of the holes 202 , 204 may have a second spacing different from the first spacing . the through holes 202 and the blind holes 204 may be staggered , i . e ., same type of holes are not adjacent to each other , in order to prevent forming a pattern , such as a racetrack pattern , on the rotating substrate from overly radial gas distribution and / or a radial radiative effect associated with concentric rings of the through holes 202 . in alternate embodiments , the through holes 202 , 204 may have different dimensions . for example , providing larger blind holes 204 may enable more robust thermal control of the gas distribution plate 128 . additionally , the through holes 202 may have different dimensions to influence gas flow in different areas of the gas distribution plate 128 , if desired . likewise , the blind holes 204 may have different dimensions to provide more or less thermal control in different areas of the gas distribution plate 128 , if desired . thus , a first plurality of through holes 202 may have a first dimension , while a second plurality of through holes 202 has a second dimension . similarly , a first plurality of blind holes 204 may have a third dimension and a second plurality of blind holes 204 may have a fourth dimension . in this embodiment , the first , second , third , and fourth dimensions may be the same or different in any desired combination . while the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the disclosure , other and further embodiments may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof , and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow .
| 2 |
the energy storage assembly according to the invention as shown in fig1 comprises , along with a multiplicity of galvanic cells z 1 , z 2 , . . . zn , a control unit bms - c , a connecting unit bms - v , and also , for each of the galvanic cells z 1 , z 2 , . . . zn , a respectively assigned converter and control unit ir 1 , ir 2 , . . . irn . the galvanic cells z 1 , z 2 , . . . zn are connected in series by way of connecting lines 8 , in order to obtain the desired voltage for the energy storage assembly , which lies at the output 5 , 6 of the energy storage assembly for supplying a load . the control unit bms - c is connected to the converter and control units ir 1 , ir 2 , . . . irn by way of a data connection 11 . a data exchange of the control unit bms - c with further systems , such as for example a vehicle control system , or a charger , is additionally possible by way of a system bus 9 . with an — optional — diagnostic interface 10 , the configuration and the monitoring of the control unit bms - c or the energy storage assembly can be performed . the connecting unit bms - v can be used on the one hand for connecting the outputs of the converter and control units ir 1 , ir 2 , . . . irn to one another and to the positive terminal 5 and negative terminal 6 of the energy storage assembly , and on the other hand for connecting the data lines of the converter and control units ir 1 , ir 2 , . . . irn to the data connection 11 of the control unit bms - c . dispensing with switches in the connecting unit bms - v makes it possible to avoid elements that are susceptible to faults and , in the case of circuit - breakers , expensive . although semiconductor switches are maintenance - free , in the case of large currents they are generally expensive . if the energy storage assembly is installed in standardized racks , such as for example the so - called “ 19 inch racks ”, the connecting unit bms - v is formed by the rear side of the rack , the so - called backplane , which has a plurality of slots for slide - in modules , in the present case that is for the control unit and the cell modules . the backplane carries the plug - in connectors for the slide - in modules and connects them electrically . the function of the energy storage assembly according to the invention is as follows : in the typical state in which it is delivered , a brand - new energy storage assembly is partially charged . each of the converter and control units ir 1 , ir 2 , . . . irn has from the initialization process information on essential parameters of the assigned cell or group of cells , such as for example the cell types , the maximum end - of - charge voltage , the minimum discharge voltage , the rated load ( capacity ), impedance , etc . in an advantageous way , the converter and control units ir 1 , ir 2 , . . . irn are produced with the respectively assigned galvanic cells z 1 , z 2 , . . . zn or groups of cells as a structural unit , i . e . as cell modules which are electrically and mechanically connected to the storage battery unit by way of connectors . in this case , the initial detection of the cell parameters by the converter and control units ir 1 , ir 2 , . . . irn is already performed before the assembly operation to form an energy storage assembly . therefore , after the assembly operation , these parameters can be immediately passed on to the control unit bms - c . a precondition for this is a nonvolatile data memory in the converter and control units ir 1 , ir 2 , . . . irn . on the basis of this information , and the continuously monitored charging state of each of the galvanic cells z 1 , z 2 , . . . zn and of the total current flowing at the power output , the control unit bms - c determines optimum values for the base current flowing through the series connection of the cells and also for the additional currents to be drained from the individual cells z 1 , z 2 , . . . zn depending on their capacity . as a consequence , the discharging operation for each cell is individually controlled by the converter and control units ir 1 , ir 2 , . . . irn in order to achieve the determined values for the base current and the additional currents . the fact that the base current is comparatively great in relation to the additional currents means that large , and consequently expensive , converter units can be avoided . in the case of a total current of the energy storage assembly of , for example , 50 amperes , the series connection of the cells z 1 , z 2 , . . . zn is loaded with a base current of , for example , 48 amperes . the remaining 2 amperes of additional current are supplied by the converter and control units ir 1 , ir 2 , . . . irn through individual loading of the cells with greater capacity . the current flow through the respectively weakest cell , for example the first cell z 1 , is therefore 48 amperes , while the stronger cell , for example the second cell z 2 , is loaded by the assigned second converter and control unit ir 2 with a current of 52 amperes , i . e . the base current of 48 amperes and an additional current of 4 amperes . this additional current of 4 amperes is converted by the second converter and control unit ir 2 to the voltage level of the output voltage of the energy storage assembly , its contribution to the total current is therefore reduced by the ratio of the output voltage to the cell voltage and by comparatively small losses in the converter . by analogy with this , further cells z 3 , . . . zn make their contribution to the total current according to their capacity by way of the converter and control units ir 3 , . . . irn respectively assigned to them . the controlling of the additional current drains takes place dynamically , i . e . depending on the variation in the parameters of the individual cells . the ratio of the base current to the additional currents will therefore change depending on the variation in the discharge of the individual cells . in the case of a complete failure of a cell , this can even lead to the amount of base current tending toward zero and being replaced completely by the sum of the additional currents of the intact cells . in the case of a charging operation , on the other hand , it is established by the control unit bms - c when the voltage of one of the cells z 1 , z 2 , . . . zn approaches the cell - individual end - of - charge voltage . in this case , the respectively assigned converter and control unit ir 1 , ir 2 , . . . irn is made to return the then superfluous energy from this cell into the overall system . in this case , an additional current flow from the respective cell , for example the nth cell zn by way of the assigned nth converter and control unit irn into the series connection of the further cells z 1 , z 2 , . . . zn − 1 is therefore enforced , so that the overall power consumption of the energy storage assembly , that is to say the total current consumed in this case , is reduced by this additional current , also allowing the charging operation to be made more efficient . as the charging operation continues , more and more cells z 1 , z 2 , . . . zn will reach their individual end - of - charge voltages and feed the superfluous charge into the overall system as an additional current flow by way of the assigned converter and control units ir 1 , ir 2 , . . . irn , so that the power consumption of the overall system in this case becomes significantly less . in the state of rest of the energy storage assembly , i . e . when there is neither an active charging operation nor an active discharging operation , there is , depending on the type of cell , a so - called self - discharge . this is likewise different from cell to cell and , if it is drained completely , can lead to destruction of the cell z 1 , z 2 , . . . zn . according to the invention , therefore , a charge - reversing operation is carried out in the state of rest of the energy storage assembly . this takes place by enforcing a current flow from the cells with greater capacity by way of the assigned converter and control units ir 1 , ir 2 , . . . irn into the series connection of the cells , so the overall assembly is charged , and consequently premature discharge and destruction of the weaker cells is prevented . the construction of a converter and control unit ir 1 , ir 2 , . . . irn according to the invention , which is connected on the input side to the respectively assigned cell and on the output side to the power output of the energy storage assembly , is described on the basis of fig2 . each converter and control unit ir 1 , ir 2 , . . . irn comprises a control element 12 , an electrical isolating stage comprising a transformer 17 , a rectifier 18 , a filter capacitor 19 , a fuse 20 , which may be configured as a reversible fuse , and an overvoltage limiting unit 21 . also provided are a switching element 14 for converting the dc cell voltage into an ac voltage , a current sensor 13 , a sensor unit 22 for temperature and other essential storage - battery parameters and a communication unit 15 for connecting the control unit to the data interface 11 with respect to the control unit bms - c . the switching element 14 together with the transformer 17 , rectifier 18 , filter capacitor 19 and fuse 20 forms a switching converter , with which the dc voltage of the cell is converted into an ac voltage , transformed to the level of the output voltage of the energy storage assembly and then rectified . the amount of the current drain from the cell is determined by pulse width modulation of the switching element 14 . the control of the switching element 14 depending on the corresponding preselections given by the control unit bms - c is performed by the control element 12 . the additional current drained from the cell is measured by means of current sensor 13 . for the dimensioning of the converter and control unit ir 1 , ir 2 , . . . irn , the following consideration is decisive : it must be possible to transfer the power that has to be balanced in an extreme case by an individual cell . therefore , if the energy storage assembly has , for example , 20 cells z 1 , z 2 , . . . zn and the intention is to be able to compensate for the complete failure of a cell , the converter must therefore be able to transfer approximately 5 % of the rated power of the individual cell , since of course the other , operational 19 cells make their contribution . if there are n cells , this factor is 1 /( n − 1 ). to compensate for the complete failure of a number of cells , it is necessary for the converter units to be designed with correspondingly greater capacity . the information on the state of the respective cell is obtained by means of the sensors 22 for measurements of the cell parameters temperature , voltage and current , which are activated by means of control unit 12 . the control unit 12 stores the corresponding values and passes them on to the control unit bms - c . for this purpose , it uses a communication unit 15 , which in the simplest case may be configured as an interface adapter with electrical isolation and serves for balancing the signal voltages between the control unit 12 and the control unit bms - c . the assembly according to the invention produces its particular advantages whenever cells z 1 , z 2 , . . . zn of different technologies are used . for instance , it is suitable for combining cells for lower long - term loading with cells for higher short - term loading . the assembly is similarly favorable in the case of discharging for combining primary cells and energy converters , such as for example fuel cells , which have different performance characteristics as a result of individual parameters such as gas supply , surface properties of the electrodes , etc . by comparing the current cell parameters , such as for example temperature , voltage and current , with stored older measured values and evaluating the changes , an analysis of the specific properties of the cell and their changes is possible . this allows , for example , the early detection of possible cell defects , as can be detected in particular in the case of lithium batteries , and the signaling thereof to external devices by way of the connecting elements bms - v , and also the control unit bms - c . in particular , the thermal runaway that is feared in the case of lithium - ion storage batteries can also be detected and prevented . this is attributed as the cause of the fires affecting laptop batteries that have recently occurred with greater frequency . it may be advantageous to construct the converter and control units ir 1 , ir 2 , . . . irn from components that are spatially separate , so that merely a memory for the cell data forms a structural unit with the cell , while the other components of the converter and control units ir 1 , ir 2 , . . . irn are attached to the rear wall of the energy storage assembly , the so - called backplane . as already stated , the solution according to the invention makes it possible for an energy storage assembly to operate even when there is a failure of individual cells . this property can also be used to make undisturbed operation of an energy storage assembly possible during the exchange of individual cells , by the amount of the base current being brought toward zero during the exchange of a cell , and replaced completely by the sum of the additional currents of the other cells . the precise knowledge of the cell properties can also be used for a very exact determination of the remaining capacity of the energy storage assembly . in conjunction with a vehicle , this allows the distance that can still be covered to be determined very accurately .
| 7 |
a plasma processing system of the type to which this invention is applied includes a chamber which encloses a plasma region filled with an ionizable gas and into which rf electromagnetic energy is coupled . the energy interacts with the gas to initiate and sustain a plasma . according to the invention , one or more components are provided to control the energy contained in harmonics of the fundamental frequency of the rf energy coupled into and out of the plasma . this harmonic attenuation can take place wherever a suitable impedance - matched coupling structure is present , or can be provided to couple the harmonic power out of the plasma . in one embodiment , frequency selective trap elements are provided , that selectively absorb power associated with certain harmonics while not affecting the others . desirably , resistive loads are coupled to the transmission line , which delivers the rf electromagnetic energy to the plasma . all harmonics are generated at impedances different from the impedance of the fundamental frequency , and every harmonic has a different impedance at which it can be attenuated . in order to be effective at trapping different harmonics , the impedance of the trapping assembly must be variable . so not only is the trap frequency selective , but its input impedance is also variable and matched to the impedance of the harmonics that need to be controlled at that frequency . as the input of the matching network is changed , the frequency of the trapping assembly is also changed . as the plasma density or plasma species changes , the impedance of the harmonics will also change . therefore , the trapping networks and the matching networks have to be tunable . the design and implementation of a plurality of resistive loads and associated trapping networks that are under automatic control allows precise tailoring of the harmonic content in the plasma . the presence of matching networks is implicitly necessary because of the need to have some physical connection to the electrode so that electrical power can be applied . thus , a plurality of resistive loads and associated networks are under automatic control so as to allow precise tailoring of the harmonic content of the plasma . this invention further includes a method of using the trapping network as a plasma harmonic detector to feed back the variations of the harmonics to the controller controlling the trapping network . the plasma harmonic detector detects the spectral content and spatial variations of the rf field in the plasma . the feedback signals from the plasma harmonic detector will adjust the matching networks to minimize a particular function . that particular function can be the spectral and spatial variations of certain harmonics at certain frequency . there is a multiplicity of the small matching networks around the electrode . by using the plasma harmonics detector with a specific algorithm , each of the matching networks can be tuned to achieve the best plasma uniformity results . this invention still further includes a method of using the apparatus as a process reliability detector by measuring the voltage across the resistive elements in the trap . by monitoring the amount of the power dissipated by the resistive element , a very precise evaluation of the plasma process conditions is made . measuring the amount of power the plasma available in its harmonic range makes a very subtle and precise measurement of the condition of the plasma . fig1 shows a simplified block diagram of a plasma processing system in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention . plasma processing system 100 comprises plasma excitation rf source 102 that supplies rf power at a fundamental frequency and a match network 104 . trapping assembly 106 is coupled between match network 104 and an upper electrode 108 , which is located at the top of a plasma chamber 110 . plasma chamber 110 encloses a plasma region in which plasma 112 will be initiated and maintained . a wafer chuck 114 is located at the bottom of the plasma region and is connected to a second rf source 116 via a second match network 118 . electrodes 4108 , 114 ) and sources ( 102 , 116 ) form a capacitively coupled rf plasma source that is used for performing an etch or deposition operation on a wafer mounted on chuck 114 . source 116 acts primarily to impose a dc self - bias on wafer chuck 114 , which self - bias acts to attract ions to the surface of the wafer mounted on chuck 114 . trapping assembly 106 is located on the main rf feed line to electrode 108 . controller 130 is coupled to trapping assembly 106 . controller 130 receives measurement data from trapping assembly 106 and sends control data to trapping assembly 106 . controller 130 processes a portion of the measurement data to create control data . for example , the controller can perform a fast fourier transform ( fft ). in addition , controller 130 is used to control system operations and monitor the process . controller 130 can comprise a computer or embedded processor , such as a digital signal processor ( dsp ). these types of processors are known to those skilled in the art . plasma 112 can be excited and maintained by rf electromagnetic wave energy at the fundamental rf frequency that is passed to upper electrode 108 and plasma 112 by match network 104 and trapping assembly 106 . trapping assembly 106 comprises a transmission line that is essentially transparent to rf electromagnetic wave energy at that frequency . plasma 112 , in turn , converts some of the energy that it receives at the fundamental frequency into harmonics , and these are coupled back into upper electrode 108 and trapping assembly 106 . energy at harmonic frequencies is strongly attenuated in the resistive loads of trapping assembly 106 , and a significant amount of this energy is dissipated in the form of heat along the length of trapping assembly 106 . the reduction of power at harmonic frequencies results in better electric field uniformity at and below upper electrode 108 , and thus better etch and deposition uniformity . fig2 a and 2 b show a simplified block diagram of a trapping assembly in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention . trapping assembly 106 comprises transmission line 170 and a plurality of frequency selective trap elements 172 . transmission line 170 has a frustoconical coaxial geometry . this geometry primarily serves to reduce reflection points between match network 104 and upper electrode 108 . preferably , transmission line 170 has a constant characteristic impedance , which also helps to reduce reflections . by making the ratio of the outer diameter to the inner diameter of transmission line 170 constant , a constant characteristic impedance is maintained . alternately , the impedance of transmission line 170 can vary along its length . transmission line 170 comprises inner conductor 174 and outer conductor 176 . transmission line 170 can comprise any suitable configuration including a coaxial line , microstrip , or strip - line . outer conductor 176 comprises a conically shaped sheet of low - loss conducting material such as copper , silver - plated copper , aluminum , or silver - plated aluminum . outer conductor 176 is coupled to element 199 . element 199 is part of the process chamber wall and supports trapping assembly 106 . outer conductor 176 is coupled to ground via element 199 . inner conductor 174 comprises a conically shaped block of low - loss conducting material such as copper , silver - plated copper , aluminum , or silver - plated aluminum . inner conductor 174 is coupled to cooling plate 120 , and cooling plate 120 is coupled to electrode 108 . inner conductor 174 comprises at least one cooling channel , as described below . frequency selective trap elements 172 are electrically coupled to both inner conductor 174 and outer conductor 176 . frequency selective trap elements 172 on the transmission line are tuned to harmonic frequencies to selectively monitor and control the harmonic content of the plasma . frequency selective trap elements 172 are arranged in the space outside the outer conductor 176 and are in electrical contact with the inner conductor 174 through an opening in the outer conductor 176 . alternately , frequency selective trap elements 172 can be positioned between the inner conductor 174 and the outer conductor 176 . conductors 174 , 176 and the above - mentioned cooling channel are all axially symmetrical in this embodiment although they do not necessarily need to be . outer conductor 176 constitutes a rf ground return terminal . the usual two match network output terminals are connected to inner conductor 174 and outer conductor 176 , respectively . this is achieved by mounting a match network output capacitor 128 directly on top of the inner conductor 174 . outer conductor 176 is connected within the enclosure of match network 104 , which enclosure serves as a ground conductor . upper electrode 108 is of the shower head type , provided with a plurality of passages ( not shown ) for delivery of process gas to the plasma region from a plenum 129 enclosed between electrode 108 and cooling plate 120 . the plenum is supplied with process gas by a gas feed line 132 . gas feed line 132 is connected to a process gas source and extends along the vertical axis of the frustoconic outline of transmission line 170 . the lower surface of electrode 108 , the surface which faces the plasma region , is covered with a shower - head plate 136 , i . e ., a plate provided with gas passages aligned with passages . plate 136 may be made of material compatible with the chamber process , e . g ., doped silicon . plate 136 acts to prevent sputtering of material from electrode 108 . in addition , silicon plate 136 is made of a material compatible with the chamber process , to prevent contamination , and as such acts to separate the plasma from the lower surface of electrode 108 . this is particularly advantageous when electrode 108 contains a material that is not chemically compatible with the process . an alumina dielectric ring insulator 198 serves to extend coax transmission line below trapping assembly 106 and around cooling plate 120 and electrode 108 . the part of the transmission line constituted by insulator 198 does not absorb any rf and acts as a connection between the plasma and the trapping assembly 106 . insulator 198 constitutes the dielectric of a coax line whose walls are metallic parts provided by cooling plate 120 , electrode 108 , and the chamber structure , a portion of which is shown as element 199 . a quartz shield ring 138 is attached around plate 136 and below electrode 108 . quartz shield ring 138 is provided to cover the screws that are used to attach silicon plate 136 to electrode 108 , thereby isolating those screws from the plasma environment to prevent process contamination . electrode 108 , plate 136 and ring 138 are all attached to , and supported by , cooling plate 120 , which is in turn supported by insulator ring 198 , the latter itself being supported by the chamber wall structure 199 . cooling of the inner conductor 174 is performed through a coolant fluid circulated through a cooling channel 140 formed in inner conductor 174 . cooling channel 140 is annular in shape and communicates with a coolant fluid source and a heat exchange element via inlet and outlet cooling lines 142 . as noted earlier herein , cooling channel 140 is axially symmetrical . the coolant fluid in channel 140 also acts to cool upper electrode 108 . match network 104 ( details of which are not shown ) is mounted on top of trapping assembly 106 , and all cooling and gas feed connections are made within its rf enclosure . match network 104 can be constructed according to principles well known in the art . fig3 illustrates a simplified schematic representation of a frequency selective trap element in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention . in the illustrated embodiment , frequency selective trap element 172 comprises input port 310 connected to inner conductor 174 , output port 312 connected to outer conductor 176 , control port 314 , transmission line 316 , coupling capacitor 318 , match network 320 , resistive load 322 , and probe 330 . in the illustrated embodiment , control port 314 is coupled to match network 320 and probe 330 . alternately , other configurations can be envisioned . control port 314 is coupled to controller 130 and comprises both control and sensor functions . control port 314 is configured using at least one shielded cable . resistive load 322 comprises at least one high power resistor that is mounted on a thermally conductive surface , such as the outer conductor . match network 320 comprises a plurality of narrow band components , and wideband components . for example , variable capacitors and variable inductors can be used , or at higher frequencies , stub tuners and hybrid networks can be used . match network 320 allows each frequency selective trap element 172 to be tuned to a particular harmonic frequency . for example , a control voltage can be provided to at least one varactor diode or at least one variable capacitor . matching network techniques are known to those skilled in the art . in addition , match network 320 can provide measurement data from load resistor 322 and / or from match network 320 to controller 130 . for example , measurement data can include voltage , current , and / or power data . desirably , probe 330 provides measurement data that includes voltage and current information from transmission line 316 . alternately , measurement data can include magnitude and phase information . controller 130 uses the measurement data to determine which frequency components are present and sends control data to match network 320 . desirably , match network 320 is tuned to the proper frequency , and the desired signal level is achieved at load resistor 322 . alternately , the desired signal level can be achieved at match network 320 or probe 330 . one or more frequency selective trap element 172 is used for each harmonic signal being controlled . controller 130 is coupled to each one of the frequency selective trap elements 172 and tunes the match networks in all of the frequency selective trap elements 172 in the trapping assembly to achieve the proper harmonic profile . desirably , proper harmonic profiles can be determined using experimental data from processes providing uniform etch rates . for example , historical data correlating process results to harmonic profiles can be used to produce algorithms for controller 130 . harmonic profiles include fundamental and harmonic signal information . also , controller 130 controls the operating levels of the rf sources used to generate the plasma . controller 130 can adjust these operating levels to control the power delivered to the plasma at the fundamental frequency and to a lesser degree the harmonic levels . for example , controller 130 may have to increase the power delivered to the plasma at the fundamental frequency in order to maintain the desired plasma density . in addition , controller 130 controls the operating frequencies of the rf sources used to generate the plasma and can tune the operating frequencies to further control the harmonic profile . those skilled in the art will also recognize that controller 130 controls match networks 104 and 108 ( fig1 ) and can use these system level match networks to control the harmonic profile . by controlling the fundamental level and the harmonic levels , controller 130 generates a high density , uniform plasma . fig4 shows an alternate embodiment of the present invention in which a trapping assembly is coupled between a match network and a lower electrode . lower electrode comprises a wafer chuck for supporting wafer 470 while a plasma process is performed . rf power is supplied to match network 418 by power source 416 . trapping assembly 406 comprises transmission line 480 and a plurality of frequency selective trap elements 472 . transmission line 480 is a coaxial transmission line comprising inner conductor 474 , outer conductor 476 , and dielectric layer 478 . at least one frequency selective trap element 472 is coupled between and in electrical contact with conductors 474 and 476 . frequency selective trap elements 472 selectively controls the amount of energy which arises within the plasma at frequencies that are harmonics of the fundamental frequency produced by power source 416 and also all other frequencies in the chamber associated with upper electrode plasma excitation ( e . g ., fundamental and harmonics of upper electrode ), and which is conducted to trapping assembly 406 via chuck 414 , after being coupled into chuck 414 from the plasma . fig5 shows an alternate embodiment of the present invention in which a trapping assembly comprising a plurality of transmission lines is coupled between a match network and an upper electrode . trapping assembly 506 comprises a plurality of transmission lines 570 and a plurality of frequency selective trap elements 572 . desirably , at least one frequency selective trap element 572 is coupled to each transmission line 570 . transmission line 570 comprises first conductor 574 , second conductor 576 , and dielectric 578 . transmission lines 570 can comprise any suitable configuration including coaxial line , microstrip , or strip - line . transmission lines 570 can have different physical characteristics . one or more frequency selective trap elements can be tuned to selectively control the amount of energy , which arises within the plasma chamber at frequencies that are harmonics of the fundamental frequency . in addition , when multiple transmission lines are used in a trapping assembly , the transmission lines can be designed to make the trapping assembly more efficient . alternately , the transmission lines can also comprise an absorber material , which can be used to further control the harmonic levels . while the description above refers to particular embodiments of the present invention , it will be understood that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof . the accompanying claims are intended to cover such modifications as would fall within the true scope and spirit of the present invention . the presently disclosed embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive , the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims , rather than the foregoing description , and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein .
| 7 |
the present invention will now be described with reference to embodiments thereof , which , however , should not be construed as restrictive . an embodiment of this invention which is applied to the manufacture of a compressor screw rotor will be described . fig1 a and 1b are schematic diagrams illustrating a process in the preparation of a mold in accordance with this invention ; and fig2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a process in the manufacture of a compressor screw rotor wherein the mold of this invention is used . first , the master pattern of the screw section ( having five blades ), constituting the intricately shaped section of the screw rotor to be manufactured , was formed by machining , obtaining a metal pattern 1 . as shown in fig1 a , this pattern 1 was secured at a predetermined position on a stationary platen 2 , and a material prepared beforehand was poured into a molding space 5 defined by setting in position a frame 3 and a cover 4 , through an inlet 8 provided in the cover 4 . the material used consisted of a fluid solution obtained by adding 500 ml of warm water ( 50 ° c .) to 100 g of a gelatin on the market and stirring it well . subsequently , the entire mold was kept in a refrigerator and was cooled down to 10 ° c . to solidify the solution to gel . then , the stationary platen 2 and the cover 4 were removed and the metal pattern 1 was released from the mold by rotating it in the torsional direction while supplying compressed air to the interface between the metal pattern 1 and the solidified gel substance . then , as shown in fig1 b , a gelatin mold 6 including a screw - section space was obtained . afterwards , the mold was kept in the refrigerator . a gypsum mold 7 for forming the shaft section of the screw rotor was prepared as follows : gypsum in limited amounts was added to a solution consisting of 100 parts by weight of a calcined gypsum on the market and 80 parts by weight of water , and , by stirring the mixture quietly , a slurry was obtained . subsequently , the slurry was poured into a wood pattern previously prepared , and , after the setting and solidification of the slurry , the pattern was removed . afterwards , the solidified slurry was subjected to a heating process of 50 ° c . × 72h in a dryer , and was then cooled down to room temperature . by combining the gelatin mold 6 and the gypsum mold 7 with each other , a screw rotor mold as shown in fig2 could be obtained . the ceramics slurry was prepared by the following composition : 240 g of metal silicon powder having an average grain size of 0 . 9 μm ; 60 g of silicon carbide powder having an average grain size of 0 . 6 μm ; 120 ml of distilled water as the dispersion medium ; and 0 . 39 g of naphthalenesulfonic acid sodium salt as the deflocculant . these materials were put in a resin pot and were mixed with each other in a ball mill for 50 hours . afterwards , the slurry was subjected to a degassing process for 2 minutes in a decompression chamber , thereby removing the air in the slurry . in molding , the mold was filled with slurry , which was poured through the slurry inlet 81 provided in the upper section of the mold . since the gelatin pattern 6 is nonabsorbent , the water in the slurry is absorbed by the gypsum mold 7 , thereby gradually forming a green body . meanwhile , the supply of slurry was continued in consecutive stages . after the completion of the formation of the green body , the frame 3 is removed , and the mold is put in a constant temperature bath of 50 ° c ., where the gelatin pattern 6 was melted and removed from the green body . finally , the gypsum mold 7 was removed to obtain a molded object . for comparison , separately prepared at the same time in addition to the gelatin pattern 6 were a metal mold , a resin mold , a wax mold , a rubber mold , and a water - absorption - disintegrable mold . because of their poor flexibility , the metal mold , the resin mold , and the wax mold involved generation of cracks due to the contraction of the molded object during the drying process for dehydration after the completion of the green body formation . the rubber mold did not involve any crack generation during molding . however , with the rubber mold , release was difficult to perform ; when forced to be released , the molded object suffered damage . the waterabsorption - disintegrable mold , a mold with an aggregate binder meltable when absorbing water , allowed , because of its absorbent property , green body formation to occur also on the surface thereof , with the result that cavity defects were generated in the central section of the molded object . furthermore , it took much time to remove the mold material after release . in addition , the aggregate particles were liable to adhere to the surface of the molded object , so that the mold was softened and deteriorated in strength at the time of molding , resulting in the dimensional accuracy of the molded object being degenerated . next , to completely remove water from the molded object , the following process was performed : the molded object was allowed to stand in a constant temperature chamber ( with a temperature of 20 ° c . and a humidity of 50 to 60 %) for 70 hours , and was then subjected to heating processes of 60 ° c . × 5 h and 100 ° c . × 5 h in a drying furnace . afterwards , the molded object was sintered . the sintering was performed in a sintering furnace with a 0 . 88 mpa nitrogen gas atmosphere under the conditions of 1100 ° c . × 20 h , 1200 ° c . × 20 h , 1300 ° c . × 10 h , and 1350 ° c . × 20 h . afterwards , the molded object was cooled . the heating rate for each of the above temperatures was 5 ° c ./ min . the resulting molded object did not involve any generation of cracks or deformation and exhibited a high level of dimensional and surface precision . in this way , a screw rotor made of si 3 n 4 - bonded sic ceramics and having a relative density of 83 % was obtained . an embodiment applied to the manufacture of a compressor scroll blade will be described . fig3 a and 3b are schematic diagrams showing a process in a mold preparation method ; and fig4 a and 4b are schematic diagrams showing a mold for a compressor scroll blade . first , the master pattern of the scroll blade to be manufactured was prepared by machining . thus , a metal pattern 1 was obtained , which was fixed , as shown in fig3 a , at a predetermined position on a stationary platen 2 . then , a frame 3 was set around the pattern 1 , and a reinforcing core 9 was placed on the frame 3 , thereby defining a molding space 5 , into which was poured a material consisting of a solution obtained by heating 300 ml of a silicone on the market ( white emulsion : shin - etsu kagaku ) up to 50 ° c ., adding 30 g of ( granular ) gelatin thereto , and stirring the mixture . subsequently , the entire mold was put in a refrigerator and cooled down to 10 ° c . to solidify the solution to gel . then , the stationary platen 2 was removed therefrom , and the remaining parts were immersed in water ( 10 ° c . ), allowing water to get into the interface between the metal pattern 1 and the solidified gel substance so as to remove the metal pattern , thereby obtaining a gelatin pattern 6 including a scroll blade space as shown in fig3 b . a mold containing a space for molding the shaft section was prepared in the same manner as in the first embodiment . by containing the gelatin pattern 6 with the gypsum mold 7 , a scroll blade mold as shown in fig4 a could be obtained . the molding was performed by filling the mold with slurry , which was poured into it through a slurry inlet 83 provided in the upper section of the mold . the slurry was prepared in the same manner as in the first embodiment . the water in the slurry was absorbed by the gypsum mold , thereby causing a green body to be formed gradually . after completing the green body formation while continuing the slurry supply , the mold was put in a drying furnace warmed up to 50 ° c ., thereby softening and melting the gelatin pattern 6 so as to allow it to flow out , thus removing it from the green body . then , the reinforcing core 9 and the frame 3 were removed . finally , the gypsum mold 7 was removed , thus obtaining a molded object . afterwards , the molded object was dried and sintered as in the first embodiment . because of its flexibility and satisfactory releasability , the gelatin mold allowed no crack generation or deformation to occur in the molded object . in this way , a scroll blade made of si 3 n 4 - bonded sic ceramics and having a relative density of 83 . 5 % was obtained , which consisted of a sintered form excelling in both dimensional and surface precision . ( the perspective view of fig4 b schematically shows its configuration .). by way of experiment , the size of the reinforcing core 9 was gradually made larger and the thickness of the gelatin mold 6 was accordingly reduced . at a certain thickness , cracks were generated in the molded object . this is because the mold had become incapable of absorbing the shrinkage of the molded object when dried . in such a case , a gelatin mold containing a multitude of bubbles exhibited a higher flexibility and easily allowed compression to decrease in volume , involving no crack generation in the molded object even when its thickness was made relatively small . in another example , no reinforcing core 9 was used , forming the corresponding section of gelatin too . this made the mold flexible , so that no cracks were generated in the molded object . on the other hand , the rigidity of the mold was excessively small , with the result that the molded object deteriorated in dimensional accuracy . thus , the mold of this invention allows itself to be modified in terms of its structure in accordance with the configuration , size and precision of the product to be obtained . next , an embodiment applied to the manufacture of an automobile turbocharger rotor will be described . fig5 a and 5b are schematic diagrams showing a process in a mold preparation method in accordance with this invention ; and fig6 is a schematic process drawing showing a process in a rotor manufacturing method using a mold in accordance with this invention . first , the master pattern of the intricate section ( having eleven blades ) of the rotor to be manufactured was formed in a metal mold , and , by utilizing this metal mold , a silicon rubber blade was prepared , which was used as a rubber pattern . as shown in fig5 a , this pattern was fixed at a predetermined position on a stationary platen 2 . then , a frame 3 and a cover 4 were set around the pattern to define a molding space 5 , into which a molding material , prepared beforehand , was poured through a material inlet 84 provided in the cover 4 , preparing a mold in the following sequence : 400 ml of warm water ( 50 ° c .) was added to 100 g of a gelatin on the market and stirred well to obtain a fluid solution . subsequently , the entire mold containing this solution was kept in a refrigerator , where the solution was cooled down to 5 ° c . to solidify to gel . afterwards , the stationary platen 2 and the cover 4 were removed , and the rubber pattern 10 was released while rotating it in the torsional direction of the blades . in this way , a gelatin pattern 6 containing a rotor space as shown in fig5 b was obtained . a gypsum mold 7 including a molding space for the shaft section was prepared in the same manner as in the first embodiment . by combining the gelatin pattern 6 with the gypsum mold 7 , a rotor mold as shown in fig6 could be obtained . 85 . 5 wt % of silicon nitride powder ( si 3 n 4 with an average grain size of 0 . 6 μm ); 3 . 0 wt % of aluminum nitride ( aln with an average grain size of 1 μm ); 6 . 0 wt % of yttrium oxide ( y 2 o 3 with an average grain size of 0 . 5 μm ); and 5 . 5 wt % of aluminum oxide ( al 2 o 3 with an average grain size of 0 . 5 μm ). 120 ml of distilled water and 0 . 5 g of the deflocculant were added to 300 g of the material powder . the mixture was put in a resin pot along with resin balls and subjected to a ball milling process of 72 h , thereby obtaining a slurry , which was then allowed to stand three minutes in a decompression chamber so as to remove air therefrom . the above mold was filled with the slurry thus obtained by pouring it through an upper inlet 85 of the mold . the water in the slurry was absorbed by the gypsum mold 7 , thereby gradually forming a green body . after the completion of the green body formation out of the slurry , the frame 3 was removed , and the mold was placed in a constant temperature bath heated to 40 ° c . so as to release it by dissolving the gelatin pattern 6 . afterwards , the gypsum mold 7 was removed , thus obtaining a molded object . subsequently , to remove water and deflocculant from it , the molded object was put in a drying furnace , where it was subjected to heating processes of 60 ° c . × 2 h and 100 ° c . × 5 h . afterwards , the temperature was raised up to 500 ° c . and retained at this level for ten hours . then , the molded object was cooled . subsequently , the molded object was put in a sintering furnace , where it was sintered in a nitrogen gas atmosphere of 0 . 88 mpa , heating it under the conditions of 1600 ° c . × 2 h and 1750 ° c . × 5 h . afterwards , the object was cooled . the increasing rate for each of the above temperatures was 10 ° c ./ min . after this process , the molded object exhibited no cracks or deformation . in this way , a turbocharger rotor made of si 3 n 4 - bonded sic ceramics and having a relative density of 99 . 9 % was obtained . next , to be described will be a case where a hollow ceramics sphere is produced . fig7 is a schematic diagram showing a method of molding a hollow sphere by using a mold in accordance with this invention . in this embodiment , the structure of the gypsum mold 7 is such that it can be separated in the middle into two sections . the gelatin pattern 6 used consisted of a solid sphere , which was prepared out of a solution obtained by putting 100 g of a ( granular ) gelatin on the market in 300 ml of warm water ( 50 ° c ). the solution was fluidized by adding thereto 0 . 2 ml of a surface - active agent ( alpha - olefin - sulphonic acid sodium salt ) and stirring the mixture by a high - speed mixer . then , the solution was poured into a metal mold to be cast into a sphere containing bubbles . the gelatin mold 6 thus obtained is pierced with a fixed pin 11 which is fastened to a weight 12 by welding . a molding space 5 constituting the pattern of a hollow sphere is defined between the gelatin pattern 6 and the gypsum mold 7 . slurry in limited amounts was poured into the gypsum mold through an inlet 86 thereof and along the fixed pin and the gelatin mold , thereby forming a green body layer from the bottom of the molding space 5 upwards while allowing the gypsum mold to absorb the dispersion medium . when the green body has grown up to a position near the inlet 86 , the fixed pin 11 was drawn out of the gelatin pattern 6 , and , by further pouring slurry into the gypsum mold , the green body layer was formed up to a position directly under the inlet 86 . allowed to stand one day in this condition , the green body section , for example , the molded object , shrank as a result of being dried . since the gelatin mold was formed of a porous flexible material , it easily absorbed this shrinkage , so that no cracks were generated . afterwards , the gypsum mold was removed and the remaining parts were heated in a dryer at 40 ° c ., thereby melting the gelatin sphere and allowing it to flow out through the porous molded object . by sintering the molded object , a hollow ceramics sphere was obtained . the gelatin mold , the gypsum mold , and the slurry used in this embodiment were the same as those in the first embodiment . when the wall thickness of the hollow sphere is small , cracks are likely to be generated in the molded object due to the expansion of the gelatin sphere and the bubbles contained therein when heating it in order to melt it . in such a case , it is advisable to melt the gelatin sphere by heating it in a heated - gas atmosphere . by doing so , the expansion pressure of the gelatin sphere is suppressed by the gas pressure of the atmosphere , thereby avoiding the generation of cracks . further , if the removal of the gelatin sphere cannot be effected sufficiently by heating alone , the molded object may be impregnated with a solvent for dissolving a compressible material like gelatin , for example , water , alcohol or acetone . this allows the gelatin sphere to be melted away effectively . another example of a method of producing a hollow ceramics sphere will be described . fig8 is a schematic diagram showing a method for molding a hollow ceramics sphere . a spherical mold 13 which was absorbent to the dispersion medium , has prepared by putting 10 g of a ( granular ) gelatin on the market in 30 ml of warm water ( 50 ° c . ), adding 8 g of a pulverized absorbent resin ( aqua keep ) to the solution thus obtained , cooling the mixture down to 20 ° c . to plasticize it , and pressure - forming this mixture in a metal mold . this mold was made of a flexible gel material allowing compression with ease and meltable at a temperature lower than the boiling point of the dispersion medium . when immersed in slurry 14 , this dispersion - medium absorbent mold 13 absorbed dispersion medium from the slurry , whereby a green body layer 15 was formed on the surface of the mold 13 . when the thickness of this layer had attained a certain level , the mold 13 was taken out of the slurry and dried . the green body layer shrank in this process . however , due to the high compressibility of the dispersion - medium - absorbent mold 13 , no cracks were generated . afterwards , as in the fourth embodiment , the dispersion - medium - absorbent mold 13 was removed , and the remaining object was sintered , thereby obtaining a hollow ceramics sphere . the slurry used was the same as that in the first embodiment . a description will be given of the production of a hollow cylindrical object by slip casting under pressure , which helps to reduce the molding time . fig9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a molding method in accordance with this invention . a gypsum mold 7 and a cylindrical said gelatin pattern 61 , which was hard to compress were arranged inside a metal mold 16 capable of withstanding high pressure , in the manner shown in fig9 and slurry 14 was poured into this metal mold , through an inlet 87 , up to the position indicated by the solid line . afterwards , a gas pressure of 300 atm was applied through the inlet 87 . because of the low compressibility of the gelatin pattern 61 , no deformation occurred when the pressure was applied . thus , a molded object having predetermined inner and outer diameters was obtained . the height of the molded object is indicated by the broken line of 9 . the slurry and the gelatin mold use were the same as those in the first embodiment . after the molding , the gelatin mold was removed by heating and melting it . then , the remaining object was dried and sintered , thereby obtaining a hollow cylindrical ceramics product having no defect and exhibiting a high level of dimensional accuracy . for comparison , a rubber mold was prepared and used instead of the gelatin mold . because of its compressibility , the rubber mold suffered shrinkage when the pressure was applied , with the result that the accuracy in terms of configuration of the green body deteriorated . in addition , because of the expansion of the rubber mold , cracks were generated in the molded object .
| 1 |
[ 0027 ] fig1 shows the steps of a method according to an embodiment for comparing the addresses of potential recipients of goods with at least part of the denied parties listing ( dpl ). the method is performed by the system shown in fig2 . the system of fig2 comprises an order management system 100 , such as the smarts system , including a database 110 for storing shipping and / or billing addresses of individuals and / or companies which have placed orders or which are due to receive orders , and a data input device 120 for entering data using pin yin characters into the database 110 . only one data input device 120 is shown , but in practice there may be multiple such units . the system further includes a second database 130 for storing the english - language dpl . the system further includes a first conversion unit 140 for converting the simplified mandarin data items in the first database 110 into pin yin data items to form a first pin yin database 150 . this process does not erase the database 120 . the system further includes a second conversion unit 160 for converting the english language data in the second database 130 into pin yin data items in a second pin yin database 170 . this process does not erase the second database 130 . finally , the system includes a comparison unit 180 for comparing the pin yin items in the first and second databases 150 , 170 , and an output unit 190 for notifying an operator of the system of any matches between items in the first and second pin yin databases 150 , 170 which are discovered by the comparison unit 180 . the first two steps of the method of fig1 ( i . e . the ones above the dashed line in fig1 ) are the known steps of entering data into the first database 110 of the order management system 100 . specifically , in step 10 users such as inside sales representatives use the data input devices 120 to enter data such as billing and shipping addresses into the order management system 100 . a window presented to the user by the order management system 100 is shown in fig3 . using this window , in step 20 , and helped by user intervention , the order management system 100 converts the input data into simplified mandarin double byte characters , to form items in the first database 110 . when items from the first database 110 are printed out they are in simplified mandarin , as is generally required for use on shipping and invoice documents . fig4 shows an element from the second database , having the whole of the billing and mailing addresses written in double byte simplified mandarin characters . note that the database 110 may contain further items which are not chinese - related , and which are not relevant to the present disclosure . such items , if they are already in the english language , may be compared directly with items ( e . g . non - chinese items ) in the database 130 by known methods . in step 30 , the billing and shipping data which resides in the first database 110 in simplified mandarin double byte form is converted by the first conversion unit 140 into pin yin characters , to form items in the first pin yin database 150 . as noted above , a single simplified mandarin character may correspond to multiple sets of pin yin characters , and these sets of pin yin characters will have different meanings . hence , the first conversion unit 140 generates , for each simplified mandarin item in the first database 110 , all the possible sets of pin yin characters which can be derived from that item , and each of these sets of pin yin characters forms an item in the database 150 . we have determined that this “ simplistic ” process does not , however , compromise the integrity of the screening process . specifically , the conversion carried out in step 30 by the conversion unit 140 may be performed using a conversion file such as the default copy of the loaded microsoft windows 98 simplified chinese operating system . the default file system location for each install can be found at c :\ windows \ system \ winpy . com of each pc into which this operating system is installed . [ 0037 ] fig5 shows an example of the process of step 30 . the address displayed in the window of fig4 is order no . 4602249011 in the first database , as shown in fig5 ( a ). fig5 ( b ) shows the various ways in which each of the simplified mandarin characters can be converted into pin yin . most only have one pin yin version , but three of them have two pin yin transliterations , of which one is shown shaded . using the table of fig5 ( b ), the string of simplified mandarin characters in converted into a string of pin yin characters . each simplified mandarin character with multiple pin yin representations is converted as one representation followed by the other representation ( s ). this string is shown in fig5 ( c ) by indicating a first pin yin representation for each such mandarin character followed by the other pin yin representation shaded . in step 40 , the chinese addresses in the second database 130 are converted into pin yin by the second conversion unit 160 to form the items of the second pin yin database 160 . note that this conversion process must normally be performed manually by a chinese speaking operator , though the process may in principle also be automated or semi - automated . [ 0040 ] fig6 illustrates the conversion operation . each row corresponds to an entity on the dpl ( labelled pin_yin — 1 up to pin_yin — 9 ). for example , the entity pin_yin — 2 is the “ beijing institute of structure and environmental engineering ”. the us government dpl includes an address for this entity of “ no . 36 wanyuan road beijin china ( prc )” ( this address is labelled “ bxa dpl address ” in fig6 ). note that the address is a mixture of conventional english words ( e . g . “ road ”) and pin yin ( e . g . “ wanyuan ”). in step 40 , the bxa dpl address is converted ( e . g . by an operator ) into a wholly pin yin address . for reference , the corresponding simplified chinese address is shown in the right hand column of fig6 though the generation of this column is not necessary to the present disclosure . while in principle it would be possible to convert all the items in the dpl into pin yin , the present embodiment only converts the addresses of the chinese items in the dpl . for example , “ chinese ” in this context may be defined as the items which are addresses in the people &# 39 ; s republic of china and optionally other territories . by taking this “ simplistic ” approach , the number of conversions ( and thus of subsequent comparisons ) is much reduced . in general , this does not reduce the integrity of the screening , since the screening process is based on addresses , and addresses by their nature are not “ mobile ”. in step 50 , a comparison is performed of the first and second pin yin databases 150 , 170 to determine matches . this done by automatically extracting matches between the pin yin strings in the first database ( e . g . the string shown in fig5 ( c )), and the pin yin strings in the second database ( the “ pin yin addresses ” column of fig6 . [ 0043 ] fig7 shows a window optionally presented to the user by comparison unit 180 for the user to decide how the match is to be treated . as shown , a possible match has been found between order number 402211081 ( shown in fig4 and 5 , and in the upper part of fig7 ) and entity pin - yin — 4 in the list of fig6 ( shown in the lower part of fig7 ). note that the entity name in the dpl (“ beijing aerospace automatic control limited ”) is different from the name (“ dali furniture ( china ) ltd .”) in which the order was made ; the embodiment has found the match based on the addresses alone . by entering ticks in appropriate option boxes in the window of fig7 and then clicking on “ ok ”, the user can indicate how the match is to be treated . step 50 may if desired be performed by a dpl compliance department of the organization operating the order management system . the matches can be incorporated into a local dpl , i . e . a list of parties ( not necessarily the same as those on the us government &# 39 ; s dpl ) with which the organization operating the order management system refuses to transact business , at least without a screening operation . the local dpl may be subsequently used to add to an export management system for export compliance screening purposes as well as for the generation of export / shipping documents . thus , steps 30 and 40 have resulted in a common platform ( pin yin ), enabling in step 50 the compliance screening of addresses of china orders . the embodiment may be operated in a batch mode in which a plurality of items in the first database 110 ( e . g . all the chinese items in the first database 110 ) are converted into pin yin items one after another ( e . g . as a continuous sequence ) to form the database 150 , and later each of the converted items in the database 150 are compared ( e . g . one after another ) with the converted items of the second database 170 . alternatively , step 30 may be performed for the items of the first database 110 individually ( for example , whenever a new item is added to the first database 110 ), and step 50 may be performed for the resultant items in the database 150 by comparing the individual converted items with all the converted items of the second pin yin database 170 . if no matches are found , the contents of the database 150 may be discarded . in other words , in this variant of the embodiment , the first pin yin database 150 need not contain at any time more than the number of pin yin items which are derived from a single one of the simplified mandarin items in the database 110 . the comparison in step 50 may be performed as described above . if any matches are found , the output unit 190 is used to notify an operator of the system , who may cancel the corresponding order . alternatively , though less preferably , the order may be cancelled automatically . although illustrative embodiments have been shown and described , a wide range of modification , change and substitution is contemplated in the foregoing disclosure and in some instances , some features of the embodiments may be employed without a corresponding use of other features . accordingly , it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the embodiments disclosed herein .
| 6 |
with reference to the number references of the above mentioned figures , the barrier transition for removably closing road gaps , according to the invention , which has been generally indicated by the reference number 1 , comprises longitudinal elements 20 , made by coupling two barrier sections , and connected to one another by a hinge assembly 30 , the removable pin 31 of which constitutes a disengagement element for opening the road gap at one or more points . each element 20 is supported on the ground by two supporting feet 4 which can freely slide on the ground 5 . to facilitate the barrier opening movement , said transition barrier can optionally comprise , either fully or partially , a lifting and sliding system 60 , arranged near the feet 4 and comprising an adjustable lifting device 61 , so designed as to turn about a vertical axis passing through a hub 62 , and further including one or more wheels 63 for only contacting the ground as the road gap is opened . the terminal or end elements 8 are conventionally bolted to an existing fixed barrier 90 , which can be either metal barrier 91 or a concrete barrier 92 . if said existing barrier is considered as excessively weak , then the terminal elements 8 are suitably modified at their end portions for coupling to a strong ground driven pole 10 . according to another embodiment , designed to protect the existing barrier end portion from front impacts due to vehicles passing through the barrier gap , the end portion of the barrier terminal can be constructed , by any prior method , so as to absorb impacts . from the above disclosure it should be apparent that the invention fully achieves the intended objects . in particular , a barrier transition has been provided which is designed to absorb angled impacts from vehicles , meeting , for example , the european standard en 1317 , and which can be essentially dynamically deformed so as to guide an impacting vehicle to its carriageway again . moreover the barrier has a stiffened construction and operates in an elastic range , in order to achieve small side dynamic deformation ( camber ), thereby increasing the safety level of the transition . moreover , the connection with respect to the fixed barrier is such as to provide a gradual deformation of the fixed barrier , thereby preventing any dangerous hard points from occurring . with respect to the required maintenance interventions , since no foundation construction is necessary for anchoring and tensioning purposes , the existing barrier can be easily modified by only two maintenance operators who can use an optional service vehicle and related tooling . likewise , if the road gap is to be opened , the same operators can disengage either one or more element connections , lower the optionally provided wheels , for facilitating the sliding thereof , and quickly open the system as a book either from a part or from the other , or from both parts . according to preferred embodiments , the corrugated panels are arranged from the ground at a maximum height of 600 to 1 , 200 mm and preferably from 800 to 1 , 100 mm . moreover , the panels can have any desired contour and moment of inertia , even with barriers of closed circular or polygonal cross - section . to render the barrier more visible at the road gap , the longitudinal elements can be colored or decorated with patterns , to allow the closure region to be clearly seen . the invention , as disclosed , is susceptible to several modifications and variations , all of which will come within the scope of the invention . moreover , all the details can be replaced by other technically equivalent elements . in practicing the invention , the used materials , as well as the contingent size and shapes , can be any , depending on requirements .
| 4 |
reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the present invention , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings , wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout . the embodiments are described in order to explain the present invention by referring to the figures . from now on , the present invention will be described in greater detail by referring to the appended drawings . fig3 is a block diagram showing an image scanning device according to an embodiment of the present invention . the scanning device includes a charge coupled device ( ccd ) sensor 31 that receives a signal generated from a document scanned by using a scanning unit 20 , an amplifier that amplifies the received signal of the ccd sensor 31 by a predetermined amount , an a / d converter 33 that converts the amplified analogue signal into a digital signal , a controller 36 that stores the digitalized image in a storage unit 34 and controls so that the data can be edited or outputted by an image processor 35 and an operation panel 39 having a key input portion 37 operable by a user and a display 38 . the controller 36 controls a general document reading operation by controlling the driving of the scanning unit 20 according to a control program . the controller 36 controls so as to move a first carriage 23 having a lamp 21 and a mirror 22 and a second carriage 25 having mirrors 25 a , which are shown in fig4 . the controller 36 also controls the driving of the lamp 21 so as to scan a document 24 . the storage unit 34 includes a ram or eerom , and stores various data generated during the execution of the program , and various reference data . the key input portion 37 has numeral keys and function keys for operation of the respective components , and generates and sends to the controller 36 the data required for controlling the image scanning device . the display 38 is an indicating device such as a liquid crystal display ( lcd ), and displays a certain message while being driven by the controller 36 . in fig4 a reference numeral 26 denotes a white panel , and a reference numeral 27 denotes a condensing lens . the scanning unit 20 shown in fig4 is a typical example of a so - called optical path moving type of a reduced optical system that scans the image while the first and second carriages 23 and 25 move along the optical path . during driving of the image scanning device constructed as above , a method distinguishes the need for a lamp replacement from the existence of contaminants in the optical path and selectively indicates either the need for the lamp replacement or the existence of the contaminants in the optical path . referring to fig5 first , the entire system of the image scanning device is set in operation s 20 . the operation s 20 is performed through a key manipulation at the time of shipping the product , or in a serviceman mode , i . e ., when some parts are replaced or repaired . in this embodiment , initial references for the lamp 21 are obtained and stored in the storage unit 34 . the operation s 20 will be described in detail in a later part of the description and fig6 . with the system being set as described above , the user turns the power on to use the device in operation s 21 . accordingly , by a control program , the data are initialized , and the image scanning device is ready for the scanning operation in operation s 22 ). next , the quantity of light of the lamp 21 is measured , and the comparison / determination operation is selectively performed as to whether the lamp 21 operates appropriately or there are contaminants in the optical path including the white panel 26 in operation s 23 . in the operation s 23 , appropriate measures are taken according to the result of the comparison / determination operation to perform a normal scanning operation of the image scanning device . that is , the component can be replaced , repaired , or the device can be cleaned to remove the contaminants disposed in the optical path . the detailed description about the operation s 23 will be made in a later part of the description and fig8 . after the operation s 23 , the controller 36 determines whether an operation start command has been input through the key input or the like in operation s 24 , and performs the corresponding operation according to the key input in operation s 25 that is , the controller 36 either performs the scanning by driving the scanning unit 20 , or performs operations like print , copy , etc ., by driving the image processor 35 . after the operation s 25 , the system is in a standby mode . the controller 36 compares / determines whether a counting time tc counted from the operation s 23 till the standby mode exceeds a predetermined reference time ts , i . e ., 24 hours for example in operation s 26 . when it is determined that the counting time tc exceeds the reference time ts , the operation s 23 repeats , and if not , the device is in the standby mode until the key input . the system setting mode in the operation s 20 will be described in greater detail below with reference to fig6 . the setting mode in the operation s 20 is performed at the time of the shipping , or at the end of the component replacement or repair . referring to fig6 in the setting mode in the operation s 20 , the controller 36 first controls the driving of the scanning unit 20 to scan the white panel 26 in operation s 31 , and extracts a quantity of light of the white value in operation s 32 . as shown in fig7 the light quantity of the white value obtained from the scanned white panel is measured and extracted by the ccd sensor 31 by a predetermined voltage in the available pixels , respectively . according to the light quantity of the white value , the controller 36 determines a predetermined reference value r . the reference value r is for determining the appropriateness of the light quantity , and is programmable in consideration of the various types of lamps 21 and performance of the amplifier 32 . next , the determined reference value r is stored in the storage unit 34 in operation s 34 . further , the controller 36 calculates an initial average a of light quantity from the light quantity of the extracted white value in operation s 35 . the initial average value a is obtained with respect to the entire area of the available pixels of the white panel 26 . the initial average value a is stored in the storage unit 34 in operation s 36 . the controller 36 also divides the extracted white values into pixel divisions n in operation s 37 . next , the controller 36 calculates initial divisional average values b 1 ˜ bn of the respective divisions of pixels in operation s 38 . the initial divisional values b 1 ˜ bn are stored in the storage unit 34 and set in operation s 39 . the initial divisional values b 1 ˜ bn may be an average value of a plurality of pixels disposed within each of the divisions n corresponding to each portion of the white panel 26 . as described above , when the initial references of the light quantity of the lamp 21 , i . e ., the reference value r , the initial average ( a ), and the initial divisional values ( b 1 ˜ bn ) are obtained and stored in the storage unit 34 , the initial setting in operation s 20 is completed . with the initial references being set as described above , the devices are shipped and sold . in the home , when the user turns on the system for the first time , the initial references that are set before the shipping are initialized as stored in the storage unit 34 . accordingly , the comparison / determination of the light quantity is performed in operation s 23 ). the comparison / determination mode of operation s 23 will be described below in detail with reference to fig8 . in operation s 23 , first , the white panel 26 is scanned to re - extract the quantity of light of the lamp 21 and to obtain the respective measured values with which the initial reference values as set are compared . the ccd sensor 31 extracts the quantity of light of the white value of the scanned white panel 26 in operation s 42 . the controller 36 calculates an average value a and a minimum value m from the extracted quantity of light of the white value . then the controller 36 divides the extracted white value into divisions n , and calculates each light quantity of measured divisional values b 1 ˜ bn for the respective pixels of the divisions n in operation s 43 ). the calculated measured values , i . e ., the average value a , the minimum value m and the measured divisional values b 1 ˜ bn are stored in the storage unit 34 , respectively in operation s 44 . the measured divisional values b 1 ˜ bn may be a measured average value of a plurality of pixels of divisions n corresponding to the white panel 26 . next , the controller 36 compares the average value a initially set and stored in the storage unit 34 with the extracted average value a in operation s 45 . then the controller 36 determines whether the initial and measured average values a , a are different from each other by more than 10 % in operation s 46 . when it is determined that the light quantities of the initial and measured average values are different from each other by more than 10 %, the controller 36 performs a first checking in operation s 50 in which the controller 36 checks if there is abnormality in the lamp 21 . in the first checking operation s 50 , the controller 36 first searches the divisions to determine to which of the divisions the minimum value m falls in operation s 47 . then it is determined whether the minimum value m of the light quantity is in the first division or in the nth division in operation s 48 . the first and nth divisions correspond to respective opposite end sides of the white panel 26 . here , as shown in fig7 when the minimum value m of the measured light quantity l 2 is in the first or in the nth division , the minimum value m is compared with the reference value r of the light quantity l 1 as set in operation s 49 . next , the controller 36 determines whether the minimum value m is less than the reference r in operation s 51 . in operation s 51 , when the minimum value m is less than the reference r as shown in fig7 the controller determines that the quantity of light of the lamp 21 is not enough , and displays a message urging a lamp replacement in the display device 38 in operation s 52 . that is , when the minimum value m is smaller than the reference value r , the light quantity from both ends of the lamp 21 are insufficient , which is because of blackening . when using the lamp 21 in such a condition , there are considerable distortions in the images . accordingly , noticing the message for lamp exchange in the display 38 , the user replaces the lamp 21 with a new one by himself / herself or has the repairman do the replacement . meanwhile , when the difference between the initial and measured averages a , a compared in operation s 46 is smaller than 10 %, a second checking in operation s 56 is performed . in operation s 56 , it is checked whether there is a contaminant in the optical path that includes a white panel 26 and mirrors 22 and 25 a . in operation s 56 , first , the initially set averages of the respective initial divisional values b 1 ˜ bn are compared with the measured averages of the respective measured divisional values b 1 ˜ bn , respectively in operation s 53 . then it is determined whether there is any division where the difference between the initial divisional values b 1 ˜ bn and newly measured divisional values b 1 ˜ bn is more than a predetermined reference , i . e ., more than 10 % for example in operation s 54 . in operation s 54 , when the difference of the initial and measured divisional values b 1 ˜ bn , b 1 ˜ bn is more than 10 % in the seventh division , for example ( see fig9 ), the controller 36 drives the display 38 to indicate a warning message about the contaminations in the optical path in operation s 55 . that is , as shown in fig9 when the more than 10 % of difference is found in the seventh division instead of the first or the nth division , it is assumed that a certain location of the white panel 26 that corresponds to the seventh division , or the mirrors 22 and 25 a are contaminated . accordingly , the warning message , like “ white panel , mirror contamination ! !” is displayed . noticing the warning message , the user can check and clean or have the repairman clean the contaminated area . meanwhile , when there is no division where the difference if more than 10 %, since it is assumed that the optical path inclusive of the lamp 21 is in a normal condition , the controller 36 performs the next step , i . e ., the controller 36 maintains the standby mode and waits for a key input . further , in operation s 48 , even when it is determined that the minimum value m does not fall neither to the first division nor to the nth division , the second checking in operation s 56 can still be performed to check the contamination of the optical path . further , after displaying the message urging the lamp replacement in operation s 52 , the presence of contaminants in the optical path can still be checked by performing the second checking operation s 56 ). this is in consideration of the possibility that the lamp replacement time would coincide with the contamination of the optical path . accordingly , by checking the need for lamp replacement together with the presence of contaminants in the optical path at one time , the user can be prepared for the possible errors of various kinds appropriately . as described above , with the method of detecting an error in an image scanning device according to the present invention , it is determined whether to check a need for lamp replacement or a presence of contaminants in an optical path by comparing initially set reference values with newly measured values . accordingly , unlike the conventional way , the checking of the need for lamp replacement and the checking of the presence of contaminants in the optical path , can either be distinguishably and selectively performed , or simultaneously performed , so that the accurate error detecting and indicating is guaranteed . further , since the user appropriately deals with the error according to the indicated error message , replacing the lamp or cleaning the contaminated area , there is no possibility that the user replaces the lamp , which is still good , and accordingly , the costs can be reduced . also , the user can maintain the machine with more convenience . although a few preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described , it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in this embodiment without departing from the principles and sprit of the invention , the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents .
| 6 |
hereinafter , an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . in the following description of the present invention , a detailed description of known functions or configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear . the terms which will be described below are terms defined in consideration of the functions in the present disclosure , and may be different according to users , intentions of the users , or customs . therefore , the definitions of the terms should be determined based on the contents throughout the specification . hereinafter , in the present specification , embodiments of the present invention will be described based on a fallback transmission , but the present invention is not limited thereto , and may be applied to a general data transmission . further , the detailed description of embodiments of the present invention is made mainly based on a wireless communication system based on ofdm , particularly 3gpp eutra standard , but the subject matter of the present invention can be applied to other communication systems having a similar technical background and channel form after a little modification without departing from the scope of the present invention and the above can be determined by those skilled in the art . in the existing lte / lte - a system , when the fallback transmission is performed , as described above , the fallback transmission is performed based on the crs or the dmrs according to whether the subframe in which the fallback transmission is performed is the normal subframe or the mbsfn subframe . that is , as noted in table 1 , although the transmission mode is based on the dmrs , the fallback transmission in the normal subframe is always performed based on the crs . as described above , when the fallback transmission is always performed with a downlink transmission based on the crs in the normal subframe , in the above - mentioned distributed antenna system , transmission resources of all antennas included in one cell should be assigned for a terminal receiving the fallback transmission . as described above , this has an advantage of increasing a reception performance , but may incur inefficiency of a wireless resource assignment . in addition , in the lte / lte - a system , when an enb performs the fallback transmission based on the dmrs , the dmrs is scrambled by using a scrambling sequence determined according to a cell id , as noted equation 1 above . such a scrambling method may be a factor incurring a performance decline when the fallback transmission is performed based on the dmrs in the distributed antenna system . in a case of the distributed antenna system , antennas are disposed at a plurality of different positions in a cell , an initial state in which a scrambling of the dmrs is determined according to a cell id is used when the fallback transmission is performed . in a case wherein such a scrambling is performed , when the different antennas of the distributed antenna system perform the fallback transmission on the different terminal , respectively , by using the dmrs , the different antennas use the same initial state . when the same initial state is used , the same scrambling sequence is generated and interferences of signals transmitted from different positions cannot be randomized , thereby , incurring performance decline . in the distributed antenna system , the performance decline due to interference becomes worse , because a dmrs port 7 is always used when the fallback transmission using the dmrs is performed . but , when the fallback transmission is performed by using different dmrs ports in different transmission points , an interference effect caused by dmrs may be avoided . therefore , the present invention proposes a fallback transmission method for minimizing the performance decline due to the interference in the distributed antenna system . in the case of the fallback transmission in the normal subframe , when the base station selects one of the crs and the dmrs , rather than the base station always transmits data based on the crs , the base station may perform the fallback transmission by properly using the crs or the dmrs according to circumstances . that is , when it is importance to secure a reception performance of a terminal receiving the fallback transmission , the fallback transmission , based on the crs , which transmits data to only a specific terminal , is performed . when it is important to transmit data from different antennas in a cell to different terminals , the fallback transmission , based on the dmrs , which may transmit data to a plurality of terminals , is performed . as described above , in order for the base station to perform the fallback transmission by selecting one of the fallback transmission based on the crs and the fallback transmission based on the dmrs in the normal subframe , a function of informing of the selection should be supported . in a first embodiment of the present invention , as a method of informing of which of the fallback transmission based on the crs or the fallback transmission based on the dmrs is transmitted in the normal subframe , from the base station to the terminal , the following three methods are proposed . in method 1 , when a channel informing of the performance of the fallback transmission is the pdcch , it is informed that the fallback transmission is performed based on the crs . when the channel informing of the performance of the fallback transmission is an enhanced - pdcch ( e - pdcch ), it is informed that the fallback transmission is performed based on the dmrs . as described above , the base station transmits and informs of the performance of the fallback transmission to the terminal by using the dci format 1a . the dci format 1a is transmitted by using the pdcch or the e - pdcch , the pdcch is a control channel transmitted based on the crs , and the e - pdcch is a control channel transmitted based on the dmrs . when the dci format 1a informing of the fallback transmission in the normal subframe is transmitted by using the pdcch , the terminal assumes that the fallback transmission is performed based on the crs . in addition , when the dci format 1a informing of the fallback transmission in the normal subframe is transmitted by using the e - pdcch , the terminal assumes that the fallback transmission is performed based on the dmrs . a method of informing of whether the fallback transmission is performed to the terminal based on the crs or based on the dmrs by using the transmission of the dci format 1a by either the pdcch or the e - pdcch as described in the method 1 , does not have to transmit additional control information . in method 2 , a fallback transmission type bit , which is one bit of control information for informing of a fallback transmission manner , is added to the dci format 1a , which is a control information type informing of the performance of the fallback transmission . when the fallback transmission type bit , in the dci format 1a informing of the fallback transmission in the normal subframe , is 0 , the terminal assumes that the fallback transmission is performed based on the crs . in addition , when the fallback transmission type bit , in the dci format 1a informing of the fallback transmission in the normal subframe , is 1 , the terminal assumes that the fallback transmission is performed based on the dmrs . as described above , in the method 2 , the fallback transmission type bit is added in the dci format 1a , and therefore , whether the fallback transmission is performed based on the crs or is performed based on the dmrs is informed of , regardless of the channel ( pdcch or e - pdcch ) transmitting the dci format 1a . such a method needs an additional one bit of control information , but enables the base station to freely determine regardless of transmitting the pdcch or the e - pdcch . fig6 illustrates informing of the fallback transmission manner to the terminal by using the method 1 and the method 2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention . in the lte / lte - a system , the pdcch or the e - pdcch is transmitted together with the pdsch , as shown in fig6 . at this time , the pdcch or the e - pdcch performs a function of informing of the control information , for receiving the pdsch which is a data channel , to the terminal . in a subframe 600 , the pdcch or the e - pdcch is transmitted together with the pdsch . according to the method 1 , when the base station informs that the fallback transmission is performed based on the crs to the terminal , the dci format 1a is transmitted with the pdcch . when the base station informs that the fallback transmission is performed based on the dmrs to the terminal , the dci format 1a is transmitted with the e - pdcch . in addition , according to the method 2 , when the base station informs that the fallback transmission is performed based on the crs to the terminal , the base station sets the fallback transmission type bit as ‘ 0 ’ and transmits the fallback transmission type bit with the pdcch or the e - pdcch . when the base station informs that the fallback transmission is performed based on the dmrs to the terminal , the base station sets the fallback transmission type bit as ‘ 1 ’ and transmits the fallback transmission type bit with the pdcch or the e - pdcch . the base station performs the fallback transmission based on the crs or the dmrs according to the method 1 or the method 2 in the normal subframe such as 600 in fig6 . however , the base station performs the fallback transmission by always using the dmrs in the mbsfn subframe such as 610 in fig6 . in addition to informing of whether the fallback transmission is performed based on the crs or is performed based on the dmrs by using the pdcch or the e - pdcch as described in method 1 and the method 2 , a method of setting , whether the fallback transmission is performed based on the crs or is performed based on the dmrs in the normal subframe , by using a higher layer signaling is possible , as a method 3 . as described in table 1 , the downlink transmission includes a transmission determined by the fallback transmission and a transmission mode . in a transmission mode such as a transmission mode 9 of table 1 , the control information transmitted together with data includes information indicating which dmrs port is used and which initial state is used among initial states of a plurality of dmrs scrambling sequences . in contrast , in the case of the fallback transmission , the control information does not include the information indicating which dmrs port is used and which initial state is used among the initial states of the plurality of dmrs scrambling sequences . therefore , in the lte / lte - a release 10 , when the fallback transmission is performed , a dmrs port 7 and an initial state , of a dmrs scrambling sequence , which is always constant , are used . as described above , when the fallback transmission is performed by using the dmrs , the dmrs is scrambled with a sequence generated by an initial state using a function of the cell id such as equation 1 . in the distributed antenna system , as described above , in a case wherein the dmrs is scrambled with a sequence different according to the cell id , interference occurring when the distributed antennas transmit different signals is not randomized , and therefore reception performance is declined . in order to prevent such a problem , in the distributed antenna system , the scrambling sequence of the dmrs used in the fallback transmission should be applied differently to each of positions of the distributed antennas or should be applied differently to each terminal . therefore , in the second embodiment of the present invention , the following three methods are proposed , as a method of determining the dmrs port and the initial state of the dmrs scrambling sequence used in the fallback transmission . in the distributed antenna system , when the fallback transmission is performed based on the dmrs , the dmrs port and the initial state for the scrambling sequence of the dmrs are informed of to the terminal by using the higher layer signaling . setting the initial state by using the higher layer signaling as described above , does not need the transferring of the control information by using the additional pdcch or the e - pdcch . in addition , when the fallback transmission is performed , one of the plurality of initial states determined by the transmission mode is designated as the initial state for the scrambling sequence of the dmrs , and therefore , an overhead of the higher layer signaling may be decreased . table 2 below is one example wherein the initial state for the dmrs scrambling sequence is set by using the higher layer signaling when the fallback transmission is performed according to the method 1 of the second embodiment of the present invention . as noted in table 2 above , when the method 1 is applied , the dmrs port and the initial state for the dmrs scrambling sequence used in the fallback transmission in the normal subframe and the mbsfn subframe of the terminal may be individually set by using the higher layer signaling . the reason why the initial states are individually set in the normal subframe and the mbsfn subframe , as noted in table 2 above , is for expanding a range of choices of the scrambling sequence when the fallback transmission is performed by using two different initial states . that is , in table 2 above , an initial state a may be useful in effectively controlling or randomizing interference when the fallback transmission is performed from a plurality of transmission points in the distributed antenna system . an initial state b may be useful in effectively controlling or randomizing interference when the fallback transmission is performed from one transmission point in the distributed antenna system . when the initial states are individually set with respect to the normal subframe and the mbsfn subframe as noted in table 2 above , the base station may perform the fallback transmission in correspondence to circumstances . in addition , the dmrs port for the normal subframe and the dmrs port for the mbsfn subframe are individually set , and therefore , a mu - mimo which simultaneously transmits a signal to a plurality of terminals in the distributed antenna system may be effectively supported . for example , when one terminal performs the fallback transmission by using a dmrs port 7 and another terminal performs the fallback transmission by using a dmrs port 8 in the mbsfn subframe , orthogonality of the dmrs port 7 and the dmrs port 8 is maintained , and therefore , an improvement effect of a channel estimation and the like may be obtained . the higher layer signaling is performed by using a ue specific signaling individually transmitted to each terminal . in the method 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention , the initial state for the dmrs scrambling sequence in time of the fallback transmission is individually set in the normal subframe and the mbsfn subframe by using the higher layer signaling . because the higher layer signaling is used for setting the initial state for the fallback transmission in the method 1 as described above , finally , a overhead is incurred . therefore , in method 2 , in order to prevent such a higher layer signaling overhead , one of a plurality of initial states determined by the transmission mode is selected and used with a predetermined method . that is , as noted table 2 above , when the initial state a , the initial state b and the initial state c are set , each one of among the initial state a , the initial state b and the initial state c is designated and used as the initial state for the dmrs scrambling sequence in the normal subframe and the mbsfn subframe . in a method of selecting one of the plurality of initial states without additional signaling , a firstly set initial state may be always used in consideration of a sequence of the initial states . in addition , a minimum value or a maximum value among values of the initial states may be used . in addition , a modulo operation is performed on a radio network temporary identifier ( rnti ) which is a unique id of the terminal by a total number of selectable initial states , and an initial state corresponding to a value obtained by the modulo calculation may be used . in addition , in the method 2 , one of a plurality of dmrs ports which may be supported by the base station is selected and used with a predetermined method as the dmrs port used in the fallback transmission , without additional higher layer signaling . the method of selecting one of the dmrs ports includes a method of using the rnti which is the unique id of the terminal . for example , when the dmrs ports used for the fallback transmission are two kinds of the dmrs port 7 and the dmrs port 8 , a modulo operation is performed on an rnti value by 2 , when a result of the modulo operation is 0 , the port 7 is used , and when the result of the modulo operation is 1 , the port 8 is used . as another method , the modulo operation is performed on one among cell ids of the csi - rss measured by the terminal by 2 , and one of the dmrs port 7 or the dmrs port 8 may be selected according to a result of the modulo operation . in the method 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention , the initial state and the dmrs port for the dmrs scrambling sequence in time of the fallback transmission are individually set in the normal subframe and the mbsfn subframe by using the higher layer signaling . in addition , in the method 2 , the initial state and the dmrs port for the dmrs scrambling sequence in time of the fallback transmission are individually set according to the predetermined method in the normal subframe and the mbsfn subframe , without additional higher layer signaling . besides such the method 1 and the method 2 , the base station may inform of the two kinds of information to the terminal by using the pdcch or the e - pdcch according to method 3 . that is , according to the method 3 , the base station inputs the information of the initial state and the dmrs port for the dmrs scrambling sequence to the control information by using the dci format 1a for the fallback transmission , so as to transmit the information of the initial state and the dmrs port . the terminal receives the control information with respect to the initial state and the dmrs port for the dmrs scrambling sequence included in the dci format 1a received by using the pdcch or the e - pdcch , and obtains information necessary to receive the fallback transmission . in the first and second embodiments of the present invention , in the case that the fallback transmission is performed , which method the base station uses to transmit the fallback transmission and how the terminal receives the fallback transmission were described . in the third embodiment of the present invention , a method of controlling an uplink transmission power when an ack / nack is transmitted to the base station is proposed . here , the ack / nack indicates whether the terminal receiving the fallback transmission properly receives the fallback transmission after the base station performs the fallback transmission on a specific terminal . in general , when the fallback transmission is performed , a wireless channel environment may not be proper for performing a downlink transmission by a transmission mode . when a channel environment of a downlink where a transmission from the base station to the terminal is performed is poor , a channel environment of an uplink where a transmission from the terminal to the base station is performed also becomes poor . in order to resolve such a problem , in the third embodiment of the present invention , a method of properly controlling the uplink transmission power in time of the fallback transmission is proposed . table 3 below is summary of the uplink transmission power in time of the fallback transmission proposed in the present invention . in table 3 above , when the fallback transmission is performed in the downlink , the uplink transmission power of the ack / nack signal with respect to the fallback transmission is set differently according to whether the fallback transmission is performed in the normal subframe or is performed in the mbsfn subframe . in addition , the uplink transmission power of the ack / nack signal may be determined as a comparative value of a specific uplink transmission power . in table 3 above , a standard uplink transmission power uses an uplink transmission power ( level a ) which is applied when the transmission by the set transmission mode is performed . table 3 above specifies an example of setting the uplink transmission power of the ack / nack with respect to the fallback transmission based on the specific uplink transmission power . however , besides such a method , it is also possible to set the transmission power of the ack / nack with respect to the fallback transmission as an absolute value . in this case , when the fallback transmission is performed , the terminal transmits the ack / nack with a predetermined uplink transmission power . at this time , the uplink transmission power of the ack / nack with respect to the fallback transmission is set by an informing from the base station to the terminal with the higher layer signaling . another method besides the method noted in table 3 above , includes a method of setting the uplink transmission power of the ack / nack with respect to the fallback transmission differently according to whether the base station performs the fallback transmission based on the crs or performs the fallback transmission based on the dmrs . furthermore , when the fallback transmission is performed based on the dmrs , the uplink transmission power of the ack / nack with respect to the fallback transmission may be set differently according to which initial state for a scrambling sequence is used . in the fourth embodiment of the present invention , a diversity transmission method based on the dmrs is proposed as another method of improving the fallback transmission . in a case of an existing lte / lte - a system , a transmission diversity such as a space frequency block code ( sfbc ) is used , for a diversity transmission . the transmission diversity of such an existing lte / lte - a system is based on the crs . in the case of the fallback transmission based on the dmrs , the fallback transmission is performed by using a beam forming of which a rank is 1 . but , in general , the beam forming provides poor reception performance compared to the transmission diversity in a rapidly changing wireless channel environment . in order to secure a performance of a level identical to the transmission diversity , it is necessary to obtain a diversity within one rb . in addition , such a transmission method should be based on the dmrs rather than the crs . the diversity transmission method based on the dmrs proposed in the fourth embodiment of the present invention performs the fallback transmission by using a plurality of dmrs ports , assigns res transmitted with the fallback transmission in the one rb to the plurality of dmrs ports , respectively , and transmits the res assigned to a specific dmrs port in one rb with a precoding identical to that of a corresponding dmrs port . fig7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the base station performing the fallback transmission in the distributed antenna system according to an embodiment of the present invention . in fig7 , the base station performs a scheduling for determining a terminal for the downlink data transmission in step 700 . after the base station determines the terminal for the downlink data transmission in step 700 , the base station determines whether there is a terminal receiving the downlink data with the fallback transmission among terminals receiving the downlink data in step 710 . when it is determined that there is not a terminal receiving the downlink data with the fallback transmission in step 710 , the downlink transmission is performed by using the dci format determined according to the set transmission mode rather than the dci format 1a in step 720 . in contrast , when it is determined that there is the terminal receiving the downlink data with the fallback transmission in step 710 , the base station determines whether the fallback transmission is performed in the mbsfn frame or is performed in the normal subframe in step 730 . when it is determined that the fallback transmission is performed in the mbsfn subframe in step 730 , the base station performs the fallback transmission based on the dmrs on the terminal in step 740 . in addition , the base station transmits the dci format 1a to the terminal to inform that the fallback transmission is performed based on the dmrs . at this time , the base station informs the initial state for the dmrs scrambling and the control information including the uplink transmission power of the ack / nack with respect to the fallback transmission to the terminal , according to the second or third embodiment of the present invention . in addition , the fallback transmission based on the dmrs may be performed according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention . when it is determined that the fallback transmission is performed in the normal subframe in step 730 , the base station determines whether the base station performs the fallback transmission based on the crs or performs the fallback transmission based on the dmrs in step 750 . when it is determined that the fallback transmission is performed based on the dmrs in step 750 , the base station performs the fallback transmission based on the dmrs and informs that the fallback transmission is performed based on the dmrs to the terminal . in addition , the base station informs of the initial state for the dmrs scrambling and the control information including the uplink transmission power of the ack / nack with respect to the fallback transmission to the terminal , according to the second or third embodiment of the present invention . in addition , the fallback transmission based on the dmrs may be performed according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention . when it is determined that the fallback transmission is performed based on the crs in step 750 , the base station performs the fallback transmission based on the crs and informs that the fallback transmission is performed based on the crs to the terminal . in addition , the base station determines the uplink transmission power of the ack / nack with respect to the fallback transmission to the terminal , according to the third embodiment of the present invention . fig8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the terminal performing the fallback transmission in the distributed antenna system according to an embodiment of the present invention . the terminal performs a blind decoding with respect to the pdcch / e - pdcch in step 800 of fig8 . next , the terminal determines whether the terminal receives a downlink scheduling grant based on a result of the blind decoding with respect to the pdcch / e - pdcch of step 800 , in step 810 . when it is determined that the downlink scheduling grant is not received in step 810 , the terminal performs the blind decoding again in the next subframe . in contrast , when it is determined that the downlink scheduling grant is received in step 810 , the terminal determines whether a corresponding downlink data transmission is the fallback transmission in step 820 . it is determined whether the downlink data transmission is the fallback transmission in step 820 according to whether the dci format transferred to the terminal by using the pdcch / e - pdcch is the dci format 1a or not . when it is determined that the downlink data transmission is not the fallback transmission in step 820 , the terminal receives the downlink transmission from the base station according to the transmission manner defined by the transmission mode in step 830 . when it is determined that the fallback transmission is received in step 820 , the terminal performs operations which are different according to whether the subframe where the fallback transmission is received is the mbsfn subframe or the normal subframe . that is , when the subframe is the mbsfb subframe , the terminal receives the fallback transmission based on the dmrs in step 850 . at this time , the terminal determines an initial state for a dmrs de - scrambling and the uplink transmission power of the ack / nack with respect to the fallback transmission , according to the second or the third embodiment of the present invention . in addition , the fallback transmission based on the dmrs may be performed according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention . in addition , when a corresponding subframe is the normal subframe , the terminal determines whether the fallback transmission is performed based on the dmrs or the crs in step 860 . such a determination is performed according to the first embodiment of the present invention . when it is determined that the fallback transmission is based on the crs as a result of step 860 , the terminal receives the fallback transmission based on the crs in step 870 , and the uplink transmission power of the ack / nack with respect to the fallback transmission is determined according to the third embodiment of the present invention . in contrast , when it is determined that the fallback transmission is based on the dmrs , the terminal receives the fallback transmission based on the dmrs in step 880 . at this time , the terminal determines the initial state for the dmrs de - scrambling and the uplink transmission power of the ack / nack with respect to the fallback transmission , according to the second or the third embodiment of the present invention . in addition , the fallback transmission based on the dmrs may be performed according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention . fig9 illustrates an apparatus configuration of the base station according to an embodiment of the present invention . in fig9 , the base station includes a controller 900 , a pdcch / e - pdcch signal generator 910 , a pdsch signal generator 920 , a multiplexer 930 and an ofdma transmitter 940 . the controller 900 determines the downlink scheduling . in addition , the controller 900 determines whether the fallback transmission is performed or not . in addition , the controller 900 determines whether the fallback transmission is based on the dmrs or the crs . when the determination is performed , the controller 900 controls the pdcch / e - pdcch signal generator 910 and the pdsch signal generator 920 so that the pdcch / e - pdcch signal generator 910 and the pdsch signal generator 920 generate signals in correspondence to the determination . the signals generated from the pdcch / e - pdcch signal generator 910 and the pdsch signal generator 920 are multiplexed in the multiplexer 930 and transmitted through the ofdma transmitter 940 under a control of the controller 900 . fig1 illustrates an apparatus configuration of the terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention . in fig1 , the terminal includes an ofdma receiver 1000 , a de - multiplexer 1010 , a pdcch / e - pdcch signal decoder 1020 , a controller 1030 , a pdsch signal decoder 1040 and a power controller 1050 . the ofdma receiver 1000 receives a wireless signal transmitted from the base station . the wireless signal received from the ofdma receiver 1000 is divided into a pdcch / e - pdcch signal and a pdsch signal in the de - multiplexer 1010 . the divided pdcch / e - pdcch signal and pdsch signal are input to the pdcch / e - pdcch signal decoder 1020 and the pdsch signal decoder 1040 , respectively , to be decoded . in addition , the controller 1030 determines how to receive the fallback transmission in consideration of a transmission of the pdcch / e - pdcch , a transmission of the dci format 1a , a transmission of the mbsfn or the normal subframe , information included in the pdcch / e - pdcch , and the like . the controller 1030 informs of a determination result to the pdcch signal decoder 1020 and the pdsch signal decoder 1040 . in addition , the controller 1030 determines the uplink transmission power of the ack / nack with respect to the fallback transmission in consideration of the transmission of the pdcch / e - pdcch , the transmission of the dci format 1a , the transmission of the mbsfn or the normal subframe , the information included in the pdcch / e - pdcch , a parameter set by the higher layer signaling , and the like . the controller 1030 informs of a result of the determination to the ack / nack transmitter 1050 .
| 7 |
a digital logic design implementing subtraction with a 3 : 2 carry - save - adder ( csa ) in a high speed floating point unit ( fpu ), is disclosed . in the following description , for purposes of explanation , specific numbers , times , signals , etc ., are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention . however , it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details . in other instances , well known circuits and devices are shown in block diagram form in order not to obscure the present invention unnecessarily . referring now to fig1 a computer system comprising a main processor and a math processor is illustrated . a main processor 50 and a math processor 30 are coupled to transfer information over a common bus 40 . in this arrangement , the main processor 50 transfers math instructions over a control bus 55 and arguments to the math processor 30 over the bus 40 . the results of math operations are transferred from the math processor 30 to the main processor 50 , also over the common bus 40 . control bus 55 provides for synchronization and control of communication between the math processor 30 and the main processor 50 . the math processor 30 receives arguments from main processor 50 over the bus 40 . the arguments may include two floating point numbers x and y . a wide variety of inter - processor communication structures may be used for transferring instructions , arguments , and results between the main processor 50 and the math processor 30 . possible inter - processor communication structures include stacks and data cues , which may be located internal to the main processor 50 and the math processor 30 , or located in an external memory . in floating point representation , a computer word defining a number is divided into three fields , a sign field , an exponent field , and a mantissa field . the sign field determines whether the number is positive or negative , the exponent field determines the magnitude of the number , and the mantissa field determines the fractional part of the number . for one embodiment , the remainder generator of the present invention supports single , double , and double extended precision . fig2 is a block diagram of a remainder generator portion of the math processor 30 . the remainder generator is comprised of a control circuit 100 , a quotient prediction circuit 200 , a partial remainder generator circuit 300 , a quotient generator circuit 400 , and an exponent difference circuit 500 . the exponent difference circuit 500 receives the exponent fields of floating point numbers x and y over buses 82 and 84 . the exponent difference circuit 500 subtracts the exponent of y from the exponent of x , and delivers the result to the control circuit 100 over signal lines 86 . the control circuit 100 receives control signals 88 indicating that a remainder function is being executed by math processor 30 . the control circuit 100 receives exponent difference 86 and determines parameters for performing the remainder function . the control circuit 100 then generates control signals 32 in order to control the flow of data through the quotient prediction circuit 200 , the partial remainder generator circuit 300 , and the quotient generator circuit 400 . a wide variety of state machine designs may be used to implement the function of control circuit 100 , without departing from the spirit of the present invention . partial remainder generator circuit 300 receives the mantissa field of floating point number x over signal lines 70 , and receives the mantissa field of floating point number y over signal lines 72 . partial remainder generator circuit 300 generates a partial remainder for non - restoring division , and restoring division . fig3 illustrates partial remainder generator circuit 300 , which generates a redundant partial remainder . the redundant partial remainder is generated by carry save adder ( csa ) 360 and stored in sum register 390 and carry register 392 . sum 76 and carry 78 are fed back to input 346 and input 336 of csa 360 through multiplexers 340 and 330 . multiplexers 310 and 320 receive the mantissa fields of floating point numbers x and y from main processor 50 over busses 70 and 72 . in the current embodiment , either bus 70 or 72 may carry the mantissa of x , with the other carrying the mantissa of y . control signals 315 and 325 received from control circuit 100 cause multiplexers 310 and 320 to selectively couple the mantissa of x to dividend 74 , and the mantissa of y to divisor 324 . in the current embodiment , busses 70 and 72 are each 68 bits wide . multiplexers 350 , 352 and 354 generate adder input 356 equal to next quotient 235 ( received from quotient prediction circuit 200 ) times divisor 324 . csa 360 is a 3 : 2 carry save adder that performs subtraction in accordance with the teachings of the present invention . however , for purposes of illustration , the teachings of the present invention are discussed with reference to fig4 . in fig4 a 3 : 2 csa 20 receives three datavalues a , b , and f , having data formats of the form [ b n - 1 : 0 ]. datavalue f is transmitted to csa 20 via a 1 &# 39 ; s complement generator block 19 , in the preferred embodiment comprising an inverter and a 2 : 1 mux . 1 &# 39 ; s complement generator block 19 has inverting logic necessary to produce the correct sign of datavalue f at the input of csa 20 , and receives a control signal 22a . control signal 22a may be supplied either by a state machine controlling the digital logic implementation , or by a separate controlling ( not shown ) hardware arrangement . csa 20 has two outputs respectively producing a sum vector 21a and a carry vector 21b . the sum vector 21a has a data format of [ b n - 1 : 0 ], which result is then steered to and stored in a sum vector latch 24a . with respect to the carry vector 2lb , the least significant bit of the carry vector 21b is disregarded , with the data format of the output carry vector 21b being of the form [ b n : 1 ] the purpose of the different data format for carry vector 21b will become clear in the following paragraphs . the carry vector 21b is then steered to and latched in a carry vector latch 24b , similar to the case of sum vector 21a . all three inputs to csa 20 consist of operands to be combined as required , without allocating an additional input for a constant &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; to be added . therefore , there are no additional input paths to csa 20 beyond the three inputs shown in fig4 . instead , a constant &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; signal 28 is taken from control signal 22aand routed to carry vector latch 24b . the signal 28 provides a constant &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, in essence , if asserted ( or a constant &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; if deasserted ) as shown in fig4 which gates a datavalue equal to logical 1 to the lsb position of carry vector latch 24b whenever a subtraction operation is to be performed . the significance of the present invention is that rather than adding &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; at input of csa 20 , the constant &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; is added after operands have been combined in csa 20 , the foregoing being accomplished by &# 34 ; inserting &# 34 ; the &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; into the least significant bit ( lsb ) position of the output carry vector 21b taken from csa 20 . inasmuch as the output carry vector 21b is defined to have a data format [ b n : 1 ], there remains an additional bit location which may be adjusted , namely the lsb . in the present invention , the lsb position of carry vector 21b is used as the carry - in &# 34 ; input &# 34 ; for csa 20 , depending whether the carry - in signal 28 is asserted . in the case where carry - in signal 28 is not asserted , the lsb of the output carry vector 21b remains unaltered ( logic 0 ), and no addition is accomplished to the lsb position of carry vector latch 24b . the final result will be formed from &# 34 ; sum &# 34 ;, representing the final sum vector 21a produced by csa 20 and &# 34 ; carry &# 34 ;, representing the final carry vector 21b . on the other hand , if constant &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; signal 28 is asserted , latch 24b will capture the constant &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; to the lsb position of carry vector latch 24b , where the lsb of output carry vector 21b will be set to logical 1 , and thereby adding &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. in the latter case , the result latched in latch 24b is a final carry vector &# 34 ; carry &# 34 ; having again a full data format of [ b n : 0 ]. as shown in fig4 the final results taken from csa 20 and stored as sum and carry in latches 24a and 24b respectively , may be subsequently taken and combined to form a single nonredundant representation of a final result . obviously , in other specific implementations , carry - in signal 28 could be asserted when no addition is to occur , and deasserted when &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; is to be added , depending on the designer &# 39 ; s preference . the operation of the present invention may be best explained in connection with the following example . for purposes of the following example , four - bit data values will be used for explaining operation of the circuit . however , it should be obvious that the actual data format anticipated by the present invention may encompass any arbitrary size data value . in the presently preferred embodiment of the present invention , the operands consist of 70 - bit data segments ( i . e ., data format is [ 69 : 0 ]. assume for purposes of the following example that three binary values are to be combined : assume further that it is desired to perform the operation a + b - f . as previously described in the art background , because subtraction operations are difficult to implement , subtraction is almost always invoked by addition of the 2 &# 39 ; s complement representation of the number to be subtracted . datavalue f ( equal to 0101 ) has a 2 &# 39 ; s complement representation of f *= 1011 . accordingly , the operation a + b - f to be performed may be restated as a + b + f *. the 3 : 2 csa configured according to the present invention adds &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; after the addition has already taken place . using the same binary data values for a , b , and f , inputs of csa 20 of the present invention shown in fig4 the problem is illustrated in fig5 . as can be seen in fig5 the effect of the present invention is to obviate the need for a dedicated fourth adder input in order to form the 2 &# 39 ; s complement in csa 20 . rather , the present invention permits the constant &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; to be added after the addition of a 1 &# 39 ; s complement to two other datavalues , thereby adding 1 and forming the 2 &# 39 ; s complement after the addition has already occurred . a principle benefit of the present invention is that the result is available sooner , and the margin with which results are delivered to subsequent logic blocks is increased . consequently , the speed of subsequent operations using the result is enhanced . another benefit of the present invention is that the smaller layout area required for a 3 : 2 csa results in a dimensionally smaller overall fpu . obviously , the 3 : 2 csa 20 can be used for a three input adder in a straightforward manner , by not asserting the constant &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; signal 28 , thereby causing all three input datavalues a , b , and f , to be added . the foregoing has described a digital logic design implementing subtraction with a 3 : 2 csa in a high speed floating point unit fpu is disclosed . it is contemplated that changes and modifications may be made by one of ordinary skill in the art , to the device components and arrangements of elements of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .
| 6 |
although the method of the present invention is explained with reference to exemplary nmos and pmos devices , it will be appreciated that the method of the present invention may be applied to the formation of any mosfet device where a stress level is controllably introduced into a charge carrier channel region by selective formation and subsequent removal of stressed dielectric layers overlying an nmos and / or pmos gate structure . referring to fig1 a - 1f in an exemplary embodiment of the method of the present invention , are shown cross - sectional schematic views of a portion of a semiconductor wafer during stages in production of cmos structures including nmos and pmos devices 10 a and 10 b . for example , referring to fig1 a is shown a silicon substrate 12 including respective p - doped well regions 12 a and n - doped well region 12 b formed by conventional methods , for example a masking process followed by ion implantation and activation annealing . formed by conventional processes prior to forming the n - well and p - well regions are isolation areas , for example shallow trench isolation ( sti ) structures , e . g ., 14 back filled with an oxide dielectric , for example teos oxide . still referring to fig1 a , a gate structure is formed by conventional processes including first depositing a gate dielectric portion e . g ., 16 a and 16 b followed by formation of a polysilicon layer and photolithographic patterning and plasma assisted etching e . g ., an ( rie ) process to form polysilicon gate electrode portions e . g ., nmos device polysilicon gate electrode 18 a and pmos device polysilicon gate electrode 18 b . following formation of the polysilicon gate electrodes , source / drain extension ( sde ) regions forming a portion of doped s / d regions e . g ., 20 a and 20 b are formed by a conventional ion implant process adjacent the polysilicon electrodes to a shallow depth e . g ., ( 30 to 100 nm ) beneath the silicon substrate surface according to a low energy ion implantation or plasma immersion doping process . still referring to fig1 a , sidewall spacers e . g ., 22 a and 22 b , also referred to as dielectric offset spacers , are formed along the polysilicon gate electrode sidewalls by depositing one or more layers of silicon nitride ( e . g ., si 3 n 4 ), silicon oxynitride ( e . g ., sion ), or silicon oxide ( e . g ., sio 2 ) over the gate dielectric followed by etching away portions of the one or more layers to form self - aligned sidewall spacers on either side of the polysilicon gate electrodes . following sidewall spacer formation , the nmos and pmos device areas are sequentially doped according to a conventional a high dose ion implantation ( hdi ) process to form the high density implant portions of doped source / drain ( s / d ) regions e . g ., 20 a and 20 b in the silicon substrate adjacent the sidewall spacers . the polysilicon electrodes 18 a and 18 b are preferably doped at the same time the hdi is carried out to lower a sheet resistance of the polysilicon . the hdi process , carried out at higher implantation energies known in the art compared to the sde ion implantations , preferably at least partially forms amorphous polysilicon in polysilicon electrodes 18 a and 18 b including the entire polysilicon electrode portion . in one embodiment , an annealing process to activate the hdi treated s / d regions and the polysilicon electrodes is postponed until after the formation of overlying dielectric films in tensile stress and / or compressive stress over respective nmos and pmos gate structures as explained further below . referring to fig1 b , according to an important aspect of the invention , at least one first dielectric layer e . g ., 24 a is blanket deposited to cover the nmos and pmos structures formed in one of compressive and tensile stress to form a first strained layer . prior to formation of the first dielectric layer 24 a , optionally , but preferably to enhance a subsequent etch processes , a silicon oxide buffer layer e . g ., 23 having a thickness of less than about 200 angstroms is formed by a conventional cvd process over the nmos and pmos devices . it will be appreciated , as explained below , that the order of first depositing dielectric ( strained ) layers in either tensile ( over nmos device ) or compressive stress ( over pmos device ) may be reversed provided that a tensile stress dielectric layer is formed over the nmos device portion and / or the compressive stress dielectric layer is formed over the pmos device portion , prior to the dopant activation and polysilicon recrystallization annealing process . in the exemplary embodiment as shown , the first dielectric layer 24 a is deposited in tensile stress over both the nmos device and pmos devices . for example , the first dielectric layer is deposited to be in tensile stress , having a tensile stress , preferably of up to about 2 gpa . it will be appreciated that the level of the tensile stress can be varied by a number of factors including the thickness of the dielectric film , preferably being from about 50 angstroms to about 1000 angstroms in thickness . in a preferred embodiment , the dielectric film 24 a is deposited by a cvd process where the relative reactant flow rates , deposition pressure , and temperature may be varied to vary a composition of the dielectric layer thereby controlling the level of either tensile or compressive stress . for example , the dielectric film may be a nitride film , preferably including silicon nitride ( e . g ., sin , si x n y ) or silicon oxynitride ( e . g ., si x on y ) where the stoichiometric proportions x and y may be selected according to cvd process variables as are known in the art to achieve a desired tensile or compressive stress in a deposited dielectric layer . for example , the cvd process may be a low pressure chemical vapor deposition ( lpcvd ) process , an atomic layer cvd ( alcvd ) process , or a plasma enhanced cvd ( pecvd ) process . according to an aspect of the invention the first dielectric layer 24 a is deposited at a temperature lower than a recrystallization temperature of the amorphous polysilicon gate electrode 18 a and 18 b portions formed in the hdi process . for example , although the precise recrystallization temperature is dependent on the level and type of doping , deposition at a temperature of less than about 600 ° c . is generally sufficient to prevent recrystallization of the amorphous polysilicon gate electrode portions . conventional cvd precursors such as , silane ( sih 4 ), disilane ( si 2 h 6 ) dichlorosilane ( sih 2 cl 2 ), hexacholorodisilane ( si 2 cl 6 ), btbas and the like , may be advantageously used in the cvd process to form the first dielectric layer . for example , a low temperature lpcvd process for forming a tensile stress nitride dielectric layer includes supplying hexacholorodisilane ( hcd ) ( si 2 cl 6 ) and nh 3 gaseous precursors deposited at a temperature of from about 400 ° c . to about 600 ° c . at a pressure of about 0 . 1 torr to about 10 torr mtorr . an nh 3 to hcd volumetric gas ratio is from about 0 . 1 to about 500 with a stress increasing with an increasing volumetric ratio . for example , a low temperature pecvd process for forming a compressive stress nitride layer may include supplying silane ( sih 4 ) and nh 3 gaseous precursors at a deposition temperature of from about 300 ° c . to about 600 ° c . carried out at pressures of from about 50 mtorr to about 5 torr and rf powers of from about 100 watts to about 3000 watts . the rf power frequency is from about 50 khz to about 13 . 56 mhz . compressive stress increases with increasing power and frequency . referring to fig1 c , following formation of the first dielectric layer 24 a , a resist patterning process is carried out to cover one of the nmos and pmos device portions and remove the first dielectric layer remaining exposed over the uncovered portion . for example , in the exemplary order of processing steps shown , a protective resist covering 25 a is formed over the nmos device portion 10 a and the first dielectric layer 24 a formed in tensile stress is removed over the pmos device portion 10 b , e . g ., including over about half the width of the sti feature 14 by a conventional wet etching ( e . g ., hf or hot h 3 po 4 ) or dry etching process . at this point , an annealing process is optionally carried out to simultaneously activate the hdi dopants in the polysilicon gate electrodes 18 a and 18 b and s / d regions e . g ., 20 a and 20 b as well as recrystallize the amorphous polysilicon gate electrode portions formed in the hdi process . for example , the annealing process is preferably carried out at temperatures greater than about 600 ° c ., more preferably greater than about 900 ° c . by conventional annealing techniques . during the annealing process and recrystallization of the amorphous polysilicon portions , the stressed ( strained ) dielectric layer e . g ., 24 a enhances a stress , e . g ., tensile stress imparted to the respective channel region e . g ., 12 a while not affecting ( enhancing ) the stress ( e . g ., compressive ) imparted to the channel region of the device ( e . g ., pmos ) having the stressed dielectric layer first removed , thereby enhancing electron mobility in the nmos device while not degrading electron mobility in the pmos device . it will be appreciated that a compressive stress dielectric layer may be first formed over the nmos and pmos devices 10 a and 10 b followed by removal of that portion of the compressive stress dielectric layer overlying the nmos device 10 a portion followed by an annealing process to impart an enhanced compressive stress to the pmos channel 10 b portion e . g ., 12 b to enhance hole mobility , while not degrading electron mobility in the nmos device . in one embodiment , following the annealing process , the remaining portion of the first dielectric layer 24 a overlying the nmos device 10 a and the oxide buffer layer 23 over both nmos and pmos devices may be removed , for example by sequential wet etching ( e . g ., hot h 3 po4 dip ) or dry etching , followed by a dilute hf wet etching solution dip to remove remaining portions of the oxide buffer layer 23 . referring to fig1 d , in another embodiment , following removal of a portion of the first dielectric layer 24 a ( e . g ., in tensile stress over the pmos device 10 b ), at least one second strained ( stressed ) dielectric layer 24 b is formed over the nmos device 10 a and pmos device 10 b according to preferred embodiments as outlined for the first dielectric layer 24 a , but now preferably formed in an opposite stress relationship , e . g ., compressive stress up to about 2 gpa . referring to fig1 e , a second protective resist layer 25 b is then deposited to cover and protect the pmos device 10 b portion while a portion of the second dielectric layer 24 b overlying the nmos device portion 10 a is removed according to a conventional wet or dry etching process as previously outlined for dielectric layer portion 24 a . for example , for a silicon nitride containing second dielectric layer 24 b , a wet etching process including hf and / or hot h 3 po 4 , or a fluorocarbon and / or hydrofluorocarbon containing dry etching chemistry . at this point , after forming a respective tensile stress dielectric layer e . g ., 24 a over the nmos device and a compressive stress dielectric layer e . g ., 24 b over the pmos device , an annealing process is not necessary if the respective dielectric layers will remain in place to form a protective layer , e . g ., a contact etching stop layer in subsequent processes . on the other hand , if the stressed dielectric layers 24 a and 24 b are desired to be removed to improve a subsequent gap filling process , prior to removal , an annealing process , similar to that previously outlined is preferably carried out to recrystallized amorphous polysilicon portions with the respective stressed dielectric layers in place over one or both of the nmos and pmos devices to transfer a stress to the channel region to form a strained channel thereby improving the charge carrier mobility in at least one and preferably both nmos and pmos devices . advantageously , following formation of the respective tensile stress and compressive stress dielectric layers , e . g ., 24 a and 24 b are left in place to serve both stressors and as protective layers in subsequent manufacturing processes . referring to fig1 f , in a another embodiment , if the dielectric layer portions 24 a and 24 b are removed , and oxide buffer layer 23 , conventional processes may then carried out to complete formation of the nmos and pmos mosfet devices including forming salicide ( self aligned silicide ) portions over the source and drain regions e . g ., 28 a and 28 b , and silicide over the upper portion of the polysilicon electrodes , e . g ., 30 a and 30 b . for example , tisi 2 or cosi 2 silicides are formed by conventional processes including titanium or cobalt deposition followed by silicide formation and annealing processes to achieve the low electrical resistance silicide phase as is known in the art . referring to fig2 is a process flow diagram including several embodiments of the present invention . in process 201 , a an semiconductor substrate including a polysilicon gate electrode is provided . in process 203 a high density implant ( hdi ) doping process is carried out inducing polysilicon gate electrode amorphization . in process 205 , at least one dielectric layer in tensile and / or compressive stress over respective nmos and pmos polysilicon electrodes ( i . e ., tensile stress over nmos and / or compressive stress over pmos ). in process 207 , an annealing process is carried out to activate the hdi dopants and recrystallize the polysilicon gate electrodes forming a desired stress in the semiconductor substrate . in process 209 , the at least one dielectric layer is removed . in process 211 , conventional processes are carried out to complete formation of mosfet devices . thus a method has been presented for selectively delivering a selected stress level and type to a mosfet channel region to improve charge carrier mobility and device performance . among the several advantages of the invention include the fact that the stressed dielectric layer may be deposited at higher temperatures since the deposition temperature is limited by a temperature of amorphous polysilicon recrystallization rather than another phase transformation such as a previously formed silicides . further , since the hdi dopant activation is carried out following formation of the stressed dielectric layer , the temperature of dielectric layer formation does not contribute to dopant deactivation . moreover , an embodiment of the method of the present invention allows the simultaneous formation of a desired level and type of stress in both pmos and nmos devices to improve both hole and electron charge carrier mobility , respectively . other realized advantages include the fact that the stressed dielectric layers may be removed following the stressed channel enhancing process thereby avoiding process window limitations including gap filling ability in a subsequent ild layer deposition process . alternatively , portions of the stressed dielectric layers may be left in place to serve as both stressors and protective layers without the necessity of additional formation processes . advantageously , the method is cost efficient in that the same photomask used for respective nmos and pmos hdi processes may be used to selectively remove stressed dielectric layer portions followed by formation of stressed dielectric layer over respective nmos and pmos devices . the preferred embodiments , aspects , and features of the invention having been described , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous variations , modifications , and substitutions may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as disclosed and further claimed below .
| 7 |
the instant new , novel , and unique invention , including methods , means , processes and techniques is based on the discovery that selective removal of elemental mercury from flue gas or the like can produce a reference gas for a zero point calibration at measurement wavelengths for elemental mercury . other components in the flue gas which absorb radiation at the measurement wavelength or wavelengths for mercury are nulled when referenced to the zero point calibration . consequently , elemental mercury in the raw flue gas can then be measured without interference from other components which absorb radiation at the same wavelength ( s ) used for the measurement of elemental mercury . the practice of this invention is generally carried out with a system comprising a uv photometer , a condensing unit , and preferably a gold - containing device to scrub mercury from at least a portion of the flue gas sample which later may be used for purposes of establishing the zero point calibration . the practice of this invention is not limited to a uv photometer . also , if a condensing unit is not used to first remove water from the flue gas before it is introduced into the mercury scrubber heating of the mercury scrubber to about 70 ° c . to prevent water condensation therein is suggested to help prolong the useful life thereof . in order to achieve the foregoing and other objects of the instant invention , the present invention provides a method and means for gases , including a process comprising : ( a ) taking a first sample , preferably in the form of a continuous stream for a predetermined period of time of the waste gas , ( b ) removing from the sample obtained in ( a ) supra , the water and water - soluble components from the stream , ( c ) diverting the stream through a cartridge containing therein gold - coated particulate material to effect removal of elemental mercury , ( d ) measuring the radiation intensity of the resultant stream of first sample as a reference gas ; and ( e ) taking a second sample , preferably in the form of a continuous stream for a predetermined period of time of the waste gas and comparing the radiation intensity measured in said second sample of the raw flue gas to the reference gas intensity to obtain a measure of elemental mercury in the flue gas . in order to practice the instant invention a system was devised to carry out the tests necessary therefore . accordingly , one embodiment of such a system can comprise : a first conduit is provided which communicates between a de - watering unit and the common input of a first transfer valve . a second conduit is provided which communicates between the normally open output of said first transfer valve and the normally open input of second transfer valve . a third conduit is provided which communicates between the common output of said second transfer valve and the input to a photometric analyzer . a fourth conduit is provided which communicates between the normally closed output of the said transfer valve and the input of a mercury scrubber . a fifth conduit is provided which communicates between the output of said mercury scrubber and the normally closed input of said second transfer valve . during a normal measuring cycle which normally last from 20 to 30 minutes a sample stream is passed through a heated sample line to the de - watering unit which condenses and removes the water from the sample gas . this allows the mercury scrubber to be operated at ambient temperature , i . e . about 20 ° to 30 ° c . which extends its life span . a first conduit communicates between the de - watering unit and the first transfer valve which directs the sample stream to a second conduit which communicates between the first and second transfer valve . the second transfer valve directs the sample stream to a third conduit which communicates between the second transfer valve and the photometric analyzer . the sample stream is passed from the third conduit to the photometric analyzer where a photometric analysis records the amount of mercury present . during a zero cycle which occurs every 20 to 30 minutes and lasts about 300 seconds , a first conduit which communicates between the de - watering and the first transfer valve , passes the sample stream to the first transfer valve which directs the sample stream to a fourth conduit which communicates between the first transfer valve and the mercury scrubber . the fourth conduit passes the sample stream to the mercury scrubber where a noble - metal - coated substrate absorbs the mercury but does not affect the other components of the sample stream . the mercury free sample stream now referred to as the zero reference stream passes into a fifth conduit which communicates between the mercury scrubber and the second transfer valve . the second transfer valve directs the zero reference stream to the third conduit which communicates between the second transfer valve and the photometric analyzer . at the start of the zero cycle the photometric analyzer goes into a hold mode at which time the zero reference stream passes through the analyzer for 150 seconds . at the end of the first 150 seconds the photometric analyzer zeroes itself and the transfer valves are switched back to the normal read cycle position described earlier . the photometric analyzer remains in a hold mode for another 150 seconds while the sample stream fills the analyzer . at the end of the second 150 seconds &# 34 ; hold ,&# 34 ; the photometric analyzer goes into a normal read mode . in order that those skilled in the art may better understand how the present invention can be practiced , the following examples are given by way of illustration only and not necessarily by way of limitation , since numerous variations thereof will occur and will undoubtedly be made by those skilled in the art without substantially departing from the true and intended scope and spirit of the instant invention herein taught and disclosed . the measurement instrument which was used in tests comprising the following examples was an existing uv monitoring system of the type described in &# 39 ; 156 , supra . the photometer was configured to measure mercury in the presence of sulfur dioxide . the measurement of elemental mercury at 254 nm in the presence of sulfur dioxide was accomplished by electronically nulling the sulfur dioxide contribution to the elemental mercury measurement . the sulfur dioxide absorptivity at 313 nm is comparable to that at 254 nm . thus , by subtracting the intensity of radiation absorbed at 313 nm from that at 254 nm permitted the mercury absorbance to be measured . the instrument was calibrated for 1 ppb elemental mercury and 1500 ppm sulfur dioxide and was found to accurately measure elemental mercury at values as low as 0 . 2 ppb . the measurement system also incorporated a water - condensing unit upstream of the mercury scrubber unit and the photometer . the water - condensing unit protected the mercury scrubber from water soluble components in the flue gas which could affect its mercury removal life - span and efficiency . the mercury scrubber was located upstream of the photometer and comprised a borosilicate tube of 6 mm diameter containing from 0 . 75 to 1 gram of gold - coated sand held in place with glass wool plugs . during operation , the flue - gas was diverted every 20 minutes through the mercury scrubber to produce a mercury - free reference gas , and the instrument response was nulled on the mercury - free flue gas during a 132 second zeroing operation . upon completion of the zeroing cycle , measurement of the mercury in the flue gas was resumed with the resulting compensated instrument . in the examples given below the gas flow through the instrument was adjusted to 2 l / min . of dry gas matrix . example i illustrates the adverse influence of nitrogen dioxide on the measurement of elemental mercury hg °! in the presence of sulfur dioxide and the elimination of the adverse effect in the preparation and use of a mercury - free reference gas as taught by the instant invention . the gas mixture was variously composed of no 2 at 46 ppm , so 2 at 250 to 1000 ppm , hg ° at 1 . 4 ppb , and n 2 to make up a total flow of 2 l / min . the simulated flue gas was caused to flow either directly through the photometer for a mercury measurement or through the mercury scrubber to produce the mercury - free reference gas and subsequently through the photometer . the nitrogen dioxide effect on the mercury reading is illustrated in tests ( a )-( d ) of table 1 , infra . in table 1 , &# 34 ; by - pass &# 34 ; means that the mercury scrubber was circumvented . as may be seen , fifty ppm of no 2 in n 2 produced a mercury reading of - 0 . 5 ppb in test ( b ). when elemental mercury was added at 1 . 4 ppb ( nist mercury permeation source ) only 0 . 9 ppb of mercury was measured in test ( c ). in test ( d ) the gas mixture flows through the mercury scrubber but the instrument was not zeroed and the resultant reading was - 0 . 5 ppb indicating that the mercury was removed and only nitrogen dioxide was affecting the measurement . in test ( e ) the gas mixture of mercury , nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen passed through the mercury scrubber and the instrument was &# 34 ; zeroed &# 34 ; on the extracted gases , nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen . upon zeroing , the mercury measurement of the gas mix containing the mercury , nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen read correctly at 1 . 4 ppb . tests ( f )-( h ) illustrate that as sulfur dioxide concentration was added from 250 to 500 ppm the instrument compensated for the presence of sulfur dioxide in the gaseous mixture per &# 39 ; 156 , supra . tests ( i )-( k ) show that a gas mix of mercury , sulfur dioxide , nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen passed through the mercury scrubber and the instrument was &# 34 ; zeroed &# 34 ; on remaining sulfur dioxide , nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen . the sulfur dioxide concentration from 500 to 1000 ppm was effectively compensated by the instrument and correctly read the 1 . 4 ppb elemental mercury being generated by the nist tube . table 1______________________________________ mercury instrumenttest hg ° ppb no . sub . 2 ppm so . sub . 2 ppm scrubber zero reading , ppb______________________________________a -- -- -- by - pass 0b -- 50 -- by - pass - 0 . 5c 1 . 4 50 -- by - pass 0 . 9d 1 . 4 50 -- in - line - 0 . 5be 1 . 4 50 -- in - line . check mark . 0f 1 . 4 50 -- by - pass 1 . 4g 1 . 4 50 250 by - pass 1 . 4h 1 . 4 50 500 by - pass 1 . 4i 1 . 4 50 500 in - line . check mark . 0j 1 . 4 50 1000 by - pass 1 . 4k 1 . 4 50 1000 in - line . check mark . 0______________________________________ the measuring instrument was as described with the exception that the 313 nm measurement was disabled eliminating the compensation for the sulfur dioxide concentration as described in &# 39 ; 156 , supra . this example demonstrates that a mercury scrubber composed of gold - coated sand allows for the measurement of elemental mercury at 254 nm wavelength in presence of sulfur dioxide . it should , however , be noted that the procedure in this example is based on the premise of combustor operation parameters wherein so 2 in the gas is relatively constant throughout the burn . accordingly , the use of this method in practice assumes that fluctuations in the concentration of sulfur dioxide are substantially minimal . the sulfur dioxide effect on the elemental mercury reading is demonstrated in tests ( a )-( b ) of table 2 , infra . one hundred ppm of so 2 in n 2 produced a mercury reading of 1 . 9 , an increase of 1 ppb over the actual concentration . in test ( c ) the instrument was zeroed on the reference gas produced after diverting the gas flow through the mercury scrubber , and the mercury measurement corresponds to the concentration generated by the nist tube . the concentration of so 2 was then raised to 800 ppm which produced an 8 . 3 ppb reading for mercury . again , the instrument was zeroed on the reference gas produced by diverting this gas flow through the mercury scrubber and the elemental mercury concentration measurement again corresponded to that generated by the nist tube . the process was repeated with a concentration of 1500 ppm so 2 with the same result . in the final test ( h ), 50 ppm no 2 was added to the gas matrix and in accordance with the predictions , supra , no change in elemental mercury measurement was observed . table 2______________________________________ mercury instrumenttest hg ° ppb so . sub . 2 ppm no . sub . 2 ppm scrubber zero reading , ppb______________________________________a 0 . 9 -- -- -- 0 . 9b 0 . 9 100 -- by - pass 1 . 9c 0 . 9 100 -- in - line . check mark . 0 . 9d 0 . 9 800 -- by - pass 8 . 3e 0 . 9 800 -- in - line . check mark . 0 . 9f 0 . 9 1500 -- by - pass 8 . 3g 0 . 9 1500 -- in - line . check mark . 0 . 9h 0 . 9 1500 50 by - pass 0 . 9______________________________________ the measuring instrument was as described in the lead - in to these examples with the exception that the mercury scrubber was positioned upstream of the water - condensing unit . the mercury scrubber was heated to 70 ° c . to prevent water condensation within the scrubber . with this arrangement , the effects of hydrochloride gas in the presence of 10 % water , and of temperature changes on the mercury scrubber containing the gold - coated sand were evaluated . as data in table 3 infra suggests , a dry gas matrix , a lower scrubber temperature , and a reduced hcl concentration increase the lifetime of the scrubber . test ( 1 ) shows that a lower temperature extends the breakthrough time for the mercury scrubber . the term &# 34 ; breakthrough time ,&# 34 ; as used herein means and is intended to mean the time it takes the mercury scrubber to become saturated and the mercury to begin passing through it , rather than being trapped therein . the saturation , although substantially contributed by mercury may also be attributed to poisoning of the noble - metal surface by other materials such as hcl and so 2 . the effect of hydrochloride gas in the presence of 10 % water vapor is shown in tests ( 3 ) to ( 5 ) to reduce the breakthrough time of the mercury scrubber . in test ( 5 ), 140 ppm hcl in 10 % water vapor saturated the mercury scrubber prior to introduction of the gaseous matrix containing elemental mercury , and accordingly , mercury breakthrough occurred within only 10 minutes . based on the data in the table 3 , infra , the prediction of the useful life - span of the particular gold or sand mercury scrubber without regeneration ranges from about 40 to about 95 days , however , a regular heating interval to rejuvenate the gold affinity for mercury can be easily incorporated into the design to increase life - span of the referencing process . table 3__________________________________________________________________________ prior to wt . au - test , hg ° hcl co hg ° break - coated saturate conc ., h . sub . 2 o conc ., conc ., temp throughtest sand , gms au with : ppb conc ., % ppm ppm ° c . time , hrs__________________________________________________________________________1 0 . 740 -- 1 . 6 -- -- -- 40 2 . 82 0 . 759 -- 1 . 6 -- -- -- 70 1 . 83 0 . 756 -- 1 . 6 10 140 -- 70 1 . 64 0 . 756 -- 1 . 6 10 140 100 70 1 . 55 0 . 728 hcl 1 . 6 10 140 -- 70 0 . 1__________________________________________________________________________ again , the measuring instrument is as described in the lead - in to these examples . the mercury concentration of a simulated flue gas containing 1 . 6 ppb ( v / v ) of elemental mercury , 1500 ppm so 2 , 50 ppm no 2 , 550 ppm no , 140 ppm hcl , 14 % co 2 , 10 % h 2 o , 7 % o 2 was monitored continuously for 84 hours . the instrument was automatically zeroed on the elemental mercury - free reference gas obtained after flowing the simulated gas through a 6 mm id tube containing 1 . 01 grams of gold - coated sand to remove elemental mercury from the gas matrix . the instrument was zeroed every 30 minutes , for a period of 132 seconds , albeit this time can be varied as long as sufficient time is allowed for the cell to be purged with reference gas prior to zeroing and is also allowed sufficient time to refill with sample gas before the resumption of measuring . the mercury generated by a nist calibrated mercury diffusion tube was monitored at 1 . 6 ppb ± 0 . 1 ppb elemental mercury for the 84 hours of the test . this example illustrates that a gold sorbent can selectively remove elemental mercury from a simulated flue gas matrix and can produce a reference gas free of elemental mercury which can be used for zero point calibration of a mercury measurement photometer . after sifting and winnowing through the data herein presented , as well as other results and operations of the instant new , novel , and improved technique , including methods and means for the effecting thereof , the operating variables , including the acceptable and preferred conditions for carrying out the instant , new , and novel invention are summarized below : ______________________________________ operating preferred most preferredvariables limits limits limits______________________________________temp hg ° 0 - 100 ° c . *** 4 - 7 ° c . 25 - 30 ° c . scrubber * water vapor 0 - 15 % 5 - 10 % 7 - 8 % conc . so . sub . 2 conc . ** 0 - 2500 ppm 500 - 1500 ppm 500 - 1000 ppmno . sub . 2 conc . 0 - 500 ppm 1 - 100 ppm 0 - 50 ppmhcl conc . 0 - 200 ppm 0 - 50 ppm 0 - 25 ppm______________________________________ * the hg ° scrubber must be operated above the dew point temperature of the flue gas to prevent water condensation . the higher the temperature of the hg ° scrubber the less hg ° it will hold , so the shorter its operational life will be . ** above 2500 ppm so . sub . 2 the instrument compensation for so . sub . 2 does not work well . *** the hg ° scrubber may be operated above 100 ° c ., but its breakthrough time will be reduced . while we have shown and described particular embodiments of this invention , modifications and variations thereof will occur to those skilled in the art . it is to be understood therefore that the appended claims are intended to cover such modifications and variations which are within the true scope and spirit of this invention .
| 6 |
the present invention will now be described more specifically with reference to the following embodiments . it is to be noted that the following description of preferred embodiments of this invention are presented herein for purpose of illustration and description only . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the precise form disclosed . please refer to fig4 . it illustrates a first embodiment of a battery pack 40 with functions of near field communication for use in a mobile phone 41 . the battery pack 40 comprises an antenna 401 , a near - field - communication integrated chip ( nfc ic ) 402 , two ic card holders 403 and a rechargeable lithium ion battery module 404 . the antenna 401 is provided outside of the battery pack 40 and wiredly connected to the nfc ic 402 to transmit rf signals to a remote card reader 42 or a remote tag 43 . the antenna 401 also receives rf signals from the remote card reader 42 or the remote tag 43 and transmits the relevant information to the nfc ic 402 . the rechargeable lithium ion battery module 404 is linked to the nfc ic 402 to provide power to the nfc ic 402 . the rechargeable lithium ion battery module 404 supplies power to the mobile phone 41 as well . the ic card holders 403 are electrically connected to the nfc ic 402 . the ic card holders 403 accommodate two ic cards , i . e ., a subscriber identity module ( sim ) card 405 and a magnetic prepaid card 406 . here the magnetic prepaid card 406 is for contactless transaction in a supermarket . the battery pack 40 is stowed in a battery holder 411 in the mobile phone 41 so that the power can be provided to the mobile phone 41 via a connector ( at the back side of battery pack 40 , not shown ). meanwhile , a dual card controller 407 links to the sim card 405 in the ic card holders 403 . the dual card controller 407 is further linked to another sim card 413 in the mobile phone and provides access to other mobile phone number in the sim card 405 than the one in the sim card 413 . the user of the mobile phone 41 can use two mobile phone numbers with only one mobile phone . the user can also check the data stored in the sim card 405 in the ic card holder 403 via a human - machine interface , for example , a lcd panel 412 on the mobile phone . the nfc ic 402 has information inquiring unit 4021 and communicating unit 4022 . the information inquiring unit 4021 requests the remote card reader 42 or the remote tag 43 to send the relevant information via the antenna 401 to the magnetic prepaid card 406 . the communicating unit 4022 keeps communication between the antenna 401 and the magnetic prepaid card 406 . on the other hand , the remote card reader 42 keeps sending rf inquiry signals to the nfc ic 402 via the antenna 401 to ask for information , such as user name and balanced credit , in the magnetic prepaid card 406 . the nfc ic 402 replies the inquiry and sends the information via the antenna 401 . the nfc ic 402 also sends rf inquiry signals to inquire information , such as price and date of manufacturing , in the remote tag 43 and gets the corresponding information . in the first embodiment , the antenna 401 is assembled outside of the battery pack 41 . alternatively , the antenna 401 can be provided within the battery pack 41 . the battery module 404 is not limited to lithium ion batteries . it can be any rechargeable batteries , such as nickel mental hydride batteries . of course , with different wireless network systems , the sim card 405 can be replaced with usim for wcdma , ruim for cdma2000 , pim for phs , and any smart card for transaction . besides , the battery pack 41 has functions of near field communication even if the battery pack 41 is not connected with the mobile phone 41 . as long as the power is sufficient to drive the antenna 401 and the nfc ic 402 , the near field communication works . as shown in fig5 , a second embodiment shows a design for users to use near field communication without power source from a battery module . in the second embodiment , a battery pack 50 comprises an antenna 501 , a near - field - communication integrated chip ( nfc ic ) 502 , two ic card holders 503 , a rechargeable lithium ion battery module 504 and a switch 507 . the antenna 501 is assembled outside of the battery pack 50 and wiredly connected to the switch 507 . the switch 507 is used for selecting different electrical conduction paths and is in turn linked to the nfc ic 502 and the ic card holders 503 . if the electrical conduction between the antenna 501 and the nfc ic 502 is on , the antenna 501 transmits rf signals from the nfc ic 502 to a remote card reader 52 or a remote tag 53 , receives rf signals from the remote card reader 52 or the remote tag 53 and transmits the relevant information to the nfc ic 502 . the rechargeable lithium ion battery module 504 is linked to the nfc ic 502 to provide power to the nfc ic 502 . the rechargeable lithium ion battery module 504 supplies power to the mobile phone 51 as well . the ic card holder 503 is electrically connected to the nfc ic 502 . the ic card holders 503 accommodate two ic cards , i . e ., a subscriber identity module ( sim ) card 505 and a magnetic prepaid card 506 . here the magnetic prepaid card 506 is for contactless transaction in a supermarket . the switch 507 is connected with the magnetic prepaid card 506 via contacts c 4 and c 8 ( standard ) of the magnetic prepaid card 506 through the ic card holders 503 . the switch 507 is not connected to the sim card 505 . the battery pack 50 is stowed in a battery holder 511 in the mobile phone 51 so that the power can be provided to the mobile phone 51 via a connector ( at the back side of battery pack 50 , not shown ). meanwhile , a dual card controller 508 links to the sim card 505 in the ic card holders 503 . the dual card controller 508 is further linked to a sim card 513 in the mobile phone and provides access to other mobile phone number in the sim card 505 than the one in the sim card 513 . the user of the mobile phone can use two mobile phone numbers with only one device . the user can also check the data stored in the sim card in the ic card holder 503 via the interface , for example , a lcd panel 512 on the mobile phone . the nfc ic 502 has information inquiring unit 5021 and communicating unit 5022 . the information inquiring unit 5021 requests the remote card reader 52 or the remote tag 53 to send the relevant information via the antenna 501 to the magnetic prepaid card 506 . the communicating unit 5022 keeps communication between the antenna 501 and the magnetic prepaid card 506 . the remote card reader 52 keeps sending the rf inquiry signals to the nfc ic 502 via the antenna 501 to ask for information , such as user name and balanced credit , in the magnetic prepaid card 506 . the nfc ic 502 replies the inquiry . the nfc ic 502 also sends rf inquiry signals via the antenna 501 to request information , such as price and date of manufacturing , in the remote tag 53 and gets the corresponding information . when the electrical conduction between the antenna 501 and the ic card holder 503 is on by the switch 507 , the rf inquiry signals from the antenna 501 bypass the nfc ic 502 and are transmitted to the magnetic prepaid card 506 . the magnetic prepaid card 506 will reply the request from the remote card reader 52 via the antenna 501 . the battery pack 50 under this situation is not able to send rf signals via the antenna 501 to request the information in the remote tag 53 . in this embodiment , the antenna 501 is assembled out side of the battery pack 50 . alternatively , the antenna 501 can be provided within the battery pack 50 . the battery module 504 is not limited to lithium ion batteries . it can be any rechargeable batteries , such as nickel mental hydride batteries . of course , with different wireless network systems , the sim card 505 will be replaced with usim for wcdma , ruim for cdma2000 , pim for phs , and any smart card for transaction . while the invention has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiments . on the contrary , it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims , which are accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures .
| 7 |
the following discussion of the embodiments of the invention directed to a current monitoring and control circuit employing a magnetic amplifier and a feedback circuit is merely exemplary in nature , and is in no way intended to limit the invention or its applications or uses . fig4 is a schematic diagram of a current monitoring and control circuit 40 , according to an embodiment of the present invention , that includes a magnetic amplifier 38 . the elements of the magnetic amplifier 38 are the same as the amplifier 10 discussed above and are identified by the same reference numeral . the control circuit 40 includes an active feedback circuit 42 that sets the operating current of the control circuit 40 so that it remains at a fixed operating point defined by a reference voltage v ref , as will be discussed in detail below . by adding the feedback circuit 42 , the full operating range of the circuit 40 is not limited by the range of the amplifier 38 , and can be expanded to the limit of bias circuitry applying a bias voltage v b to the bias winding 14 . further , dependencies of the excitation signal quality and external magnetic field effects are virtually eliminated by the feedback circuit 42 so that the output voltage is more linear . directional sensing ( polarity ) is inherent in this design because of the offset bias current . the bias winding 14 is coupled to the feedback circuit 42 and receives the bias voltage v b . the bias current i b through the bias winding 14 is coupled 180 ° out of phase with the control winding 12 , and therefore acts to cancel the control current i c . the control circuit 40 also includes a negative ac feedback compensation for controlling feedback ac stability . because of the turns ratio of the bias winding 14 to the control winding 12 ( for example , 1000 : 1 ), one milliamp of the bias current i b effectively offsets one amp of the control current i c . in the control circuit 40 , the output voltage of the magnetic amplifier 38 is identified as the gate voltage v g , and the output voltage v 0 is the output of the feedback circuit 42 that is proportional to the control current i c . the feedback circuit 42 includes a feedback comparator or amplifier 44 that receives the reference voltage v ref at its positive input and the gate voltage v b across the resistor 32 at its negative input . in one embodiment , the reference voltage v ref is provided by a precision voltage reference diode 46 , such as an lm 113h diode , and can be , for example , 1 . 2 volts . the output of the feedback amplifier 44 is coupled to the gate terminal of a field effect transistor ( fet ) 48 . the source terminal of the fet 48 is coupled to the bias winding 14 and the drain terminal of the fet 48 is coupled to an output resistor 50 , where the output voltage v 0 across the resistor 50 is proportional to the control current i c in the control winding 12 . therefore , as the output of the feedback amplifier 44 increases , the gate terminal fet 48 is driven higher , and more of the bias current i b from the bias winding 14 is allowed to flow through the resistor 50 to generate the output voltage v 0 . in this design , the bias voltage v b applied to the bias winding 14 is controlled to maintain the gate voltage v g at the fixed operating point . in other words , as the control current i c in the control winding 12 changes , the bias voltage v b is changed so that the gate voltage v b remains constant at the fixed operating point as set by the reference voltage v ref . the bias voltage v b is measured across the resistor 50 to determine the control current i c . the bias current i c cancels the influence of the control current i c by magnetic coupling in the magnetic amplifier 38 . when the control current i c is zero , the bias current i b stabilizes the gate voltage v g at the desired operating point determined by the reference voltage v ref . if the control current i c increases in a positive direction , then the bias current i b is increased to maintain the set point at the output voltage v g , and thus , the output voltage v 0 across the resistor 50 will increase . likewise , if the control current i c increases in a negative direction , then the bias current i b is reduced to maintain the gate voltage v g at the desired operating point , causing the output voltage v 0 across the resistor 50 to decrease . therefore , the control circuit 40 can determine the direction of the control current i c in the control winding 12 because the circuit 40 knows the output voltage v 0 when the control current i c is zero , and thus , it also knows the direction of the control current i c by the value of the output voltage v 0 when the control current i c is not zero . if the gate voltage v g is at a lower potential than the reference voltage v ref , the gate terminal of the fet 48 is driven more positive . as the gate terminal of the fet 48 is driven more positive , the bias current i b is increased through the resistor 50 . because of the gain of the fet 48 , the bias current i b is drawn through the bias winding 14 . an increase in the bias current i b shifts the magnetic flux in the gate windings 16 and 18 towards the saturation region , causing an increase in the gate current i g and an increase in the gate voltage v g . as the gate voltage v g increases towards the reference voltage v ref , the output of the feedback amplifier 44 goes to zero , reducing the drive power applied to the gate terminal of the fet 48 , and the feedback circuit 42 becomes stable . in the stable mode , the gate voltage v g is maintained equal to the reference voltage v ref . the bias current i b is set to the desired zero current operating point of the amplifier 38 . for example , v g is set to 1 . 4 volts . when the control current i c goes more negative , the gate current i g and the gate voltage v g tend to decrease . when the gate voltage v g decreases below the reference voltage v ref , the output of the feedback amplifier 44 drives the gate terminal of the fet 48 more positive . as the gate terminal of the fet 48 is driven more positive , the bias current i b through the resistor 50 increases . conversely , when the control current i c goes more positive , the gate current i g and the gate voltage v g tend to increase . when the gate voltage v g increases above the reference voltage v ref , the output of the amplifier 44 drives the gate terminal of the fet 48 less positive . as the gate terminal of the fet 48 is driven less positive , the bias current i b through the resistor 50 decreases . fig5 is a graph showing the output voltage v 0 of the feedback circuit 42 as a function of the control current i c . a large ac ripple could potentially occur on the bias winding 14 at twice its excitation frequency . therefore , a filtering capacitor 52 is provided to remove this ripple from the output voltage v 0 . also , a dc bias voltage of i b r b , where r b is the value of the resistor 50 , must be subtracted from the output voltage v 0 to remove the offset voltage from the output voltage v 0 . as discussed above , the conventional magnetic amplifier cannot differentiate between a positive control current i c and a negative control current i c . the output voltage v o will go positive when a negative control current i c is present and will also go positive when a positive control current i c is present . the operation of the feedback circuit 42 discussed above allows the control circuit 40 to determine the polarity of the control current i c . however , for the feedback circuit 42 to operate properly , the feedback circuit 42 must always operate on the proper slope of the dual slope ( fig2 ) of the gate voltage v g . a large negative transient control current i c exceeding the design range of the amplifier 38 can erroneously cause the feedback circuit 42 to try to stabilize on the wrong slope of the gate voltage v g . in other words , if the direction of the control current i c is changing faster than the response time of the amplifier 38 , the gate voltage v g may stabilize on the negative slope of the gate voltage v g . this would cause the control circuit 40 to lock up , and not be able to return to the proper operating slope . when the control current i c is driven more negative by an external load demand , the feedback amplifier 44 and the fet 48 will increase the bias current i b ( out of phase with the control current i c ) to compensate for the increase in the control current and maintain the feedback circuit 42 in the stable condition . when the bias current i b can no longer increase due to the supply limitations , the useful range of the feedback circuit 42 is exceeded . as the control current i c continues to increase into the over - range condition , the output voltage v 0 will decrease from the stable reference voltage v ref to zero volts , and then start to increase more positive towards 1 . 2 volts on the negative slope of the gate voltage v g . as the gate voltage v g rises above the reference voltage v ref causing the output of the feedback amplifier 44 to drive the gate of the fet 48 negative , the feedback circuit 42 will lock into saturation on the wrong ( negative ) slope of the output voltage v 0 . to protect against this over - range condition , the control circuit 40 includes a reset circuit 54 to detect if the feedback circuit 42 goes out of its operating range , and to return the feedback circuit 42 to its operating range and the proper slope . the reset circuit 54 is necessary in the event the control current i c changes beyond the rate or amplitude that the feedback circuit 42 can compensate ( for example , & gt ; 2 i o ). if the control circuit 40 is attempting to measure a control current i c that is out of its operating range , then the reset circuit 54 will repeatedly attempt to reset the feedback circuit 42 , until the control current i c returns to the operating range of the amplifier 40 . however , if the reset circuit 54 is triggered because the control current i c is changing its polarity too rapidly , the reset circuit 54 will cause the feedback circuit 42 to return to the proper slope of the gate voltage v g . the reset circuit 54 includes a first comparator 56 and a second comparator 58 . the output of the feedback amplifier 44 is applied to the positive terminal of the first comparator 56 , and the gate voltage v g is applied to the positive terminal of the second comparator 58 . the reference voltage v ref is applied to the negative terminals of the comparators 56 and 58 . the output of the first comparator 56 is applied to the negative input of the feedback amplifier 44 , and the output of the second comparator 58 is applied to the negative input of the first comparator 56 . when the output of the feedback amplifier 44 goes below the reference voltage v ref , the output of the comparator 56 goes low . this pulls the negative input of the amplifier 44 low to try and force the output of the feedback amplifier 44 back into the linear control region . the feedback amplifier 44 and the comparator 56 are electrically coupled in a cross - strap configuration so that they continue to toggle until the over - range condition is corrected . when the negative over - range condition is corrected , the positive input of the comparator 58 senses that the gate voltage v g is reduced below one - half of the reference voltage v ref , and the output of the comparator 58 goes low . the output of the comparator 58 pulls the negative input of the comparator 56 low allowing the output of the comparator 56 to return high , which indicates that it is in the proper operating range of the feedback circuit 42 . the feedback circuit control is reestablished on the correct slope ( negative feedback ) and the closed loop control operates correctly . under large transient load conditions , the feedback circuit 42 can transition from the stable slope where negative feedback controls the feedback circuit regulation to the unstable slope where the feedback goes positive . the reset circuit 54 will respond as with the large dc over - current correct condition , correcting the proper slope after the current transient is terminated . an output of the comparator 56 can set a reset flag so that control circuit knows that the reset circuit 54 has been activated . the control circuit 40 also includes an output circuit 62 including a first amplifier stage 64 , a second amplifier stage 66 and a third amplifier stage 70 . the amplifier stages 64 , 66 and 68 are responsive to the output voltage v 0 and the reference voltage v ref . as will be discussed below , the output circuit 62 removes the zero current offset , identifies the control current i c polarity , and provides the desired output ranges . the amplifier stage 64 includes an output amplifier 72 that provides an indication of the magnitude of a positive control current i c , such as a positive battery charging current v charge in the control winding 12 . the positive input of the output amplifier 72 is coupled to the reference voltage v ref to remove the zero offset bias voltage . the negative input of the output amplifier 72 is coupled to the output voltage v 0 . when the output voltage v 0 is above the reference voltage v ref , the output of the output amplifier 72 is driven to ground indicating the control current i c is zero or negative . as the control current i c becomes more positive causing the output voltage v 0 to decrease below the reference voltage v ref , the output of the output amplifier 72 becomes more positive . the output range of the amplifier 72 is set by selecting the value of resistor 74 . in one example , the gain of the amplifier 72 is set for 5 volt full scale output equal to 16 amps of positive charge control current i c . the second amplifier stage 66 includes an output amplifier 76 that provides an indication of the polarity i direction of the control current i c . the positive input of the output amplifier 76 is coupled to the reference voltage v ref , and the negative input of the amplifier 76 is coupled to the voltage output v 0 of the feedback circuit 42 . when the voltage v 0 is greater than the reference voltage v ref , the output of the amplifier 76 is driven low indicating a negative or discharge control current i c . when the control current i c goes positive , the output voltage v 0 will decrease below the reference voltage v ref , allowing the output of the amplifier 76 to go high to indicate a positive charge current . the third amplifier stage 68 includes a first output amplifier 78 and a second output amplifier 80 that provide an output voltage indication of the magnitude of the negative or discharge control current i c , such as a battery discharge v discharge the negative input of the amplifier 78 is coupled to the reference voltage v ref to remove the zero offset bias voltage , and the positive input of the amplifier 78 is coupled to the output voltage v 0 . as the discharge control current i c increases , the output voltage v 0 will rise above the reference voltage v ref . because the amplifier 78 is coupled as a non - inverting stage , the output of the amplifier 78 will increase as its positive input increases with a predetermined gain factor . the output of the amplifier 78 is coupled to the positive input of the amplifier 80 , which is also coupled as a non - inverting amplifier . the output of the amplifier 80 will also increase with a predetermined gain factor as the output voltage v o increases . in one embodiment , the gain of the amplifiers 72 , 76 , 78 and 80 are set to indicate 16 amps of positive charge current and 60 amps of negative charge current . drifts in the reference voltage v ref are partially compensated and designed because the reference voltage v ref is used to determine the output voltage v 0 , and thus the output current i o , and also to cancel the offset voltage . thus , with a fixed reference voltage v ref , the resistors 32 and 50 can be used to determine the zero offset current , and the resistors 74 and 82 can be selected to determine the output full - scale current ranges for charge and discharge current . the foregoing discussion discloses and describes merely exemplary embodiments of the present invention . one skilled in the art will readily recognize from such discussion and from the accompanying drawings and claims that various changes , modifications and variations can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims .
| 6 |
reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings , wherein like reference numerals refer to same elements throughout . the figures are not drawn to scale , for the sake of clarity . it should be understood that when one layer or region is referred to as being “ above ” or “ on ” another layer or region in the description of device structure , it can be directly above or on the other layer or region , or other layers or regions may be is intervened therebetween . moreover , if the device in the figures is turned over , the layer or region will be “ under ” or “ below ” the other layer or region . in contrast , when one layer is referred to as being “ directly on ” or “ on and adjacent to ” another layer or region , there are not intervening layers or regions present . some particular details of the invention will be described , such as an exemplary structure , material , dimension , process step and fabricating method of the device , for a better understanding of the present invention . nevertheless , it is understood by one skilled person in the art that these details are not always essential for but can be varied in a specific implementation of the invention unless the context clearly indicates otherwise , each part of the semiconductor device can be made of material ( s ) well - known to one skilled person in the art . as an initial structure , a soi substrate can be for example silicon - on - insulator substrate , silicon germanium - on - insulator substrate , or multilayer semiconductor - on - insulator substrate . the multilayer semiconductor includes for example group - iii - v semiconductor , such as gaas , inp , gan , sic . a gate conductor can be for example a metal layer , a doped polysilicon layer , or a multilayer gate conductor including a metal layer and a doped polysilicon layer . the metal layer is made of one selected from a group consisting of tac , tin , tatbn , taern , taybn , tasin , hfsin , mosin , rutax , nitax , monx , tisin , ticn , taalc , tialn , tan , ptsix , ni3si , pt , ru , ir , mo , hfru , ruox , and their combinations . a gate dielectric is made of sio 2 or other dielectric insulation material which has a dielectric constant larger than that of sio 2 , such as an oxide , a nitride , an oxynitride , a silicate , an aluminate , and a titanate . the oxide includes for example sio 2 , hfo 2 , zro 2 , al 2 o 3 , tio 2 , la 2 o 3 . the nitride includes for example si 3 n 4 . the silicate includes for example hfsiox . the aluminate includes for example laalo 3 . the titanate includes for example srtio 3 . the oxynitride includes for example sion . moreover , the gate dielectric can be made of those developed in the future , besides the above known materials . fig1 a and 1b are perspective and top views respectively of a structure of a semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the present invention . lines a - a ′, 1 - 1 ′ and 2 - 2 ′ in fig1 b indicate where the following cross - sectional views are taken . specifically , line a - a ′ is perpendicular to a length direction of a channel region and through a gate , line 1 - 1 ′ is parallel to the length direction of the channel region and through the channel region , and line 2 - 2 ′ is also parallel to the length direction of the channel region but through an insulating filler between source / drain regions . referring to fig1 a and 1b , a semiconductor device 100 is formed in a semiconductor layer of a soi substrate , which comprises a channel region 11 at a central portion of a fin of semiconductive material , a source region 12 and a drain region 13 at two ends of the fin respectively , a stack of a gate 15 and a gate dielectric 14 disposed adjacent to one side of the fin , and an insulating filler 18 for filling a trench at the other side of the fin . the channel region at the central portion of the fin has relatively small thickness , for example in a range of about 5 - 40 nm . the thickness of the channel region is approximately equal to that of the conventional finfet and provided with a similar self - aligned process . the inventor has found that the gate at one side of the fin , instead of a double gate configuration , can still control the whole channel region and thus suppress the short channel effect if the thickness of the channel region is set to be in the above range . preferably , the semiconductor device further includes stressors 16 , 17 which apply stress to the source region 12 and the drain region 13 respectively . the stressors 16 , 17 contact the source region 12 and the drain region 13 respectively , with a contact area as large as possible so that a contact resistance between the stressors 16 , 17 and the source region 12 and the drain region 13 can be minimized . as shown in fig1 a and 1b , the source region 12 and the drain region 13 include trenches where the stressors 16 , 17 are disposed with one side and a bottom thereof in contact with the source region 12 and the drain region 13 . the stressors 16 , 17 are made of a material inducing a stress in the channel region , which has beneficial effect on electrical property of the transistor . in a case of an n - type mosfet , the stressors 16 , 17 should apply tensile stress towards the channel region in a direction parallel to the source and drain regions so as to maximize mobility of electrons which function as charge carriers . on the other hand , in a case of a p - type mosfet , the stressors 16 , 17 should apply compressive stress towards the channel region in a direction parallel to the source and drain is regions so as to maximize mobility of holes which function as charge carriers . it should be noted that the exemplary structure of the semiconductor device shown in fig1 a and 1b includes stressors 16 , 17 located in conduction paths between the source region 12 and a source contact ( not shown ), and between the drain region 13 and a drain contact ( not shown ). thus , the stressors 16 , 17 are also electrically conductive . for an n - type mosfet , si : c doped with as or p can be used as a material of the stressors . for a p - type mosfet , sige doped with b can be used as a material of the stressors . additional layers and portions of the semiconductor device , which are disposed above the source region 12 , the drain region 13 and the gate 15 , are not shown in fig1 a and 1b , such as gate spacers , a silicide layer , a source contact , a drain contact , a gate contact , an interlayer insulator and vias formed therein , and a passivation layer . in the following contents regarding the process steps of fabricating the semiconductor device , some of the above additional layers and portions related to the semiconductor device will be described , but detailed description of those additional layers or portions ( for example a source contact , a drain contact , and a gate contact ) well known to one skilled person are omitted . for simplicity , the structure of the semiconductor device having been subject to several relevant process steps may be shown in one figure . referring to fig2 , a method of manufacturing semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the present invention starts with an soi wafer which is a stack of a bottom substrate 21 , a buried oxide layer ( box ) 22 and a top semiconductor layer 23 . by a conventional deposition process , such as pvd , cvd , atomic layer deposition , sputtering and the like , a sige layer 24 which has a ge content of about 5 - 15 % and a thickness of about 3 - 20 nm and a si layer 25 which has a thickness of about 30 - 100 nm are epitaxially grown in sequence on the soi wafer . the si layer 25 can be formed either in an independent deposition process or in - situ by using a si target or a precursor in the same chamber after the sige layer 24 is epitaxially grown . then , a hfo 2 layer 26 which has a thickness of about 3 - 10 nm is formed on the si layer 25 by atomic layer deposition or magnetron sputtering . referring to fig3 , by a conventional lithographical process including exposure and development steps , a photoresist pattern 27 in form of a stripe is formed on the hfo 2 layer 26 . referring to fig4 , with the photoresist pattern 27 as a mask , portions of the hfo 2 layer 26 , the si layer 25 , and the sige layer 24 are selectively removed in sequence by dry etching such as ion beam milling , plasma etching , reactive ion etching , laser ablation and the like , so as to provide a stacked structure of the hfo 2 layer 26 , the si layer 25 , and the sige layer 24 in a stripe pattern . two steps may be involved if the reactive ion etching is performed . at the first step , the portions of the hfo 2 layer 26 and the si layer 25 are selectively removed with the sige layer 24 as a stop layer , by choosing a suitable gas in an etching atmosphere . at the second step , a portion of the sige layer 24 is further selectively removed with the top semiconductor layer 23 of the soi substrate as a stop layer , by changing to another type of gas in the etching atmosphere . it is well known to one skilled person that one of the sige layer and the si layer can be selectively removed by , controlling an etch selectivity with a different type of gas in an etching atmosphere being used in the reactive ion etching process . then , the photoresist pattern 27 is removed by ashing or dissolution with a solvent . a conformal thin oxide layer 28 which has a thickness of about 2 - 5 nm is formed on the stacked structure in the stripe pattern and on a exposed portion of the top semiconductor layer 23 of the soi substrate . the thin oxide layer can be formed by a conventional deposition process , such as pvd , cvd , atomic layer deposition , sputtering and the like . then , a conformal nitride layer is firstly formed and then has a portion thereof being removed so as to provide nitride spacers 29 which has a thickness of about 5 - 50 nm at both sides of the stacked structure comprising the hfo 2 layer 26 , the si layer 25 and the sige layer 24 . referring to fig5 , by a conventional lithographical process including exposure and development steps , a photoresist pattern 30 is formed on the structure shown in fig4 so as to mask the spacer at the left side of the stacked structure and its left portion . referring to fig6 , with the photoresist pattern 30 as a mask , the spacer at the right side of the stacked structure is removed by an isotropic etching process , such as conventional wet etching using a solution of etchant . alternatively , the spacer at the right side of the stacked structure can be removed in three steps . at the first step , with the photoresist pattern 30 as a mask , an angular implantation of ge is performed so as to cause damages in the spacer at the right side of the stacked structure . at the second step , the photoresist pattern 30 is removed by ashing or dissolution with a solvent . at the third step , by wet etching or dry etching , the spacer at the right side is selectively removed relative to the spacer at the left side . after the spacer at the right side of the stacked structure is removed , the portion of the thin oxide layer 28 that is exposed on the main surface of the semiconductor structure is selectively removed by choosing a suitable gas in an etching atmosphere for example in an reactive ion etching . then , with the remaining portion of the thin oxide layer 28 , the spacer 29 at the left side of the stacked structure and the stacked structure comprising the hfo 2 layer 26 , the si layer 25 and the sige layer 24 as a hard mask , an exposed portion of the top semiconductor layer of the soi substrate is selectively removed by changing to another type of gas in the etching atmosphere for example in the reactive ion etching , so as to provide a fin 23 ′ of semiconductive material in a self - aligned manner . referring to fig7 , by cvd or atomic layer deposition for example , a conformal thin oxide ( for example , hfo 2 ) layer 26 ′ which has a thickness of about 2 - 4 nm , a conformal metal ( for example , tin , which is a metal ceramic ) layer 31 which has a thickness of about 3 - 10 nm , and a blanket polysilicon layer 32 are formed in sequence on the main surface of the semiconductor structure shown in fig6 . the conformal thin oxide layer 26 ′ will provide a gate dielectric , and the conformal metal layer 31 and the polysilicon layer 32 constitutes a multiplayer gate conductor . preferably , the polysilicon layer 32 can be in - situ doped so as to improve an electrical conductivity . the polysilicon layer 32 covers the whole top of the semiconductor structure . then , the polysilicon layer 32 is subjected to a planarization process such as chemical mechanical polishing ( cmp ). the cmp stops at the top of the metal layer of the multilayer gate conductor so as to provide a flat surface for the semiconductor structure . referring to fig8 , by wet etching or dry etching , a portion of the polysilicon layer 32 is selectively removed relative to the metal layer 31 so that the polysilicon layer 32 is etched back . then , for example by cvd , a blanket oxide layer 33 is formed on the whole surface of the semiconductor structure . the oxide layer 33 is subjected to cmp which stops at the top of the metal layer of the multilayer gate conductor so as to provide a flat surface for the semiconductor structure . consequently , the oxide layer 33 fills the portion of the polysilicon layer 32 removed by etching back . then , for example by cvd , a nitride layer 34 is formed on the main surface of the semiconductor structure . referring to fig9 , by a conventional lithographical process including exposure and development steps , a photoresist pattern 35 in form of a stripe is formed for defining a gate region of the device , the multilayer gate conductor comprising the metal layer 31 and the polysilicon layer 32 . then , with the photoresist pattern 35 as a mask and the buried oxide layer ( box ) 22 of the soi wafer as a stop layer , portions of the nitride layer 34 , the oxide layer 33 , the polysilicon layer 32 , the metal layer 31 and the thin oxide layer 26 ′ that are located outside of the fin 23 ′ are removed in sequence by dry etching , such as ion beam milling , plasma etching , reactive ion etching , laser ablation and the like . corresponding to the cross sectional view of the semiconductor structure along line a - a ′ shown in fig9 , fig1 shows the cross sectional view of the semiconductor structure along line 1 - 1 ′. in the etching step with the photoresist pattern 35 as a mask , a stack of the nitride layer 34 , the oxide layer 33 , the polysilicon layer 32 , the metal layer 31 , and the thin oxide layer 26 ′ is provided on the si layer 25 . before or after the above etching step , an additional masking step and an additional etching step can be involved so as to remove portions of the fin 23 ′, the sige layer 24 and the si layer 25 for defining a length of the fin . fig1 shows the dimension of the length of the fin 23 ′ in a horizontal direction after that . referring to fig1 , still with the photoresist pattern 35 as a mask , portions of the si layer 25 and the sige layer 24 are selectively removed in sequence by dry is etching such as ion beam milling , plasma etching , reactive plasma etching , laser ablation and the like , which stops at the top of the fin 23 ′. consequently , a stack 101 of layers including the nitride layer 34 , the oxide layer 33 , the polysilicon layer 32 , the metal layer 31 , the thin oxide layer 26 ′, the si layer 25 and the sige layer 24 is provided on the fin 23 ′. referring to fig1 , the photoresist pattern 35 is removed by ashing or dissolution with a solvent . then , for example by cvd , a conformal oxide layer 36 which has a thickness of about 2 - 5 nm and a conformal nitride layer 37 which has a thickness of about 10 - 20 nm are formed , in sequence on the whole surface of the semiconductor structure . by dry etching , such as ion beam milling , plasma etching , reactive ion etching , laser ablation and the like , a portion of the nitride layer 37 is removed , with the oxide layer 36 as a stop layer , so as to form nitride spacers 37 at both sides of the fin 23 ′ and the stack of layers 101 respectively . referring to fig1 , with the stack of layers 101 and the nitride spacers 37 as a hard mask , a portion of the oxide layer 36 exposed at the main surface and a portion of the semiconductive material of the fin 23 ′ are removed by dry etching , such as ion beam milling , plasma etching , reactive ion etching , laser ablation and the like , so as to provide trenches 38 at two ends of the fin 23 ′ in its length direction ( i . e . a horizontal direction in the drawing ). a thin layer of semiconductive material , which has a thickness of about 10 nm , remains at the bottom of the trenches 38 . the etching step is performed in a self - aligned manner , where the size of the trenches 38 is defined by the oxide layer 36 and the nitride spacers 37 . fig1 shows an optional step of the manufacturing method according to some embodiments , in which an angular ion implantation is performed through the trenches 38 towards to the central portion of the fin 23 ′ so as to provide halos in channel or in the substrate below the channel ( i . e . a halo implantation ). as a dopant for an n - type mosfet , b or bf 2 may be used . as a dopant for a p - type mosfet , as or p may be used . fig1 shows an optional step of the manufacturing method according to some embodiments , in which an angular ion implantation is performed through the trenches 38 towards to the central portion of the fin 23 ′ so as to provide source / drain extensions ( i . e . an extension implantation ). as a dopant for an n - type mosfet , as or p may be used . as a dopant for a p - type mosfet , b or bf 2 may be used . compared with the halo implantation , the extension implantation uses a relatively small implantation angle and a relatively large implantation energy . consequently , in the extension implantation , most of the implanted ions pass through the thin layer of semiconductive material at the bottom of the trenches 38 so that no amorphous phase occurs in the thin layer of semiconductive material . since the trenches 38 provide a window for ion implantation , and the nitride layer 34 , the oxide layer 36 and the nitride spacers 37 on the surface of the semiconductor structure provide a hard mask , the above extension implantation , halo implantation and the source / drain implantation can be performed in - situ , which reduces the number of masks needed and simplifies the process steps . referring to fig1 , the resultant semiconductor structure is subjected to an anneal treatment , for example spike anneal . the anneal treatment is used to activate the dopants injected at the previous implantation steps and to eliminate implant damages . after the anneal treatment , the doping profile in the fin 23 ′ of semiconductive material is also shown in fig1 , which includes a source region 12 and a drain region 13 provided at the bottom of the trenches 38 , a source extension 12 ′ adjacent to the source region 12 , a drain extension 13 ′ adjacent to the drain region 13 , a source halo 12 ″ adjacent to the source extension 12 ′ and extending towards to the central portion of the fin 23 ′, and a drain halo 13 ″ adjacent to the drain extension 13 ′ and extending towards to the central portion of the fin 23 ′. then , by a conventional deposition process , such as pvd , cvd , atomic layer deposition , sputtering and the like , stressors 39 and epitaxial silicon layer 40 are epitaxially grown in sequence in the trenches 38 . due to the epitaxial growth , the to stressors 39 form only on the thin layer of semiconductive material at the bottom of the trenches 38 . for a p - type mosfet , the stressors 39 may be made of sige which has a ge content of about 20 - 50 % and is doped with b in - situ , so as to apply a compressive stress to the channel region from the source / drain regions after the epitaxial growth to improve an electrical property of the p - type mosfet . for an n - type mosfet , the stressors 39 may be made of si : c which has a c content of about 0 . 5 - 2 % and is doped with as or p in - situ , so as to apply a tensile stress to the channel region from the source / drain regions after the epitaxial growth to improve an electrical property of the n - type mosfet . then , the resultant semiconductor structure is subjected to oxidation so that a top of the epitaxial silicon layer 40 is oxidized and provides a thin oxide layer 36 ′ which has a thickness of about 3 - 10 nm . the epitaxial silicon layer 40 at the top of the stressors 39 is used to provide a high - quality sio 2 layer . referring to fig1 , with the oxide layer 33 formed in the step shown in fig8 as a hard mask and the buried oxide layer 22 of the soi wafer as a stop layer , portions of the metal layer 31 , the thin oxide layer 26 ′, the si layer 25 , the sige layer 24 and the fin 23 ′ are removed in sequence by dry etching such as ion beam milling , plasma etching , reactive ion etching , laser ablation and the like , so as to provide a trench 41 in a self - aligned manner . consequently , a thickness of the fin 23 ′ is reduced to be approximately equal to a sum of the thickness of the oxide layer 28 and that of the nitride spacer 29 . as mentioned above , the channel region is formed in the fin . due to the removed materials in the trench , the stress induced in the channel region is enhanced so as to further improve an electrical property of the device . at the right portion of the sidewall ( i . e . a portion of the inner wall ) of the trench 41 , a portion of the stack of the thin oxide layer 26 ′, the metal layer 31 , the polysilicon layer 32 and the oxide layer 33 remains . in the manufacture of an integrated circuit including a plurality of mosfets having the same structure , the portion of the stack of the thin oxide layer 26 ′, the metal layer 31 , the polysilicon layer 32 and the oxide layer 33 at the right portion of the sidewall of the trench 41 may be used to provide a gate , region for a next mosfet ( not shown in fig1 ), and the insulating filler in the trench 41 may provide a shallow trench isolation . moreover , as shown in fig1 , the nitride spacers 37 formed in the step shown in fig1 remain at the sidewall of the multilayer gate conductor . referring to fig1 , by dry etching such as ion beam milling , plasma etching , reactive ion etching , laser ablation and the like , the portions of the thin oxide layer 26 ′ and the metal layer 31 that remain at the sidewall ( i . e . the right portion of the sidewall shown in fig1 ) of the trench 41 are selectively removed relative to the oxide layer 33 . preferably , ions are implanted into the fin 23 ′ of semiconductive material by an angular ion implantation , followed by an anneal treatment ( for example , laser anneal ) for activating the dopants , so as to provide a super steep retrograde well ( ssrw ) 42 in the fin 23 ′ at the side near the trench 41 . the trench 41 provides a window for ion implantation . the process for forming ssrw can be found in the following documents : 1 ) g . g . shahidi , d . a . antoniadis and h . i . smith , ieee ted vol . 36 , p . 2605 , 1989 2 ) c . fiegna , h . iwai , t . wada , m . saito , e . sangiorgi and b . riccò , ieee ted vol . 41 , p . 941 , 1994 . 3 ) j . b . jacobs and d . a . antoniadis , ieee ted vol . 42 , p . 870 , 1995 . 4 ) s . e . thompson , p . a . packan and m . t . bohr , vlsi tech symp ., p . 154 , 1996 . referring to fig1 and 20 , the spacer 37 at the left side can be removed in three steps . at the first step , with the oxide layer 33 as a mask , an angular ion implantation of ge is performed so as to cause damages in the spacer at the left side , as shown in fig1 . at the second step , the photoresist pattern is removed by ashing or dissolution with a solvent . at the third step , by wet etching or dry etching , the spacer at the left side is selectively removed relative to the spacer at the right side , as shown in fig2 . referring to fig2 , for example by cvd , a conformal thin oxide layer 33 ′ which has a thickness of about 2 - 5 nm is formed on the whole surface of the semiconductor structure . for example by cvd , a nitride is then deposited to a thickness sufficient for filling the trench 41 . the nitride layer is selectively etched back relative to the oxide layer 33 ′ so that the portion of the nitride layer around the trench 41 is completely removed and the nitride filler 43 remains in the trench 41 . referring to fig2 a and 22b , by dry etching such as ion beam milling , plasma etching , reactive ion etching , laser ablation and the like , the oxide is selectively removed relative to the nitride filler 43 . the etching step removes completely the portion of the oxide layer 33 ′ that exposes at the main surface of the semiconductor structure , and the portion of the oxide layer 33 ′ that is located at the sidewall and the bottom of the trench is protected by the nitride filler 41 and remains . consequently , a top surface and a left side of the polysilicon layer 32 of the multilayer gate conductor , and a top surface of the epitaxial silicon layer 40 at the source / drain regions are exposed . the etching step also removes a portion of the buried oxide layer 22 of the soi substrate . referring to fig2 a and 238 , by a conventional silicidation process , a portion of the top surface and the left side of the polysilicon layer 32 of the multilayer gate conductor , and at least a portion of the epitaxial silicon layer 40 at the source / drain regions are converted to a silicide layer , so as to minimize a contact resistance between the gates , the source / drain and the corresponding metal contacts . for example , a ni layer which has a thickness of about 5 - 12 nm is firstly deposited , and then subjected to a heat treatment at a temperature in a range of about 300 - 500 ° c . for about 1 - 10 seconds , so that at least a portion of the polysilicon layer 32 and the epitaxial silicon layer 40 is converted to nisi . finally , the unreacted ni is removed by wet etching . after the steps shown in fig2 - 23 are finished , an interlayer insulator may be formed on the resultant semiconductor structure , and vias may be provided therein , wirings and electrical contacts may be provided on an upper surface of the interlayer insulator in conventional processes well known in the art , so that other parts of the semiconductor device are formed . while the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments , the description is illustrative of the invention and is not to be considered as limiting the invention . various modifications and applications may occur for those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims .
| 7 |
the invention and the resulting advantages can be seen in the following examples of embodiments backed up by the appended figures . the whole dry plant comes from south america or more generally from tropical countries . this plant is ground until a powdered is obtained . the extraction of the ground plant is performed in a mixture of ethanol at 96 . 2 ° h 2 o ( 80 / 20 ); volume / volume at ambient temperature subjected to magnetic stirring and protected from light , for 6 hours . the extract is then filtered through a nylon filter then through a cellulose membrane ( to 0 . 22 microns ). in example 2 , it is then lyophilised to be used diluted to 50 % in maltodextrine . to assess the ability of purified spilanthol and an acmella oleracea extract to produce a reversible blockage of muscular contractions . nerve - muscle co - culture is a culture model which is used to recreate human striated muscle cell innervation with spinal cord and spinal ganglion explants from rat embryos . after 21 days of culture , the muscle fibres formed contract spontaneously . the nerve - muscle co - culture model is a model suited to studying the influence of a substance on muscle contraction frequency , as well as to studying the recuperation of contractile activity after blockage of muscle contractions by a substance . carisprodol at 1 mm is used as a positive control for reversible blockage of muscle contractions . for each selected culture well , a muscle fibre showing regular contractions is referenced . using automated counting software , the number of contractions is counted for 30 seconds for each measurement period : before incubation ( pre - incubation frequency ), during incubation and during the contractile activity recuperation phase after elimination of the substance . each measure was taken in triplicate ( in 3 different wells ) and an activity is considered to be significant when at least 2 fibres out of 3 show the same effect according to the following modulation range : when the frequency of contractions is greater than 120 % of the pre - incubation frequency before adding the substance , we speak of an increase in the frequency of contractions , indicated by +. when the frequency becomes too high to be measurable , we speak of vibration , indicated by vib . when the frequency of contractions is between 80 % and 120 % compared to the pre - incubation frequency before adding the substance , it is not modified and is indicated by 0 . when the frequency of contractions is less than 80 % of the pre - incubation frequency before adding the substance , we speak of a decrease in the frequency of contractions , indicated by — or block ( blockage ) if it is 0 %. we speak of complete recuperation of contractile activity after blockage when at least 2 fibres out of 3 return to a frequency of contraction greater than or equal to 80 % of the pre - incubation frequency of contraction , indicated by +. we speak of incomplete recuperation of contractile activity after blockage when at least 2 fibres out of 3 return to a frequency of contraction between 10 and 80 % of the pre - incubation frequency of contraction , indicated by +/−. lyophilised extract of the aerial portions ( containing flower buds ) of acmella oleracea diluted to 50 % in maltodextrine . spilanthol purified to 97 % from an acmella oleracea extract . the frequency of contraction is determined after 5 minutes , 1 hour and 6 hours of incubation with the substance . at 6 hours , the substance is eliminated and recuperation of contractile activity is studied 1 hour and 24 hours later . the frequency of contraction is determined ( at 5 minutes , 1 hour and 6 hours ) until a blockage of contractions is obtained with the substance . once blockage is achieved , the substance is eliminated and recuperation of contractile activity is studied at 1 hour , 4 hours and 24 hours . at the concentrations ( 40 × 10 − 5 % and 160 × 10 − 5 %), pure spilanthol blocks muscle contractions after 5 minutes of incubation . the blockage is maintained until 6 hours and the fibres remain blocked for 24 hours after elimination of the substance . at a concentration of 600 × 10 − 5 %, the extract blocks the frequency of contraction of muscle fibres after 6 hours of incubation . after washout of the cultures , the muscle fibres totally recuperate their contractile activity in 1 hour . at concentrations of 1 , 200 × 10 − 5 % and 2 , 400 × 10 − 5 %, the extract blocks the frequency of contraction of muscle fibres after 5 minutes of incubation . after washout of the cultures , the muscle fibres totally recuperate their contractile activity in 1 hour . under the conditions of the study , the acmella oleracea extract and the spilanthol compound lead to a blockage of muscle contractions . recuperation of contractile activity is observed in presence of the plant extract but not observed in presence of spilanthol . this difference should probably be attributed to a difference in the protocol since the nerve - muscle system was only incubated for 5 minutes in presence of the extract compared to 6 hours in presence of pure spilanthol . the anti - wrinkle effect of botulinum toxin lies in its ability to inhibit subcutaneous muscle contractions considered to be responsible for expression lines ( deep wrinkles ); the substances tested , given their ability to inhibit contractile activity ( or botox - like effect ), have the same anti - wrinkle potential as botulinum toxin .
| 0 |
referring to fig1 , an apparatus for cathodic arc vapor deposition on a substrate , hereinafter referred to as a “ cathodic arc coater ” 10 , is provided having a vessel 12 , means 14 for maintaining a vacuum in the vessel 12 , a cathode 16 , a contactor 18 , and means 20 for sustaining an arc of electrical energy between the cathode 16 and an anode . a coolant supply 22 maintains the coater 10 within acceptable temperatures by cycling coolant through cooling passages within the vessel 12 and contactor 18 . in the preferred embodiment , the means 14 for maintaining a vacuum in the vessel 12 includes a mechanical rough vacuum pump and a high volume diffusion - type vacuum pump piped to the interior of the vessel 12 . other vacuum means may be used alternatively . a cathodic arc coater 10 as described in this paragraph is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 036 , 828 , which is hereby incorporated by reference . referring to fig1 - 3 , the cathode 16 is a substantially cylindrical disk having an axially extending evaporative surface 24 extending between a pair of end surfaces 26 , 28 . the coating to be deposited dictates the material composition of the cathode 16 . the end surfaces 26 , 28 are substantially parallel with one another . the axial length 30 of the cathode 16 is equal to or greater than the anticipated final width of the erosion pattern 32 ( shown in phantom ) along the evaporative surface 24 of the cathode 16 . keeping the erosion pattern 32 between the end surfaces minimizes the possibility that the arc will leave the evaporative surface 24 of the cathode 16 . the cathode 16 has a maximum acceptable evaporative surface 24 heat transfer flux that occurs when subjected to a particular power density value . the term “ heat transfer flux value ” is defined as the average heat transfer value exiting a unit of evaporative surface 24 area of the cathode 16 . the term “ power density ” is defined as the magnitude of electrical power introduced into the cathode 16 ( i . e ., “ cathode amperage ”) divided by the area of the evaporative surface 24 . a portion of the cathode amperage / electrical energy introduced into the cathode 16 exits the cathode 16 via an electrical arc extending between the cathode 16 and an anode , but a significant portion of the energy exits the cathode 16 in the form of thermal energy . the thermal energy is a function of the electrical resistance provided by the cathode material ( e . g ., a cathode that is more electrically conductive will produce less thermal energy than a cathode that is less electrically conductive ). according to the present invention , the thermal flux ( thermal energy / unit area ) exiting the evaporative surface 24 must be below a particular value . that value will depend principally on the cathode material , is associated with a particular power density value , and is dictated by the maximum amount of heat transfer that can occur for that cathode material while maintaining macroscopic particle creation to a tolerable level . the tolerable level will depend upon the application , but in all cases a tolerable level is that which can occur and still produce a coating operable for the application contemplated . an example is provided below . the cathode evaporative surface 24 is sized to create a power density that in turn produces an average heat transfer flux through the evaporative surface 24 that is equal to or less than the maximum acceptable heat transfer flux value for a given cathode amperage . heat transfer at the point of the arc is greater than the maximum acceptable heat transfer flux value . the substrates 82 to be coated are mounted on a platter 34 that preferably rolls into and out of the vessel 12 . the platter 34 includes means for rotating the substrates 82 ( not shown ). the contactor 18 includes a head 36 attached to a shaft 38 . the head 36 is positioned inside the vessel 12 and the shaft 38 extends from the head 36 to outside the vessel 12 . an insulative disk 40 ( see fig1 ) electrically insulates the contactor 18 from the vessel 12 . the contactor 18 preferably further includes a cooling tube 42 coaxially positioned within the shaft 38 , a coolant inlet port 44 ( see fig1 ) connected to the cooling tube 42 , and a coolant exit port 46 connected to the passage 48 formed between the coaxial coolant tube 42 and shaft 38 . the coaxial arrangement between the cooling tube 42 and the shaft 38 allows coolant from the coolant supply 22 to enter the cooling tube 42 and return via the passage 48 between the shaft 38 and the cooling tube 42 , or vice versa . the contactor 18 head includes a cup 50 , a shaft flange 52 , and a magnetic field generator 54 . the shaft flange 52 is fixed to the shaft 38 and the cup 50 is removably attached to the shaft flange 52 . the cup 50 , shaft flange 52 , and shaft 38 are fabricated from an electrically conductive material such as a copper alloy . the magnetic field generator 54 includes a ferromagnetic centerpiece 56 , and a plurality of magnets 58 . the centerpiece 56 includes at least one side surface 60 extending between two end surfaces 62 . the magnets 38 are preferably permanent magnets , although alternative magnetic field sources such as electromagnetics may be used . the magnets 38 are attached to the centerpiece 56 . in all embodiments , the number of magnets 38 can be varied to accommodate the process at hand . referring to fig1 and 2 , apparatus 64 is included for rotating the magnetic field generator 54 . the rotation apparatus 64 includes a rod 66 extending through the coolant tube 42 and into the head 36 where it connects with the ferromagnetic centerpiece 56 . the opposite end of the rod 66 is connected to a variable speed drive motor 68 via a drive belt 70 . in some embodiments , the cathodic arc coater 10 includes an actuator 72 for selectively actuating the contactor 18 into electrical contact with the cathode 16 . the actuator 72 includes a pair of two - way actuating cylinders 74 ( e . g ., hydraulic or pneumatic ) acting between the vessel 12 and a shaft flange 76 attached to the contactor shaft 38 . mechanical apparatus may be used in place of the actuating cylinders 74 . a commercially available controller ( not shown ) can be used to control the position and force of the cylinders ( or mechanical apparatus ). the cathodic arc coater 10 includes a biasing source 78 for electrically biasing the substrates 82 . negatively biasing the substrates 82 relative to the anode makes the substrates 82 electrically attractive to positive ions liberated from the cathode 16 . a contact electrically connects the biasing source 78 to the platter 34 . the substrates 82 , which are electrically connected to the platter 22 , are consequently electrically connected to the biasing source 78 . other means for electrically connecting the substrates 82 to the biasing source 78 may be used alternatively . deflector shields 80 are used throughout the coater 10 to confine the vaporized cathode materials in the area of the substrates 82 . the deflector shields 80 attached to the vessel 12 , platter , and contactor 18 also minimize undesirable material build - up on those surfaces . in the preferred embodiment , the deflector shields 80 attached to the vessel 12 are electrically connected to the vessel 12 and are made of an electrically conductive material resistant to corrosion , such as stainless steel . the means 20 for sustaining an arc of electrical energy between the cathode 16 and an anode includes a direct current ( d . c .) power supply . in the preferred embodiment , the positive lead of the power supply is connected to the vessel 12 , thereby making the vessel 12 act as an anode . the negative lead of the power supply is electrically connected to the contactor shaft 38 . alternative embodiments may use an anode ( not shown ) disposed inside the vessel 12 . an arc initiator 81 , maintained at or near the electrical potential of the vessel 12 , is used to initiate an arc . referring to fig1 , in the operation of the present invention cathodic arc coater 10 , a plurality of substrates 82 and a cathode 16 are attached to the platter 34 and loaded into the vessel 12 . the substrates 82 have been previously degreased and substantially cleaned , although each will likely have some molecular contaminant and oxidation remaining on its exterior surface . the actuating cylinders 74 subsequently actuate the contactor 18 into electrical contact with the cathode 16 and the vessel 12 is closed . the mechanical rough vacuum pump is operated to evacuate the vessel 12 to a predetermined pressure . once that pressure is reached , the high volume diffusion vacuum pump further evacuates the vessel 12 to near vacuum conditions . the substrates 82 are then cleaned of any remaining contaminants and / or oxidation by a method such as “ sputter cleaning ”. sputter cleaning is a process well known in the art and will not be described in detail here . other cleaning methods may be used alternatively . after the substrates 82 are cleaned , the contaminants are purged typically using an inert gas . prior to initiating an arc , several steps are performed . the substrates 82 are electrically biased via the biasing source 78 , making them electrically attractive to positive ions emitted from the cathode 16 . the substrates 82 are rotated at a predetermined rotational speed . the power supply is adjusted to produce a cathode amperage that establishes an arc having a predetermined current , but no arc is initiated . the vacuum pumps are operated to establish and maintain a predetermined vacuum pressure of gas within the vessel 12 . coolant is cycled through the cooling passages within the vessel 12 and contactor 18 . specific process parameters will depend upon factors such as the substrate material , the material to be coated , and the desired characteristics of the coating , etc . once the aforementioned steps have been completed , the arc initiator 81 is brought into and out of contact with the evaporative surface 24 of the cathode 16 , causing an arc to jump between the arc initiator 81 and the evaporative surface 24 . the arc initiator 81 is subsequently moved a distance away from the cathode 16 , preferably radially outside of the substrates 82 . once the arc initiator 81 is no longer proximate the cathode 16 , the arc jumps between the cathode 16 and the deflector shields 80 electrically connected to the vessel 12 ( or directly between the cathode 16 and the vessel 12 ). the magnetic field generator 54 positioned in the contactor 18 drives the arc spot along the evaporative surface 24 of the cathode 16 . to be more specific , each side magnet produces a magnetic field that permeates the cathode 16 and runs substantially parallel to the cathode evaporative surface 24 . the direction of the magnetic field vector 57 depends upon the orientation of the magnet poles , and all the magnets 58 are oriented in like manner . a vector 59 representing the electric arc , in contrast , extends away from the evaporative surface 24 in a substantially perpendicular direction . together , the magnetic field and the electric current of the arc create a force ( the hall effect ) on the arc that causes the arc to travel a distance around the circumference of the cathode 16 . the dwell time of the arc at any particular arc spot is inversely related to the hall effect force ; i . e ., an increase in the hall effect force , causes a decrease in the dwell time . a person of skill in the art will recognize that decreasing the dwell time reduces the occurrence of macroscopic particles that can adversely affect the uniformity and surface finish of the deposited coating . the individual magnetic fields of the magnets 58 disposed along the side surface ( s ) of the ferromagnetic centerpiece 56 , in close circumferential proximity to one another , collectively force the arc to circle the cathode evaporative surface 24 along an arc path . the number of magnets 58 , the relative spacing of magnetic fields emanating from the magnets 58 , and the intensity of those magnetic fields can be adjusted to satisfy the application at hand . in some applications , however , it is advantageous to further include a magnet 84 ( see fig3 ) disposed proximate the center of the ferromagnetic centerpiece 56 . the magnetic field of the centrally located magnet appears to favorably influence the geometry of the magnetic fields emanating from the magnets 58 disposed along the side surfaces 60 of the ferromagnetic centerpiece . the energy delivered by the arc causes the material at the arc spot to vaporize , thereby liberating atoms , molecules , ions , electrons , and particles from the cathode 16 . the biased substrates 82 attract the ions , causing them to accelerate toward the substrates 82 . the ions strike the exterior surface of the substrates 82 , attach , and collectively form a coating of the cathode material . the rate at which material is liberated from the cathode 16 and deposited onto the substrate ( s ) within the vessel 12 ( i . e ., the deposition rate ) is predominantly a function of the magnitude of the cathode amperage . the maximum deposition rate for a given cathode material is dictated by the maximum acceptable heat transfer flux value for the evaporative surface 24 of the cathode 16 , which is a function of the arc current magnitude . the maximum acceptable heat transfer flux for a given disk - shaped cathode 16 comprising a particular material can be determined by empirical methods , including but not limited to , inspection of the applied coating to ascertain density , grain size , etc . once the maximum acceptable heat transfer flux , and therefore power density , is known for the given cathode material , the deposition rate can be increased by increasing both the cathode amperage and the surface area of the cathode 16 in a ratio that maintains the heat transfer flux at or below the determined maximum acceptable heat transfer flux value . as an example , a cathode 16 comprising a titanium alloy ( e . g ., ti - 8al - 1mo - 1v ) is provided having a four - inch diameter and a two - inch axial height . cathode amperage is applied to the cathode 16 and increased until the frequency and / or magnitude of macro particles and cathode melting exceeds a predetermined tolerable level . analysis of the coatings applied at different cathode amperages provides the information necessary to establish the predetermined tolerable level . in our experience , 450 amperes of electrical power applied to the above - described four - inch diameter titanium alloy cathode 16 produces a power density of approximately 16 amperes per square inch of evaporative surface 24 , which in turn produces a maximum acceptable heat transfer flux out of the evaporative surface 24 of the cathode 16 . the deposition rate at a cathode amperage of 450 amperes is in the range of approximately 1 . 5 mils to 2 . 0 mils per hour . increasing the magnitude of the electrical power applied to the same cathode 16 geometry yields a higher deposition rate , but the applied coating is less desirable . increasing the cathode evaporative surface area by , for example , increasing the diameter to six inches while maintaining the axial height at two - inches , decreases the power density and heat transfer flux out of the evaporative surface 24 . as a result , the current applied to the cathode 16 can be increased . a current of approximately 600 amperes applied to the six - inch diameter cathode 16 comprising the aforesaid titanium alloy , creates the same power density and heat transfer flux as 450 amperes does for the four - inch diameter cathode 16 . at a cathode amperage of 600 amperes , however , the deposition rate increased to within the range of approximately 3 . 5 mils to 4 . 0 mils per hour ; i . e ., at least twice the deposition rate possible with the four - inch cathode 16 . referring to fig1 , when a coating of sufficient thickness has been deposited on the substrates 82 , the power supply is turned off and the arc extinguished . the vessel 12 is purged with inert gas and brought to ambient pressure . the contactor 18 is actuated out of contact with the cathode 16 and the platter is removed from the vessel 12 . the substrates 82 are subsequently removed from the platter and new substrates 82 attached . the loaded platter is then inserted back into the vessel 12 in the manner described earlier and the process repeated . although this invention has been shown and described with respect to the detailed embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail thereof may be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention .
| 2 |
while the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions , certain illustrated embodiments thereof have been shown in the drawings and will be described below in detail . it should be understood , however , that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed , but , on the contrary , the invention is to cover all modifications , alternative constructions , and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims . in the following description and in the figures , like elements are identified with like reference numerals . the use of “ e . g .,” “ etc ,” and or indicates non - exclusive alternatives without limitation unless otherwise noted . the use of “ including ” means “ including , but not limited to ,” unless otherwise noted . fig1 shows an example of the da vinci wine press screw . a frame 16 contains a threaded hole which conjugately engages upper screw 11 . a piston 15 contains a threaded hole which conjugately engages a finer pitched thread 12 . as the operator twists the turning handle 17 , the external threads 11 and 12 engage the conjugate internal threads in the frame 16 and piston 15 forcing the piston 15 into the container 13 . grooved slides 14 limit rotation of the piston 15 with respect to the frame 16 . as the operator turns the handle , the shaft advances downward toward the container 13 . the piston 15 advances upward away from the container 13 but at a slower rate . the combined effect of these two motions is to advance the piston 15 into the container 13 at slower rate than could be achieved by either set of threads alone . by employing threads 11 and 12 of differing pitches , the press of fig1 achieves a mechanical advantage unobtainable in leonardo &# 39 ; s day with one thread pitch alone . note , however , that the press of fig1 requires that the different threads 11 and 12 must be located at different sections of the shaft . additionally , the conjugate internal threads for 11 and 12 must be located in different locations . fig2 is a view of one embodiment of an adjustment shaft 20 for use in the adjustment bracket of the invention , in which multiple thread paths ( compound differential threads ( cdt )) are located on a shaft . two differing thread paths 21 and 22 exist in the same area along the shaft of fig2 . these threads can differ in a number of ways , including , but not limited to handedness ( right hand or left hand ), pitch , thread form or number of thread starts . fig3 shows a detailed view of an embodiment of the adjustment shaft of the invention where two threads of differing pitches exist on the same portion of a shaft . thread 31 is of a coarser pitch while thread 32 is of a finer pitch . both threads exist on the same shaft in the same location . this is another example of compound differential threads ( cdt ). the threads are together or compounded , while being of diverse kinds or differential . fig3 also shows how the valley of one thread occasionally cuts the peak of the other thread . this effect called over - running can reduce the load capacity is some situations but does not prevent operation of either thread or conjugate internal threads ( not shown ). fig4 shows an example of two compound differential threads 41 and 42 with the valley of thread 41 cutting across the peak of thread 42 . this is the condition called over - running . in applications where strength is important , the effects of over - running can be compensated by increasing the number of thread engagements between the outside threads 41 and 42 and the conjugately engaging inside threads of a bracket or hole ( not shown ). fig5 shows one embodiment of a compound differential ( cdt ) bracket , also referred to as an adjustment bracket 24 . within the bracket 24 , two different types of inside threads 51 and 52 exist in the same bracket 24 in the same longitudinal location . similar to the outside threads of fig2 - 4 , the threads of fig5 can differ in a number of ways , including , but not limited to , handedness ( right hand or left hand ), pitch , thread - form or number of thread starts . the inside threads of fig5 also demonstrate over - running similar to the outside compound differential threads ( cdt ). fig6 is an embodiment of a bracket 24 which is split or severed along its axis , for a first bracket subunit and a second bracket subunit . this is an example of a longitudinally severed segment ( lss ) nut ( bracket ) with internal threads . the bracket 24 of fig6 has two halves or subunits 61 and 62 . the two subunits each have a different type of internal threads . the two subunits 61 and 62 can fit around a cdt shaft 20 with each half conjugately engaging one of two different thread types on the cdt shaft . note also that an lss bracket 24 is easily assembled on a cdt shaft simply by placing each bracket 24 segment on the shaft in engagement with the conjugate threads . it is not required to turn the bracket 24 to thread it along the length of the shaft . fig7 shows the two subunits of an lss bracket 24 similar to fig6 surrounding and conjugately engaging the threads of the cdt shaft of fig2 . in this embodiment the threads 21 on the cdt shaft conjugately engage the threads on the lss bracket subunit 61 , while the threads 22 of the cdt shaft conjugately engage the threads on the lss subunit 62 . as the shaft 20 is turned , but held stationary along its longitudinal axis , the two bracket subunits 61 and 62 move at different rates . if the two thread types differ by handedness , such as right hand and left hand , the lss subunits 61 and 62 , while restrained from rotation , will move in different directions as the cdt shaft 20 is turned . if the two thread types differ by pitch , the subunits 61 and 62 will move in the same direction but at different rates as the cdt shaft 20 is turned . a numerical example demonstrates the benefit of a cdt shaft coupled with an lss bracket 24 . suppose in fig7 , the conjugate threads 21 and 61 have a pitch of 20 threads per inch ( tpi ) while the conjugate threads 22 and 62 have a pitch of 25 threads per inch ( tpi ). with each turn of the shaft 20 , lss bracket 24 61 moves 1 / 20 or 0 . 050 inches . with each turn of the shaft 20 , lss bracket 62 moves 1 / 25 or 0 . 040 inches . if both sets of threads 21 / 61 and 22 / 62 are the same handedness , the brackets move in the same direction but at different rates . the difference is 0 . 050 - 0 . 040 or 0 . 010 inches per turn of the shaft 20 . this differential movement is equivalent to a single thread ( non - cdt , non - lss ) pitch of 100 threads per inch . a pitch of 100 threads per inch is more difficult to manufacture due to the fine pitch . thus , the cdt - lss combination offers several advantages especially in applications requiring precise motion . fig6 and 7 show an lss bracket . fig8 shows an embodiment of an adjustment shaft subunit , or lss shaft . the lls shaft 81 has outside threads and is in form of a half - pipe . other embodiments include a half shaft where the center of the shaft 81 is solid . attachment points 82 and 83 enable the connection of the shaft 81 to other devices ( not shown ). another shaft of similar shape to shaft 81 , but with differing threads can form a complete full circle shaft . the two lss shafts can then be captured by a cdt bracket as will be shown in a following diagram . this , as well as fig9 , 10 , and 11 , are examples of an adjustment shaft in which the different thread paths are on different subunits , and the threads do not completely circumvolve the shaft . in fig9 three lss shaft subunits 91 , 92 , and 93 illustrate yet another embodiment . while the discussion of fig8 suggested two lss shafts , fig9 shows how three lss shafts can be put together . a cdt bracket 24 ( not shown ) with three thread types can surround , capture and conjugately engage with the different threads of lss shafts 91 , 92 and 93 . when the cdt bracket is held stationary in the longitudinal axis , the three lss shafts 91 , 92 and 93 will move linearly at different rates so long as the lss entities are prevented from rotating when the cdt bracket is turned . fig1 expands on the concepts of fig8 and 9 to show an embodiment of four lss shaft subunits 101 , 102 , 103 and 104 . in fig1 the four lss shafts can have four different thread types or a mix . an example of a mix is where lss shafts 103 and 104 share a common thread type and a common helix while lss shafts 101 and 102 share a different thread type and their own common helix . the corresponding cdt bracket ( not shown ) contains as many thread types as needed to conjugately engage all the thread types on the lss shafts 101 - 104 . the number of lss shafts possible is conceivably unlimited . fig1 shows an embodiment where the three lss shafts of fig9 are captured by a cdt bracket 110 . the cdt bracket 110 of fig1 has three different overrunning internal threads to conjugately engage a corresponding thread on each of the lss shafts 91 , 92 , and 93 . depending upon the thread handedness and pitch , the lss shaft subunits 91 - 93 move at different axial rates and / or directions as the cdt bracket 110 is turned while the lss entities are rotationally restrained . while the embodiment of fig1 shows three lss shafts , a person skilled in the related mechanical arts will recognize that many different numbers of lss shafts and thread types are possible . the advantages of mixing thread pitches to achieve fine differential motion as discussed in fig7 are also possible with the embodiment of fig1 . in fig1 , the cdt bracket 110 is split into three sections . while not always required , this alternate embodiment of a split bracket enables rapid and easy assembly of lss shafts with cdt brackets . other embodiments include forming the bracket 110 as the rotor of a motor to form a linear actuator . as the rotor - bracket 110 rotates , the lss shafts 9 , 92 , and 93 move in an axial manner . still other embodiments ( not shown ) include fixed members between the lss shafts to allow axial movement of the shafts 91 , 92 and 93 while preventing rotation of the shafts . fig1 shows another embodiment of an lss bracket similar to that of fig6 . a cdt shaft ( not shown ) conjugately engages the internal threads in the hole 121 formed by the two lss bracket subunits 122 and 123 . together , the two brackets 122 and 123 can provide a range of differential axial movement between them from very fine to very coarse depending on thread type . such an embodiment is quite useful . one example application may be an adjustable platform on an optical bench while other applications enable precise measuring devices similar to micrometers . fig1 shows an embodiment where the lss bracket subunits 132 , 133 and 134 are elongated . earlier embodiments shown lss brackets of shorter dimension . in some applications , longer lss brackets are possible . increasing the length and therefore the number of threads engaged , enables the lss / cdt combination to exert more force among the members . the cdt shaft 131 turns to move the rotationally restrained lss bracket subunits 132 , 133 and 134 according to their respective thread types . it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to what has been described hereinabove merely by way of example . while there have been described what are at present considered to be the preferred embodiments of this invention , it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other embodiments , changes , and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention and that it is , therefore , aimed to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention . while there is shown and described the present preferred embodiment of the invention , it is to be distinctly understood that this invention is not limited thereto but may be variously embodied to practice within the scope of the following claims . from the foregoing description , it will be apparent that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims .
| 5 |
methods and apparatuses for updating database systems are described . note that in this description , references to “ one embodiment ” or “ an embodiment ” mean that the feature being referred to is included in at least one embodiment of the invention . further , separate references to “ one embodiment ” in this description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment ; however , neither are such embodiments mutually exclusive , unless so stated and except as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art . thus , the invention can include any variety of combinations and / or integrations of the embodiments described herein . fig1 illustrates an exemplary architecture according to one embodiment of the invention . a user system 100 communicates with a database system 110 via an interface 130 . the interface 130 may be a command line interface or a graphical user interface . the operations specified by a user of the user system via an interface 130 are performed utilizing application programming interface ( api ) 150 calls . for example , addition of a new employee data to a data storage 120 is performed via an api call of an add_employee function according to one embodiment , wherein the add_employee function adds the new employee data to an employee data table of the data storage 120 . code objects 160 access data storage 120 via synonyms 140 in response to an api call . a synonym is an alternative name of a database table , database view or another synonym . synonyms represent a convenient way to address tables that are contained in another schema . for example , if a view called employee_details is contained in the schema called humanresources_department , the full name of the view is humanresources_department . employee_details . this view may be referenced from the schema called marketing_department by its fully qualified name as given above . alternatively , a synonym may be created for the view in schema marketing_department , e . g . emp_details , to associate with the view humanresources_department . employee_details . then the name emp_details can simply be used to refer to the view humanresources_department . employee_details . in other words , a synonym is a pointer to a database table , view or another synonym . it will be appreciated that user system and database system may reside on the same processing system , or may communicate via network connections in a local or wide area networks . with these concepts in mind embodiments of the invention can be further described with reference to fig2 . at 200 , when the data storage 120 and / or application code objects 160 need to be updated , a schema of the database system 110 is generated and stored in an update storage space 300 , illustrated in fig3 , while the database continues running in the original storage space according to one embodiment of the invention . in one embodiment the schema is generated upon initialization of the database system 110 . in alternative embodiment the schema is generated when the database system 110 needs to be updated . package specifications and bodies , synonyms , views , functions and procedures , triggers , object types , object privileges and system privileges of the database system 110 are maintained in the schema 110 ′. the layout of the data storage 120 is copied into the update storage space 300 , the data itself stored in the data storage 120 is not maintained to reduce unnecessary data replication time . in one embodiment , the data storage layout may be stored in the different schema to separate locations of the application code and data storage . at 210 the necessary changes are introduced into the schema 110 ′, for example , to the data storage 120 ′ data layout and / or into the application code objects 160 ′. for example , a set of new tables may be added to the data storage , a set of new columns may be added to a table , a new partition may be added to a table , code objects that access and manipulate data in the new partition may be introduced , etc . it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to any particular changes and any changes can be made to the data storage 120 ′ layout and or application code objects 160 ′ in the update storage space . at 220 the schema 110 ′ is tested in the update storage space 300 to ensure that all the introduced changes are compatible with the rest of the apis 150 ′, code objects 160 ′ and database layout components . if errors are encountered , the necessary changes are introduced into the rest of the apis 150 ′, code objects 160 ′ and database layout components in the update storage space to ensure compatibility with the introduced changes . in one embodiment of the invention , upon successful testing of the updated schema , the database system 110 is taken off - line at 230 . in one embodiment prior to taking the database system 110 off - line , the schema 110 ′ is synchronized with the database system 110 to ensure that changes that were introduced into the database system 110 while the schema was updated are incorporated into the schema . upon synchronization the testing of the schema may be necessary . at 240 the necessary changes are introduced into the data storage 120 to match the updated data storage 120 ′. synonyms 140 ′ are then repointed to the data storage 120 in the original database storage space at 250 , as illustrated in fig4 . at 260 , the user system 100 is directed to communicate with the repointed database system as illustrated in fig5 . the database downtime for system updates is thereby significantly reduced . in another embodiment of the invention , upon successful testing of the schema , at 600 of fig6 the database system 110 is taken off - line and at 610 the necessary changes are introduced into the database 110 , synonyms 140 , and the application code objects 160 . the changes may be introduced by replacing the code objects , synonyms and data storage of the original database system with a copy of the updated schema . alternatively , only portions of the original database system corresponding to the updated portions of the schema are modified . once the database system is updated , the system is placed back online at 620 . the database downtime is reduced as the updates have been already tested prior to their introduction into the original database system . it will be appreciated that physical processing systems , which embody components of database system described above , may include processing systems such as conventional personal computers ( pcs ), embedded computing systems and / or server - class computer systems according to one embodiment of the invention . fig6 illustrates an example of such a processing system at a high level . the processing system of fig7 may include one or more processors 700 , read - only memory ( rom ) 710 , random access memory ( ram ) 720 , and a mass storage device 730 coupled to each other on a bus system 740 . the bus system 740 may include one or more buses connected to each other through various bridges , controllers and / or adapters , which are well known in the art . for example , the bus system 740 may include a “ system bus ”, which may be connected through an adapter to one or more expansion buses , such as a peripheral component interconnect ( pci ) bus or an extended industry standard architecture ( eisa ) bus . also coupled to the bus system 740 may be the mass storage device 730 , one or more input / output ( i / o ) devices 750 and one or more data communication devices 760 to communicate with remote processing systems via one or more communication links 765 and 770 , respectively . the i / o devices 750 may include , for example , any one or more of : a display device , a keyboard , a pointing device ( e . g ., mouse , touch pad , trackball ), and an audio speaker . the processor ( s ) 700 may include one or more conventional general - purpose or special - purpose programmable microprocessors , digital signal processors ( dsps ), application specific integrated circuits ( asics ), or programmable logic devices ( pld ), or a combination of such devices . the mass storage device 730 may include any one or more devices suitable for storing large volumes of data in a non - volatile manner , such as magnetic disk or tape , magneto - optical storage device , or any of various types of digital video disk ( dvd ) or compact disk ( cd ) based storage or a combination of such devices . the data communication device ( s ) 760 each may be any device suitable to enable the processing system to communicate data with a remote processing system over a data communication link , such as a wireless transceiver or a conventional telephone modem , a wireless modem , an integrated services digital network ( isdn ) adapter , a digital subscriber line ( dsl ) modem , a cable modem , a satellite transceiver , an ethernet adapter , internal data bus , or the like . the term “ computer - readable medium ”, as used herein , refers to any medium that provides information or is usable by the processor ( s ). such a medium may take may forms , including , but not limited to , non - volatile and transmission media . non - volatile media , i . e ., media that can retain information in the absence of power , includes rom , cd rom , magnetic tape and magnetic discs . volatile media , i . e ., media that cannot retain information in the absence of power , includes main memory . transmission media includes coaxial cables , copper wire and fiber optics , including the wires that comprise the bus . transmission media can also take the form of carrier waves ; e . g ., electromagnetic waves that can be modulated , as in frequency , amplitude or phase , to transmit information signals . additionally , transmission media can take the form of acoustic or light waves , such as those generated during radio wave and infrared data communications . thus , methods and apparatuses for updating databases have been described . although the invention has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments , it will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims . accordingly , the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative sense rather than a restrictive sense .
| 6 |
the only limitations with respect to the dye and / or pigment that may be used in this invention is that the same is / are safe for topical application , compatible with a lipophilic carotenoid and suitable to be used to generate a composition with the color characteristics as defined herein . such dyes and / or pigments are preferably those that are allowed in all cosmetic compositions , including those that may come in contact with lips . illustrative non - limiting examples of the types of dyes and / or pigments that may be used in this invention include pigment red 4 , food red 1 , acid orange 7 , pigment red 57 , food yellow 3 , acid red 33 , food red 12 , acid yellow 23 , food yellow 4 , food green 3 , food blue 2 , acid blue 9 , solvent red 43 , acid red 87 , solvent red 48 , acid red 92 , solvent violet 13 , acid violet 43 , solvent green 3 , acid green 25 , vat red 1 , pigment metal 1 , pigment blue 29 , pigment white 21 , pigment white 22 , pigment white 14 , pigment white 31 , pigment brown 6 , or pigment red 101 , pigment 102 , pigment brown 6 , pigment yellow 42 , pigment yellow 43 , pigment black 11 , pigment white 18 , pigment violet 16 , pigment white 6 , pigment white 4 , mixtures thereof or the like . in a preferred embodiment , the first colorant is a red ( azo ) dye ( food red 1 ) sold under the name ponceau sx ( cas 4548 - 53 - 2 ), made commercially available from suppliers like sensient technologies , spectrum chemicals & amp ; laboratory products as well as alfa chem . the second colorant suitable for use herein is limited only to the extent that the same may be used in a cosmetic composition and is a lipophilic carotenoid ( i . e ., coloring antioxidant ) having a logp of greater than about 12 . 5 . illustrative non - limiting examples of the types of carotenoids suitable for use in this invention include beta - carotene , lycopene , lutein , astaxanthin , β - cryptoxanthin , mixtures thereof or the like . in a preferred embodiment , however , the carotenoid used herein is lycopene which is available from suppliers like dsm nutritional products and parry nutraceuticals . often , the weight ratio of first colorant : second colorant equals 0 . 004 to about 1 , 000 . preferably , the weight ratio of first colorant : second colorant is from about 1 : 6 to about 6 : 1 , and most preferably , from about 1 : 3 to about 3 : 1 , including all ratios subsumed therein . in an especially preferred embodiment , the total colorant ( first and second colorant ) used in this invention is less than about 0 . 4 %, and preferably , less than about 0 . 25 %, and most preferably , less than a bout 0 . 1 %, based on total weight of the topical composition . optional additives may be added to the topical composition of the present invention in order to yield a desired end use composition . for example , such an end use topical composition may optionally contain a skin conditioning agent . these agents may be selected from humectants , exfoliants or emollients . humectants are polyhydric alcohols intended for moisturizing , reducing , scaling and stimulating removal of built - up scale from the skin . typical polyhydric alcohols include polyalkylene glycols and more preferably alkylene polyols and their derivatives . illustrative are propylene glycol , dipropylene glycol , polypropylene glycol , polyethylene glycol , sorbitol , glycerin , hydroxypropyl sorbitol , hexylene glycol , 1 , 3 - butylene glycol , 1 , 2 , 6 - hexanetriol , ethoxylated glycerin , propoxylated glycerin and mixtures thereof . most preferably , the humectant is glycerin . amounts of humectant may range ( if used ) anywhere from about 0 . 01 to 15 %, preferably from about 0 . 01 to about 10 %, optimally from about 0 . 75 to about 5 % by weight . exfoliants suitable for use in the topical compositions of the present invention may be selected from alpha - hydroxycarboxylic acids , beta - hydroxycarboxylic acids and salts of these acids . often , the exfolliants , when employed , make up from about 0 . 1 to about 6 % by weight of the topical composition . most preferred are glycolic , lactic and salicylic acids and their ammonium salts . a wide variety of c 2 - c 30 alpha - hydroxycarboxylic acids may be employed . suitable examples include : α - hydroxyethanoic acid α - hydroxypropanoic acid α - hydroxyhexanoic acid α - hydroxyoctanoic acid α - hydroxydecanoic acid α - hydroxydodecanoic acid α - hydroxytetradecanoic acid α - hydroxyhexadecanoic acid α - hydroxyoctadecanoic acid α - hydroxyeicosanoic acid α - hydroxydocosanoic acid α - hydroxyhexacosanoic acid , and α - hydroxyoctacosanoic acid . when the conditioning agent is an emollient it may be selected from hydrocarbons , fatty acids , fatty alcohols and esters , whereby the emollients ( when used ) typically make from about 0 . 1 to about 25 % by weight of the total weight of the topical composition . petrolatum is the most preferred hydrocarbon type of emollient conditioning agent . other hydrocarbons that may be employed include mineral oil , polyolefins such as polydecene , and parafins such as isohexadecane ( e . g . permethyl 99 ® and permethyl 101 ®)). fatty acids and alcohols ( as emollients ) suitable for use often have from 10 to 30 carbon atoms . illustrative of this category are pelargonic , lauric , myristic , palmitic , stearic , isostearic , hydroxystearic , oleic , linoleic , ricinoleic , arachidic , behenic and erucic acids and alcohols . oily ester emollients suitable for use in the topical compositions made according to this invention can be those selected from one or more of the following classes : examples include castor oil , cocoa butter , safflower oil , cottonseed oil , corn oil , olive oil , cod liver oil , almond oil , avocado oil , palm oil , sesame oil , squalene , kikui oil and soybean oil . 2 . acetoglyceride esters , such as acetylated monoglycerides . 3 . ethoxylated glycerides , such as ethoxylated glyceryl monostearate . 4 . alkyl esters of fatty acids having 10 to 20 carbon atoms . methyl , isopropyl , and butyl esters of fatty acids are useful herein . examples include hexyl laurate , isohexyl laurate , isohexyl palmitate , isopropyl palmitate , isopropyl myristate , decyl oleate , isodecyl oleate , hexadecyl stearate , decyl stearate , isopropyl isostearate , diisopropyl adipate , dilsohexyl adipate , dihexyldecyl adipate , diisopropyl sebacate , lauryl lactate , myristyl lactate , and cetyl lactate . 5 . alkenyl esters of fatty acids having 10 to 20 carbon atoms . examples thereof include oleyl myristate , oleyl stearate , and oleyl oleate . 6 . ether - esters such as fatty acid esters of ethoxylated fatty alcohols . 7 . polyhydric alcohol esters . ethylene glycol mono and di - fatty acid esters , diethylene glycol mono - and di - fatty acid esters , polyethylene glycol ( 200 - 6000 ) mono - and di - fatty acid esters , propylene glycol mono - and di - fatty acid esters , polypropylene glycol 2000 monooleate , polypropylene glycol 2000 monostearate , ethoxylated propylene glycol monostearate , glyceryl mono - and di - fatty acid esters , polyglycerol polyfatty esters , ethoxylated glyceryl monostearate , 1 , 2 - butylene glycol monostearate , 1 , 2 - butylene glycol distearate , polyoxyethylene polyol fatty acid ester , sorbitan fatty acid esters , and polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid esters are satisfactory polyhydric alcohol esters . 8 . wax esters such as beeswax , spermaceti , myristyl myristate , stearyl stearate . the topical compositions of the present invention should contain substantial levels of water . such compositions often contain water in amounts ranging from 50 to 90 %, preferably from 55 to 85 % by weight , whereby the topical compositions of this invention can comprise water - in - oil or oil - in - water emulsions . other emollients which may be used are generally classified as siloxanes or silicon derivatives . illustrative non - limiting examples include materials like dimethicone , cyclopentasiloxane , cross - linked siloxane based polymers and mixtures thereof . surfactants can be a further optional additive of the topical compositions made according to the present invention . these may be selected from nonionic , anionic , cationic or emulsifying agents . they may range , when used , in amount anywhere from about 0 . 1 to about 25 % by weight . illustrative nonionic surfactants are alkoxylated compounds based on c 10 - c 22 fatty alcohols and acids , and sorbitan . these materials are available , for instance , from the shell chemical company under the neodol trademark . copolymers of polyoxypropylene - polyoxyethylene , sold by the basf corporation under the pluronic trademark , are sometimes also useful . alkyl polyglycosides available from the henkel corporation may also be utilized for purposes of this invention . anionic type surfactants include fatty acid soaps , sodium lauryl sulphate , sodium lauryl ether sulphate , alkyl benzene sulphonate , mono - and di - alkyl acid phosphates and sodium fatty acyl isethionate . amphoteric surfactants include such materials as dialkylamine oxide and various types of betaines ( such as cocoamidopropyl betaine ). still other optional additives suitable for use in the topical compositions of this invention include thickeners . such thickeners are often generally classified as carboxylic acid polymers , cross - linked polyacrylate polymers , polyacrylamide polymers or the like . typical thickeners include cross linked acrylates ( e . g . carbopol 982 or carbopol ultrex 10 ), hydrophobically - modified acrylates ( e . g . carbopol 1382 ), cellulosic derivatives and natural gums . among useful cellulosic derivatives are sodium carboxymethylcellulose , hydroxypropyl methylcellulose , hydroxypropyl cellulose , hydroxyethyl cellulose , ethyl cellulose , polyacrylamide comprising thickeners ( like sepiger ™ 305 ) and hydroxymethyl cellulose . gums suitable for the present invention include guar , xanthan , magnesium aluminum silicate ( veegum ), sclerotium , carrageenan , pectin and combinations of these gums . amounts of the thickener may range from 0 . 0001 to 5 %, usually from 0 . 001 to 1 %, optimally from 0 . 01 to 0 . 5 % by weight , based on total weight of the topical composition and including all ranges subsumed therein . typically , the optional additives used in the topical composition of this invention , collectively , make up less than about 30 %, and preferably , less than about 15 %, and most preferably less than about 10 % by weight of the topical composition , based on total weight of the topical composition and including all ranges subsumed therein . optional , but especially preferred additives which may be used in the topical composition of this invention include sunscreen or ultra violet light blocking materials . illustrative compounds are paba , and derivatives of cinnamic and salicylic acid . for example , octyl methoxycinnamate and 2 - hydroxy - 4 - methoxy benzophenone ( also known as oxybenzone ) can also be used . octyl methoxycinnamate , 2 - ethylhexyl - p - methoxycinnamate ( parsol mcx ®), and 2 - hydroxy - 4 - methoxy benzophenone are all commercially available . others which may be used include octocrylene , butylmethoxydibenzoyl methane ( parsol 1789 ®) and phenylbezimidazole sulfonic acid . the preferred ultraviolet light blockers are parsol 1789 ® and parsol mcx ®, and especially , a mixture of the same at a weight ratio from about 1 : 6 to about 6 : 1 , and preferably , from about 1 : 5 to about 5 : 1 , and most preferably , from about 1 : 4 to about 4 : 1 , including all ranges subsumed therein . typically , the amount of ultraviolet light blocker used in this invention , when desired , is from about 0 . 5 to about 10 %, and preferably , from about 0 . 75 to about 6 %, and most preferably , from about 1 to about 5 % by weight , based on total weight of the topical composition and including all ranges subsumed therein . even other optional but especially preferred additives that may be used with the topical composition of this invention include physical scatterers ( like tio 2 and / or zno ), skin lighteners like niacinamide , coumarin derived compounds 4 - hydroxyphenylpyruvate , 3 - propionylbenzothiazol - 2 - one , mixtures thereof or the like , skin care chelators ( like edta ), benefit agents like a linoleic acid , retinol and derivatives thereof or mixtures thereof , other antioxidants , like , vitamin c , vitamin e , and derivatives thereof ( like sodium ascorbyl phosphate and tocopherol acetate ), mixtures thereof or the like . when used , these other especially preferred optional additives , collectively , make up from about 0 . 01 to about 12 %, and preferably , from about 0 . 1 to about 7 % by weight of the topical composition , based on total weight of the topical composition and including all ranges subsumed therein . preservatives can desirably be incorporated into the compositions of this invention to protect against the growth of potentially harmful microorganisms , and therefore , are yet another class of optional but especially preferred additives . while it is in the aqueous phase that microorganisms tend to grow , microorganisms can also reside in the oil phase . as such , preservatives which have solubility in both water and oil are preferably employed in the present compositions . suitable traditional preservatives are alkyl esters of para - hydroxybenzoic acid . particularly preferred preservatives for use in this invention are methyl paraben , propyl paraben , sodium dehydroxyacetate , phenoxyethanol and benzyl alcohol . preservatives are preferably employed in amounts ranging from 0 . 01 % to 3 % by weight of the topical composition . in an especially preferred embodiment , the preservative employed is methyl paraben , propyl paraben or a mixture thereof , and the weight ratio of preservative to ultraviolet light blocker employed is from about 1 : 8 to about 8 : 1 , and preferably , from about 1 : 6 to about 6 : 1 , and most preferably , from about 1 : 4 to about 4 : 1 , including all ratios subsumed therein . minor adjunct ingredients may also be included such as fragrances , antifoam agents , and colorants , each in their effective amounts to accomplish their respective functions . when making the compositions of the present invention , the desired ingredients can be mixed , in no particular order , and usually at temperatures from about ambient to about 65 ° c . and under atmospheric pressure . in a preferred embodiment , however , water is added to oil . the viscosity of the topical composition prepared according to this invention is typically from about 2 , 000 to about 400 , 000 cps , and preferably from about 3 , 000 to about 300 , 000 cps , and most preferably , from about 5 , 000 to about 225 , 000 cps taken at a shear rate of 1s − 1 at ambient temperature with a strain controlled parallel plate rheometer ( like those sold by t . a . instruments under the ares name ). the colorants used herein may be encapsulated ( either or both , if desired ) by conventional techniques . such techniques include the use of cyclodextrin , whereby the conventional technique is further described in eur . j . org . chem . 2005 , pages 4051 - 4059 . when applying the topical composition of this invention , the consumer is typically directed to use approximately 0 . 1 g of composition for about every 5 cm 2 of skin in order to yield a healthy and desirable skin color . the packaging for the compositions of this invention is not limited and can include a bottle , tube , foil wrap , roll - ball applicator , squeeze container or lidded jar . the examples below are provided to illustrate the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims . topical compositions , according to this invention , were made by combining the following ingredients : topical compositions similar to those made in example 1 were stored for about three ( 3 ) months at ambient temperature . unexpectedly , the color of the compositions in packaging and when applied ( after the three ( 3 ) month period ) remained substantially the same as the color when the compositions were first made . the topical compositions when made and after storage satisfied the l * and hue characteristics described herein .
| 0 |
referring now to the drawings there is shown in fig1 a wheeled vehicle 9 having four wheels each with a tire 10 . this vehicle 9 is illustrative of any type of motorized or non - motorized vehicle that may be moved over a supporting surface 11 . each tire 10 has an anti - scuff device 12 mounted thereon to provide a surface anti - scuff system for the vehicle 9 . each surface anti - scuff device 12 includes an anti - scuff or non - scuffing member 14 shown in the form of a single rectangular strip of material of a preselected width and length that is sized according to tire size that is wider than the tire tread so it will overlay the tire tread and a portion of each sidewall of the tire with the strip being fastened to the tire along both sides . the strip is secured at the ends by folding the opposite end portions 14a and 14b of the strip 14 against one another and securing them as with stitching 15 to form the strip 14 into a closed loop having substantially the same circumference as the circumference of the tire to which it is secured . a first folded side edge portion 16 is provided along an inner side edge of the material 14 and a second folded side edge portion 18 is provided along the opposite outer side edge of the material . these edge portions 16 and 18 are formed as by stitching at lines 22 and 24 , respectively . a first draw line 26 is provided in the first folded edge portion 16 and a second draw line 28 is provided in the second folded side edge portion so that the draw lines 26 and 28 can be used to draw the strip of material 14 tightly against the circumference and portion as of the sidewalls on both sides of the tread of the tire . the opposite end portions of the draw lines are shown held by a conventional line clamp 29 having a hole through which two of the draw lines extend and a spring biased button that releases when depressed . the draw lines could also be tied in a suitable , readily releasable knot . at each end of each folded side edge portion and at the connected end portions 14a and 14b a corner portion 31 of the material is folded over and secured as by stitching 32 to provide a double - thickness beveled edge portion 33 . this enables each draw string to be pulled on a straight line so there is uniform pull and no bunching up of the material . a material found suitable for this anti - scuff member 14 is cordura ® plus manufactured by dupont company . this product is a pliable , tightly woven nylon , preferably a plain weave that will readily conform to the exterior surface of the tread and sidewalls of the tire and is provided with an inside coating or layer to make it water resistant . it is found that if this strip is held tightly to the tire , tread and along the sides that vehicles with rubber tires can be driven over a surface to prevent or substantially prevent scuffing the surface or without significantly scuffing the surface . an alternative embodiment shown in fig8 and 9 has a stretchable strip of material 42 of a suitable elastic material fastened at and between folded end portions of the anti - scuff member 14 to enable the closed loop to stretch slightly over a limited width . this stretchable strip of material 42 is shown sewn to the ends as by stitching indicated at 43 . although the present invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity , it is understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example and that changes in details of structure may be made without departing from the spirit thereof .
| 8 |
the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to fig6 - 9 . each of the embodiments will be described as a control operation of the primary / non - primary base station mode controller 206 at a base station , which may be implemented by a control program running on a program - controlled processor in the primary / non - primary base station mode controller 206 . as described before , the primary / non - primary base station mode controller 206 in each of the base stations updates the interim controlled transmission power value p1 depending on the base station selection code word e - 002 to produce a final controlled transmission power value p2 . referring to fig6 , a first embodiment of the present invention controls the transmission power taking into consideration the amount of loss of a base station selection signal or code word . more specifically , the primary / non - primary base station mode controller 206 inputs the base station selection code word from the base station selection signal demodulator 204 ( step s 601 ) and measures the amount of loss of the base station selection code word ( step s 602 ). the amount of loss of the base station selection code word may be the number of punctured bits as shown in fig3 c or the ratio of the number of punctured bits to the number of all bits of the base station selection code word . hereafter , the amount of loss of the base station selection code word is denoted by l cw . subsequently , it is determined whether the amount of loss of the base station selection code word , l cw , is greater than a threshold l th ( step s 603 ). the threshold l th may vary depending on the length of the base station selection code word . if l cw & gt ; l th ( yes at step s 603 ), then it is determined that the demodulated base station selection code word is not sufficiently reliable and the final controlled transmission power value p2 is set to the interim controlled transmission power value p1 inputted from the transmission power controller 205 , that is , p2 = p1 ( primary base station mode ), ( step s 604 ). in other words , the transmission power is not suppressed regardless of whether the base station itself is the primary base station or not . if l cw is equal to or lower than l th ( no at step s 603 ), then the base station identification number bs_id rsv is detected from the base station selection code word ( step s 605 ). then , it is determined whether the base station identification number bs_id rsv is identical to the identification number id of its own ( step s 606 ). if the base station identification number bs_id rsv is identical to the own identification number id ( yes at step s 606 ), then the final controlled transmission power value p2 is set to the interim controlled transmission power value p1 , that is , p2 = p1 ( primary base station mode ), ( step s 604 ). if the base station identification number bs_id rsv is not identical to the own identification number id ( no at step s 606 ), then the final controlled transmission power value p2 is set to a predetermined minimum transmission power value p min , that is , p2 = p min ( non - primary base station mode ), ( step s 607 ). the predetermined minimum transmission power value p min may be 0 . the final controlled transmission power value p2 is output to the transmission controller 207 ( step s 608 ). alternatively , if the base station identification number bs_id rsv is not identical to the own identification number id ( no at step s 606 ), it may be further determined whether the reception quality of the base station selection code word satisfies a predetermined level . if the reception quality does not satisfy the predetermined level , then it is determined that the demodulated base station selection code word is not sufficiently reliable , and the final controlled transmission power value p2 may be set to the interim controlled transmission power value p1 ( step s 604 ). as described above , in the case where the amount of loss of the base station selection code word is greater than the threshold , in other words , where the demodulated base station selection code word is not sufficiently reliable , the transmission power is not suppressed regardless of whether the base station itself is designated as the primary base station or not . referring to fig7 , a second embodiment of the present invention controls the bs mode update timing so that synchronization among the primary / non - primary mode update timings of base stations is achieved . more specifically , the primary / non - primary base station mode controller 206 inputs the base station selection code word from the base station selection signal demodulator 204 ( step s 701 ) and detects the base station identification number bs_id rsv from the base station selection code word e - 002 ( step s 702 ). then , variable i is set to the number of a current slot and variable j is set to the number of a slot conveying the last part of the base station selection code word ( step s 703 ). thereafter , it is determined whether the following equation ( 1 ) is satisfied ( step s 704 ): where tos is waiting time for mode update , fn is the number of slots included in one frame , and x mod y is an operator whose result is the remainder of a division operation ( x / y ). in other words , the base station mode updating operation is not performed until the current slot reaches a slot numbered ( j + tos ) mod fn . when the equation ( 1 ) is satisfied ( yes at step s 704 ), it is determined whether the base station identification number bs_id rsv is identical to the identification number id of its own ( step s 705 ). if the base station identification number bs_id rsv is identical to the own identification number id ( yes at step s 705 ), then the final controlled transmission power value p2 is set to the interim controlled transmission power value p1 inputted from the transmission power controller 205 , that is , p2 = p1 ( primary base station mode ), ( step s 706 ). if the base station identification number bs_id rsv is not identical to the own identification number id ( no at step s 705 ), then the final controlled transmission power value p2 is set to a predetermined minimum transmission power value p min , that is , p2 = p min ( non - primary base station mode ), ( step s 707 ). the predetermined minimum transmission power value p min may be 0 . the final controlled transmission power value p2 is output to the transmission controller 207 ( step s 708 ). alternatively , if the base station identification number bs_id rsv is not identical to the own identification number id ( no at step s 705 ), it may be further determined whether the reception quality of the base station selection code word satisfies a predetermined level . if the reception quality does not satisfy the predetermined level , then it is determined that the demodulated base station selection code word is not sufficiently reliable , and the final controlled transmission power value p2 may be set to the interim controlled transmission power value p1 ( step s 706 ). referring to fig8 , a time slot is denoted by reference symbol j - 001 and each transmission signal has a frame structure where fn (= 15 ) slots are numbered from 0 to 14 . for simplicity , it is assumed that two base stations 1 and 2 transmit downlink transmission signals j - 002 and j - 003 to the mobile station with the respective transmission timings ( propagation delays : d 1 and d 2 ) adjusted so that the downlink transmission signals arrive at the mobile station within an acceptable time deviation . accordingly , the mobile station receives the downlink transmission signals j - 002 as a downlink reception signal j - 004 from the base station 1 and , at the approximately same time , receives the downlink transmission signals j - 003 as a downlink reception signal j - 005 from the base station 2 . the mobile station transmits an uplink transmission signal j - 006 to the base stations 1 and 2 a time period of transmission timing offset t tr after the downlink reception signals j - 004 and j - 005 have been received . as described before , the uplink transmission signal j - 006 includes the base station selection code word such that respective parts of the base station selection code word are conveyed in the dedicated fields as shown in fig3 b . the base station 2 receives the uplink transmission signal j - 006 as an uplink reception signal j - 007 with a propagation delay time of d 3 and the base station 1 receives the uplink transmission signal j - 006 as an uplink reception signal j - 008 with a propagation delay time of d 4 . it is assumed that an entire base station selection code word is received when the slot numbered 14 has been received , that is , j = 14 , and the mode update waiting time tos is set to 3 , fn = 15 . in this case , ( j + tos ) mod fn = 2 . therefore , the base station 1 performs the actual mode update at the slot j - 017 numbered 2 . similarly , the base station 1 also performs the actual mode update at the slot j - 017 numbered 2 . in this manner , from the standpoint of the mobile station , the primary base station update timing of the base station 1 is in synchronization with that of the base station 2 . it is preferable that the waiting time tos is as short as possible to achieve high - speed mode switching . since the propagation delay and processing delay in a base station may vary , it is possible to make the waiting time tos variable during communication . further , the waiting time tos may be varied depending on the number j of the slot conveying the last part of the base station selection code word . in this case , the primary base station mode update timing at the mobile station can be set to a desired timing . referring to fig9 , a third embodiment of the present invention is a combination of the first and second embodiments . steps s 901 - s 905 are the same as the steps s 701 - s 705 of fig7 , respectively . if the base station identification number bs_id rsv is identical to the own identification number id ( yes at step s 905 ), then it is determined whether the amount of loss of the base station selection code word , l cw , is greater than a threshold l th ( step s 906 ). if l cw & gt ; l th ( yes at step s 906 ), then it is determined that the demodulated base station selection code word is not sufficiently reliable and the final controlled transmission power value p2 is set to the interim controlled transmission power value p1 inputted from the transmission power controller 205 , that is , p2 = p1 ( primary base station mode ), ( step s 604 ). in other words , the transmission power is not suppressed regardless of whether the base station itself is the primary base station or not . if l cw is equal to or lower than l th ( no at step s 906 ), then the final controlled transmission power value p2 is set to a predetermined minimum transmission power value p min , that is , p2 = p min ( non - primary base station mode ), ( step s 908 ). the final controlled transmission power value p2 is output to the transmission controller 207 ( step s 909 ). alternatively , if the base station identification number bs_id rsv is not identical to the own identification number id ( no at step s 905 ), it may be further determined whether the reception quality of the base station selection code word satisfies a predetermined level . if the reception quality does not satisfy the predetermined level , then it is determined that the demodulated base station selection code word is not sufficiently reliable , and the final controlled transmission power value p2 may be set to the interim controlled transmission power value p1 ( step s 907 ). as described above , according to the present invention , when the amount of loss of a base station selection signal received from a mobile station exceeds a predetermined level due to an uplink puncturing operation of the mobile station , the base station mode is set to the primary mode regardless of whether the base station selection signal instructs the base station itself to be the primary base station or not . therefore , such a decision error that the base station is erroneously set to the non - primary base station mode due to reception error can be effectively eliminated , resulting in stable and reliable quality of a downlink signal from the base station to the mobile station . further , since the update timings of the base stations are in synchronization with each other in the downlink signal received at the mobile station , loss of a downlink signal caused by loss of synchronism can be avoided without the need of an added circuit for monitoring the mode update timing at the mobile station .
| 7 |
fig1 a - c illustrate an instrument that provides the functionality of three pulse oximeters in one . fig1 a illustrates a full - featured handheld pulse oximeter 101 . fig1 b illustrates a full - featured standalone pulse oximeter 105 . fig1 c illustrates an upgrading pulse oximeter 109 . as shown in fig1 a , the handheld 101 contains the majority of the pulse oximeter features . pulse oximetry measurement information , as well as instrument status data is displayed to a user on a handheld lcd screen 210 ( fig2 a ). user input is handled through control keys 220 - 260 ( fig2 a ) on a front panel . user input and displays are controlled by the handheld 101 . a sensor cable 10 connects into a swivel connector 20 on the handheld 100 . the handheld 101 is battery powered and can be used either as a transport monitor or as a handheld pulse oximeter for spot checks . a handheld release button 30 is pressed to pull the handheld 101 out of a docking station 103 ( fig1 b ). as shown in fig1 b , the handheld 101 snaps into the docking station 103 to provide the standalone pulse oximeter 105 . the docking station 103 connects to ac power for standalone operation or handheld battery charging . in one embodiment , a docking station battery is also available . the standalone pulse oximeter 105 features an analog output / nurse call and a serial output that interfaces to , for example , a printer or computer . as shown in fig1 c , utilizing an interface cable 107 , the standalone 105 also interfaces to the sensor port of an spo 2 module of a validated multiparameter patient monitor or other pulse oximeter monitor so as to upgrade conventional pulse oximetry to advanced pulse oximetry . the interface cable 107 attaches to the back of the docking station 105 . a handheld pulse oximeter , docking station , standalone pulse oximeter and interface cable are described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 516 , 110 filed mar . 1 , 2000 entitled “ universal / upgrading pulse oximeter ,” assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated by reference herein . pulse oximeters having handheld , docking stations and standalone features include those commercially available from , for example , masimo corporation of irvine , calif ., under the radical ™ brand . an associated publication entitled “ radical , signal extraction pulse oximeter , operator &# 39 ; s manual ,” © 2001 masimo corporation is incorporated by reference herein . interface cables are also available from , for example , masimo corporation under the satshare ™ brand . fig2 a - c generally illustrate a pulse oximeter user interface . fig2 a illustrates a handheld user interface having the display 210 , the fixed function keys 220 - 240 , programmable function keys (“ soft keys ”) 260 , associated soft key icons 270 and a loudspeaker 280 . the loudspeaker 280 provides an audio indication of alarms , which are described with respect to fig1 a - b , below . the display 210 is described with respect to fig4 - 6 , below . the four soft keys 260 are pressed to select a corresponding one of the soft key icons 270 . the soft key icons 270 indicate the software menu items that can be selected through the soft keys 260 . pressing a soft key 260 next to an icon 270 selects the option . the soft keys 260 and soft key icons 270 are described with respect to fig8 a - b , below . as shown in fig2 a , the fixed function keys 220 - 240 include a power / standby button 220 , an alarm silence button 230 and a backlight / contrast button 240 . the power / standby button 220 is pressed to turn the instrument on , and it is held down for more than 2 seconds and then released to turn the instrument off . the alarm silence button 230 is pressed to temporarily silence patient alarms . also , the alarm silence button 230 is pressed when sensor off or no sensor messages are flashing , such as when the sensor is removed from the patient , to acknowledge the end of monitoring . in these states , all further alarms are suspended until the pulse oximeter starts measuring oxygen saturation ( i . e . spo 2 ) and pulse rate again . system fault alarms can be silenced by pressing the power / standby button 220 or the alarm silence button 230 . the backlight / contrast button 240 is pressed to change the illumination level of the backlight . with the ac line power connected , four levels of illumination are available in addition to a no illumination level . in the handheld mode , three levels of illumination are available in addition to a no illumination level . the lowest illumination is used for the most efficient battery usage . the backlight / contrast button 240 is also used to change the contrast of the lcd display by pressing and holding it for longer than two seconds to begin the contrast change and releasing it at the desired contrast setting . [ 0048 ] fig2 b illustrates a standalone user interface having led indicators 290 in addition to some or all of the interface features of the handheld , described above . when the handheld is placed into the docking station , the handheld can become a full - featured standalone pulse oximeter . the standalone acts as a battery charger for the handheld and has ac power connection capabilities . the standalone can also interface to serial devices , nurse call or analog output devices , and multiparameter patient monitors through an interface cable . [ 0049 ] fig2 c illustrates the standalone led indicators 290 including a docking station battery charging indicator 292 , a handheld battery charging indicator 294 , a visual alarm indicator 295 , an ac power indicator 297 and a docking indicator 299 . the docking station battery charging indicator 292 is illuminated when the docking station battery is charging . the handheld battery charging indicator 294 also is illuminated when the handheld battery is charging . both charging indicators 292 , 294 blink just prior to charging . neither charging indicator 294 illuminates when a battery is fully charged or when a battery is not present . the visual alarm indicator 295 is illuminated when an alarm condition is active and the alarm status indicator is shown . the ac power indicator 297 is illuminated when the docking station is plugged into ac line power . the docking indicator 299 is illuminated when the handheld is turned on and is properly interfaced to a docking station . when the standalone is turned on at start up , all indicator leds initially turn on and off . [ 0051 ] fig3 provides a hierarchical overview 300 of the content of the user display 210 ( fig2 a ) having display views 310 , display view soft key icons 320 , main menu and trend view 330 , submenus 340 , trend soft key icons 350 and trend - related screens 360 . there are three display views 310 including a pleth only view 400 , described with respect to fig4 a pleth and signal quality view 500 , described with respect to fig5 a - c , and a numeric view , described with respect to fig6 . as shown in fig3 there are two pages of soft key icons 320 that appear in the display views 310 . a first page of icons 801 includes a main menu icon 814 ( fig8 a ) that , when selected , provides a main menu 900 . the main menu 900 includes soft key icons 820 ( fig8 a ) that allow selection of the submenus 340 . a second page of icons 802 include a trend icon 864 ( fig8 b ) that , when selected , provides a trend view 1000 . the trend view 1000 includes three pages of trend soft key icons 350 . one of the trend soft key icon pages 350 provides for the selection of the trend - related screens 360 . the display view icons 320 , main menu icons 820 ( fig8 a ), and trend icons 350 are described with respect to fig8 a - b , below . the main menu 900 is described with respect to fig9 a - b , below , and the trend view 1000 is described with respect to fig1 , below . the submenus 340 are described with respect to fig1 - 17 , below . the general submenu 1300 provides for the selection of a home mode and associated password screen 1800 , described with respect to fig1 and fig1 , below . the content of the user display 210 ( fig2 a ) can appear as a horizontal format or a vertical format . the content of the user display 210 ( fig2 a ) can rotate between display formats as the handheld 101 ( fig1 a ) or standalone 105 ( fig1 b ) are physically moved to corresponding horizontal or vertical positions . alternatively , the display content can rotate between horizontal and vertical formats by selection of a rotate soft key icon 868 ( fig8 b ), described below . horizontal and vertical format pairs are illustrated in fig5 a - b , 9 a - b , and 11 a - b . a rotatable format display is described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 516 , 110 , referenced above . [ 0056 ] fig4 illustrates a pleth only view 400 having an oxygen saturation 412 , a pulse rate 414 , a perfusion index 418 and a pulse waveform 422 . the oxygen saturation 412 displays a functional arterial hemoglobin oxygen saturation measurement in units of percentage spo 2 . when a sensor is not connected to a patient and during pulse search , the display will show dashed lines . the oxygen saturation 412 is calculated and the display is updated at a frequency of once per second . the pulse rate 414 displays a patient &# 39 ; s pulse rate in beats per minute . the pulse rate 414 is calculated and the display is updated at a frequency of once per second . the pulse waveform 422 displays the acquired plethysmograph (“ pleth ”). the pulse waveform 422 is scaled with signal strength , as described in detail with respect to fig7 a - d , below . the pulse waveform 422 is updated at a frequency of 31 . 25 times per second . the perfusion index 418 displays the percentage of pulsatile signal to non - pulsatile signal . as shown in fig4 the pleth view 400 also has saturation limits 432 , pulse rate limits 434 and an alarm status indicator 436 . the saturation limits 432 display the upper and lower saturation alarm limits . the saturation limits 432 are displayed next to the oxygen saturation 412 . the pulse rate limits 434 display the upper and lower pulse rate alarm limits . the pulse rate limits 434 are displayed next to the pulse rate 414 . when a measured value reaches or exceeds an alarm limit 432 , 434 the associated number display 412 , 414 and the corresponding violated limit 432 , 434 flash . the alarm status indicator 436 is a bell symbol that can be shown with or without a slash . it flashes when an alarm condition is present . when the alarm is silenced using the alarm silence button 230 ( fig2 a ), an alarm status indicator 436 with a slash and a timer is shown to indicate that the alarm is temporarily silenced . when the alarm is silenced through an “ all mute ” menu selection , which is permanent until power is cycled or deselected using menu , an alarm status indicator 436 with a slash is shown to indicate that alarm has been silenced . also shown in fig4 the pleth view 400 has status messages 442 - 448 and indicators 460 - 480 . the status messages include an advanced signal processing message (“ masimo set ”) 442 when such processing is active , a fast signal processing message (“ fastsat ”) 444 when operating in that mode , and a maximum sensitivity message (“ max ”) 448 when operating in that mode . the advance signal processing can include advanced pulse oximetry such as that commercially available from masimo corporation of irvine , calif . under the masimo set ® brand . fast signal processing is described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 586 , 845 entitled “ variable mode averager ,” assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated by reference herein . the indicators include battery status indicators 460 , time and date indicators 470 and an output mode indicator 480 . battery status indicators 460 show the capacity of the handheld and optional docking station batteries . an indicator 460 flashes when less than 15 minutes of battery life is left and the battery needs to be recharged . the docking station battery status indicator is not shown when the optional docking station battery is not present . the time and date indicators 470 display the current time and date . the date and time are displayed in dd / mm / yyyy or mm / dd / yyyy format . the date and time display format is selected in the clock menu 1400 ( fig1 ). the output mode indicator 480 displays the output mode selected by the user . the output mode indicator 480 also displays the type of interface cable . in are embodiment , the output mode indicator 480 is only displayed when the instrument actively outputs data other than ascii text or interfaces with a monitor through the interface cable . further shown in fig4 the pleth view 400 has system messages generated by the instrument that are displayed in a system message area 450 . each message and its meaning are described immediately below . an “ ambient light ” message indicates that too much light is on the patient ( sensor ). a “ defective sensor ” message indicates that the oximeter cannot identify the connected sensor or the sensor has failed , which , for example , may be caused by a broken sensor cable wire , inoperative leds , an unauthorized sensor , or a faulty detector . an “ interference ” message indicates that an outside signal or energy is preventing a reading . an “ invalid sensor ” message indicates the oximeter cannot identify the connected sensor , which again can be due to a broken sensor cable wire , inoperative leds , an unauthorized sensor , or a faulty detector . a “ low battery ” message indicates that the battery charge is low , signaling that the handheld be placed into the docking station to be powered with ac line power or that the battery be replaced . a “ low perfusion ” message indicates that the signal is too small . a “ low signal iq ” message indicates a low signal quality , and is discussed further with respect to fig5 a - c , below . a “ no sensor ” message indicates that a sensor is not fully inserted into the connector , which may be due to an incorrect sensor , or a defective sensor or cable , or that the sensor is inserted upside down . a “ pulse search ” message indicates that the instrument is searching for patient &# 39 ; s pulse . a “ sensor off ” message indicates that a sensor is off the patient and should be reattached . a “ service required ” message indicates an internal failure and that the instrument requires service . the “ service required ” message fills the entire display . as shown in fig4 the pleth view 400 has soft key icons 270 as described with respect to fig2 a , above . in the display views 400 - 600 ( fig3 ), including the pleth view 400 , the soft key icons 270 can be page 1 display view icons 810 ( fig8 a ) or page 2 display view icons 860 ( fig8 b ), described below . fig5 a - b illustrate a pleth and signal quality view 500 , in horizontal and vertical format , respectively , having the features of the pleth only view 400 ( fig4 ) in addition to a signal quality waveform 510 . the signal quality waveform 510 provides a visual indicator of the plethysmogram signal quality . in particular , the signal quality waveform 510 displays the acquired signal quality and the timing of a patient &# 39 ; s pulse by a series of vertical lines 512 . with motion , the plethysmographic waveform is often distorted and may be obscured by one or more artifacts . the vertical lines 512 coincide with peaks of an arterial pulsation . even with a plethysmographic waveform obscured by artifacts , the instrument locates the arterial pulsation . a pulse tone generated by the loudspeaker 280 ( fig2 ), when enabled , coincides with the vertical lines 512 . the height of a particular vertical line of the signal quality waveform 510 indicates the quality of the measured signal . a generally large vertical line indicates that the spo 2 measurement is based on a good quality signal . a generally small vertical line indicates that the spo 2 measurement is based on data with low signal quality . when the signal quality is very low the accuracy of the spo 2 measurement may be compromised and the “ low signal iq ” system message 450 ( fig4 ) is displayed , as described above . the signal quality waveform 510 is updated at a frequency of 31 . 25 times per second . signal quality may also be shown as a single , pulsating bar 610 ( fig6 ), as described with respect to the numeric view 600 ( fig6 ), below . signal quality is described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 858 , 114 entitled “ pulse oximetry data confidence indicator ,” assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated by reference herein . low signal quality may be due to various factors , such as improper sensor application , misalignment of the sensor &# 39 ; s emitter and detector resulting in smaller signals , extreme changes in the patient &# 39 ; s physiology and blood flow at the monitoring site , such as an inflated blood pressure cuff , a squeezing motion , sampling of an arterial blood specimen from the hand containing the pulse oximetry sensor , severe hypotension , peripheral vasoconstriction in response to hypothermia , medications , or a spell of raynaud &# 39 ; s syndrome . with neonates or infants , the peripheral blood flow to the sensor site may occur as the result of lifting or crossing of their legs , such as during a diaper change . [ 0068 ] fig6 illustrates a numeric view 600 having the features of the pleth view 400 ( fig4 ) without the pulse waveform 422 ( fig4 ). in particular , the numeric view prominently displays oxygen saturation 412 and pulse rate 414 . further , the numeric view 600 features a signal quality bar 610 having a pulsating height that is responsive to the patient &# 39 ; s arterial pulse and to signal quality . signal quality is described with respect to fig5 a - b , above . specifically , the bar height pulses coincide with peaks of an arterial pulsation and the bar height indicates signal quality , with a generally small bar height corresponding to low signal quality and a generally large bar height corresponding to high signal quality . stability of the oxygen saturation 412 readings may be a good indicator of signal validity . although stability is a relative term , experience provides a good feeling for changes that are artifactual or physiological and the speed , timing , and behavior of each . the stability of the oxygen saturation 412 readings over time is affected by the averaging mode being used . the longer the averaging time , the more stable the readings tend to become . this is due to a dampened response as the signal is averaged over a longer period of time than during shorter averaging times . however , longer averaging times delay the response of the oximeter and reduce the measured variations of spo 2 and pulse rate ( pr ). inaccurate measurements may be caused by significant levels of dysfunctional hemoglobin ( e . g ., carboxyhemoglobin or methemoglobin ), intravascular dyes such as indocyanine green or methylene blue , venous pulsations at the frequency of the patient &# 39 ; s arterial pulse and very low hemoglobin levels . the displayed pulse rate 414 may differ slightly from the heart rate displayed on ecg monitors due to differences in averaging times . there may also be a discrepancy between cardiac electrical activity and peripheral arterial pulsation . significant differences may indicate a problem with the signal quality due to physiological changes in the patient or one of the instruments or application of the sensor or patient cable . the pulsations from intra - aortic balloon support can be additive to the pulse rate displayed on the pulse oximeter . fig7 a - d illustrate auto - scaling and auto - clipping characteristics for the pulse waveform 422 ( fig4 ) available on the pleth view 400 ( fig4 ) or pleth and signal quality view 500 ( fig5 a - c ). the measured signal strength can vary quite widely . however , in a preferred embodiment , the signal strength can vary from 0 % to 100 %. in a more preferred embodiment , the signal strength can vary from 02 % to 20 %. the challenge is to display a measured waveform having three orders of magnitude dynamic range in a meaningful way . fig7 a illustrates an auto - scale / auto - clip graph 701 having a display target axis 710 in units of percentage of full - scale and a signal strength axis 720 in units of percentage of dc . plotted on the graph 701 is a scaling / clipping curve 730 , which illustrates the display characteristics for the pulse waveform 422 ( fig4 ) at various measured signal levels . fig7 b illustrates an expanded graph 702 corresponding to fig7 a for values along the signal strength axis 720 in a range from about 0 to 0 . 2 %. fig7 a - b illustrate one auto - scaling and auto - clipping embodiment , where the measured pulse waveform is scaled to about a 90 % full - scale value for all signal strength values above about 0 . 02 % and clipped to about 0 for all signal strength values below about 0 . 02 %. [ 0073 ] fig7 c illustrates an auto - scale / auto - clip graph 703 similar to 701 ( fig7 a ). plotted on the graph 703 is a scaling / clipping curve 750 , which illustrates the display characteristics for the pulse waveform 422 ( fig4 ) at various measured signal levels . fig7 d illustrates an expanded graph 704 corresponding to fig7 c for values along the signal strength axis 720 in a range from about 0 to 0 . 5 %. fig7 c - d illustrate another auto - scaling and auto - clipping embodiment where the measured pulse waveform is scaled to between about 15 % and 90 % full - scale in a piecewise linear fashion for signal strength values above about 0 . 02 % and clipped to about 0 for all signal strength values below about 0 . 02 %. in this manner , the displayed pulse waveform 422 ( fig4 ) advantageously conveys to the user meaningful information about the measured signal strength . specifically , for signal strength in the range of about 10 %- 20 %, the pulse waveform 422 ( fig4 ) is scaled to about 90 % full - scale . for signal strength in the range of about 2 % to 10 %, the pulse waveform 422 ( fig4 ) is scaled linearly to a corresponding range of about 60 % to 90 % full - scale . for signal strength in the range of about 0 . 5 % to 2 %, the pulse waveform 422 ( fig4 ) is scaled linearly to a corresponding range of about 15 % to 60 % full - scale . for signal strength in the range of about 0 . 02 % to 0 . 5 %, the pulse waveform 422 ( fig4 ) is scaled to about 15 % full - scale . for signal strength in the range of about 0 to 0 . 02 %, the pulse waveform 422 ( fig4 ) is clipped to about 0 . fig8 a - b are hierarchical charts of soft key icons corresponding to the soft key buttons 260 ( fig2 a ). a soft key icon is selected by pressing and releasing the soft key button to the right of the icon ( horizontal display ) or underneath the icon ( vertical display ). four icons are shown on the right side or bottom of the display . fig8 a illustrates a first set of soft key icons 801 , including the first page of display view icons 810 , menu icons 820 , category icons 830 and parameter icons 840 . fig8 b illustrates a second set of soft key icons 802 , including the second page of display view icons 860 and trend - related icons 870 - 890 . the display view icons 810 ( fig8 a ), 860 ( fig8 b ) are those icons initially shown on the three views 400 ( fig4 ), 500 ( fig5 a - b ), 600 ( fig6 ), described above . the menu icons 820 ( fig8 a ) are those icons shown on the main menu 900 ( fig9 a - b ). the category 830 and parameter 840 icons are those shown on the submenus 1100 - 1700 ( fig1 - 17 ). the trend - related icons 870 - 890 ( fig8 b ) are those icons shown on the trend view 1000 ( fig1 ) and on the trend - related menus and screens 1900 - 2100 ( fig1 - 21 ). as shown in fig8 a , the first page of display view icons 810 include next page 812 , menu access 814 , increase loudness 816 and decrease loudness 818 . next page 812 is selected to access the second page of display view icons 860 ( fig8 b ). menu access 814 is selected to enter the main menu 900 ( fig9 a - b ). increase loudness 816 is selected to increase the volume of the pulse beep . in one embodiment , there are seven levels of volume available . decrease loudness 818 is selected to decrease the volume of the pulse beep . the lowest volume level will silence the pulse beep and the decrease loudness 818 icon will appear with a slash through it . as shown in fig8 b , the second page of display view icons 860 include next page 862 , trend display 864 , sensitivity 866 and rotate display 868 . next page 862 is selected to return to the first page of display view icons 810 ( fig8 a ). trend display 864 is selected to show the trend view 1000 ( fig1 ). sensitivity 866 is selected to toggle between normal and maximum sensitivity modes . normal sensitivity is used for normal patient monitoring purposes . maximum sensitivity is used for improved sensitivity performance on patients with extremely low perfusion . with the maximum sensitivity setting , the sensor off detection performance may be compromised . in one embodiment , the instrument automatically retains a sensitivity setting after a power cycle , and in another embodiment , the instrument does not retain a sensitivity setting after a power cycle . rotate display 868 is selected to reconfigure the display contents in a vertical or horizontal format . the display contents rotate clockwise in 90 degree increments , accordingly . fig9 a - b illustrate horizontal and vertical formats , respectively , of a main menu 900 . when the main menu 900 is accessed , the plethysmograph and signal quality waveform displays are replaced with main menu categories 910 . the display view soft key icons 810 ( fig8 a ), 860 ( fig8 b ) are also replaced by the main menu soft key icons 820 ( fig8 a ). when the main menu 900 is accessed the instrument remains functional and the saturation and pulse rate numbers will continue to be displayed . as shown in fig8 a , the main menu 900 ( fig9 a - b ) uses the four main menu icons 820 , including exit 822 , select category 824 , previous 826 and next 828 . exit 822 is selected to exit the main menu 900 ( fig9 a - b ) and return to the original display view . select category 824 is selected to choose a highlighted menu category 910 ( fig9 a - b ) and display the corresponding submenu 1100 - 1700 ( fig1 - 17 ). previous 826 is selected to scroll through the menu categories 910 ( fig9 a - b ), highlighting categories without selecting them . next 828 is selected to scroll through the menu categories 910 ( fig9 a - b ), in a direction opposite from previous 826 , also highlighting categories without selecting them . once a menu category 910 ( fig9 a - b ) is highlighted , the chosen submenu 1100 - 1700 ( fig1 - 17 ) is displayed with a select category 824 selection . also shown in fig8 a , a submenu 1100 - 1700 ( fig1 - 17 ) is displayed with a set of category icons 830 , including exit 832 , edit parameter 834 , previous 836 and next 838 . exit 832 is selected to exit the category submenu 1100 - 1700 ( fig1 - 17 ) and return to the main menu 900 ( fig9 a - b ). edit parameter 834 is selected to choose a highlighted parameter in a submenu for editing . previous 836 and next 838 function in a similar manner as described above to highlight parameters without selecting them . once a parameter is highlighted , the parameter is edited by selecting edit parameter 834 . further shown in fig8 a , once a parameter has been selected for editing , a set of parameter icons 840 are displayed , including exit 842 , accept 844 , previous 846 and next 848 . exit 842 is selected to exit a parameter without making any new selections permanent . accept 844 is selected to save any changes . previous 846 is selected to increase or toggle a parameter settings . next 848 is selected to decrease or toggle a parameter settings . submenus and associated parameters are described in more detail with respect to fig1 - 17 , below . [ 0084 ] fig1 illustrates a trend view 1000 having a first line of information 1010 , a second line of information 1020 , an oxygen saturation trend graph 1030 , a low signal quality indicator 1040 , and a pulse rate trend graph 1050 . the first line 1010 on the trend view 1000 shows the time scale of the trend graph , followed by the starting date , starting time and end time of the data set that is displayed on the screen . the second line 1020 of the trend view 1000 shows the minimum , average , and maximum spo 2 and pulse rate measurements contained in the displayed data set ( excluding zero measurements ). the oxygen saturation trend graph 1030 shows the spo 2 measurements displayed versus time . the pulse rate trend graph 1050 shows the pulse rate measurements displayed versus time . a dark line 1032 , 1034 on the trend graphs 1030 , 1050 indicates averaged data , while grayed - out data points show minimum and maximum values . the low signal quality indicator 1040 appears as a grayed - out box , line or other designation located on the bottom axis or other portion of the oxygen saturation trend graph 1030 and indicates a period of time for which the “ low signal iq ” message was active . during this time , the signal quality was very low and the accuracy of the measurement may have been compromised . the vertical scale of the oxygen saturation 1030 and pulse rate 1050 graphs can be set in the trend setup screen 1900 ( fig1 ). once the trend display icon 864 ( fig8 b ) is selected , the trend data is shown on the trend view 1000 . the instrument stores one data set of oxygen saturation , pulse rate and system messages in a dedicated memory area . depending on the trend period , a setting for how often the data is stored in the trend memory , the instrument can store between 72 hours and 30 days worth of trend data . the instrument also employs data compression . the actual amount of trend data that is stored is dependent on the type of data that is collected . the instrument only stores data in the trend memory while the instrument is turned on , and the trend data remains in memory until the memory fills up or is cleared by the user . changing the date and time of the system clock or changing the trend period will also clear the data in the trend memory . the trend capacity for a trend period setting of 2 seconds is a minimum of 72 hours ( 3 days ). for a trend period setting of 10 seconds , the trend memory capacity is typically 720 hours ( 30 days ). by default , the trend view 1000 automatically refreshes at a rate of once every 10 seconds , to show the latest measured spo 2 and pulse rate data . this feature is only available while the trend view is 2 hours or less and the latest measured data is shown . if the user scrolls through the data set to display previously recorded trend data or if the trend scale is greater than 2 hours , the trend view will time out after 1 minute of inactivity ( i . e . the user does not press any of the soft key buttons ) and the previous display view will be shown . as shown in fig8 b , in the trend view there are a total of 12 soft key icon selections 870 - 890 on 3 pages . the first page has next menu 872 , exit 874 , scroll left 876 and scroll right 878 icons . next menu 872 is selected to access the next page of menu selections . exit 874 is selected to return to the previous display view . scroll left 876 is selected to scroll through the data set in the backward time direction . scroll right 878 is selected to scroll through the data set in the forward time direction . the display scrolls by ½ the selected time scale . for example , if a 2 hr display view is selected , then selecting scroll left 876 or scroll right 878 will scroll the displayed data by 1 hr to the left or right , respectively . also shown in fig8 b , the second page has next menu 882 , zoom 884 , zoom from left 886 , and zoom from right 888 icons . next menu 882 is selected to access the next page of icons . zoom 884 is selected to change the time scale of the trend view . the available time scales are 24 hrs , 12 hrs , 8 hrs , 4 hrs , 2 hrs , 1 hr , 30 minutes , 10 minutes , 1 minute and 20 seconds . zoom 884 uses the last recorded data point as the zoom reference point . in other words , the last recorded data point is always shown as the right - most data point on the display . zoom from left 886 is selected to zoom into the data set while keeping the data point that is shown on the right side of the trend graph as the zoom reference point . zoom from right 888 is selected to zoom into the data set while keeping the data point that is shown on the left side of the trend graph as the zoom reference point . further shown in fig8 b , the third page has next menu 882 , trend setup 884 , histogram 896 and clear trend data 898 icons . next menu 882 is selected to return to the first page of icons . trend setup 884 is selected to enter the trend setup screen 1900 ( fig1 ). histogram 896 is selected to display the selected data set ( the data set shown in the trend view ) in histogram format 2000 ( fig2 ). clear trend data 898 is selected to clear the data stored in the trend memory , which is verified via a confirmation screen 2100 ( fig2 ). fig1 a - b illustrate an alarms menu 1100 in horizontal and vertical formats , respectively , having a high spo 2 alarm limit 1110 , a low spo 2 alarm limit 1120 , a high pulse rate alarm limit 1130 , and a low pulse rate alarm limit 1140 . alarm limit settings are typically checked each time the pulse oximeter is used to ensure that they are appropriate for the patient being monitored . an audible alarm and a flashing alarm status indicator 432 ( fig4 ) will occur when an alarm limit is met or exceeded . the spo 2 high alarm limit 1110 can be set anywhere between 2 % and 100 %, with a 1 % step size . in the “—” ( off ) setting , the alarm can be turned off completely . the spo 2 low alarm limit 1120 can be set anywhere between 1 % and 100 %, with a 1 % step size . the pulse rate high alarm limit 1130 can be set anywhere between 30 bpm and 240 bpm , with a 5 bpm step size . the pulse rate low alarm limit 1140 can be set anywhere between 25 bpm and 235 bpm , with a 5 bpm step size . the low alarm limits 1120 , 1140 always have to be set below the corresponding high alarm limits 1110 , 1130 . when a high alarm limit 1110 , 1130 is set below the corresponding low alarm limit 1120 , 1140 , the low alarm limit 1120 , 1140 will automatically adjust to the next setting below the newly entered high alarm limit 1110 , 1130 . as shown in fig1 a - b , the alarms menu 1100 also has alarm limit type 1150 , silence 1160 , volume 1170 and delay 1180 settings . the instrument stores three alarm limit types 1150 including adult , neo and custom limits . adult and neo limits are preset and cannot be changed by the user . table 1 outlines the default values of the preset and custom alarm limit types 1150 . the custom limits are set to the values listed in the table at the factory . once the values are changed , the new values are retained after a power cycle . the alarm menu 1100 allows the user to set an alarm silence duration 1160 . an alarm is silenced by pressing the alarm silence button 230 ( fig2 a ) on the front panel . the alarm silence duration 1160 can be virtually any amount of time . however , in a preferred embodiment , the duration 1160 is set as 30 , 60 , 90 and 120 seconds . as an indicator that the alarm system is silenced , the alarm status indicator 436 ( fig4 ) is shown as a bell with a slash through it . a timer is shown next to the bell indicating the remaining alarm silence duration . the alarm silence duration 1160 is reset to 120 seconds upon a power cycle , except for when the instrument is set to operate in the home mode . in an all mute mode , all patient alarm conditions are silenced . only system alarms will be indicated by an audible alarm . as an indicator that the system is set to all mute , the alarm status indicator 436 ( fig4 ) is shown as a flashing bell with a slash through it . in an all mute with audible reminder mode , all patient alarm conditions are silenced . only system alarms will be indicated by an audible alarm . as a reminder , a single audible alarm will occur every three minutes . also shown in fig1 a - b , the alarm menu 1100 allows the user to set the alarm volume 1170 . according to one embodiment , four levels are available , with level 1 being the softest and level 4 being the loudest . the instrument retains the alarm volume 1170 setting upon a power cycle . for home use , the alarm level to typically set to level 4 . if an alarm condition occurs while the alarm silence period is set to all mute , the only alarm indications will be visual displays and symbols related to the alarm condition . no alarm tone will sound . [ 0096 ] fig1 illustrates the display menu 1200 having display view 1210 , contrast 1220 and language 1230 items . the display view item 1210 allows selection of one of the three display views including pleth 400 ( fig4 ), pleth and signal quality 500 ( fig5 a - b ) and numeric 600 ( fig6 ), described above . the contrast item 1220 allows the user to set the display contrast . according to one embodiment , contrast ranges from 1 to 64 . the contrast can also be set by pressing and holding the backlight / contrast key 240 ( fig2 a ) on the front panel . the language item 1230 allows the user to select the display language . [ 0097 ] fig1 illustrates a general menu 1300 having averaging time 1310 , fastsat 1320 , home use 1330 , interface alarms 1340 , satshare numbers 1350 and power save 1360 items . averaging time 1310 is the signal averaging time of the instrument , which can be set to include 2 , 4 , 8 , 10 , 12 , 14 and 16 seconds . fastsat 1320 , when set to “ yes ,” activates a fast signal processing algorithm , such as described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 586 , 845 referenced above . in the 2 and 4 seconds averaging mode , the fast signal processing algorithm is automatically enabled . with fast signal processing , the averaging time is dependent on the input signal . for the 2 and 4 second settings , the averaging times may range from 2 - 4 and 4 - 6 seconds , respectively . as shown in fig1 , home use 1330 , when set to “ yes ,” places the instrument in the home mode , where it remains until the “ no ” setting is selected . a password is required to activate or deactive this mode . home use operation is described further with respect to fig1 , below . interface alarms 1340 allows audible alarms to be enabled or disabled . satshare numbers 1350 is set to “ yes ” to display saturation and pulse rate measurements during upgrade operation , as described with respect to fig1 c , above . also shown in fig1 , power save 1360 can be set to “ yes ” or “ no ,” to adjust battery - operating time of the instrument while powered by the handheld battery or optional docking station battery . selecting “ yes ” disables docking station functions such as the interface cable , serial and analog outputs . selecting “ no ” activates these docking station functions while operating on battery power . while operating in the power save mode , a power cycle of the instrument may be required to activate the docking station again after it has been disabled . [ 0100 ] fig1 illustrates a clock menu 1400 having time 1410 , time format 1420 , date 1430 and date format 1440 items . the time item 1410 sets the hour and minutes . the time format item 1420 sets the time display in 12 hour ( default ) and 24 hour format . the date item 1430 sets the day , month and year . the date format item 1440 sets the date display in mm / dd / yyyy ( default ) and dd / mm / yyyy format . [ 0101 ] fig1 illustrates the about screen 1500 . the about screen 1500 simply displays the copyright and software versions of the handheld 101 ( fig1 a ) and the docking station 103 ( fig1 b ). [ 0102 ] fig1 illustrates the output menu 1600 having serial 1610 , analog 1620 and nurse call 1630 output modes . the output menu selections are available when the handheld 101 ( fig1 a ) is interfaced to the docking station 103 ( fig1 b ). the serial item 1610 allows a user to specify various serial output modes , which , according to one embodiment , are rs - 232 based . in ascii 1 mode , for example , ascii text data is sent to the serial interface at one - second intervals . the ascii text includes date and time stamp , spo 2 pulse rate , pi , and alarm and exception values . all text is single line followed by a line feed character and a carriage return . in ascii 2 mode , ascii text data is sent to the serial interface following a query from the connecting computer . the analog items 1620 specify the docking station analog outputs . in 0 %- 100 % mode , the saturation measurement is scaled with 0 % being equal to 0 volts and 100 % equal to 1 volt . in 50 %- 100 % mode , the saturation measurement is scaled with 50 % being equal to 0 volts and 100 % equal to 1 volt . in the 0v mode , a 0 volts calibration signal is mapped onto the analog outputs . this signal is used for calibration of recording devices , where 0 volts represent a saturation of 0 % and a pulse rate of 0 bpm . in the 1v mode , a 1 volt calibration signal is mapped onto the analog outputs . this signal is also used for calibration of recording devices , where 1 volt represents a saturation of 100 % and a pulse rate of 250 bpm . in pleth mode , the pulse waveform is scaled with 1 volt being equal to 100 % full scale . in signal iq mode , 1 volt is equal to maximum signal quality . the nurse call item 1630 can specify alarms and low signal quality as generating a nurse call . [ 0104 ] fig1 illustrates a service menu 1700 having handheld battery discharge 1710 and docking station ( ds ) battery discharge 1720 items . the service menu 1700 selections are only available when the handheld 101 ( fig1 a ) is interfaced to the docking station 103 ( fig1 b ). each of these items 1710 , 1720 , when selected , causes the instrument to perform a deep discharge the respective handheld or docking station battery . the discharge cycle will take approximately 16 hours to complete for the handheld battery and approximately 30 hours to complete for the docking station battery . a message will appear in the service screen when the discharge cycle is complete . the batteries will be fully charged after completion of the cycle . [ 0105 ] fig1 illustrates a password entry display 1800 . a password is entered using the password soft key icons 1810 and pressing in a particular sequence the corresponding soft key buttons 260 ( fig2 a ) to the right or bottom of the display . in a home mode , a password is required to access the menu system and the soft key buttons and icons . when the instrument is set to operate in the home mode , the default values that the instrument reverts to after a power cycle are set according to a predetermined setting with the exception of the alarm silence setting , which is set to the pre - power down setting . the instrument can be placed into the home mode to protect unqualified users from changing the alarm settings and operation . entering a password does not automatically reset the instrument to a normal operating mode . to return to a normal operating mode , the home use parameter 1330 ( fig1 ) is set to “ no ” in the general menu 1300 ( fig1 ). [ 0106 ] fig1 illustrates a trend setup menu 1900 having % spo 2 max and min 1910 , bpm max and min 1920 , default view 1930 , trend action 1940 and trend period 1950 items . the trend setup menu 1900 allows the user to set the default trend settings and to clear the trend data or download the trend data to the serial port . the default settings are used to scale the trend graphs when the trend data icon 864 ( fig8 b ) is selected . % spo 2 max and min 1910 set the high and low scale , respectively , of the spo 2 trend graph 1030 ( fig1 ). bpm max and min 1920 set the high scale , respectively , of the pulse rate trend graph 1050 ( fig1 ). default view 1930 selects the default time scale of the trend view 1000 ( fig1 ). this setting only selects the time scale of the trend view 1000 ( fig1 ) when the trend data is initially displayed , ( i . e . when the trend data is initially accessed ). according to one embodiment , the selections include 24 hrs , 12 hrs , 8 hrs , 4 hrs , 2 hrs , 1 hr , 30 minutes , 10 minutes , 1 minute and 20 seconds . as shown in fig1 , trend action 1940 has serial dump , analog dump and print options . the serial dump option sends all the data that is stored in trend memory to the serial port and is used to communicate the stored data set to trend graphing software applications . the analog dump option sends all the data that is stored in the trend memory to the analog output and is used to print the trend information on an analog chart recorder . the print option prints the trend data that is shown in the trend view 1000 ( fig1 ). the trend data is first printed in histogram format , followed by a table of data that shows the time and date stamp of a trend record and the spo 2 and pulse rate measurement . each trend record is printed on a single line , followed by a carriage return and line feed character . also shown in fig1 , trend period 1950 determines how often a set of spo 2 and pulse rate data points is stored in trend memory . a setting of 2 , for example , sets the instrument to store one set of spo 2 and pulse rate measurements every 2 seconds , resulting in a minimum trend capacity of 72 hours . a setting of 10 , for example , sets the instrument to store one set of data points every 10 seconds , resulting in a typical trend storage capacity of 30 days . because of data compression , the actual trend capacity is dependent on the type of data that is collected . a pulse oximetry user interface has been disclosed in detail in connection with various embodiments . these embodiments are disclosed by way of examples only and are not to limit the scope of the claims that follow . one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate from the disclosure herein any variations and modifications . additionally , all publications , patents , and patent applications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication , patent , or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference .
| 0 |
fig1 describes a section of an electronic device , a television decoder for example . the device comprises a printed circuit 1 on which the electronic circuits 2 are arranged . a hard disk 3 enables recording of data , particularly of lengthy audiovisual works . the circuits 2 and the disk 3 consume a lot of power and emanate heat , for example , for a television decoder dissipating 17 watts , its central processing unit releases itself a heat level of approximately 3 watts . as a result , certain zones of the decoder , marked in grey on fig1 , are warmer than others . a temperature sensor 4 located within one of these hot areas , preferably close to the circuit which produces the most heat , provides a voltage proportional to the temperature . a fan 5 provides cool air from the exterior and transfers it to the decoder cavity via an opening realized on the left side of the device . several air inlets 6 cut in the decoder box allow the outlet of the hot air , from the underside , the right side and the top . curved arrows shown on fig1 show the path of the air flows . the number , the position and the size of the air inlets are important elements of good ventilation , these parameters being well known to those skilled in the art . a device positioning detector 8 is positioned on the decoder printed circuit . four feet 9 are positioned beneath the device when it is placed on a flat surface , as well as four other feet 9 on the left side . the fan is preferentially positioned by the air inlet on the underside when the decoder is in a vertical position . in fact , the noise is mainly generated at the fan air inlets level , where there is a narrowing of the air flow . this noise being added to that generated by the fan , a maximum sound level is measured inside and not outside the decoder . moreover , in a vertical position , the sound is mitigated by the exiguous air space situated under the decoder , whereas it would be much less if the fan were positioned on the top of the decoder . care must be taken that the height of the feet 9 ensure a sufficient air intake and do not block a ventilation inlet . fig2 shows a fan control system according to a preferred embodiment . the temperature sensor 4 , the fan 5 and the positioning detector 8 are connected to a management unit 7 . the management unit can be a microcontroller dedicated to the fan control . the management unit 7 can also be a part of the decoder central processing unit . whatever its nature , the management unit 7 has at least an analog input for the reception of signals from the temperature sensor 4 and two digital inputs to receive the digital signals from the detector 8 and from the tachymetric sensor ( these latter signals called “ tachy ” are representative of the fan speed ). the management unit 7 is equipped with a control output for the control of the fan 5 . according to the measurement realized by the sensor 4 , the tachy signals and the information provided by the positioning detector 5 , the microcontroller 7 triggers or does not trigger the fan rotation and determines its set speed to create a cool air flow sufficient to maintain the inside of the decoder below a nominal temperature . in the embodiment , the fan is controlled by an analog signal which directly controls the rotation speed of the fan . measurements have demonstrated a correlation between a number of decibels and a given speed , and thus a control value applied to the fan . it implies then use of the fan only when required and at the lowest possible speed . the positioning detector 8 determines if the decoder is placed in a vertical position or in a horizontal position . according to a simple embodiment , the detector is a reed type relay which consists of a mercury drop which moves in a glass tube having two electrodes . if the tube is placed flat , an electric contact can be established between both electrodes . if the tube is in a vertical position , there is no electrical contact . as a variant , a simple low pressure push - button placed under the decoder can be used , the decoder &# 39 ; s weight is sufficient for closing the electrical contact . when the decoder is in a vertical position , the contact is open . after having detailed the different elements that compose the device and the fan control system , how they cooperate is now shown . the main steps , the object of the method , are described by the flowchart of fig3 . in step 3 . 1 , the decoder is turned on . at the beginning of the powering up , the management unit 7 analyses the signal coming from the positioning detector 8 in order to determine if the decoder is in a vertical or horizontal position ( step 3 . 2 ). if the device is in a horizontal position , the management unit turns on the fan at a minimum speed considering that in any case , it is necessary for correct operation ( step 3 . 3 ). if the device is detected as being in a vertical position , it is no doubt unnecessary to turn on the fan , as the fireplace effect ensures a minimum air flow between the lower air inlets and the upper air inlets . in step 3 . 4 , the management unit analyses the temperature provided by the temperature sensor 4 . in step 3 . 5 , the temperature measured is compared to a maximum temperature threshold value . this temperature depends on the characteristics of the components which dissipate the most heat , which are generally the central processing units . if the temperature measured is lower than the threshold value , the management program loops at step 3 . 4 , without changing the fan command . however , if the temperature measured is greater than the threshold , the management unit calculates a command value of the fan which depends at least on the temperature measured ( step 3 . 6 ). in step 3 . 7 , the command value calculated is applied to the fan , thus ensuring an efficient cooling of the components . the fact of measuring the temperature even if the decoder is in a vertical position provides an additional guarantee of correct operation . indeed , if the grids situated at the level of the fan air inlets are blocked by an object or by dust , it becomes necessary to turn on the fan even if the decoder is in vertical position . fig4 . a shows the decoder in vertical position and fig4 . b in horizontal position . in vertical position , the air flows illustrated by dotted arrows show that the air enters by the lower air inlets and the intermediate air inlets , and mostly exits by the upper air inlet , the rate is sufficient without operation of the fan . in horizontal position ( fig4 . b ), there is no “ fireplace ” effect anymore , the fan 5 sends the cool air from the exterior into the decoder cavity . the input of cool air through the different air inlets 6 cools the interior of the decoder . some tests have been carried out on a digital television decoder having a parallel - piped form of dimensions 29 . 5 centimeters in length , 18 centimeters in width and 5 centimeters in depth , containing a printed circuit whose electronic circuits dissipate 17 watts . the fan dimensions are 4 centimeters in length , 4 centimeters in width and 2 centimeters in depth . the measurements carried out on the printed circuit by the sensor and on the decoder central processing unit are the following : the measurements carried out show that the temperature of a decoder installed vertically is very close to that of a decoder installed horizontally with a fan operating at low speed . the manufacturers generally ensure the correct operation of a circuit below 100 ° c . measured on the circuit . in the present case , this temperature is not reached when the decoder is in vertical position , fan turned off . if the sensor measures a temperature greater than 54 ° c ., then whatever the position , the fan is turned on . according to an improvement , a light indicator , a led diode for example placed on the front panel of the decoder , is controlled by the management unit 7 . the indicator light indicates a temperature fault when illuminated . this fault intervenes when the device detects that the decoder is in a vertical position and the temperature measured inside the decoder exceeds the maximum temperature threshold . thanks to this indication , the user is informed that the air inlets 6 are no longer operational . thus informed , the user can check that the air inlets are not blocked by an object , or simply by accumulated dust . the indication of such a fault can also be performed via a visual message on a screen linked to the decoder , and / or by a vocal message synthesized by the decoder . according to another improvement , the components which dissipate the most heat are positioned at the bottom of the printed circuit when the decoder is in vertical position . indeed , this part of the decoder is the closest to the cool air intake which benefits most from the “ fireplace ” effect , which enables a better cooling of the circuits . in the example where the decoder length is 29 . 5 centimeters , the circuits should be placed at a maximum of 6 centimeters from the lower air inlet that is to say at least a sixth of the side length . those skilled in the art can adapt the present invention into many other specific forms without diverging from the application domain of the invention as claimed . consequently , the present embodiments must be considered as being examples but can be modified within the domain defined by the scope of the attached claims .
| 6 |
musicians have a need to be able to accurately and rapidly change the tune of each of the strings of a musical instrument , such as a guitar . an exemplary guitar 10 is shown in fig1 . the guitar 10 is an electric guitar , having a solid body 16 , a neck 12 extending from the body , and a head 14 disposed at the end of the neck . the head 14 has a plurality of tuning pegs 18 which can selectively increase or decrease the tension placed on the strings 24 . as commonly known in the art , an end of the string 24 winds around the tuning peg 18 , and the string is pulled tight across the neck 12 and body 16 by continued rotation of the tuning peg . on the front surface of neck 12 , a fingerboard 15 is attached , which has individual frets , or finger positions ( not shown ). the musician presses the strings against the fingerboard to sound individual notes . generally centered on body 16 is a bridge plate 28 which supports the multi - tuner bridge of the present invention , shown generally at 30 . exposed through the bridge plate 28 which is mounted to body 16 , is the guitar pickup 32 . as commonly known in the art , the pickups receive sounds generated by the vibrating guitar strings 24 and converts them into electrical signals which can be externally amplified . accordingly , the bridge plate 28 has an associated cavity 34 which is sized to enable the pickup 32 to fully extend through it . referring next to fig2 and 3 , it is shown that the guitar string 24 has a ball 26 secured at an end of the string . the ball 26 is commonly known in the art , and enables the string to be threaded through an aperture of a bridge and held secure in the bridge . in the present invention , the ball 26 engages a hook 78 provided at a fulcrum end of armature 60 , which will be fully described below . if this string needs to be replaced , it is simply a matter of removing the old string by undoing the string ends coiled onto the tuning pegs 18 , and threading a new string 24 into its place with the ball 26 engaging the hook 78 . as the string 24 travels across the body 16 and the bridge plate 28 , it engages a saddle , shown generally at 40 of fig2 . the saddle 40 comprises a leaf portion 42 and a shelf portion 48 . the leaf portion 42 is substantially flat and thin , and is formed from a flexible material , such as delrin ™. the leaf portion 42 further has an elongated mounting hole 44 , which is best shown in fig8 . the elongated mounting hole 44 permits the saddle 40 to be secured to bridge plate 28 in an assortment of positions . although an exemplary clamping screw 43 secures the saddle 40 to the bridge plate 28 , it is anticipated that other clamping devices utilizing bolts , clips or pins be used . the shelf 48 engages the string 24 , creating an effective end to the string . it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that vibration of the string caused by plucking or strumming by a musician will not extend beyond the effective end point of the string ; this is known as the &# 34 ; intonation &# 34 ; of the string . as the position of the saddle 40 is changed by manipulating the saddle in accordance with the elongated mounting hole 44 relative body 16 , the effective length of string 24 is changed , which varies the intonation of the string . for example , if the saddle 40 is moved forward in the direction of the head 14 , the effective length of the string 24 is reduced . it is anticipated that each of the strings 24 of the guitar 10 have a distinct saddle 40 , which can be selectively adjusted to vary the intonation of each of the strings individually . this is best shown in fig8 in which each of the individual saddles 40 are adjusted differently . the securing or clamping of saddles 40 to guitar body 16 has a significant effect on the acoustic quality of the instrument . as the string 24 is plucked or strummed , it will vibrate forming the desired note . the duration of time with which the string 24 continues to vibrate is known as the &# 34 ; sustain .&# 34 ; if the saddle 40 , which forms the effective end of the string 24 , is not secured , it will vibrate against the bridge plate 28 drawing energy away from the string and reducing its sustain . by clamping the saddle 40 to the bridge plate 28 , the energy remains in the string 24 , thus increasing the string &# 39 ; s sustain . the saddles 40 also enable the adjustment to the &# 34 ; action &# 34 ; of the strings 24 . this action is the height of the strings above the neck 12 . as shown in fig9 each of the shelves 48 have a pair of threaded holes 52 and 52 &# 39 ; extending from the string engaging surface through the bottom portion of leaf 42 . the threaded holes 52 are sized to engage a corresponding pair of set screws 46 and 46 &# 39 ;. by tightening each of the set screws 46 and 46 &# 39 ; the screws engage the exposed surface of bridge plate 28 , causing the leaf portions 42 to flex . by selectively tightening the set screws 46 and 46 &# 39 ; the musician can alter the action of each of the individual strings 24 . it is common in the art for the outermost strings to be adjusted closer to the surface of the neck 12 , while the innermost strings are adjusted with a greater space between the neck and string 24 . this form of adjusting results in a generally curved configuration of the strings 24 when observed by citing along the axis of the strings . the fingerboard 15 will generally have a curvature and the action of the strings will be adjusted to correspond with the fingerboard curvature . moreover , each of the individual strings 24 have distinct diameters , which further affects the action adjustment of the saddles 40 . referring next to fig5 through 8 , there is shown a multi - tuner armature 60 in accordance with the present invention . fig8 shows a plurality of the multi - tuner armatures 60 arranged in relation to the bridge plate 28 , each associated with an individual one of the strings 24 . each of the armatures 60 have a fulcrum end 77 , and a lever end 79 , with the fulcrum ends of the armatures secured by a mounting comb 62 . the mounting comb 62 further comprises an opening 64 for the passage of the strings 24 , and a pair of sidewalls 66 and 66 &# 39 ;. each of the armatures 60 have a forward pivot opening 72 through which a common pivot pin 74 passes . as will be further described below , the lifting of the lever end 79 of the armature 60 causes the armature to pivot against the fulcrum formed by pivot pin 74 , further increasing the tension placed upon the associated string 24 . each of the armatures 60 can be adjusted to provide three distinct tuning positions , or tensions , for each associated string 24 . to accomplish this , a plurality of lever arms 76 are provided which pivot rotationally from the lever end 79 of each of the armatures 60 . the lever arms 76 have a handle portion 106 and a nose portion 108 , which will be described below . the lever arms 76 pivot by use of axle 94 which is provided on the lever end 79 of armatures 60 . the axle 94 further has a threaded hole 102 which extends through the diameter of the axle . a first tuning screw 96 engages the threaded hole 102 and can be adjusted to a tuned position , as will be described below . a hexagonal socket 97 is provided at an end of the tuning screw 96 , which is shaped to be engaged by a hexagonal shaped wrench for adjustment of the screw position . a glide cap 98 is provided at an other end of the first tuning screw 96 , which provides a cushion for contact between the tuning screw and the bridge plate 28 . the armatures 60 further have a supporting tab 82 extending laterally from a side of an intermediate portion of the armature . the supporting tabs 82 also have a threaded portion 84 to engage a second tuning screw 86 . the second tuning screw 86 , is perpendicularly disposed with relation to the armature 60 , and has a glide cap 88 disposed at an end . with the lever arm 76 in the position shown in fig5 a first tension level is applied to the associated string 24 . the nose portion 108 is positioned to abut the surface of the bridge plate 28 in order to maintain the angular position of armature 60 relative to the bridge plate 28 . by lifting upwardly on the handle portion 106 of lever arm 76 relative armature 60 , the lever arm can be manipulated to the position shown in fig6 . in this position , both the nose portion 108 and the glide cap 98 of the first tuning screw 96 contact the bridge plate 28 . it should be apparent that by loosening the first tuning screw 96 relative the threaded hole 102 of axle 92 , the tension placed on string 24 can be adjusted . as the first tuning screw 96 is loosened outwardly relative the axle 94 , the contact point of nose portion 108 will vary and the overall direction of the armature 60 will approach that of bridge plate 28 , reducing the tension on string 24 . further rotational manipulation of the handle 106 to rotate the lever arm 76 will bring both the nose portion 108 and the glide cap 98 of tuning screw 96 out of engagement with the bridge plate 28 , to the position shown in fig7 . in this position , the second tuning screw 86 and the associated glide cap 88 directly contact the bridge plate 28 , resulting in a third tension being placed on the associated string 24 . like the first tuning screw 96 described above , the second tuning screw 86 has a hexagonal socket 87 which can engage a hexagonal shaped wrench . the tuning screw 86 can be adjusted by threading it inwardly relative the tab 82 to vary the string tension . it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that any change between the three positions described above will result in the string 24 being re - tuned from the same tensional direction . for example , when lever arm 76 is moved from the first position shown in fig5 to the second position shown in fig6 the tension of the string 24 is changed in tension decreasing direction . similarly , when lever arm 76 is further moved from the second position shown in fig6 to the third position of fig7 the tension of string 24 will first increase , due to the longer length of tuning screw 96 than nose portion 108 , then began to decrease until the third position of fig7 is reached . conversely , when the lever arm 76 is retuned from the third position of fig7 to the second position of fig6 and ultimately back to the first position of fig5 each of the new string tension positions will also be changed in a tension decreasing direction . this is a significant feature of the present invention , since it minimizes the affect of the frictional interaction between string 24 and the shelf 48 , and results in more consistent tuning of the guitar . the frictional contact between the shelf 48 and the string 24 causes a &# 34 ; backlash &# 34 ; effect , which can affect the tuning of the string 24 . by insuring that the string 24 always pulls in the same direction across shelf 48 , the string will consistently reach the same final tension each time it is retuned to the selected one of the three preset positions . referring now to fig1 , there is shown an acoustic guitar 120 , featuring a multi - tuner bridge of the present invention . the acoustic guitar 120 comprises a neck 12 similar to the neck of the electric guitar 10 described above , but instead features a hollow body 116 . the body 116 has a soundboard 122 which forms the front surface of the guitar 120 . generally centered within the soundboard 122 is a sound hole 126 . as commonly known in the art , the interior portion of the body 116 forms a resonant cavity which acts to amplify the sound produced by the vibrating strings 24 . thus , it should be apparent that vibration of the soundboard 122 is critical to the quality of the sound produced by the guitar , and that the mounting of the multi - tuner bridge of the present invention must not interfere with its vibration . thus , to incorporate the multi - tuner bridge 30 with an acoustic guitar 120 , the bridge plate 28 must be mounted to the guitar independently of the soundboard 122 . as shown in fig1 and 12 , the bridge plate 28 is secured to a bridge mounting block 128 which is provided substantially interiorly of the guitar 120 . a hole 124 must be cut through the soundboard 122 of the guitar , with the bridge plate 28 extending through the hole but not touching the soundboard 122 . it should be apparent that the soundboard 122 must be independent of the bridge plate 28 , otherwise an undesirable buzzing or muting of resonance will sound as the soundboard vibrates . the bridge mounting block is secured to a pair of support members 134 and 134 &# 39 ; by use of bolts 138 and 138 &# 39 ;, and to the bottom end 118 of the guitar body 116 . at the other end of the guitar body 116 , a neck block 132 is provided . the neck block 132 secures to the neck 12 and to the support members 134 and 134 &# 39 ; by use of bolts 136 and 136 &# 39 ;. it is anticipated that the neck block 132 be either integrally formed with an end of the neck 12 , or be independent from the neck . in fig1 , the support members 134 and 134 &# 39 ; are shown to be a pair of i - beam supports , however , it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that one or more rigid , non - compressible members of alternative materials , such as metal , wood or plastic can adequately perform the same purpose . it should be further appreciated that alternative mounting techniques , such as screws or glue , can adequately serve the purpose of the exemplary bolts 138 and 136 . to further secure the bridge mounting block 128 , a truss rod 144 is provided . the truss rod 144 has a forward connection bolt 148 , which engages a forward hole 152 in the neck block 132 , and a rearward connection bolt 154 , which engages a rearward rod hole 156 placed in the bridge mounting block 128 . a turnbuckle 146 joins the forward and rearward halves of the truss rod 144 , as commonly known in the art . turning the turnbuckle 146 results in increased tension on the guitar body 116 to counteract the increased tension of the strings 24 . it should be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the internal strengthening of the guitar body 116 as described above has significant advantages . first , the problem of cabinet drop is effectively eliminated since the guitar body 116 will not be flexing under the increased string tension . second , the soundboard 122 will not be absorbing any string tension load , and can be attached to the guitar body 116 with lighter internal bracing . the reduced bracing will enable the soundboard 122 to vibrate more freely , thus improving the sound quality of the instrument . lastly , alternative string tension devices , such as tremolos , can be secured to the bridge plate 28 , providing a capability to the acoustic guitar which would not have been possible before . having thus described a preferred embodiment of a multi - tuner bridge for a stringed musical instrument , it should now be apparent to those skilled in the art that the aforestated objects and advantages for the within system have been achieved . it should also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications , adaptations , and alternative embodiments thereof may be made within the scope and spirit of the present invention . accordingly , the invention is defined by the following claims :
| 6 |
referring to fig2 the cap 20 of the present invention generally includes a sleeve member 22 defining a first end 24 and second end 26 of the cap 20 . a first flange 28 is formed integrally with and extends radially inwardly from the sleeve 22 at the first end 24 of the cap 20 , and a second flange 30 is formed integrally with the sleeve 22 and extends radially inwardly from the sleeve 22 at the second end 26 of the cap 20 . a valve body 32 is formed integrally with the first flange 28 and extends from the first end 24 toward the second end 26 of the sleeve member 22 . as may be seen in fig3 the valve body 32 includes an inlet end 34 located adjacent to the first sleeve end 24 and defined by a radially inner annular surface 33 of the flange 28 , and an outlet end 36 located intermediate the first and second ends 24 , 26 of the sleeve member 22 . the valve body 32 is formed as a tube - like member defining a fluid passage through the cap 20 . as may be seen in fig2 and 5 , the valve body 32 includes lip members 38 which extend radially from the center of the valve body 32 and which are circumferentially spaced from each other . the lip members 38 are each defined by a pair of web members 40 wherein the web members 40 of each of the lip members 38 converge from the inlet end 34 toward the outlet end 36 to meet and form a normally closed slit opening 42 at the outlet end 36 of the valve body 32 . as is best shown in fig2 the ends of the web members 40 define a substantially planar right angled cross - shaped surface at the outlet end of the valve body 32 and the slits 42 extend through the planar surface at the outlet end 36 and are configured to also form a right - angled cross at the outlet end 36 . as may be seen in fig4 and 5 , the web members 40 of adjacent lip members 38 intersect to form intersection lines 44 between the lip members 38 . each of the intersection lines 44 extends radially inwardly in a direction from the inlet end 34 toward the outlet end 36 ( see fig3 ). in addition , each of the lip members 38 is provided with an outer wall 46 connecting its respective pair of web members 40 and defining an outer circumferential extent of the valve body 32 , and at the intersection of the valve body 32 with the first flange 28 defines a circular intersection line 48 . it should be apparent that the configuration of the lip members 38 is such that the lip members 38 essentially form a configuration resembling a pair of intersecting duck bill valves such that increasing fluid pressure against the exterior of the web members 40 will cause the slit openings 42 to be firmly closed . when a needle or tube is inserted through the inlet end 34 it will contact the edges of the web members 40 defining the slit openings 42 to cause the outlet end 36 of the valve to open and allow passage of the needle or tube . it should be noted that the web members 40 are capable of providing a wide circumference opening whereby a tube having a circumference equal to the circumference of the surface 33 may be inserted without stretching , tearing or otherwise damaging the lip members 38 . in other words , the web members 40 form flexible gusset portions creased along the intersection lines 44 which may move radially outwardly in response to passage of a tube through the valve , and subsequently return to their original closed positions upon removal of the tube . the cap member is preferably formed from an elastomeric material such as medical grade silicon and , as may be seen in fig2 the sleeve 22 is formed with substantially cylindrical inner and outer walls 50 , 52 , respectively for facilitating engagement and sealing with the end of a cannula . in addition , the second flange 30 extends a lesser radial extent inwardly than the first flange 28 and includes an inner cylindrical surface 54 which is also designed to engage and form a seal with an outer wall of a cannula . referring to fig6 the cap 20 of the present invention is shown in position on an end portion of a cannula 56 . the cannula 56 includes a radially extending flange portion 58 . the cap is positioned such that the inner wall of the sleeve 22 engages and forms a seal with an outer surface of the flange 58 and the inner surface 54 of the second flange 30 engages and forms a seal with an outer wall portion 60 of the cannula 56 . as a result of the intersection line 48 being spaced from the inner sleeve wall 50 , the end of the cannula 56 may extend into engagement with an inner surface 62 of the first flange to complete the seal between the cannula 56 and the cap 20 . with the cap 20 thus in position , the valve body 32 will extend into the cannula 56 with the lip members 38 in spaced relation to the cannula 56 . the cannula 56 is preferably provided with an annular groove or indentation 64 adjacent to the lip members 38 such that a tube having a diameter substantialy equal to the interior diameter of the cannula 56 may be inserted and sufficient room will be provided for outward movement of the lip members 38 as the web members 40 move into the indentation 64 . it should also be noted that the circumference of the inner annular surface 33 is such that it will engage and form a seal with a tube inserted into the cannula 56 . thus , the cap 20 of the present invention provides two integrally formed seal portions wherein the web members 40 form an easily opened portion creating a seal when a tube is not passing through the valve , and opening to a large circumference in response to the passage of a tube through the valve . in addition , the inner surface 33 of the flange 28 forms a second seal about a tube inserted through the valve to prevent passage of fluids out of the cannula 56 when the lips 38 have been moved to an open position by the tube . in addition , as a result of using converging web members 40 configured to resemble intersecting duckbill valve members , any reverse fluid flow in a direction from the outlet end 36 toward the inlet end 34 causes an additional closing biasing force to firmly seal the slit areas 42 and prevent fluid leakage through the cap 20 when a tube is not present in the valve . further , it should be noted that additional lip members 38 may be provided while remaining within the scope of the invention . for example , five or more radially extending lips may be provided , each of the lips including a slit formed by adjoining web members . while the form of apparatus herein described constitutes a preferred embodiment of the invention , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise form of apparatus and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims .
| 0 |
the configuration of saturometer 10 is shown in fig1 . saturometer 10 comprises analyzer 11 , sensor package 12 , and detachable probes 13a - c . the outer container of analyzer 11 is comprised of waterproof housing 31 . however , there is a small opening ( not shown ) on one side of housing 31 which is covered with a sheet of gas permeable membrane , which allows the pressure inside of analyzer 11 to always be at equilibrium with the pressure of the atmosphere . analyzer 11 is further provided with a barometric pressure gauge 32 ( fig7 ) which provides a signal representing barometric pressure for display on lcd display 15 . analyzer 11 receives signals of delta p and temperature from sensor package 12 ( discussed herein ) through cable assembly 14 for display on lcd display 15 . analyzer 11 is provided with selector switches 16a - e because lcd display 15 only displays one quantity at a time . selector switch 16e is the power on / off switch for analyzer 11 . to display a quantity , a system user depresses one of selector switches 16a - d resulting in that quantity being displayed on lcd display 15 . in the preferred embodiment , selector switches 16a - e are key pad switches , however , any comparable switch means could be substituted . for operation , sensor package 12 is attached to one of probes 13a - c . if probe 13c is to be used , sensor package 12 is fitted into holder 17 which exposes the sensors to a water flow . probe 13c has a bernoulli tube configuration and is used in a situation where there is sufficient water flow . in that instance , the sensor package and probe are lowered into the water and let rest or probe 13c is screwed onto an outflow pipe using its threads so that the water will flow through probe 13c and across sensor package 12 . probe 13b is a bernoulli tube used to create a water flow in relatively still waters . the design and construction of probe 13b will be discussed herein with reference to fig3 - 6 . if probe 13a is to be used , sensor package 12 is fitted into its rear , and probe 13a and sensor package 12 are then manually moved through water . probe 13a is a straight tube causing water flow against sensor package 12 as it is moved vertically through the water . referring to fig2 sensor package 12 will be described . sensor package 12 comprises gas permeable tubing 18 , temperature sensor 19 , and housing 20 which houses a differential pressure gauge ( not shown ). gas permeable tubing 18 is sealed at one end and wound about posts 21a - d with its opposite end terminating in contact with one side of the diaphragm of the differential pressure gauge . gas molecules enter the gas permeable tubing and exert a pressure against the diaphragm representative of the total dissolved gas pressure . the opposite side of the diaphragm of the differential pressure gauge is connected to a tube ( not shown ) which runs through cable assembly 14 and terminates in analyzer 11 , thereby exposing the diaphragm to atmospheric pressure . thus , the pressures on the opposite sides of the diaphragm create a differential signal which is delta p . that signal is communicated to analyzer 11 via cable assembly 14 . additionally , sensor package 12 measures the temperature which is also communicated to analyzer 11 via cable assembly 14 . in the preferred embodiment of the present invention , the gas permeable tubing is a silastic tubing ; however any comparable gas permeable tubing could be substituted . additionally in the preferred embodiment , the gas permeable tubing may be thirty inches or less and is filled with a non - permeable solid or fluid . that non - permeable solid or fluid remains inside the membrane to decrease the internal volume , thereby increasing the ratio of the surface area to the internal volume , which increases the rate and accuracy of the measurement of delta p . in the preferred embodiment , the barometric pressure gauge is not mounted inside sensor package 12 . however , the inside of sensor package 12 could be waterproofed and placed in communication with the atmosphere via a tube similar to the one connected to the back of the differential pressure gauge . that would allow the inside of sensor package 12 to be pressurized to atmospheric pressure . thus , an absolute pressure gauge could be mounted in sensor package 12 to measure the barometric pressure for communication and display by analyzer 11 . with reference to fig3 - 6 , the structure and function of probe 13b will be described . to provide accurate measurements of delta p and temperature , it is necessary to create a rapid flow of water across sensor package 12 . probe 13b and c are designed to maximize that water flow . probe 13b ( fig3 ) comprises tube 22 having on its outside holder 23 . holder 23 allows sensor package 12 to fit inside tube 22 for maximum flow as shown in fig3 . once sensor package 12 is fitted into tube 22 , cable assembly 14 is routed through vaned bell housing 24 and back to analyzer 11 . that configuration allows probe 13b to be moved vertically through the water with the water flow passing through vaned bell housing 24 across sensor package 12 and out opening 25 . vaned bell housing 24 ( fig6 ) comprises vanes 26a - c secured at one end by stem 27 and having their opposite ends mounted on ring 28 as shown in fig6 . that configuration allows the water to be efficiently channeled into probe 13b . one embodiment of probe 13b is shown in the cross - sectional drawing of fig4 . sensor package 12 fits into holder 23 which positions gas permeable tubing 18 and temperature sensor 19 in the center of hour - glass opening 29 . the hour - glass shape of probe 13b creates an increased flow of water across sensor package 12 , thereby increasing the accuracy of measurements . a second embodiment of probe 13b is shown in fig6 . in that embodiment , inside surface 35 of probe 13b is augured or screw shaped so that the water flows through the probe in a spiral pattern . the auger or screw shaped design of probe 13b makes the water flow path longer , thereby increasing the velocity and intensity of the water flow across sensor package 12 . although probes 13a - c have been described for the purposes of disclosure for use in determining the saturation of dissolved gases in water , one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that any sensor requiring a flow of liquid could be used in the probes . additionally , each of probes 13a - c could be used in any substance ( e . g . ammonia or beer ) to create a flow across a sensor package to measure the saturation of the liquid or any other desired measurement . with reference to fig7 the operation of saturometer will be described . sensor package 12 is connected to one of probes 13a - c and then lowered into the water for measurement taking . as the probe is manually moved through the water , sensor package 12 measures delta p and temperature and communicates those two signals to signal conditioning circuit 30 of analyzer 11 . barometric pressure gauge 32 provides a signal representing barometric pressure to signal conditioning circuit 30 . signal conditioning circuit 30 ensures that the differential pressure gauge , temperature sensor and barometric pressure transducer are properly calibrated . signal conditioning circuit 30 is a resistive network which sets the output of the differential pressure gauge and barometric pressure transducer to zero when a true zero pressure signal is measured . signal conditioning circuit 30 also adjusts the value of the signal sent to lcd display 15 . that signal is in millivolts and must be converted to the appropriate units before display ( e . g . mm hg ). analyzer 11 is further provided with percent saturation calculation circuit 33 . percent saturation calculation circuit 33 receives the delta p and barometric pressure signals from signal conditioning circuit 30 , adds delta p with barometric pressure , then divides by the barometric pressure , and multiplies that value times one hundred to determine the percent saturation (( dp + bp )/ bp * 100 ). for display , the user depresses one of selector switches 16a - d , and the quantity corresponding to the selected switch , either delta p , barometric pressure , temperature , or percent saturation , is displayed on liquid crystal display 15 . analyzer 11 is further provided with power supply 34 to provide power for liquid crystal display 15 through on / off switch 16e . while the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described for the purposes of this disclosure , changes in the design and arrangements of features may be made by those skilled in the art , which changes are encompasses within the spirit of this invention as defined by the appended claims .
| 6 |
while the making and using of various embodiments of the present invention are discussed in detail below , it should be appreciated that the present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts , which can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts . the specific embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the invention , and do not delimit the scope of the present invention . the present invention provides improved methods and tools for completing and separately producing individual hydrocarbon zones in a single well . the methods can be performed in either vertical or horizontal wellbores . the term “ vertical wellbore ” is used herein to mean the portion of a wellbore in a producing zone , which is substantially vertical , inclined or deviated . the term “ horizontal wellbore ” is used herein to mean the portion of a wellbore in a producing zone , which is substantially horizontal . since the present invention is applicable in vertical , horizontal and inclined wellbores , the terms “ upper and lower ” and “ top and bottom ” as used herein are relative terms and are intended to apply to the respective positions within a particular wellbore while the term “ levels ” is meant to refer to respective spaced positions along the wellbore . the term “ zone ” is used herein to refer to separate parts of the well designated for treatment and / or production and includes an entire hydrocarbon formation or separate portions of the same formation . as used herein , “ down ,” “ downward ” or “ downhole ” refer to the direction in or along the wellbore from the wellhead toward the producing zone regardless of the wellbore &# 39 ; s orientation toward the surface or away from the surface . accordingly , the upper zone would be the first zone encountered by the wellbore and the lower zone would be located further along the wellbore . tubing , tubular , casing , pipe liner and conduit are interchangeable terms used herein to refer to walled fluid conductors . referring initially to fig1 , a multi zone isolation tool of the present invention is disposed within a cased wellbore that is generally designated 10 . wellbore 10 is illustrated intersecting two separate hydrocarbon bearing zones , upper zone 12 and lower zone 14 . for purposes of description , only two zones are shown but it is understood that the present invention has application to isolate any number of zones within a well . as mentioned , while wellbore 10 is illustrated as a vertical cased well with two producing zones , the present invention is applicable to horizontal and inclined wellbores with more than two producing zones and in uncased wells . a completion string disposed within wellbore 10 includes upper and lower sand screen assemblies 16 , 18 that are located proximate to zones 12 , 14 , respectively . wellbore 10 includes a casing string 20 that has been perforated at locations 22 , 24 to provide fluid flow paths into casing 20 from zones 12 , 14 , respectively . the completion string includes production tubing 26 , packers 28 , 30 and a crossover sub 32 to enable fluid flow between the interior of the completion string and annulus 34 . the completion string also includes multi zone isolation tool 36 of the present invention . as explained in greater detail below , tool 36 functions to connect lower sand screen assembly 18 and production tubing 26 via a first flow path . tool 36 also functions to selectively isolate and connect upper sand screen assembly 16 to annulus 34 via a second flow path . thus , tool 36 selectively isolates zone 12 and zone 14 and allows zones 12 , 14 to be independently produced . referring next to fig2 a - 2d , therein is depicted a more detailed illustration of an embodiment of a multi zone isolation tool of the present invention that is generally designated 100 . tool 100 includes a substantially tubular outer housing assembly 102 that is formed from a plurality of housing members that are securably and sealingly coupled together by threading , set screws or similar technique . in the illustrated embodiment , housing assembly 102 includes an upper housing member 104 , a first upper intermediate housing member 106 , a second upper intermediate housing member 108 having a housing extension 110 , a housing coupling 112 , a sleeve housing member 114 that forms a substantially annular pocket 116 with housing extension 110 , a lower intermediate housing member 118 , a housing coupling 120 and a lower housing member 122 . it is to be understood by those skilled in the art that even though a particular arrangement of housing members is depicted and described , other arrangements of housing members are possible and are considered within the scope of the present invention . disposed within housing assembly 102 is an inner tubular assembly 124 that is formed from a plurality of tubular members that are securably and sealingly coupled together by threading , set screws or similar technique . in the illustrated embodiment , tubular assembly 124 includes an upper tubular member 126 having a polished bore receptacle 128 , a first upper intermediate tubular member 130 having a radially expanded region 132 , a second upper intermediate tubular member 134 having a lower shoulder 136 , a first intermediate tubular member 138 , a second intermediate tubular member 140 , a first lower intermediate tubular member 142 having a profile 144 , a second lower intermediate tubular member 146 and a lower tubular member 148 . it is to be understood by those skilled in the art that even though a particular arrangement of tubular members is depicted and described , other arrangements of tubular members are possible and are considered within the scope of the present invention . slidably disposed within tubular assembly 124 is a mandrel assembly 150 that is formed from a plurality of mandrel members that are securably and sealingly coupled together by threading , set screws or similar technique . in the illustrated embodiment , mandrel assembly 150 includes an upper mandrel member 152 including a profile 154 and a plurality of reclosing ports 156 , an intermediate mandrel member 158 that carries one or more lugs 160 and a lower mandrel member 162 including a plurality of opening ports 164 . it is to be understood by those skilled in the art that even though a particular arrangement of mandrel members is depicted and described , other arrangements of mandrel members are possible and are considered within the scope of the present invention . disposed between tubular assembly 124 and mandrel assembly 150 is a lug support sleeve 166 and a spring 168 . together , lug support sleeve 166 , spring 168 and lugs 160 may be referred to as a lock assembly . near their lower ends , tubular assembly 124 and mandrel assembly 150 define an actuation chamber 170 that is in fluid communication with opening ports 164 of mandrel assembly 150 . together , tubular assembly 124 and mandrel assembly 150 define a central flow path 172 that extends between the upper and lower ends of tool 100 . as such , at least portions of mandrel assembly 150 may be considered as part of tubular assembly 124 in the section between tubular member 130 and tubular member 134 . as previously described with reference to fig1 , central flow path 172 is in fluid communication with lower sand screen assembly 18 and therefore lower zone 14 . together , housing assembly 102 and tubular assembly 124 define a substantially annular flow path 174 . as previously described with reference to fig1 , annular flow path 174 is in fluid communication with upper sand screen assembly 16 and therefore upper zone 12 . disposed within annular flow path 174 is a sleeve 176 that has a plurality of seals 178 disposed on the inner surface thereof . in the illustrated embodiment , sleeve 176 is threadably coupled to a collet assembly 180 . near its lower end , sleeve 176 is securably coupled to mandrel assembly 150 via a threaded connector held in position by a pin 182 that extends through one of three radially expanded sections of mandrel assembly 150 ( only one being visible in the figures ). each of the radially expanded sections extends approximately thirty degrees in the circumferential direction such that the flow of fluid through annular flow path 174 is not prevented by the radially expanded sections . also disposed within annular flow path 174 is an equalization pathway depicted as control line 184 that extends between tubular member 130 and tubular member 146 . the operation of tool 100 will now be described with reference to fig2 a - 2d and 3 a - 3 d . tool 100 is initially run into the wellbore as part of the completion string with housing assembly 102 preferably forming a portion of the tubular string that extends to the surface . the completion string is the positioned at the desired location , such as that depicted in fig1 . initially , tool 100 is in its closed position as depicted in fig2 a - 2d wherein sleeve 176 is in its lower position with seals 178 engaging an outer sealing surface of tubular member 130 such that fluid flow through annular flow path 174 is prevented . in this configuration , treatment or other operations requiring fluid flow and pressure fluctuations downhole of tool 100 are performed through central flow path 172 . even though pressure fluctuations are occurring in central flow path 172 and are communicated to actuation chamber 170 and therefore to a lower piston area of mandrel assembly 150 , operation of tool 100 is prevented . specifically , annular flow path 174 and central flow path 172 are in fluid communication with one another above tool 100 . in addition , the pressure in annular flow path 174 above sleeve 176 is communicated to an upper piston area of mandrel assembly 150 via control line 184 that serves as a pathway to equalize pressure across mandrel assembly 150 . after treatment or other operations to the lower zone or zones are complete , the lower zones may be plugged off and a tubing string may be stabbed into polished bore receptacle 128 of tubular assembly 124 . in this configuration , annular flow path 174 and central flow path 172 are no longer in fluid communication with one another above tool 100 . now , increased pressure within central flow path 172 is communicated to actuation chamber 170 via opening ports 164 . this pressure acts on the lower piston area of mandrel assembly 150 and urges mandrel assembly in the uphole direction . mandrel assembly 150 is threadably coupled to sleeve 176 and sleeve 176 is threadably coupled to collet assembly 180 . as best seen in fig2 b , collet assembly 180 selectively prevents upward movement of sleeve 176 and mandrel assembly 150 until the pressure exerted on the lower piston area of mandrel assembly 150 exceeds a predetermined value sufficient to radially inwardly retract the collet fingers of collet assembly 180 , to pass through a downwardly facing shoulder 186 of housing assembly 102 . when the predetermined value is reached and the collet fingers of collet assembly 180 are radially retracted , sleeve 176 and mandrel 150 shift in the uphole direction to the position depicted in fig3 a - 3d . as illustrated , collet assembly 180 reengages with housing assembly 102 in annular recess 188 . sleeve 176 is in its upper position partially disposed within annular pocket 116 of housing assembly 102 with seals 178 engaging an outer sealing surface of housing extension 110 . in this configuration , fluid communication between annular flow path 174 and the upper zone is allowed , enabling , for example , production from the upper zone into annular flow path 174 . importantly , in this configuration , seals 178 are protected from fluid flow or any abrasive materials therein as seals 178 are sealingly engaged with the outer sealing surface of housing extension 110 and out of the flow path . as such , seals 178 are not susceptible to damage during production from the upper zone or other fluid flow operations therethrough . also , in this configuration , downhole movement of mandrel assembly 150 is prevented as spring 168 has urged lug support sleeve 166 under lugs 160 which are now aligned with and interfere with profile 144 of tubular member 142 , as best seen in fig3 c . referring additionally to fig4 a - 4d , if it is desired to return tool 100 from the open position to the closed position , a fluid diverter 190 may be run downhole on a conveyance that is depicted as wireline 192 and positioned within tool 100 . fluid diverter 190 includes a latch assembly 194 that is operable to engage profile 154 of mandrel assembly 150 . once engaged , a discharge port 196 of fluid diverter 190 is in fluid communication with reclosing ports 156 of mandrel assembly 150 . in this configuration , fluid pressure above seals 198 of fluid diverter 190 in central flow path 172 is routed to chamber 200 , which is in fluid communication with reclosing ports 156 via discharge port 196 . the fluid pressure then acts on a lower piston area of lug support sleeve 166 which compresses spring 168 and unprops lugs 160 , as best seen in fig4 c . the fluid pressure from chamber 200 now acts on an upper piston area of mandrel assembly 150 and urges mandrel assembly 150 downhole . as best seen in fig4 b , collet assembly 180 selectively prevents downward movement of sleeve 176 and mandrel assembly 150 until the pressure exerted on the upper piston area of mandrel assembly 150 exceeds a predetermined value sufficient to radially inwardly retract the collet fingers of collet assembly 180 , to pass through an upwardly facing shoulder of annular recess 188 of housing assembly 102 . when the predetermined value is reached and the collet fingers of collet assembly 180 are radially retracted , sleeve 176 and mandrel 150 shift in the downhole direction to the position depicted in fig2 a - 2d . as illustrated , collet assembly 180 is now repositioned below downwardly facing shoulder 186 of housing assembly 102 , thereby selectively preventing upward movement of sleeve 176 and mandrel assembly 150 . sleeve 176 is now repositioned in its lower position with seals 178 engaging an outer sealing surface of tubular member 130 . in this configuration , fluid flow through annular flow path 174 is prevented and tool 100 has been returned to its closed configuration . the processes of opening and reclosing tool 100 can be repeated as required to enable independent and selective production from the upper and lower zones . while this invention has been described with reference to illustrative embodiments , this description is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense . various modifications and combinations of the illustrative embodiments as well as other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description . it is , therefore , intended that the appended claims encompass any such modifications or embodiments .
| 4 |
the invention is disclosed as being embodied preferably in a single - use 35 mm camera having a built - in electronic flash unit . because the features of such a camera are generally known , the description which follows is directed in particular only to those elements forming part of or cooperating directly with the disclosed embodiment . it is to be understood , however , that other elements may take various forms known to a person of ordinary skill in the art . referring now to the drawings , fig1 and 2 show a single - use camera 1 which comprises a plastic light - tight camera unit 3 housing a known fixed - focus taking lens 5 , a known film metering mechanism , not show , a known single - blade shutter 7 , a known frame counter 9 for visibly indicating the number of exposures remaining for picture - taking , and an electronic flash unit 11 . a cardboard outer cover or casing 13 contains the camera unit 3 and has a front opening 15 for the taking lens 5 , a top opening 17 for a manual shutter release button 19 , a rear opening for a manual film advance thumbwheel , not shown , a front opening 21 for a front viewfinder window 23 of a direct see - through viewfinder 25 , a rear opening , not shown , for a rear viewfinder window 27 , a top opening 29 for the frame counter , a front opening 31 for a flash emission window 33 , and a top opening 35 for a flash - ready light emitting diode ( led ) 37 . a known ambient light sensor 39 for operation of the electronic flash unit 11 is located in the front opening 31 above the flash emission window 33 . the ambient light sensor 39 provides a brightness measure of the ambient light to determine whether a flash or daylight exposure is in order . the flash unit 11 as shown in fig2 includes a flash circuit board 43 on which is mounted a known flash tube 45 located behind the flash emission window 33 , a known flash charger circuit 47 for storing a suitable voltage to ignite the flash tube to provide flash illumination , and an integrated control circuit ( ic ) 51 . the ic 51 is connected to the led 37 , the ambient light sensor 39 , and a normally open shutter - flash synch switch 53 which is closed every time the shutter blade 7 is pivoted clockwise in fig2 to momentarily uncover the taking lens 5 to take a picture . at the manufacturer , the camera unit 3 is loaded with a conventional 12 , 24 , or 36 exposure 35 mm film cartridge and substantially the entire length of the unexposed filmstrip is factory prewound from the cartridge onto a spool , not shown , in the camera unit . also , the frame counter 9 is set to the maximum number of exposures available on the unexposed filmstrip . after the photographer takes a picture , he or she manually rotates the thumbwheel to rewind the exposed frame into the cartridge . the rewinding movement of the filmstrip the equivalent of slightly more than one frame width rotates a metering sprocket , not shown , to decrement the frame counter 9 to its next lower numbered setting , e . g . from &# 34 ; 36 &# 34 ; to &# 34 ; 35 &# 34 ;. further details of this operation are disclosed in commonly assigned u . s . pat . no . 5 , 235 , 366 , issued aug . 10 , 1993 . when the maximum number of exposures available on the filmstrip are exposed and the filmstrip is completely rewound into the cartridge , the single - use camera 1 is given to a photofinisher who first removes the filmstrip from the camera unit 3 to develop the negatives and then forwards the camera unit to the manufacturer for recycling . the manufacturer , in turn , recycles the camera unit 3 by loading it with another roll of film and repeating the foregoing prewinding process . the ic 51 includes a known count - down counter 55 which when initialized is set to the maximum number of exposures available on a roll of film in the camera unit 3 ( similar to the frame counter 9 ). the counter 55 is adapted to be decremented by &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; when the shutter - flash synch switch 53 is closed by the shutter blade 7 to take a picture , to provide a count of the number of exposures remaining to be made on the roll of film . as shown in fig3 each time the shutter - flash synch switch 53 is closed , the ic 51 interrogates the counter 55 to determine whether its count is at least &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. if the count is at least &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; the counter 55 is decremented by &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. conversely , if the counter is &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; the flash charger circuit 47 is disabled . when the flash charger circuit 47 is disabled , the camera unit 3 cannot be effectively recycled unless authorized . according to the invention , there is provided a method of permitting authorized recycling of the camera unit 3 . this method is depicted in fig5 and comprises the following steps : ( 1 ) the maximum number of exposures available on a fresh roll of film loaded or to be loaded in the camera unit 3 is selected on a code inputting device 57 by manually sliding a pointer 59 to the selected number &# 34 ; 12 &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; 24 &# 34 ;, or &# 34 ; 36 &# 34 ;. the code inputting device 57 is shown in fig4 . ( 2 ) a code - source light emitting diode ( led ) 61 of the code inputting device 57 is positioned opposite the ambient light sensor 39 to first input a start code to the ic 51 via the ambient light sensor , to cause the ic to then output an identifier code via the flash - ready led 37 and to later accept a reset code via the ambient light sensor . the start code is a plurality of light pulses each having a different duration . ( 3 ) a phototransistor 63 of the code inputting device 57 is positioned opposite the flash - ready led 37 to permit the code inputting device to read the identifier code provided by the ic 51 . preferably , the identifier code is unique to the ic 51 to make it more difficult to decipher that code and is a plurality of light pulses each having a different duration . ( 4 ) the code inputting device 57 includes a look - up table 69 having a plurality of identifier codes ( for various ic &# 39 ; s ), one of which is the identifier code that has been read in step 3 , and a plurality of reset codes that correspond 1 : 1 to the identifier codes , and is adapted via a central processing unit ( cpu ), not shown , to select the reset code that corresponds to the identifier code that has been read in step 3 . also , the plurality of reset codes correspond 1 : 1 to various enablement codes ( provided in respective ic &# 39 ; s ), one of which is provided in the ic 51 for instructing that ic to trigger initializing the counter 55 and re - enabling the flash charger circuit 47 . ( 5 ) the code - source led 61 of the code inputting device 57 then inputs the reset code , which has been selected in step 4 , via the ambient light sensor 39 to the ic 51 . the reset code is a plurality of light pulses each having a different duration . presumably , the reset code that is inputted via the ambient light sensor 39 to the ic 51 will match the enablement code of that ic . as a result , the counter 55 will be incremented from &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; to the number of exposures selected in step 1 and the flash charger circuit 49 will be re enabled . if the reset code that is inputted to the ic 51 does not match the enablement code of that ic for some reason , a visible warning indicator 79 on the reader 57 is activated . the term &# 34 ; code &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; codes &# 34 ; as used in regard to the start code , the identifier code , the reset code , and the enablement code is intended to be given the common ordinary meaning , i . e . a system of signals or symbols for communication used to represent assigned and often secret meanings , such as in the case of the morse code and the binary and other machine languages used in digital computers . the various codes , although preferably optical , can be a number of other different types , e . g . electrical or magnetic , digital or analog . the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment . however , it will be appreciated that variations and modifications can be effected by a person of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention . for example , instead of disabling the flash charger circuit 49 to prevent the flash function of the camera unit 3 , anyone of several other known functions or operations of the camera unit such as shutter operation or film advance operation can be disabled . in this sense , the terms &# 34 ; functions &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; operations &# 34 ; are intended to be equivalents . also , instead of counting the number of closures of the shutter - flash synch switch 53 for the purpose of disabling a function of the camera unit 3 , various other events may be used to determine when to disable a function of the camera unit . for instance , a function of the camera unit 3 can be disabled in response to removing an exposed roll of film from the camera unit , in response to removing a battery from the camera unit , or in response to opening the camera unit to remove the exposed roll of film . as suggested in commonly assigned u . s . pat . no . 5 , 021 , 811 , issued jun . 4 , 1991 , the flash circuit board 43 can include means for visibly indicating the number of times the camera unit 3 has been recycled .
| 2 |
in an embodiment , the present invention provides novel pyridone disulfide derivatives of formula ( i ), a process for their preparation and isolation of stable compounds of formula ( i ) in the ph range of 4 . 5 to 8 . 5 . the invention also includes the preparation of stereoisomeric isomers of stable pyridone disulfide derivatives . the meaning of term ‘ stable ’ used herein indicates that the compound of formula ( i ) is obtained in a stable form , crystalline or amorphous , not easily prone to degradation . in yet another embodiment , the present invention provides a process for preparation and isolation of novel pyridone disulfide derivatives of formula ( i ), comprising of the following steps . step 1 involves reaction of substituted benzimidazo - 2 - thiol or substituted imidazo - pyridine - 2 - thiol ( compound ii ) with substituted - 2 - chloromethyl - 4 - methoxy - pyridine derivative ( compound iii ) in presence of a base and solvent to give substituted methoxy - 2 - pyridinyl - methylsulfidyl benzimidazole or the corresponding imidazo - pyridine derivative ( compound iv ). the base was selected from the group comprising of sodium hydroxide , potassium hydroxide , calcium hydroxide , barium hydroxide etc . the solvent was selected from the group comprising of water , methanol , ethanol , isopropanol , butanol etc . and mixtures thereof . the reaction was carried out at 20 - 40 ° c . after completion of the reaction as monitored by tlc , the mixture was filtered to give the respective substituted methoxy - 2 - pyridinyl - methylsulfidyl benzimidazole derivative or imidazo - pyridine derivative ( compound iv ) having desired purity . step 2 involved regioselective dealkylation of substituted methoxy - 2 - pyridinyl - methylsulfidyl benzimidazole or imidazo - pyridine derivative ( compound iv ) in presence of a dealkylating agent and a solvent to give compound of formula ( v ). various dealkylating agents such as sodium sulfide , hydrobromic acid , aluminium chloride etc . were used . in case of sodium sulfide , the reaction was carried out in the temperature range of 80 to 110 ° c ., in presence of a solvent . the solvent was selected from the group comprising of nitriles , alcohols , polar aprotic solvents such as n - methyl pyrrolidone , dimethyl formamide , dimethyl acetamide water or mixtures thereof . after completion of the reaction based on tlc , the reaction mass was cooled and neutralized with an acid such as acetic acid . filtration of the obtained solid and drying gave the respective substituted hydroxy - 2 - pyridinyl - methylsulfidyl - benzimidazole or imidazo - pyridine derivative ( compound v ) having desired purity . alternatively , the dealkylation was also carried out by employing aqueous hydrobromic acid or using lewis acid halides such as aluminium chloride , zinc chloride , optionally in presence of decanethiol . the reaction was carried out at a temperature ranging from 50 - 110 ° c ., depending upon the type of the dealkylating reagent used . after completion of the reaction as monitored by tlc , the product was isolated by concentrating the mixture and adding water followed by addition of an organic solvent like methanol to the aqueous layer at around neutral ph to obtain the desired product of formula ( v ). step 3 comprised treatment of substituted hydroxy - 2 - pyridinyl - methylsulfidyl - benzimidazole or imidazo - pyridine derivative ( compound v ) with an oxidizing agent to give compound of formula ( vi ). this step involved treatment of compound of formula ( v ) with an oxidizing agent such as ( 10 )- camphorsulfonyl oxaziridine ( cso ) and its stereoisomers or an alkali metal hypochlorite to provide the sulfoxide derivative of formula ( vi ). the sulfide derivative ( v ) was treated with the oxidizing agent at 20 - 35 ° c . in presence of a base and organic solvent like isopropanol . the base was selected from inorganic or organic bases . the inorganic base was selected from the group comprising of alkali metal hydroxides , carbonate and bicarbonates etc . while the organic base was selected from dbu , triethyl amine , diisopropyl ethyl amine etc . the solvent was selected from the group comprising of alcohols such as methyl alcohol , ethyl alcohol , isopropyl alcohol etc . or mixtures thereof . after completion of reaction , as monitored by tlc , the reaction mass was filtered and the filtrate concentrated to get the desired compound ( vi ) which was optionally treated with organic solvents such as methanol , methyl tertiary butyl ether , toluene etc . or used as such for further reaction . when oxidation was carried out using hypochlorite , compound ( v ) was added to a mixture of sodium hydroxide , water and methanol , followed by addition of sodium hypochlorite solution and the reaction was carried out at 20 - 35 ° c . the reaction was monitored by tlc and after completion , the reaction mass was extracted with an organic solvent and the organic layer was then concentrated to give the desired compound ( vi ). alternatively , after completion of oxidation reaction , the mass was carried forward for the next reaction . the ph of the reaction mass was adjusted in range of 4 . 5 to 8 . 5 using acid and the mass was stirred at 20 - 35 ° c . optionally , an organic solvent such as methanol or ethyl acetate or solvent mixture was added during stirring and resulting solid was filtered after completion of the reaction as monitored by tlc , to give compound of formula ( i ). step 4 comprised treatment of compound ( vi ) with an acid in a solvent to obtain ph between 4 . 5 and 8 . 5 , preferably 6 . 5 to 8 , which was then stirred and filtered to obtain the desired compound ( i ). the solvent was selected from the group comprising of water and organic solvents or mixtures thereof . the organic solvent was selected from the group comprising of ethers , esters , alcohols , ketones , hydrocarbons and halogenated hydrocarbons . the ethers were selected from the group comprising of dimethyl ether , dimethoxyethane , methyl - tertiary butyl ether etc . the solvents were selected from the group comprising of ethyl acetate , acetone , methanol , toluene , xylene , dichloromethane etc . the acid employed was selected from an organic or mineral acid or a mixture thereof . the mineral acid was selected from the group comprising of hydrochloric acid , sulfuric acid and nitric acid . the organic acid was selected from the group comprising of acetic acid , citric acid , propionic acid , lactic acid etc ., but preferably acetic acid . in this step , the acid was slowly added with stirring to the mixture of compound ( vi ) and solvent ( s ) at 20 - 35 ° c ., till the desired ph was obtained . the desired ph range varied for different substrates in the class of compound ( vi ) and ranged from 4 . 5 to 8 . 5 but preferably between 6 . 5 and 8 . 0 . after completion of the reaction , the desired compound of formula ( i ) separated out from the reaction mixture , filtered and dried . optionally , the compound of formula ( i ) was subjected to purification procedures such as crystallization , solvent treatment , treatment with acid , column chromatography etc . to obtain the desired purity . the desired compounds were obtained as stable , crystalline or amorphous solids and were characterized by 1 h nmr , 13 c nmr and ms . the different compounds obtained by varying the substituent in the general formula ( i ) are provided in tables 1a and 1b . for clinical use , the compounds of the invention were utilized for pharmaceutical formulations for oral , rectal , parenteral or other modes of administration . the pharmaceutical formulation contains a compound of the invention in combination with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier . the carrier may be in the form of a solid , semisolid or liquid diluent , or a capsule . usually the amount of active compound is between 0 . 1 and 95 . 0 % by weight of the preparation . when the compound of the present invention is to be administered as a therapeutic or preventive agent for peptic ulcer , it may be orally administered as powder , granule , capsule or syrup . alternately , it may be parenterally administered in the form of suppositories , injections , external preparations or intravenous drips . the dose may vary depending on the condition , age and ulcer type of the patient . it may be administered in a dose of approximately 0 . 01 to 200 mg / kg / day , preferably 0 . 05 to 50 mg / kg / day and still preferably 0 . 1 to 10 mg / kg / day in one to several portions . it may be formulated in a conventional manner by using conventional pharmacological carriers . when a solid preparation for oral administration is to be produced , for example , the active component is mixed with filler as well as a binder , a disintegrating agent , a lubricant , a colorant and / or a corrigent , if required . the obtained mixture is then formulated into tablets , coated tablets , granules , powders or capsules in a conventional manner . examples of fillers include lactose , corn starch , white sugar , glucose , sorbitol , crystalline cellulose and silicon dioxide . examples of binder include polyvinyl alcohol , polyvinyl ether , methylcellulose , gum arabic , tragacanth , gelatin , shellac , hydroxypropyl - cellulose , hydroxypropyl starch and polyvinylpyrrolidone . example of disintegrating agent includes starch , agar , gelatin powder , crystalline cellulose , calcium carbonate , sodium hydrogen carbonate , calcium citrate , dextrin and pectin . examples of the lubricant include magnesium stearate , talc , polyethylene glycol , silica and hardened vegetable oils . as the colorant , pharmacologically acceptable ones may be employed . examples of the corrigent include cocoa powder , mentha herb , aromatic powder , mentha oil , borneol and cinnamon powder . needless to say , these tablets or granules may be coated with , for example , sugar or gelatin . when an injection is to be produced , the active component is mixed with various additives such as a ph modifier , a buffer , a stabilizer or a solubilizing agent , if required . thus a subcutaneous , intramuscular or intravenous injection is obtained . the principles , preferred embodiments and modes of operation of the present invention have been described in the foregoing examples . the invention which is intended to be protected herein , however , is not to be construed limited to the particular forms disclosed , since these are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive . variations and changes may be made by those skilled in the art , without departing from the spirit of the invention . general procedures for preparation of compound iv , compound v and compound vi are given below . the reaction of substituted benzimidazothiol derivatives or substituted imidazopyridine - thiol derivatives ( compound ii ) with substituted methoxypyridinium hydrochloride derivatives ( compound iii ) was carried out at 25 - 30 ° c ., in presence of aqueous solution of base such as sodium hydroxide and an organic solvent like methanol . the reaction was monitored by tlc and after completion of the reaction , the mixture was filtered , the solid was separated and dried to give the respective substituted methoxy - pyridinylmethylsulfidyl imidazole or imidazopyridine derivatives ( compound iv ). the solution of compound iv in n - methyl pyrrolidone was treated with sodium sulfide at 80 - 110 ° c . the reaction was continued till completion of the reaction , as monitored by tlc . the reaction mass was cooled and ph was adjusted in the range of 6 to 7 using aqueous solution of acetic acid . filtration of the obtained solid and drying gave compound v having desired purity . a stirred mixture of compound iv , acetic acid and aqueous hbr was heated to 100 - 110 ° c . till the reaction was complete , as monitored by tlc . after completion , the reaction mass was cooled and concentrated under reduced pressure . the residue was diluted with water and washed with dichloromethane . the aqueous layer was neutralized by addition of sodium carbonate solution , which was followed by addition of methanol and filtered . the residue thus obtained was optionally washed with aqueous methanol and dried to give compound v . a mixture of compound iv , aluminium chloride were stirred in a solvent like chloroform and heated to 50 - 70 ° c . till the reaction was complete , as monitored by tlc . the reaction mass was cooled , quenched with water and concentrated . hydrochloric acid was added to the residue and the aqueous layer was neutralized using aqueous sodium carbonate solution . the precipitated solid was filtered , dried , and optionally purified to give compound v . ( 10 - camphorsulfonyl ) oxaziridine was gradually added to a solution of compound v and sodium hydroxide in isopropyl alcohol at 25 to 30 ° c . and stirred at same temperature . after completion of the reaction , as monitored by tlc , the reaction mass was filtered , and the filtrate was concentrated under vacuum to obtain compound vi , which was directly used for further reaction . in some cases , the residue obtained after concentration was dissolved in methanol , concentrated and further treated with toluene and dried to obtain compound vi compound v was added to a stirred mixture of aqueous sodium hydroxide and methanol , followed by gradual addition of sodium hypochlorite solution at 25 - 30 ° c . the reaction mixture was stirred at the same temperature till completion of the reaction and then extracted with an organic solvent . the organic layer was concentrated to give the desired product . alternatively , the reaction mass containing compound vi was carried forward for the next reaction , without isolating the product . a solution of compound vi dissolved in water or an organic solvent or mixtures thereof was treated with acid , which was gradually added to it at 25 - 30 ° c ., till the ph of the reaction mixture was in the range of 4 . 5 to 8 . 5 , preferably 6 . 5 to 8 . the mass was stirred till completion of the reaction as monitored by tlc . the suspension thus obtained was filtered and solid was dried to get compound i , which was optionally purified using suitable methods . methanol ( 270 ml ) was added to a solution of naoh ( 41 . 5 gms ) in water ( 180 ml ), followed by addition of 5 - difluoromethoxy - 2 - mercapto - 1h - benzimidazole ( 105 . 2 gms ). a solution of 2 - chloromethyl - 3 , 4 - dimethoxy - pyridine . hydrochloride ( 100 . 3 gm in water ( 150 ml )) was gradually added to the reaction mixture and stirred at 25 - 30 ° c . till completion of the reaction . after completion , as monitored by tlc , the reaction mixture was filtered and the obtained solid was dried to give compound iv - a - 11 . 1h nmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl3 ): δ 8 . 27 ( d , j = 5 . 6 hz , 1h ), 7 . 48 ( d , j = 8 . 8 hz , 1h ), 7 . 32 ( d , j = 2 hz , 1h ), 6 . 99 ( dd , j = 2 . 4 , 8 . 8 hz , 1h ), 6 . 87 ( d , j = 5 . 6 hz , 1h ), 6 . 50 ( t , j = 74 . 8 hz , 1h ), 4 . 39 ( s , 2h ), 3 . 95 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 93 ( s , 3h ). the solution of compound iv - a - 11 ( 50 . 7 gms ) and sodium sulfide ( 38 . 6 gm , assay 55 %) in n - methyl pyrrolidone ( 700 ml ) were heated to 90 to 100 ° c . and stirred at the same temperature . after completion of the reaction , as monitored by tlc , the reaction mass was quenched with water and ph was adjusted to 6 . 7 using aqueous acetic acid ( 50 %). the obtained suspension was filtered and solid dried to get compound v - a - 11 . 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , dmso d 6 ): δ 7 . 66 ( br . s , 1h ), 7 . 48 ( br . s , 1h ), 7 . 30 ( br . s , 1h ), 7 . 16 ( t , j = 74 . 4 hz , 1h ), 6 . 98 ( dd , j = 2 . 0 , 8 . 0 hz , 1h ), 6 . 25 ( br . s , 1h ), 4 . 54 ( s , 2h ), 3 . 76 ( s , 3h ), esi - ms : 353 . 7 ( m + 1 ). ( 1r )-(−)-( 10 - camphorsulfonyl ) oxaziridine ( 33 . 7 gm ) was gradually added to a solution of v - a - 11 ( 50 . 1 gm ), and sodium hydroxide ( 12 . 4 gm ) in isopropyl alcohol ( 350 ml ) at 25 to 30 ° c . the reaction mixture was stirred at 25 to 30 ° c . the reaction mass was filtered and the filtrate was concentrated under vacuum to obtain vi - a - 11 ( 60 . 1 gm ) and carried forward for next reaction . aqueous acetic acid ( 50 %) was gradually added to a solution of vi - a - 11 ( 190 . 5 gm ) in ethyl acetate ( 1900 ml ) and water ( 1140 ml ) at 25 to 30 ° c . till the reaction mass attained ph 7 . 3 . the mass was stirred till completion of the reaction as monitored by tlc . the suspension thus obtained was filtered and solid was dried to give compound i - a - 11 . 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , dmso d 6 ): δ 13 . 35 ( br . s , 2h ), 7 . 94 ( d , j = 7 . 6 hz , 2h ), 7 . 59 ( br . s , 2h ), 7 . 40 (( s , 6h br . s , 2h ), 7 . 22 ( t , j = 74 hz , 2h ), 7 . 11 ( d , j = 8 . 4 hz , 2h ), 6 . 33 ( d , j = 7 . 6 hz , 2h ), 4 . 17 ( s , 4h ), 3 . 76 ( s , 6h ). 13 c nmr ( 100 mhz , dmso d 6 ): δ 173 . 0 , 147 . 9 , 146 . 9 , 146 . 3 , 139 . 4 , 137 . 5 , 119 . 4 , 116 . 8 , 116 . 6 , 115 . 7 , 114 . 2 , 59 . 6 , 32 . 7 . the experimental procedure that was followed was same as that described for synthesis of ( vi - a - 11 ) wherein compound ( v - a - 1 , 72 . 8 g ), sodium hydroxide ( 22 . 4 g ), isopropyl alcohol ( 500 ml ) and ( 1r )-(−)-( 10 - camphorsulfonyl ) oxaziridine ( 67 . 9 g ) were used to obtain compound ( vi - a - 1 ) which was used for further reactions . the experimental procedure that was followed was same as that described for synthesis of ( i - a - 11 ) wherein compound ( 110 . 4 g ), ethyl acetate ( 1100 ml ), water ( 660 ml ) and aqueous acetic acid ( 50 %) were used to obtain ( i - a - 1 ). 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , dmso - d6 ): δ 13 . 25 ( br . s , 2h , d 2 o exchangable ), 7 . 98 ( d , j = 8 . 0 hz , 2h ), 7 . 57 ( s , 4h ), 7 . 29 - 7 . 25 ( m , 4h ), 6 . 30 ( d , j = 2 . 4 hz , 2h ), 6 . 21 ( dd , j = 2 . 8 , 8 . 0 hz , 2h ), 4 . 06 ( s , 4h ). 13 c nmr ( 100 mhz , dmso ): δ 177 . 7 , 145 . 7 , 145 . 3 , 141 . 7 , 122 . 9 , 120 . 4 , 116 . 7 , 38 . 3 . esi - ms : 612 . 9 ( m + 1 ). ( 1r )-(−)-( 10 - camphorsulfonyl ) oxaziridine ( 167 . 5 g ) was gradually added to a mixture of ( v - a - 2 ) ( 200 . 7 g ), and sodium hydroxide ( 57 . 2 g ), in isopropyl alcohol ( 1400 ml ) under stirring at room temperature . the reaction mixture was stirred at the same temperature till completion of the reaction as monitored by tlc and filtered . the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure to provide a residue , which was dissolved in methanol , concentrated and further treated with toluene and dried to obtain ( vi - a - 2 ), which was used for further reactions . yield : 235 . 6 g aqueous acetic acid ( 50 %) was gradually added to the stirred mixture of compound ( vi - a - 2 ), ( 130 . 4 g ), in ethyl acetate ( 1300 ml ) and water ( 780 ml ) till the ph of the reaction mass was between 6 . 5 and 7 . 5 . reaction mass was stirred at room temperature till completion of the reaction as monitored by tlc . the reaction mass was filtered and the obtained solid was dried to give compound ( i - a - 2 ). 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , cd3od ): δ 7 . 84 ( s , 2h ), 7 . 58 - 7 . 56 ( m , 4h ), 7 . 36 - 7 . 33 ( m , 4h ), 3 . 99 ( s , 4h ), 2 . 01 ( s , 6h ), 2 . 00 ( s , 6h ). 13 c nmr ( 100 mhz , dmso d 6 ): δ 177 . 3 , 146 . 0 , 141 . 6 , 137 . 5 , 124 . 2 , 122 . 9 , 122 . 3 , 115 . 5 , 36 . 7 , 13 . 3 , 11 . 4 . ( 1r )-(−)-( 10 - camphorsulfonyl ) oxaziridine ( 83 . 2 gms ) was gradually added to a mixture of ( v - a - 3 ); ( 100 . 4 g ) and sodium hydroxide ( 29 . 6 gms ) in isopropyl alcohol ( 700 ml ) under stirring at room temperature . the reaction mixture was stirred at the same temperature till completion of the reaction as monitored by tlc and filtered . the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure to provide a residue , which was dissolved in methanol , concentrated and further treated with toluene and dried to obtain ( vi - a - 3 ), which was used for further reactions . aqueous acetic acid ( 50 %) was gradually added to the stirred mixture of compound ( vi - a - 3 ); ( 120 . 3 g ), in ethyl acetate ( 1200 ml ) and water ( 720 ml ), till the ph of the reaction mass was between 6 . 5 and 7 . 5 . reaction mass was stirred at room temperature till completion of the reaction as monitored by tlc . the reaction mass was filtered and the obtained solid was dried to give compound ( i - a - 3 ). 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , dmso d 6 ): δ 13 . 15 ( br . s , 2h , d 2 o exchangable ), 7 . 94 ( d , j = 7 . 6 hz , 2h ), 7 . 56 ( br . s , 4h ), 7 . 28 - 7 . 26 ( m , 4h ), 6 . 32 ( d , j = 7 . 6 hz , 2h ), 4 . 17 ( s , 4h ), 3 . 75 ( s , 6h ). 13 c nmr ( 100 mhz , dmso d 6 ): δ 172 . 9 , 147 . 9 , 145 . 3 , 139 . 5 , 137 . 7 , 122 . 9 , 116 . 5 , 59 . 6 , 32 . 7 . the experimental procedure that was followed was same as that described for synthesis of ( vi - a - 3 ) wherein compound ( v - a - 4 , ( 150 . 6 g ), sodium hydroxide ( 41 . 9 g ) isopropyl alcohol ( 1050 ml ) and ( 1r )-(−)-( 10 - camphorsulfonyl ) oxaziridine ( 119 . 3 g ) were used to obtain compound ( vi - a - 4 ) which was used for further reactions . the experimental procedure that was followed was same as that described for synthesis of ( i - a - 3 ) wherein compound ( vi - a - 4 ), ( 200 . 3 g ), ethyl acetate ( 2000 ml ), water ( 1200 ml ) and aqueous acetic acid ( 50 %) were used to obtain ( i - a - 4 ). 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , dmso - d6 ): δ 13 . 05 ( br . s , 2h , d 2 o exchangable ), 7 . 89 ( s , 2h ), 7 . 6 - 7 . 2 ( br . m , 4h ), 7 . 09 ( d , j = 7 . 6 hz , 2h ), 4 . 10 ( s , 4h ), 2 . 42 ( s , 6h ), 1 . 90 ( s , 6h ), 1 . 88 ( s , 6h ) 13 c nmr ( 100 mhz , dmso ): δ 177 . 2 , 145 . 4 , 141 . 6 , 137 . 4 , 133 . 4 , 133 . 0 , 131 . 4 , 124 . 1 , 122 . 2 , 118 . 8 , 111 . 4 , 36 . 7 , 21 . 3 , 13 . 3 , 11 . 4 . ( 1r )-(−)-( 10 - camphorsulfonyl ) oxaziridine ( 87 . 2 gms ) was gradually added to a mixture of ( v - a - 5 ) ( 110 . 5 gms ), and sodium hydroxide ( 30 . 3 gms ), in isopropyl alcohol ( 770 ml ) under stirring at room temperature . the reaction mixture was stirred at the same temperature till completion of the reaction as monitored by tlc and filtered . the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure to provide a residue , which was dissolved in methanol , concentrated and further treated with toluene and dried to obtain ( vi - a - 5 ), which was used for further reactions . aqueous acetic acid ( 50 %) was gradually added to the stirred mixture of compound ( vi - a - 5 ), ( 150 . 8 g ), in ethyl acetate ( 1200 ml ) and water ( 720 ml ), till the ph of the reaction mass was between 6 . 5 and 7 . 5 . reaction mass was stirred at room temperature till completion of the reaction as monitored by tlc . the reaction mass was filtered and the obtained solid was dried to give compound ( i - a - 5 ). 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , dmso d 6 ): δ 12 . 99 ( br . s , 2h ), 7 . 92 ( d , j = 7 . 6 hz , 2h ), 7 . 45 ( d , j = 7 . 6 hz , 2h ), 7 . 33 ( s , 2h ), 7 . 08 ( d , j = 8 . 0 hz , 2h ), 6 . 32 ( d , j = 7 . 6 hz , 2h ), 4 . 16 ( s , 4h ), 3 . 75 ( s , 6h ), 2 . 41 ( s , 6h ). 13 c nmr ( 100 mhz , dmso ): δ 172 . 8 , 147 . 8 , 144 . 9 , 139 . 4 , 137 . 7 , 132 . 3 , 124 . 3 , 116 . 5 , 59 . 6 , 32 . 8 , 21 . 2 . ( 1r )-(−)-( 10 - camphorsulfonyl ) oxaziridine ( 74 . 4 g ) was gradually added to a mixture of ( v - a - 6 , 100 . 1 gms ) and sodium hydroxide ( 25 . 4 g ) in isopropyl alcohol ( 700 ml ) under stirring at room temperature . the reaction mixture was stirred at the same temperature till completion of the reaction as monitored by tlc and filtered . the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure to provide a residue , which was dissolved in methanol , concentrated and further treated with toluene and dried to obtain ( vi - a - 6 ) as pale yellow powder . 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , dmso d 6 ): δ 7 . 54 ( s , 1h ), 7 . 32 ( d , j = 8 . 8 hz , 1h ), 6 . 98 ( d , j = 2 . 4 hz 1h ), 6 . 53 ( dd , j = 2 . 4 , 8 . 8 hz 1h ), 4 . 23 - 4 . 12 ( abq , j = 12 . 8 hz , 2h ), 3 . 71 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 96 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 84 ( s , 3h ). 13 c nmr ( 100 mhz , dmso d 6 ): δ 174 . 1 , 161 . 9 , 154 . 2 , 146 . 9 , 145 . 9 , 141 . 4 , 121 . 8 , 121 . 3 , 117 . 7 , 109 . 7 , 99 . 8 , 61 . 9 , 55 . 7 , 15 . 2 , 12 . 3 . aqueous acetic acid ( 50 %) was gradually added to the stirred mixture of compound ( vi - a - 6 ; 15 . 3 gms ) in ethyl acetate ( 150 ml ) and water ( 90 ml ) till the ph of the reaction mass was between 6 . 5 and 7 . 5 . reaction mass was stirred at room temperature till completion of the reaction as monitored by tlc . the reaction mass was filtered and the obtained solid was dried to give compound ( i - a - 6 ). 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , dmso d 6 ): δ 13 . 0 ( s , 2h , d 2 o exchangable ), 7 . 88 ( s , 2h ), 7 . 47 ( br . s , 2h ), 7 . 03 ( br . s , 2h ), 6 . 88 ( dd , j = 2 . 0 , 8 . 8 hz , 2h ), 4 . 09 ( s , 4h ), 3 . 79 ( s , 6h ), 1 . 90 ( s , 6h ), 1 . 88 ( s , 6h ). 13 c nmr ( 100 mhz , dmso d 6 ): δ 177 . 2 , 156 . 3 , 145 . 2 , 141 . 7 , 137 . 5 , 124 . 0 , 122 . 2 , 112 . 6 , 56 . 5 , 36 . 8 , 13 . 3 , 11 . 4 . ( 1r )-(−)-( 10 - camphorsulfonyl ) oxaziridine ( 150 . 3 g ) was gradually added to a mixture of ( v - a - 7 ) ( 200 . 2 g ), and sodium hydroxide ( 52 . 1 g ) in isopropyl alcohol ( 1400 ml ) under stirring at room temperature . the reaction mixture was stirred at the same temperature till completion of the reaction as monitored by tlc and filtered . the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure to provide a residue , which was dissolved in methanol , concentrated and further treated with toluene and dried to obtain ( vi - a - 7 ), which was used for further reaction . aqueous acetic acid ( 50 %) was gradually added to the stirred mixture of compound ( vi - a - 7 ), ( 280 . 2 g ) in ethyl acetate ( 2800 ml ) and water ( 1680 ml ) till the ph of the reaction mass was between 6 . 5 and 7 . 5 . reaction mass was stirred at room temperature till completion of the reaction as monitored by tlc . the reaction mass was filtered and the obtained solid was dried to give compound ( i - a - 7 ). 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , dmso d 6 ): δ 12 . 99 ( br . s , 2h , d 2 o exchangable ), 7 . 91 ( d , j = 7 . 6 hz , 2h ), 7 . 51 - 6 . 87 ( m , 6h ), 6 . 32 ( d , j = 7 . 6 hz , 2h ), 4 . 13 ( s , 4h ), 3 . 79 ( s , 6h ), 3 . 76 ( s , 6h ). ( 1r )-(−)-( 10 - camphorsulfonyl ) oxaziridine ( 157 . 1 gms ) was gradually added to a mixture of ( v - a - 8 ), ( 200 . 5 g ) and sodium hydroxide ( 54 . 3 g ) in isopropyl alcohol ( 1400 ml ) under stirring at room temperature . the reaction mixture was stirred at the same temperature till completion of the reaction as monitored by tlc and filtered . the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure to provide a residue , which was dissolved in methanol , concentrated and further treated with toluene and dried to obtain ( vi - a - 8 ), which was used for further reaction . aqueous acetic acid ( 50 %) was gradually added to the stirred mixture of ( vi - a - 8 ) ( 200 . 2 g ) in ethyl acetate ( 2000 ml ) and water ( 1200 ml ) till the ph of the reaction mass was between 6 . 5 and 7 . 5 . reaction mass was stirred at room temperature till completion of the reaction as monitored by tlc . the reaction mass was filtered and the obtained solid was dried to give compound ( i - a - 8 ). 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , dmso d 6 ): δ 13 . 36 ( br . s , 2h , d 2 o exchangable ), 7 . 92 ( s , 2h ), 7 . 63 - 7 . 51 ( br . m , 2h ), 7 . 45 - 7 . 33 ( br . m , 2h ), 7 . 16 - 7 . 12 ( m , 2h ), 4 . 10 ( s , 4h ), 1 . 90 ( s , 6h ), 1 . 88 ( s , 6h ). 13 c nmr ( 100 mhz , dmso d 6 ): δ 177 . 2 , 160 . 0 , 157 . 7 , 146 . 9 , 141 . 4 , 137 . 3 , 124 . 1 , 122 . 3 , 111 . 3 , 36 . 7 , 13 . 2 , 11 . 4 . ( 1r )-(−)-( 10 - camphorsulfonyl ) oxaziridine ( 52 . 5 g ) was gradually added to a mixture of ( v - a - 9 ), ( 77 . 6 g ) and sodium hydroxide ( 18 . 0 g ) in isopropyl alcohol ( 540 ml ) under stirring at room temperature . the reaction mixture was stirred at the same temperature till completion of the reaction as monitored by tlc and filtered . the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure to provide a residue , which was dissolved in methanol , concentrated and further treated with toluene and dried to obtain ( vi - a - 9 ), which was used for further reaction . aqueous acetic acid ( 50 %) was gradually added to the stirred mixture of ( vi - a - 9 ), ( 100 . 6 g ) in ethyl acetate ( 1000 ml ) and water ( 600 ml ) till the ph of the reaction mass was between 6 . 5 and 7 . 5 . reaction mass was stirred at room temperature till completion of the reaction as monitored by tlc . the reaction mass was filtered and the obtained solid was dried to give compound ( i - a - 9 ). 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , dmso d 6 ): δ 7 . 98 ( d , j = 7 . 6 hz , 2h ), 7 . 92 ( s , 2h ), 7 . 75 ( d , j = 8 . 4 hz , 2h ), 7 . 58 ( d , j = 8 . 4 hz , 2h ), 6 . 35 ( d , j = 7 . 6 hz , 2h ), 4 . 20 ( s , 4h ), 3 . 77 ( s , 6h ). 13 c nmr ( 100 mhz , dmso ): δ 172 . 9 , 147 . 9 , 147 . 8 , 139 . 3 , 137 . 4 , 124 . 8 ( q , j = 270 hz , cf 3 ), 123 . 5 ( q , j = 31 hz ), 119 . 5 , 116 . 6 , 115 . 8 , 113 . 6 , 59 . 6 , 32 . 8 . ( 1r )-(−)-( 10 - camphorsulfonyl ) oxaziridine ( 123 . 4 gms ) was gradually added to a mixture of ( v - a - 10 ), ( 182 . 3 gms ), and sodium hydroxide ( 42 . 2 gms ) in isopropyl alcohol ( 1270 ml ) under stirring at room temperature . the reaction mixture was stirred at the same temperature till completion of the reaction as monitored by tlc and filtered . the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure to provide a residue , which was dissolved in methanol , concentrated and further treated with toluene and dried to obtain ( vi - a - 10 ), which was used for further reaction . aqueous acetic acid ( 50 %) was gradually added to the stirred mixture of ( vi - a - 10 ) ( 220 . 1 g ) in ethyl acetate ( 2200 ml ) and water ( 1320 ml ) till the ph of the reaction mass was between 6 . 5 and 7 . 5 . reaction mass was stirred at room temperature till completion of the reaction as monitored by tlc . the reaction mass was filtered and the obtained solid was dried to give compound ( i - a - 10 ). 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , cd 3 od ): δ 7 . 85 ( s , 2h ), 7 . 59 ( d , j = 8 . 8 hz , 2h ), 7 . 37 ( s , 2h ), 7 . 17 ( d , j = 8 . 8 hz , 2h ), 6 . 83 ( t , j = 74 . 4 hz , 2h ), 4 . 04 ( s , 4h ), 2 . 03 ( s , 6h ), 2 . 01 ( s , 6h ). 13 c nmr ( 100 mhz , cd 3 od ): δ 180 . 5 , 149 . 5 , 147 . 8 , 144 . 5 , 139 . 2 , 138 . 6 , 126 . 6 , 125 . 2 , 120 . 7 , 118 . 1 , 118 . 0 , 115 . 6 , 107 . 6 , 38 . 4 , 13 . 7 , 12 . 1 . the experimental procedure followed was same as that described for synthesis of ( vi - a - 11 ) wherein compound ( v - b - i ; ( 120 . 5 g ), sodium hydroxide ( 34 . 6 g ), isopropyl alcohol ( 840 ml ) and ( 1r )-(−)-( 10 - camphorsulfonyl ) oxaziridine ( 99 . 8 g ) were used to obtain crude ( vi - b - 1 ) which was used for further reactions . the experimental procedure followed was same as that described for synthesis of ( i - a - 11 ) wherein compound ( vi - b - 1 ); ( 200 . 6 g ), ethyl acetate ( 2000 ml ), water ( 1200 ml ) and aqueous acetic acid ( 50 %) were used to obtain ( i - b - 1 ). 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , dmso - d6 ): δ 8 . 25 ( d , j = 4 . 8 hz , 2h ), 8 . 03 ( s , 2h ), 7 . 92 ( d , j = 7 . 6 hz , 2h ), 7 . 14 ( dd , j = 4 . 8 , 8 . 0 hz , 2h ), 4 . 32 ( s , 4h ), 1 . 90 ( s , 6h ), 1 . 86 ( s , 6h ) 13 c nmr ( 100 mhz , dmso ): δ 177 . 2 , 153 . 2 , 152 . 8 , 142 . 0 , 141 . 3 , 137 . 6 , 133 . 9 , 124 . 2 , 123 . 8 , 121 . 9 , 116 . 7 , 37 . 4 , 13 . 4 , 11 . 5 . the experimental procedure that was followed was same as that described for synthesis of ( vi - b - 1 ), wherein compound ( v - b - 2 ) ( 77 . 7 g ), sodium hydroxide ( 19 . 1 g ), isopropyl alcohol ( 540 ml ) and ( 1r )-(−)-( 10 - camphorsulfonyl ) oxaziridine ( 58 . 7 g ) were used to obtain compound ( vi - b - 2 ) which was used for further reactions . the experimental procedure that was followed was same as that described for synthesis of ( i - b - 1 ) wherein compound ( vi - b - 2 ), ( 140 . 3 g ), ethyl acetate ( 1400 ml ), water ( 840 ml ) and aqueous acetic acid ( 50 %) were used to obtain ( i - b - 2 ). 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , dmso - d6 ): δ 13 . 58 ( br . s , 2h . d 2 o exchangable ), 7 . 93 - 7 . 90 ( m , 4h ), 6 . 74 ( d , j = 8 . 8 hz , 2h ), 6 . 31 ( d , j = 8 . 0 hz , 2h ), 4 . 16 ( s , 4h ), 3 . 88 ( s , 6h ), 3 . 77 ( s , 6h ). 13 c nmr ( 100 mhz , dmso ): δ 172 . 8 , 161 . 1 , 147 . 9 , 144 . 3 , 139 . 4 , 137 . 5 , 126 . 2 , 116 . 5 , 106 . 9 , 59 . 6 , 53 . 4 , 32 . 7 . ( 1r )-(−)-( 10 - camphorsulfonyl ) oxaziridine ( 88 . 4 g ) was gradually added to a mixture of ( v - b - 3 ; 80 . 2 gms ) and sodium hydroxide ( 23 . 3 gms ) in isopropyl alcohol ( 700 ml ) under stirring at room temperature . the reaction mixture was stirred at the same temperature till completion of the reaction as monitored by tlc . when the reaction was complete , the solid was filtered off and the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure to obtain compound ( vi - b - 3 ) as a solid , which was used for further reaction . aqueous acetic acid ( 50 %) was gradually added to the stirred mixture of compound ( vi - b - 3 ; 180 . 1 gms ), dissolved in a mixture of ethyl acetate ( 1050 ml ) and water ( 1500 ml ) till the ph of reaction mass was 7 . 3 . the reaction mass was stirred at room temperature till completion of the reaction as monitored by tlc . after completion , the reaction mass was filtered and the obtained solid was stirred in hydrochloric acid , filtered , washed with water and dried to give compound ( i - b - 3 ). 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , dmso d 6 ): δ 7 . 94 - 7 . 91 ( m , 4h ), 6 . 76 ( d , j = 8 . 8 hz , 2h ), 4 . 12 ( s , 4h ), 3 . 89 ( s , 6h ), 1 . 91 ( s , 6h ), 1 . 88 ( s , 6h ). 13 c nmr ( 100 mhz , dmso d 6 ): δ 177 . 4 , 161 . 4 , 144 . 8 , 142 . 0 , 137 . 8 , 124 . 5 , 122 . 6 , 107 . 2 , 53 . 5 , 37 . 0 , 13 . 4 , 11 . 5 . spectral characterization of the aforementioned compounds was carried out as given below . the magnetic resonance spectra ( 1 h nmr and 13 c nmr ) were recorded on varian 400 - mr , while mass spectra were recorded on applied biosystems api2000 lc / ms / ms and shimadzu lc / ms 8030 . solid oral formulation ( tablets ) containing the active ingredient . a tablet containing compound ( i ) was prepared from the following ingredients : the active ingredient was mixed with lactose , and granulated with a water solution of methyl cellulose . the wet mass was forced through a sieve and the granulate was dried in an oven . after drying , the granulate was mixed with polyvinylpyrrolidone and magnesium stearate . the dry mixture was pressed into tablet cores ( 10 000 tablets ), each tablet containing 20 % by weight of the active substance in a tableting machine using 6 mm diameter punches . evaluation of the effects of compounds on the activity of the h + / k + atpase activity was quantified by measuring the formation of para - nitrophenol ( p - np ) from para - nitrophenol phosphate ( p - npp ) using an enzyme isolated from the rabbit or porcine ( pig ) fundus . the test compound , reference compound or water ( control ) are pre - incubated for 30 min at 37 ° c . with the enzyme ( 5 μg ) in a buffer containing 40 mm hepes / tris ( ph 6 . 0 ), 20 mm kcl , 5 mm mgcl 2 and 1 mm ouabain . the enzymatic reaction was then initiated by the addition of 2 mm p - npp . the absorbance was measured immediately at λ = 405 nm using a microplate reader ( envision , perkin elmer ). this measurement at t = 0 was also used to verify any compound interference with the spectrophotometric detection at the selected wavelength . thereafter , the mixture was incubated for 15 min at 37 ° c ., after which time the reaction is stopped by addition of 0 . 5 m naoh and a second measurement is made at the same wavelength ( t = 15 ). the enzyme activity is determined by subtracting the signal measured at t = 0 from that measured at t = 15 . the results are expressed as a percent inhibition of the control enzyme activity . bibliographic reference : dantzig , h ., minor , p . l . garrigus , j . l ., fukuda , d . s . and mynderse , j . s ., studies of the mechanism of action of a80915a , a semi - naphtolquinone natural product , as an inhibitor of gastric ( h +/ k +)- atpase , biochem . pharmacol . ( 1991 ), 42 : 2019 . * literature reference : c . k scott and e . sundell , inhibition of h + k + atpase activity by sch 28080 and sch 32651 , eur . j pharmacol , jun . 7 , ( 1985 ); 112 ( 2 ): 268 - 70 . ** literature reference - d . j . keeling , c fallowfield , k . j . milliner , s . k . tingley , r . j . ife , and a . h . underwood , “ studies on the mechanism of action of omeprazole ”, biochem pharmacol , aug . 15 , ( 1985 ); 34 ( 16 ): 2967 - 73 . the anti - ulcer efficacy of various test compounds ( i - a - 1 to i - a - 11 , i - b - 1 to i - b - 3 ) was assessed in indomethacin — induced gastric ulceration model in female albino wistar rats ( bhattacharya s ., banerjee d ., bauri a . k ., chattopadhyay s ., bandyopadhyay s . k . healing property of the piper betelphenol , allylpyrocatechol against indomethacin - induced stomach ulceration and mechanism of action . world j gastroenterol ., 13 ( 27 ): 3705 - 13 , 2007 ; lee a . animal models of gastroduodenal ulcer disease . bailliere &# 39 ; s best pract . res . clinic gastroenterol ., 14 ( 1 ): 75 - 96 , 2000 ). the test compounds were administered orally at various doses ( 0 . 2 , 0 . 4 , 0 . 8 and 1 . 6 mg / kg ) in comparison to omeprazole ( 10 mg / kg ) as standard comparator . experiments were conducted in overnight fasted healthy female albino wistar rats maintained at controlled environmental conditions of temperature and humidity with water given ad libitum . non - steroidal anti - inflammatory drug ( nsaid ), indomethacin ( 30 mg / kg , p . o .) was used to induce gastric ulcer ( treatment groups ) with a comparative group without indomethacin treatment ( negative group ). indomethacin was administered to treatment groups 1 hour after oral treatment with vehicle ( 1 % cmc ), various doses of test compounds ( eppis ) and omeprazole ( 10 mg / kg ). after 4 - 6 hours after indomethacin administration , the animals were sacrificed by cervical dislocation and their stomach was dissected out . various parameters like macroscopic ulcer index , gastric mucus content and gastric acid ph measurements were undertaken . the rat stomachs were cut opened along the greater curvature for macroscopic determination of ulcer index . all the tested compounds at higher doses ( 1 . 6 / 0 . 8 mg / kg ) produced very significant and equivalent anti - ulcerogenic effect in comparison to omeprazole ( 10 mg / kg ) in this indomethacin — induced ulcer model in rats ( table d ).
| 2 |
in a conventional mri system of the prior art , dc magnetic gradient coils produce a magnetic field gradient that is scanned across the object to be imaged . at a given time , only a single volume slice is in resonance with the rf source ( and thus excited ), and only a single line in k - space is accessed , and the image is developed sequentially . this scanned , sequential nature is what makes the imaging so slow . in a preferred embodiment of the mri system , as shown in fig4 , each element of the detector array comprises a magnetic pickup coil or antenna , which is designed to selectively detect local electromagnetic fields surrounding the pickup coil , and generally emitted close to the pickup coil . the entire area may be in resonance , so that scanning of a gradient field across this area is not necessary , and each pixel is derived from a given antenna element . the parallel processing of the data from each antenna is what makes the imaging much faster , with a total imaging time that may ultimately approach the pulse relaxation times less than 1 second . this may permit imaging of images moving or changing in time , i . e ., video imaging . it may still be necessary to apply a gradient field in the third dimension , corresponding to selecting a slice parallel to the array , into the depth of the object . in an alternate preferred embodiment of the invention shown in fig5 , the detector array may comprise a set of long narrow parallel pickup coils arrayed along a single direction . in that case , one would need a gradient field to excite a line parallel to the array direction ( and perpendicular to the coil length ) to provide spatial information perpendicular to the array direction . such a resonant line could be scanned across the object , as well as through its depth . clearly , imaging using a resonant area would proceed faster than a resonant line , which would be faster than a resonant voxel . in general , the greater parallelism requires a greater number of receiver elements . the balance between speed and system complexity would be determined by the needs of a given application . in greater detail , each coil may comprise an inductive coil with inductance l ( which may have multiple turns ), designed to detect the rf magnetic field of the signal emitted by the object . each coil may also be a resonant coil at the detection frequency , whereby a capacitor c is combined with the inductor corresponding to an lc resonator such that the resonant frequency f = 1 / 2π √( lc ) is the desired detection frequency . the inductor may comprise a superconducting inductor , which will tend to increase the quality factor q of the resonator . a higher q is generally preferable , provided the bandwidth is large enough to measure the entire rf signal ; a higher q receiver would receive less broadband noise . in a preferred embodiment , a pickup coil may comprise a first - derivative gradiometer or a second - derivative gradiometer , as disclosed , for example , in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 002 , 341 , “ superconducting quantum interference apparatus and method for high - resolution imaging of samples ”, expressly incorporated herein by reference . such an rf gradiometer coil ( which is to be distinguished from the dc gradient field coils ) comprises a compound inductor designed to cancel uniform magnetic fields ( and uniform field gradients for the second - derivative case ). in this way , a gradiometer coil is far more sensitive to signals emitted from sources very close to the coil , rather than sources further away . this permits one to directly obtain spatial resolution from each receiver coil . the spatial resolution from the coils will be used in combination with the resonant volume , area or line to provide imaging in three dimensions . note that a gradiometer signal may alternatively be obtained by subtracting signals from adjacent pickup coils further in the data processing . however , gradiometer coupling at the front end should enhance the effective dynamic range of the detectors . the data processing chain for each receiver is shown in fig1 . the rf signal from the pickup coil is coupled to a digital squid , which generates single - flux - quantum ( sfq ) digital pulses at a high data rate ( typically of order 10 ghz or greater ). the rf signal is a narrow - band signal at f = γb ( where b is the measurement magnetic field and γ = 43 mhz / t ) which may be from the khz to the mhz range . as described above , a digital squid can measure rf fields well into the mhz range , unlike a conventional analog squid with an external control loop which is limited to a few khz . since the ghz data rate from the squids is much higher than the mhz magnetic signal to be analyzed , this represents an oversampled digital signal . the higher frequency mhz range may correspond to stronger signals which may provide higher - resolution images . the required signal for imaging is actually a relaxation time of the rf pulse after excitation , typically of order 0 . 1 - 1 s . ( there are several distinct relaxation times , referred to in the literature as t 1 , t 2 and t 2 *.) one can regard the slow relaxation as a baseband signal that modulates the rf carrier . so it is useful to downconvert the rf signal and extract this baseband signal digitally , using a digital local oscillator . the resulting signal can be digitally averaged using a digital decimation filter ( effectively a binary counter ) to increase the number of bits and decrease the bandwidth . some or all of this digital processing may be carried out using superconducting rapid - single - flux - quantum ( rsfq ) electronics , which is matched to the output format of the digital squid . the digital baseband signal can then be amplified and sent out of the cryostat to interface with conventional semiconductor digital electronics at room temperature for further digital processing and image generation . while the digital baseband signals from each of the digital receivers could in principle be sent out in parallel , it may be advisable to decrease the number of data lines coming out of the cryostat . a large number of such data lines may conduct heat into the cryostat , which is undesirable . one type of data line reduction is serialization , whereby n bits are sent out sequentially at a higher data rate . in addition , the n signals from the n receivers could be digitally multiplexed . the demultiplexing and deserialization can be carried out using conventional semiconductor digital electronics at room temperature . two other techniques for digital multiplexing are illustrated in fig2 and 3 . fig2 shows an external multiplexer controller , which may provide external power to activate each of the squids in sequence . this is similar to the time - domain squid multiplexing that has been demonstrated in the prior art for arrays of analog squid amplifiers for cryogenic sensor arrays . ( see , for example , “ superconducting multiplexer for arrays of transition - edge sensors , j . chervenak et al ., applied physics letters , vol . 74 , p . 4043 , 1999 .) alternatively , one may use a fully digital multiplexer similar to that in fig1 , but one that operates at higher frequencies . ( see , for example , “ superconducting digital multiplexers for sensor arrays ”, a . kadin et al ., proceedings thermal detectors workshop , nasa , 2003 .) either of these schemes has an advantage in reducing hardware duplication , resulting in a more compact digital processor at cryogenic temperatures , while maintaining the parallel processing with accelerated imaging rate . superconducting devices must be cooled to cryogenic temperatures for proper operation . at present , the most widespread digital superconducting electronics technology is comprised of niobium ( nb ) josephson junctions , which can operate below the critical temperature below 9 k , and generally are operated below 5 k . these may be installed in a cryostat , which may be cooled either by liquid helium , or using a multi - stage cryocooler . alternatively , high - temperature superconductors such as yba 2 cu 3 o 7 ( ybco ) may be used , with a critical temperature of 90 k . such a system may operate in liquid nitrogen ( at 77 k ), or with a single - stage cryocooler at temperatures of 40 k or above . while the reliability and performance of ybco squids and digital electronics are currently inferior to that of nb , the same circuit architectures may be applied if and when these or other higher - temperature materials become practical . it is necessary to design the pickup coil assembly to lie close to the object to be imaged , without subjecting the object ( which may be a human patient ) to cold temperatures . this requires that the superconducting devices be properly packaged inside a cryostat with vacuum jacketing . further , the rf signals must pass through the cryostat walls without loss , so that metallic jackets and shields cannot be used . such a non - metallic cryostat has been demonstrated in the prior art , using components such as reinforced fiberglass . it may also be necessary to shield the digital squids and superconducting electronics from a large magnetic field that may be used as a polarizing field or a measuring field . while the pickup coils must be near the object to be imaged , and thereby close to the large magnetic field , the superconducting devices can be located inside a magnetic shield , which may be some distance away from the peak magnetic field . appropriate magnetic shield materials may include superconducting layers as well as soft ferromagnetic materials such as mu - metal . the pickup coils may be spread over a relatively large area , but the superconducting devices may be concentrated on a small number of chips on a multi - chip module located in a central , shielded assembly . note that the term “ digital squid ” in fig1 - 3 refers to any superconducting device comprised of josephson junctions that converts magnetic flux to digital pulses , e . g ., sfq digital voltage pulses . several such circuits are described in the review article on “ superconducting analog - to - digital converters ”, o . mukhanov et al ., proceedings of the ieee , vol . 92 , p . 1564 , 2004 . in another preferred embodiment , the array of coupling coils as in fig4 and 5 , and analogously , a volumetric array , may be scanned across the object to be imaged ( or the array held fixed and the object moved ). this would permit imaging of a larger object to high spatial resolution , without requiring a proportionally larger number of array elements . while this scanning would slow down the imaging process , the acceleration permitted by the array parallelism may make this practical . in yet another preferred embodiment , an additional mode of parallelism may be associated with the rf excitation signal . for example , one may apply a deliberate magnetic field gradient such that one plane is selected to have resonant frequency f 1 and another adjacent plane to have resonant frequency f 2 . if the rf excitation signal ( from one or more transmit antennas ) simultaneously comprises appropriate pulses with frequencies f 1 and f 2 , then the rf decay signal will comprise components at both frequencies . if both of these frequencies are within the bandwidth of the digital squid detector , then both signals will be detected , but can be separated by subsequent digital filtering or other types of analysis . this provides an example of frequency - domain multiplexing , with potential processing speedup proportional to the number of frequencies n selected , which are clearly not limited to two . for a two - dimensional array such as that in fig4 , this approach would permit simultaneous selection of n parallel slices in resonance . the main thrust of this technology is to provide parallel processing to enable fast imaging , at rates that may be faster than pulse rates or breathing rates , or functional mri with a single stimulus . however , the massively parallel processing may also enable other approaches to mri that are conventionally too slow . for example , while mri generally uses the proton signal ( from hydrogen in water and organic compounds ), other atomic nuclei such as isotopes of na and p also exhibit magnetic resonance , with a much weaker signal due to the lower concentration of these atoms . extensive signal averaging or other extended temporal signal processing , would be useful to obtain a high - resolution image , but the speed - up and low - noise detectors provided herein may make this feasible . as described above , mri is conventionally based on a narrow - band radio communications system , with a narrow - band transmit signal and a narrow - band receive signal , where the frequency is proportional to a value of magnetic field . the bandwidth of the receive signal is typically less than 100 khz , for a radio signal that may be typically in the range from 40 mhz to 130 mhz . for this reason , a conventional heterodyne receiver is typically used for mri , as shown in fig6 , with an antenna followed by a low - noise amplifier , an analog mixer to downconvert the signal to a lower frequency , and a receiver for the downconverted baseband signal . in modern mri receivers , a digital baseband receiver is used , with an analog - to - digital converter that operates on the baseband signal , producing a digital signal that can be used to process the image . the sampling rate of this baseband adc need not be more than about 1 mhz . in contrast , in the simplest corresponding system of an embodiment of the technology , shown in fig7 , a wideband direct digital rf receiver is used , instead of the heterodyne receiver of fig6 . in particular , a wideband superconductor adc is used , which has a sampling frequency that is in excess of 1 ghz , which may be 20 ghz or higher . for an rf signal at 100 mhz , this is extreme oversampling , which might normally be viewed as unnecessary for this application . indeed , for a single narrow - band signal , such a receiver is unnecessary and not well matched to the application . however , one can present a direct analogy with a modern multi - user communication system , which increasingly makes use of broadband receivers to simultaneously receive a wide band comprising a plurality of narrow - band signals . if an mri system is extended to multiple signals that are multiplexed in the frequency , time , and code domains , then a broadband receiver will make more efficient use of the available spectrum with a minimum of hardware . an additional consideration for mri is that scans are generally quite slow , and parallelizing the component signals in time and / or frequency will enable faster scans . it is notable that the wideband superconductor adcs as typically employed herein , are essentially digital squids , with the sensitivity and low noise that implies . the required gain for the low - noise amplifier may be substantially reduced , or in some cases the lna may be eliminated entirely , with the pickup coil within the magnetic field , and the squid shielded from the high magnetic field but in close proximity , or the squid separated from the pickup coil by , e . g ., a coaxial cable , with a low noise amplifier ( lna ) used to transmit the signal . conventional mri receivers typically use this split receiver approach . the coil and lna may be cooled , for example by a compact 70k cryocooler , to reduce their noise , and a separate 4k cryocooler provided for the low - t c superconducting circuits in the adjacent instrument room . in one embodiment , a plurality of radio frequencies are simultaneously excited , corresponding to different slices in the body being examined ( fig8 a ). a single wideband receiver can be used to receive all of these frequencies simultaneously , and they can be separated using a digitally channelizer ( fig8 b ). this parallel processing can lead to some speedup in generation of 3d images . this simultaneous multi - slice approach was described in the prior literature ( see , e . g ., j . h . weaver , “ simultaneous multislice acquisition of mr images ”, magnetic resonance in medicine , vol . 8 , pp . 275 - 284 , 1988 ), expressly incorporated herein by reference , and demonstrated for a small number of frequencies , but not implemented in practice because of the lack of an appropriate broadband receiver . see also , us 2009 / 0278538 , expressly incorporated herein by reference . in an alternative embodiment , a plurality of pickup coils or antennas may be used . these may be arrayed as surface coils along the surface of the object to be imaged , as shown in fig4 and 5 . these might comprise a 1d array of coils that can be scanned , a 2d array of coils ( fig4 ), or a 1d array of long coils ( fig5 ). in one configuration , each such pickup coil may be connected a separate receiver . while such parallel coil arrays are being implemented using conventional technology , the multiplication of analog rf receivers and processing arrays , each independently calibrated , has problems with scaling to large arrays . in one embodiment , the hardware for multiple coils is simplified by using direct digital receivers with digital signals that may be multiplexed . for example , fig1 shows an array of broadband direct digital receivers , each based on an oversampled superconducting adc ( also described as a digital squid ). the narrowband signals are digitally extracted , and digitally combined in time , frequency , or code domains using a high - speed digital multiplexer . variants of this are shown in fig2 and 3 , where the digital multiplexer is applied to the broadband digital signal earlier in the processing chain . fig2 shows a system which employs time - domain multiplexing of signals with an external controller . fig3 shows a more general multiplexer for combining digital signals . in another preferred embodiment , one may have a plurality of direct digital receivers , each of which combines the inputs from a plurality of coupling coils . for example , in fig9 , the signals from a row of coupling coils ( which are assumed to represent signals that are appropriately orthogonal in frequency , time , or code ) are combined on the same transmission line that feeds a squid adc ( oversampled superconducting adc ). but there are also multiple rows . together , these enable spatial information in 2 dimensions . these can be combined with conventional resonant excitation from a transmit signal to obtain spatial resolution in the z - direction . in principle , the superconductor mri system could apply to systems with either large magnetic fields or small magnetic fields , with frequencies from 1 mhz to 500 mhz or more . large fields provide larger signals , higher signal to noise ratio , and that is the direction that the technology is moving . but large fields are expensive and heavy , and create problems with rf heating , acoustic noise , and issues of safety and imaging artifacts . if one could obtain the same imaging speed and resolution with a 0 . 5 t system as with a 1 . 5 t system , the lower field would be preferred . the superconductor digital - squid receivers should be more sensitive than conventional receivers , particularly for relatively low frequencies , permitting operation in different regimes than traditional sensors . the embodiments presented here are not exclusive , but are used to illustrate the wide range of flexible digital processing solutions that are enabled by the use of broadband digital receivers . there has thus been shown and described detector methods and systems for magnetic resonance imaging which fulfill all the objects and advantages sought therefor . many changes , modifications , variations , combinations , subcombinations and other uses and applications of the subject invention will , however , become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering this specification and the accompanying drawings which disclose the preferred embodiments thereof . all such changes , modifications , variations and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention , which is to be limited only by the claims which follow .
| 6 |
the disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar elements . it should be noted that references to “ an ” or “ one ” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment , and such references mean at least one . in general , the word “ module ,” as used herein , refers to logic embodied in hardware or firmware , or to a collection of software instructions , written in a programming language , such as , for example , java , c , or assembly . one or more software instructions in the modules may be embedded in firmware , such as an eprom . it will be appreciated that modules may comprise connected logic units , such as gates and flip - flops , and may comprise programmable units , such as programmable gate arrays or processors . the modules described herein may be implemented as either software and / or hardware modules and may be stored in any type of computer - readable medium or other computer storage device . referring to fig1 , a system for processing images includes a camera device 10 . the camera device 10 includes a mode selection module 11 , a gravity sensor module 13 , a comparison module 15 , an image combing module 17 , and a viewfinder 19 . the mode selection module 11 defines a plurality of image capturing work modes of the camera device 10 , which includes different image combining modes . when the camera device 10 works in a combining mode , the camera 10 can capture several images in succession and combine them into a wide angle image such as would normally be captured using a wide - angle lens . the mode selection module 11 defines different combining modes according to the number of images the user desires to combine , such as a two image mode , a four image mode , and so on . referring to fig1 and 2 , the gravity sensor module 13 is capable of sensing an inclination angle of the camera device 10 . the gravity sensor module 13 is positioned in the camera device 10 for converting inclination angle changes to voltage signals . when the camera device 10 is deviated from the true horizontal orientation , parallel to the ground , the gravity sensor module 13 outputs a corresponding voltage signal , different from that of when the camera device 10 is properly horizontally orientated , which represents inclination angle of the camera device . the gravity sensor module 13 includes a mass block 132 and a voltage output pressure transmitter 135 supporting and attaching the mass block 132 thereon . when the pressure transmitter 135 is in a horizontal position and the mass block 132 is stationary on the pressure transmitter 135 , the pressure transmitter 135 outputs a corresponding voltage v 1 . when the pressure transmitter 135 and the mass block 132 are vertically located , the pressure transmitter 135 outputs a corresponding voltage v 2 . when the pressure transmitter 135 inclines at an angle a 1 and the mass block 132 is located on the pressure transmitter 135 , the pressure transmitter 135 outputs a corresponding voltage v . therefore , a relation between the angle a 1 and voltage v is : a 1 = arccos [ v /( v 1 − v 2 )]. inclination angle of the camera device 10 can be calculated according to output voltage of the pressure transmitter 135 . referring to fig1 , the comparison module 15 is capable of comparing an image with a view of the viewfinder 19 of the camera device 10 . the image combining module 17 is capable of combining images in the camera device 10 and overlapping the same parts of different images . fig3 is a flow chart illustrating a method for combining images in the camera device 10 . depending on the embodiment , certain steps described below may be removed , while others may be added , and the sequence of the steps may be altered . in one embodiment , the method for combining images in the camera device 10 includes the following steps : s 01 , a user sets the mode selection module 11 to choose a combining mode of taking images . then , go to step s 02 . s 02 , the viewfinder 19 of the camera device 10 finds a first view which is a first part of a wide scene as determined by the user . the camera device 10 takes a first image to record the first view . the gravity sensor module 13 senses and records a first inclination angle of the camera device 10 taking the first image . s 03 , the viewfinder 19 of the camera device 10 finds next view which is next part of the wide range scene . s 04 , the gravity sensor module 13 senses a current inclination angle of the camera device 10 and compares the current inclination angle with the first inclination angle . if the current inclination angle is not equal to the first inclination angle , go to step s 05 ; if equal , go to step s 06 . s 05 , the gravity sensor module 13 notifies users to adjust the camera device 10 until the current inclination angle is equal to the first inclination angle . s 06 , the comparison module 15 compares the previous image with the view of the viewfinder 19 of the camera device 10 to find if there is repeated part in the previous image and the view of the viewfinder 19 . if there is not , go to step s 07 ; if there is , go to s 08 . s 07 , the comparison module 15 notifies users to adjust the camera device 10 on the first angle until there is repeated part in the previous image and the view of the viewfinder 19 . s 08 , the camera device 10 takes a image to record the view of the viewfinder 19 . s 09 , the camera device 10 checks if it is the last image . for example , if the mode module 11 chooses a four image mode in step s 01 , check if it is the fourth image . if it is the last image , go to step s 10 ; if it is not , go to step s 03 . s 10 , the image combining module 17 combines images in the camera device 10 and overlaps the repeated parts of different images to generate a wide angle image . referring to fig4 , a motor 23 can be mounted in the camera device 10 and connected to the gravity sensor module 13 and the comparison module 15 . the motor 23 is capable of rotating to automatically adjust an angle and position of the camera device 10 . the gravity sensor module 13 controls the motor 23 rotating to have the camera device 10 located in a same inclination angle when take different images , or in a predetermined angle . the comparison module 15 controls the motor 23 rotating to have the view of viewfinder 19 and the previous image having repeated parts . therefore , the camera device 10 is capable of automatically capturing image when the inclination is right and repeated parts are found . it is to be understood , however , that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the embodiments have been set forth in the foregoing description , together with details of the structure and function of the embodiments , the disclosure is illustrative only , and changes may be made in detail , especially in matters of shape , size , and arrangement of parts within the principles of the present disclosure to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed . it is also to be understood that the above description and the claims drawn to a method may include some indication in reference to certain steps . however , the indication used is only to be viewed for identification purposes and not as a suggestion as to an order for the steps .
| 7 |
referring to fig1 , the illustrated lockable switch mechanism comprises a housing 1 in which a plunger 2 is slidable and which supports a head assembly 3 supporting a rotatable cam 4 , the cam 4 being rotatable about a pin 5 . the plunger 2 comprises a metal core supporting an outer casing 6 which is slidably received in a sealing cap 7 . the plunger 2 is symmetrical about its longitudinal axis and is slidable relative to the housing 1 along that axis . the end of the plunger 2 remote from the cam 4 is received in a bore 8 . a compression spring 9 is located within the bore 8 and biases the plunger 2 in the direction indicated by arrow 10 . the bore 8 is formed in the end of a solenoid plunger 11 which is received within a solenoid housing 12 . energisation of a solenoid winding ( not shown ) in the solenoid housing 12 drives the solenoid plunger 11 to the right in fig1 . denergisation of the solenoid results in the solenoid plunger 11 being moved to the left with respect to the orientation shown fig1 by a compression spring 13 ( fig2 ) which is located between the solenoid housing 12 and a locking fork 14 which is engaged in a groove extending around the end of the solenoid plunger 11 in which the bore 8 is formed . two locking pins 15 are positioned on either side of the plunger 2 . the locking pins 15 are biased by springs 16 against the plunger 2 . the locking pins 15 and springs 16 are retained within a housing assembly made up from a frame 17 and a cover plate 18 . it will be seen that with the plunger 2 in the position shown in fig1 , the pins 15 are held at a distance from the axis of the plunger 2 such that they obstruct the passage of arms 19 supported by the locking fork 14 in the direction of the arrow 10 . fig2 shows the assembly of fig1 after the insertion of an actuator 20 into the head assembly 3 so as to cause rotation of the cam 4 . such rotation of the cam 4 enables the plunger 2 to move towards the pin 5 . as a result a profile 21 in the form of an annular shoulder on the plunger 2 is moved to the left of the locking pins 15 . the locking pins 15 are biased towards each other so as to remain in contact with the plunger 2 , thereby enabling the arms 19 of the locking fork 14 to pass the locking pins 15 . the actuator 20 and cam 4 are shaped such that insertion of the actuator into the head assembly 3 causes the cam to rotate from a datum position or the position of the cam 4 as shown in fig1 . the actuator defines projections ( not shown ) which engage in recesses defined by the cam 4 ( as shown in fig2 ) so that once the cam 4 has been rotated from the datum position , the actuator 20 cannot be withdrawn from the head assembly 3 unless the cam 4 has been rotated back to the datum position . an actuator and cam mechanism of this general type is described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 777 , 284 . fig3 and 4 show a perspective view of a portion of the assembly in the unlocked condition . in fig3 , the solenoid plunger 11 has been moved to the position it assumes when the solenoid is energised and the plunger 2 is in the position in which it is displaced by the cam 4 as far as possible towards the solenoid housing 12 . as a result the spacing between the pins 15 is such that even if the solenoid is then deenergised the arms 19 cannot move past the pins 15 . the pins 15 therefore impose no restraint on the axial displacement of the plunger 2 . in contrast , as shown in fig5 and 6 , if the cam 4 is then rotated to displace the plunger 2 so that the pins 15 can drop down the profiled shoulder 21 defined by the plunger 2 , the springs 16 urge the locking pins 15 towards each other so as to engage behind the shoulder 21 . deenergisation of the solenoid then results in the arms 19 being extended past the pins 15 , restraining the pins 15 against movement away from each other . any attempt therefore to drive the plunger 2 towards the solenoid housing 12 will be resisted as a result of the pins 15 jamming between the profile 21 and the arms 19 . fig7 shows the assembly after displacement of the plunger 2 towards the cam pin 5 . unless the solenoid is energised , the arms 19 of the locking fork 14 will engage around the pins 15 as shown in fig5 and 6 . in the configuration shown in fig7 however the solenoid has been energised , displacing the arms 19 to the right . there is then nothing to stop the locking pins 15 being moved apart against the biasing force provided by the springs 16 . thus if the actuator 20 was to be withdrawn from the head assembly 3 this would result in the displacement of the plunger 2 to the right in fig7 , such movement being permitted as the tapered surface of the shoulder 21 would push against and force apart the two locking pins 15 . referring to fig8 , this shows the assembly if an attempt is made to withdraw the actuator 21 when the assembly is in the configuration shown in fig2 , or with the pins 15 locked in position by the arms 19 . pulling on the actuator 20 causes the cam 4 to rotate in the clockwise direction in fig8 thereby applying an axial force to the plunger 2 and causing the plunger to attempt to move in the direction indicated by arrow 22 . such displacement is however resisted by the locking pins 15 which bear against the profile 21 . the arms 19 prevent the pins 15 moving apart and thus prevent further axial displacement of the plunger 2 . in contrast , if the solenoid is energised so as to displace the arms 19 to the position shown in fig7 , and the actuator 20 is pulled out of the head assembly 3 , rotation of the cam 4 is not resisted by contact between the pins 15 and the profile 21 and as a result the plunger 2 can be displaced in the direction of arrow 23 as shown in fig9 . fig1 illustrates the housing assembly for the locking pins 15 and springs 16 and fig1 shows the components of the assembly of fig1 in exploded form . pins 15 flank an opening generally associated with plunger 2 . frame 17 and cover plate 18 cooperate so as to support one or more pins 15 and springs 16 therebetween . fig1 is a sectional view through the solenoid plunger 11 showing the bore 8 and the groove extending around the end of the plunger 11 in which the bore 8 is provided , that groove being engaged by the locking fork 14 shown in fig1 and 14 . referring to fig1 and 14 , the locking fork 14 which supports the locking arms 19 has a c - shaped body defining an inwardly projecting edge 24 , that edge being received in the groove or slot formed around the end of the solenoid plunger 11 shown in fig1 . the inner faces of the fork arms 19 are tapered such that , on energisation of the solenoid , the arms 19 are released easily from engagement with the pins 15 . given the structure of the plunger and locking fork combination , it is a relatively easy matter to assemble the combination . in an alternative arrangement it would of course be possible to fabricate the plunger 11 and the locking fork 14 including the locking fork arms 19 as a single piece component . in the embodiment of fig1 to 14 , energisation of the solenoid is necessary to release the locking mechanism . preferably , the solenoid is not energised accept when it is desired to release the locking mechanism . in the event of a power failure when the mechanism is locked , it is not possible to unlock the mechanism and therefore it is not possible to release the actuator from the cam . the actuator can only be released after the supply of power is restored . in some applications , this can be a significant disadvantage . fig1 to 17 illustrate a second embodiment , in which this disadvantage is avoided by relying upon a solenoid which is energised when the switch is locked and de - energised when the switch locking mechanism is released . referring to fig1 to 17 , components of the second embodiment which are equivalent to components of the first embodiment shown in fig1 to 14 are identified by the same reference numerals . thus , in the second embodiment a plunger 2 is biased against a cam 4 by a compression spring 9 . the plunger 2 is located between a pair of locking pins 15 which are biased against the sides of the plunger 2 by springs 16 . the plunger 2 defines a shoulder 21 behind which the locking pins 15 engage when the plunger 2 is displaced towards a pin 5 about which the cam rotates . fig1 shows the locking mechanism before insertion of an actuator into the assembly so as to rotate the cam . in this configuration the locking pins 15 cannot engage behind the shoulder 21 . fig1 shows the mechanism after displacement of the plunger 2 as a result of rotation of the cam 4 . in this configuration the pins 15 are biased inwards by the springs 16 so as to engage behind the shoulder 21 . fig1 shows the locking pins 15 after displacement of a locking fork 14 so that locking arms 19 extend outside the locking pins 15 , thereby preventing the locking pins 15 from moving outwards . in the condition shown in fig1 , the plunger 2 cannot therefore be moved to the right in fig1 as such movement would be prevented by inter - engagement between the shoulder 21 and the locking pins 15 . the locking fork 14 is mounted on solenoid plunger 11 and is biased towards the cam 4 by a compression spring 13 . if the solenoid is de - energised , the spring 13 ensures that the locking arms 19 are displaced away from the locking pins 15 . the mechanism is therefore unlocked in that axial movement of the plunger 2 is not obstructed . if the solenoid is energised , the plunger 11 is driven to the right with respect to the orientation shown in fig1 such that , providing the plunger 2 is in the position shown in fig1 , the locking arms 19 can engage outside the locking pins 15 , thereby locking the mechanism . with the arrangement illustrated in fig1 and 16 , the switch will remain locked only so long as the solenoid is energised . when it is desired to unlock the mechanism , the solenoid is simply de - energised . with such an arrangement it will be appreciated that , in the event of a power failure , the mechanism is automatically unlocked . in some applications this is a significant advantage . in contrast , with the mechanism illustrated in fig1 to 14 , unlocking of the mechanism requires energisation of the solenoid and therefore in the event of a power failure it would not be possible to release the actuator 20 from the cam 4 . fig1 illustrates the structure of the locking fork 14 of the embodiment of fig1 and 16 in greater detail . it will be noted that the locking arms 19 are mounted on an l - shaped extension 25 of the locking fork 14 , the locking fork 14 defining a c - shaped body defining an inwardly projecting edge that is received in a slot formed around the end of the solenoid plunger 11 . in fig1 to 17 , various embodiments of the locking mechanism of the safety switch have been described . the locking function is also supplemented by an electrical power supply interlock . that is , when the switch plunger is locked in position by the locking mechanism , the ability of the safety switch to allow or prevent the conduction of electricity is determined by the electrical power supply interlock . for example , when the plunger is locked in position to prevent removal of the actuator from the switch ( and therefore , for example , the opening of the door or an enclosure ) the safety switch may be moved to a conducting state , such that power may be supplied to machinery located in a machine guard . conversely , when the plunger is not locked in position the actuator may be removed from the switch , causing the safety switch to move to a non - conducting state , such that power may be not supplied to machinery located in a machine guard . the electrical interlock principle described above is well known in the art . an implementation of the electrical interlock is depicted in fig1 and 19 . fig1 and 19 depict an exemplary safety switch which utilises the locking mechanism described in relation to fig1 to 17 above in conjunction with a contact block 100 . elements of the locking mechanism described in relation to fig1 to 17 and which also appear in fig1 and 19 are therefore given the same reference numerals . in fig1 and 19 , it can be seen that an end of the solenoid plunger 11 is in contact with the end of a contact plunger 110 . the contact plunger 110 is moveable in the contact block 100 , and along the same axis of movement as the solenoid plunger 11 . the contact block plunger 110 is provided with a plurality of moveable bridging contacts 120 which extend through the body of the contact block plunger 110 . the bridging contacts 120 are biased by springs 130 . the contact block plunger 110 is moveable to move the bridging contacts 120 into or out of electrical connection with fixed contacts 140 provided in the contact block 110 . the fixed contacts 140 may be connected to a power supply or machinery ( not shown ). when the contact block plunger 110 is moved to bring some or all of the bridging contacts 120 into electrical connection with the fixed contacts 140 , the safety switch is able to conduct electricity . the arrangement of the fixed contacts 140 and moveable contacts 120 may be chosen and / or configured such that the safety switch may only conduct electricity when the locking pins 15 are locked in position by the locking arms 19 , i . e . when the actuator ( not shown ) cannot be removed from the safety switch . for example , it can be seen from the figures that the contact block plunger 110 is biased against an end of the solenoid plunger 11 by a spring 150 . when the solenoid plunger 11 is moved by energising of the solenoid ( not shown , but described above ) to unlock the locking mechanism , the contact block plunger 110 is moved to bring some of the bridging contacts 120 out of electrical connection with the fixed contacts , thus preventing the safety switch from conducting electricity . although the locking and electrical interlock mechanisms described in relation to fig1 to 19 work well , existing safety switches which use such mechanisms have can be improved upon . it can be seen from fig1 and 19 that elements forming the physical and electrical interlocks are commonly arranged in a linear fashion . this means that a safety switch which incorporates these mechanisms needs to be elongate to accommodate these mechanisms . furthermore , due to the large number of co - operating elements forming the physical and electrical interlock mechanisms , the tolerances in the design and fabrication of co - operating elements needs to be small . it is difficult to consistently meet these small tolerances . if the tolerances are not met , the mechanisms may not work well , or may not work at all . for instance , referring to fig1 , if the end of the solenoid plunger 11 is , for example , 0 . 5 mm too far away from the end of the contact block plunger 110 , there may be an unacceptable delay in the making or breaking of contacts in the contact block 100 . it is possible that the gap between the end of the contact block plunger 110 and solenoid plunger 11 may prevent the moveable contacts from being moved into or out of electrical connections with the fixed contacts 140 . the present invention provides a solution to the problems of the prior art . fig2 shows a safety switch mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention . the safety switch mechanism has the features of the lockable switch mechanism described in fig1 - 17 , and also the electrical interlock features described with reference to fig1 and 19 , and therefore like features are given the same reference numerals . in contrast to the mechanisms described in relation to fig1 and 19 , however , the solenoid plunger 11 is no longer arranged to be in contact with an end of the contact block plunger 110 . instead , a linking member 200 physically connects the locking arm 19 to the contact block plunger 110 . this means that movement of the locking arm 19 directly effects movement of the contact block plunger 110 and the contacts carried by the contact block plunger 110 . the number of tolerances that have to be considered for features which co - operate is therefore reduced , since there is no relative movement between the locking arm 19 and the contact block plunger 110 . this may make the mechanism of fig2 easier to reliably construct . furthermore , by attaching the contact block plunger 110 to the locking arm 19 via a linking member 200 , the elements of the safety switch mechanism no longer have to be disposed a linear manner . it can be seen , for example , that the contact block 100 can now be placed alongside the locking mechanism , rather than in - line with it . this means that the shape of the safety switch which incorporates a mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention does not have to be as elongate as those of the prior art . an additional advantage in the flexibility of the positioning of the contact block 100 is that more room may be available in existing or new safety switch housing for movement of the solenoid plunger 11 . this means that a larger solenoid ( not shown ) could be used to move the solenoid plunger with greater speed and / or force , thereby improving the locking mechanism . the linking member 200 can be formed from any suitable material , for example plastics or metals . the linking member 200 could be integrally formed with the contact block plunger 110 , and then attached to the locking arm 19 . alternatively , the linking member 200 could be integrally formed with the locking arm 19 , and then attached to the contact block plunger 110 . alternatively , the linking member could be attached to an independent element which is attached to both the locking arm 19 and the contact block plunger 110 . the linking member may be a strip or rod of material , or maybe a more complex structure . in fig2 , it can be seen that the movement of the contact block plunger 110 is parallel to the movement of the solenoid plunger 11 . understandably , contact block plunger 110 need not be oriented in parallel association with solenoid plunger 11 . the linking member could comprise or co - operate with a pivot or the like , such that axial movement of the solenoid plunger 11 causes movement of the contact block plunger in a direction other than parallel to the solenoid plunger 11 . for example , the contact block plunger 110 may be made to move perpendicularly with respect to the movement of the solenoid plunger 11 . the spring 150 ( or other biasing member ) of the contact block 100 can be arranged to bias the contact block plunger 110 in such a way as to cause the bridging contacts 120 to be biased away from electrical connection ( e . g . contact ) with the fixed contacts 140 . in normal use , the compression spring 13 dominates the spring 150 , such that when an actuator is brought into engagement with the cam , the cam rotates and the switch plunger , locking arm 19 , linking member 200 and contact block plunger 110 all moved to the right ( in the orientation shown in fig2 ). the bridging contacts 120 are brought into contact with the fixed contacts 140 and the safety switch is able to conduct electricity . however , if the linking member 200 breaks , or becomes detached from one or both of the contact block plunger 110 and locking arm 19 , the spring 150 is no longer in any sort of contact or competition with the compression spring 13 . the spring 150 is thus now able to move the contact block plunger 110 , and push apart the bridging contacts 120 and the fixed contacts 140 , thereby preventing the safety switch from conducting electricity . that is , if the linking member breaks , deforms , or becomes detached from one or both of the locking arm 19 and the contact block plunger 110 the switch fails to a safe ( non - conducting ) state . preferably , the spring 150 is only able to push apart the bridging contacts 120 and the fixed contacts 140 when the linking member breaks , deforms , or becomes detached from one or both of the locking arm 19 and the contact block plunger 110 . the linking member need not be attached to the locking arm , but could be attached to a structure which supports the locking arm , e . g . a locking fork ( described above ). in generic terms , the linking member is attached to the second locking member . the contact block plunger 110 and / or the contact block 100 could be provided with guides and / or channels to guide the movement of the contact block plunger . in the above embodiments , the locking arm has been described as being moved coaxially with respect to the switch plunger . other orientations , such as crossing , perpendicular , or non - coaxial , are envisioned . the second locking member may move in any suitable direction to effect the locking in position of the switch plunger . for example , the second locking member may move in a direction perpendicular to the axial movement of the switch plunger . in the above embodiments , the second locking member had been described as a locking arm . it will be appreciated that other elements may also serve as the second locking member or a part of the second locking member , for example wedges , or curved segments or the like . similarly , the first locking members have thus far been described as pins . it will be appreciated that structures other than cylindrically shaped pins may serve as the first locking members . for example , the first locking members may be elliptical in cross section , or triangular . the first locking members may be wedges , or curved segments or the like . it will be appreciated that the above embodiments have been given by way of example only . various modifications may be made to these and indeed other embodiments without departing from the invention as defined by the claims that follow .
| 7 |
a wireless interactive super broadband communication network ( hereinafter a “ wisb ” network ), according to various aspects of the present invention , includes interactive communications platforms . a bandwidth in excess of 1 gigabit per second for user devices is hereafter referred to as “ super broadband ”. super broadband applies to any mix of fixed wireless access (“ fwa ”) and mobile wireless access (“ mwa ”) applications . such a wireless interactive super broadband communication network includes a distributed infrastructure typically having : ( 1 ) a plurality of platforms hereinafter called sida platforms ; ( 2 ) a plurality of platforms hereinafter called soma platforms ; and ( 3 ) a plurality of platforms hereinafter called pau platforms . a sida platform ( named after the small , interactive , directional antennas that are part of a sida platform ) includes an antenna unit and a transceiver unit . each transceiver is preferably a low cost , low power , electromagnetic transceiver . a sida platform ( also called a sida cell ) may be implemented as a cell having the antenna unit mounted on the roof of a building . each antenna unit includes a random angle beamforming antenna network ( e . g ., a phased array of antenna elements ). the antenna network ( a circuit ) may have 16 , 32 , or 64 beamformers . a soma platform ( named for a part of a neuron ) may be implemented as a regional tower mounted platform with transceivers for coordinating communication within clusters of sida platforms . a soma platform is also called a soma tower . a pau platform ( standing for the purkinjie antenna unit , purkinjie being the name for a particular neuron ) provides a longer range transceiver unit for conveying signals over large distances via troposcatter , fiber optic , and / or low earth orbit satellite systems ( leos ). a wisb network provides automated full duplex routing of messages . a wisb network provides super broadband intercommunication between subscribers . the wisb network is expandable to alleviate “ bottlenecks ” or network traffic congestion . traffic in a wisb network may be multipoint to multipoint , point to multipoint , or point to point . the wisb network may be implemented with conventional protocols for link management , multi - hop routing and multicasting , remote network management , and network security . a wisb network generally operates in multiple layers . each layer may use channels of high frequency radio communication bands , such as between 2 . 4 ghz to 30 ghz . an initial commercial embodiment of a wisb network was designed for the unlicensed 5 . 8 ghz frequency band . because each user ( e . g ., a sida platform ) can communicate on simultaneous independent channels by frequency and directional diversity , a wisb network may provide 256 mbps of bandwidth per individual user . for example , operating at 5 . 8 ghz , a wisb network may provide between 3 . 8 gbps to 12 . 8 gbps of bandwidth to particular users . the wisb network may be implemented with digital transceiver systems and operating protocols for preventing interference of signals on a single frequency and eliminating crossover signals . platforms having directional antenna beams facing each other may use them to communicate or may avoid communication by using frequency diversity . networks according to various aspects of the present invention may accommodate a large number of users ( e . g ., thirty - four times the number of users compared to conventional networks ) by facilitating a multiplicity of users on a single frequency ( frequency diversity ). each sida platform of a wisb network may include a home gateway controller . a home gateway controller may be implemented using a conventional operating system and a television screen ( or other monitor as the primary display ). the home gateway controller may operate as an alternative personal computer ; and , due to the abundance of available bandwidth , may use remote computer farms ( e . g ., personal information ( pi ) computing ) to process and store information requiring large capacity processing and storage . wisb network platform operating software enables personal computers to be hooked up to a wisb network through a software / hardware interface . a home gateway controller may have a secure video - on - demand module that operates as an alternative “ video rental store ”, making electronically accessed global film and music libraries available . a home gateway controller may incorporate a financial card swipe capability making it possible to purchase video on demand and other internet services directly from the home through secure “ wallet banking ” software , any platform ( e . g ., a sida platform ) of the present invention may be implemented with integrated circuits , processors , and miniaturized transceivers to operate within a handheld device . a wisb network may include a low earth orbit (“ leo ”) space segment that provides a communications - bridge for the terrestrial portions of the wisb network via pau platforms . a wisb network leo space segment may provide a super broadband orbital platform for commercial aviation . airplane manufacturers can implement any mix of platforms in aircraft . in such an embodiment , the aircraft communicates with a wisb network space segment , which in turn communicates with a wisb network terrestrial segment . passengers ( e . g ., users of sida platforms ) may enjoy a plethora of interactive communication services including in flight telephony , video conferencing , video on demand , music on demand , and video games . in addition , data that is normally recorded and stored on a “ black box ” ( e . g ., a flight recorder ) onboard the aircraft may be electronically transmitted to earth - based data storage facilities using wisb network components . the amount of data that can be recorded is increased and the disadvantages associated with onboard flight recorders are eliminated . security may be enhanced on aircraft via onboard high definition cameras , which would be able to transmit clear images and sound in real time via a platform to platform space - terrestrial pathway . each airplane seat could be monitored effectively through the system prior to takeoff or during flight . additionally , the comparatively large bandwidth available in a wisb network enables the utilization of face recognition software for early detection of terrorists , highjackers , or other high - risk individuals onboard . using a wisb network , early detection of unwanted individuals is possible using a high - definition camera , which may be installed at a airport terminal , gate , and / or check - in counter . such a camera may obtain and transmit digital images to a face - recognition processor in an airport security unit for analysis and comparison with facial recognition data maintained in a global database of known terrorists . due to the vast amount of data required for face recognition processing , super broadband may be desirable for transmitting the best possible details of an individual &# 39 ; s face and to produce a result equal to or better than a fingerprint of the individual . a network , according to various aspects of the present invention facilitates communication among and between four layers : a local layer , a regional layer , an inter - regional layer , and a global layer . message routing is preferably accomplished within one layer ( e . g ., the local layer ), but may also include traffic between layers . for example , network 100 of fig1 includes local layer 120 , regional layer 140 , inter - regional layer 160 , and global layer 180 . local layer 120 includes any number of sida platforms ( e . g ., 121 - 123 ) which may be fixed or mobile . each sida platform 122 may communicate via a wireless link 134 ( 135 ) with any other sida platform 121 ( 123 ) within range . each sida platform may have zero or more user devices 110 ( e . g ., output devices such as displays , input devices such as a keyboard , storage devices such as tapes and disks , processing devices such as personal computers , and combinations of the above ). each sida platform 121 - 123 may communicate via a wireless link 131 - 133 with zero or more soma platforms 142 of the regional layer . regional layer 140 includes any number of soma platforms ( e . g ., 141 - 143 ). typically , a soma platform 142 ( e . g ., a tower mounted platform ) is located centrally in a region occupied by any number of sida platforms 121 - 123 . each soma platform 142 may communicate via a wireless link 154 ( 155 ) with any other soma platform within range . each soma platform 142 controls zero or more computers or servers 146 ( e . g ., a personal information computer farm ) and controls access to other networks 148 ( e . g ., the internet ). each soma platform 142 may communicate via a wireless link 151 - 153 with zero or more pau platforms 162 of the inter - regional layer . inter - regional layer 160 includes any number of pau platforms ( e . g ., 161 - 163 ). typically , a pau platform 162 ( e . g ., a tower mounted platform ) is located within range of several soma platforms 141 - 143 . each pau platform 162 may communicate via a wireless link 174 ( 175 ) with any other pau platform within range . each soma platform 142 may communicate via a wireless link 171 - 173 with zero or more satellite platforms 181 of the global layer 180 or via troposcatter . a platform generally includes a processor , a transceiver unit having any number of transceivers ( e . g ., 6 ), and an antenna unit having a corresponding number of antenna arrays ( e . g ., 6 ). for example , platform 200 of fig2 includes processor 202 , transceiver unit 204 , and antenna unit 206 . processor 202 includes a box office controller 210 , gateway controller 212 , and user device interface 214 . user interface 214 provides ports 215 for cable connections to devices local to the platform . for example , devices may perform display ( e . g ., output ) or storage functions . display devices 216 include tv , stereo , printer , and fax machine . storage devices include dvd , vcr , and pc . transceiver unit 204 includes any number of frequency agile transceivers 232 and may include a fiber optic transceiver 234 for each trunk 236 . processor 202 directs transceivers of transceiver unit 204 via line 203 to implement frequency agility . processor 202 may direct beamforming by any antenna array ( e . g ., 242 or 244 ) via line 205 . in an alternate antenna unit , beams are preset and control by processor 202 is omitted . fig2 provides a schematic representation of a platform ( e . g ., a sida , soma , or pau platform ) according to various aspects of the present invention . the sida platform includes a processor , transceiver unit , and antenna unit . the antenna unit includes a small , full duplex , electronically interactive , directional , high gain , random angle phased array . the transceiver unit includes an rf modulator , low power supply , microwave unit , and remote on / off control switch . the antenna unit of a sida platform is preferably installed on a user &# 39 ; s rooftop or other high , unobstructed location . sida platforms may be spaced at distances ranging between a few meters up to about 5 km . a sida platform provides the communication gateway to a user &# 39 ; s home for mobile and fixed wireless communications , digital tv reception , digital 3d interactive tv , video on demand in digital format ( e . g ., dvd quality ), digital radio broadcast , and continuous high speed internet connection . a sida platform differs from soma and pau platforms by : ( 1 ) including a user device interface ( e . g ., ports ) for connecting the platform to a tv , vcr , dvd , stereo , personal computer ( pc ), fax machine , and / or a printer / scanner ; ( 2 ) including a home gateway box office controller unit ; and ( 3 ) omitting a fiber optic transceiver . a soma platform , according to various aspects of the present invention , provides longer range ( than a sida ) communication and provides coordination of sida communications . the soma platform may include a fiber optic transceiver for communication on trunk lines to other soma and / or pau platforms . soma platforms are generally located inside “ clusters ” or “ conglomerates ” of sida platforms ( i . e ., service regions ), and may have coordinating responsibility for an area of up to a 60 km radius . each soma platform may be connected to other soma platforms via fiber - optic trunk lines . a soma platform may further include a high speed media access control ( mac ) level router with a connection gateway to other networks ( e . g ., the internet and world wide web ). the processor of a wisb platform ( e . g ., a mac level routing system ) integrates a number of protocols including channel access protocol , neighbor platform link management protocol , wireless multi - hop routing and multi - cast protocol , remote network management protocol , and network security protocol . the channel access protocol governs : ( a ) scheduling of transmissions , ( b ) spectrum reuse ( frequency agility ), and ( c ) avoidance of collisions of message packets . algorithms implementing such a protocol may include the following functions : ( 1 ) independent scheduling of network management message packets , ( 2 ) negotiated scheduling between platforms for a single rf channel multiple user facility of non - interfering data transmission between pairs of platforms , and ( 3 ) frequency agility , coding , and power control . the neighbor platform link management protocol governs : ( a ) efficient platform to platform message packet delivery , ( b ) automatic adaptation to changes in platform configuration , availability ( e . g ., becoming available for communication due to movement , installation , or power applied ), and quality in real time routing decisions based on current overall local network status ( including transmitting and receiving with a platform of a different type : sida / soma , soma / pau ), ( c ) automatic synchronization algorithm for the network , and ( d ) error control coding rates between sida platforms , soma platforms , and pau platforms related to : ( 1 ) sida to sida links , ( 2 ) sida to soma links ( 3 ) soma to soma links , ( 4 ) soma to pau links , ( 5 ) pau to pau links via troposcatter ( synchronized with the pau remote network management protocol ), and ( 6 ) pau to pau links via satellite ( synchronized with the pau remote network management protocol ). the wireless multi - hop routing and multicast protocol governs : ( a ) reliability in delivery of message packets , ( b ) efficient multicast mechanisms over wireless broadcast channels , and ( c ) dynamic ad - hoc network creation ( e . g ., finding available unused communications capability along the shortest path to the destination for efficient use of the spectrum ). the remote network management protocol governs the automatic distribution and upgrades of operating software to sida , soma , pau and satellite platforms , home gateway controllers , and pi computer farms using a dynamic graphical user interface ( gui ). the network security protocol governs : ( a ) hopping patterns from sida to sida , sida to soma , soma to soma , and pau to pau via troposcatter or satellites , ( b ) automatic authentication of sida platforms upon ( 1 ) addition of a platform and ( 2 ) deletion of a platform , and ( c ) intrusion protection and packet filtering ( e . g ., by dynamic control of the rf waveform to prevent eavesdropping ). a computer farm may be attached to a soma or pau platform . the computer farm facilitates broadband computing using the home gateway controller processor of a sida platform for access to the remote pi computer farm . computers of the farm process and store information requiring heavy processing . the tv screen of a sida platform may be used as the visual media and a home gateway controller keyboard of the sida platform may be used to perform physical entries . the sida and soma platform transceivers provide the interconnecting and coordinating functions for mobile and fixed wireless communications for distribution to sida platforms anywhere in the wisb network , mobile units inside of the soma communications conglomerate , and resources on outside networks through conventional switching and routing stations . soma platforms interconnect via existing fiber - optic trunk lines during the build - out phases , until within communication range of a neighboring soma platform , at which point the fiber - optic trunk line may serve as a redundant structure , not essential for network communication . soma platforms may communicate with paus via existing fiber - optic trunk lines during the build - out phase , until within communication range of a neighboring soma platform , at which point the fiber - optic trunk line may serve as a redundant structure , not essential for network communication . the soma platforms provide the coordinating basis for digital telecommunication ( fwa and mwa ), digital tv reception , digital 3d interactive tv , digital video on demand , digital radio broadcast , and for continuous high speed internet connection , distributed through the sida platforms . a pau platform , according to various aspects of the present invention , provides longer range ( than a soma ) communication and provides conveyance of communication to soma platforms , to other paus , and to other networks . a pau platform has a range of up to 1 , 000 km using the troposphere as a mirror to bounce the signals (“ troposcatter ”) from one pau platform to the next . the pau platform communicates globally via multi - hops from pau tower to pau tower . the processor of a pau platform performs protocols analogous to those discussed above , for example , where a soma processor coordinates sida platform communication , a pau processor coordinates soma platform communication . sida and soma platform communication ranges overlap when a soma platform is centrally located amid sida platforms . for example , soma platform 302 of fig3 has six communication sectors a - f used for soma to sida communication and six communication sectors g - l used for soma to soma communication . to facilitate independent communication , frequencies selected for overlapping sectors are different . for example , a frequency used for sector g is different from any frequency used in sectors a - f of sida 306 ; and a frequency used for sector l is different from any frequency used in sectors a - f of sida 304 and soma 308 . soma to sida communication may be facilitated by operation of a soma 308 with sectors , frequencies , and range similar or identical to sida to sida communication . for clarity soma 308 is shown with sida style frequency , sector , and range allocations . soma 308 communicates with soma 302 using soma style frequency , sector , and range allocations not shown . many channels of sida to sida communication may therefore be simultaneous with soma to soma communication in one soma size sector . fig4 depicts a soma communications conglomerate 400 , wherein neighboring pairs of sida platforms are able to communicate with each other either directly or facilitated by a free channel within any given sida platform . the sida platform having a free channel may act as a so - called sida catalyst in the connection ( performing a conveying function for this communication ). as discussed above , each soma platform performs network protocols for assisting , directing , and informing about a given transmission as it occurs from an initiator ( indicated “ i ” in fig4 ) via one or more catalysts ( indicated “ b ” in fig4 ) via one or more coordinators ( indicated “ c ” in fig4 ) to a receiver ( indicated “ r ” in fig4 ). the soma platform monitors the routing and length of each communication ( i . e ., a call ). calls that are out of the wisb network are routed through a soma platform . for example , sida 402 initiates a call to sida 426 that passes through sida 404 , soma 420 , sida 422 , and sida 424 . calls may be direct as when sida 406 initiates a call to sida 408 . calls may overlap through a single sida . for example , sida 410 initiates a call to sida 416 ; and sida 412 initiates a call to sida 414 . sida 412 acts as a catalyst for the former call and as an initiator for the latter . fig4 also depicts two unattached soma communications conglomerates 400 and 401 and illustrates their interaction . if a call initiated at sida 402 is directed to sida 436 , the call is routed through a free channel in each intervening sida and soma platform : 404 , 420 , 430 , 432 , 434 , and 436 . link 490 may be a fiber optic link as discussed above in a variation , platforms 420 and 430 may be pau platforms and link 490 a troposcatter or satellite link . the wireless multi - hop routing and multicast protocol governing the network routing system at somas 420 and 430 automatically routes the call through sidas having the fewest hops ( typically the closest sidas and shortest physical distances ). the wireless multi - hop routing and multicast protocol always commands intervening sida platforms to use the shortest route to the recipient ( r ) to be taken around any given physical obstructions that may impair the line of sight ( or that may not be in compliance with the 802 . 11b restrictions when using the 5 . 8 ghz unlicensed band ). a fiber optic cable for transporting communication between soma communications conglomerates 400 and 401 is necessary only when using the unlicensed 5 . 8 ghz frequency and complying with the 802 . 11 b restrictions . if the network is built around a licensed frequency , the fiber optic link may be omitted , subject to the distance between the soma platforms and geographical constraints ( line of sight ). unattached soma communications conglomerates become attached when close neighboring sida platforms become available , as discussed above . transmissions are packetized and all packets are preferably transmitted through the shortest path through the network . packets of the same call may travel different routes through the network , but as they arrive at the recipient sida platform , the packets are assembled in the correct sequence . the channel access protocol algorithms will govern the entire transmission , and facilitate suitable quality of service at either end of the transmission cycle ( initiator and recipient ). by adding platforms to a wisb network , additional routes are created facilitating delivery of data at greater bandwidth . for example , a maximum bandwidth achieved for a single sida may be calculated for each of several modulation and antenna configurations . assuming all channels are of equal bandwidth , the maximum bandwidth for each row of table 1 is calculated by multiplying the channel bandwidth ( assumed to be 100 mhz for operation at 5 . 8 ghz ) by the modulation factor ; and multiplying the result by the beam factor . the beam factor assumes that full duplex communication is intended and two beams are therefore needed for the maximum bandwidth to be achieved . a modulation factor of 6 corresponds to quadriture amplitude modulation ( qam ) having 64 steps and a factor of 8 corresponds to qam having 256 steps . as shown , a single user consuming data from all beams simultaneously of his or her sida platform can consume up to 25 . 6 gbps half duplex and at the same time provide up to 25 . 6 gbps half duplex on other beams . the foregoing description discusses preferred embodiments of the present invention which may be changed or modified without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the claims . while for the sake of clarity of description , several specific embodiments of the invention have been described , the scope of the invention is intended to be measured by the claims as set forth below .
| 7 |
the typical embodiment of a motor vehicle window 1 illustrated partially in cross section in fig1 includes a mounting flange 3 , which surrounds a window opening 2 , and a window pane 4 which is mounted in the window opening 2 and comprises a pane 5 of glass . to mount the pane of glass 5 , a plastic edge part 6 is molded onto the edge of the pane , and an adhesive application profile 7 , which is releasably connected to the edge part 6 , is bonded by an adhesive 8 to an outwardly facing fastening surface 9 of the fastening flange 3 when the window pane 4 is inserted into the window opening 2 . the fastening flange 3 , which consists of sheet metal , has an essentially z - shaped cross section with a holding arm 10 welded to the vehicle body in the plane of the window pane . in the exemplary embodiment illustrated in fig1 the edge part 6 consists of an extrudable thermoplastic elastomer , for example a polyolefin elastomer of isotactic polypropylene and ethylene - propylene - diene rubber which can be obtained under the brand name santoprene from the company advanced elastomer systems . on its side facing away from the window opening 2 , the edge part 6 is formed with a sealing lip 12 which bears against the fastening flange 3 after installation . furthermore , the edge part 6 has a peripheral receiving channel 14 which is open toward the fastening flange 3 and in which a foot part 13 of the adhesive application profile 7 which faces the window pane 4 is received . the receiving channel 14 of the edge part 6 and the foot part 13 of the adhesive application profile 7 have complementary cross sections . both the two opposite inner faces of the side walls 16 of the receiving channel 14 and the opposed longitudinal side faces of the foot part 13 have a zigzag - shaped cross section with mutually corresponding triangular projections and depressions , so that the foot part 13 and the edge part 6 engage each other in a positive - locking manner with mutual meshing in order to anchor the adhesive application profile 7 releasably in the receiving channel 14 . there are three projections and depressions on or in the side walls 16 of the receiving channel and the longitudinal sides of the foot part 13 as illustrated , but a higher or lower number of projections and depressions may be provided depending on their shape , their engagement depth and the material pairing . depending on whether the adhesive application profile 7 is mounted on the pane of glass 5 in one operation , for example by coextrusion together with the edge part 6 , or is inserted into the receiving channel 14 as a cut item after it has previously been cut to length or as a rigid molding , the profile 7 may consist of an elastic , semi - elastic or rigid , thermoplastic or cross - linkable plastic material which can be extruded or produced by injection molding , provided that it has good properties of adhesion with the adhesive 8 , which is generally a polyurethane adhesive . the edge part 6 and the adhesive application profile 7 are releasably engaged at a joint 15 so that they can be released from one another by a pushing force exerted on the window pane 4 from the inside in the direction of the arrow p in fig1 . in this case , the two side walls 16 of the receiving channel 14 bend outwardly as a result of their elasticity , possibly with simultaneous deformation of the adhesive application profile 7 if that profile is made of an elastic or semi - elastic material . a top part 17 of the adhesive application profile 7 , which faces away from the window pane 4 and is adjacent to the fastening flange 3 , has a slightly greater width than the foot part 13 . this prevents the adhesive 8 , applied as a bead of adhesive onto an adhesive application surface 20 located opposite the fastening flange 3 , from coming into contact with the edge part 6 . to enlarge the interface between the adhesive and adhesive application profile while maintaining the same width of the bead of adhesive , and to guide an outlet nozzle of an adhesive gun ( not illustrated ) in the event of manual adhesive application , the adhesive application surface 20 is curved slightly in a concave manner in the direction of the fastening flange 3 and has raised side edges . additionally , the adhesive application surface 20 may be provided with small grooves ( not illustrated ) extending in the longitudinal direction of the profile 7 . in the further embodiment illustrated in fig2 a different type of edge part 6 is mounted on the edge of the pane of glass 5 and has on its inwardly facing side a web 21 which surrounds the inner broad side face of a window pane 4 &# 39 ; and has opposed longitudinal side faces 22 which are zigzag - shaped in cross section . the web 21 is engaged in a positive - locking manner with a longitudinal channel 23 of an adhesive application profile 7 &# 39 ;. the channel 23 is open in the direction of the window pane 4 &# 39 ;, is complementary to the web 21 and has an essentially u - shaped cross section , the yoke which has a top part 17 &# 39 ; provided with an adhesive application surface 20 on the side facing the fastening flange 3 , while its two arms forming a foot part 13 &# 39 ; are meshed with the longitudinal side faces 22 of the web 21 . in this embodiment , the edge part 6 &# 39 ; may be made of a comparatively inelastic thermoplastic material , while the adhesive application profile 7 &# 39 ; is made of a preferably extrudable elastomer , so that the two arms 13 &# 39 ; bounding the longitudinal channel 23 spread apart due to a force in the direction of the arrow p when the window pane 4 &# 39 ; is released , as a result of which the web 21 moves out of the longitudinal channel 23 . in both cases , the window pane 4 or 4 &# 39 ; can be reused without reworking , while , for reuse of the mounting flange 3 , the adhesive 8 and the adhesive application profile 7 or 7 &# 39 ; are separated from the mounting surface 9 of the flange , any remaining residue of adhesive being just as suited as the mounting surface 9 itself as a base for a renewed application of adhesive . to produce the window pane 4 or 4 &# 39 ; provided with an edge part 6 or 6 &# 39 ; and an adhesive application profile 7 or 7 &# 39 ;, the edge part 6 or 6 &# 39 ; is molded onto the peripheral edge of the prepared and cleaned pane of glass 5 by extrusion or in an injection mold and , in the process , is firmly connected thereto . the application method used , i . e . extrusion or injection molding , is determined , inter alia , by the materials used for the edge part 6 or 6 &# 39 ; and the adhesive application profile 7 or 7 &# 39 ; and by the mechanical equipment present . if the edge part 6 or 6 &# 39 ; is extruded , the adhesive application profile 7 or 7 &# 39 ; may be produced by coextrusion at the same time as the edge part 6 or 6 &# 39 ;, in which case use is made of plastic materials which do not stick to each other after emerging from an extrusion nozzle , even in the free - flowing state . as an alternative , the edge part 6 or 6 &# 39 ; can first be extruded onto the edge of the pane of glass 5 and the adhesive application profile 7 or 7 &# 39 ;, in the form of a separately produced component , can subsequently be pressed into the receiving channel 14 ( fig1 ) or onto the peripheral web 21 ( fig2 ). if the edge part 6 or 6 &# 39 ; is to be produced by injection molding , the adhesive application profile 7 or 7 &# 39 ; can be placed in the injection mold , and the edge part 6 or 6 &# 39 ; can subsequently be injected , depending on the properties of elasticity desired , from an elastomer , a thermoplastic material or a cross - linking two - component mixture such as , for example , polyurethane . if desired , a release agent may be applied beforehand onto the surfaces of the adhesive application profile 7 &# 39 ; or 7 &# 39 ; which are in contact with the edge part 6 or 6 &# 39 ;, in order to prevent sticking to the edge part 6 or 6 &# 39 ; during injection molding . alternatively , the edge part 6 or 6 &# 39 ; and the adhesive application profile 7 or 7 &# 39 ; can be produced as two separate components which are subsequently brought into positive - locking engagement with one another . prior to the installation of the prepared window pane 4 or 4 &# 39 ;, the edge part 6 or 6 &# 39 ; and the profile 7 or 7 &# 39 ;, the adhesive 8 is applied as a wedgeshaped bead of adhesive onto the adhesive application surface 20 of the adhesive application profile 7 or 7 &# 39 ; which is located opposite the fastening surface 9 . the wedge - shaped application assures a uniform cross section of the bead of adhesive , in contrast to application of the adhesive into a receiving channel of the edge part , as disclosed in the german offenlegugsschrift no . 43 01 026 , since the outlet nozzle of the adhesive gun does not come into contact with the edge part 6 or 6 &# 39 ; or the adhesive application profile 7 or 7 &# 39 ;. because of the resulting absence of indentation points in the bead of adhesive , the water - tightness of the window pane 4 or 4 &# 39 ; is additionally improved , and soiling of adjacent construction elements with the adhesive 8 is prevented . if the window pane 4 or 4 &# 39 ; has been removed by pushing it out of the window opening 2 as described above , reinstallation of the window can be carried out at a workshop , for example after repainting the vehicle body in the region of the window opening , by mounting a new adhesive application profile 7 or 7 &# 39 ; with a corresponding cross section but possibly made of a different material than the original profile 7 or 7 &# 39 ;, on the edge part 6 or 6 &# 39 ;, and then inserting the window pane 4 or 4 &# 39 ; into the window opening 2 after a bead of adhesive has been applied to the adhesive application surface 20 . if the edge part 6 consists of a suitable material and has a receiving channel 14 as illustrated , for example , in fig1 it is also possible , as an alternative , for the adhesive application profile 7 to be dispensed with during reinstallation and for the adhesive 8 to be introduced directly into the receiving channel 14 as disclosed in german offenlegugsschrift no . 43 01 026 , in which case , however , an adhesive must be used which does not bond adhesively to the material of the edge part 6 . although the invention has been described here with reference to specific embodiments , many modifications and variations therein will readily occur to those skilled in the art . accordingly , all such variations and modifications are included within the intended scope of the invention .
| 1 |
embodiments of a nomadic server enable telephone communications that can be initiated using voip while within a voip access point , such as a wifi hotspot , and enable telephone communications that can be initiated using a cellular network while within a cellular area and outside of a voip access point . when a caller roams outside the range of a voip access point , the nomadic server functions to “ hold ” the current telephone communication while switching occurs from the voip access point to the cellular network . similarly , when a caller roams into the range of a voip access point while engaged in a telephone communication on the cellular network , the nomadic server functions to “ hold ” the current telephone communication while switching occurs from the cellular network to the voip access point . the nomadic server remains engaged , or active , in the telephone communication while switching from one network to another . after switching is completed , the nomadic server disengages from the telephone communication . fig1 illustrates an exemplary system of interconnected networks in which a nomadic server 80 is coupled to a cellular network , a wireless ip network , and a public switched telephone network ( pstn ) 60 . the cellular network shown in fig1 includes a mobile switching center 20 coupled to a public land mobile network 30 , and a plurality of base stations 10 coupled to the mobile switching center 20 . for clarity , the cellular network shown in fig1 is a simplified cellular network architecture . for example , the cellular network in fig1 includes only a single mobile switching center , however it is understood that the cellular network includes multiple mobile switching centers . further , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art , that the functionality of the mobile switching center could alternatively be incorporated into either the base station or any other cellular network infrastructure , or into the nomadic server . accordingly , as used herein , the term mobile switching center refers to the mobile switching center or any appropriate device within the cellular network equipment infrastructure which performs the functionality of a mobile switching center . fig1 shows four base stations 10 coupled to the mobile switching center 20 . alternatively , more or less than four base stations can be coupled to each mobile switching center . the wireless ip network shown in fig1 includes a plurality of wireless ip access points 40 coupled to the internet 50 . examples of a wireless ip access point include , but are not limited to , a wireless or wired broadband termination element , a wireless or wired modem , a wireless or wired router , and a wifi access point . in this example , the nomadic server 80 is coupled to the pstn 60 through the softswitch 70 . the softswitch 70 provides an interface for the nomadic server 80 to legacy networks , such as the pstn . a mobile communication device 90 is preferably a dual mode telephone that provides voip client functionality over a wifi network and gsm / cdma mobile telephony functionality over a cellular network . the mobile communication device 90 can also be configured to automatically switch an existing communication from a cellular network to a wireless ip network , or to switch an existing communication from an ip network to a cellular network . such a mobile communication device is described in co - pending and co - owned u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 031 , 498 , filed jan . 6 , 2005 , and entitled “ telephone with automatic switching between cellular and voip networks ”, which is hereby incorporated by reference . alternative types of mobile communication devices include , but are not limited to , laptop computers , music players / recorders , pdas , telephones , or any conventional mobile communication device capable of receiving broadband content over a wireless connection . fig2 illustrates a simplified high - level block diagram of one embodiment of the mobile communication device 90 . the mobile communication device 90 includes a wifi portion and a cellular portion . the cellular part uses either gsm or cdma , and access to a communications network is provided through the nearest base station 10 . the wifi portion uses the voip client to originate and terminate communications over the wifi network . the mobile communication device 90 is adapted to automatically switch communications between cellular and voip networks . the mobile communication device 90 includes a cellular communication module 93 coupled to a cellular antenna 91 , a wifi communication module 94 coupled to a wifi antenna 92 , an audio / video amplifier 95 , a network switch unit 96 , a timer unit 97 , a wifi signal level strength monitor 98 , a microphone 100 , a speaker 99 , and a display monitor 101 . the mobile communication device 90 is adapted to establish and maintain communication via either the cellular communication module 93 coupled to a cellular base station 10 ( fig1 ), and / or via the wifi communication module 94 coupled to a wifi access point 40 ( fig1 ). the cellular communication module 93 further includes a transceiver 102 adapted to transmit signals to and receive signals from a cellular network . the wifi communication module 94 further includes a transceiver 103 adapted to transmit signals to and receive signals from an ip network . depending on the level of the detected wifi signal emitted from a wifi access point , a call initially established via cellular communication module 93 can be switched to be handled by the wifi communication module 94 , or a call initially established via the wifi communication module 94 can be switched to be handled by the cellular communication module 93 . referring back to fig1 , the nomadic server 80 enables a seamless handoff from one wireless access point to another as the mobile telephone device 90 roams from one wifi coverage area to another wifi coverage area , or roams outside a wifi coverage area but still within a cellular network coverage area . the nomadic server 80 includes a cellular inter - working function ( ciwf ) block 82 , a wifi inter - working function ( wiwf ) block 84 , and a provisioning server 86 . the nomadic server 80 and the mobile switching center 20 are either “ tightly ” coupled or “ loosely ” coupled . when tightly coupled , the nomadic server 80 and the mobile switching center 20 are coupled together by a local area network ( lan ), or a wide area network ( wan ) or any other appropriate interface , using either a proprietary or non - proprietary interface of the mobile switching center 20 . in this manner , the nomadic server 80 is able to communicate to the mobile switching center 20 through this interface . when loosely coupled , the nomadic server 80 and the mobile switching center 20 are coupled using an integrated services digital network ( isdnc ) trunk , or by using a softswitch or any other appropriate interface . in this context , a softswitch is defined variously as a media gateway controller , call agent or gate keeper , used to control connections at the junction point between circuit and packet networks . the nomadic server 80 is coupled to one or more mobile switching centers 20 for communicating signaling and media traffic . a point of interconnection ( poi ), is formed between each mobile switching center 20 and the nomadic server 80 . within any given network , one or more nomadic servers 80 can be implemented . each mobile communication device 90 is associated with a home nomadic server , in this case the nomadic server 80 . each nomadic server can be the home nomadic server for one or more mobile communication devices . preferably , a mobile switching center is interfaced to only one nomadic server such that a home mobile switching center is interfaced to the home nomadic server . in this manner , the mobile communication device is associated with a home mobile switching center . alternatively , multiple mobile switching centers are coupled to any given nomadic server . when the mobile communication device 90 originates a call within a wifi coverage area , a wifi communication link is established with the nomadic server 80 . the call can be completed by the nomadic server 80 over the cellular network or the voip network . if the call is completed over the cellular network , then the call is routed through any mobile switching center coupled to the nomadic server 80 . if the call is completed over the voip network , then the call is routed through a softswitch 70 of a service provider , using the session initiation protocol ( sip ) or any other appropriate protocols , such as h323 . in other words , if the mobile communication device 90 is located within a wifi coverage area , then the first leg of the call is routed over a wifi communication link and the remaining portion of the call can be routed over either the cellular network , the voip network , or the pstn . in operation , a first call is established by the mobile communication device 90 by first determining if it is in a wifi coverage area . such a determination is preferably made by measuring a signal strength or other criteria of the nearest wifi access point 40 , and if the signal strength or other criteria is above a predetermined threshold , then a wifi communication link is established . if wifi access is not available , then the mobile communication device 90 establishes a cellular communication link with the nearest base station 10 . when the mobile communication device 90 first establishes a wifi communication link , the mobile communication device 90 establishes a communication link with the provisioning server 86 over the wifi communication link . the wifi communication link includes the wifi access point 40 , and the internet 50 . the provisioning server 86 provides the mobile communication device 90 with configuration information including an identification of its home nomadic server , which in this case is the nomadic server 80 . the mobile communication device 90 preferably uses xml over ssl for communicating with the provisioning server 86 over the internet 50 . the mobile communication device 90 also registers with the nomadic server 80 . in some embodiments , a sip register method or any other appropriate protocol , such as h323 , with authentication is used between the mobile communication device 90 and the nomadic server 80 . the nomadic server 80 also maintains configuration information of the mobile switching center 20 . the nomadic server 80 updates the mobile switching center 20 with a current location of the mobile communication device 90 . the current location refers to the wifi access point associated with the wifi coverage area in which the mobile communication device 90 is currently located . the nomadic server 80 updates the mobile switching center 20 with the location of the mobile communication device 90 at a specified periodicity . in this manner , the mobile switching center 20 maintains a current location of the mobile communication device 90 . using this location information , calls received over the cellular network for the mobile communication device 90 are directed from the mobile switching center 20 over the wifi communication link via the nomadic server 80 . as long as the mobile communication device 90 maintains a wifi communication link with the wireless access point 40 , irrespective of the cellular network coverage , the mobile communication device 90 registers with its home nomadic server , the nomadic server 80 in this case . the nomadic server 80 in turn updates the current location of the mobile communication device 90 in the mobile switching center 20 . when a signal strength or other criteria of the wifi communication link weakens below a predetermined threshold , the mobile communication device 90 notifies the nomadic server 80 . in response , the nomadic server 80 stops sending location updates to the mobile switching center 20 . additionally , the mobile communication device 90 stops sending sip registrations to the nomadic server 80 , and the mobile communication device 90 initiates registration with the nearest mobile switching center . in this manner , subsequent calls originating from or terminating at the mobile communication device 90 are handled by the mobile switching center . the nearest mobile switching center can be the home mobile switching center of the mobile communication device 90 or another mobile switching center , referred to as a visitor mobile switching center , within the cellular network . while the first call is still established over the wifi communication link , the mobile communication device 90 sets up a second call to the same end destination as the first call currently setup over the wifi communication link , thereby establishing a cellular communication link . if the cellular communication link is established via the home mobile switching center , then the second call is routed to the nomadic server 80 via the poi between the home mobile switching center and the nomadic server 80 . in response , the nomadic server 80 determines if the first call over the wifi communication link is still in progress . if so , access is switched from the wifi communication link to the cellular communication link . if , however , the cellular communication link is established over a visitor mobile switching center , then the visitor mobile switching center forwards the second call to a visitor nomadic server coupled to the visitor mobile switching center . the visitor nomadic server can not determine the status of the first call over the wifi communication link , so the visitor nomadic server switches the second call to the end destination . concurrently , the home nomadic server , which previously received the notification from the mobile communication device 90 about losing the wifi communication link , waits for a connection request from the home mobile switching center for the second call to be established . however , the home nomadic server will not receive such a connection request since the second call is being processed by the visitor nomadic server . as such , the home nomadic server drops the first call on the wifi communication link , and the second call is maintained by the mobile communication device 90 over the cellular communication link . once a cellular communication link is established between the mobile communication device 90 and the nearest mobile switching center , the mobile communication device 90 does not attempt to establish another wifi communication link upon re - entering a wifi coverage area . the mobile communication device 90 attempts access to a wifi communication link when the mobile communication device 90 is back in an idle state . as the mobile communication device roams from a first coverage area to a second coverage area , the transition steps vary depending on the type of the second coverage area and on the original call setup configuration . roaming from the first coverage area to the second coverage area can generally be accomplished according to one of five different scenarios , each scenario including associated transition steps . a first scenario includes the mobile communication device roaming from a first wifi coverage area to a second wifi coverage area . the first wifi coverage area is associated with a first wifi access point , and the second wifi coverage area is associated with a second wifi access point . each wifi access point includes an ip address . when the mobile communication device is within the first wifi coverage area , the mobile communication device registers with its home nomadic server over the first wifi access point . the home nomadic server updates the location of the mobile communication device with the home mobile switching center of the mobile communication device . for incoming calls directed to the mobile communication device , the home mobile switching center routes the calls to the home nomadic server based on the most recent location information . when the mobile communication device roams into the second wifi coverage area , the mobile communication device detects the transition . the mobile communication device acquires the ip address from the second wifi access point and sends the ip address change to the provisioning server of the home nomadic server . the mobile communication device also sends a sip register message with the new ip address to the home nomadic server . in response , the home nomadic server redirects any incoming calls to the ip address of the second wifi access point . the location of the mobile communication device maintained by the home mobile switching center is still valid . a second scenario includes the mobile communication device 90 initiating a call within a first wifi coverage area , setting up the call over a voip network , and roaming from the first wifi coverage area to a cellular coverage area supported by the home mobile switching center of the mobile communication device 90 . in this scenario , the mobile communication device 90 roams from the first wifi coverage area to a non - wifi coverage area . when a first call is initiated and setup , a wifi communication link is established between the mobile communication device and a first wireless access point associated with the first wifi coverage area . when the mobile communication device is within the first wifi coverage area , the mobile communication device registers with its home nomadic server via the first wifi access point . the first call is routed from the first wireless access point through a voip network , such as the internet . the mobile communication device monitors a signal strength or other criteria of the wifi communication link . when the signal strength or other criteria drops below a predetermined threshold , the mobile communication device registers with the nearest mobile switching center , which in this second scenario is the home mobile switching center of the mobile communication device . the mobile communication device also sends a call setup request to the home mobile switching center for a second call with the same end destination as the first call . the second call is setup by the home mobile switching center , and the second call is routed to the ciwf block within the home nomadic server . the ciwf block determines from the wiwf block if the first call is in progress . if the first call is in progress , then the ciwf block sends an affirmative answer message to the home mobile switching center . the home mobile switching center in turn sends the affirmative answer message to the mobile communication device . in response to receiving the affirmative answer message , the mobile communication device stops media streaming over the wifi communication link and powers down the wifi part . the ciwf block then changes the registration of the mobile communication device in the wiwf block with an ip address of the ciwf block . the ciwf block sends a re - invite message to the wiwf block signifying a media switchover to the ip address of the ciwf block from the ip address of the first wireless access point . media streaming associated with the first call is then redirected to the ciwf block , where the media is then switched over to the home mobile switching center . media associated with the first call is now associated with the second call , where the media is now streamed from the voip network to the wiwf block to the ciwf block to the home mobile switching center to the mobile communication device . the transition according to the second scenario is now complete . if the second call is subsequently disconnected by the mobile communication device , then the corresponding call breakdown process is supervised by the ciwf block . if the second call is subsequently disconnected by the end destination device , then the corresponding call breakdown process is supervised by both the wiwf block and the ciwf block . a third scenario includes the mobile communication device initiating a call within a first wifi coverage area , setting up a back end of the call over a cellular network , and roaming from the first wifi coverage area to a cellular coverage area supported by the home mobile switching center of the mobile communication device . in this scenario , the mobile communication device roams from the first wifi coverage area to a non - wifi coverage area . when a first call is initiated and setup , a wifi communication link is established between the mobile communication device and a first wireless access point associated with the first wifi coverage area . when the mobile communication device is within the first wifi coverage area , the mobile communication device registers with its home nomadic server via the first wifi access point . the first call is routed from the wireless access point 40 through a cellular network , such as the mobile switching center and either the plmn or the pstn . the mobile communication device monitors a signal strength or other criteria of the wifi communication link . when the signal strength or other criteria drops below a predetermined threshold , the mobile communication device registers with the nearest mobile switching center , which in this third scenario is the home mobile switching center of the mobile communication device . the mobile communication device also sends a call setup request to the home mobile switching center for a second call with the same end destination as the first call . the second call is setup by the home mobile switching center , and the second call is routed to the ciwf block within the home nomadic server . the ciwf block determines from the wiwf block if the first call is in progress . if the first call is in progress , then the ciwf block sends an affirmative answer message to the home mobile switching center . the home mobile switching center in turn sends the affirmative answer message to the mobile communication device . in response to receiving the affirmative answer message , the mobile communication device stops media streaming over the wifi communication link and powers down its wifi part . the ciwf block then changes the registration of the mobile communication device in the wiwf block with an ip address of the ciwf block . the ciwf block sends a re - invite message to the wiwf block signifying a media switchover to the ip address of the ciwf block from the ip address of the first wireless access point . media streaming associated with the first call is then redirected to the ciwf block , where the media is then switched over to the home mobile switching center . the media stream associated with the first call is now associated with the second call , where the media stream is now directed from the cellular network to the ciwf block to the home mobile switching center to the mobile communication device . the transition according to the third scenario is now complete . if the second call is subsequently disconnected by the mobile communication device , then the corresponding call breakdown process is supervised by the ciwf block and the home mobile switching center . if the second call is subsequently disconnected by the end destination device , then the corresponding call breakdown process is supervised by the ciwf block . a fourth scenario includes the mobile communication device initiating a call within a first wifi coverage area that resides outside a cellular coverage area supported by the home mobile switching center of the mobile communication device , setting up a back end of the call over a voip network , and roaming from the first wifi coverage area to a cellular coverage area supported by a visitor mobile switching center . in this scenario , the mobile communication device roams from the first wifi coverage area to a non - wifi coverage area . when a first call is initiated and setup , a wifi communication link is established between the mobile communication device and a first wireless access point associated with the first wifi coverage area . when the mobile communication device is within the first wifi coverage area , the mobile communication device registers with its home nomadic server via the first wifi access point . in this manner , the wiwf block in the home nomadic server monitors the location of the mobile communication device . the first call is routed from the mobile communication device to the first wireless access point via the wifi communication link to the wiwf block of the visitor nomadic server associated with the visitor mobile switching center to the voip network the mobile communication device monitors a signal strength or other criteria of the wifi communication link . when the signal strength or other criteria drops below a predetermined threshold , the mobile communication device registers with the nearest mobile switching center , which in this fourth scenario is the visitor mobile switching center . the mobile communication device notifies the wiwf block in its home nomadic server that the signal strength or other criteria is below the predetermined threshold . the mobile communication device also sends a call setup request to the visitor mobile switching center for a second call with the same end destination as the first call . the visitor mobile switching center forwards the call setup request to the ciwf block within the visitor nomadic server . within the visitor nomadic server , the ciwf block determines from the wiwf block if the first call is in progress . since the mobile communication device has been registering itself with its home nomadic server , and not with the visitor nomadic server , the wiwf block within the visitor nomadic server does not have a record of the first call being in progress . in response , the visitor nomadic server sets up the second call over the cellular network . concurrently , the home nomadic server tears down the first call over the voip network . a fifth scenario includes the mobile communication device initiating a call within a first wifi coverage area that resides outside a cellular coverage area supported by the home mobile switching center of the mobile communication device , setting up a back end of the call over a cellular network , and roaming from the first wifi coverage area to a cellular coverage area supported by a visitor mobile switching center . in this scenario , the mobile communication device roams from the first wifi coverage area to a non - wifi coverage area . when a first call is initiated and setup , a wifi communication link is established between the mobile communication device and a first wireless access point associated with the first wifi access point . the first call is routed from the mobile communication device to the first wireless access point via the wifi communication link to the ciwf block of the visitor nomadic server to the visitor mobile switching center to the cellular network . the mobile communication device monitors a signal strength or other criteria of the wifi communication link . when the signal strength or other criteria drops below a predetermined threshold , the mobile communication device registers with the nearest mobile switching center , which in this fifth scenario is the visitor mobile switching center . when the mobile communication device is within the first wifi coverage area , the mobile communication device registers with its home nomadic server via the first wifi access point . in this manner , the wiwf block in the home nomadic server monitors the location of the mobile communication device . the mobile communication device notifies the wiwf block in its home nomadic server that the signal strength or other criteria is below the predetermined threshold . the mobile communication device also sends a call setup request to the visitor mobile switching center for a second call with the same end destination as the first call . the visitor mobile switching center forwards the call setup request to the ciwf block within the visitor nomadic server . within the visitor nomadic server , the ciwf block determines from the wiwf block if the first call is in progress . since the mobile communication device has been registering itself with its home nomadic server , and not with the visitor nomadic server , the wiwf block within the visitor nomadic server does not have a record of the first call being in progress . in response , the visitor nomadic server sets up the second call over the cellular network . concurrently , the home nomadic server tears down the first call over the cellular network and the first wifi communication link . it is understood that the five scenarios described above are not exhaustive or inclusive of all scenarios in which the mobile communication device can roam from a first coverage area to a second coverage area with the support of the nomadic server . it is understood that other scenarios are also contemplated . in some embodiments , the nomadic server 80 also communicates to other nomadic services over the internet to route and complete calls using voip . this server - to - server communication can be used for all calls , even for cellular to cellular calls . in such a situation , the cellular telephone communication is transmitted from the initiating cellular telephone to the appropriate base station . from this base station , the communication is routed to the appropriate nomadic server 80 , which in some embodiments is the nomadic server 80 that is the closest to the receiving base station 10 . this initiating nomadic server 80 then transmits the communication over the internet , to the nomadic server 80 that is closest to the appropriate base station 10 corresponding to the location of the receiver &# 39 ; s cellular telephone . this receiving nomadic server 80 then transmits the communication to this receiving base station 10 , which transmits the communication to the receiver &# 39 ; s cellular telephone . in this manner , the only portions of the transmission that are communicated over the cellular telephone network , are the initial leg , from the initiating cellular telephone to the appropriate base station , and the final leg , from the appropriate base station to the receiver &# 39 ; s cellular telephone . the remaining , intermediate , portions of the transmission are communicated between the appropriate nomadic servers over the internet , which allows the call to be completed more efficiently than if the call was transmitted completely over the cellular network in the traditional manner . as will be apparent to those skilled in the art , communications are directed in both directions in this manner in order to complete the call between the initiator and the receiver , with the initial and final portions of the transmission routed over the cellular network and the remaining intermediate portions of the transmission routed between nomadic servers 80 , over the internet 50 . 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 . as such , references herein to specific embodiments and details thereof are not intended to limit the scope of the claims appended hereto . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications can be made to the embodiments chosen for illustration without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .
| 7 |
referring to fig1 and 2 of the drawings , there is illustrated a combustion products detector , generally designated by the numeral 20 , which includes a housing 21 having a circular base 22 provided with a peripheral upstanding flange 23 having attachment means 24 at spaced - apart points therealong . the housing 21 also includes a cover 25 which is generally cup - shaped and is provided with a peripheral flange 26 adapted to fit over the base flange 23 and provided with attachment portions for cooperation with the attachment means 24 on the base 22 . the cover 25 includes an end wall portion perforated with circular slots or grooves to form a grille 27 for permitting ambient air and combustion products to enter the housing 21 . preferably , the housing 21 is formed of plastic , and the attachment means therefor are adapted so that the cover 25 may be press or snap - fitted together with the base 22 for ease of assembly , yet providing a means whereby the cover is not easily removable . suitable mounting means ( not shown ) are provided for mounting the combustion products detector 20 on a support surface such as a ceiling , wall or the like . mounted within the housing 21 on the base 22 is a printed circuit board 30 which may be formed of plastic or other suitable electrically insulating material , and is held in place by a plurality of hold - down fingers 31 which are preferably integral with the base 22 . mounted on the circuit board 30 are all of the electronic components of the combustion products detector 20 , most of which form no part of the present invention and are , therefore , not shown in the drawings . referring now also to fig3 through 7 of the drawings , there is mounted on the printed circuit board 30 an ionization assembly , generally designated by the numeral 40 which includes a metal , generally cup - shaped housing 41 which is preferably of one - piece construction . the housing 41 includes a generally cylindrical side wall 42 hexagonal in transverse cross section and closed at one end thereof by a hexagonal end wall 43 , the side wall 42 being provided with a multiplicity of equidistantly spaced - apart elongated access slots 44 therein , arranged in two vertically spaced - apart circumferential groups . integral with the side wall 42 and extending laterally outwardly therefrom is an attachment finger 45 adapted to be secured to the printed circuit board 30 by a suitable fastener 46 such as a threaded fastener . the fastener 46 cooperates with a nut 47 , secured by tabs 48 to the printed circuit board 30 and connected as by soldering to the associated circuitry . the housing 41 cooperates with the printed circuit board 30 to define therebetween an ionization chamber , generally designated by the numeral 50 ( see fig4 and 5 ), the housing 41 forming an outer electrode for the ionization chamber 50 . the housing 41 may be two inches or less in height and about two inches in width and occupies only a small portion of the volume within the housing 21 , as can best be seen in fig2 . it will be appreciated that the slots 44 permit ambient air and airborne combustion products to enter and leave the ionization chamber 50 . disposed in the ionization chamber 50 is a reference assembly , generally designated by the numeral 60 ( see fig5 ), which includes a cylindrical insulator 61 disposed in a complementary circular opening in the circuit board 30 and provided with a plurality of circumferential grooves 62 in the outer surface thereof . the bottom of the insulator 61 is closed by a circular bottom cover 65 which is formed of metal and is provided at the outer edge thereof with an integral upstanding cylindrical flange 64 which is disposed in surrounding relationship with the outer surface of the insulator 61 and projects upwardly a slight distance above the circuit board 30 . the flange 64 is provided with a laterally inwardly extending circumferential rib 66 ( see fig6 ) which is adapted to be received in one of the grooves 62 in the insulator 61 with a snap fit to facilitate attachment of the bottom cover 65 to the insulator 61 . the flange 64 is also provided at its upper edge with spaced - apart radially outwardly extending attachment legs 67 ( see fig6 ), each provided with a downwardly extending foot 68 adapted to be received in a complementary opening in the circuit board 30 and provided with a laterally outwardly projecting prong 69 at the distal end thereof adapted to engage the underside of the circuit board 30 for attachment of the radiation source assembly 60 to the circuit board 30 . the insulator 61 is also provided with a circular top cover 70 having at the periphery thereof an integral depending cylindrical side wall 71 . the side wall 71 is provided with detents 72 adapted to be snap - fitted into an associated one of the grooves 62 in the insulator 61 to facilitate attachment thereto . the side wall 71 may also be provided at the lower edge thereof with a laterally outwardly extending connecting tab 73 ( see fig4 ) to facilitate electrical connection of the top cover 70 to associated circuitry . integral with the side wall 71 and projecting upwardly therefrom are spaced - apart attachment fingers 74 . the top cover 70 forms an inner electrode for the ionization assembly 40 and cooperates with the insulator 61 and the bottom cover 65 to define a reference chamber 75 . the top cover 70 is provided with a circular aperture 77 centrally thereof for receiving therein an associated source holder , generally designated by the numeral 80 ( see fig7 ). the source holder 80 includes a cylindrical carrier body 81 which is snugly received in the aperture 77 and is provided at the lower end thereof with a radially outwardly extending peripheral flange 82 which engages the inner surface of the top cover 70 . the carrier body 81 has a circular hole 83 extending centrally therethrough , an annular shoulder or shelf 84 being formed approximately midway between the upper and lower ends of the hole 83 for supporting thereon a circular body 85 of radioactive material , typically an alpha particle emitter of a type well known in the art . in assembly , the carrier body 81 is inserted upwardly through the aperture 77 in the top cover 70 until the peripheral flange 82 engages the underside of the top cover 70 . the upper end of the carrier body 81 is then deformed by a suitable die to form an upper annular flange 86 which overlaps the upper surface of the top cover 70 firmly to attach the source holder 80 thereto . the reference assembly 60 is disposed eccentrically with respect to the ionization chamber 50 in the preferred embodiment , to facilitate the mounting of electrical components within the ionization chamber 50 . but it will be understood that the reference assembly 60 could be arranged coaxially with the ionization chamber 50 . referring now in particular to fig4 and 5 of the drawings , the ionization assembly 40 also includes a cylindrical control screen 90 which is formed of a wire mesh or the like and is arranged with the ends thereof overlapping and secured together . the control screen 90 is provided with an elongated flat , generally rectangular mounting strap 92 , which extends across the bottom of the control screen 90 generally along a chord thereof , the mounting strap 92 being provided at each end thereof with a plurality of upstanding attachment fingers 93 which are fixedly secured to the outer surface of the control screen 90 . the mounting strap 92 has punched therefrom adjacent to the opposite ends thereof pairs of mounting tabs 94 . in use , the mounting strap 92 overlies the top cover 70 of the reference assembly 60 and extends generally diametrically thereacross , with the attachment fingers 74 being respectively received between corresponding pairs of the mounting tabs 94 to be resiliently gripped thereby for attachment of the control screen 90 to the reference assembly 60 . the control screen 90 includes a plurality of horizontal ribs 96 and vertical ribs 97 which intersect to define therebetween rectangular holes or openings 95 . screens with different shaped holes could be used . the mounting strap 92 is provided with a circular aperture 98 therethrough adapted to be disposed in registry with the source holder 80 to permit radiation to pass through the mounting strap 92 into the ionization chamber 50 . the control screen 90 is preferably arranged coaxially with the ionization chamber 50 which means that , in the preferred embodiment , it will be eccentric with respect to the reference assembly 60 . the control screen 90 and mounting strap 92 are formed of metal and are electrically connected to the top cover 70 of the reference assembly 60 . the control screen 90 preferably has a diameter substantially greater than the diameter of the top cover 70 and is adapted to just fit within the ionization chamber 50 without contacting the housing 41 . more specifically , the control screen 90 is preferably spaced about two millimeters from the housing 41 at its closest approach thereto . as can be seen in fig5 the height of the control screen 90 is such that when mounted in place , it extends about half way to the top of the ionization chamber 50 and is disposed immediately opposite the lower row of slots 44 in the housing 41 . referring now also to fig8 and 9 of the drawings , the operation of the ionization assembly 40 will now be explained . it will be understood that the associated source of electric power is connected in the circuit across the electrodes formed by the housing 41 and the bottom cover 65 , these electrodes being at opposite polarities as indicated and the potential therebetween establishing an electric field 100 in the ionization chamber 50 . the field 100 is best illustrated by the field lines in fig8 the closeness of the field lines being proportional to the intensity of the electric field . it can be seen that the electric field 100 includes a relatively low - intensity region 101 centrally of the ionization chamber 50 between the end wall 43 of the housing 41 and the top cover 70 , and a relatively high - intensity region 102 between the control screen 90 and the side wall 42 of the housing 41 . the body 85 of the radioactive material emits a cloud 103 of alpha particles , the general shape of which cloud is illustrated in fig8 and is determined by the recessing of the body 85 of radioactive material within the carrier body 81 of the source holder 80 . it will be noted that the cloud 103 of radioactive particles extends only a slight distance above the top of the control screen 90 . within this cloud 103 the radioactive particles contact air molecules and form electrically - charged carriers in the form of positive and negative ions , represented by the plus and minus signs in fig8 . because both positive and negative ions exist within the cloud 103 , this area forms a bipolar region of the ionization chamber 50 . however , because of the electric field 100 within the ionization chamber 50 , the positive ions are attracted to the negative electrode formed by the top cover 70 and the negative ions are attracted to the positive electrode formed by the housing 41 , thus resulting in a unipolar region 104 outside the range of the radioactive particles in which ions of substantially only one polarity are present . it is this movement of ions to the electrodes which creates the ion current within the ionization chamber 50 . in normal operation , when combustion products enter the ionization chamber 50 , ions become attached to the smoke particles , thereby reducing the ion current and when this current has dropped to a predetermined level , an alarm will be sounded . this ion current can also be reduced by recombination of positive and negative ions in the bipolar region of the cloud 103 . it is known that provision of a unipolar region 104 within the ionization chamber 50 improves the sensitivity of the device to combustion products . thus , it would be desirable to enhance the unipolar effects . it has been a problem in prior ionization - type smoke detectors that the airflow through the ionization chamber , indicated by the arrows 105 in fig5 tends to blow ions from the ionization chamber so that they are no longer available for contribution to the ion current . in general , the higher the velocity of the airstream passing through ionization chamber , the greater the number of ions which are blown therefrom . in prior smoke detectors with bipolar ionization chambers , false alarming has occurred at air velocities in the range of about 400 feet per minute . it is an object of the present invention to significantly reduce the number of ions blown out of the ionization chamber 50 , and thereby reduce the sensitivity of the combustion products detector 20 to air velocity , without impairing its sensitivity to smoke . in this regard , it has been found that the use of the control screen 90 in the ionization chamber 50 , particularly where the ionization chamber 50 has a significant unipolar region , has markedly improved the performance of the combustion products detector 20 . referring to fig9 of the drawings , curve 106 is a plot of the voltage of the center electrode ( top plate 70 ) against the velocity of clear air flowing through the ionization chamber 50 when the control screen 90 of the present invention is not used . initially , there is a slight increase in the voltage , with a corresponding increase in chamber current , as the air velocity increases to about 100 feet per minute . as the air velocity increases beyond about 100 feet per minute , the center electrode voltage drops off , and the current of the ionization chamber 50 drops toward the alarm level , reaching that level at an air velocity of approximately 700 feet per minute . curve 107 is a plot of the voltage of the center electrode ( top plate 70 and control screen 90 ) against clear air velocity when the control screen 90 of the present invention is used . it will be noted that the presence of the control screen 90 changes the configuration and impedance of the ionization chamber 50 , resulting in a lowering of the initial operating voltage of the ionization chamber 50 in still air and a corresponding lowering of the alarm level of the ionization chamber 50 . again , as air velocity increases the voltage of the center electrode initially moves away from the alarm level up to an air velocity of about 400 feet per minute . as the air velocity increases beyond that point , the center electrode voltage drops off , with a corresponding drop off in the current of the ionization chamber 50 , toward the alarm level . however , in this case it can be seen that the alarm level has not been reached even at an air velocity of 2 , 000 feet per minute . thus , the conrol screen 90 renders the ionization chamber 50 virtually insensitive to air velocity for all practical purposes . it is an important feature of the present invention that it achieves this significant improvement in immunity to air velocity effects while maintaining the sensitivity of the device to airborne combustion products . thus , the ionization assembly 40 has a sensitivity of 1 . 1 % obscuration per foot when exposed to the products of burning - type combustion , and a sensitivity of 4 . 5 % obscuration per foot when exposed to the products of smoldering - type combustion . as presently understood , the mechanism by which the control screen 90 achieves these results involves the operation of two phenomena . it is believed that the control screen 90 , which is disposed in the path of the airflow through the ionization chamber 50 , serves to decrease the velocity of the air within the ionization chamber 50 . furthermore , it is believed that the high - intensity region 102 of the electric field 100 formed between the control screen 90 and the side wall 42 of the housing 41 serves as an electrostatic barrier to the escape of ions from the ionization chamber 50 in the airstream . effectively , the control screen 90 removes the high - intensity region 102 of the electric field 100 to a narrow band close to the housing side wall 42 which is largely beyond the region where ions are generated by alpha particles from the body 85 of radioactive material . thus , the current flowing to the housing side wall 42 is decreased , and more negative ions flow to the housing top wall 43 . this flow increases the ion density in the low field region 101 of the ionization chamber 50 , and thereby increases the magnitude of the unipolar effects due to this ion density . it is a significant aspect of the present invention that the use of the control screen 90 effects a high field at the outer boundary of the ionization chamber 50 without sacrificing entry of combustion products or neutral particles . while , in the preferred embodiment , the control screen 90 is spaced from the housing side wall 42 by about two millimeters , it will be appreciated that in general , it is desired that this spacing be as small as is permissible by the construction tolerances of the materials involved without risking contact between the control screen 90 and the housing 41 . a voltage of approximately 12 volts is applied across the electrodes formed by the housing 41 and the bottom cover 65 , resulting in an electric field strength of approximately 30 volts per centimeter in the high - intensity region 102 of the electric field 100 , whereas the strength of the field in the low - intensity region 101 is approximately 1 . 5 volts per centimeter . this results in an ion velocity imparted by the electric field 100 of approximately 3 feet per minute in the low - intensity region 101 and approximately 60 feet per minute in the high - intensity region 102 . thus , this velocity caused by the electric field in the high - intensity region 102 effectively prevents ions from being blown out of that region except at very high air velocities . it will be appreciated that the present invention achieves insensitivity to air velocity while maintaining a substantially open ionization chamber 50 , i . e ., without impairing the access of ambient air to the ionization chamber 50 . as a result of this relatively open construction , the present invention is able to maintain a high sensitivity to airborne combustion products . in general , it may be expected that the higher the screen , the greater the reduction it would achieve in air velocity within the ionization chamber 50 . however , it will also tend to provide a greater restriction on entry of combustion products into the ionization chamber 50 . accordingly , the preferred embodiment has a control screen height which is selected as a compromise to achieve adequate insensitivity to velocity without adversely affecting the sensitivity to combustion products . specifically , the height of the control screen 90 is preferably in the range of from about 0 . 6 inch to about 1 inch . from the foregoing , it can be seen that there has been provided an improved ionization chamber for a combustion products detector which achieves virtual insensitivity to airflow velocity through the ionization chamber without significantly impairing the sensitivity of the ionization chamber to airborne products of either burning or smoldering - type combustion .
| 6 |
the present invention relates to a process for the reduction of fluorescence in secondary fibers by using ozone . bleaching of the pulp fibers by commercial means is also surprisingly improved by this process . generally , the present invention is based in part upon the discovery that sequences which split the total ozone charge into two or more stages are more efficient than single ozone applications . between the two ozone stages , washing or bleaching can be applied . thus , if z = ozone and w = washing , a sequence of z w z has been found to be better than z or z w when the total ozone consumption is the same . the fibers which can be treated in accordance with the present invention can be any fiber known which can be used , e . g ., slurried , for making sheet material which fibers contain a fluorescent dye . generally , the fiber pulp will be obtained through a paper recycling process wherein used or waste paper is recycled . paper which is fluorescent - whitened , which paper is generally prepared by the internal addition and / or coating of a fluorescent dye , is prevalent in the paper industry . the process of the present invention has particular application in the defluorescence of such paper . the ozone used in the process of the present invention can be readily obtained commercially , or it can be produced on site . ozone is generally produced by electrical discharge from pure oxygen or from purified air . there are many advantageous ozone generation systems which use oxygen as the feeding gas . such systems are highly efficient , of relatively small size and flexible enough to produce ozone according to variable demands . accordingly , the ozone gas used in connection with the practice of the present invention can be easily supplied on site according to mill requirements and plant configurations , if so desired . once the ozone is produced , the ozone can be utilized in gaseous form , e . g ., a mixture of ozone and oxygen , air or other carrier gas , or as a concentrated solution of ozone . when the ozone is used in gaseous form , the ozone gas ( or mixture of ozone and oxygen ) is generally injected into a reactor which contains the pulp to be treated . the reactor can be any suitable container having an inlet and outlet for the ozone and an inlet and outlet for the pulp , preferably with mixing means . for example , a rotary glass reactor wherein mixing is achieved by rotation can be used . the gas injection can go on during a precalculated reaction time such as in a batch process . otherwise , the contacting of the ozone with the pulp can be on a continuous basis with the pulp and ozone constantly being passed through the reactor . in such a continuous process , it must be assured that sufficient contact of the ozone with the pulp is achieved . the ozone gas can be injected under pressure or at almost atmospheric conditions , depending on the type of technology used . for example , at medium consistency ( 10 - 15 % solids , 85 - 90 % water ), the ozone is preferably injected at 6 - 12 bars . at high consistency ( 30 - 40 % solids , 60 - 70 % water ), ozone can be injected at 1 - 2 bars . when a solution of ozone is used , a similar reactor or contactor can be used with appropriate equipment to permit the entry and exit of liquid instead of gas . the duration of the contact will vary depending on the result desired to be achieved , as well as other factors which are all well known to the skilled artisan . for example , the contact time of the ozone stage is dependent on factors such as concentration of ozone in oxygen or air , sample size , charge applied , and consistency . the retention time at medium or high consistency is generally from 1 - 15 minutes . for the purposes of the present invention , the total contact time will generally comprise from 1 to 30 minutes , and more preferably from 1 to 15 minutes . it is preferred that each of the ozone contact stages are of equal duration , although it is not necessary to split the ozone application in half . for example , the amount of ozone used in the first contact can be from 90 to 10 weight % of the total ozone used , with from 10 to 90 weight % ozone being used in the second ozone contact . in a specific embodiment , at least 50 % by weight ozone is used in the first ozone contact step , and then the pulp is washed . the remaining amount of ozone is then used in the second ozone contact step , or a measurement of fluorescence is done to determine if more or less than the remaining amount of ozone is necessary to optimize the result . the total amount of ozone used is generally in the range of from 0 . 2 to 2 . 0 wt % based on the weight of the dry pulp . more preferably , the total amount of ozone used for the defluorescence treatment is in the range of from about 0 . 5 to 1 . 5 wt %, based upon the weight of the dry pulp . the total amount of ozone to be used is preferably divided equally among the two or more stages of ozone treatment that takes place . an intermediate step of washing or bleaching , or actually any treatment with an aqueous solution , can be employed between the stages of ozone contact . such an intermediate step removes undesirable byproducts of oxidation , thereby making the second ozone application more effective by leaving a larger portion of the ozone available to react with the fluorescent dyes . the bleaching step can be run in accordance with any of the conventionally known processes for bleaching pulp . generally , the conventional bleaching chemicals such as sodium hydroxide , silicates and dtpa are added together , optionally with water , in a container to adjust consistency . hydrogen peroxide or some other conventional bleaching chemical can then be added as the last chemical to the bleaching liquor . the pulp to be treated is generally contained in a suitable contained area , such as a conventional bleaching tower . the bleaching liquor is then added to the pulp , with mixing of the pulp in contact with the bleaching liquor then taking place . in a specific embodiment , the bleaching stage can be also followed with a washing stage prior to the second ozone application . thus , a sequence such as z x w z is contemplated , where z is an ozone treatment , x is a bleaching stage and w is a water or aqueous solution stage . in general , any conventional bleaching conditions can be used . as an example of such conditions , the hydrogen peroxide charge is generally in the range of from about 0 . 3 to 5 wt %, based on the weight of oven dried pulp . if sodium hydroxide is used , the charge is generally in the range from about 0 . 3 to 3 . 0 wt % based upon the weight of the oven dried pulp . if silicates are used , the charge is in the range of from about 2 . 0 to 3 . 0 wt % based upon the weight of the oven dried pulp . if dtpa is used , the charge is generally in the range of from about 0 . 2 to 0 . 3 wt % based upon the weight of the oven dried pulp . the temperature of the mixture of pulp and bleaching liquor is generally maintained in the range of from about 60 ° to 70 ° c ., with the bleaching reaction time ranging from about 60 to 180 minutes . in a preferred embodiment , fluorescent dye containing paper is recycled by first pulping ( fibrillating ) and deinking the paper . the resulting pulp can then be treated with sufficient ozone in two or more separate treatments to reduce the fluorescent dye content of the pulp . the pulp can then be used to produce paper products with very low fluorescence index or non - fluorescent paper products . one example is food board . as the process of the present invention permits one to reduce the fluorescence in a most effective and efficient manner , the process makes the commercial use of recycled fibers in food board more attractive and possible . the present process has also been found to provide improved brightness , as an added benefit . the use of ozone also has the benefit of disinfecting and deodorizing the recycled paper , thereby permitting one to obtain a clean , reclaimed paper . the invention will be illustrated in greater detail by the following specific examples . it is understood that these examples are given by way of illustration and are not meant to limit the disclosure of the claims to follow . all percentages in the examples , and elsewhere in the specification , are by weight ( of oven dried pulp ) unless otherwise specified . the following example demonstrates comparatively how the process of the present invention provides improved fluorescence , as well as brightness , as compared to the use of a single stage ozone treatment . several pulp samples were used for this experiment . all of the furnishes were composed of post consumer waste paper with low ( less than 5 %) mechanical pulp content and high initial fluorescence index . ozone treatments were carried out at ambient temperature and high consistency . water was extracted from the pulp in order to reach 37 - 43 % consistency . the pulp was then fluffed in a laboratory fluffer and placed in a rotary evaporator to which ozone gas was injected . ozone gas was produced in a 7 g / hr ozone generator . the concentration of ozone produced and the quantity of ozone not consumed by the reaction were measured by iodometric titration . pulp was removed from the ozone reactor with distilled water . the pulp was washed with filtered tap water and thickened to medium consistency . next , the sample was diluted to low consistency with distilled water and mixed . finally , the pulp was brought to high consistency by centrifugation and fluffed . handsheets were produced according to tappi procedures . filtered tap water was used . iso brightness and fluorescence index were measured using an elrepho spectrophotometer . the fluorescence routine allows the brightness of a sample to be measured both with and without the optical brighteners in the sample being excited . first a normal brightness reading is taken while the sample is being illuminated with full spectrum light including ultraviolet energy . if optical brighteners were present in the sheet , they would be excited by the ultraviolet energy and this component of fluorescence will add to the intrinsic brightness of the sheet . after this measurement was taken , the ultraviolet cutoff filters were inserted into the light beams . since the ultraviolet light was excluded from this reading , the fluorescent brighteners were not excited . the difference between these two readings was referred to as the &# 34 ; fluorescent component of brightness &# 34 ; or simply &# 34 ; fluorescence &# 34 ;. if the sample contained no optical brighteners , the fluorescence should be very close to zero . the results of the experimental runs are set forth in table 1 below : table 1______________________________________ fluorescence index iso brightnesssequence pulp a pulp b pulp c pulp a pulp b pulp c______________________________________original 2 . 78 2 . 99 1 . 92 85 . 9 78 . 9 70 . 7z 0 . 31 0 . 61 0 . 85 87 . 5 84 . 6 78 . 7z w z 0 . 17 0 . 41 0 . 54 88 . 1 86 . 0 81 . 6______________________________________ note : total ozone consumption for both z and z w z = 1 . 0 % fig1 of the drawing graphically depicts the results of measured fluorescence and iso brightness for the single ozone application and the split zone charge in two stages in accordance with the present invention . fig2 graphically depicts similar results for pulp b , while fig3 graphically depicts the results for pulp c . example 1 was repeated except that the washing stage was replaced by a bleaching stage followed by dewatering ( to high consistency ) and consequent removal of undesirable byproducts of the reaction . runs using both hydrogen peroxide ( p ) and hypochlorite ( h ) as the bleaching chemical were made . the results are shown below in table 2 . table 2______________________________________sequence fluorescence iso brightness______________________________________original 1 . 03 61 . 5z p 0 . 85 74 . 2z p z 0 . 59 77 . 0z h 0 . 85 78 . 5z h z 0 . 70 80 . 0______________________________________ notes : total ozone consumption for both z and z × z = 0 . 6 % charge of hydrogen peroxide ( p ) = 0 . 3 % charge of sodium hypochlorite ( h ) = 0 . 5 % from the foregoing , it can be seen that the split addition of the present invention provides a superior result . in other words , when x = any bleaching chemical , z x z was found to be better than z x for the same total ozone consumption . the procedure of example 2 was again followed , with the split addition being compared to several sequences using different bleaching chemicals . runs using hydrogen peroxide ( p ), hypochlorite ( h ), sodium hydrosulfite ( y ) and formamidine sulphinic acid ( fas ) were made . the results are shown in table 3 below . the results are graphically depicted in fig4 - 7 of the drawings . table 3______________________________________ iso total % o . sub . 3 fluorescence bright - con - sequence index ness sumption______________________________________original 2 . 26 73 . 5 -- z p 0 . 86 85 . 5 1 . 00z p z * 0 . 56 85 . 9 1 . 01z y 0 . 79 84 . 1 1 . 00z y z * 0 . 34 85 . 2 1 . 02z fas 0 . 72 83 . 2 1 . 00z fas z * 0 . 34 85 . 3 1 . 03z h 0 . 53 84 . 9 1 . 00z h z * 0 . 32 85 . 7 1 . 02______________________________________ notes : all values shown are before reversion . brightness and fluorescence index were measured with technidyne &# 39 ; s technibrite micro tblc spectrophotometer . * = split addition notice that total ozone charge is the same in all cases . while the invention has been described with preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that variations and modifications may be resorted to as will be apparent to those skilled in the art . such variations and modifications are to be considered within the purview and the scope of the claims appended hereto .
| 3 |
please refer to fig2 , which shows an embodiment of the present invention by a schematic circuit diagram . the present invention employs a buck converter 30 to replace the linear voltage converter 10 in the prior art . the buck converter 30 has better power utilization efficiency and is less likely to cause heat dissipation issue . in addition , the buck converter 30 is operated under temperature compensation control so that the circuit temperature is even better controlled . more specifically , the power system of the present invention includes two power supply paths . the first power supply path is connected between an external power source and an output voltage node vout which supplies an output to a load 2 , the first power supply path being controlled by the buck converter 30 . the second power supply path is connected between the output voltage node vout and a battery batt . the buck converter 30 is controlled by a temperature compensation control circuit 40 , wherein the temperature compensation control circuit 40 includes a temperature sensor circuit 41 and an output voltage upper and lower limit setting circuit 42 . the temperature sensor circuit 41 senses the circuit temperature . when the circuit temperature is too high , the output voltage vout is adjusted to reduce the circuit temperature . the output voltage upper and lower limit setting circuit 42 sets an upper limit vh and a lower limit vl of the output voltage vout . referring to fig3 , the function achieved by the temperature sensor circuit 41 and the output voltage upper and lower limit setting circuit 42 is thus . when a sensed temperature is lower than a predetermined temperature t , the output voltage is allowed to reach the upper limit vh , such that the load 2 and the battery batt can obtain a maximum level of power . when the sensed temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature , the maximum level of the output voltage vout decreases gradually to reduce the circuit temperature . yet , when the sensed temperature is much higher than the predetermined temperature t , the output voltage vout is still not lower than the lower limit vl , such that the load 2 can obtain the basic power that it requires . in addition , in this embodiment , an additional over current protection circuit 50 may be optionally provided . the over current protection circuit 50 is used for controlling current through the first power supply path , such that the current does not exceed a predetermined safety range . fig4 shows a specific embodiment of the temperature compensation control circuit 40 . the temperature sensor circuit 41 includes an operational amplifier 411 and a transistor 412 , wherein the operational amplifier 411 has an output controlling a gate of the transistor 412 . the operational amplifier 411 compares a signal representing a sensed temperature with a signal representing a predetermined temperature t , and controls the conduction of the transistor 412 to determine a current i 1 according to the comparison result . the output voltage upper and lower limit setting circuit 42 includes a current source 12 , a resistor r 1 and a comparator 421 , wherein the product of the current i 2 and the resistance r 1 is equal to the upper limit vh of the output voltage . when the sensed temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature t , the operational amplifier 411 controls the transistor 412 and turns it off ; hence , i 1 is zero . therefore , the voltage at the node v 1 is equal to i 2 × r 1 ( i . e ., vh is equal to i 2 × r 1 ). when the sensed temperature is higher than the predetermined temperature t , the conduction of the transistor 412 increases in accordance with the increase of the temperature difference . in this case , the voltage at the node v 1 is equal to ( i 2 − i 1 )× r 1 . the comparator 421 selects a highest one from its three positive inputs , i . e ., the battery voltage vbatt , the lower limit vl , and the node voltage v 1 , and compares it with the output voltage vout . when the comparison result shows that the negative input ( output voltage vout ) is lower , a high level signal pon is generated . when the over current protection circuit 50 is provided and the temperature compensation control circuit 40 is embodied by the one shown in fig4 , the circuit can supply power to the load in the following way , for example : first , when an over current protection is not triggered , and when the sensed temperature is much lower than the predetermined temperature t , the output voltage vout can be set to the upper limit vh . when the sensed temperature exceeds but is still close to the predetermined temperature t , the maximum level of the output voltage vout decreases , such that the voltage difference between the output voltage vout and the battery batt decreases . hence , power dissipation by the power transistor p 1 decreases , so that the circuit temperature decreases and eventually balances at the predetermined temperature t . when the sensed temperature is far higher than the predetermined temperature t , if the battery voltage vbatt is higher than the lower limit vl , the maximum level of the output voltage vout is vbatt , such that the voltage difference of the output voltage vout and the battery voltage vbatt is zero ; hence , the power dissipation by the power transistor p 1 is zero . yet , if the battery voltage vbatt is lower than the lower limit vl , the output voltage vout is maintained at the lower limit vl , such that the load 2 can obtain basic power that it requires . second , when the total current flowing to the load 2 and for charging the battery batt is too large that the over current protection circuit 42 is triggered , because the product of the input current and input voltage of the buck converter 30 is almost equal to the product of its output current and output voltage , when the input current is limited and the output current increases , the output voltage vout naturally decreases , such that the power transistor p 1 enters its saturation region , and the current charging the battery batt decreases accordingly . if the current required by the load 2 is more than the over current protection setting , the circuit will stop charging the battery batt ; instead , the external power source and the battery batt will both supply current to the load 2 . when the over current protection circuit 50 is not provided , the output signal pon of the temperature compensation control circuit 40 can solely determine the switching time of a power switch in the buck converter 30 . if the over current protection circuit 50 is provided , as an example , the circuit may be embodied as shown in fig5 . the buck converter 30 includes upper and lower gate power switches 301 and 302 , and an inductor 303 . by operation of the upper and lower gate power switches 301 and 302 , an input voltage vin at the left side is converted to an output voltage vout at the right side . each of the upper and lower gate power switches 301 and 302 can be a pmos transistor or an nmos transistor . depending on the type of the transistor , the gate control signal thereof may need to be inverted . a logic circuit 304 performs a logic operation on the output signal pon from the temperature compensation control circuit 40 and the output signal oc from the over current protection circuit 50 ; the result is used to drive the power switch 301 via a driver gate 305 . assuming that the upper gate power switch 301 is a pmos transistor , when the output signal oc is low , indicating that the over current status does not occur , the signal pon determines the on - time of the power switch 301 ( since the power switch 301 is a pmos transistor , the logic circuit 304 outputs the signal pon in inverted form ). when the output signal oc is high , indicating that the over current status occurs , the logic circuit 304 outputs a high level signal , and the power switch 301 is turned off . the over current protection circuit 50 can be embodied in many forms . fig6 shows one example thereof , wherein a voltage difference across the resistor r 2 is used to indicate a current flowing through the resistor r 2 . by comparing the voltage difference with a predetermined reference voltage vref , it can be determined whether an over current status has occurred . fig7 shows another example of the over current protection circuit 50 , wherein it senses a current flowing through the first power supply path , and causes the current to flow through a resistor r 3 . similarly , whether an over current status has occurred can be determined by comparing the voltage across the resistor r 3 with the reference voltage vref . the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof . it should be understood that the description is for illustrative purpose , not for limiting the scope of the present invention . those skilled in this art can readily conceive variations and modifications within the spirit of the present invention . for example , the power switch 302 can be replaced by a diode . as another example , an additional circuit device which does not substantially affect the primary function of the circuit can be interposed between two devices shown to be in direct connection in the embodiments of the present invention . as yet another example , in the embodiment shown in fig4 , it is not necessarily required to compare all signals in one comparator 421 ; instead , the signals can be compared two by two , and the results are consolidated by logic operation , or the like . in view of the foregoing , the spirit of the present invention should cover all such and other modifications and variations , which should be interpreted to fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents .
| 7 |
fig1 illustrates an eem 10 , exemplary of an embodiment of the present invention . eem 10 includes an objective lens 26 , a drift chamber 28 , a dynamic projector lens 12 , and an electron detector 34 . an optional deflector / stigmator unit 32 also forms part of eem 10 . eem 10 may be used to image an object 16 or a portion thereof using pulsed electrons emitted from object 16 . beam 38 may be a beam of electromagnetic waves , such as uv light or x - rays , or charged particles , such as electrons . a radiation source ( not shown ) may form part of eem 10 to excite object 16 to emit electrons by generating radiation beam 38 . drift chamber 28 may have an axial length between 20 and 100 cm . an example detector 34 may include a multi - channel - plate ( mcp ) and a digital sampling oscilloscope to image object 16 . lens 12 is positioned at a distance from object 16 to focus electrons emitted from object 16 in a target plane 18 along an optical axis 20 to form an image 22 of object 16 . an electrode 14 controls the electrical potential at lens 12 , and thereby the electric field along optical axis 20 between drift chamber 28 and lens 12 . the voltage on electrode 14 may be supplied by a signal generator and thus varied in time and synchronized with an input signal . electrode 14 may take various shapes and be placed at various locations along optical axis 20 . in eem 10 , exemplary projector lens 12 is a weak focusing electrostatic lens and electrode 14 is incorporated in projector lens 12 : electrode 14 of projector lens 12 is biased by a signal generator for controlling the electrical potential at lens 12 . electrical potential at lens 12 can also be varied in various other manners known to a person skilled in the art . viewed another way , the potential at electrode 14 varies the focal length of lens 12 , and allows the focal length of lens 12 to vary in time so as to compensate for the spread in kinetic energies of the emitted electrons focused by lens 12 . electrode 14 varies potential at lens 12 , and thereby the field along axis 20 , compensating for the chromatic aberration effect in manners exemplary of the present invention , as described herein . specifically , the kinetic energy of an emitted electron arriving at lens 12 depends on both its initial kinetic energy at object 16 and the electrical potential at lens 12 at the time of arrival . electrons within a pulse of electrons emitted from object 16 will arrive at lens 12 at different times if they have different initial kinetic energies . that is , the electrons will be spatially separated as a result of their travel along optical axis 20 . thus , when the potential at lens 12 varies as emitted electrons arrive , the kinetic energies of the emitted electrons passing lens 12 are modulated by the variance of the potential and will vary depending on their arrival time at lens 12 . with a beam of pulsed electrons emitted from object 16 , the potential at lens 12 can be controlled to vary in time to reduce the kinetic energy dispersion of electrons passing through lens 12 . as the energy dispersion in the electrons at the lens is reduced , chromatic aberration can be reduced . again , viewed another way , the focal length of lens 12 varies in dependence on the potential at electrode 14 . change in focal length of lens 12 with time cause electrons with different arrival energies to be focused in the same plane . the potential change required at lens 12 can be estimated as follows . assuming an infinitely short pulse width , and denoting the spread in initial kinetic energy as δe i , the spread in arrival time at projector lens 12 as δt , the required change in potential , δv ( t ), within time δt for eliminating any energy spread at lens 12 is , in theory , beside the spread in initial kinetic energy , there are two additional factors that affect the spread in arrival time at lens 12 : the speeds at which the pulsed electrons travel and the traveling distance between object 16 and lens 12 clearly lower speeds and longer distance will result in a larger spread in arrival time . in order to sufficiently spatially separate electrons of different initial energies in a pulse of emitted electrons , the pulsed electrons are allowed to travel a sufficient distance before they reach lens 12 . drift chamber 28 may therefore be provided . drift chamber 28 electrically shields pulsed electrons passing through it from external electrical and magnetic fields . drift chamber 28 may be biased to a low potential so that pulsed electrons entering it will have low kinetic energies and travel at low speeds within it . further , the kinetic energies of the pulsed electrons may be kept low before they reach lens 12 so that they travel at low speeds . optionally , projector lens 12 of eem 10 may be replaced with a magnetic projector lens 12 ′ as in eem 10 ′ depicted in fig2 . in the case of a magnetic lens , an electrically biased grid , acting as an electrode 14 , may be placed between the pole - pieces of the magnetic lens to vary the potential at lens 12 ′. an additional objective lens 26 ( fig1 and 2 ) forms part of eem 10 and 10 ′ and is designed to work with a time of flight spectrometer , but may be designed to also work with other types of imaging energy filters , such as a wien filter or an omega filter . the optical magnification of objective lens 26 may be as high as 500 to 10 , 000 . objective lens 26 may have a focal length ranging from 20 to 200 μm . objective lens 26 may use mixed electric and magnetic fields to extract and guide electrons emitted from object 16 . an exemplary embodiment of objective lens 26 is more particularly illustrated in fig3 . as illustrated , objective lens 26 may have a tapered tip 40 which has a small opening 42 . the diameter of opening 42 of tapered tip 40 may be made small so that both axial magnetic and electric fields fall off sharply at opening 42 . for example , diameters between 50 to 200 μm may be used . a smaller opening 42 results in smaller chromatic and spherical on - axis aberration coefficients . magnetic fields are generated by electromagnet 44 placed below object 16 . electromagnet 44 comprises an iron casing 46 enclosing a coil 48 . casing 46 has a central opening 50 in its top plate for producing magnetic fields in the area around opening 42 of objective lens 26 . object 16 may also be placed in opening 42 of the top plate . of course , other types of objective lenses , such as those used in conventional eems may also be used . for example , objective lens 26 may be replaced with an electrostatic objective lens . in operation , a radiation source radiates object 16 placed close to objective lens 26 with radiation beam 38 , as illustrated in fig1 and 2 . to generate pulsed emission electrons , radiation beam 38 may be pulsed . pulses of electrons that have short width and are well separated are preferable because of easy separation of the electrons . calculations show that beams with pulse width around one nanosecond for overall transit time of over 100 ns , will produce good results . in general , the width of the pulse at the specimen should be limited to be a small fraction of the total transit time . of course , as can be appreciated , practical pulse width and repetition time are limited by many factors including the time resolution of various elements and control components of the microscope and efficiency considerations . for example , a pulse width of about 10 ns may be appropriate for longer overall transit times . alternatively , radiation beam 38 may be continuous or have a wide pulse width , in which case , object 16 may be driven by nanosecond - wide low voltage pulses at a desired repetition rate which effectively block emission of electrons . pulsed electrons emitted from object 16 may include secondary electrons , photoelectrons or other types of electrons , depending on the characteristics of radiation beam 38 and object 16 . object 16 may be received in proximity to optional objective lens 26 . lens 26 may be electrically biased relative to object 16 . pulsed electrons emitted from object 16 are thus extracted and accelerated by objective lens 26 towards detector 34 . a low potential difference between object 16 and object lens 26 may be advantageous to keep the kinetic energies of the pulsed electrons low . thus , for example , object 16 may be biased to a voltage ranging from − 100 to − 20 volts , while the electrodes of objective lens 26 are grounded . where the potential difference between object 16 and objective lens 26 is low , it may be advantageous to use an objective lens 26 as illustrated in fig3 . to operate such an objective lens 26 , an electrical current is run through coil 48 to energize electromagnet 44 and thus generate the desired magnetic fields in objective lens 26 . the magnetic flux flows around within iron casing 46 and through opening 50 to tapered tip 40 . advantageously , the magnetic fields help collimate the emitted electrons , reducing the dependence of their subsequent transit times less on their initial angle of emission . conveniently , a mixed field objective lens may give significantly lower on - axis chromatic and spherical aberrations in the final image than a purely electrostatic or purely magnetic field objective lens . after exiting objective lens 26 , pulsed electrons that are not blocked by deflector / stigmator unit 32 enter drift chamber 28 . drift chamber 28 may also be electrically biased with reference to object 16 so that there is a low potential difference between drift chamber 28 and object 16 , which can be , for example between 10 and 100 v . since the potential difference between object 16 and drift chamber 28 is low , pulsed electrons entering drift chamber 28 will have low kinetic energies . consequently , pulsed electrons travel at low speeds within drift chamber 28 . because the pulses are well separated from each other and electrons having different kinetic energies travel at different speeds , a pulse of pulsed electrons drifting in drift chamber 28 gradually become spatially separated along optical axis 20 . faster electrons will exit drift chamber 28 earlier and slower electrons will exit later . workable time separation for a single pulse can vary from several to tens of nanoseconds in a typical configuration . after exiting drift chamber 28 , pulsed electrons will gain or lose kinetic energy depending on the electric field along optical axis 20 , as influenced by the electrical potential difference between drift chamber 28 and projector lens 12 ( or 12 ′). if drift chamber 28 has a higher potential than that at lens 12 ( or 12 ′), pulsed electrons will lose kinetic energy . if drift chamber 28 has a lower potential , pulsed electrons will gain kinetic energy . the larger the difference , the larger the change in kinetic energy . in any event , electrons eventually arrive at projector lens 12 ( or 12 ′). electrode 14 modulates potential at lens 12 ( or 12 ′) by several volts within a few nanoseconds using existing technology . as the voltage changes over time , the arriving pulsed electrons will gain or lose energy differently depending on when they reach projector lens 12 or 12 ′, effectively varying the focal length of projector lens 12 . for example , if the potential at lens 12 ( or 12 ′) is higher than at drift chamber 28 and increases over time , those pulsed electrons reaching projector lens 12 ( or 12 ′) earlier will gain less kinetic energies than those reaching there later . as those that arrive earlier have higher initial kinetic energies , the spread in kinetic energy is reduced . thus , it is possible to modulate the voltage on the electrodes of lens 12 , to compensate for the spread in kinetic energies of the pulsed electrons at projector lens 12 so that the effect of chromatic aberration in the formed image of object 16 can be reduced . for example , the signal generator of electrode 14 can be synchronized with the radiation pulse 38 . each radiation pulse 38 triggers a cycle of voltage change on electrode 14 . in each cycle , the voltage may be varied to minimize the energy spread in the electrons of a pulse traveling through projector lens 12 as will be appreciated , drift chamber 28 may not be necessary if pulsed electrons travel through sufficiently long distance , e . g . in a number of optical components ( not all shown ), before reaching projective lens 12 so that there is a sufficient separation in arrival time at projective lens 12 . to illustrate , the results of an example calculation is described below for the following conditions : the initial energies of the pulsed electrons are from 0 to 5 ev , object 16 is biased to − 100 v , objective lens 26 and projective lens 12 are grounded , drift chamber 28 is biased to − 75 v , the distance between object 16 and projective lens 12 is 12 cm . calculations show that the spread in electron arrival time at lens 12 is approximately 6 . 28 ns . recalling equation ( 2 ), the potential at projector lens 12 , or , the voltage on the electrodes of lens 12 ( or 12 ′), need to increase by 5 v within 6 . 28 ns in order to minimize energy spread at projector lens 12 ( or 12 ′). many available fast signal generators can be used for generating this kind of voltage change . since the arrival time at lens 12 ( or 12 ′) is not linearly dependent on kinetic energy ( rather it is linearly dependent on velocity ) and since the kinetic energy of an emitted electron varies during its flight to lens 12 ( or 12 ′), the required change in potential at lens 12 ( or 12 ′) for obtaining minimum spread in kinetic energy is not linear with time , as shown in fig3 , where the dotted line shows the linear change in time and the solid lines shows the required change in time . the focused pulsed electrons leaving projector lens 12 are detected by detector 34 for forming an image of object 16 . detector 34 may have a relatively fast response time , e . g ., in the sub - nanosecond range , so that the arrival time of pulsed electrons can be recorded accurately . coarse focusing can be achieved by moving detector 34 along optical axis 20 . fine focusing can be achieved through varying the magnitude of electrical potential at projector lens 12 . conveniently , as electrons in the emitted beam have been accelerated differently before reaching lens 12 ( or 12 ′) depending on their initial kinetic energies , the kinetic energies of electrons reaching lens 12 are more uniform , resulting in reduced chromatic aberration . calculations show that eem 10 can have image resolution in the nanometer range , more than an order of magnitude improvement over the image resolution attainable by conventional peem systems . by dynamically varying the potential on electrode 14 , the energy spread at lens 12 or 12 ′ is significantly reduced , this means that electrons with differing initial energies are focussed on to approximately the same image plane , significantly reducing the effect of chromatic aberration of the whole system . advantageously , the degree of contrast as compared to conventional x - ray absorption can be enhanced using eem 10 , since the entire spectrum of the photoelectron signal ( from zero to several hundred electron - volts ) can be directly monitored . in conventional peem systems , only the first few electron volts of the photoelectron energy spectrum is usually used to form the image . as should now be appreciated , it is possible to minimize the spread in kinetic energy in different ways . particularly , the potential at lens 12 or 12 ′ may be controlled in different ways . for example , an electrically biased tube or plate , remote from lens 12 ( or 12 ′) and along the path of the pulsed electrons , either at , or upstream or downstream from , lens 12 ( or 12 ′) may also be used to dynamically vary the focal strength of lens 12 ( or 12 ′), thus keeping the focal plane constant at the image plane . similarly , in some situations it may be possible to dynamically modulate the potential at the final projector lens by changing a voltage on detector 34 . conveniently , modulating the potential of an electrode at or close to lens 12 can be advantageous for reasons such as compactness and ease of use . in alternative embodiments , the bias voltage on drift chamber 28 can also be varied in order to examine a particular part of the emission spectrum in more detail . for instance , to examine the energy spectrum at around 200 ev , the drift chamber voltage can be biased to around 200 volts lower than that of the object 16 . this means that all electrons having initial energies below 200 ev would be filtered ( not entering drift chamber 28 ), while those having energies just above 200 ev will travel slowly through drift chamber 28 and have substantial spread in transit time . therefore , their energy spectra can be analysed in more detail by a time of flight spectrometer . in addition , eem 10 can be used to energy filter emitted photoelectrons from object 16 by selectively detecting them in time at the image plane . the detection system can operate by capturing information within a small time window that can be preset to any point in the detection cycle . since in the time of flight spectrometer , the detection time directly corresponds to the initial energy of the electrons , time - windowing therefore effectively energy filters the captured image . as can be understood , eems 10 or 10 ′ may have alternative and additional components for proper or desired operation , which are readily appreciated and understood by those skilled in the art . for instance , alternative objective or projector lenses may be used . one or more projector lenses may also be added between objective lens 26 and drift chamber 28 , between drift chamber 28 and projector lens 12 , or downstream of projector lens 26 . further , where multiple lenses are used , the potentials at more than one lens may be dynamically controlled to reduce the overall chromatic aberration effect . certain components of eem 10 or 10 ′ may also be removed . for instance , in an imaging apparatus similar to eem 10 or 10 ′ detector 34 may be removed and the focused emitted electrons may be bombarded on to a target so as to engrave an image of object 16 on the target . other features , benefits and advantages of the present invention not expressly mentioned above can be understood from this description and the accompanying drawings by those skilled in the art . although only a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described above , those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible . the invention , rather , is intended to encompass all such modification within its scope , as defined by the claims .
| 7 |
although described with particular reference to a device that monitors an electrical meter , the state response and detection device ( sradd ) and method of the disclosed embodiment can be implemented in any system in which remote error diagnosis is desirable . fig1 illustrates an exemplary electrical meter in which the system according to the present invention is implemented . those with skill in the electrical arts will recognize that the disclosed embodiments have relevance to a wide variety of devices and situations in addition to those described below . in addition , the sradd of the present invention can be implemented in software , hardware , or a combination of software and hardware . the hardware portion can be implemented using specialized logic ; the software portion can be stored in a memory and executed by a suitable instruction execution system such as a microprocessor . in the context of this document , a “ memory ” or “ recording medium ” can be any means that contains , stores , communicates , propagates , or transports the program and / or data for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system , apparatus or device . memory and recording medium can be , but are not limited to , an electronic , magnetic , optical , electromagnetic , infrared of semiconductor system , apparatus or device . memory an recording medium also includes , but is not limited to , for example the following : a portable computer diskette , a random access memory ( ram ), a read - only memory ( rom ), an erasable programmable read - only memory ( eprom or flash memory ), and a portable compact disk read - only memory or another suitable medium upon which a program and / or data may be stored . [ 0014 ] fig1 is a block diagram of a system 100 that includes an electrical meter 101 and an exemplary sradd 103 . sradd 103 can either be incorporated into or affixed to the electrical meter 101 . it should be noted that sradd 103 can be added to an existing meter and isolated from high voltage ( meters typically operate at a much higher voltage than phone systems ) by use of a relay or an induction type of device . sradd 103 doesn &# 39 ; t have to be directly attached to the meter . although since the meter is typically the transition point for service company responsibility , sradd 103 should be as close as possible to the meter if not attached . electrical meter 101 is typically attached to a home , business or other structure ( not shown ) and meters the electrical usage of the structure . electrical meters and their usage should be familiar to those with skill in the electrical arts . sradd 103 is coupled to a standard telephone system , or plain old telephone system ( pots ) 105 , via a telephone line 107 . in alternative embodiments of the invention , the sradd 103 is coupled to the internet via a network connection or communicatively coupled to a control center ( not shown ) via any other type of connection , e . g . a dedicated line or wireless connection . the precise mechanics of the communication between the sradd 103 and a control center or other user who employs sradd 103 to monitor the electrical meter 101 is not critical to the spirit of the invention . in addition , electrical meter 101 is only an example of the type of service or device that can be attached to sradd 103 to provide remote trouble detection and diagnostic capabilities . sradd 103 can also be employed to monitor and diagnose other types of devices such as , but not limited to , a water meter , a gas line , a network connection , a cable television box , an appliance , and a chemical level such as in a swimming pool . among other things , the claimed subject matter is applicable for monitoring any device or measurement that can be expressed by means of a boolean good / bad indicator . [ 0017 ] fig2 is block diagram of sradd 103 of fig1 in more detail . sradd 103 includes a communication , or pots , interface 203 for transmitting and receiving tones via pots 105 and connection 107 ( fig1 ). pots interface 203 monitors connection 107 and in effect looks like an extension phone attached to connection 107 . when connection 107 is an open line ( i . e . there is a call in progress ), any signal tones received on the open line are transmitted from pots interface 203 to a tone detection unit 205 . when a customer calls to report a service outage , a specific tone or tones are sent by service personnel or , in the alternative , from an automated monitoring system to signal sradd 103 that the transmitting service personnel or monitoring system requests a status check of electrical meter 101 . if tone detection unit 205 determines the received tones match a predetermined sequence of tones , then a signal is transmitted to a logic unit 209 indicating a tone pattern match has occurred . connection 107 can be a dedicated or non - dedicated connection . in the case of a non - dedicated connection , logic in pots interface 203 determines whether or not a received signal corresponds to an attempt to connect to sradd 103 . a voltage detection unit 201 is coupled to electrical meter 101 ( fig1 ) and measures a voltage level at an appropriate point in electrical meter 101 . in this example , the voltage level detected by voltage detection unit 201 corresponds to whether or not electrical meter 101 is receiving power from a connected power line ( not shown ). for example , if power is interrupted between a utility company and electrical meter 101 , then the voltage level is zero ( 0 ) volts . conversely , if service is restored and electric meter 101 is receiving power , the power level is one hundred ten ( 110 ) volts . as mentioned above , electrical meter &# 39 ; s 101 actual voltage is lowered by a relay or induction device ( not shown ) so that sradd 103 and voltage detection unit 201 process a low voltage signal , typically + 5 volts . voltage detection unit 201 transmits the voltage level information to logic unit 209 . in an alternative embodiment , multiple voltage levels are detected , monitored and reported . logic unit 209 , after receiving tone information from tone detection unit 205 and voltage level information from voltage detection unit 201 , determines an appropriate response to send the service personnel or automated system that initiated the inquiry . logic unit 209 signals a tone generation unit 207 , which transmits one or more tones , corresponding to the detected state of electrical meter 101 , to the service personnel or automated system via pots interface 203 , communication link 107 and pots 105 . as mentioned above , pots 105 and communication link 107 may be another type of communication link such as , but not limited to , a network connection or a system of wireless transmitters and receivers . a battery 211 provides power for sradd 103 and its components and is available to supply a reference voltage to voltage detection unit 201 , if necessary . in an alternative embodiment , logic unit 209 initiates a signal to tone generation unit 207 and call to service personnel through pots interface 203 whenever voltage detection unit 201 detects that a power interruption has occurred . in other words , sradd 103 can be configured to signal a problem on its own initiative rather than waiting for a query from service personnel or automated system . [ 0022 ] fig3 is a flow chart 300 showing an embodiment of the caimed subject matter from the perspective of the users of the system 100 ( fig1 ). processing begins in a “ begin call ” step 401 in which sradd 103 is attached to connection 107 ( fig1 and 2 ). process 300 then proceeds to a “ call service ” step 303 in which a consumer calls a service company to report a service outage and request service . at this point , sradd 103 detects that connection 107 is “ off - hook ” ( i . e . a user is making a call ). processing executed by sradd 103 is explained in conjunction with fig4 and 5 below . once the user has established a connection to service personnel via connection 107 , control then proceeds to a “ state needed ?” step 305 in which the service personnel determines whether or not to request the status or state of the customer &# 39 ; s meter 101 via sradd 103 . if the service personnel does not need the status or state , then control proceeds to a “ service call ” step 311 in which the service personnel performs the necessary actions to address the customer &# 39 ; s problems . if in step 305 the service personnel determines that information relating to the state or status of the customer &# 39 ; s meter 101 would help diagnose and address the customer &# 39 ; s problem , then control proceeds to a “ transmit tones ” step 307 in which the service personnel transmits , via connection 107 , one or more , predetermined tones . as explained below in conjunction with fig3 sradd 103 receives the tones and begins processing the request for information . it should be noted that the term “ tones ” is meant to imply touch tones commonly associated with telephone networks . although the description employs touch tones as an example , those with skill in the telephony and computing arts should recognize that there are many ways for signals to be transmitted via a connection , regardless of whether the connection is a network connection , telephone line or any other type of medium . the signaling examples described herein are not meant to limit the particular signaling techniques employed to touch tones . once the service personnel has transmitted tones in ste 307 , control proceeds to an “ await response ” step 309 in which the service personnel gives sradd 103 time to perform a status check and reply with one or more tones corresponding to the state of electrical meter 101 . once the service personnel has received a reply , control proceeds to service call step 311 in which the service personnel performs the necessary actions to address the customer &# 39 ; s problems , based upon the information transmitted from sradd 103 . from step 311 , control then proceeds to a “ complete call ” step 313 in which the service call is complete . [ 0026 ] fig4 is a flow chart 400 illustrating the processing of sradd 103 of fig1 and 2 . processing begins in a “ begin processing ” step 401 in which the sradd 103 is first initialized or powered on . at this point , the electrical meter 101 can be queried as to its operating state by a remote user via the connection 107 and pots 105 ( fig1 and 2 ). control then proceeds to a “ receive tones ” step 403 in which tone detection device 205 ( fig2 ) detects any signal tones arriving through pots interface 203 . as mentioned above , in the case of a non - dedicated connection 107 , pots interface 203 is responsible for determining the existence of a connection request and , if so , establishing that connection . once a series of tones are received , control proceeds to a “ pattern match ?” step 405 in which the tone detection device 205 determines whether the receive tones match a predetermined pattern , indicating that a remote query request has been received by the sradd 103 . if in step 405 tone detection unit 205 determines a match has occurred , then control proceeds to a “ check voltage ” step 407 in which logic unit 209 requests a voltage reading from voltage detection unit 201 . in an alternative embodiment , voltage detection unit continuously monitors the relevant voltage of the electrical meter 101 and makes the information available to logic unit 209 . in that case , logic unit 209 simply reads a voltage level from voltage detection unit 201 rather than requesting and then reading a voltage level . control then proceeds to a “ generate response ” step 409 in which control unit 209 signals tone generation unit 207 to generate a response signal corresponding to the voltage state read in step 407 . it should be noted that the generated response can also include information in addition to a voltage level , including , but not limited to , a service address and / or information on corresponding to the particular meter 101 . if in step 405 tone detection unit 205 determines the predetermined tone pattern has not been matched , then control returns to receive tones step 403 and sradd 103 and tone detection unit 205 continues to monitor pots interface 203 as explained above . it should be noted that there is no “ end ” or “ completion ” block in process 400 because , once initiated , it is contemplated that the monitoring and notification functions of sradd 103 are ongoing , i . e . the functions continue until sradd 103 is powered off or disconnected . [ 0029 ] fig5 is a flow chart 500 showing the processing involved with signaling the state of the sradd of fig1 and 2 in a situation in which sradd 103 detects an outage and attempts to automatically report the outage to the power company . process 500 corresponds to transmit response step 411 , explained above in conjunction with fig4 . processing begins in an “ initiate report ” step 501 and immediately proceeds to an “ attempt report ” step 503 in which a connection is attempted through pots interface 203 ( fig2 ). control then proceeds to a “ report successful ?” step 505 in which sradd 103 determines whether or not the attempted contact was successful . of course in the case of a service personnel initiating a query over a pots line and system 105 and 107 , a report would likely be successful because the connection is already established . however , in the case of a wireless connection or if the report is initiated by sradd 103 , it is more likely that an attempt to transmit a report or make a connection could be unsuccessful . if in step 505 sradd 103 determines the report is successful , then control proceeds to a “ complete report ” step 513 in which process 500 is complete . if in step 505 sradd 103 determines the report was unsuccessful , then control proceeds to a “ determine wait interval ” step 507 . the determination of a specific wait interval may depend upon several factors . for example , the wait interval may depend upon the number of contact attempts that sradd 103 has made . the wait interval may be set to a fixed amount of time regardless of the number of attempts or a “ back - off ” scheme in which the wait interval increases each time an additional unsuccessful attempt has been made . control then proceeds to a “ wait ” step 509 in which sradd 103 waits the amount of time determined in step 507 . following the wait imposed in step 509 , control proceeds to an “ outage continuing ?” step 511 in which sradd 103 , in the case of a service outage initiating the report attempt , determines whether or not the conditions that initiated the service outage persist . if not , control proceeds to complete report step 513 where process 500 is complete . if the outage persists in step 511 , then control proceeds to attempt report step 503 and processing continues as described above . in an alternative embodiment , control proceeds from step 511 to step 503 even though the outage has not persisted . in that case , sradd 103 signals that an outage has occurred but is now over . one advantage of employing multiple attempts to signal an outage is that often , in the case of an electrical outage , multiple structures are involved and phone lines into a service facility such as an electric company may by clogged by too many calls . by spreading the multiple calls over time , the electric company can process all the calls , determine the scope of the outage from the locations of the individual calls and , in some cases , even determine potential causes of the outage . in the event service resumptions are also reported as explained above , the electric company can also determine whether or not a attempted repair has been successful . while the invention has been shown and described with reference to particular embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention , including but not limited to additional , less or modified elements and / or additional , less or modified steps performed in the same or a different order .
| 7 |
fig9 illustrates exemplary steps for utilizing a posteriori measurements to adjust a projection imaging tool . each step is discussed in detail below . first , a process of reference ( por ) for manufacturing a chip is provided . in abbreviated and truncated form , fig6 is one example . of greatest relevance to the present invention are the specific machine settings utilized . table 2 shows an example of the relevant information extracted from the por . knowledge of machine setting indentifiers is required for running the in - situ metrology tests . in table 2 , the photographic layer is the name of the lithographic layer in process . the machine model is the machine model ( not specific identity ) used . the xpotype ( exposure type ) is the static / dynamic for stepper / scanner models . the laid ( lens aberration identifier ) is the keyword typed into or selected on the machine in the recipe or at exposure time that sets the lens manipulators or adjusters to a specific state . the sid ( source identifier ) similar to laid but specifies the source configuration utilized . the xid ( exit pupil identifier ) similar to laid but specifies the exit pupil numerical aperture utilized . the trid ( track identifier ) similar to laid but specifies the photoresist coat / develop recipe utilized . the field size / layout is the description of the exposure field size and pitch on wafer ; the last entry describes layout ; can also contain scanner direction and scan speed . the f nom is the nominal machine focus in nanometers . the e is the nominal exposure dose in mj / cm 2 . for each lithographic layer of the process deemed as critical ( low c pk ) we run some or all of the in - situ metrology tests outlined and referenced in table 3 . as an example , table 2 defines the lens manipulator settings ( laid ) required for the gate definition layer of process 80065 . machine model ( not serial number or specific machine id ( maid )) s2071 is qualified for that layer and the user would set or type in “ abb1 ” on the machine console at exposure time or have it specified within the job deck for this process and layer on all machines of model s2071 . to measure the lens aberrations , we would run each machine of model s2071 at laid =“ abb1 ” but with sid , xid , trjd and field size / layout as described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 978 , 085 , supra ; the exposure portions of the process being detailed in fig1 a of that reference . measuring the box - in - box patterns , we could then reconstruct the higher order ( focus and above ) lens aberrations . the resulting zernike coefficients provide the basis for the next step . at this point we assess the current state of adjustment of our machines and correct them . the preferred method for assessing the current state of machine adjustment is a direct machine emulation that utilizes a database containing the history and current machine state ( see , a . smith et al ., “ method of emulation of lithographic projection tools ”, u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 111 , 302 , filed apr . 20 , 2005 ). since we are concerned with corrections to slowly varying (& gt ; 1 day ) machine characteristics in the emulator , we turn off rapid (& lt ; 1 day ) machine variations and look at individual or machine - to - machine process capability . based on these results , we then determine which machines require adjustment and by what amount . continuing the gate layer / lens aberration example above , using the nominal focus and exposure dose , we calculate the gate linewidth as a function of focus and exposure at a collection of field points representative of the exposure field size . including random focus errors at each field point gives us the focus process variation . from this information we can determine whether the machine requires adjustment and by what amount . having decided how much we need to adjust each machine , there are a number of ways to implement the adjustment , some being : 1 ) adjust all machines at once , 2 ) gradually adjust machines into compliance , and 3 ) a combination of 1 ) and 2 ), immediately adjust machines outside the general distribution and gradually adjust the balance . this provides the simplest and shortest schedule for machine improvement . minimizing yield loss to wip fabricated on an out of adjustment machine precludes this strategy in all cases . we are thinking particularly of transverse , layer - to - layer misalignments that can be temporarily exacerbated by relatively large adjustments to critical machines . however , once the method of the present invention is adopted on the factory floor , large adjustments of critical machines should be exceptional and their ( and all other ) machine adjustments can be done at once . it is typically only on the introduction of this method to the factory floor that we generally cannot adjust all machines at once . on introduction of this method , to minimize the transient yield loss to wip , the adjustments should be phased in over a number of steps and time . first , each setting of each machine is scored according to its deviation from the target value , q tar , relative to upper ( usl ) and lower ( lsl ) specification limits according to : s = 4 | q max − q tar |/( usl − lsl ) equation 1 q max = maximum deviation of quantity over machine printing field , s = score , the use of maximum is justified since we are looking at deterministic , explainable causes , not random ones . n adj = ceiling ( max ( s ) machine , process , layers ) equation 2 where the maximum is taken over all machines , process and layers and ceiling is the next integer above the fractional part e . g ., ceiling ( 3 . 1 )= ceiling ( 3 . 9 )= 4 . the first adjustment is then made to machine settings with scores , s , falling within the range δ t = 6 * t fab n layer equation 4 t fab = average start to finish chip manufacturing time . n layer = number of lithographic layers ( photoresist deposition and definition steps ). after elapsed time δt , machine settings with scores within the range : are adjusted . this process of selective machine adjustment and waiting then continues to completion after a total of n adj cycles . mixed adjustment is a combination of phased in and immediate adjustment . new machines or existing machines that have been offline (≧ δt time period ) will be immediately adjusted to the factory standard . phase - in adjustment will be applied to the balance . note , that in a well controlled factory , the phase - in adjustment will typically require only a single step ( n adj = 1 ) and in that case , is equivalent to immediate adjustment . in a continuously run factory , product will be emerging as we follow the above steps . so , lithographic layers are defined in photoresist and developed . in this variation , an in - situ interferometer of the type described in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 978 , 085 and 5 , 828 , 455 , supra and u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 623 , 364 , supra may be used to measure the projection lens aberrations . exemplary steps for running the in - situ interferometer are outlined in fig1 of the present application . after getting the zernike coefficients , the machine lens manipulators could be adjusted according to european patent application no . ep 1 231 516 a2 , supra . in this variation , an in - situ source metrology instrument of the type described in reference u . s . pat . no . 6 , 741 , 338 , supra and u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 828 , 579 , supra may be used to measure the effective source radiant intensity , or effective source . fig1 of the present application shows exemplary steps for performing this operation . in this variation , an in - situ exit pupil transmission mapper of the type described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 105 , 799 , supra may be used to measure the transmission as a function of transverse ray direction cosine t ( nx , ny ). from this , quantities such as the overall numerical aperture , na as a function of field position can be assessed . fig1 of the present application lays out exemplary steps for measuring the exit pupil transmission map . in this variation , a special reticle as described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 252 , 021 , supra and wafer with predisposed alignment marks may be used to determine the scanning synchronization error in x , y and yaw . fig1 of the present application illustrates exemplary steps used to determine the scanning synchronization error . 5 th variation of main embodiment , in - situ dynamic lens distortion ( dynamic a2 , a3 ) in this variation , the substantially similar reticle and wafer of the fourth variation are used to determine the contribution of lens distortion in a dynamically scanned field to overall overlay error . an exemplary technique for determining lens distortion is described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 252 , 020 . fig1 of the present application illustrates exemplary steps for determining lens distortion . 6 th variation , in - situ measurement of static lens distortion ( static a2 , a3 ) in this variation , a substantially similar reticle and wafer of the fourth variation may be used to determine the static lens distortion or tilt zernike coefficients a2 and a3 . an exemplary technique for determining this is described in reference u . s . pat . no . 6 , 573 , 986 b2 . fig1 of the present application illustrates exemplary steps for determining the static lens distortion . 7 th variation , in - situ measurement of static lens field curvature in this variation , a focusing fiducial reticle may be used to determine the static lens field curvature . u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 844 , 939 , supra describes an exemplary technique for performing this . the result is the static lens field curvature or focus zernike ( a4 ) as a function of field position . by using the method of u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 844 , 939 , supra , the final result is independent of wafer height variations . fig1 of the present application illustrates exemplary steps for determining the static lens field curvature . 8 th variation , in - situ measurement of dynamic lens field curvature in this variation , a focusing fiducial reticle is provided and may be used to determine dynamic lens field curvature . u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 833 , 557 , supra illustrates an exemplary technique for determining lens field curvature . the result is the dynamic lens field curvature focus zernike ( a4 ) as a function of cross scan ( x ) direction field position . using this technique , results independent of wafer height are obtained . fig1 of the present application illustrates exemplary steps for determining the dynamic lens field curvature . 9 th variation , in - situ measurement of dynamic z and roll synchronization error in this variation , a focusing fiducial reticle is provided and dynamic z and roll synchronization error is determined . u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 833 , 781 , supra illustrates an exemplary technique for making these measurements . the result is the dynamic height ( z ) and roll error as a function of the scan position ( y ). fig1 of the present application illustrates exemplary steps for determining dynamic z and roll synchronization error . 10 th variation , in - situ measurement of wafer stage grid and yaw errors in this variation , a reticle is provided and exposed on a wafer to determine wafer stage grid and yaw errors illustrates an exemplary technique for making these measurements . u . s . pat . no . 6 , 734 , 971 , supra . the result is the wafer stage grid and yaw stepping error . fig1 of the present application illustrates exemplary steps for determining these errors . fig2 is a schematic diagram of an example of a projection imaging tool or machine ( ma ) that can be used in the manufacturing of semiconductor integrated circuits . as shown in fig2 , the ma includes a light source s , a reticle stage rs , imaging objective imo , wafer stage ws , and a controller c . the light source can include an illumination source s 1 that outputs illumination light il and an illumination conditioning s 2 that conditions the light il . the imo includes an upper imaging objective imo 1 , a lower imaging objective imo 2 , and an aperture stop as . the controller c can be configured to receive measurements of degradation in lithography processing of the projection imaging tool . the controller can then adjust the operation of the projection imaging tool in response to the received measurements . for example , the controller can adjust the operation of the reticle stage rs , the illumination source s , the wafer stage ws , or other operations of the projection imaging tool . the adjusted imaging tool may then be used to expose a substrate , for example , a substrate that is positioned by the wafer stage ws at the output of the imaging objective imo for a semiconductor integrated circuit manufacturing process . the present invention has been described above in terms of a presently preferred embodiment so that an understanding of the present invention can be conveyed . there are , however , many configurations for semiconductor manufacturing not specifically described herein but with which the present invention is applicable . the present invention should therefore not be seen as limited to the particular embodiments described herein , but rather , it should be understood that the present invention has wide applicability with respect to semiconductor manufacturing generally . all modifications , variations , or equivalent arrangements and implementations that are within the scope of the attached claims should therefore be considered within the scope of the invention .
| 6 |
the slice lip 10 of the present invention is substantially symmetrical about its longitudinal centerline as indicated by the centerline 12 in fig1 . the slice lip 10 is formed with a bottom surface 14 that is substantially planar . the slice edges 16 and 18 , which extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal centerline of the slice lip 10 , are formed at the junction of the bottom surface 14 with the side surfaces 20 and 22 respectively . it will be noted that the side surfaces 20 and 22 are substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface 14 . a central longitudinally extending well 24 is formed along the longitudinal centerline 12 of the slice lip 10 , is symmetrical on opposite sides of this centerline 12 and has a substantially arcuate bottom 26 extending up into a pair of side walls 28 and 30 which in turn are formed into crowns 32 and 34 that are curved downward and mate with upper side walls 36 and 38 that extend to the angular connecting walls 40 and 42 that connect the side walls 20 and 22 to the upper walls 36 and 38 , respectively . the slice lip 10 is mounted on the headbox , generally indicated at 44 , in fig2 in any suitable manner . in the arrangement illustrated , the slice lip 10 is mounted on the slice frame lip 46 with the bottom surface 14 of the slice lip 10 in face - to - face relationship with a planar surface 48 on the slice frame lip 46 . a suitable stud 50 projects upwardly from the face 48 and functions to clamp the slice lip 10 in position , as will be described hereinbelow . a suitable spring generally indicated at 52 as shown most clearly in fig2 and 3 is composed of a main body section 54 having a front lip 56 that is received within the passage or slot 24 in the slice lip 10 and with a trailing leaf spring element 58 that bears against a stop 60 formed on the slice frame lip 46 . in the arrangement illustrated , the main body section 54 spring member 52 is connected to side flanges 62 and 64 formed one at each of the opposite sides of the spring member 52 . to mount the slice lip 10 in position , the lip 56 , as above indicated , is received within the passage 24 the leaf element 58 bears against the boss 60 and the nut 66 is tightened onto the stud 50 to force the element 58 against the boss 60 and the lip 56 to press the surface 14 against the upper surface 48 of the slice frame lip 46 whereby the lip 10 is resulting held in position . the stud 50 fits within a slot 68 in the body 54 of the spring 52 to permit movement of the spring and thus of the area of the slice to which it is connected , i . e ., to permit the surface 14 to slide along the surface 48 by movement of the spring member 52 relative to the surface 48 thereby the slice lip can be locally adjusted relative to the frame lip 46 . this movement of the slice lip is obtained by means of a member 70 connected to the rear of the side members 62 and 64 , which in turn is connected via a bar or rod member 72 to a servo mechanism 74 which may be adjusted by means of a micrometer handwheel 76 to move the spring member 52 and thus the slice member 10 backward and forward , i . e ., up and down along the surface 48 of the slice frame lip 46 thereby to adjust the position of the edge , say edge 16 , of the slice lip 10 relative to the apron lip 78 of the headbox 44 . it will be noted that there are a plurality of spring members 52 spaced transversely across the machine ( two are shown in fig3 ) generally they will be spaced approximately six inches apart and each will be provided with its own discrete adjusting mechanism comprising the bar member 72 , servo mechanism 74 etc . as indicated , the slice lip 10 will be mounted as shown in fig2 and 3 and adjusted relative to the apron lip 78 to obtain the desired local flow by individually moving the spring members 52 spaced transversely of the headbox toward and away from lip 78 . when the edge , say edge 16 , becomes worn , it is merely necessary to release the slice lip 10 , turn it end for end so that the edge 18 now becomes the edge adjacent the apron lip 78 and then reposition this edge 18 to accurately control the flow of stock issuing from the headbox 44 . having described the invention modifications will be evident to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims .
| 3 |
while a detailed treatment of error detection and correction techniques may be found in hamming , &# 34 ; error detecting and error correcting codes &# 34 ; bell system technical journal , volume 29 , 1950 , pages 147 - 160 , the following discussion is believed necessary in order to provide an understanding of the present invention . standard coding theory notation will be used ; i . e ., k represents the number of data bits in a code word , r represents the number of check bits in the code word , and n represents the total number of bits in a code word ( n = k + r ). according to hamming , a single error correcting ( distance 3 ) code must satisfy : while a single error correcting with double error detection ( distance 4 ) code must satisfy : the minimum number of check bits for up to 247 data bits is given in table 1 for distance 3 and distance 4 codes . table 1______________________________________data bits r check bitsk distance 3 distance 4______________________________________1 2 32 - 4 3 4 5 - 11 4 512 - 26 5 627 - 57 6 7 58 - 120 7 8121 - 247 8 9______________________________________ seventy - two bits of data therefore require 8 check bits or a code word having a total of 80 bits . the value of the check bits needed for single error correction may be derived by constructing a hamming parity matrix ( h - matrix ) which consists of n columns and r rows . each column is associated with one bit of the code word . the entries of the h - matrix correspond to coefficients of the code word bits and are limited to a value of 0 or 1 . each row then defines an equation which is the module - 2 summation of the row coefficients times the associated code word bit . the resulting column vector formed by this summation is denoted as the syndrome . if all bits of the code word are correct , then the syndrome should be zero . if a single bit of the code word is in error , then the syndrome will be equal to the column of coefficients in the h - matrix corresponding to the erroneous bit . similarly , the r row equations may be used to define the value of the r check bits on generation of the code word . according to hamming , the rules for constructing the values of the h - matrix for single error correction are very simply two : ( 1 ) there are to be no all zero columns ; and ( 2 ) every column must be distinct . the ordering of the columns ( or equivalently the assignment of code word bits to columns ) is completely arbitrary and therefore a wide variety of matrix assignments are possible . for double error detection as well as single error correction ( i . e . a distance of 4 code ) a third condition is placed on the construction of the h - matrix . this , according to hamming , is that one row of the h - matrix be all ones . that is , one check bit is to represent an overall parity check . others since that time have shown that this rule of hammings can be replaced by the following rule : ( 3 ) each column of the h - matrix must contain an odd number of 1 &# 39 ; s for a distance 4 code . the most obvious advantage of the odd column rule over hamming &# 39 ; s all 1 &# 39 ; s rule is that it eliminates the need for a parity tree needing all n - bits of a code word . using the above three rules , an h - matrix for sec - ded can be defined . the problem which remains is how to choose one of the many possible h - matrix arrangements which will produce the most efficient hardware implementation . a sector matrix ( s - matrix ) is defined as consisting of m columns and r rows . again , r is defined as the number of check bits while n is defined as the nearest integer equal to or greater than the ratio of n / r . for n = 80 ( k = 72 data bits + r = 8 check bits ) the size of the s - matrix is m = 10 column by 8 rows . the same size matrix would be necessary for an n of 79 , 78 , 77 , 76 , 75 , 74 or 73 . columns of 1 &# 39 ; s and 0 &# 39 ; s are assigned to the s - matrix observing the followings rules : ( 1 ) each column of the s - matrix must contain an odd number of 1 &# 39 ; s ; and ( 2 ) each column of the s - matrix must be chosen such that the row values of the column can be rotated from 1 to r - 1 positions with no duplication of any of the resulting column patterns or any other column pattern . these rules are the same as for an sec - ded h - matrix as given above with an additional constraint placed on the uniqueness of the columns . that is , not only must each column be unique , but also every possible rotation of the column must be unique . for example , a column of one and only one &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; could be rotated from 1 to r - 1 positions where each rotation would produce a different column pattern . however , two such columns would not be acceptable . for example , a column of 00100 and another column of 10000 would not be acceptable even though different since a two position rotation of 10000 duplicates the 00100 column . neither would a column with an odd number of 1 &# 39 ; s and no 0 &# 39 ; s be acceptable since any rotation of such a column duplicates itself . for an eight row s - matrix , permissable column patterns are those shown in table 2 for any of their rotations . it should be noted that an eight row s - matrix cannot have more than sixteen columns . table 2______________________________________1 of 8 3 of 8 5 of 8 7 of 8______________________________________1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 10 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 10 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 10 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 10 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 10 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1______________________________________ intuitively , it would appear that given r rows and x number of 1 &# 39 ; s per column , then the integer portion of the expression ( r - l )!/ x ! ( r - x )! denotes the number of acceptable columns having x1 &# 39 ; s . the expression r !/ x ! ( r - x )! denotes the number of combinations of x1 &# 39 ; s in r bits which , if divided by r , yields the expression ( r - 1 )!/ x ! ( r - x )!. the choice of which of the possible column patterns are used for the matrix is arbitrary except for one , the check bit . the s - matrix must contain a column with a single 1 which is to be reserved for the check bit . this rule allows the same parts to be symmetrically used for generation of the check bits as well as checking the code word . after an s - matrix has been chosen , an h - matrix may be formed by a horizontal concatonation of the s - matrix with each of the r - 1 vertical rotations of the s - matrix . the ordering of the concatonation is arbitrary just as is the ordering of the columns in the s - matrix . for example , given the s - matrix consisting of 8 - rows , r ( 1 : 8 ), of 10 bits each , then the h - matrix might look like : ## str1 ## the significance of the s - matrix approach to deriving the h - matrix is that 1 common lsi circuit can now be defined from the s - matrix . each s - part is then particularized by rotating the assignment of parity syndrome bits to the s - part pins . this will become more apparent in the discussion of the s - part below . it should be noted that the resulting h - matrix may contain more columns than needed . for example , it was previously stated that the same s - matrix would be used for an n = 80 , 79 , 78 , 77 , 76 , 75 , 74 or 73 . thus , for an n of 73 , the above h - matrix has seven extra columns . the extra columns can be assigned to the null operator ( i . e . the constant &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;) rather than to a data or check bit . in general , any smaller code word can be assigned to a larger h - matrix by nulling the extra columns . it also should be noted that in certain instances it will not be possible to find enough columns which will satisfy the rules for generating the s - matrix . this occurs whenever there is insufficient redundancy to cover those column codes which are rejected because upon rotation they duplicate themselves . for example , 11 data bits require 5 check bits for an sec - ded code word . the total number of bits is sixteen and therefore n / r = 16 / 5 = 31 / 5 which means that the number of s - matrix columns must be m = 4 . however , there are only three classes of column patterns of 5 bits which satisfy the rules set forth earlier . these are the following or any of their rotations : ______________________________________1 of 5 3 of 5______________________________________1 1 10 1 10 1 00 0 10 0 0______________________________________ another column which satisfies all the criteria except that it duplicates itself on rotation is the all 1 &# 39 ; s column 11111 . however , it can be observed that a three column s - matrix rotated five times will be only one short of the required number of code bits needed ; i . e . it could be satisfied by one usage of an all 1 &# 39 ; s column . therefore , the solution to the problem is to allow the addition of those columns to the s - matrix which satisfy all the criteria except that of duplicating itself on rotation . when this restricted s - matrix is rotated to form the h - matrix , the resultant h - matrix will have a number of duplicate columns because of the non - conforming s - matrix column . only one of these can be assigned to a data bit . the others must be given a null assignment . therefore , the 5 × 4 s - matrix with the restricted column might be ## str2 ## and the resulting h - matrix : ## str3 ## fig1 is a functional diagram of a large scale integrated s - part . the arrangement includes a set of parity trees 2 for generating the parity of each row defined by the s - matrix . each parity generator 2 has as inputs the m - code bits ( uncorrected ). the parity generators perform an exclusive or function of those code bits marked by a 1 in each row of the s - matrix . an r - input parity tree 4 combines a different numbered row , one from each of the s - parts , to form a syndrome bit of the h - matrix on a check operation or 1 check bit on a generate operation . the parity tree or syndrome generator 4 has coupled to its inputs the outputs of the row power generators 2 . a set of r to 1 decoders 6 receive the r - syndrome bits ( rotated ), and check the h - matrix syndrome code appropriate to each column of the s - matrix . the syndrome inputs must be rotated according to the rotation of the s - matrix used to form the corresponding sector of the h - matrix . finally , a set of switches 8 select a compliment or true value of each data bit depending upon whether the corresponding column code is or is not detected . the switches 8 have inputs coupled to decoders 6 and the m uncorrected code bits and produce at their output m corrected code bits . further , or function 10 has inputs coupled to the outputs of the m - decoders 6 for generating an indication of correction . it should be noted that fig1 is given as an example of the form which an lsi s - part might take . a number of variations and additons to this will be discussed below . in order to minimize the parity trees for generating the s - matrix row parities , the columns for the s - matrix should be selected on the basis of the minimum number of 1 &# 39 ; s per row . that is , all the triple 1 &# 39 ; s columns should be exhausted before using columns with a higher number of 1 &# 39 ; s . then the selection should be made from the available five 1 &# 39 ; s columns , and so on . one such arrangement for an 8 by 10 s - matrix is ______________________________________c b . sub . 0 b . sub . 1 b . sub . 2 b . sub . 3 b . sub . 4 b . sub . 5 b . sub . 6 b . sub . 7 b . sub . 8______________________________________ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1s = 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 ( 3 ) 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1______________________________________ this is just one of many possible arrangements which has 32 &# 34 ; 1s &# 34 ; which is the minimum possible for this matrix . the next step is to rotate the columns to obtain a minimum number of 1 &# 39 ; s per row . this should be 32 / 8 = 4 . columns b 0 , b 7 , b 1 b 8 are complementary and need not be rotated . the problem is then reduced to rotating columns b 2 through b 6 and the check bit column c so that no more than two 1 &# 39 ; s appear in any one of the remaining rows . a minimum parity row 10 × 8 s matrix might be ______________________________________b . sub . 0 b . sub . 7 b . sub . 1 b . sub . 8 b . sub . 2 b . sub . 3 b . sub . 4 b . sub . 5 b . sub . 6 c______________________________________1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 p1 = b . sub . 0 ⊕ b . sub . 1 ⊕ b . sub . 2 ⊕ b . sub . 51 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 p2 = b . sub . 0 ⊕ b . sub . 1 ⊕ b . sub . 2 ⊕ c1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 p3 = b . sub . 0 ⊕ b . sub . 3 ⊕ b . sub . 6 ⊕ b . sub . 80 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 p4 = b . sub . 1 ⊕ b . sub . 3 ⊕ b . sub . 4 ⊕ b . sub . 7 ( 4 ) 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 p5 = b . sub . 2 ⊕ b . sub . 5 ⊕ b . sub . 7 ⊕ b . sub . 80 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 p6 = b . sub . 4 ⊕ b . sub . 6 ⊕ b . sub . 7 ⊕ b . sub . 80 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 p7 = b . sub . 4 ⊕ b . sub . 5 ⊕ b . sub . 7 ⊕ b . sub . 80 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 p8 = b . sub . 3 ⊕ b . sub . 6 ⊕ b . sub . 7 ⊕ b . sub . 8byte parity = p1 ⊕ p6 ⊕ b3______________________________________ an alternative to the minimum parity row s - matrix is to minimize the number of rows for which parity has to be generated . that is , it is readily apparent that a row of all 0s can be obtained by rotating the last two columns . one advantage of this is that it eliminates one of the row parity trees , and perhaps more importantly it eliminates a row parity pin on the lsi package . the second advantage of having an all 0 row is that it could be eliminated for a seven row s - matrix with , of course , the elimination of some columns that would no longer be unique . this would permit the lsi part to be used for smaller word sizes requiring only seven check bits instead of eight , for example , on 32 or 36 bit data words . the zero row 10 × 8 s - matrix may be constructed by first constructing a 7 row s - matrix . this s - matrix may then be made into a minimum parity row s - matrix by rotating columns . an all 0 row and two additional columns are added to the 8 × 7 s - matrix to get the desired 10 × 8 s - matrix giving an s - matrix shown below . ## str4 ## the syndrome bits for an 8 check bit code word ( up to 72 data bits ) are given by the &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; matrix (( 1 ) above ) and are : where pij represents the ith row parity of the jth s - part . the above defines the wiring between the s - part row parity outputs and the syndrome parity generators . for a 7 check bit code word ( up to 49 data bits ) the syndromes are : where inputs b 7 and b 8 to the s - part must be set equal to zero . here the same s - part is used as for the 8 check bit implementation with the only difference being in the wiring between the s - part and syndrome parity generators . if there is no error in the data or check bits , the syndrome s will have a value of zero . if a single code word bit is in error , the syndrome or any of its rotations will match one of the columns of the s - matrix . if we define the vector x [ j ] as the syndrome inputs of the jth , s - part the relation between x [ j ] and the h - matrix syndrome , s is again derived from the h - matrix ( 1 ) as : the above defines the wiring between the syndrome parity networks and the inputs to the correction decode circuit in the s - part . the &# 34 ; x &# 34 ; vector inputs are then decoded according to the s - matrix columns . for example , the s - matrix ( 7 ) indicates that the data input , b 0 , is to be complemented if input x1 [ j ], x2 [ j ] and x3 [ j ] are 1 &# 39 ; s and the remaining x [ j ] inputs are zero . the correction circuitry is just an exclusive or of the data bit with the output of the corresponding decode circuit . if an external indication of which bit was corrected is desired , this can be done with an exclusive or of the code word input and output from the s - part . alternatively , the outputs of the decode circuits might be brought out of the s - part instead of the corrected data and the correction performed by exclusive or gates external to the s - parts . the chip can also be designed such that either alternative can be used . such an arrangement is shown in fig2 . the correction exclusive or gate 12 is preceded with an and gate 14 in the data path . the other input of and gate 14 is a common control line 16 which would be &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; if the output is to be the corrected data or a &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; if the output is to be the correction decode output . the output of and gate 14 is coupled to exclusive or circuit 12 . the second input to exclusive or circuit 12 originates in the decode circuitry . still another alternative would be to code the 10 correction decode lines into a 4 line bit - position code with a fifth line to denote the sector of the code word to which this correction applies . this would eliminate five pins on the s - part , but would require that decode as well as correction circuitry be available externally to the s - part . whenever exactly two bits of the code word are in error , the syndrome will contain an even number of 1 &# 39 ; s . also , any multiple of two bits in error will also produce a syndrome with an even number of 1 &# 39 ; s or a syndrome of all 0 &# 39 ; s . this is a property of always having an odd number of 1 &# 39 ; s in the h - matrix . therefore , an even number of errors will never cause a miscorrection and all double errors will be detected . an odd number of errors greater than 1 may cause a miscorrection ; i . e . produce the same syndrome as a single error . however , for the 80 × 8 h - matrix only 80 out of the 120 possible odd 1 &# 39 ; s combinations of 8 bits are used for correction , therefore , some multiple odd errors will be detected . by oring all the syndrome bits there is produced an output of 1 if any error , correctable or not , is detected . referring to fig3 each s - part 18 has the syndrome bits applied thereto and also has an output denoting whether a correctable error has been detected on any of the code bits entering the s - part . these are anded in and gate 20 with the output of the syndrome or gate 22 to produce an output denoting a detected , non - corrected multiple bit error . alternatively , an even 1 &# 39 ; s detector could be built into the s - part , and a multiple odd error detection ignored since the probability of occurrence is very rare and most multiple odd errors when they do occur result in a miscorrection anyhow . in many applications it is desired to generate a byte parity . using the s - matrix ( 7 ), byte parity is given by the exclusive or of the row 1 and row 6 parity outputs . if an error is detected in that byte , the byte parity is inverted . this can be done by an exclusive or circuit internal or external to the s - part . alternatively , the parity might be brought out instead of the corrected check bit . the chip can also be designed to allow the option of bringing either the check bit or byte parity bit out of the s - part . fig4 is a block diagram illustrating the inputs to and outputs from the error detection and correction ( edac ) apparatus according to the present invention . each edac apparatus processes one byte of data shown in fig4 as i0 through i8 and has one check bit input ic and one byte parity bit bp . five intermediate sector matrix parity outputs ( p0 - p5 ) from each edac apparatus are connected to sector matrix parity inputs q0 - q5 of other edac apparatus , as shown in table 3 . the intermediate sector matrix parity outputs from each of eight edac chips is shown in table 4 . ______________________________________chip chip chip chip chip chip chip chip0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7______________________________________ -- q5 -- p55 -- p56 -- p57 -- p50 -- p51 -- p52 -- p53 -- p54 -- q4 -- p46 -- p47 -- p40 -- p41 -- p42 -- p43 -- p44 -- p45 -- q3 -- p37 -- p30 -- p31 -- p32 -- p33 -- p34 -- p35 -- p36 -- q1 -- p11 -- p12 -- p13 -- p14 -- p15 -- p16 -- p17 -- p10 -- q0 -- p02 -- p03 -- p04 -- p05 -- p06 -- p07 -- p00 -- p01______________________________________ ______________________________________chip chip chip chip chip chip chip chip0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7______________________________________ -- p50 -- p51 -- p52 -- p53 -- p54 -- p55 -- p56 -- p57 -- p40 -- p41 -- p42 -- p43 -- p44 -- p45 -- p46 -- p47 -- p30 -- p31 -- p32 -- p33 -- p34 -- p35 -- p36 -- p37 -- p10 -- p11 -- p12 -- p13 -- p14 -- p15 -- p16 -- p17 -- p00 -- p01 -- p02 -- p03 -- p04 -- p05 -- p06 -- p07______________________________________ ______________________________________checkbit r . sub . 0 r . sub . 1 r . sub . 2 r . sub . 3 r . sub . 4 r . sub . 5 r . sub . 6 r . sub . 7 r . sub . 8______________________________________ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 s = 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0______________________________________ the r8 input above can be forced to zero for an 8 - bit byte . p for the h - matrix ; ______________________________________byte byte byte byte byte byte byte byte0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7______________________________________p10 p01 0 0 p54 p45 p36 p27 = s7p00 0 0 p53 p44 p35 p26 p17 = s60 0 p52 p43 p34 p25 p16 p07 = s50 p51 p42 p33 p24 p15 p06 0 = s4p50 p41 p32 p23 p14 p05 0 0 = s3p40 p31 p22 p13 p04 0 0 p57 = s2p30 p21 p12 p03 0 0 p56 p47 = s1p20 p11 p02 0 0 p55 p46 p37 = s0______________________________________ each of the edac parts will then produce the value of one syndrome bit s shown in fig4 . seven of the eight syndrome outputs are connected to each of the edac syndrome input terminals ( j0 - j7 ) in fig4 as shown in table 5 . table 5______________________________________chip chip chip chip chip chip chip chip 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7______________________________________ - j7 - s5 - s6 - s7 - s0 - s1 - s2 - s3 - s4 - j6 - s4 - s5 - s6 - s7 - s0 - s1 - s2 - s3 - j5 - s3 - s4 - s5 - s6 - s7 - s0 - s1 - s2 - j4 - s2 - s3 - s4 - s5 - s6 - s7 - s0 - s1 - j3 - s1 - s2 - s3 - s4 - s5 - s6 - s7 - s0 - j1 - s7 - s0 - s1 - s2 - s3 - s4 - s5 - s6 - j0 - s6 - s7 - s0 - s1 - s2 - s3 - s4 - s5______________________________________ all of the inputs and outputs in fig4 are implemented to accommodate 9 bit bytes . for 8 bit bytes , anyone of the nine data bit inputs can be permanently wired to a logical 0 value and the corresponding output ignored . also shown in fig4 are the various power supply inputs vcc1 , vcc2 and grounds . also a single bit error signal sbe is generated . fig5 is a more - detailed block diagram of the invention edac apparatus . the data bits i0 - i8 are applied to inputs of a ten bit register 24 . the check bit and the correct signal are applied to inputs of nand gate 26 having an output which is likewise coupled to an input of register 24 . outputs rc and r0 - r8 are applied to byte syndrome generator 28 which produce at its outputs the matrix parity outputs p0 , p1 , p3 , p4 and p5 . these matrix parity outputs are applied to other byte edac chips . p2 on the other hand is applied to word syndrome generator 30 as is shown in fig5 . likewise applied to inputs of word syndrome generator 30 are the s - matrix parities from other byte edac chips . these are shown in fig5 as q0 , q1 , q3 , q4 and q5 . the word syndrome bit produced by generator 30 is applied to syndrome decode unit 32 along with the word syndrome bits from other edac chips i . e . j0 , j1 , j3 , j4 and j5 . the output of nand gate 34 having j6 and j7 applied to its inputs is applied also to syndrome decode unit 32 . these outputs of syndrome decode unit 32 , that is e0 - e8 , and the byte error signal are applied to logic unit 36 along with the uncorrected byte parity from byte syndrome generator 28 and the r0 - r8 outputs from register 24 . the outputs of logic unit 36 comprise the corrected data byte plus a corrected byte parity . the implementation is optimized and will be described for use in an error detection and correction of binary words consisting of eight data bytes plus eight modified hamming code bits where a byte may be either 8 or 9 bits . however , the edac part can also be used for other word lengths . while the application to be described is primarily for error detection and correction of information stored in computer mainframe memories , it may also be used to increase reliability of control stores , scratchpads , caches , datapads and peripheral equipment . the implementation provides for check bit generation or double error syndrome generation in approximately 20 nanoseconds and single bit error correction in about 40 nanoseconds . eight edac parts of the type shown in fig5 can be innerconnected to ( 1 ) correct any single bit error within 72 - 64 data bits ; ( 2 ) generate a unique one of eight codes to denote which one of the eight data bytes or associated check bits contains an error during single error correction ; ( 3 ) generate a signal for each byte denoting whether the output byte has an odd or even parity value and ( 4 ) generate an eight bit syndrome which denotes a double or any even number of bits in error in the complete 72 - 80 bit word ( data plus check bits ) by any non - zero even parity value of the syndrome . the same or duplicate of the eight innerconnected edac parts can also perform the encoding process ; i . e . ( 1 ) generate the modified hamming code check bits required for the error detection and correction process ; and ( 2 ) test byte parity on each of the eight bytes doing check bit generation . fig6 is a logic diagram illustrating the contents of register 24 ( fig5 ). the bits of the data byte i0 - i8 are each applied to an input of flip - flops 38 , 40 , 42 , 44 , 46 , 48 , 50 , 52 and 54 respectively . a clock signal is likewise applied to each of these flip - flops and each generate a clocked data output r0 - r8 . an additional flip - flop 56 has the output of nand gate 26 applied thereto along with the clock signal for producing the rc signal . the logic contained in byte syndrome generator 28 ( fig5 ) and word syndrome generator 30 ( fig5 ) is more clearly shown in fig7 . or gate 58 has first and second inputs for receiving signals r4 and r5 , and has an output which is coupled to one input of or gates 74 and 82 . or gate 60 has first and second inputs coupled to r6 and r7 and an output which is applied to a second input of or gate 74 and a first input of or gate 76 . the first and second inputs of or gate 62 are applied to r4 and r8 , and its output is applied to a first input of or gate 78 . applied to the first and second inputs of or gate 64 are the signals r1 and r3 , and its output is applied to a second input of or gate 76 and a first input of or gate 80 . or gate 66 has a first input coupled to r3 and a second input coupled r0 , and its output is coupled to a second input of or gate 80 . the output of or gate 66 is likewise coupled to a first input of or gate 84 . or gate 68 has inputs coupled to r3 and r8 and has an output which is coupled to a second input of or gate 84 and a first input of or gate 86 . or gate 70 has applied to its inputs r7 and r1 , and its output is coupled to an input of or gates 78 and 86 . rc and r5 are coupled to the inputs of or gate 72 having an output which is coupled to the input of or gate 92 . the sector matrix parity output p0 and p1 are the outputs of or gates 74 and 76 respectively likewise , the output of or gate 84 produces the sector matrix parity signal p3 . the outputs of or gates 78 and 80 are applied to inputs of or gate 88 which produces at its output the second matrix parity signal p5 . or gate 90 has applied to its inputs , the outputs of or gates 80 and 82 and produces at its output the sector matrix parity signal p4 . the output of or gate 86 is applied to a second input of or gate 92 which produces at its output the sector matrix parity signal p2 . finally , or gate 94 has a first input coupled to r5 and a second input coupled to the output of or gate 88 ( i . e . p5 ), and produces at its output the uncorrected byte parity bit pb . q2 and q3 are applied to inputs of or gate 96 , q1 and q0 to inputs of or gate 98 , and q4 and q5 to inputs of or gate 102 . as stated previously , q0 , q1 , q3 , q4 and q5 are sector matrix parities from other byte edac chips . the outputs of or gates 96 and 98 are applied to inputs of or gate 100 having an output which is supplied to a first input of and gate 104 and an input of or gate 106 . the output of or gate 102 forms the second input of and gate 104 and or gate 106 . the output of and gate 104 forms the syndrome bit to be used internally , and the output of or gate 106 forms the syndrome bit to be used on other edac chips . fig8 illustrates the syndrome decode unit and logic unit 36 of fig5 in more detail . nor gate 182 has applied to its inputs syndrome outputs j6 and j7 and produces at its output an enable signal en . inverter 128 has j0 applied thereto and forms at its output x0 . inverter 130 has j1 applied to its input and forms at its output x1 . inverter 132 has applied to its input s from and gate 104 ( fig7 ) and forms at its output x2 . likewise , x3 , x4 and x5 are produced by inverters 134 , 136 and 138 respectively from j3 , j4 and j5 respectively . a plurality of seven input and gates 108 , 110 , 112 , 114 , 116 , 118 , 120 , 122 and 124 produce signals e0 - e8 respectively . a seven input nand gate 126 produces the signal ec . each of these and gates has the enable signal generated by nor gate 182 applied to one of its inputs . the remaining six inputs to each of these and gates are coupled to the syndrome outputs as shown in fig8 and table 6 . table 6__________________________________________________________________________and and and and and and and and and and108 110 112 114 116 118 120 122 124 126__________________________________________________________________________ -- x0 -- x0 -- x0 -- x0 x0 x0 x0 x0 -- x0 -- x0 -- x1 -- x1 x1 x1 -- x1 -- x1 x1 x1 -- x1 -- x1 -- x2 x2 -- x2 x2 -- x2 x2 -- x2 x2 x2 x2x3 -- x3 -- x3 x3 -- x3 -- x3 x3 -- x3 x3 -- x3x4 x4 x4 x4 x4 x4 x4 x4 -- x4 -- x4x5 x5 x5 x5 x5 -- x5 x5 x5 x5 -- x5__________________________________________________________________________ each of the outputs e0 - e8 are applied to inputs of nor gate 176 and are likewise each inverted by inverters 140 , 142 , 144 , 146 , 148 , 150 , 152 , 154 and 156 . the output of nor gate 176 is an error signal and is applied to nand gate 178 and or gate 180 . the signal ec is applied to the second input of nand gate 178 to produce an ec + error signal . the signal pb is applied to the second input of or gate 180 to produce the corrected byte parity signal . the corrected data byte out is produced as follows . and gate 158 as applied to its inputs r0 and e0 to produce o0 . and gate 160 has r1 and e1 applied to its inputs to produce o1 . o2 is likewise produced in and gate 162 by the application of r2 and e2 , and o3 is produced by and gate 164 having r3 and e3 applied thereto . the remaining bits o4 , o5 , o6 , o7 and o8 are similarly formed by and gates 166 , 168 , 170 , 172 and 174 .
| 7 |
before explaining the present invention in detail , it should be noted that the invention is not limited in its application or use to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings and description . the illustrative embodiments of the invention may be implemented or incorporated in other embodiments , variations and modifications , and may be practiced or carried out in various ways . further , unless otherwise indicated , the terms and expressions employed herein have been chosen for the purpose of describing the illustrative embodiments of the present invention for the convenience of the reader and are not for the purpose of limiting the invention . further , it is understood that any one or more of the following - described embodiments , expressions of embodiments , examples , etc . can be combined with any one or more of the other following - described embodiments , expressions of embodiments , examples , etc . the system illustration of fig1 depicts a first expression of the system architecture of the invention . the diagram illustrates the relationship between system controller 1 , infusion delivery means 2 and a fluid source 50 , as well as other subsystems of note , each of which is described in more detail later . infusion delivery means 2 delivers infusion fluid from fluid source 50 to patient 3 based upon control signals issued by system controller 1 . infusion fluids administered to patient 3 may include but are not limited to chemical agents , analgesics , anesthetics , blood , plasma , antibiotics , crystalloids , saline , and colloids . system controller 1 receives information related to the patient &# 39 ; s health by way patient sensors 4 . patient sensors 4 may comprise one or a plurality of patient sensors including , but not limited to devices that monitor pulse oximetry , blood pressure , capnography , electrocardiogram ( ecg ), electroencephalogram ( eeg ), respiration rate , temperature , patient responsiveness , concentration of respired gases in the blood stream , and perceptive pain assement . pulse oximetry sensors ( such as the voyager manufactured by dolphin medical ) are provided for trans - illumination of a blood - perfused portion of the body to measure light extinction during trans - illumination as is known in the art . the sensor is typically mounted on either a fingertip or earlobe and conforms to the contours of the patient &# 39 ; s body . blood pressure monitors and blood pressure cuffs ( advantage mini from suntech medical instruments ) are comprised of an inflatable fabric cuff that when inflated constricts blood flow through a patient &# 39 ; s arm . the cuff measures the periphery blood vessels pressure and the cuff then provides a patient &# 39 ; s systolic , diastolic , and mean arterial blood pressure . an alternative embodiment involves a blood pressure cuff mounted on the patient &# 39 ; s wrist . a lifewise ™ wrist - cuff blood pressure monitor could easily be adapted to monitor a patient &# 39 ; s blood pressure readings and send a corresponding signal to system controller 1 . capnography modules such as the co 2 waveform analyzer from cardiopulmonary technologies used in conjunction with a standard oral - nasal cannula as are well known in the art , allow for collection of respired gases from a patient and an analysis of respiratory carbon dioxide concentration . an oral - nasal cannula is preferably positioned adjacent to the nose and mouth of a patient to receive the patient &# 39 ; s respired breath . excessive percentage of co 2 found in a patient &# 39 ; s respired breath might indicate an adverse reaction to infused fluids as is well understood by those skilled in the medical arts . the capnography module in combination with the oral - nasal cannula may also be used to monitor a patient &# 39 ; s respiration rate by measuring the time between peak values as recorded by a pressure transducer or other means . electrocardiogram ( ecg ) modules may consist of an m12a front - end ( fe ) module ; differential converter circuit and receiver chip ( 11005 - 012 - 50 rev a1 from mortara ). electrodes attached to the patient emit and receive electrical pulses to diagnose heart rate and vascular disorders . ecg modules are used to measure the rate and regularity of heartbeats , the size and position of the chambers , the presence of any damage to the heart , and the effects of drugs . electroencephalogram ( eeg ) modules are comprised of a plurality of electrodes fixed to a patient &# 39 ; s head to detect electrical activity of the brain . this electrical activity can indicate information such as brain activity levels and neural disorders . furthermore , an eeg device may be used to measure a patient &# 39 ; s respiratory rate by a technique known as transthoracic impedance ( tti ). in tti , eeg electrodes are attached to a patient &# 39 ; s trunk . electrical signals are sent from the electrodes and the time required for the signals to return to the electrodes is measured . the difference in time can be indicative of the oxygen content of the patient &# 39 ; s body , particularly the lungs . consequently , respiration rate may be determined by taking a plurality of eeg measurements over a period of time . a patient responsiveness device , similar to the device disclosed in u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 791 , 959 to katz and nesbitt , may be used in conjunction with the above - mentioned sensors . this device comprises a query initiate device and a query response device . the patient response system operates by obtaining a patient &# 39 ; s attention with the query initiate device and commanding the patient to activate the query response device . the query initiate device may be any type of stimulus such as a speaker via an earpiece , which provides an auditory command to a patient to activate the query response device . the query response device may be a hand piece that can take the form of for example , a toggle or rocker switch or a depressible button or other movable member hand held or otherwise accessible to the patient so that the member can be moved or depressed by the patient upon the patient &# 39 ; s receiving the auditory or other instruction to respond . alternatively , a vibrating hand mechanism may be incorporated into the hand piece that cues the patient to activate the query response device . in one embodiment , the query initiate device is a cylindrical handheld device containing a small 12vdc bi - directional motor enabling the handheld device to vibrate the patient &# 39 ; s hand to solicit a response ( fig5 ) system controller 1 may serve to monitor the time delay between a signal generated by the query initiate device and a patient &# 39 ; s response as recorded by query response device . an excessive time delay from the query to the response may indicate that a patient is experiencing an adverse reaction to the infused fluid , particularly if the infused fluid is a sedative and the patient is becoming over sedated . the time may be compared to a predetermined threshold value and if found to be outside an appropriate time range , system controller 1 will command infusion delivery means 2 to adjust the fluid flow rate through iv line 14 to a more acceptable range . in a second expression of the invention , a breath analyzer 33 is incorporated as part of the invention to detect the concentration of an infused fluid , for example , propofol , in a patient &# 39 ; s blood stream as described in us20050022811 to kiesele et al . as shown in fig2 , breathing gas sensor 33 is fluidly connected to a patient &# 39 ; s airway and electrically connected to system controller 1 . breathing gas sensor 33 may be a co2 , o2 volume flow or temperature sensor to measure characteristics of a patient &# 39 ; s respiratory gases . propofol sensor 34 located downstream of breathing gas sensor 33 also receives exhaled patient gases . propofol sensor 34 is further fluidly connected to a downstream pump 35 . propofol sensor 34 may be an electrochemical gas sensor , saw ( surface acoustic wave ) sensor , ion mobility sensor , a gas chromatography , mass spectrometer , or a combination of a gas chromatograph and an ion mobility or mass spectrometer . system controller 1 is connected with propofol sensor 34 and pump 35 , so that system controller 1 actuates pump 35 for a sampling breathing gas depending on the signal of breathing gas sensor 33 . propofol sensor 34 sends a measured signal for concentration of propofol to system controller 1 . in an alternate embodiment of the second expression , breathing gas sensor 33 receives respiration parameters from system controller 1 and actuates pump 35 such that propofol sensor 34 measures ( for example ) the end tidal propofol concentration in the respiratory flow breathed out . the mode of operation in the measuring system is such that depending on the measured signal of breathing gas sensor 33 , which is especially a co2 sensor , pump 35 is actuated by system controller 1 , so that samples reproducible in respect to the propofol content , especially of alveolar air , are delivered for the propofol measurement from the respiratory flow . in still another alternate embodiment of the second expression , system controller 1 monitors a patient &# 39 ; s respired gases in the event a patient sensor 4 , such as for example , a responsiveness monitor , indicates a patient is sedated or when a patient &# 39 ; s blood oxygen saturation falls below a vital sign threshold value 5 ( fig7 ). the concentration of propofol as measured by propofol sensor 34 will be used as a baseline value . subsequent measurements that indicate the propofol concentration is greater than the baseline value will prompt system controller 1 to reduce the flow of infused fluids ( in this example , propofol ) to the patient 3 . a third expression of the invention includes means for assessing arousal , pain and stress during fluid infusion . as described in us2004 / 0015091 to greenwald and dahan , ecg electrodes and a photo - plethysmography ( ppg ) device may be used concurrently to generate a pulse transit time ( ptt ) value that may be interpreted to evaluate the patient &# 39 ; s consciousness as well as stress and pain levels . as shown in fig3 , system controller 1 continuously monitors ecg and ppg waveforms , both monitors are represented by item 4 . for each cardiac cycle , fiducial points are identified to indicate the pulse onset time ( as measured by ecg ) and pulse arrival time ( as measured by ppg ). the onset and arrival times for each cardiac cycle are paired , and the time difference or pulse transit time ( ptt ) is the interval estimate for that beat . system controller 1 monitors trends in ptt values for a rapid decrease or increase . a rapid decrease will result in system controller 1 prompting infusion delivery means 2 to provide supplemental infusion fluid to patient 3 , while a rapid increase in ptt will result in system controller 1 prompting infusion delivery means 2 to reduce the flow of infusion fluid to patient 3 . an alternate embodiment of the third expression incorporates an entropy module , such as for example , the s / 5 entropy module developed by datex - ohmeda division , instrumentation corp . as described in us20030055355 , the entropy module monitors the change in entropy of an eeg signal . interpretation of an entropy level can give a clinician an indication of the depth of anesthesia of a patient . a high level of signal entropy indicates a patient is fully awake and alert , conversely , as the entropy level approaches zero , a patient is entering a deep level of anesthesia . an entropy module may be incorporated into system controller 1 or may be electronically connected to system controller 1 . in either case , system controller 1 will evaluate the trend in entropy level and will prompt infusion delivery means 2 to alter the flow of infusion fluid to patient 3 accordingly . a combination of the above devices may be used to provide a more sound evaluation of the patient &# 39 ; s condition . in one expression , patient sensors 4 comprise a pulse oximetry sensor that measures the percentage of oxygen found in a patient &# 39 ; s bloodstream and a non - invasive blood pressure sensor for measuring a patient &# 39 ; s systolic and diastolic blood pressure . it is understood in the art that measuring a patient &# 39 ; s blood oxygen saturation and blood pressure provides an indication of the relative health of a patient . blood pressure and blood oxygen saturation levels are of particular importance in assessing the effects of sedative drugs upon a patient . various patient sensor 4 combinations are shown to illustrate the modularity of the current device . as an example , fig1 depicts the current invention with a lone pulse oximeter sensor , while fig4 depicts the current invention with a both a pulse oximeter sensor 4 and blood pressure device 4 . other combinations of sensors can be used such as a blood pressure cuff 4 and a patient responsiveness monitor 4 as shown in fig5 . now referring to fig1 , a fourth expression of the invention includes detectors in iv line 14 for detecting the presence or absence of infusion fluid in iv line 14 . a fluid detection sensor 31 a continuously monitors iv line 14 for the presence of infusion fluid while infusion delivery means 2 is active . upon sensing an absence of fluid in iv line 14 , a signal is sent to system controller 1 which in turn halts further delivery of infusion fluid and alerts the attending clinician by way of status indicator 6 . the fluid detection sensor 31 a may be any of a number of different types of sensors including but not limited to optical sensors , ultrasonic sensors , proximity sensors , or electromagnetic sensors . an air - in - line sensor 31 b monitors iv line 14 for the presence of air bubbles , which may present a danger if air bubbles reach the patient &# 39 ; s bloodstream . the air - in - line sensor 31 b may be any number of different sensor types including optical and ultrasonic sensors . the sensor periodically sends a signal to system controller 1 describing the air content of iv line 14 . this command indicates the amount of air detected in the line over a particular time period . alternatively , the air - in - line sensor 31 b may register an air bubble greater that a predetermined maximum volume . upon receiving a signal from the air - in - line sensor 31 b , system controller 1 will compare the signal with a predetermined threshold value . system controller 1 may maintain , increase , decrease , or halt the flow of fluid similar in a manner similar to that described above relating to sensors 4 . the current invention may also include means to detect an occlusion or blockage in iv line 14 . occlusions pose a risk to the patient in that if the blockage is removed , a sudden bolus of infusion fluid may reach the patient . if the blockage is not removed and pressure continues to increase , iv line 14 or a blood vessel may rupture . to circumvent this situation , an occlusion sensor 31 c , which may be a strain gauge , piezoelectric , or other type of pressure transducer continuously monitors the pressure of iv line 14 . the occlusion sensor 31 c sends an output signal to system controller 1 regarding the pressure of iv tube 14 . system controller 1 will compare the value of the occlusion sensor 31 c with a predetermined pressure threshold . system controller 1 will in turn send an appropriate command to infusion delivery means 2 to reduce or cease the fluid flow . the occlusion senor 31 c , air - in - line sensor 31 b , and fluid detection sensor 31 a all serve to monitor the functionality of infusion delivery means 2 . these three sensors will collectively be referred to herein as functionality detectors 31 , and are schematically depicted in fig1 . now referring to fig6 , a fifth expression of the invention includes the capability to deliver two or more infusion fluids 50 and 52 to a patient simultaneously . in a first embodiment , the alternative infusion fluid ( s ) will be supplied to patient 3 by way of alternate infusion delivery means 10 . infusion delivery means 2 delivers a first infusion fluid from fluid source 50 to patient 3 while alternate infusion delivery means 10 supplies a second infusion fluid from fluid source 52 . alternate infusion delivery means 10 like infusion delivery means 2 may be a gravity feed device or a fluid pump as described later . all functionality associated with infusion delivery means 2 may be duplicated with such devices as an alternate occlusion detector , alternate free - flow detector , and alternate air - in - line detectors , referred to collectively as alternate functionality detectors 30 . all outputs of alternate functionality detectors 30 are transmitted to system controller 1 which evaluates sensors 4 , functionality detectors 31 , and alternate functionality detectors 30 to regulate the rate of fluid infusion . as shown in fig3 , a clinician may establish an initial infusion profile by programming system controller 1 by way of user interface 7 ( fig1 ). an infusion profile may include the type of fluid to be infused , initial bolus of fluid , maintenance rate , total amount of fluid to be infused , average rate of infusion , and total infusion time . in a second embodiment , a clinician may choose an infusion profile from a stored group of infusion profiles . in addition to setting an infusion profile , a clinician may enter information about the patient by way of user interface 7 and a suggested infusion profile will be calculated based upon patient information and a pre - programmed pharmacological model . after calculation of the suggested infusion profile , the clinician will have the opportunity to reject or allow the infusion profile by indicating so on user interface 7 . the technique of infusing fluids into a patient to achieve a desired effect - site concentration is known as target controlled infusion ( tci ) and is well understood in the sedation and anesthesia arts . an alternative infusion delivery algorithm that may be employed in the current invention is found in u . s . application ser . no . 10 / 886 , 255 filed jul . 7 , 2004 , which discloses a drug delivery algorithm for use in an automated infusion delivery device . an alternative to a pre - programmed infusion profile is a patient controlled fluid delivery device . patient controlled analgesia , and patient controlled sedation are well known in the infusion delivery arts and are easily incorporated into the current invention . after entering an infusion profile , a clinician may enter patient threshold values into system controller 1 . patient threshold values 5 ( fig7 ) are numeric values representing patient vital signs and are electronically stored in system controller 1 . a lower and upper patient threshold value 5 may be set for each physiological parameter measured by patient sensors 4 . for instance , an upper threshold value of 135 / 90 mm hg may be set for a blood pressure sensor while the lower threshold value may be 90 / 50 mm hg . furthermore , functionality threshold values 8 may be entered into system controller 1 . functionality threshold values 8 , similar to patient threshold values 5 , provide an upper and lower limit for functionality detectors 31 and alternate functionality detectors 30 . in an alternate embodiment , system controller 1 may automatically generate threshold values 5 , 8 . these values are based upon pre - programmed algorithms contained in system controller 1 . a clinician may prompt system controller 1 to generate threshold values 5 and 8 , then the clinician may approve , reject , or modify the generated threshold values 5 , 8 . upon establishing the initial flow profile and threshold values 5 and 8 , system controller 1 will prompt infusion delivery means 2 and alternate infusion delivery means 10 to begin delivering infusion fluid to patient 3 . as infusion fluid is being delivered , patient sensors 4 , functionality sensors 31 , and alternate functionality sensors 30 monitor their respective fields . data from sensors 4 , 30 , and 31 are transmitted to system controller 1 for further analysis . data received from sensors 4 are compared against vital sign threshold values 5 . similarly , data received from functionality sensors 30 and 31 , are compared against functionality threshold values 8 . system controller 1 will issue commands to infusion delivery means 2 and 10 to maintain or alter the infusion fluid delivery profile based upon comparisons between sensors 4 , 30 and 31 with threshold values 5 and 8 . these command are an attempt to affect the vital signs of patient 3 and the operating parameters of the infusion delivery means 2 and 10 . infusion delivery means 2 and 10 are devices that physically induce or prohibit the flow of infusion fluid through iv line 14 into patient 3 . the commands issued by system controller 1 to infusion delivery means 2 and 10 may be to increase , maintain , decrease , or cease the current flow of infusion fluid into patient 3 . system controller 1 is a typical electronic controller that is well understood in the art . system controller 1 has the capability to receive multiple input signals from an external source such as sensors 4 and to analyze these signals with a microprocessor . output signals are issued based upon a predetermined software response to particular input signals . the software included in system controller 1 has predefined threshold limits of patient parameters . an input signal above an upper threshold limit will induce system controller 1 to produce an output signal commanding infusion delivery means 2 and 10 to increase the flow of infusion fluid to patient 3 . likewise , an input signal below a lower threshold limit will induce system controller 1 to produce an output signal commanding infusion delivery means 2 and 10 to decrease or cease the flow of infusion to patient . an input signal that is neither below the lower threshold limit nor above the upper threshold limit will induce system controller 1 to maintain the current flow of infusion fluid into patient 3 . examples of medical controllers that are sold today , which could easily be adapted for use in the current invention include ; the cancion crs therapy from orqis medical , the avant ® 2120 sold by nonin medical , and the vital signs monitor 300 series from welch allyn . system controller 1 allows a clinician to establish a threshold hierarchy 9 whereby the actions of system controller 1 in response to sensors 4 , 30 , and 31 are governed in a particular manner . for example , if more than one sensor is in use , a clinician may program system controller 1 to alter infusion delivery means 2 only if all the sensors 4 report patient parameters outside a threshold value . alternatively , particular patient or system parameters may be given a higher priority than others , where only a subset of sensors 4 , 30 , and 31 report a patient or system parameter outside of a threshold value is sufficient alter infusion delivery means 2 . furthermore , system controller 1 may be programmed in a multitude of other ways depending upon clinician preference , which will be obvious to those skilled in the art . now referring to fig8 , system controller 1 may further include a user interface 7 ( fig1 ) to allow a clinician to adjust settings and parameters associated with system controller 1 . user interface 7 ( fig1 ) also includes means to display operating parameters to the clinician indicating the status of system controller 1 , patient 3 and infusion delivery means 2 . in a preferred embodiment , user interface 7 is an lcd touchscreen 26 . lcd touchscreen 26 has both the ability to display patient and system operating parameters and at the same time allow a clinician to provide input into system controller 1 . status indicator 6 is a module electrically connected to system controller 1 that alerts an attending physician of a change in a multitude of operating parameters measured by the current invention . in the event the patient &# 39 ; s physiological parameters reach a dangerous level , status indicator 6 will alert an attending clinician to the patient &# 39 ; s condition and any corrective action already taken by system controller 1 . in certain circumstances , status indicator 6 will alert a clinician to a patient condition requiring clinician intervention . in a first embodiment , status indicator 6 is a light bar 32 comprised of a plurality of led lights as shown in fig8 . light bar 32 may produce a first color to indicate a change in patient condition ; a second color to indicate an action by system controller 1 , and a third color to indicate that clinician intervention is required . additional colors may be used to indicate further changes and operating conditions . a second embodiment comprises an audio output device 25 , such as a speaker or earphone , which produces a unique sound for situations such as a change in patient condition , an action taken by system controller 1 , a request for clinician intervention and other system actions . the unique sound may be a pre - recorded voice apprising the clinician of the patient &# 39 ; s status , and suggesting a course of action . in a third embodiment , text messages are displayed to the user by way of lcd touchscreen 26 , providing detailed information regarding patient &# 39 ; s 3 condition and the current actions of system controller 1 by way of lcd touchscreen 26 . it should be noted that two or more of the embodiments mentioned above might be combined to provide multiple indicia of patient and system conditions . as an example , status indicator may flash a light , emit a sound and display a text message to alert a clinician to a change in patient status . furthermore , the severity of a change may dictate what means status indicator 7 uses to alert a clinician . a loud audio alert , and several flashing lights may signify life - threatening events , while a soft chirp from audio output device 25 may represent a minor change in patient condition . in a first embodiment , infusion delivery means 2 is a gravity feed mechanism which utilizes a variable pressure clamp 20 to contact iv line 14 and physically reduce the cross sectional area of iv line 14 as shown in fig9 a - c . variable pressure clamp 20 consists of two opposably mounted rigid bodies whereby variable body 21 is capable of lateral motion with respect to fixed body 22 as shown in fig9 . movement of variable body 21 is made possible by bi - directional motor 24 . bi - directional motor 24 receives operating commands from system controller 1 in the form of voltage signals . fig9 - a depicts variable pressure clamp 20 in a first closed flow position where iv line 14 has an original cross sectional area of approximately zero . fig9 - b depicts variable pressure clamp 20 in a second intermediate position . bi - directional motor 24 has increased the distance between variable body 21 and fixed body 22 whereby the cross sectional area of iv line 14 is increased by a predictable amount . finally fig9 - c depicts variable pressure clamp 20 in a third free flow position . in this position , bi - directional motor 24 has moved variable body 21 even farther away from fixed body 22 , whereby iv line 14 is completely unobstructed allowing unimpeded flow through iv line 14 . although only three fluid flow positions are shown , bi - directional motor is capable of finely tuning the distance between variable body 21 and fixed body 22 to produce many different fluid flow rates . furthermore , bi - directional motor may move variable body 21 closer to fixed body 22 to decrease the flow rate of infusion fluid as directed by the clinician and system controller 1 . in an alternate embodiment , bi - directional motor 24 may be replaced by a manual engagement knob , which would allow a clinician to manually adjust the amount of engagement between variable body 21 and iv line 14 . in a first embodiment , variable pressure clamp 20 contains biasing springs 23 which have a spring constant sufficiently high to ensure variable body 21 is biased toward a default closed flow position as shown in fig9 - a . biasing springs 23 are included to serve two purposes , the first being a means to prevent inadvertent fluid flow through iv line 14 , the second being a means to compensate for the variances in manufacturing tolerances . infusion fluid allowed to flow freely to the patient 3 , may present a health hazard . biasing variable pressure clamp 20 to the default fluid flow rate to zero mitigates the possibility of experiencing a free flow condition . defaulting the initial fluid flow to zero will calibrate the fluid flow rate as the bi - directional motor 24 retracts variable body 21 by a known distance . similarly , biasing springs 23 will compensate for small variances in tolerances that may lead to a fluid flow rate out of calibration . in a first embodiment system controller 1 issues commands to bi - directional motor 24 to adjust the position of variable body 21 but does not rely on a sensor to detect the rate of fluid flow through iv line 14 . without biasing springs 23 , there is no insurance that variable body 21 is positioned close enough to fixed body 22 to ensure that fluid flow through iv line 14 is zero in the default position . this may lead to fluid being supplied to the patient inadvertently and unexpectedly , which may put the patient at risk . furthermore , the fluid flow rate through iv line 14 will not be known as the variable body 21 retracts from fixed body 22 . in a second embodiment , fluid flow meter 27 ( fig9 - a ) may be introduced into the iv line 14 downstream of variable pressure clamp 20 to monitor the volumetric flow rate , mass flow rate , flow velocity or other flow characteristics through the line and allow system controller 1 to adjust the distance between variable body 21 and fixed body 22 accordingly . either an inline flow meter or an insertion flow meter may be used as is well known in the art . the output of fluid flow meter 27 is sent to system controller 1 which will adjust infusion delivery means 2 to ensure the preferred fluid flow rate is being supplied to the patient 3 . in a third embodiment , infusion delivery means 2 is a peristaltic type pump . a peristaltic pump utilizes a row of peristaltic fingers that sequentially compress and uncompress iv line 14 to create a wavelike motion to induce fluid flow through iv line 14 . the speed of peristaltic motion is governed by voltage signals delivered to infusion delivery means 2 by system controller 1 . in the current invention line 14 is removably attached to fluid reservoir at one end and removably attached to patient 3 at the opposite end . ideally , iv tubing 14 is a segment of tubing specifically adapted for use with a peristaltic pump that may endure a series of deforming impacts and still maintain the original fluid flow properties and flexibility of a line that has not been subject to deforming impacts . alternatively many alternative pumps may be used in place of a peristaltic pump , including but not limited to , bellows , diaphragm , piston , syringe , roller , lobe , and oscillating pumps . now referring to fig1 , the current invention may be adapted to interface with wireless printer 38 . in a first embodiment , system controller 1 transmits relevant data to wireless printer 38 by way of an integrated wireless transmitter 39 . wireless transmitter 39 may incorporate either an ieee 802 . 11 or bluetooth type technology . similarly , wireless printer 38 receives data transmitted from system controller 1 with a wireless receiver 40 . wireless receiver 40 may be either electrically connected or fully integrated with wireless printer 38 . in the event where multiple wireless printers are found in a single location , a clinician may select which printer system controller 1 communicates with . options include , printing to the printer with the strongest wireless signal strength or printing to a designated printer . another implementation of the current invention includes system controller 1 wirelessly communicating with central server system 100 as seen in fig1 . central server system 100 is a typical computer server such as an ibm cluster 1350 xseries 346 or a hp integrity rx8620 - 32 server , which receives information regarding a patient &# 39 ; s condition and operating parameters of system controller 1 . central server system 100 resides is a second room location and is capable of receiving and processing data from multiple system controllers located throughout a health care facility . server user interface 101 allows a clinician or operator to monitor the various system controllers reporting to central server system 100 and to operate the system controllers remotely . this allows a single clinician to monitor multiple system controllers reducing the number of skilled personnel needed to effectively monitor a patient care center . now referring to fig1 , an external display 105 may be used in conjunction with system controller 1 . external display 105 may be a lcd or cathode ray display device , such as for example , the mfgd 5621hd display form barco . in a first embodiment , external display 105 communicates with system controller 1 by way of wireless or infrared technology . system controller 1 utilizes wireless transmitter 39 to transmit data to external display 105 . data to be transmitted may include , information pertaining to the health of patient 3 , information pertaining to the operation of the device as described by functionality detectors 30 and 31 . furthermore , the output of status indicator 6 may be duplicated by external display 105 . the interface between external display 105 and system controller 1 allows for a periodic verification of connection . in a first embodiment , external display sends a signal to system controller 1 indicating either an error is present in external display 105 or that no error is present in external display 105 . an error may include conditions where external display 105 is not functioning properly . upon receiving an error signal , system controller 1 will take appropriate action , which may include reducing the flow of infusion fluid to patient 3 and / or alerting a clinician of the change in status . a clinician may specify what action is to be taken by entering threshold values 5 ( fig7 ) into system controller 1 by way of user interface 7 . additional signals to be sent from external display 105 including an identifier unique to external display 105 whereby system controller 1 will recognize the identifier and associate all data from a particular identifier with a particular external monitor 105 . while aspects , embodiments and examples , etc . thereof , it is not the intention of the applicants to restrict or limit the spirit and scope of the appended claims to such detail . numerous other variations , changes , and substitutions will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention . for instance , system controller and components thereof of the invention have application in robotic assisted surgery taking into account the obvious modifications of such systems and components to be compatible with such a robotic system . it will be understood that the foregoing description is provided by way of example , and that other modifications may occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims .
| 0 |
referring to the drawings in general , and more particularly to fig1 , shown therein is a top view of a disc drive 100 constructed in accordance with the present invention . the disc drive 100 includes a basedeck 102 that has several fastener receptacles 104 , the basedeck 102 supporting various disc drive components , and a top cover 106 ( shown in part ), with several mounting apertures ( not separately shown ), secured to the basedeck 102 by top cover fasteners 108 . the installed top cover 106 together with the basedeck 102 provides a sealed internal environment for the disc drive 100 . numerous details of and variations for the construction of the disc drive 100 are not included in the following description as such are well known to those skilled in the art and are believed to be unnecessary for the purpose of describing the present invention . mounted to the basedeck 102 is a ramp load snubber assembly 110 secured to the basedeck 102 by a fastener 112 , and a spindle motor 114 with a top cover attachment aperture 116 . the spindle motor 114 supports several discs 118 for rotation at a constant high speed , the discs 118 mounted on a spindle motor hub 120 that are secured by a clampring 122 with clampring fasteners 124 . in addition to providing support for the stacked discs 118 , the spindle motor hub 120 also provides a timing mark 126 used during the assembly process to reference the angular location of a source of rotational imbalance . adjacent the discs 118 is an actuator assembly 128 ( also referred to as an “ e - block ” or a head stack assembly ( hsa )) which pivots about a bearing assembly 130 in a rotary fashion . the bearing assembly supports a beveled pick and place member 132 that serves as a tooling grip during assembly operations . the hsa 128 includes actuator arms 134 ( only one shown ) that support load arms 136 . each load arm 136 in turn supports read / write heads 138 , with each of the read / write heads 138 corresponding to a surface of one of the discs 118 . as mentioned , each of the discs 118 has a data recording surface divided into concentric circular data tracks 140 ( only one shown ), and the read / write heads 138 are positionably located over data tracks to read data from , or write data to , the tracks . the hsa 128 is controllably positioned by a voice coil motor assembly ( vcm ) 142 , comprising an actuator coil 144 immersed in the magnetic field generated by a magnet assembly 146 . a magnetically permeable flux path is provided by a steel plate 148 ( also called a top pole piece ) mounted above the actuator coil 144 to complete the magnetic circuit of the vcm 142 . when controlled dc current is passed through the actuator coil 144 , an electromagnetic field is setup , which interacts with the magnetic circuit of the vcm 142 to cause the actuator coil 144 to move relative to the magnet assembly 146 in accordance with the well - known lorentz relationship . as the actuator coil 144 moves , the hsa 128 pivots about the bearing assembly 130 , causing the heads 138 to move over the surfaces of the discs 118 thereby allowing the heads 138 to interact with the data tracks 140 of the discs 118 . when the disc drive 100 is turned off , the vcm 142 parks the hsa 128 on the ramp load snubber assembly 110 to avoid shock induced contact between the read / write heads 138 and the discs 118 . to provide the requisite electrical conduction paths between the read / write heads 138 and disc drive read / write circuitry ( not shown ), read / write head wires ( not shown ) are affixed to a read / write flex circuit 150 . next the read / write flex 150 is routed from the load arms 136 along the actuator arms 134 and into a flex circuit containment channel 152 and on to a flex connector body 154 . the flex connector body 154 supports the flex circuit 150 during passage of the read / write flex circuit 150 through the basedeck 102 and into electrical communication a disc drive printed circuit board assembly ( pcba ) ( not shown ) mounted to the underside of the basedeck 102 . the flex circuit containment channel 152 also supports read / write signal circuitry 156 used to condition read / write signals passed between the read / write circuitry ( not shown ) and the read / write heads 138 . the disc drive pc ba provides the disc drive read / write circuitry , which controls the operation of the heads 138 , as well as other interface and control circuitry for the disc drive 100 . to maintain the sealed internal environment for the disc drive 100 , a seal gasket 158 is molded on to the top cover 106 . top cover 106 has a multitude of gasket attachment apertures 160 through , which gasket material flows during the gasket molding process . a continuum of symmetrically formed gasket material is disposed on both the top and bottom surfaces of the top cover 106 and injected through the apertures 160 . during the cure process , the gasket material injected into the gasket attachment apertures 160 bonds the portion of the seal gasket adjacent the top surface of the top cover 106 to the portion of the seal gasket adjacent the bottom portion of the top cover 106 , thereby sealing the gasket attachment apertures 160 and forming the seal gasket 158 . a gasket material found to be useful for this application is “ fluorel ” by the 3m company , and more specifically , 3m “ fluorel ”, fe - 5621q . the disc drive 100 has two primary assemblies , the pcba ( not shown ) and a head disc assembly ( hda ) 162 attached to the pcba . the hda 162 typically contains the mechanically active assemblies and components of the disc drive 100 . typically included within the hda 162 are the hsa 128 , the vcm 142 and a disc stack 164 sustained within the sealed environment created when the top cover 106 supporting the seal gasket 158 is secured to the basedeck 102 by fasteners 108 . the disc stack 164 is formed by stacking discs 118 , interleaved with spacer rings ( not shown ), on the spindle hub 120 of the spindle motor 114 and securing the stack with the clampring 122 and fasteners 124 . during operation of the disc drive 100 , spinning discs 118 generate airflow consistent with the direction of rotation of the spinning discs 118 . to reduce chances of a catastrophic failure of the disc drive 100 caused by particulate contamination internal to the hda 162 , an air filter 166 is provided internal to the hda 162 to trap airborne particulate either present following assembly or generated during operation of the disc drive 100 . fig2 shows a basedeck assembly 168 to include the basedeck 102 , the disc pack assembly 168 , the air filter 166 , a bottom pole piece 170 supporting a rare earth magnet 172 and a head stack assembly post 174 supporting a removably attached tolerance ring 176 . the bottom pole piece 170 , with the rare earth magnet 172 , together with the top pole pieces 148 , supporting a second rare earth magnet ( not shown ), form the magnet assembly 146 and the actuator coil 144 collectively form the vcm 142 . the basedeck assembly 168 together with an installed hsa 128 , magnet assembly 146 and top cover 106 combined to form the hda 162 of fig1 . fig3 shows the flex connector body 154 with the attached flex circuit 150 supporting a machine - readable head stack assembly serial number 178 . in a preferred embodiment machine - readable head stack assembly serial number 178 is a barcode but could also be characters capable of being optically recognized using optical character recognition software ( ocr ) or other comparable coding methodologies . the serial number 178 represents the physical characteristics for a particular hsa 128 that includes information such as the number and type of read / write heads 138 the hsa 128 contains , the type of bearing assembly 130 or the type of actuator coil 144 supported by the hsa 128 . fig4 shows the disc drive 100 with a machine - readable head disc assembly serial number 180 . also shown by fig4 is the mechanical interface between the bearing assembly 130 of the hsa 128 and the tolerance ring 176 removably attached to the head stack assembly post 172 . the bearing assembly 130 includes the beveled pick and place member 132 , and an inner race 182 separated by a bearing 184 from an outer race 186 . during installation of the hsa 128 into the basedeck assembly 168 the inner race 182 of the bearing assembly 130 forcefully engages the tolerance ring 176 as the hsa 128 is pressed onto the tolerance ring 176 through application of a compressive load on the hsa 128 . fig5 shows a tooling hole 188 provided in the actuator arms 134 to supporting the load arms 136 . typically , the load arms 136 are affixed to the actuator arms 134 through a process referred to as swaging . the swaging process normally involves alignment of the load arms 136 with the actuator arms 134 and passage of a swage tool through the tooling hole 188 . a tooling hole 190 is provided to facilitate alignment and containment of an actuator body 192 during assembly of the hsa 128 , including the swaging process . actuator coil support arms 194 support the actuator coil 144 of the hsa 128 and serve as reference surfaces , along with tooling hole 190 , for alignment of the hsa 128 in preparation for installation of the hsa 128 into head disc assembly 162 . additionally , fig5 shows actuator coil leads 196 electrically communicating with the read / write flex circuit 150 , the actuator coil leads 196 conduct current from the read / write flex circuit 150 to the actuator coil 144 , facilitating operation of the vcm 142 . to initiate the process of installing the hsa 128 onto the tolerance ring 176 , an operator completes a series of inspection and preparation steps . the operator first checks the flex connections ( not separately shown ) and the bearing assembly 130 to assure the hsa 128 is intact . next the operator manually removes a shipping constraint ( not shown ), used to protect the hsa 128 during shipment , and adjusts the head stack assembly installation comb 198 to complete the preparation and inspection steps . fig6 shows the relationship between the various members and components of the hsa 128 . the majority of mass of the hsa 128 is concentrated around the axis of rotation of the bearing assembly 130 and is made up by the actuator body 192 and the bearing assembly 130 . the actuator body 192 supports the actuator coil support arms 194 , the actuator arms 134 and bearing assembly 130 . the beveled pick and place member 132 is supported by the bearing assembly 130 and protrudes about the top plain of the actuator body 192 . the beveled pick and place member 132 provides a grip for handling the hsa 128 during installation of the hsa 128 into the basedeck assembly 168 of the hda 162 of the disc drive 100 . fig7 shows a head stack assembly installation system 200 with a frame 202 supporting a head stack assembly installation tool 204 and a computer 206 . for a preferred embodiment , the computer 206 is shown adjacent the head stack assembly installation tool 204 and supported by the frame 202 . however , the head stack assembly installation tool 204 and the computer 206 need not be proximately located , one to the other . electronic communication between the head stack assembly installation tool 204 and the computer 206 is sufficient to operate the head stack assembly installation tool 204 during installation of the hsa 128 into the hda 162 . the computer 206 is a host for an installation software program ( not shown ) that has installation software program steps . the computer 206 is used to calculate position and force data from position and force parameter measurements gathered by the head stack assembly installation tool 204 during the process of installing the actuator assembly 128 into the basedeck assembly 168 of the hda 162 . the installation software program directs and controls process steps executed by the head stack assembly installation tool 204 , based on the position and force data calculated by the computer 206 from the position and force parameter measurements gathered by the head stack assembly installation tool 204 . the head stack installation tool 204 has a main plate 208 that provides a nesting position 210 , an installation position 212 and a robotic assembly 214 . the nesting position 210 provides a tooling pin 216 that communicates with the tooling hole 190 of the hsa 128 ; a connector nest 218 , which cradles and aligns the flex connector body 154 of the hsa 128 with the actuator body 192 for installation of the hsa 128 into the hda 162 ; and head stack assembly alignment pins 220 that interface with the actuator coil support arms 194 to maintain the hsa 128 in a predetermined position prior to installation of the hsa 128 into the basedeck assembly 168 . the installation position 212 aligns the basedeck assembly 168 of the hda 162 for installation of the hsa 128 into the basedeck assembly 168 . adjacent the installation position 212 is a lift and locate assembly 222 that lifts the basedeck assembly 168 from a conveyor ( not shown ) and locates the basedeck assembly 168 within the installation position 212 . additionally , the main plate 208 supports a head stack assembly scanner head 224 adjacent the nesting position 210 to read the machine readable head stack assembly serial number 178 ; a head disc assembly scanner head 226 adjacent the installation position 212 to read the machine readable head disc assembly serial number 180 ; a head stack assembly present sensor 228 adjacent the head stack assembly alignment pins 220 to detect the presence of hsa 128 in the nesting position 210 ; and a head disc assembly present sensor 230 adjacent the installation position 212 to detect the presence of the basedeck assembly 168 within the installation position 212 . the robotic assembly 214 has an end effector assembly 232 supported by a vertical slide assembly 234 , which in turn is supported by a horizontal slide assembly 236 that is directly supported by the main plate 208 . the position of the vertical slide assembly 234 during the operation of the head stack assembly installation system 200 is reported to the computer 206 by a vertical slide digital sensor 238 located adjacent the vertical slide 234 . the position of the horizontal slide assembly 236 , during the operation of the head stack assembly installation system 200 , is reported to the computer 206 by a horizontal slide digital sensor 240 positioned adjacent the horizontal slide 236 . the end effector assembly 232 uses the beveled pick and place member 132 of the hsa 128 to grip the hsa 128 for installation onto the tolerance ring 176 . the end effector assembly 232 also has a pair of opposing positionable flex connector grippers 242 configured to communicate with the flex connector body 154 . a pair of opposing positionable flex connector grippers 242 maintain alignment of the flex connector body 154 in relation to the actuator body 192 while the robotic assembly 214 is pressing the hsa 128 onto the tolerance ring 176 during the process of installing the hsa 128 into the basedeck assembly 168 of the hda 162 . a pneumatic cylinder housing 244 supports the pair of opposing positionable flex connector grippers 242 as well as supporting a pneumatic cylinder ( not shown ) used to operate the pair of opposing positionable flex connector grippers 242 . as shown in fig7 , a communication interface electronics assembly 246 is mounted internal to the computer to 206 . however , like the computer 206 itself , the communication interface electronics assembly 246 need not be proximately located to the computer 206 , but rather , electronic communication between the communication interface electronics assembly 246 and the computer 206 is sufficient to operate the head stack assembly installation tool 204 during installation of the hsa 128 into the hda 162 . the communication interface electronics assembly 246 cooperates with a measurement assembly 247 that includes a radial displacement potentiometer 248 , a linear variable differential transformer 250 ( lvdt ), and a load cell 252 . the radial displacement potentiometer 248 is supported by the end effector assembly 232 and electronically communicates with the communication interface electronics assembly 246 during the process of installing the hsa 128 into the basedeck assembly 168 . the radial displacement potentiometer 248 measures position parameters of the gripping action of the end effector assembly 232 during installation process , and reports the measurements to the computer 206 through the communications interface electronics assembly 246 . the lvdt 250 is supported by the vertical slide assembly 234 and electronically communicates with the communication interface electronics assembly 246 during the installation process . the lvdt 250 measures parameters of vertical distance traveled by the vertical slide 234 relative to the head stack assembly post 174 and reports the measured parameters to the computer 206 . the load cell 252 is supported by the end effector assembly 232 and electronically communicates with the communication interface electronics assembly 246 during the hsa 128 to hda 162 installation process . the load cell 252 measures parameters of mechanical resistance between the tolerance ring 176 and hsa 128 , while the hsa 128 is being pressed onto the tolerance ring 176 to install the hsa 128 into the hda 162 . fig8 shows a gripper 254 of the end effector 232 . included in the gripper 254 is a radially disposed positionable gripper sections 258 linked to operate in unison and attached to a gripper housing 260 . each gripper section 258 supports a gripper finger 262 that is shaped to conform to the slope of the external surface of the beveled pick and place member 132 . each of the radially disposed positionable gripper sections 258 is coupled to the potentiometer 248 by a potentiometer coupling arm 264 . a push pad ( also referred to as a “ centering post ”) 266 is attached to the gripper housing 260 and circumvented by the radially disposed positionable gripper sections 258 . the radially disposed positionable gripper sections 258 move toward the push pad 266 contacting beveled pick and place member 132 to align the hsa 128 to the end effector assembly 232 . alignment of the hsa 128 to the end effector assembly 232 includes alignment of the top inner race 182 to the push pad 266 . during the installation process the gripper fingers 262 remain in contact with the beveled pick and place member 132 until contact is established between the hsa 128 and the head stack assembly post 174 . upon measurement of initial contact between the hsa 128 and the hda 162 , and reporting of that measured contact to the computer 206 by the load cell 252 , the radially disposed positionable gripper sections 258 disengage contact with the beveled pick and place member 132 . the push pad 266 remains in contact with the inner race of the bearing assembly 130 to transfer the compressive load delivered by the end effector assembly 232 to the hsa 128 during the process of pressing the hsa 128 onto the tolerance ring 176 of the hda 162 . retracting the radially disposed positionable gripper sections 958 front contact with the beveled pick and place member 132 during the process of pressing the hsa 128 into position reduces the chances of the bearing 184 being damaged during installation process . fig9 shows the interaction between the gripper fingers 262 , the push pad 266 and the beveled pick and place member 132 . the gripper fingers 262 provide a slope surface 268 that conforms to the slope of the outer surface of the beveled pick and place member 132 while the push pad 266 provides a shouldered outer diameter 270 that is inserted into the inner race of the pick and place member 132 . when activated to engage the hsa 128 , the radially disposed positionable gripper sections 258 contact the outer surface of the bevel pick and place member 132 and align the hsa 128 to the end effector assembly 232 by positioning the inner surface of the pick and place member 132 into contact with the outer diameter 270 of the push pad 266 . fig1 shows a central processing unit 272 ( cpu ) electronically communicating with recordable media 274 . the recordable media 274 holds an installation software program ( not separately shown ) that has installation software program steps to carry out the assembly herein described . the term electronically communicating or in electronic communication does not necessarily mean that the two devices engaging in the communication are physically connected . the term includes devices that are physically connected and devices that are electronically connected via networking links such as infrared communication , radio - frequency communication or through the internet via satellite communication . for example , the recordable media 274 may located in one country , for example the united states , and the cpu 272 could be located in a different country , for example ireland . the two devices , the cpu 272 and the recordable media 274 , are each elements of the head stack assembly installation system 200 , dependent on each other for the functioning of the head stack assembly installation system 200 , but neither is in direct physical contact with the other . they are however , linked , one to the other , electronically as portions of the head stack assembly installation station 200 . fig . also shows the central processing unit 272 in electronic communication with a volatile memory 276 ( also referred to herewithin as random access memory or ram ), a head stack assembly serial number data base 278 and a head disc assembly serial number data base 280 . the central processing unit 272 electronically communicates with the recordable media 274 to upload the installation software program into the ram 276 prior to execution of the installation process . during the installation process the installation software operates out of the ram 276 . in addition to containing an active version of the installation software program the ram 276 also temporarily stores information communicated to the computer 206 from the communication interface electronics assembly 246 . the stored information includes a head stack present signal ( not shown ), detected by the head stack digital sensor 228 , a head disc present signal ( not shown ), detected by the head disc assembly present digital sensor 230 , a value ( not shown ) representing the head stack assembly serial number 178 , provided by the head stack assembly scanner head 224 and a value ( not shown ) presenting the head disc assembly serial number 180 , provided by the head disc assembly scanner head 226 . during operation of the head stack assembly installation system 200 additional data regarding position and force parameters encountered by the hsa 128 during the installation process as well as position data for the radially disposed positionable gripper sections 258 , the vertical slide assembly 234 and the horizontal slide assembly 236 are gathered and written to the ram 276 on a real - time basis . the position of the horizontal slide assembly 236 is monitored and reported to the communication interface electronics 246 by the linear horizontal slide digital sensor 240 , the position of the vertical slide assembly 234 is monitored and reported to the communication interface electronics 246 by the linear vertical slide digital sensor 238 , while position data for the gripper sections 258 is continually monitored by the radial displacement potentiometer 248 . the position and force parameter measurements encountered by the hsa 128 while being pressed onto the tolerance ring 176 are made and supplied to the ram 267 by the linear variable differential transformer 250 and the load cell 252 respectively . two additional elements of the head stack installation system 200 are shown by fig1 . in electronic communication with the cpu 272 are the hsa serial number data base 278 and the hda serial number data base 280 , the hsa serial number data base 278 containing the physical characteristics of each hsa 128 available for installation into each hda 164 , while the hda serial number data base 280 contains the physical characteristics of each hda 164 available for receipt of the hsa 128 . prior to joining each available hsa 128 with each available hda 164 , the installation software program instructs the cpu 272 to read the serial number 178 of the hsa 128 from ram 276 , query the hsa serial number data base 278 and retrieve the physical characteristics information contained within the hsa serial number data base 278 for the hsa 128 serial number read from the ram 276 . the installation software program then instructs the cpu 272 to read the serial number 180 from ram 276 , query the hda serial number data base 280 and retrieve the physical characteristics information contained within the hda serial number data base 280 for the hda 164 serial number read from the ram 276 . the software installation program then instructs the cpu 272 to compare the physical characteristics of the hda 164 and the hsa 128 to one another , to ensure compatibility prior to proceeding with the installation of the hsa 128 into the hda 164 . fig1 shows a main process decision flow 300 utilized by the installation software program to grip the hsa 128 in preparation for installation of the hsa 128 into the hda 164 of the disc drive 100 . once a start step 302 , of the installation software program steps is initialized , three decision steps follow . the first decision step , hda in position 304 , verify the presence of the hda 164 within the installation position 212 of the main plate 208 . the second decision step , hsa positioned in the nest 306 , verifies the presence of hsa 128 in the nesting position 212 of the main plate 208 and the third decision step , hsa serial number entered 308 , verifies the presence of the serial number 178 within the ram 276 . the main process decision flow 300 shows the installation software program instructs the robotic assembly 214 to grip the hsa 128 and proceed to predefined process steps install hsa decision flow 320 ( of fig1 ), provided responses of the three decision steps are affirmative along with an affirmative response from a decision step hsa and hda compatible 310 . in addition to the specifically identified decision steps , the main process decision flow 300 shows the decision loops entered into by the installation software program if a non affirmative response is encountered from one of the specifically identified decision steps . the software installation program remains in the decision loop until the installation software program , from that decision loop , receives an affirmative response . fig1 shows the install hsa decision flow 320 of the installation software program utilized by the installation software program to engage the tolerance ring 176 with the hsa 128 . a start step 322 is the first installation software program step of the install hsa decision flow 320 . there are two primary decision steps involved in the install hsa decision flow 320 . the first , a hsa engaged post 324 , initiates step 326 upon successful engagement of the head stack assembly post 174 with the hsa 128 . installation software program step 326 directs the actions of ; releasing the radially disposed positionable gripper sections 258 from contact with the beveled pick and place member 132 , applying a compressive load on the hsa 128 with the robotic assembly 214 , and collecting force and distance parameters from the load cell 252 and the lvdt 250 respectively . upon successful completion of the second decision step , slide stopped moving 328 , the installation software program initiates step 330 , an action of raising the vertical slide 234 to discontinue application of the compressive load on the hsa 128 and to proceed to an analyze force and position data — decision flow 340 ( of fig1 ), another predefined sequence of process steps of the installation software program . the install hsa decision flow 320 shows the decision loops entered into by the installation software program should a non affirmative response be a result of one of the decision steps . the software installation program remains in a decision loop until the installation software program receives , from either of the decision steps 324 or 328 , an affirmative response . however , should the software installation program receive an affirmative response from a slide not moving 332 decision step , the installation software program directs the robotic assembly 214 to return the hsa 128 to the nest position 210 and displays a message on a display 334 for the operator to resolve the conflict and restart the process at main decision flow 300 . fig1 shows the analyze force and position data — decision flow 340 of the installation software program utilized by the installation software program to measure and analyze forces and positions encountered by the hsa 128 while engaging the tolerance ring 176 , as the robotic assembly presses the hsa 128 into the basedeck assembly 168 . a start step 342 is the first installation software program step of the analyze force and position data — decision flow 340 . the software installation program incorporates a force to distance ratio equation 344 to monitor installation of the hsa 128 onto the tolerance ring . during the installation process , process parameter measurements representing force and distance are gathered by the head stack installation tool 204 ( of fig7 ) and electronically communicated to the computer 206 ( of fig7 ). the computer 206 manipulates the measurements by converting the measurements into values and substituting those values into equation 344 . the resulting calculated value , a slope , is compared to predetermined value dynamic slope v of decision step 348 . turning to fig1 , the predetermined value v is empirically derived for forces typically encountered by the hsa 128 while being pressed onto the tolerance ring 176 at specific increments of distance encountered by the hsa 128 while traveled along the tolerance ring 176 and found to have a maximum value of 600 , 358 . the software also monitors mechanical resistance encounter during the process at time intervals of about every 50 milliseconds over the distance traveled by the hsa 128 while traveled along the tolerance ring 176 . empirically gathered mechanical resistance data yielded a mechanical resistance as a function of position ( f ( p )) curve 360 . the mechanical resistance as a function of position curve 360 was arrived at through normal curve fitting techniques , relating the mechanical resistance encountered by the hsa 128 while being pressed onto the tolerance ring 176 to a point representing the distance covered by the head stack assembly at the point in time the mechanical resistance was encountered . a tolerance of about plus and minus 5 % of the mechanical resistance encountered by the hsa 128 in any region of the tolerance ring 176 was elected and applied to the force curve resulting in a family of values representing dynamic force thresholds 362 against which actual measured process data can be dynamically compared . forces encountered that fall outside the dynamic , either insufficient or excessive , trigger the head stack assembly installation station to abort the process . returning to fig1 , the equation ( f = f ( p ) +/− x ) and slop & lt ; v of 348 is interpreted to mean ; should the force ( f ) measured as encountered by the hsa 128 at a position ( p ) while being pressed onto the tolerance ring 176 fall outside the empirically derived force as a function of position ( f ( p )) curve , plus or minus ( x ), about 5 % of the force empirically found to be encountered at position ( p ) along the tolerance ring 176 during the mating process , the process will be aborted . and , should the force ( f ) measured as encountered by the hsa 128 at a position ( p ) while being pressed onto the tolerance ring 176 fall within the empirically derived mechanical resistance as a function of position ( f ( p )) curve 360 ( of fig1 ), plus or minus ( x ), about 5 % of the mechanical resistance empirically found to be encountered at position ( p ) along the tolerance ring 176 during the mating process , but the slop exceeds a predetermined value , empirically found to be about 600 the process will be aborted . or , if the resultant calculated value falls outside the predetermined value v , the installation software program instructs the head stack installation tool 204 to abort the process , return the hsa 128 to the nest position 210 ( of fig7 ), and display a message on the display 334 reporting the status of the process and instructing the operator to remove the hsa 128 from the nest position 112 , place the next hsa 128 into the nest position 112 and restart the process at process step 300 . however , typically the software installation program remains in decision loops until the installation software program receives , from either of the installation software program steps 346 or 348 , an affirmative response . upon receipt of an affirmative response from either installation software program steps 346 or 348 , the installation software program proceeds to evaluate a course of action to be followed by the head stack installation tool 204 , based on decision steps represented by installation software program steps 350 , 352 , 354 and 356 . in each of the four installation software program steps 350 , 352 , 354 and 356 the installation software program checks process end points for specific values of force or distance encountered by the hsa 128 during the installation process . if the process end point values for the amount of force encountered by the hsa 128 is less than 11 . 34 kilograms , but greater than 0 . 363 kilograms , and the distance traveled by the hsa 128 after encountering the head stack assembly post 174 ( of fig4 ) is greater than z minus 0 . 0254 centimeters , but less than z plus 0 . 0254 centimeters ( where z is typically between 1 . 203 centimeters and 3 . 094 centimeters ), the head stack installation tool 204 has successfully installed the hsa 128 into the hda 162 ( of fig1 ). if the process end point values for the amount of force encountered by the hsa 128 or the distance traveled by the hsa 128 after encountering the head stack assembly post 174 falls outside those parameters , the installation software program instructs the head stack installation tool 204 to abort the installation process attempt , directs the robotic assembly 214 to return the hsa 128 to the nest position 210 and displays a message on a display 334 for the operator to resolve the conflict and restart the process at main decision flow 300 . the present invention provides a head stack assembly installation system ( such as 200 ) with a head stack installation tool ( such as 204 ) electronically communicating with a computer ( such as 206 ) that has an active installation software program directing and controlling process steps enacted by head stack installation tool to install a head stack assembly ( such as 128 ) into a head disc assembly of a disc drive ( such as 100 ). the head stack installation tool provides a nesting position ( such as 210 ) for aligning in staging head stack assembly prior to installation into the head disc assembly , an installation position ( such as 212 ) for locating in securing the head disc assembly while awaiting installation of the head stack assembly , a robotic assembly ( such as 214 ) the robotic assembly includes an end effector assembly ( such as 232 ) supported by a vertical slide assembly ( such as 234 ), which is in turn supported by a horizontal slide assembly ( such as 236 ) that attaches to a main plate ( such as 208 ). a measurement assembly made up of a communications interface electronics assembly ( such as 246 ) electronically communicating with a radial displacement potentiometer ( such as 248 ), a linear variable differential transformer ( such as 250 ), and a load cell ( such as 252 ). the robotic assembly picks and places the head stack assembly into the head disc and the measurement assembly collects and communicates process position and force parameters to the computer for use by the computer in calculating distance and force data . the active installation software program directs and controls enactment of process steps followed by the head stack installation tool by directing the computer to execute installation software program steps based on the position and force data calculated by the computer . it is clear that the present invention is well adapted to attain the ends and advantages mentioned as well as those inherent therein . while a presently preferred embodiment of the invention has been described for purposes of the disclosure , it will be understood that numerous changes can be made which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art . such changes are encompassed within the spirit of the invention disclosed and as defined in the appended claims .
| 8 |
in the following detailed description , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of some embodiments of the invention . however , it will be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details . in other instances , well - known methods , procedures , components , units and / or circuits have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the discussion . the terms “ field - programmable gate array ” ( fpga ) or fpga unit as used herein includes , for example , a semiconductor device containing programmable logic components ( e . g ., logic blocks , logic gates , memory blocks , or the like ) and programmable interconnects . the term “ fpga unit ” as used herein includes , for example , a single fpga , a pair of two interconnected fpgas , a set of multiple interconnected fpgas , or the like . in some embodiments , the terms “ fpga ” or “ fpga unit ” may optionally include non - fpga components , for example , a logic device , a programmable logic device , a connectivity device , or the like . although portions of the discussion herein relate , for demonstrative purposes , to a rigid board having fpgas or to fpga units , embodiments of the invention are not limited in this regard and may be used , for example , in conjunction with other logic devices , programmbale logic devices , phy devices ( for example , ethernet phy devices , display or imaging devices ), non - programmable logic devices , dedicated logic devices , connectivity devices , or a combination thereof . although portions of the discussion herein relate , for demonstrative purposes , to a rigid board having two fpgas or two fpga units , embodiments of the invention are not limited in this regard and may be used , for example , in conjunction with rigid boards having a single fpga or a single fpga unit , rigid boards having three fpgas or fpga units , or four ( or other numbers of ) fpgas or fpga units . in some embodiments , two or more of the fpgas ( or fpga units ) located on a common rigid board may be interconnected using one or more connections or wires ( or groups of connections or wires ), may share one or more connections or wires ( or groups of connections or wires ), or the like . in some embodiments , various rigid boards or “ trays ” may include different numbers of fpgas and / or other programmable logic devices . fig1 schematically illustrates a fpga tray 100 in accordance with some demonstrative embodiments of the invention . in some embodiments , tray 100 may include two fpga units , for example , unit 115 and unit 116 . fpga units 115 - 116 may be soldered together or otherwise connected onto a single platform or rigid board 113 , or may be included in a single housing . in some embodiments , fpga units 115 - 116 may include electronics , electronic units and / or logical units , for example , memory blocks , chips , processors , resistors , circuits , logic blocks , logic gates , or the like . fpga units 115 - 116 may be interconnected using one or more connections 140 . wire ensembles ( or other suitable flexible connectivity members ) 120 and 130 may connect between fpga units 115 and 116 , and connectors 121 - 126 and 131 - 136 . in some embodiments , for example , wire ensemble 120 may be associated with unit 115 , and may be located on a side of rigid board 113 ; wire ensemble 130 may be associated with unit 116 , and may be located on an opposite side of rigid board 113 . in other embodiments , for example , a first portion of wire ensemble 120 may be associated with components of fpga unit 115 , whereas a second portion of wire ensemble may be associated with components of fpga unit 116 . similarly , a first portion of wire ensemble 130 may be associated with components of fpga unit 115 , whereas a second portion of wire ensemble 130 may be associated with components of fpga unit 116 . wire ensembles 120 and 130 include multiple wires , cables , links , conductive materials , or the like . in some embodiments , for example , wire ensembles 120 and 130 may include approximately 720 wires , approximately , 710 wires , approximately 700 wires , approximately 730 wires , approximately 740 wires , between 710 and 730 wires , between 700 and 740 wires , or the like . additionally , wire ensembles 120 and 130 may be flexible , as to allow decks or panels 112 and 114 , respectively , to form multiple angles with rigid board 113 or to form a three dimensional structure including rigid board 113 and panels 112 and 114 , e . g ., a u shaped structure . in some embodiments , for example , panels 112 and 114 may form an angle of approximately 90 degrees with rigid board 113 . in other embodiments , other suitable angles may be formed . although portions of the discussion herein relate , for demonstrative purposes , to wire ensembles 120 and 130 having approximately 720 wires , embodiments of the invention may utilize other number of wires , for example , approximately 250 wires , approximately 1 , 000 wires ( e . g ., utilizing three fpgas per rigid board ), approximately 2 , 000 wires ( e . g ., utilizing three fpgas per rigid board having substantially all connections on one side ), hundreds or thousands or wires , or the like . wire ensemble 120 transfers data from fpga units 115 - 116 to connectors 121 - 126 , and vice - versa . for example , a first portion of wires of wire ensemble 120 may be associated with a first component of unit 116 and connected to a first connector , for example , connector 121 ; a second portion of wires of wire ensemble 120 , possibly associated with a second component of fpga unit 116 , or a component of fpga unit 115 , may be connected to a second connector , for example , connector 123 . similarly , a first portion of wires of wire ensemble 130 may be associated with a first component of fpga unit 115 and connected to a first connector , for example , connector 132 ; a second portion of wires of wire ensemble 130 , possibly associated with a second component of fpga unit 115 , or a component of fpga unit 116 , may be connected to a second connector , for example , connector 123 . connectors 121 - 126 and / or 131 - 136 may include an inner wiring mechanism , transforming multiple wires of wire ensembles 120 and / or 130 associated therewith to a single connection . for example , connector 121 may be associated with multiple wires of wire ensemble 120 , and when externally connected to another connector using a bridge , as described herein , the bridge is implemented as a single wire or a single wire unit . although portions of the discussion herein relate , for demonstrative purposes , to flexible wire ensembles 120 and 130 , embodiments of the invention are not limited in this regard and may be used , for example , in conjunction with non - flexible wire ensembles 120 or 130 , e . g ., allowing the panel 112 to be rigidly or semi - rigidly connected to rigid board 113 , and / or allowing the panel 114 to be rigidly or semi - rigidly connected to rigid board 113 , optionally at a right angle of 90 degrees or other suitable ( e . g ., constant ) angles . fig2 schematically illustrates three interconnected trays 210 , 220 and 230 , in accordance with some demonstrative embodiments of the invention . each one of trays 210 , 220 and 230 may be similar to tray 100 of fig1 . some embodiments may allow interconnecting multiple trays , including , for example , physically remote trays . for example , a first connector 212 associated with tray 210 is connected to a connector 231 associated with tray 230 , using a bridge 215 . a second connector 211 associated with tray 210 is connected to connector 221 associated with tray 220 , using bridge 225 . similarly , trays 220 and 230 are connected using bridges 245 and 255 . bridge 255 interconnects connectors 228 and 238 associated with trays 220 and 230 , respectively . bridge 245 interconnects connectors 226 and 232 associated with trays 220 and 230 , respectively . a bridge 265 connects connectors 222 and 223 , both located on tray 220 , thereby connecting externally multiple components of tray 220 . trays 210 , 220 , 230 and / or additional trays may be located one on top of another , besides one another , physically remote one from the other , oriented sideways relative to one another , in a diagonal structure , in a three - dimensional structure , embedded or housed in a common housing or rack or backplane , or in multiple housings or racks or backplanes , or a combination thereof , or the like . multiple other connections between two connectors may be applied using additional bridges , for example , allowing direct physical and / or logical connectivity ( and optionally utilizing indirect physical connectivity ) between substantially every pair of connectors , associated with random components of random trays . bridges 215 , 225 , 245 , 255 , and / or 265 may transfer data or information including high frequency signals , and may be flexible . fig3 schematically illustrates a rigid board with electronic components and side connectors , in accordance with some demonstrative embodiments of the invention . in some embodiments , multiple systems , such as ic or system on chip ( soc ) or asic verification or prototyping , combine a significant number of logic and electronic components with a significant number of unpredictable high - speed connection lines to interconnect multiple parts of the logic and electronic components . accordingly , in some embodiments , a system may include multiple rigid boards to house the multiple logic and electronic components . some embodiments may include a significant number of logic and electronic components , as well as high flexibility for huge and unpredictable i / os density with high - speed performance . in some embodiments , a rigid board including the electronic components and multiple i / o connectors may be located on multiple axes . for example , a rigid board 300 housing electrical components and side connectors 301 - 304 form an angle of approximately 90 degrees . in other embodiments , other angles may be formed , for example , approximately 83 degrees , approximately 104 degrees , approximately 35 degrees , approximately 56 degrees , approximately 120 degrees , approximately 127 degrees , or the like . fig4 schematically illustrates multiple rigid boards , in accordance with some demonstrative embodiments of the invention . in some embodiments , connectors may be placed generally along sides of the rigid board , for example , to increase the number of possible i / os associated with a rigid board . for example , rigid board 410 has connections in two sides , connectors 411 and 412 on a first side , and connectors 413 and 414 on a second , generally opposite side . similarly , rigid board 420 has connections in two sides , connectors 421 and 422 on a first side , and connectors 423 and 424 on a second , generally opposite side . for example , rigid boards 410 and 420 , and possibly similar rigid boards may be located next to one another . architecture of the rigid boards allows a three - dimensional electronics location , and multiple rigid boards are possibly externally connected . additionally , this architecture may allow full air flow that may be needed in order to cool the electronics . fig5 schematically illustrates a rigid board with electronics and a flex - rigid printed circuit board ( pcb ), in accordance with some embodiments of the invention . in some embodiments , a first area including electronic components and a second area including connectors may be physically separated , for example , for routing purposes . for example , rigid board 500 may include electronic components and logic components , and may be connected to rigid connectors 511 and 512 , via flexible connections 501 and 502 , respectively . flexible connections 501 and 502 may include multiple inner wires , for example , approximately 118 or 120 wires , approximately 110 wires , approximately 130 wires , between 110 and 130 wires , or other suitable number of wires ( for example , groups of approximately 10 wires , 120 wires , 180 wires , 240 wires , 300 wires , hundreds or thousands of wires , or the like ), coated with a uniform coat . this may allow , for example , forming an angle between the rigid board and the connectors , as described herein . additionally , some embodiments may allow adding electronics in multiple portions , for example , in connectors 511 and 512 , as well as in connectors included in electronics of rigid board 500 . fig6 schematically illustrates a three dimensional architecture of a system , in accordance with some embodiments of the invention . connectivity between rigid boards may be flexible and fast . for example , system 600 may include ten rigid boards 601 - 610 , located in the vicinity of one another , housed in a rack 630 . in some embodiments , assembly of the rigid boards in a three - dimensional array results in a location of multiple connectors on every side , facing a single direction , thereby suitable to be comfortably connected . external bridges , for example , bridges 611 - 614 , may externally connect connectors of different rigid boards , one with the other . fig7 schematically illustrates a three dimensional architecture of a system , in accordance with some embodiments of the invention . in some embodiments , a generally complete connection may be achieved , by connecting several segments , such that substantially every segment connects a part of the system . an overall system flexibility and connectivity , together with maximum speed performance , may be obtained using multiple connections between similar or dissimilar segments in multiple locations . system 700 may include ten rigid boards 701 - 710 , located in a vicinity of one another , and housed in a rack 730 . for example , generally every rigid board has two connectors on each of the three panels in every side . a connector represents connectivity to a specific component on the rigid board . for example , connectors 716 and 717 connect signals to specific components in rigid boards 706 and 707 , respectively . bridge 721 connects between two internal elements in rigid board 705 , via an external connection . bridge 722 connects between a component included in rigid board 706 , and a component included in rigid board 707 . bridge 723 yields a bus connection , namely , a connection between physically remote rigid boards . fig8 schematically illustrates a system of rigid boards , housed in multiple racks , in accordance with some embodiments of the invention . in some embodiments , rigid boards and frames , or racks , may be connected side by side . in some embodiments , for example , the architecture shown in fig8 , may allow a simple connection between a first element in a first rigid board included in a first rack , and a second element in a second rigid board , included in a second rack , for example , when the rigid boards and / or racks are located side by side . for example , system 800 may include a first set of rigid boards belonging to a first rack 810 , and a second set of rigid boards belonging to a second rack 820 . for example , rigid board 821 of rack 820 may be connected to a first rigid board , 811 , of rack 810 , using an inter - rack connection bridge 831 . similarly , rigid board 821 of rack 820 may be additionally connected to a second rigid board 812 of rack 810 , using an inter - rack connection bridge 832 . fig9 schematically illustrates a multi - rack system 100 having a first rack 910 and a second rack 920 , the first rack 910 located on top of the second rack 920 , in accordance with some demonstrative embodiments of the invention . as described herein , a three - dimensional architecture may allow connecting of two connectors , included in two separate racks , externally . for example , a connector 915 of rigid board 911 of rack 910 , and a connector 925 of rigid board 921 of rack 920 , may be connected using a connection bridge 931 . additional connections are shown . fig1 schematically illustrates a set of identification pins , in accordance with some demonstrative embodiments of the invention . in some embodiments , for example , a connection unit yields a connection between a connector on one rigid board with an additional connector on the same rigid board or on a different rigid board . in some embodiments , for example , a connector has a dedicated pin for identification purposes . a connection between two connectors connects corresponding identification pins . a dedicated identification pin of a connector is connected to a pull - up on the rigid board to which the connector is associated . connectivity identification may include connecting a logical value , for example , a “ 0 ”, to a specific dedicated pin . the identification may include , for example , scanning dedicated pins associated with other connectors and listing connectors , that have pin input of logical “ 0 ”, as connected to the specific dedicated pin . the identification may include repeating the procedure with other dedicated pins , one by one , to have all connection lists . for example , connectors 1002 - 1004 and 1006 are connected together . when assigning a “ 0 ” value to connector 1002 , connectors 1002 , 1003 , 1004 and 1006 will read a “ 0 ” value and all the other slots will read a “ 1 ” value . thereby , a connection between connectors 1002 - 1004 and 1006 may be detected . similarly , when assigning a “ 0 ” value to connector 1001 , connectors 1002 , 1003 , 1004 and 1006 show an associated “ 1 ” value , thereby showing that they are not connected to connector 1001 . in other embodiments , for example , a similar identification method may be used , without dedicated pins for identification . in the identification , one or more nominal pins may be used in double function . for example , during the system identification test , the nominal pin is used as a connectivity identifier , whereas during operation of a system , the nominal pin is used as a regular pin . in other embodiments , for example , identification pins may provide identification and / or setup protocols allowing to add various types of logic . this may provide a solution to complex hardware problems for building , ic / soc / asic development equipment , for example , verification systems , emulators and prototyping environment . some embodiments may include a significant amount of connections , allowed by having as many levels of connectors as required , in every side of the rigid board , connected as described herein . in some embodiments , in which a system is utilized , for example , for design verification of ic / soc / asic , the system may allow to include a considerable amount of electronic components as well as a considerable amount of flexible connectors . some embodiments of the invention may allow a cooling of the system , maintainability , upgradeability and / or other features . in some embodiments , in which electronic components on the rigid boards ( for example , fpgas ) are required to be connected , a fast on - board connection between the fpgas may be utilized , regardless of the location thereof , for example , including in a case in which connected fpgas are embedded on multiple rigid boards included in multiple racks . in some embodiments , a direct connection between generally every pair or group of fpgas or other logic devices may be utilized . fig1 schematically illustrates a block diagram of a fpga tray , in accordance with some embodiments of the invention . in some embodiments , a fpga tray 1100 may include two fpga units 1101 ( fpga 1 ) and 1102 ( fpga 2 ), soldered together , or otherwise embedded , on a rigid board 1103 , connected using a connection 1150 . connection 1150 may include , for example , one or more wires , two wires , one or more dozens of wires , one or more hundreds of wires , one or more thousands of wires , approximately 260 wires or the like . in some embodiments , optionally , connection 1150 may not be included in the fpga tray 1100 , or may include substantially no wires , such that fpga units 1101 and 1102 are not inter - connected . fpga tray 1100 may include a front panel 1110 and a back panel 1120 . in some embodiments , front panel 1110 and back panel 1120 , may include connectors 1111 - 1116 and 1121 - 1126 , respectively . in fig1 , the letter “ j ” in a label of a connector represents the word “ jack ”, or socket , or the like . the letter “ f ” in a label of a connector represents the word “ front ”, indicating that the labeled connector is located in front panel 1110 . the letter “ b ” in a label of a connector represents the word “ back ”, indicating that the labeled connector is located in back panel 1120 . the digit “ 1 ” in a label of a connector , indicates that the labeled connector is associated with unit 1101 . the digit “ 2 ” in a label of a connector , indicates that the labeled connector is associated with unit 1102 . the letter “ d ” in a label of a connector represents the term double data rate ( ddr ), indicating that the labeled connector is associated with a memory of units 1101 or 1102 . the letter “ t ” in a label of a connector represents the word “ transmitter ”, indicating that the labeled connector is associated with a transmission of data from units 1101 or 1102 . the letter “ r ” in a label of a connector represents the word “ receiver ”, indicating that the labeled connector is associated with a receiving of data to units 1101 or 1102 . in some embodiments , unit 1101 may be connected to connectors 1111 - 1116 , using external connections 1121 - 1126 , respectively . a connection from connections 1121 - 1126 may include , for example , approximately 118 wires , or approximately 120 wires , or the like . similarly , unit 1102 may be connected to connectors 1131 - 1136 , using external connections 1141 - 1146 , respectively . a connection from connections 1141 - 1126 may include , for example , approximately 118 wires , or approximately 120 wires , or the like . some embodiments , for example , may allow interconnecting efficiently and rapidly a system including multiple fpga trays ( e . g ., 3 trays , 10 trays , 30 trays , 50 trays , 100 trays , or the like ), thereby including approximately 100 million equivalent asic gates , or more . in some embodiments , a system may be designed to operate at system clock speeds of up to 300 megahertz or other suitable clock speeds or clock frequencies in accordance with available technology . in some embodiments , a rapid locating of bugs in a system may be allowed . some embodiments may utilize a scalable capacity within each system , varying from 5 million to 30 million equivalent asic gates . some embodiments may utilize significant connection flexibility , for example , 974 user inputs / outputs ( i / os ) per fpga , of which 708 i / os may be directly connected to substantially any other fpga . in some embodiments , a system may utilize up to 14 , 160 high - speed user i / os to connect the system to hardware of a user or other systems . in some embodiments , a system may include 4 , 720 ddr i / os of 250 megahertz , and / or 2 , 320 lvds rx channels of 1 gigahertz , and / or 2 , 320 lvds tx channels of 1 gigahertz , and / or 14 , 160 single - ended speed i / os . some embodiments may utilize high - speed connectivity , for example , of 300 megahertz for single ended lines , or of 250 megahertz for ddr i / os , or of one gigahertz for low voltage differential signal ( lvds ) channels . some embodiments may utilize an open infrastructure for user add - on logic and future technology . some embodiments may utilize up to 1 , 280 megabytes of ddr ii memories . some embodiments may utilize multi - volt i / os , allowing selections of different protocols and i / o voltages , for example , voltages of 1 . 5 volts , or 1 . 8 volts , or 2 . 5 volts and / or 3 . 3 volts . some embodiments may include a modular rack containing 10 slots ( into which a fpga tray may be inserted , and out of which the fpga tray may be removed ) for a scalable fpga platform , as well as a set of bridges or connections , for i / o connections . in some embodiments , lvds rx and lvds tx i / os may be utilized as dual - purpose i / os . additionally , lvds rx and lvds tx i / os may be used as single ended bidirectional signals . some embodiments may include a 64 megabyte ddr ii dram block for a fpga . some embodiments may include a multi - port controller , allowing a ddr ii dram block to be accessed via multiple first - in - first - outs ( fifos ), thereby allowing rapid ensuring , as well as wide and flexible data steaming . this enables fast pattern injection from a network host , as well as a significant depth of signal tracing . in some embodiments , a size of a system including , for example , 10 fpga trays , may be approximately 61 centimeters of length , approximately 30 centimeters of width and approximately 55 centimeters of height . a system may include a slide - in - slide - out mechanism , for example , one or rails or wheels , allowing to slide - in and / or to slide - out an individual fpga tray , e . g ., into or out of a rack or a backplane of a system . other suitable insertion or storage mechanisms may be used , for example , to allow fpga trays to be inserted or placed , e . g ., one on top of another , side by side , or the like . although portions of the description herein relate , for demonstrative purpose , to “ first ” and “ second ” fpgas or programmable logic devices , embodiments of the invention may be used in conjunction with more than two fpgas or programmable logic devices , and a “ second ” fpga or programmable logic device may include “ another ” fpga or programmable logic device . in some embodiments , a fpga tray may include a single fpga unit , and may not necessarily include two or more fpga units . while certain features of the invention have been illustrated and described herein , many modifications , substitutions , changes , and equivalents may occur to those skilled in the art . it is , therefore , to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes .
| 7 |
referring now to fig1 there is shown an embodiment of the subject invention as applied in a magnetic printing system wherein latent magnetic images are produced on a magnetic medium such as an endless belt of magnetic tape and the latent magnetic images are developed with toner particles which are then transferred to a record medium such as paper . in a printer application the latent images would be descriptive of , for example , alpha and numeric information available from a keyboard or from a communication line . in order to provide a permanent record , it is desirable that the toner developed images transferred to the record medium are permanently fused to that record medium . in this connection shown in fig1 a pair of rollers 1 and 2 are provided . the two rollers driven by an external source such as a motor , not shown , cooperate with one another to form a nip therebetween through which a substrate such as paper , supporting toner material , is moved . as shown in fig1 roller 1 is heated by a resistance heater 3 such as a quartz lamp . in the embodiment shown , the heater derives electrical energy from source 4 under the control of a controller 5 which shall be described in greater detail shortly . the surface temperature of roller 1 must be maintained within a very narrow range of the order of 20 ° f . typically centered at 330 ° f . to render the toner particles adhesive enough to cling to the paper but not hot enough to melt them to a liquid which would leave a residue clinging to the roller and affecting subsequent paper passing between the rollers . to achieve this , therefore , the electrical energy supplied to resistance heater 3 has to be controlled very closely . in order to achieve this degree of control , it is necessary to measure or monitor the temperature of the surface of roller 1 very accurately . in order to monitor the surface temperature of roller 1 , applicant inserts a ferromagnetic material as a band 6 completely surrounding the roller . chemical composition of the material is selected to have a curie temperature range which corresponds to range of temperature to be maintained . referring to fig2 there is shown a characteristic curve for curie point material operating in the embodiment of the present invention . in fig2 the magnetic relative permeability which is a dimensionless number is plotted as the ordinate and the temperature of the material is plotted as the abscissa . as shown , the permeability of the material is in the order of 1000 for all temperatures starting from room temperature 70 ° f . up to some point near a control point where the permeability of the material drops rapidly through a range which includes the temperature control range . as previously mentioned in a particular embodiment , this temperature control range was of the order of 20 ° f . centered on 330 ° f . while the invention has been described in connection with a particular temperature control range in mind , it is obvious that this range can be changed depending on the application desired . fig2 therefore , illustrates that it is desired to control the temperature of the heating element for roller 1 within the narrow temperature range of 20 ° f . to achieve this , applicant makes use of an alternating magnetic field bridge having the curie material included in one arm of said bridge . as shown in fig1 the magnetic bridge is energized by an oscillator driver 8 which in a particular application provided 3 kilocycle signals to the bridge . the output of the bridge representative of the permeability of the material as it changes with temperature and hence the representative of the surface temperature of roller 1 constitutes an input signal to controller 5 for controlling the amount of electrical energy being supplied by source 4 to the heater 3 to maintain the temperature of the surface of the roller within the desired limits . referring to fig3 there is shown in greater detail the nature of the magnetic bridge with the roller 1 shown in cross section . roller 1 comprises an aluminum cylindrical core coated with a thin , elastomeric , non - stick coating . bridge 7 in a particular embodiment comprises an e core of ferromagnetic material in which the reference winding energizes one arm of the bridge from signals applied from oscillator 10 via amplifier 11 . the opposite arm of the bridge is energized from the source 10 through a variable gain inverting amplifier 13 . inverting amplifier 13 is such that the windings 9 and 12 are energized with 3 kilohertz signals which are 180 ° out of phase . the gain of the variable gain amplifier 13 is adjusted such that the bridge passes through null at the center of the temperature or permeability control range . one of the arms of the bridge includes the roller 1 without the ferrite material , that is containing in a particular embodiment only aluminum which exhibits an essentially constant permeability with temperature change and the other arm includes the portion of the roller 1 carrying the ferrite material 6 embedded in a surface which has a permeability which varies with the temperature of the surface of the roller . the magnetic fields established between the arms of the bridge and the fuser roller are illustrated for one particular instant by the arrows . since the ferromagnetic material was selected to have its steepest permeability changes in the range of the temperature control range , the bridge produces signals on its output leads 14 which essentially represents the temperature of the roller in the desired control range . the signals developed on the output leads 14 are of 3 kilohertz value and having a phase which varies with respect to the phase of the signals from source 10 available on leads 15 in accordance with the change in permeability of the ferrite material 6 and hence of the temperature of the surface of the roller 1 . controller 5 in fig1 responds to the relative phase of the signals available on 14 from the bridge and 15 from the reference source 10 to control the electrical energy available from source 4 to the heater 3 . the controller to be described shortly performs several complex functions necessary to maintain the surface temperature of the roller within the prescribed temperature range while at the same time minimizing the adverse impact on the power source 4 as a result of the characteristics of the heater element 3 . for example , in a particular embodiment the heater element was a quartz lamp which had a maximum power output of 2000 watts when provided with power from 120 volts 60 cycle source . with this power output , the lamp can raise the surface temperature of the fuser roller 1 to a level which will soften the toner and cause proper adhesion of the toner to the record medium or paper . it should be noted that in a high speed printer application a considerable amount of heat energy has to be supplied to the fuser roller since the heat energy is being carried away rapidly by the paper moving therethrough . in a particular application where the paper moved at about 16 inches per second , a high power quartz lamp was required and this lamp had to be operated near its maximum limit . when such a high power lamp is initially energized , a current surge develops , typically six times normal heating current due to the large positive temperature coefficient of resistance of the lamp filament . in a usual application this amount of surge current would open the fuses or require an oversized power source . to minimize this surge current , it is necessary to allow the filament to warm up slowly by applying widely spaced individual cycles of the current thereto . also since the typical lamp current is near the source limit , a current detector is included to delete cycles to limit the full power current as it approaches an acceptable maximum . random switching this large amount of power in an application such as involving a printer connected to normal ac service would produce high frequency noise or dc components in the power line circuit which would exceed acceptable limits . to overcome these problems , applicant provides an arrangement to control the applied power as integral cycles rather than applying fractional parts of line frequency . power is therefore controlled in full integral cycle increments . this involves switching at the zero crossings of the line voltage . in order to avoid multiple cycle surges during the cycle switching , the arrangement to be described distributes the power cycles evenly in time over a predetermined control period in which a substantial portion of integral full cycles of alternating current from said source occur , as the proportion of cycles blocked to cycles passed is varied in accordance with the energy requirements of the fuser roller 1 . referring to fig4 a phase comparator 16 responds to the difference in phase between the signals available on leads 14 and 15 to produce an output signal on lead 17 indicative of the difference in phase between the applied input signals . in a particular embodiment the signals on 14 and 15 were 3 kilohertz sine waves . these 3 kilohertz input signals are first prepared by amplification and limiting to produce square waves which are combined in an exclusive or gate as digital pulses . when these processed pulses are in the same state , the output of comparator 16 is at a logic 0 state and if they are not in the same state , then they produce a second state output signal which is at a logic 1 . this circuit is a well known circuit and for further details reference should be made to the rca solid state handbook entitled &# 34 ; cos / mos integrated circuits &# 34 ; dated 1977 wherein an exclusive or network operating as a phase comparator is described on page 612 . the output of comparator 16 is level 1 or level 0 signals for various amounts of time depending upon the relative phases of the signals available on leads 14 and 15 . the purpose of circuit 18 is to convert the variable duty cycle pulse train available on 17 to a dc signal by low pass filtering . the dc signal , therefore , on lead 19 is indicative of the temperature of the surface of the fuser roller 1 . the function of block 20 is to convert the analog signal on 19 to a digital signal in form of a binary code representing the quantized value of the dc signal available on 19 . essentially , circuit 20 senses five discrete dc levels and produces a binary code on lead 21 . the a to d converter 20 is a common circuit and will not be described in detail . reference can be made to texas instruments &# 39 ; integrated circuit tl489 . reference can be made now to fig5 wherein the output of the a to d converter in the form of a five bit code is shown . the converter has six possible output states which span the range of analog signals available on 19 . the 0 state represents the upper limit of the temperature control range shown in fig2 and the state 5 represents the lower limit of the temperature control range . the proportion selector 22 functions to delete the desired integral number of power cycles being supplied from the power source 4 to the resistance heater 3 through a current detector 23 and solid state relay 24 to the resistance heater 3 . as previously mentioned , the function of the selector 22 is to control solid state relay 24 so that it only supplies full or integral cycles of power and that the cycles passed are uniformly distributed in time . referring to fig6 the further details of the selector 22 are shown . essentially , this involves a four bit counter 25 which counts the clock pulses available from source 26 and develops a binary number representative of the sequential counting from 1 to 16 constituting the sample or predetermined control period on the leads 27 applied to gates 28 . the inputs to leads 27 are representative of the counted line cycles . the particular line cycles selected for passage to heater 3 are communicated to lead 29 in accordance with the states of the signals available on lead 30 from the a to d converter 20 . referring to fig5 again therefore , it is seen that for the 0 state no integral or full cycles of the 16 counted cycles is passed to the output lead 31 . for the first state only the first cycle is passed . for the second state only the first and ninth cycles are passed and so forth . for the fourth state alternate cycles are passed and for the fifth state the power is passed continuously for all cycles . flip - flop 32 assures that only one on - off decision can be made per cycle . flip - flop 32 is a standard d type flip - flop . this decision is conveyed by a signal developed on lead 31 for coupling to 24 . these variations in duty cycle represents the various amounts of average power to be delivered from source 4 to the resistance heater 3 to maintain the temperature of the roller 1 within the desired range under varying load conditions . referring to fig7 the manner in which the solid state relay 24 responds to the control signal available on lead 31 to gate the desired integral cycles from the power source 4 to the resistance heater 3 . this is shown for the condition of a / d state 4 appearing on leads 30 . thus , applicant has described an arrangement for either applying or deleting integral full cycles of power from the source to control the heating of the roller while uniformly distributing the power line cycles over a predetermined control period so that they produce the previously mentioned advantages . it is desirable to monitor the average line current from source 4 to the resistance heater 3 and to delete cycles to reduce excessive current consumption during full power , or state 5 , caused by high line voltage conditions or by an unusually low resistance of the heater 3 which would otherwise cause the heater circuit to draw excessive current and open the fuse . the over current detector 23 operates to cause the proportion selector 22 to delete alternate cycles ( state 4 of fig5 ) to reduce the current consumption during the period these undesirable conditions exist . in a particular application the current detector 23 comprises a current sensor , ie transformer 32 as shown in fig8 which responds to the current flowing in the ac line from 4 to 3 . current produced by sensor 32 is rectified in full wave detector 33 and filtered in 34 to produce a signal corresponding to the average magnitude of lamp current . when this signal at the output of the low pass filter is above a predetermined level indicating excessive current , a level detector 35 responds to produce a signal over lead 36 to the or gate 37 of the proportion selector 22 to change the state 5 signals appearing on leads 30 to a state 4 . this state 4 represents the application of alternate integral cycles of power from source e4 to the resistance heater . this condition is continued until the average current from the low pass filter 34 falls below the predetermined level which indicates that the adverse conditions have passed . the solid state relay 24 is a common device available usually as a triac switching element with an internal triggering circuit to accomplish switching at the zero crossing points of the applied voltage following changes in the control signal . while the invention has been described with particular reference to the construction shown in the drawings , it is understood that further modification may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention , which is defined by the claims appended hereto .
| 6 |
the vehicle chosen to illustrate the invention , generally designated 20 , is a personnel car or portal bus . it runs on railway - type tracks 18 to transport men into and about underground mines . one of the major current applications is in coal mines . the vehicle has a frame or body 22 mounted on a pair of axle assemblies 24 by suspension means which is the subject of the present invention . the frame illustrated is conventional and will not be described in detail . briefly , however , it includes personnel compartments 26 at both ends and a central operator &# 39 ; s compartment 28 . the particular vehicle shown is a low unit having an overall height of about 26 inches so men riding in it must take semi - reclining positions to clear the roof and roof - supporting structures . a trolley 30 supplies electrical power from the usual trolley wire ( not shown ) running along the tracks . the term &# 34 ; longitudinal &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; transverse &# 34 ; and their adverbial forms used in this description and in the claims will refer to horizontal directions which are generally parallel to the direction of movement of the vehicle and generally transverse thereto , respectively . for example , each of the two axle compartments 32 , 32 in the frame is defined by a pair of &# 34 ; transverse &# 34 ;, vertical wall plates 34 and 36 . and they are &# 34 ; longitudinally &# 34 ; spaced , meaning they are spaced apart along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle . the top edge of plate 36 is below the top of the frame , allowing room for the upper portion of an inclined contoured , back - rest plate 38 in the adjacent personnel compartment 26 . a top plate 40 closes each compartment 32 . the operator &# 39 ; s compartment 28 is shown without any of the usual tramming , braking , and other controls because they comprise no part of the present invention . it will be understood that because the vehicle is reversible , either end will be the &# 34 ; front &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; rear &# 34 ; depending on the direction of travel . because the operator &# 39 ; s compartment is midway between the ends of the machine , he can readily see either way and control movement in either direction . referring now to the axle assembly 24 , this comprises a generally cylindrical cross - section axle housing 42 with opposite hubs 44 and 46 rotatably journaling an axle 48 having flanged railway - type wheels 50 at the ends . an electrical motor 52 is removably mounted on a circular flange 54 supported on a gear box 56 which is fastened as by welding solidly to the axle housing 42 . when electrically energized through in the trolley 30 by the controls in the operator &# 39 ; s compartment , the motor 52 rotates the axle 48 in one direction or the other at a selected speed . there is a conventional gear train transmission ( not shown ) between the motor and axle . suspension means whereby the axle assembly 24 is pivotally mounted relative to the frame about separate transverse and longitudinal axes respectively is the subject of the present invention . this will now be described . fastened as by welding to one side of the axle housing 42 are two vertical , longitudinal lugs 58 , 58 having aligned pivot holes 60 , 60 with appropriate anti - friction bushings 62 , 62 , therein . companion pairs of vertical , longitudinal lugs 64 , 64 , with pivot holes 66 , 66 are fastened as by welding to the side of rectangular mounting bracket 68 . each pair of lugs 64 , 64 are pivotally connected to a corresponding one of the lugs 58 by a pivot pin 70 . the pivot pins 70 are aligned along a transverse axis x -- x . a first cylindrical trunnion 72 is attached as by welding to the mounting bracket 68 . this is rockably journaled within a first trunnion mount 74 which is affixed as by welding 75 into an opening in vertical wall plate 34 . the first trunnion 72 provides a rockable mount about the longitudinal axis y -- y ( fig2 and 5 ). as best shown in fig5 and 7 , a bushing 76 ( preferably brass ) is interposed between the first trunnion 72 and the first trunnion mount 74 . for assembly purposes , the trunnion mount 74 and bushing 76 are each made in two pieces as shown in fig7 . only the upper half of the trunnion mount 74 is welded ( at 75 ) to the plate 34 , the bottom half being fastened to it by bolts 78 . the trunnion 72 has an external groove 72 a . the trunnion mount and bushing are shaped correspondingly to the trunnion 72 to provide shoulders limiting endwise movement of the axle assembly along longitudinal axis y -- y . specifically , shoulder 80 in the trunnion 72 engages shoulder 81 in the bushing , limiting movement of the axle assembly to the left as shown in fig5 ; and engagement of the mounting bracket 68 with the wall plate 34 limits movement in the other direction . at the opposite side of the axle housing 42 , there is a longitudinal arm 82 with a second trunnion 84 at its end . this is rockably journaled within a bore 86 in a slide block 88 , preferably made of bearing material such as brass . the slide block 88 , while providing the second trunnion connection on the opposite side of the axle housing , also aligned with the first trunnion connection , also enables that opposite side to tilt up and down about transverse axis x -- x by reason of vertical guide means here illustrated as a pair of transversely spaced vertical guides 90 , 90 welded to gussets 92 which in turn are welded to the wall plate 36 . the guides 90 prevent transverse horizontal movement of the opposite side of the axle housing but enable it to move freely up and down to accommodate undulations in the tracks as will be described . also extending from the opposite side of the axle housing ( to the left in fig5 ) is a horizontal base plate 94 affixed as by welding to the bottom thereof . as shown in the plan view of fig2 this plate is cut away at the center to clear the vertical guide elements 90 and 92 and has two transversely spaced end sections 94a which serve as a base for supporting vertical compression springs 96 on spring pads 98 . the tops of the springs bear against the undersides of angle members 100 affixed as by welding to the wall 36 . spring retainer plugs 102 , held by bolts 104 fit inside the upper ends of the springs and keep them in place . by the structure above described , the load of the vehicle frame will be applied to each axle assembly 24 , first , through the pivot pins 70 which permit no relative up and down movement and , second , through the springs 96 which permit some cushioning , relative vertical movement . in operation , as the personnel car moves along tracks 18 , the axle assembly 24 will rock sidewise about the longitudinal axis y -- y , between the first and second trunnions 72 and 84 respectively . this cushions the body against shock and twisting caused by the kind of undulations in which the track levels change individually , for example where there is a sudden rise or sag in one track but not the other . rocking of the axle assembly about axis y -- y absorbs shock where the track surface levels undulate but their average remains the same . as a practical matter , this is seldom the case , because level changes affect both tracks differently , so a raise in one seldom if ever precisely cancels out an identical drop in the other . in other words , the average level changes constantly . for absorbing this kind of shock , the tilt about the transverse axis x -- x is most effective . a sudden lift , where both ends of the axle assembly abruptly rise at the same time , causes upward movement of the slide block 88 between its guides , at a rate determined by the strength of the springs 96 , and cushions the impact transmitted to the frame and to the personnel inside . this construction has resulted in a substantially improved ride for people obligated to go into and about underground mines . an alternate form of transverse pivotal connection is shown in fig6 . here , bracket means comprising lugs 106 , 106 are welded to the wall 34 . a trunnion 108 , comparable to 84 , is rockably journaled within swivel block 110 about a longitudinal axis y &# 39 ;-- y &# 39 ;. the swivel block is pivoted for up and down tilting movement about transverse axis x &# 39 ;-- x &# 39 ; by pivot bolts 112 which are fastened to the lugs 106 and have inner end portions pivotally engaging the swivel block . while one preferred embodiment of the improved shock absorbing vehicle suspension has been shown and described , and one alternate construction for the transverse pivotal connection has been shown and described , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other specific constructions and arrangements are possible within the scope and spirit of the invention as covered by the following claims .
| 1 |
fig1 shows an exploded view of the isometric view of the gimbaled mounting device 10 . a mounting ring 12 is provided to secure a shower actuator to the mounting device . the mounting ring &# 39 ; s inside diameter is preferably equal to or slightly less than the outside diameter of the shower actuator so that the actuator is securely held within the mounting ring 12 . a mounting ring having a larger diameter could be utilized , although this is not preferred . the mounting ring 12 is itself comprised of at least one upper crescent member 14 , and one lower crescent member 16 . it is preferable that each of the crescent members has an arcuate length of less than ½ the total circumference of the mounting ring 12 . arcuate lengths of less than ½ of mounting ring &# 39 ; s circumference are preferred in order to facilitate attaching the mounting ring 12 to the shower actuator without damage to the crescent members or the shower actuator . an arcuate length of greater than ½ of the mounting ring &# 39 ; s circumference would result in a crescent member of greater than 180 °. such a member would either have to be slid onto the shower actuator , or would have to be deformed in order to be placed in a concentric relationship to the shower actuator . deforming a crescent member could result in loss of performance characteristics in the assembled device . the upper crescent member 14 and the lower crescent member 16 are provided with a plurality of screws 18 , 20 to secure the upper crescent member 14 to the lower crescent member 16 . one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that other attachment mechanisms could be utilized , such as clamps , clasps , insert retaining joints ( such as a dovetail type insert ), or any other suitable mechanism . regardless of the type of securing mechanism that is used , it would be preferable that such would not encroach to the interior of the mounting ring 12 , which would result in an insecure bracketing of the shower actuator due to the securing mechanism forming pressure points on the actuator . if the attachment screws were to extend beyond the outer diameter , they would most likely interfere with the rotational freedom of the mounting ring 12 within the outer pivot ring ( described supra ). therefore , the screws 18 , 20 of the present invention are a plurality of tangential securing screws . the tangential securing screws are accessed through a recess 22 , 24 in one of the crescent members 14 , 16 , and are received by corresponding holes 26 , 28 in the adjacent crescent member . a pair of gudgeons 30 , 32 is mounted to the outer surface of the mounting ring 12 . in order to ensure proper rotation of the mounting ring 12 , the gudgeons 30 , 32 must be mounted at opposing sides of the mounting ring 12 , 180 ° apart from each other . the gudgeons 30 , 32 of the present embodiment extend as cylindrical phalanges from the surface of the mounting ring 12 . each gudgeon 30 , 32 form an axial receiver hole 34 , 36 for the pivot screws 38 , 40 that will secure the mounting ring 12 to the outer pivot ring 42 . preferably , the height of each gudgeon 30 , 32 should be substantially equal to where rr id is the inner diameter of the outer pivot ring 42 , and mr od is the outer diameter of the mounting ring 12 . this prevents any translational shifting of the mounting ring 12 within the outer pivot ring 42 . the top surface of each gudgeon 30 , 32 should substantially abut the inner surface of the outer pivot ring 42 . each gudgeon 30 , 32 is provided with an axial receiving hole 24 , 36 for retaining a pivot screw 38 , 40 . the pivot screw 38 , 40 is inserted through corresponding bearing bosses 44 , 46 on the outer pivot ring 42 , and is then secured within the corresponding axial receiving hole 34 , 36 . in this manner , the mounting ring 12 is rotatably secured within the outer pivot ring 42 , on an axis defined by the pivot screws 38 , 40 . it is recognized that the surface where the gudgeons 30 , 32 will contact the outer pivot ring 42 ( or the optional pivot bushings 48 , 50 ) can be slightly domed , so as to form a hemispherical contact . a hemispherical contact lessens the amount of friction between the gudgeons 30 , 32 and the outer pivot ring 42 , as well as decreases the surface contact area . this allows the mounting ring 12 to more easily rotate within the outer pivot ring 42 . concentric with the mounting ring 12 is the outer pivot ring 42 . the outer pivot ring 42 has an inside diameter that is substantially equal to , or just slightly larger than , the outer diameter of the mounting ring 12 , plus the height of the gudgeons 30 , 32 . because the outer pivot ring 42 does not clamp onto any member in a way similar to the mounting ring 12 , the outer pivot ring 42 is preferably one continuous ring . one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that the outer pivot ring 42 could also be broken into arcuate segments , similar to the mounting ring 12 , however , such an arrangement is not preferred . the outer pivot ring 42 is provided with two bearing bosses 44 , 46 that are aligned with the pivot screws 38 , 40 of the gudgeons 30 , 32 . each bearing boss 44 , 46 is preferably lined with a pivot bushing 48 , 50 . the pivot bushings 48 , 50 are preferably shaped so that they cover both the area inside the bearing bosses 44 , 46 , as well as the areas proximate the bearing bosses that are contacted by the gudgeons 30 , 32 . the pivot bushings 48 , 50 are made of a ( nylon / teflon ) or other reduced friction material that facilitate the easy rotation of the mounting ring 12 within the outer pivot ring 42 . as stated infra , each pivot screw 38 , 40 is inserted through each bearing boss 44 , 46 on the outer pivot ring 42 , and is then secured within the receiving hole 34 , 36 of the mounting ring 12 . in this manner , the mounting ring 12 is rotatably secured within the outer pivot ring 42 , on an axis defined by the pivot screws 38 , 40 . integral with the outer pivot ring 42 are two trunnions 52 , 54 . the trunnions 52 , 54 lie on a diameter of the outer pivot ring 42 , and are rotated 90 ° from the bearing bosses 44 , 46 . the trunnions 52 , 54 form a second rotational axis about which the outer pivot ring 42 can rotate relative to the mounting base 64 . each trunnion 52 , 54 is rotatably secured within a pivot bracket 56 , 58 . each pivot bracket is secured to a mounting base 64 with a plurality of mounting screws 60 , 62 . this allows for easy rotational movement of the outer pivot ring 42 about the trunnion defined axis , without corresponding translational movement . the mounting base can then be attached to any structure that provides a stable environment for aligning the centerline of the shower actuator with the shower piping . because the mounting bracket allows for angular adjustment of a retained shower actuator , the invented mounting mechanism does not need to be as precisely aligned , as do previous mounting schemes . the mounting base can be roughly aligned with the shower piping , and angular adjustments are then effectuated by the mounting bracket itself . preferably , the mounting bracket allows for angular adjustments of at least 5 ° in any angular direction . because of the 90 ° offset in the rotational axes of the mounting bracket , the bracket allows total freedom of movement , allowing the actuator shaft connector to follow the travel of the shower connector in any direction required to the installed shower centerline . this freedom of movement allows for faster installation , minimal alignment , and reduces stress and wear on the actuator shaft . while the invention has been particularly shown and described with respect to illustrative and preformed embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form and details may be made therein , without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention which should be limited only by the scope of the appended claims .
| 5 |
in fig1 , the omni - directional air vehicle , depicted generally by the number 10 , comprises a pod 11 with pod supports 12 , and a connected turbofan system 16 having a turbo - electric , counter - rotating ducted fan 20 provided with two counter - rotating propellers 21 and 22 , peripherally driven by counter - rotating , permanent magnet , electric motors 23 and 24 , integrated in a ducted shroud 25 , supported by struts 26 connected to a projecting arm 27 of a spherical articulation mechanism 28 seated in the main body 30 of the pod 11 of the vehicle 10 . the spherical articulatory mechanism 28 changes the angular position of the projecting arm 27 to the angle “ a ” as limited by stop 13 at the top of main body 30 . in the main body 30 , is located a combination thermal electric engine and gas turbine 31 , of the type described in the referenced u . s . pat . no . 6 , 282 , 897 . the combination thermal electric engine and gas turbine 31 is provided with air intake ports 32 and exhaust ports 33 and in out put generator 16 supplies the electric power through an electronic control module 34 to the counter - rotating electric motors 23 and 24 through electric circuit line 34 a . the ability to change the relative angular position ( a ) between the turboelectric counter - rotating ducted fan 20 and the main body 30 allows the vehicle to perform all flying missions from all positions in all directions , including ground and air , from on - board control systems , wherein the vehicle has a universal mobility . the ultra high efficiency of the engines and gas turbines , as described in the referenced u . s . patent , provides the absolute best performance for military applications , such as unmanned aerial vehicles ( uav ) and commercial applications for better cargo and personnel transports than actual helicopters or business airplanes . in fig2 there is depicted a configuration of the same omni - directional vehicle used as a personal transportation system ( pts ) which is designed to accommodate a person or multiple persons . manual control of the spherical articulation mechanism is accomplished by control arm 28 a . fig3 depicts a special configuration of the omni - directional air vehicle 10 with the ability to fly horizontally at high speed facilitated by the addition of a cruciform 14 having wings 35 which have directional guides 36 that are active only in horizontal high speed operation . fig4 a and 4b depict the omni - directional air vehicle 10 with a discoid shape vehicle body 40 attached to a round fixed wing 41 connected with the dome 42 and at least two electric ducted fans 20 a ( push ) and 20 b ( pull ) with counter - rotating propellers 21 and 22 , each fan being attached with a projecting arm 27 . once the vehicle is converted to horizontal flight , both turbo - electric , counter - rotating ducted fans 20 a and 20 b are horizontally arranged in the same push - pull actions per the direction of flight . the omni - directional air vehicle flight capability is improved by the round discoid wing 41 which uses less energy and has less drag at high speed in the horizontal mode . additionally , the round discoid wing 41 can be used on gliding flight . fig5 a and 5b depict the omni - directional air vehicle 10 having an elongated fuselage 50 attached to an adjustable elongated wing 51 able to be rotary arranged always perpendicular to the direction of flight . the same turbo - electric , counter - rotating ducted fans 20 a and 20 b with counter - rotating propellers 21 and 22 in a push - pull arrangement form the omni - directional air vehicle propulsion system . fig6 a and 6b depict the omni - directional air vehicle 10 having an adjustable ( rotary ) platform body 60 associated with platform wing 61 articulated by pivot dome 63 and the shaft 62 . the axial position x - x will always be perpendicular with the axial y - y of the body 60 per flight direction . the same turbo - electric , counter - rotating ducted fans 20 a , 20 b and 20 c with counter - rotating propellers 21 and 22 will cooperate in a combined push - pull action for the omni - directional air vehicle direction of flight . the omni - directional air vehicle is designed to accommodate a person or multiple persons . while , in the foregoing , embodiments of the present invention have been set forth in considerable detail for the purposes of making a complete disclosure of the invention , it may be apparent to those of skill in the art that numerous changes may be made in such detail without departing from the spirit and principles of the invention .
| 1 |
the contents of u . s . pat . no . 7 , 208 , 089 , entitled “ biomimetic membranes ”, is expressly incorporated herein by reference . the international patent application , pct / us08 / 74163 , entitled “ biomimetic polymer membrane that prevents ion leakage ”, is expressly incorporated herein by reference . the international patent application , pct / us08 / 74165 , entitled “ making functional protein - incorporated polymersomes ”, is expressly incorporated herein by reference . the u . s . provisional application 61 / 055 , 207 , entitled “ protein self - producing artificial cell , is expressly incorporated herein by reference . the present invention is directed to a vesicle - thread conjugate ( 1 ) as illustrated in fig1 that may be formed into a biomimetic membrane or thin film ( 8 ). in a preferred embodiment , the thin film ( 8 ) is formed by weaving the vesicle - thread conjugates ( 1 ) into a fabric . in an alternate embodiment , the thin film ( 8 ) is formed by depositing vesicle - thread conjugates ( 1 ) into a “ paper - making ” arrangements wherein the conjugates adhere to one another . fig1 shows a vesicle or polymersome ( 2 ) with proteins ( 7 ) of any kind embedded in the vesicle membrane . the vesicle ( 1 ) may comprise an aba triblock copolymer ( 3 ) with crosslinking functional groups ( 4 ) linking them to a thread ( 5 ). also shown is a thin film , or membrane , ( 8 ), being formed by a plural of such vesicle - thread conjugates ( 1 ). the conjugate is formed by providing a functionalized vesicle surface and a functionalized thread surface as shown in fig2 . the vesicle is preferably a lipidized polymer or a tri - block copolymer as described in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 208 , 089 . fig3 illustrates one embodiment of the present invention where the vesicle surface is functionalized to produce an amine - ended petoz - pdms - petoz vesicle , see joon - sik park , et al . macromolecules 2004 , 37 , 6786 - 6792 , the contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference . the vesicle surface may be functionalized using other known techniques . fig4 shows a methacylate - ended petoz - pdms - petoz vesicle and a nhs - ended petoz - pdms - petoz vesicle . the selected functionality may vary depending on the type of thread used in the vesicle - thread conjugate . furthermore , the type of polymer and functionalization may depend upon the type of protein incorporated into the vesicle . the thread may be selected from a variety of available materials including , but not limited to , cellulose material , carboxymethyl cellulose ( cmc ), aminoethylcellulose ( ae - cellulose ) and nylon - based material . the preferred cellulose material is hydrophilic and insoluble to water and most organic solvents . as shown in fig5 , the multiple hydroxyl groups on the cellulose material form hydrogen bonds with oxygen molecules on another chain , holding the chains firmly together side - by - side and forming microfibrils with high tensile strength . crystalline cellulose will become amorphous in water under the pressure of 25 mpa . the hydroxyl groups of cellulose can be partially or fully reacted with various reagents to afford derivatives with useful properties . cellulose esters and cellulose ethers are the most important commercial materials , e . g . cellulose acetate , ethylcellulose , methyl - cellulose , hydroxypropyl cellulose , carboxymethyl cellulose , hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose , and hydroxyethyl methyl cellulose , to name a few . as shown in fig6 , another thread material may be a commercial available carboxymethyl cellulose ( cmc ). cmc is a cellulose derivative with carboxymethyl groups (— ch 2 — cooh ) bound to come of the hydroxyl groups . the polar ( organic acid ) carboxyl groups render the cellulose soluble and chemically reactive . partially carboxymethylated cellulose at low degree of substitution ( ds = 0 . 2 ) retains its fibrous character while many of its properties differ from those of the original fiber . the average chain length and degree of substitution are of great importance ; the more - hydrophobic lower substituted cmcs are thixotropic but more - extended higher substituted cmcs are pseudoplastic . at low ph , cmc may form cross - links through lactonization between carboxylic acid and free hydroxyl groups . fig8 shows a thread formed from aminoethyl cellulose ( ae - cellulose ). ae - cellulose may be made by reacting cellulose with 2 - aminoethyl - sulfuric acid in the presence of sodium hydroxide . ae - cellulose is commercial available from whatman and has previously been used for chromatography columns and filters . fig7 illustrates the conjugation of a preferred vesicle with a preferred thread . in this embodiment , a carboxymethyl cellulose ( cmc ) thread is reacted with an amine - functionalized vesicle in the presence of dicyclohexyl carbodiimide ( dcci ). alternatively , ae - cellulose will react with halides such as trichloromethylpurine or benzenesulfonyl chloride . it will also react with proteins and organic acids in the presence of carbodiimides such as dicyclohexylcarbodiimide . in a preferred form of the invention , the vesicle - thread conjugate is woven into a fabric to produce a biomimetic membrane used to provide a biosolar - powered material and fabric which consists of a thin fabric incorporating a biocompatible polymer membrane embedded with two energy converting proteins , bacteriorhodopsin and cytochrome oxydase , that will convert optical energy to electrical energy and deliver this energy to an external load . a tremendous weight savings results from the use of thin ( less than 1 μm ) polymeric membranes as well as the lack of a need to carry fuel with the power source . thus , a system can be developed that can be integrated into clothing and the surfaces of most materials , providing an effectively weightless ( less than 1 kg / m 2 ) source of energy with an efficiency equal to or greater than that achievable with solar cells . the biosolar power material thus forms a hybrid organic / inorganic power source that obtains its energy from light . in one form of the invention , bacteriorhodopsin and cytochrome oxidase are integrated into a vesicle that is further conjugated with a thread . the vesicle - thread conjugate is woven into a fabric that is in contact with microfabricated electrodes . the operation of the proposed device can be best understood after bacteriorhodopsin , cytochrome oxidase , and their integration into lipid and polymer membranes are understood . all three have been extensively studied and have a wide body of literature concerning their synthesis and function . for further details related to the energy - converting proteins and their incorporation into lipid and polymer membranes , see u . s . pat . no . 7 , 208 , 089 . because the diffusion of ions on membrane surfaces is large and can be made larger by the suitable choice of vesicles , the vesicle surface itself is all that is required for the successful functioning of the biosolar cell ( pitard et al ., 1996 ). vesicles , such as lipidized polymers or any one of many bio - compatible polymer matrices , contain the proteins and serve as proton barriers . these polymer matrices are very general , preferably requiring only that ( a ) they form vesicles which separate the top and bottom halves of the proteins when using transmembrane proteins , ( b ) they form an environment sufficiently similar to the natural lipid membrane so that the proteins can be easily inserted into the vesicle with the proper orientation , and ( c ) the local chemical environment of the vesicle experienced by the protein does not cause the protein to unfold or deform in such a way as to comprise the protein &# 39 ; s natural function . vesicles which satisfy - these conditions include , but are not limited to , lipidized polymers and tri - block copolymers having general properties of hydrophilic outer blocks and hydrophobic inner blocks . the protein - incorporated polymeric vesicles are preferably those described in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 208 , 089 and international patent application pct / us08 / 74163 . br and cox are oriented and combined in the surface of the vesicles , and the membrane formed from the vesicle - thread conjugate is overlaid with electrodes . there are many strategies employable to increase the proximity of the electrodes to the proteins , such as those provided in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 208 , 089 . an electrode grid may be placed directly on top of the lipid in the form of a thin wire mesh connected externally for electrical measurement . after removing the liquid above the top surface , a thin transparent layer of aluminum or nickel may be sprayed directly on the membrane to form the counter electrode . alternatively , the electrodes may be electrochemically deposited onto the lipid surface by rastering the array of tips . this deposition would result in millions of nanoscale wires on the top surface of the membrane . the above steps are repeated and combined , resulting in oriented cox and br contained in a lipid membrane . there are two possible scenarios for the orientation of br and cox : parallel and anti - parallel dipole orientation . if the dipoles are parallel , the alignment can be achieved for both , simultaneously , through the application of a single field . if they are anti - parallel , the large aggregate dipole moment of pm is utilized . the proper orientation will be achieved by the initial orientation of the cox in a high field followed by the orientation of pm in a field sufficiently small to avoid the perturbation of the cox , but large enough to sufficiently manipulate the pm fragments . the use of polymer membranes in forming the vesicle is desirable for the following reasons : they have a longer lifetime than lipid membranes , they are more rugged , and they have more easily tailored properties , such as electron and ion conductivity and permeability . the interiors of these membranes must be hydrophobic and elastic so that the natural protein environment can be simulated as close as possible . a wide variety of biocompatible polymers exist having a wide range of properties such as optical absorbance , polarity , electrical and ionic conductivity among others . polymers enhancing the properties of the solar cells of the present invention must be compatible with the proteins and electrodes . impermeability to protons is also important . the ability to dope the surface of the polymer may be significant , as it can play a major role in the proton conductivity and transmembrane conductance . the lifetime of the polymer as well as its effects of the lifetimes of the proteins contained within it are also relevant , and are factors in its selection . the choice of a polymer with a short lifetime but high performance may be useful in special applications . the foregoing methods for the production of highly efficient and productive solar power sources made with biological components demonstrate the integration of energy converting biological proteins with an external device , and point the way toward a manufacturing pathway capable of large - scale production of biosolar cells capable of powering a wide variety of devices . in another aspect of the invention , through the use of the aquaporin family of proteins incorporated into tri - block co - polymer membranes , stable films are produced which will only pass water , thus facilitating water purification , desalinization , and molecular concentration through dialysis . the aquaporins exclude the passage of all contaminants , including bacteria , viruses , minerals , proteins , dna , salts , detergents , dissolved gases , and even protons from an aqueous solution , but aquaporin molecules are able to transport water because of their structure . further details related to the aquaporin family of proteins are disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 208 , 089 . water moves through the membrane in a particular direction because of hydraulic or osmotic pressure . water purification / desalination can be achieved with a two - chambered device having chambers separated by a rigid protein incorporated polymer membrane at its center that is filled with aquaporins . this membrane itself is impermeable to water and separates contaminated water in a first chamber from purified water in a second chamber . only pure water is able to flow between the two chambers . thus , when sea water or other contaminated water on one side of the membrane is placed under an appropriate pressure , pure water naturally flows into the other chamber . accordingly , purified water can be obtained from undrinkable sources or , if the source of water contained chemicals of interest , the water can be selectively removed , leaving a high concentration of the wanted chemical in the input chamber . importantly , however , the aquaporins are also suited to this invention for reasons other than their exclusive selectivity for water . many members of this protein family , such as aquaporinz ( aqpz ) are extremely rugged and can withstand the harsh conditions of contaminated source water without losing function . aqpz resists denaturing or unraveling from exposure to acids , voltages , detergents , and heat . therefore , the device can be used to purify source water contaminated with materials that might foul or destroy another membrane , and it can be used in areas that experience consistently high temperatures . aqpz is also mutable . since this protein is specifically expressed in host bacteria according to a genetic sequence that influences its final shape and function , a technician can easily change its genetic code in order to change the protein &# 39 ; s characteristics . therefore the protein can be engineered to fulfill a desired application that may be different from the protein &# 39 ; s original function . for example , by simply changing a particular amino acid residue near the center of the water channel to cysteine , the aquaporins produced would bind any free mercury in the solution and cease transporting water due to the blockage . thus , these mutant proteins used in a membrane device could detect mercury contamination in a water sample by simply ceasing flow when the concentration of the toxic substance rises too high . the preferred form of the invention has the form of a conventional filter disk because it is most easily assayed for functionality that way . to fabricate such a disk , a 5 nm thick monolayer of synthetic triblock copolymer and protein is deposited on the surface of a 25 mm commercial ultrafiltration disk using a langmuir - blodgett trough . the monolayer on the disk is then exposed to 254 nm uv light to cross - link the polymer and increase its durability . lastly , a 220 nm pore size pvdf membrane is epoxy glued to the disk surface to ensure safe handling and prevent leakage at the edges . the device is assayed by fitting it in a chamber that forces pressurized source water across the membrane . the device is considered functional when only pure water comes through the other side of the membrane and contaminating solutes remain concentrated in the originating chamber . the contaminated solution must be pressurized in order to overcome the natural tendency of pure water to flow into the chamber which has the higher number of dissolved particles . it is the purpose of the aquaporin z membrane to reverse osmosis and separate the pure water from contaminating solutes . this tendency , or osmotic pressure , of the system can be expressed in pounds per square inch ( psi ). for example , the osmotic pressure of seawater is roughly 360 psi . there are several methods that can be used to allow the device to tolerate these types of pressures . some varieties of polymer are naturally more durable than others , and can be cross - linked with uv light to provide extra rigidity . another method is to add a high concentration of a non - toxic and easily removable solute to the freshwater chamber to encourage regular osmosis across the membrane while reverse osmosis is also occurring due to chamber pressurization . lastly , the pressure required for reverse osmosis can be reduced by using multiple aqpz devices in a cascade of sealed , connected chambers containing successively smaller concentrations of contaminants . the resulting pressure required to purify water in each pair of chambers is a fraction of the total pressure necessary for reverse osmosis . therefore , each membrane only has to withstand a small pressure and has a greater chance of remaining intact . so , if the difference in concentration between each pair of chambers was only 10 % instead of 100 %, just 10 % of the high pressure mentioned above would be needed to purify the source water at each junction . pure water would be continuously produced in the final chamber with constant pressure and flow . the aquaporin reverse osmosis membrane can purify water possessing several different types of contamination in only a single step . traditional high purity systems require several components that can include a water softener , carbon filters , ion exchangers , uv or chemical sterilization , and a two pass reverse osmosis filter set to be used in conjunction before water ( that is not as clean as aquaporin - purified water ) can be produced . this elaborate set up cannot remove dissolved gases or substances smaller than 150 daltons from the source water like the aquaporin membrane can . furthermore , all these components require maintenance . uv bulbs require replacement and energy . ion exchangers need to be chemically regenerated when they are full . softeners require salt . carbon and reverse osmosis cartridges must be replaced when they become fouled . finally , a single step device would require much less space and weigh far less than a typical purification system , and this advantage enables the aquaporin water purification devices of the present invention to be portable . aquaporin membranes are also faster than conventional systems . a conventional high speed r . o . unit can make about 28 . 4 liters ( 7 . 5 gallons ) of clean water every minute . current research shows the movement of water molecules across an aqpz saturated lipid membrane ( 0 . 0177 mm . sup . 2 ) at the rate of 54 μmoles / sec . ( pohl , p ., saparov , s . m ., borgnia , m . j ., and agre , p ., ( 2001 ), proceedings of the national academy of sciences 98 , p . 9624 9629 ) thus , a theoretical aquaporin z reverse osmosis membrane with a surface area of 1 . 0 square meter could filter up to 3295 liters of pure water every minute . that rate is over 116 times faster than a normal purifier . lastly , new protein - based membranes are also very inexpensive to produce . the heart of the process , aqpz , is easily harvested in milligram quantities from an engineered e . coli bacterial strain . on average , 2 . 5 mg of pure protein can be obtained from each liter of culture that is producing it . 10 mg of protein can be produced from about 5 dollars of growth media . that is enough protein for several full size devices . also , the polymer in which the aqpz is imbedded can be produced in the same laboratory for just pennies worth of chemicals for each device . the aquaporin z reverse osmosis membrane is a novel , efficient , and inexpensive means of water purification . thus , there has been disclosed methods and apparatus utilizing biological components to achieve the highly efficient production of completely pure water from fouled , salty , or otherwise contaminated water . the invention demonstrates the integration of water transporting biological proteins with an external device , and points the way toward a manufacturing pathway capable of large - scale production of water purification devices . although the present invention has been described in terms of preferred embodiments , it will be understood that numerous variations and modifications of the methods and devices disclosed herein may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention , as set out in the following claims .
| 8 |
as shown in fig1 , 3 , 6 , and 7 , the retractor 23 of the present invention comprises generally a cross bar or rack 22 and a first arm 24 ( 24 a , 24 b ) and second arm 26 . the cross bar 22 has in the preferred embodiment teeth on two opposing surfaces 25 and 27 for reasons that will be explained below . the critical element of the present invention is that the cross bar 22 is curved so that the arms 24 ( 24 a , 24 b ) and 26 are not parallel to each other when the arms are opened or spread apart , but are angled outward away from each other as shown in fig1 . when the arms are closed and adjacent to each other by medial position over the hinch 59 at the proximal part of the arm 24 which is stabilized by spring pin 60 at medial position , they are substantially parallel to each other thereby facilitating the insertion of the blades in an open sternum . one and possibly , both arms may be moved along bar 22 . preferably , the moving means comprises a pinion 28 driven by handle 30 . this arrangement allows the present invention to be installed and to force the cut portions of the sternum apart . the arms have disposed thereon blades 32 and 33 which are common to prior art chest separators and which are adopted to secure the sternum after it is cut . the present invention includes the use of blades which are longer than those depict as well as multiple blades on a single arm , and angled arm blades , all of which is well known in the art , and after a short distance opening the fixed arm will be moved to straight ( neutral ) position and held in place by pin spring 60 and continued to the desired opening . in the configuration shown in fig1 , the bar 22 would be disposed closer to the head of a patient than the abdomen , so that 39 of the blade 32 and end 40 of blade 33 are further apart than ends 41 and 42 . accordingly , in use , the invented retractor positively forces the sternum into a specific angled position dictated by the curvature of the bar 22 and the distance between the arms . in this way the chest opening can be small at area adjacent the short ribs and larger at the area adjacent the longer ribs . thus , while the retractor of fig2 , discussed below , is disposed with the bar near the abdomen , the retractor in the configuration of fig1 would be used so that the bar is disposed near the head of the patient . it will be appreciated in this connection that the reversible nature of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is not a requirement of the invention but is the preferred embodiment for purpose of obtaining multiple uses for a single device . the positioning of the bar can be chosen to provide the best view for the surgeon in a manner which is well known in the art . in the fig2 use of the retractor at the start the fixed arm will be at the lateral position to have the blades together for initial positioning and after the short distance of opening it will be moved to straight ( neutral ) position and held by pin and spring for the rest of opening to the desired opening position . in fig3 hinch of the arm and spring pin mechanism 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 and 60 are shown . referring to fig2 , 4 , and 5 , the retractor 10 of the present invention comprises generally a cross bar or rack 12 , and a first arm 14 ( 14 a , 14 b ) and pin spring 60 and second arm 16 . the cross bar 12 has in the preferred embodiment teeth on two opposing surfaces 15 and 17 for reasons that will be explained below . the critical element of the present invention is that the cross bar 12 is curved so that the arms 14 ( 14 a , 14 b ) and 16 are not parallel to each other when the arms opened or spread apart , but are angled either outward away from each other as shown in fig1 or inward toward each other as shown in fig2 as described above . when the arms are closed and adjacent to each other , by lateral position of the arm over the hinch 59 or medial position of the arm over the hinch 59 so that they are substantially parallel to each other thereby facilitating the insertion of the blades in an open sternum and after a short distance opening the arm will be moved to straight ( neutral ) position along the arm and held in place with spring pin 60 and opened for the desired position . one and possibly both arms may be moved along bar 12 . preferably , the moving means comprises a pinion 18 driven by handle 20 . this arrangement allows the present invention to be installed and to force the cut portions of the sternum apart . the arms have disposed thereon blades 19 and 21 , which are common to prior art chest separators and which are adapted to secure the sternum after it is cut . the present invention includes the use of blades which are longer than those depict as well as multiple blades on a single arm , all of which is well known in the art . as is further shown in fig1 , 3 , 6 and 7 , the bar 22 comprises teeth on sides 25 and 27 and arms 24 ( 24 a , 24 b ) and 26 have blades 32 and 33 respectively . arms 26 has pinion 28 and crank 30 , and as shown , has locking pin 31 which screws into hole 51 to secure the arm in the desire position . arm 24 ( 24 a , 24 b ) has locking pin 29 which secures it in place as well by screwing into hole 50 and impinging on the bar 22 . pinion 28 comprises individual teeth 44 adapted to mate with the teeth on bar 22 so that the arm 26 can be cranked open to spread open the chest . the locking pin 29 provides the arm 24 ( 24 a , 24 b ) with a means for disconnecting said arm 24 ( 24 a , 24 b ) from said bar 22 so that the arms can be reversed if desired to the configuration of fig1 , to extend in the direction of the curve of the bar if it is desired to locate the bar above the surgical area rather than below it . similarly , arm 26 can be removed from bar 22 so that it can be reversed in the configuration of fig1 . bar 22 is provided with a flattened area 43 onto which arm 24 ( 24 a , 24 b ) may be secured . arms 24 ( 24 a , 24 b ) and 26 have slots 49 and 46 , respectively , in which the bar 22 may be disposed in use . in the preferred embodiment , the bar is approximately 8 inches long , for adult sternal retractors and has a curvature of 40 degrees . the curvature of the bar may be regular , that is , with a single radius of curvature or it may have multiple radii of curvature along its length to provide variation in the angle of the blades with respect to each other . the curvature of the bar can be of any desired radius , the preferred curvature providing an opening of 8 inches at the bottom of the sternum and an opening of 4 inches at the top of the sternum . the blades can be short , long , multiple or slightly angled to provide the desired secure opening of the sternum . it will be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art that a number of modifications and changes can be made to the subject invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention , which is defined by the claims appended hereto and all equivalents thereof .
| 0 |
in the following detailed description , reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof , and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced . in this regard , directional terminology , such as “ top ,” “ bottom ,” “ front ,” “ back ,” “ leading ,” “ trailing ,” etc ., is used with reference to the orientation of the figure ( s ) being described . because components of embodiments of the present invention can be positioned in a number of different orientations , the directional terminology is used for purposes of illustration and is in no way limiting . it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention . the following detailed description , therefore , is not to be taken in a limiting sense , and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims . fig1 illustrates one embodiment of an inkjet printing system 10 according to embodiments of the present invention . inkjet printing system 10 includes an inkjet printhead assembly 12 , an ink supply assembly 14 , a carriage assembly 16 , a print media transport assembly 18 , a service station assembly 20 , and an electronic controller 22 . inkjet printhead assembly 12 includes one or more printheads which eject drops of ink through a plurality of nozzles or orifices 13 and toward an embodiment of media , such as print medium 19 , so as to print onto print medium 19 . print medium 19 is any type of suitable sheet material , such as paper , card stock , transparencies , mylar , cloth , and the like . typically , orifices 13 are arranged in one or more columns or arrays such that properly sequenced ejection of ink from orifices 13 causes characters , symbols , and / or other graphics or images to be printed upon print medium 19 as inkjet printhead assembly 12 and print medium 19 are moved relative to each other . ink supply assembly 14 supplies ink to inkjet printhead assembly 12 and includes a reservoir 15 for storing ink . as such , ink flows from reservoir 15 to inkjet printhead assembly 12 . in one embodiment , inkjet printhead assembly 12 and ink supply assembly 14 are housed together in an inkjet cartridge or pen . in another embodiment , ink supply assembly 14 is separate from inkjet printhead assembly 12 and supplies ink to inkjet printhead assembly 12 through an interface connection , such as a supply tube . in either embodiment , reservoir 15 of ink supply assembly 14 may be removed , replaced , and / or refilled . carriage assembly 16 positions inkjet printhead assembly 12 relative to print media transport assembly 18 and print media transport assembly 18 positions print medium 19 relative to inkjet printhead assembly 12 . thus , a print zone 17 is defined adjacent to orifices 13 in an area between inkjet printhead assembly 12 and print medium 19 . in one embodiment , inkjet printhead assembly 12 is a scanning type printhead assembly such that carriage assembly 16 moves inkjet printhead assembly 12 relative to print media transport assembly 18 and print medium 19 during printing on print medium 19 . in another embodiment , inkjet printhead assembly 12 is a non - scanning type printhead assembly such that carriage assembly 16 fixes inkjet printhead assembly 12 at a prescribed position relative to print media transport assembly 18 during printing on print medium 19 as print media transport assembly 18 advances print medium 19 past the prescribed position . to maintain a functionality of inkjet printhead assembly 12 and , more specifically , orifices 13 of inkjet printhead assembly 12 , service station assembly 20 provides for spitting , wiping , capping , and / or priming of inkjet print assembly 12 . in one embodiment , service station assembly 20 includes a rubber blade or wiper which is periodically passed over inkjet printhead assembly 12 to wipe and clean orifices 13 of excess ink . in one embodiment , service station assembly 20 includes a cap which covers inkjet printhead assembly 12 to protect orifices 13 from drying out during periods of non - use . in one embodiment , service station assembly 20 includes a spittoon into which inkjet printhead assembly 12 ejects ink to insure that reservoir 15 maintains an appropriate level of pressure and fluidity and that orifices 13 do not clog or weep . electronic controller 22 communicates with inkjet printhead assembly 12 , carriage assembly 16 , print media transport assembly 18 , and service station assembly 20 . electronic controller 22 receives data 23 from a host system , such as a computer , and includes memory for temporarily storing data 23 . typically , data 23 is sent to inkjet printing system 10 along an electronic , infrared , optical or other information transfer path . data 23 represents , for example , a document and / or file to be printed . as such , data 23 forms a print job for inkjet printing system 10 and includes one or more print job commands and / or command parameters . in one embodiment , electronic controller 22 provides control of inkjet printhead assembly 12 including timing control for ejection of ink drops from orifices 13 . as such , electronic controller 22 defines a pattern of ejected ink drops which form characters , symbols , and / or other graphics or images on print medium 19 . timing control and , therefore , the pattern of ejected ink drops , is determined by the print job commands and / or command parameters . fig2 and 3 illustrate a portion of an inkjet printhead assembly 120 , as one embodiment of inkjet printhead assembly 12 , and a portion of a service station assembly 220 , as one embodiment of service station assembly 20 . in one embodiment , inkjet printhead assembly 120 is an inkjet print cartridge or pen , and includes a printhead 130 and one or more reservoirs or compartments 140 for storing and supplying ink ( or fluid ) to printhead 130 . in one embodiment , compartments 140 include a first ink compartment 141 for storing and supplying a first color ink to printhead 130 , and a second ink compartment 142 for storing and supplying a second color ink to printhead 130 . in one exemplary embodiment , ink compartment 141 stores and supplies black ink to printhead 130 , and ink compartment 142 stores and supplies a color ink other than black ink , for example , yellow ink , to printhead 130 . in one embodiment , printhead 130 has a face 132 and includes a plurality of nozzles or orifices 134 formed in face 132 . in one embodiment , nozzles or orifices 134 are arranged in one or more columns 150 of orifices 134 . in one exemplary embodiment , printhead 130 includes a first column 151 of orifices 134 , and a second column 152 of orifices 134 . in one embodiment , first column 151 of orifices 134 communicates with first ink compartment 141 so as to eject a first color ink from printhead 130 , and second column 152 of orifices 134 communicates with second ink compartment 142 so as to eject a second color ink from printhead 130 . in one embodiment , service station assembly 220 provides a system for capping and priming of printhead 130 . as such , service station assembly 220 helps to prevent ink from drying in nozzles or orifices 134 when printhead 130 is not in use , and assists in removing air bubbles trapped in nozzles or orifices 134 and clearing out soft viscous plugs of ink which may form in nozzles or orifices 134 when printhead 130 is not in use . in one embodiment , service station assembly 220 includes a cap 230 , a porous material 240 , and a vacuum 250 . in one embodiment , cap 230 includes a base 232 and a perimeter wall 234 extending from base 232 . in one embodiment , cap 230 mates with printhead 130 such that perimeter wall 234 surrounds printhead 130 and forms a seal with face 132 of printhead 130 . in one embodiment , base 232 of cap 230 includes a vacuum port 236 . in one embodiment , vacuum port 236 communicates with vacuum 250 via a vacuum tube 252 . in one embodiment , one end of vacuum tube 252 is communicated with vacuum port 236 and an opposite end of vacuum tube 252 is communicated with vacuum 250 such that vacuum pressure generated by vacuum 250 is communicated with cap 230 . as such , vacuum pressure of vacuum 250 is applied to printhead 130 through vacuum tube 252 and cap 230 when printhead 130 mates with cap 230 . in one embodiment , as described below , vacuum pressure within cap 230 draws ink ( or fluid ) from printhead 130 for servicing of printhead 130 when printhead 130 mates with cap 230 . in one embodiment , as illustrated in fig2 , porous material 240 is provided in cap 230 . in one embodiment , porous material 240 , absorbs ink ( or fluid ) from printhead 130 and forms a filter for ink ( or fluid ) from printhead 130 . in one embodiment , porous material 240 is formed of an open - cell plastic . in one exemplary embodiment , porous material 240 has a pore volume of approximately 25 percent . in one exemplary embodiment , porous material 240 is a polyethylene foam or other functionally similar material . as illustrated in the embodiment of fig2 , porous material 240 has a first side 241 and a second side 242 . second side 242 of porous material 240 is opposite first side 241 and , in one embodiment , oriented substantially parallel with first side 241 . in one embodiment , porous material 240 is positioned in base 232 of cap 230 such that second side 242 of porous material 240 faces and / or contacts base 232 . as such , first side 241 of porous material 240 faces or is oriented toward face 132 of printhead 130 when printhead 130 mates with cap 230 . in one embodiment , as illustrated in fig2 , 3 , 4 , and 5 , first side 241 of porous material 240 has a stepped or raised profile , and second side 242 of porous material 240 includes a recessed area . the stepped or raised profile of first side 241 of porous material 240 reduces a distance between porous material 240 and face 132 of printhead 130 when printhead 130 mates with cap 230 , and the recessed area of second side 242 of porous material 240 provides an area or areas of reduced thickness of porous material 240 . by providing an area or areas of reduced thickness of porous material 240 , the recessed area of second side 242 provides an area or areas of reduced resistance and , therefore , increased pressure from vacuum 250 . as such , the recessed area of second side 242 provides a distributed pressure profile which varies throughout porous material 240 and , therefore , cap 230 . in one embodiment , the recessed area of second side 242 of porous material 240 is formed by a recess 244 in porous material 240 . in one embodiment , recess 244 communicates with vacuum port 236 of cap 230 when porous material 240 is positioned in base 232 of cap 230 . by forming recess 244 in porous material 240 , recess 244 provides an area or areas of reduced thickness of porous material 240 and , therefore , reduced resistance to vacuum pressure generated by vacuum 250 . thus , recess 244 provides an area or areas for increased application of pressure to porous material 240 and , therefore , cap 230 from vacuum 250 . accordingly , the area or areas of increased application of pressure to porous material 240 may be applied to printhead 130 when printhead 130 mates with cap 230 . in one embodiment , recess 244 is a t - shaped recess 260 . as such , t - shaped recess 260 includes a base portion 261 and a cross portion 262 oriented substantially perpendicularly to base portion 261 . in one embodiment , t - shaped recess 260 has a substantially uniform depth , and extends less than a full length of porous material 240 . in one embodiment , t - shaped recess 260 is oriented such that base portion 261 is oriented substantially parallel with columns 150 of orifices 134 , and cross portion 262 is oriented substantially perpendicular to columns 150 of orifices 134 . in one embodiment , as illustrated in fig2 and 3 , ink compartment 141 storing and supplying black ink to printhead 130 communicates with a first end of printhead 130 , and ink compartment 142 storing and supplying color ink other than black ink to printhead 130 communicates with a second end of printhead 130 opposite the first end . in one embodiment , flow of ink from ink compartment 141 to printhead 130 is illustrated by line 143 . in one exemplary embodiment , ink within ink compartment 141 is a black pigment - based ink , and ink within ink compartment 142 is a yellow dye - based ink . under certain conditions , pigment of the ink within ink compartment 141 may settle within ink compartment 141 ( as illustrated by 144 in fig2 ) thereby producing a higher pigment concentration ink at the first end of printhead 130 ( as illustrated by 145 in fig2 ). as such , the higher pigment concentration ink , when mixed with the dye - based ink from ink compartment 142 , may from sludge at the first end of printhead 130 ( as illustrated by 135 in fig3 ) and within cap 230 adjacent the first end of printhead 130 . in one embodiment , as illustrated in fig3 , cross portion 262 of t - shaped recess 260 is provided at an end of porous material 240 adjacent or corresponding to the first end of printhead 130 . as such , t - shaped recess 260 provides an area of reduced resistance and increased application of pressure from vacuum 250 at the first end of printhead 130 . accordingly , t - shaped recess 260 provides for increased application of pressure to the first end of printhead 130 and , therefore , ink compartment 141 when printhead 130 mates with cap 230 . thus , t - shaped recess 260 improves flow of the more viscous sludge and higher pigment concentration ink which may be develop at the first end of printhead 130 . by providing recess 244 in porous material 240 of the shape and configuration illustrated and described herein , recess 244 helps to improve and regulate ink ( or fluid ) flow from printhead 130 while priming , and aids in balancing and distributing pressure within cap 230 and porous material 240 while priming . as such , recess 244 helps to achieve a predetermined flow pressure within cap 230 and porous material 240 to help reduce sludge formation on printhead 130 and within cap 230 . although illustrated and described as being a t - shaped recess , it is within the scope of the present invention for recess 244 in porous material 240 to be of other shapes and / or configurations . although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein , it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a variety of alternate and / or equivalent implementations may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown and described without departing from the scope of the present invention . this application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the specific embodiments discussed herein . therefore , it is intended that this invention be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof .
| 1 |
the following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure , application , or uses . referring now to the drawings in which like reference numerals designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views , there is shown in fig1 a scroll compressor which incorporates a compensation system in accordance with the present disclosure which is designated generally by reference numeral 10 . compressor 10 comprises a generally cylindrical hermetic shell 12 having welded at the upper end thereof a cap 14 and at the lower end thereof a base 16 having a plurality of mounting feet ( not shown ) integrally formed therewith . cap 14 is provided with a refrigerant discharge fitting 18 which may have the usual discharge valve therein ( not shown ). other major elements affixed to the shell include a transversely extending partition 22 which is welded about its periphery at the same point that cap 14 is welded to shell 12 , a main bearing housing 24 which is suitably secured to shell 12 and a lower bearing housing 26 also having a plurality of radially outwardly extending legs each of which is also suitably secured to shell 12 . a motor stator 28 which is generally square in cross - section but with the corners rounded off is press fitted into shell 12 . the flats between the rounded corners on the stator provide passageways between the stator and shell , which facilitate the return flow of lubricant from the top of the shell to the bottom . a drive shaft or crankshaft 30 having an eccentric crank pin 32 at the upper end thereof is rotatably journaled in a bearing 34 in main bearing housing 24 and a second bearing 36 in lower bearing housing 26 . crankshaft 30 has at the lower end a relatively large diameter concentric bore 38 which communicates with a radially outwardly inclined smaller diameter bore 40 extending upwardly therefrom to the top of crankshaft 30 . disposed within bore 38 is a stirrer 42 . the lower portion of the interior shell 12 defines an oil sump 44 which is filled with lubricating oil to a level slightly below the lower end of a rotor 46 but above the lower end of stator end - turns of windings 48 , and bore 38 acts as a pump to pump lubricating fluid up the crankshaft 30 and into bore 40 and ultimately to all of the various portions of the compressor which require lubrication . crankshaft 30 is rotatively driven by an electric motor including stator 28 , windings 48 passing therethrough and rotor 46 press fitted on the crankshaft 30 and having upper and lower counterweights 50 and 52 , respectively . the upper surface of main bearing housing 24 is provided with a flat thrust bearing surface 54 on which is disposed an orbiting scroll member 56 having the usual spiral vane or wrap 58 extending upward from an end plate 60 . projecting downwardly from the lower surface of end plate 60 of orbiting scroll member 56 is a cylindrical hub having a journal bearing 62 therein and in which is rotatively disposed a drive bushing 64 having an inner bore 66 in which crank pin 32 is drivingly disposed . crank pin 32 has a flat on one surface which drivingly engages a flat surface ( not shown ) formed in a portion of bore 66 to provide a radially compliant driving arrangement , such as shown in assignee &# 39 ; s u . s . pat . no . 4 , 877 , 382 , the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference . an oldham coupling 68 is also provided positioned between orbiting scroll member 56 and main bearing housing 24 and keyed to orbiting scroll member 56 and a non - orbiting scroll member 70 to prevent rotational movement of orbiting scroll member 56 . oldham coupling 68 is preferably of the type disclosed in assignee &# 39 ; s co - pending u . s . pat . no . 5 , 320 , 506 , the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference . non - orbiting scroll member 70 is also provided having a wrap 72 extending downwardly from an end plate 74 which is positioned in meshing engagement with wrap 58 of orbiting scroll member 56 . non - orbiting scroll member 70 has a centrally disposed discharge passage 76 which communicates with an upwardly open recess 78 which in turn is in fluid communication with a discharge muffler chamber 80 defined by cap 14 and partition 22 . an annular recess 82 is also formed in non - orbiting scroll member 70 within which is disposed a seal assembly 84 . recesses 78 and 82 and seal assembly 84 cooperate to define axial pressure biasing chambers which receive pressurized fluid being compressed by wraps 58 and 72 so as to exert an axial biasing force on non - orbiting scroll member 70 to thereby urge the tips of respective wraps 58 , 72 into sealing engagement with the opposed end plate surfaces of end plates 74 and 60 , respectively . seal assembly 84 is preferably of the type described in greater detail in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 156 , 539 , the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference . non - orbiting scroll member 70 is designed to be mounted to main bearing housing 24 in a suitable manner such as disclosed in the aforementioned u . s . pat . no . 4 , 877 , 382 or u . s . pat . no . 5 , 102 , 316 , the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference . referring now to fig2 and 3 , a prior art set of scroll members without the temperature compensation in accordance with the present disclosure is illustrated . fig2 illustrates an orbiting scroll member 56 ′ and a non - orbiting scroll member 70 ′ at a normal environmental temperature . the surface of end plate 60 ′ of the orbiting scroll member 56 ′ extending between scroll wrap 58 ′ is formed as a generally planar surface . similarly , the surface of end plate 74 ′ of the non - orbiting scroll member 70 ′ extending between scroll wrap 72 ′ is also formed as a generally planar surface . in this manner , when orbiting scroll member 56 ′ and non - orbiting scroll member 70 ′ are assembled , the flank surfaces of scroll wraps 58 ′ and 72 ′ engage each other , the tips of scroll wrap 58 ′ engage end plate 74 ′ and the tips of scroll wrap 72 ′ engage end plate 60 ′ to provide for the sealing of the compression pockets . fig3 illustrates the thermal expansion effects due to normal operating temperature on prior art orbiting scroll member 56 ′ and non - orbiting scroll member 70 ′ without the compensating effect of the temperature compensation system of the present disclosure . the higher temperature of the radially inner portion of wraps 58 ′ and 72 ′ cause the radially inner portion of wraps 58 ′ and 72 ′ to grow to a larger extent than the radially outer portion of the wraps causing the tip of wraps 58 ′ and 72 ′ to each form somewhat of a convex shape while the mating surface of end plates 60 ′ and 74 ′ maintain a general planar configuration . the engagement between the scroll wraps 58 ′ and 72 ′ and the respective scroll tips and end plates 74 ′ and 60 ′ will result in a leak path at the radially outer portion between the tips of wraps 58 ′ and 72 ′ and end plates 74 ′ and 60 ′, respectively . referring now to fig1 , 4 and 5 , the temperature compensation system in accordance with the present disclosure comprises an annular ring 88 attached to non - orbiting scroll member 70 . non - orbiting scroll member 70 defines an annular flange 90 projecting upwardly from end plate 74 of non - orbiting scroll member 70 . annular flange 90 defines an annular groove 92 within which is located annular ring 88 . annular ring 88 is press fit within annular groove 92 or secured within annular groove 92 by other means known in the art . the reaction to temperature change or the coefficient of thermal expansion for the material of annular ring 88 is greater than the reaction to temperature change or the coefficient of thermal expansion of the material of non - orbiting scroll member 70 . annular ring 88 may be manufactured from standard wrought materials , composite materials , shaped memory alloys , phase changing alloys or any other material known in the art that will provide the desired results . fig4 and 5 schematically illustrates the operating principles for the temperature compensation system shown in fig1 . fig4 illustrates orbiting scroll member 56 and non - orbiting scroll member 70 at a normal environmental or room temperature . the surface of end plate 60 extending between scroll wrap 58 is formed as a generally planar surface . similarly , the surface of end plate 74 extending between scroll wrap 72 is also formed as a generally planar surface . in this manner , when orbiting scroll member 56 and non - orbiting scroll member 70 are assembled at room temperature , the flank surfaces of scroll wraps 58 and 72 engage each other , the tip of scroll wrap 58 engages end plate 74 and the tip of scroll wrap 72 engages end plate 60 to provide for the sealing of the compression pockets . fig5 illustrates the thermal expansion effects due to normal operating temperature on orbiting scroll member 56 and non - orbiting scroll member 70 with the compensation effect of annular ring 88 . it has been observed that end plate 60 remains generally planar and provides continued proper engagement with generally flat thrust bearing surface 54 of main bearing housing 24 . the incorporation of annular ring 88 does not affect the thermal growth resulting in the convex shape of wraps 58 . the effect of the incorporation of annular ring 88 is only on non - orbiting scroll member 70 . as the temperature of non - orbiting scroll member 70 increases , the temperature of annular ring 88 also increases . this causes thermal expansion of annular ring 88 in an amount which is greater than the thermal expansion of annular flange 90 due to the differences in the coefficients of thermal expansion of their materials . this difference in thermal expansion will produce a load on annular flange 90 which will cause end plate 74 to form a concave surface which will reduce or eliminate the convex shape for the tips of wrap 72 . with the proper selection of materials such as copper based materials or ferrous based materials with austenitic structure which have a coefficient of thermal expansion higher than that of scroll members made of grey iron to choose from typical wrought materials , and the proper dimensioning of the components , the concave shape of end plate 74 can be made to better match the convex shape of the tips of wraps 58 of orbiting scroll member 56 while simultaneously causing the tips of wraps 72 of non - orbiting scroll member 70 to become generally planar . in this manner , the proper sealing between the tips of wraps 58 and 72 and the surfaces of end plates 74 and 60 respectively will be maintained at normal operating temperature as well as during the transition between normal environmental temperatures and normal operating temperatures . referring now to fig6 a and 6b , a compensation system in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated . fig4 and 5 illustrate annular ring 88 attached to non - orbiting scroll member 70 . fig6 illustrates an annular ring 188 attached to an orbiting scroll member 156 . orbiting scroll member 156 includes the usual spiral valve or wrap 158 extending upward from an end plate 160 . projecting downwardly from the lower surface of end plate 160 of orbiting scroll member 156 is a cylindrical hub for accommodating journal bearing 62 and drive bushing 64 . a non - orbiting scroll member 170 is designed to mate with orbiting scroll member 156 . non - orbiting scroll member 170 is provided with a wrap 172 extending downwardly from an end plate 174 which is positioned in meshing engagement with scroll wrap 158 of orbiting scroll member 156 . non - orbiting scroll member 170 has a centrally disposed discharge passage 176 which communicates with an upwardly open recess 178 which is designed to be in fluid communication with discharge muffler chamber 80 . orbiting scroll member 156 defines an annular flange 190 projecting downwardly from the lower surface of end plate 160 of orbiting scroll member 156 . annular flange 190 defines an annular groove 192 within which is located annular ring 188 . annular ring 188 is press fit within annular groove 192 or secured within annular groove 192 by other means known in the art . the reaction to temperature change or the coefficient of thermal expansion of the material of annular ring 188 is greater than the reaction to temperature change or the coefficient of thermal expansion of the material orbiting scroll member 156 . fig6 a schematically illustrates the operating principles for this embodiment of the temperature compensation system . at normal environmental or room temperature , the surface of end plate 160 extending between scroll wrap 158 is formed as a generally planar surface similar to that illustrated in fig4 for scroll wrap 58 and end plate 60 . similarly , the surface of end plate 174 extending between scroll wrap 172 is also formed as a generally planar surface similar to that illustrated in fig4 for scroll wrap 72 and end plate 74 . in this manner , when orbiting scroll member 156 and non - orbiting scroll member 170 are assembled at room temperature , the flank surfaces of scroll wraps 158 and 172 engage each other , the tip of scroll wrap 158 engages end plate 174 and the tip of scroll wrap 172 engages end plate 160 to provide for the sealing of the compression pockets . fig6 a illustrates the thermal expansion effects due to normal operating temperature on orbiting scroll member 156 and non - orbiting scroll member 170 with the compensation effect of annular ring 188 . it has been observed that end plate 174 remains generally planar . the incorporation of annular ring 188 does not affect the thermal growth resulting in the convex shape of wraps 172 . the effect of the incorporation of annular ring 188 is only on orbiting scroll member 156 . as the temperature of orbiting scroll member 156 increases , the temperature of annular ring 188 also increases . this causes thermal expansion of annular ring 188 in an amount which is greater than the thermal expansion of annular flange 190 due to the differences in the coefficients of thermal expansion of their materials . this difference in thermal expansion will produce a load on annular flange 190 which will cause end plate 160 to form a concave surface which will eliminate the convex shape for the tips of wrap 158 . with the proper selection of materials and the proper dimensioning of the components , the concave shape of end plate 160 can be made to better match the convex shape of the tips of wraps 172 of non - orbiting scroll member 120 while simultaneously causing the tips of wraps 158 of orbiting scroll member 156 to become generally planar . in this manner , the proper sealing between the tips of wraps 158 and 172 and the surfaces of end plates 174 and 160 respectively will be maintained at normal operating temperature as well as during the transition between normal environmental temperatures and normal operating temperatures . the temperature compensation system illustrated in fig6 a can be used in scroll compressor 10 which utilizes axial movable non - orbiting scroll member 70 . because annular ring 188 is disposed in base plate 160 of orbiting scroll member 156 and the fact that the back surface of base plate 160 is a thrust bearing surface in scroll compressor 10 , this compensation system may be more appropriate for a compressor 110 illustrated in fig6 b . scroll compressor 110 fixes the position of non - orbiting scroll member 170 and orbiting scroll member 156 is provided with axial movement as is well known in the art . scroll compressor 110 having axial compliant orbiting scroll member 156 is more tolerant of a convex shaped back surface than scroll compressor 10 . fig7 and 8 schematically illustrate the operating principles of a temperature compensation system in accordance with another embodiment of the disclosure . the temperature compensation system in fig7 and 8 comprises an annular ring 288 attached to a non - orbiting scroll member 270 . an orbiting scroll member 256 includes the usual spiral vane or wrap 258 extending upward from an end plate 260 . projecting downwardly from the lower surface of end plate 260 of orbiting scroll member 256 is a cylindrical hub for accommodating journal bearing 62 and drive bushing 64 . orbiting scroll member 256 is a direct replacement for orbiting scroll member 56 . non - orbiting scroll member 270 is a direct replacement for non - orbiting scroll member 70 and non - orbiting scroll member 270 is designed to mate with orbiting scroll member 256 . non - orbiting scroll member 270 is provided with a wrap 272 extending downwardly from an end plate 274 and wrap 272 is positioned in meshing engagement with scroll wrap 258 of orbiting scroll member 256 . non - orbiting scroll member 270 has a centrally disposed discharge passage 276 which communicates with an upwardly open recess 278 which is designed to be in fluid communication with discharge muffler chamber 80 . an annular recess 282 is also formed in non - orbiting scroll member 270 to accept seal assembly 84 . non - orbiting scroll member 270 defines an annular portion 290 over which annular ring 288 is located . annular ring 288 is press fit over annular portion 290 or secured to annular portion 290 by other means known in the art . the reaction to temperature change or the coefficient of thermal expansion for the material of annular ring 288 is less than the reaction to temperature change or the coefficient of thermal expansion of the material of non - orbiting scroll member 270 . annular ring 288 may be manufactured from standard wrought materials , composite materials , shaped memory alloys , phase change alloys or any other material known in the art that can provide the desired results . fig7 and 8 schematically illustrate the operating principles for the temperature compensation system similar to that shown in fig1 . fig7 illustrates orbiting scroll member 256 and non - orbiting scroll member 270 at a normal environmental or room temperature . the surface of end plate 260 extending between scroll wrap 258 is formed as a generally planar surface . similarly , the surface of end plate 274 extending between scroll wrap 272 is also formed as generally planar surface . in this manner , when orbiting scroll member 256 and non - orbiting scroll member 270 are assembled at room temperature , the flank surfaces of scroll wraps 258 and 272 engage each other , the tip of scroll wrap 258 engages end plate 274 and the tip of scroll wrap 272 engages end plate 260 to provide for the sealing of the compression pockets . fig8 illustrates the thermal expansion effects due to the normal operating temperature of orbiting scroll member 256 and non - orbiting scroll member 270 with the compensation effect of annular ring 288 . it has been observed that end plate 260 remains generally planar and provides continued proper engagement with generally flat thrust bearing surface 54 of main bearing housing 24 . the incorporation of annular ring 288 does not affect the thermal growth resulting in the convex shape of wraps 258 . the effect of the incorporation of annular ring 288 is only on non - orbiting scroll member 270 . as the temperature of non - orbiting scroll member 270 increases , the temperature of annular ring 288 also increases . this causes thermal expansion of annular ring 288 in an amount which is less than the thermal expansion of annular portion 290 due to the differences in the coefficients of thermal expansion of their materials . this difference in thermal expansion will produce a load on annular portion 290 which will cause end plate 274 to form a concave surface which will reduce or eliminate the convex shape for the tips of wrap 272 . with the proper selection of materials , such as high nickel alloys or filament wound carbon fiber based composite materials which have a coefficient of thermal expansion lower than that of scroll members made of grey iron to choose from typical engineered materials , and the proper dimensioning of the components , the concave shape of end plate 274 can be made to better match the convex shape of the tip of wrap 258 of orbiting scroll member 256 while simultaneously causing the tip of wrap 272 of non - orbiting scroll member 270 to become generally planar . in this manner , the proper sealing between the tips of wraps 258 and 272 and the surfaces of end plates 274 and 260 , respectively , will be maintained at normal operating temperature as well as during the transition between normal environmental temperatures and normal operating temperatures . fig9 - 11 schematically illustrate the operating principles of a temperature compensation system in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure . the temperature compensation system in fig9 - 11 comprises a plurality of thermal actuators 388 attached to a non - orbiting scroll member 370 . an orbiting scroll member 356 includes the usual spiral vane or wrap 358 extending upward from an end plate 360 . projecting downwardly from the lower surface of end plate 360 of orbiting scroll member 356 is a cylindrical hub for accommodating journal bearing 62 and drive bushing 64 . orbiting scroll member 356 is a direct replacement for orbiting scroll member 56 . non - orbiting scroll member 370 is a direct replacement for non - orbiting scroll member 70 and non - orbiting scroll member 370 is designed to mate with orbiting scroll member 356 . non - orbiting scroll member 370 is provided with a wrap 372 extending downwardly from an end plate 374 and wrap 372 is positioned in meshing engagement with scroll wrap 358 of orbiting scroll member 356 . non - orbiting scroll member 370 has a centrally disposed discharge passage 376 which communicates with an upwardly open recess 378 which is designed to be in fluid communication with discharge muffler chamber 80 . an annular recess 382 is also formed in non - orbiting scroll member 370 to accept seal assembly 84 . non - orbiting scroll member 370 defines an annular flange 390 projecting upwardly from end plate 374 of non - orbiting scroll member 370 . annular flange 390 defines an annular groove 392 . non - orbiting scroll member 370 further defines a plurality of bores 394 within each of which is disposed a respective thermal actuator 388 . annular flange 390 defines a plurality of bores 396 each of which is aligned with a respective bore 394 . a fastener 398 is assembled into each bore 396 to provide cold temperature adjustment to a respective thermal actuator . as illustrated in fig1 , the present disclosure includes four bores 394 , four thermal actuators 388 , four bores 396 and four fasteners 398 . it is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to four thermal actuators but the present disclosure can have fewer or more thermal actuators 388 as determined by the specific design and development requirements . referring to fig1 and 13 , thermal actuator 388 is illustrated in greater detail . thermal actuator 388 comprises a cup 402 , a thermal expansion material 404 , a diaphragm 406 , a plug 408 , a guide 410 and a piston 412 . thermal expansion material 404 is disposed within cup 402 and diaphragm 406 seals and retains thermal expansion material 404 within cup 402 . plug 408 and piston 412 are assembled within guide 410 and guide 410 is secured to cup 402 to complete the assembly of thermal actuator 388 . guide 410 is secured to cup 402 by welding , by the use of a retainer ( not shown ), by a threaded connection or by any other means known in the art . fig1 illustrates thermal actuator 388 in its cold or non - actuated condition . thermal expansion material 404 is disposed within cup 402 in a solid state and piston 412 is in its retracted position . fig1 illustrates thermal actuator 388 in its heated or actuated condition . thermal expansion material 404 reacts to heat by changing into a liquid material and expanding to push diaphragm 406 upward as illustrated in fig1 . diaphragm 406 pushes plug 408 upward which in turn pushes piston 412 into its extended position as illustrated in fig1 . when thermal expansion material 404 cools , it returns to its solid condition as illustrated in fig1 . fig9 and 10 schematically illustrate the operating principles for the temperature compensation system for this embodiment . fig9 illustrates orbiting scroll member 356 and non - orbiting scroll member 370 at a normal environmental or room temperature . the surface of end plate 360 extending between scroll wrap 358 is formed as a generally planar surface . similarly , the surface of end plate 274 extending between scroll wrap 272 is also formed as a generally planar surface . in this manner when orbiting scroll member 356 and non - orbiting scroll member 370 are assembled at room temperature , the flank surfaces of scroll wraps 358 and 372 engage each other , the tip of scroll wrap 358 engages end plate 374 and the tip of scroll wrap 372 engages end plate 360 to provide for the sealing of the compression pockets . fig1 illustrates the thermal expansion effects due to the normal operating temperature of orbiting scroll member 356 and non - orbiting scroll member 370 with the compensation effect of thermal actuators 388 . it has been observed that end plate 360 remains generally planar and provides continued proper engagement with flat thrust bearing surface 54 of main bearing housing 24 . the incorporation of thermal actuators 388 does not affect the thermal growth resulting in the convex shape of wraps 358 . the effect of the incorporation of thermal actuators 388 is only on non - orbiting scroll member 370 . as the temperature of non - orbiting scroll member 370 increases , the temperature of thermal actuators 388 also increases . this causes the melting and expansion of thermal expansion material 440 in thermal actuators . this expansion of thermal expansion material 440 pushes pistons 412 outward , as detailed above , to apply a force to the upper end of annular flange 390 and the force applied to annular flange 390 by thermal actuators 388 will cause end plate 374 to form a concave surface which will reduce or eliminate the convex shape for the tips of wrap 372 . with the proper selection of the number and type of thermal actuators 388 , the concave shape of end plate 374 can be made to much better match the convex shape of the tip of wrap 358 of orbiting scroll member 356 while simultaneously causing the tip of wrap 372 of non - orbiting scroll member 370 to become generally planar to match end plate 360 of orbiting scroll member 356 . in this manner , the proper sealing between the tips of wraps 358 and 372 and the surfaces of end plates 374 and 360 , respectively , will be maintained at normal operating temperatures as well as during the transition between normal environmental temperatures and normal operating temperatures . fasteners 398 are adjustable to provide for the room temperature position of fasteners 398 with respect to thermal actuators 388 to insure equal loads around the circumference of annular flange 390 . while the above detailed description describes the preferred embodiment of the present disclosure , it should be understood that the present disclosure is susceptible to modification , variation and alteration without deviating from the scope and fair meaning of the subjoined claims .
| 5 |
in the description of the figures which follows , the same reference numerals are used for the same or similar elements . fig1 shows a schematic illustration of components of an update device 100 for a vehicle based on an exemplary embodiment of the invention . by way of example , the update device 100 is installed in the vehicle and is used not only for updating a digital map but also for regenerating digital maps or map regions which were not stored to date . the update device 100 has a communication unit 102 with an antenna 108 . this communication unit 102 can be used by the update device to communicate with other vehicles and possibly with a server in a traffic control center . in addition , the update device 100 has an update unit 103 with a processor , said update unit controlling the device 100 and performing the update or regeneration for the digital map . the update unit 103 is connected to an input unit 115 . the input unit 115 can be used to make various adjustments on the device . by way of example , a destination and possibly also a location can be selected for a navigation unit . in this case , the destination can be input by inputting the full name of the destination or else by selecting from a list which is presented on a visual output unit , such as a monitor 116 , for example . the monitor 116 is also used to output the routing information . furthermore , the routing information can also be output via an audible output unit 114 . said audible output unit 114 can also be used to output warnings . output via the audible output unit 114 has the advantage that the driver is less distracted from what is currently happening in the traffic . a memory element 113 , which is connected to the central computation unit or update unit 103 or is integrated in the update unit 103 , stores the map data ( digital map data ) in the form of data records . by way of example , the memory element 113 also stores additional information about traffic restrictions and the like in association with the data records . the update unit 103 may also be connected to a driver assistance system 120 . for the purpose of determining the current vehicle position , the update device 100 has a positioning unit 105 with a gps receiver which is designed to receive position signals from gps satellites . naturally , the positioning unit ( capture unit ) 105 may also be designed for other satellite navigation systems , such as galileo . since the gps signals cannot always be received in city centers , for example , the device 100 also has a direction sensor 117 , a distance sensor 118 and possibly also a steering wheel angle sensor 119 for the purpose of performing compound navigation . signals from the gps receiver , from the distance sensor , from the direction sensor and / or from the steering wheel angle sensor are handled in the processor 103 , for example . the vehicle position ascertained from said signals is aligned with the road maps using map matching . the routing information obtained in this manner is finally output via the monitor 116 . since the digital map data are outdated relatively quickly , a subregion of the digital maps is updated , in line with the invention , on the basis of current vehicle positions for adjacent vehicles . each vehicle transmits its own position using vehicle - to - vehicle communication or vehicle - to - infrastructure communication . said position can be ascertained by gps or galileo , for example . each vehicle receives the position of all the other vehicles within its range , possibly via the indirect route via the control center . since all the vehicles are moving , this makes it possible to identify where roads are situated , in a similar manner to a column of ants . in this context , what is meant is that the update device can ascertain the current route from the multiplicity of transmitted position data from the other vehicles . this can involve the use of statistical methods and filters in order to compensate for mismeasurements and to increase the accuracy of the result ( even though it is entirely possible for every single position measurement to exhibit an inaccuracy of several meters ). the update device is capable of calculating the route from the individual ( edited ) positions of the other vehicles , that is to say to attribute roads to appropriate individual positions . the transmitted information can thus be used to check and possibly correct a digital map which is already present . since particularly vehicles traveling in front and oncoming vehicles contribute to this information , these important portions of the map are most up to date . inaccuracies as a result of gps or galileo are rectified and are relativized by means of alignment with the driver &# 39 ; s own position . in particular , critical points , such as sharp bends , can be clearly identified despite these inaccuracies . in addition , infrastructure - to - vehicle communication ( that is to say communication between the control center and the individual vehicles ) can be used to send the course of the road at a hazardous point to all the vehicles at said point and hence to ensure that all vehicles at said point can use an up - to - date digital map . even for vehicles without a digital map , it is possible to use said information to better warn the driver or to provide him with the assistance of driver assistance systems . the changes in the map are stored , so that they are available again when next traveling on the same route and do not need to be “ learned ” again . fig2 shows a schematic illustration of an update system 200 which has a multiplicity of vehicles 101 , 104 , 203 with appropriate update devices 100 . all vehicles 101 , 104 , 203 are capable of communicating with one another , as symbolized by the arrows 205 , 206 , 207 . in addition , all vehicles are capable of communicating with a control center which has a server 201 with an antenna 202 , as symbolized by the arrows 204 , 208 . fig3 shows a schematic illustration of a subregion 301 of a digital map , in this case a digital navigation map . the vehicle 101 is situated on a road 306 and is approaching the junction 305 . in this case , the vehicle 101 receives position data and other data , which have been measured by a traction controller , such as abs ( antilock braking system ), tcs ( traction control system ), esp ( electronic stability program , may also contain traction control system ) or edl ( electronic differential lock ), for example , both from the oncoming vehicle 303 and from the further vehicles 104 and 302 which are situated on an alternative route 307 . after appropriate evaluation of the data , a warning 308 is automatically displayed and also audibly communicated to the driver . the warning 308 contains the information that there is a fallen tree on the route 306 between the exit 305 and the exit 304 ( this information has been measured by the vehicle 303 ). on the basis of the position data from the vehicles 104 and 302 , the update device knows that the hazard spot can be bypassed using the bypass 307 , which leads to the place 304 . the bypass 307 was not known to the navigation system previously , since this is a new road . thus , if the driver &# 39 ; s own vehicle is moving on a road which is not yet recorded in its map , the movement of the vehicle traveling in front and the oncoming vehicle reveals that there are also other possible roads , for example . by way of example , it is also possible to identify that a sharp bend is drawing near , for example , and the driver can be warned of the bend as appropriate , possibly audibly . highly up - to - date , location - specific updating of the digital map is thus possible . fig4 shows a flow chart for a method based on an exemplary embodiment of the invention . in step 401 , position data and other measurement data are collected from vehicles in the surroundings . these data have been transmitted to the vehicle by vehicle - to - vehicle communication and / or vehicle - to - infrastructure communication . in step 402 , the available map is locally updated by said transmitted position data from the vehicles in the surroundings , possibly with simultaneous regard to other data , such as warning data relating to a hazard spot . in step 403 , the changes in the map are stored either in the map itself or on a separate storage medium . in this case , the data from the digital map do not need to be changed , in order to reduce the risk of damaging the map through incorrect storage . the communication between the control center and the vehicles and between the individual vehicles can be effected with appropriate encryption in order to ensure data integrity and to prevent misuse . in addition , it should be pointed out that “ comprising ” and “ having ” do not exclude other elements or steps , and “ a ” or “ an ” does not exclude a large number . furthermore , it should be pointed out that features or steps which have been described with reference to one of the above exemplary embodiments can also be used in combination with other features or steps from other exemplary embodiments described above .
| 6 |
in the technology of multipoint coordinated transmission , in order to enable the network side to have accurate knowledge of interference to which a user equipment is subjected to thereby correctly perform resource allocation and scheduling , in an embodiment of the invention , the user equipment needs to measure initial cqis for respective devices in a measurement set , to report the initial cqis of the respective devices to a network - side apparatus and to transmit channel matrix reference information to the network - side apparatus so that the network - side apparatus calculates a target cqi of the user equipment based upon the received initial cqis of the respective devices and channel matrix reference information . the measurement set includes a first device transmitting service data to the user equipment and at least one second device participating in multipoint coordinated transmission to the user equipment ; and the first device and the second device can be base stations of different cells or can be base stations of the same cell . in this embodiment , the network - side apparatus can be the first device in the measurement set or can be any one or more devices in the measurement set ( which can be the first device or the second device ) or can be a central control node connected with all the devices in the measurement set . preferred implementations of the invention will be detailed below with reference to the drawings . referring to fig3 , in an embodiment of the invention , a comp - enabled communication system ( which can be a tdd system or an fdd system ) includes a user equipment and several transmission devices , and there is a multipoint coordinated transmission relationship ( which can be either a coordinated scheduling relationship or a joint transmission relationship ) between these transmission devices , where one of the transmission devices , i . e ., the first device , transmits service data to the user equipment , and the other transmission devices , i . e ., the second devices , also participate in multipoint coordinated transmission to the user equipment ; and a measurement set for the user equipment is composed of the first device and the at least one second devices , and during network registration of the user equipment , the measurement set is notified in advance from the network side to the user equipment and stored in the user equipment , and the user equipment needs to measure channel information for each device in the measurement set so that the network side accurately estimates interference to which the user equipment is subjected . the user equipment is configured to determine a measurement set used by the user equipment , the measurement set including the first device transmitting service data to the user equipment and the at least one second device participating in multipoint coordinated transmission to the user equipment , to receive a measurement reference signal transmitted from each device in the measurement set respectively , to measure an initial cqi of each device respectively based upon the measurement reference signal transmitted from the corresponding device , to transmit the derived initial cqis of the respective devices to a network - side apparatus , and to transmit also channel matrix reference information to the network - side apparatus so that the network - side apparatus calculates a target cqi of the user equipment based upon the received initial cqis of the respective devices and channel matrix reference information ; and the network - side apparatus is configured to receive the initial cqis , of the respective devices in the measurement set , transmitted from the user equipment , to receive the channel matrix reference information originating from the user equipment , and to calculate the target cqi of the user equipment based upon the received initial cqis of the respective devices and channel matrix reference information . referring to fig4 , in an embodiment of the invention , a user equipment includes a determining unit 40 , a receiving unit 41 , a measuring unit 42 and a transmitting unit 43 , where : the determining unit 40 is configured to determine a measurement set used by the user equipment , where the measurement set includes a first device transmitting service data to the user equipment and at least one second device participating in multipoint coordinated transmission to the user equipment ; the receiving unit 41 is configured to receive a measurement reference signal transmitted from each device in the measurement set respectively ; the measuring unit 42 is configured to measure an initial cqi of each device respectively based upon the measurement reference signal transmitted from the corresponding device ; and the transmitting unit 43 is configured to transmit the derived initial cqis of the respective devices to the network - side apparatus and to transmit channel matrix reference information to the network - side apparatus so that the network - side apparatus calculates a target cqi of the user equipment based upon the received initial cqis of the respective devices and channel matrix reference information . referring to fig5 , in an embodiment of the invention , the network - side apparatus includes a communicating unit 50 and a processing unit 51 , where : the communicating unit 50 is configured to receive initial cqis , of respective devices in a measurement set , transmitted from a user equipment , where the measurement set includes a first device transmitting service data to the user equipment and at least one second device participating in multipoint coordinated transmission to the user equipment , and to receive channel matrix reference information originating from the user equipment ; and the processing unit 51 is configured to calculate a target cqi of the user equipment based upon the received initial cqis of the respective devices and channel matrix reference information . based upon the foregoing technical solution , referring to fig6 , in an embodiment of the invention , a user equipment reports a cqi to the network side in the following detailed flow : step 600 : the user equipment determines a measurement set used by the user equipment , the measurement set including a first device transmitting service data to the user equipment and at least one second device participating in multipoint coordinated transmission to the user equipment . the measurement set used by the user equipment can be transmitted to the user equipment after being configured by a base station , and the user equipment determines the measurement set according to an indicator of the base station , for example , the base station notifies a particular measurement set in downlink signaling ; or the measurement set can be configured by the user equipment itself in a pattern prescribed with the network side . step 610 : the user equipment receives a measurement reference signal transmitted from each device in the measurement set respectively and measures an initial cqi of each device respectively based upon the measurement reference signal transmitted from the corresponding device . in this embodiment , the measurement reference signal , transmitted from each device , received by the user equipment includes a crs and / or a csi - rs transmitted from the corresponding device . the user equipment measures the initial cqi of any device based upon the measurement reference signal transmitted from the device by firstly deriving a channel matrix of the device to the user equipment on respective sub - carriers based upon the measurement reference signal transmitted from the device and then calculating the initial cqi of the device in formula 1 : γ qi = q ( f ({ γ qi ( k )} kεs )) formula 1 where γ qi is the initial cqi of the i - th device in the measurement set of the user equipment q ; s is a set of sub - carriers , where s includes sub - carriers in a section of time - frequency resource block , which can be a physical resource block ( prb ), a sub - band ( including several consecutive prbs ) or the entire bandwidth of a system ; f (•) is a mapping function to map { γ qi ( k )} kεs to a value representing an average channel quality on all the sub - carriers in s , where f (•) can be linear averaging , an exponential effective sir mapping ( eesm ) or another mapping function ; and γ qi ( k ) is the initial cqi of the i - th device in the measurement set of the user equipment q on a sub - carrier k , where h qi ( k ) is the channel matrix , with the dimensionality of n r , q × n t , i , of the i - th device to the user equipment q on the sub - carrier k , n r , q is the number of receiving antennas of the user equipment q , n t , i is the number of transmitting antennas of a base station in the i - th device , and n ( k ) represents interference and noise power to which the user equipment is subjected , where the interference preferably includes only interference beyond the measurement set ; or γ q , i ( k ) can be calculated otherwise , for example , the user equipment calculates a linear detector on the sub - carrier k as g q ( k ) according to channel information , and then step 620 : the user equipment transmits the derived initial cqis of the respective devices to the network - side apparatus and transmits channel matrix reference information to the network - side apparatus so that the network - side apparatus calculates a target cqi of the user equipment ( that is , a cqi from which the network side finally performs resource scheduling and mcs selection for the user equipment ) based upon the received initial cqis of the respective devices and channel matrix reference information . the target cqi of the user equipment can be calculated in the first device or can be calculated in any one or more devices in the measurement set or can be calculated in a central control node connected with all the devices in the measurement set , that is , the network - side apparatus can be the first device , or any one or more devices in the measurement set , or the central control node . in this embodiment , the user equipment transmitting the derived initial cqis of the respective devices to the network - side apparatus refers to that the user equipment transmitting the derived initial cqis of the respective devices to the first device on an uplink channel or to the any one or more devices in the measurement set ( which can include either the first device or the second device ) or to the central control node connected with all the devices in the measurement set . in the process of the step 620 , the user equipment can transmit the channel matrix reference information to the network - side apparatus in ( including but not limited to ) the following two approaches : in a first approach , the user equipment transmits an srs after transmitting the derived initial cqis of the respective devices to the network - side apparatus so that each device in the measurement set derives an uplink channel matrix of the user equipment to the corresponding device based upon the received srs and derives a corresponding downlink channel matrix based upon channel reciprocity and then transmits its own derived downlink channel matrix to the network - side apparatus as the channel matrix reference information . in a second approach , the user equipment transmits channel matrices , derived respectively based upon a downlink reference symbol of each device in the measurement set , to the network - side apparatus as the channel matrix reference information after transmitting the derived initial cqis of the respective devices to the network - side apparatus . at this time the user equipment needs not to transmit an srs . for example , after an srs transmitted from the user equipment is received by a base station in a specific device in the measurement set , the base station calculates an uplink channel matrix of the user equipment to the device served by the base station according to the received srs and derives a downlink channel matrix ĥ q , i ( k ) based upon channel reciprocity , and since the user equipment is different in transmission power from the base station and uplink and downlink radio frequency links doe not match , ĥ q , i ( k ) may be different from real downlink channel information h q , i ( k ) by a constant , i . e ., ĥ q , i ( k )= αh qi ( k ). in this embodiment , ĥ q , i ( k ) can alternatively be a channel matrix derived by the base station from a feedback by the user equipment , and at this time , the user equipment needs not to transmit an srs signal . based upon the foregoing embodiment , referring to fig7 , in an embodiment of the invention , a network - side apparatus processes a cqi reported from a user equipment in the following detailed flow : step 700 : the network - side apparatus receives initial cqis , of respective devices in a measurement set , transmitted from the user equipment , where the measurement set includes a serving device of the user equipment and a coordinating device participating in multipoint coordinated transmission to the user equipment . alike the network - side apparatus can be the first device in the measurement set or can be any one or more devices in the measurement set or can be a central control node connected with all the devices in the measurement set . if it is more than one base station , then the respective base stations operate under the same principle . step 710 : the network side receives channel matrix reference information originating from the user equipment and calculates a target cqi of the user equipment based upon the received initial cqis of the respective devices and channel matrix reference information . in this embodiment , in the process of the step 710 , the network - side apparatus can also receive channel matrix reference information originating from the user equipment in ( including but not limited to ) the following two approaches : in a first approach , each device in the measurement set derives a corresponding uplink channel matrix respectively based upon an srs received from the user equipment and derives a corresponding downlink channel matrix respectively based upon channel reciprocity , and the network - side apparatus receives the downlink channel matrix transmitted from each device respectively and takes the respective downlink channel matrices as the channel matrix reference information . in a second approach , the network - side apparatus receives channel matrices , transmitted from the user equipment , derived respectively based upon a downlink reference symbol of each device in the measurement set and takes the respective channel matrices as the channel matrix reference information . in this embodiment , the network - side apparatus calculates a target cqi of the user equipment based upon the received initial cqis of the respective devices and channel matrix reference information particularly as follows : after scheduling is performed by the respective devices in the measurement set ( scheduling here can be comp - based scheduling or single - device scheduling ), the network - side apparatus firstly calculates target cqis of the user equipment on respective sub - carriers and then maps the derived target cqis on the respective sub - carriers to a unified value , where : the target cqi of the user equipment on any sub - carrier can be calculated in formula 2 particularly as follows : { circumflex over ( γ )} q ( k ) is the target cqi of the user equipment q on a sub - carrier k ; γ qi is the initial cqi of the i - th device in the measurement set of the user equipment q ; h q , i ( k ) is a normalized channel matrix derived based upon ĥ q , i ( k ) ĥ q , i ( k )= αh qi ( k ), and h qi ( k ) is a channel matrix of the i - th device to the user equipment q on the sub - carrier k , h q , i ( k ) can be derived based upon ĥ q , i ( k ) variously , for example , and in another example . h q , i ( k ) is derived by normalizing the average of ∥ ĥ q , i ( k )∥ over a segment of bandwidth , and a repeated description thereof will be omitted here ; u i is a set of user equipments finally scheduled by the i - th device in the measurement set ; w q is a pre - coding weight of the user equipment q ; n r , q is the number of receiving antennas of the user equipment q ; γ qp is the initial cqi of the p - th device in the measurement set of the user equipment q , where p ≠ i ; h qp ( k ) is a normalized channel matrix derived based upon ĥ qp ( k ), ĥ qp ( k )= αh qp ( k ), and h qp ( k ) is a channel matrix of the p - th device to the user equipment q on the sub - carrier k , where p ≠ i ; u p is a set of user equipments finally scheduled by the p - th device in the measurement set , where p ≠ i ; and w l is a pre - coding weight of a user equipment l . alternatively if the complexity of calculation is allowed , then the target cqi of the user equipment on any sub - carrier can be calculated in formula 3 : if the complexity of calculation is allowed , then the network - side apparatus can calculate a cqi output from a detector with the following assumed input - output model : where z is interference and noise beyond the measurement set , and z is defined using a covariance matrix which is a unit matrix . if a linear detector of the user equipment q on the sub - carrier k is g q ( k ), then the target cqi of the user equipment q on the sub - carrier k can be represented as : γ q ( k ) is the target cqi of the user equipment q on the sub - carrier k ; γ qi the initial cqi of the i - th device in the measurement set of the user equipment q ; g q ( k ) is the linear detector of the user equipment q on the sub - carrier k ; h q , ( k ) is a normalized channel matrix derived based upon h qi ( k ), { circumflex over ( γ )} qi ( k )= αh qi ( k ), and h qi ( k ) is a channel matrix of the i - th device to the user equipment q on the sub - carrier k ; u i is a set of user equipments finally scheduled by the i - th device in the measurement set ; w q is a pre - coding weight of the user equipment q ; γ qp is the initial cqi of the p - th device in the measurement set of the user equipment q , where p ≠ i ; h qp ( k ) is a normalized channel matrix derived based upon ĥ qp ( k ) ĥ qp ( k )= αh qp ( k ), and h qp ( k ) is a channel matrix of the p - th device to the user equipment q on the sub - carrier k , where p ≠ i ; u i is a set of user equipments finally scheduled by the p - th device in the measurement set , where p * i ; w l is a pre - coding weight of a user equipment l ; and w m is a pre - coding weight of a user equipment m . after the target cqis of the user equipment on the respective sub - carriers are derived in any of the foregoing approaches , the derived target cqis on the respective sub - carriers are mapped to the unified value in formula 4 particularly as follows : γ q = f ({{ circumflex over ( γ )} q ( k )} kεs ) formula 4 γ q is the unified value to which the derived target cqis on the respective sub - carriers are mapped ; { circumflex over ( γ )} q ( k ) is the target cqi of the user equipment q on the sub - carrier k ; f (•) is a mapping function which , for example , can be an eesm or another mapping function ; and s is a set of sub - carriers , where s includes sub - carriers in a segment of bandwidth , which can be a prb , a sub - band ( including several consecutive prbs ) or the entire bandwidth of a system . thus the network - side apparatus maps { circumflex over ( γ )} q ( k ) of the respective sub - carriers to a single cqi value , and here the base station can determine for the user equipment an mcs and a frequency - domain resource for downlink transmission of data based upon the derived single cqi value . in the foregoing embodiments , scheduling by the respective devices in the measurement set can be coordinated scheduling or separate single - device scheduling , and for these scenarios , particularly the latter , the use of the technical solution according to the embodiments of the invention can improve their or its accuracy of cqi calculation and mcs selection to thereby improve the performance of the entire system . in summary , in the embodiments of the invention , the user equipment feeds the initial cqis of the respective devices in the measurement set back to the base station in the network - side apparatus according to the measurement reference signals transmitted from the respective devices in the measurement set , and the network - side apparatus calculates the target cqi of the user equipment according to the initial cqis of the respective devices fed back from the user equipment and the channel matrix reference information fed back from the user equipment , thereby addressing the problem of feeding back a cqi for multipoint coordinated transmission in the tdd system so that the network - side apparatus can derive the target cqi finally used for downlink transmission of data based upon the initial cqis of the multiple devices fed back from the user equipment , and thus the network side can have accurate knowledge of interference to which the user equipment is subjected and further correctly perform user equipment scheduling , resource allocation and mcs selection to thereby effectively improve the throughout of the system in multipoint coordinated transmission and improve the performance of the system . the present embodiments will be equally applicable to the fdd system , and a repeated description thereof will be omitted here . those skilled in the art shall appreciate that the embodiments of the invention can be embodied as a method , a system or a computer program product . therefore the invention can be embodied in the form of an all - hardware embodiment , an all - software embodiment or an embodiment of software and hardware in combination . furthermore the invention can be embodied in the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer useable storage mediums ( including but not limited to a disk memory , a cd - rom , an optical memory , etc .) in which computer useable program codes are contained . the invention has been described in a flow chart and / or a block diagram of the method , the device ( system ) and the computer program product according to the embodiments of the invention . it shall be appreciated that respective flows and / or blocks in the flow chart and / or the block diagram and combinations of the flows and / or the blocks in the flow chart and / or the block diagram can be embodied in computer program instructions . these computer program instructions can be loaded onto a general - purpose computer , a specific - purpose computer , an embedded processor or a processor of another programmable data processing device to produce a machine so that the instructions executed on the computer or the processor of the other programmable data processing device create means for performing the functions specified in the flow ( s ) of the flow chart and / or the block ( s ) of the block diagram . these computer program instructions can also be stored into a computer readable memory capable of directing the computer or the other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner so that the instructions stored in the computer readable memory create an article of manufacture including instruction means which perform the functions specified in the flow ( s ) of the flow chart and / or the block ( s ) of the block diagram . these computer program instructions can also be loaded onto the computer or the other programmable data processing device so that a series of operational steps are performed on the computer or the other programmable data processing device to create a computer implemented process so that the instructions executed on the computer or the other programmable device provide steps for performing the functions specified in the flow ( s ) of the flow chart and / or the block ( s ) of the block diagram . although the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described , those skilled in the art benefiting from the underlying inventive concept can make additional modifications and variations to these embodiments . therefore the appended claims are intended to be construed as encompassing the preferred embodiments and all the modifications and variations coming into the scope of the invention . evidently those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . thus the invention is also intended to encompass these modifications and variations thereto so long as the modifications and variations come into the scope of the claims appended to the invention and their equivalents .
| 7 |
in many data storage or communications systems , two separate codes are combined to form a composite code . the most common method of combining two component codes is simple concatenation . in simple concatenation , the composite codeword consists of a sequence of smaller blocks . each of the smaller blocks is a codeword of an inner component code . the sequence of blocks is a codeword of an outer component code . simple concatenation combines two component codes to form a composite code that has stronger error correcting capabilities than either component code . however , the composite code incurs the parity overhead of both component codes . encoding proceeds by first encoding the data blocks using the outer component code by adding outer parity blocks . then , every block is encoded using the inner component code by adding inner parity bits within each block . decoding proceeds by first decoding each block using the inner component code decoder . the inner component code decoder corrects all errors in blocks with only a few bits in error . the resulting sequence of blocks is then decoded using the outer component code decoder . the outer component code decoder corrects blocks that were decoded incorrectly by the inner component code decoder . another method for combining two component codes known in the prior art is generalized concatenation . as with simple concatenation , the composite codeword consists of a sequence of smaller blocks . the blocks are not codewords of the inner component code . the degree to which each block deviates from the parity rules of the inner component code is called the syndrome for that block . the outer component code does not operate over the sequence of blocks as such , but rather the sequence of syndromes is a codeword of the outer component code . encoding proceeds by computing the inner component code syndrome for blocks corresponding to data elements of the outer component code . the outer component code encoder then computes the syndromes required for the remaining blocks in order for the complete sequence of syndromes to form a valid codeword of the outer component code . these remaining blocks correspond to parity elements of the outer component code . for the remaining blocks , parity bits are added to force the syndrome to the required value . decoding proceeds by first computing the inner block syndrome for each block . the sequence of syndromes is then decoded using the outer component code decoder . each block is then decoded again using the inner component code decoder and the corresponding syndrome value given by the outer component code decoder . according to an embodiment of the present invention , three component codes are combined to form a composite code . first , two codes are combined by generalized concatenation to form a first composite code . the first composite code is then used as the inner code in simple concatenation with an outermost error correction code to form a second composite code . in the preferred embodiment , a simple parity code is concatenated with a bch code to form a composite tensor product parity code that is then concatenated with a reed - solomon outermost error correction code . it should be understood that the principles of the present invention can encode data using composite codes formed by combining different component codes in a similar fashion . a composite code formed in this way cannot easily be encoded . this difficulty arises due to the fact that both the composite code formed by generalized concatenation and the outermost error correcting code involve parity checks that span the entire codeword . the present invention describes how simple modifications to the details of the concatenation can render the encoding problem more tractable . fig1 illustrates an error correction encoder 100 for a data recording system according to an embodiment of the present invention . error correction encoder 100 of fig1 generates redundant bits that are used for error detection and / or error correction in data recording systems such as magnetic hard disk drives , optical disks , and a variety of other recording media . the error correction techniques of the present invention can also be used in data transmission applications . input data bits are provided to a first level error correction encoder 101 . error correction encoder 101 can apply any error correction or detection code to the input data bits to generate redundant data bits . for example , first level error correction encoder 101 can be a reed - solomon ( rs ) encoder that generates rs check bytes for each block of input data . the data output blocks of encoder 101 include rs check bytes . data output blocks of encoder 101 are provided to delay block 102 and second level error correction encoder 104 . according to one embodiment of the present invention , second level error correction encoder 104 uses a tensor product parity code ( tppc ) to generate a second level of redundant parity bits . second level encoder 104 generates a set of redundant parity bits for each block of input data using a composite code , such as a tensor product parity ( tpp ) code . the parity bits are then inserted into the data block at block 103 . delay block 102 delays the output data block of encoder 101 so that encoder 104 has enough time to calculate the parity bits and to insert the parity bits into the same data block before the data is written onto a recording medium . fig2 illustrates one example of a parity check matrix h rstp for a composite code that can be used to implement error correction encoding according to the present invention . parity check matrix h rstp shown in fig2 is generated by combining a parity check matrix 201 for a bit - wise shortened rs code and a parity check matrix 202 for a tensor product parity ( tpp ) code . it should be understood that the techniques of the present invention can be applied to many types of composite codes , and that the parity check matrices described herein are merely examples used to illustrate the present invention . the span of the code corresponding to the h rstp matrix is the granularity length of each tpp inner component code . in the example of fig2 , the matrix has a uniform ( or fixed ) span of 3 throughout the code block . it should be understood that the techniques of the present invention apply to codes of any span and any size . the example parity check matrix h tpp 202 for the tpp code is the tensor product of a parity check matrix h 1 for a single parity code and a parity check matrix h 2 for a bch code . the parity check matrix h tpp 202 shown in fig2 is generated by taking the tensor product of the following check matrices h 1 and h 2 . h 2 = [ 1101100 1110010 1011001 ] the check matrix h 1 corresponds to a ( 3 , 2 ) single parity code , and the check matrix h 2 corresponds to a ( 7 , 4 ) bch code . parity check matrix h tpp 202 is shown below . h tpp = [ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 | 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 | 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 | 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 ] the tensor product parity check matrix h ttp can be expressed as two levels of equations using modulo 2 arithmetic . the first level equations are tensor local parity equations that are based on the h 1 parity check matrix . the first level equations are used to generate intermediate values a i , where i = 1 , 2 , 3 , . . . m , and m is the number of columns in the h 2 matrix . using the example h 1 matrix given above , first level equations can be expressed as shown in equations ( 1 )-( 7 ), where + represents modulo 2 addition ( an xor function ). the second level equations are global parity equations that are based on the h 2 parity check matrix . each of the second level equations corresponds to one row in the h 2 matrix . using the example h 2 matrix given above and the example equations ( 1 )-( 7 ), second level equations can expressed as shown in equations ( 8 )-( 10 ), where + represents modulo 2 addition . the parity check matrix 201 in fig2 is based on a bit - wise shortened reed - solomon code . the 9 th , 12 th , and 15 th columns of parity check matrix 201 contain zero entries and corresponds to dummy bits for the bit - wise shortened rs code . these zero values indicate that bit positions 9 , 12 and 15 are not checked by the rs code . in other words , they are equivalent to zero bits for the rs code . in the rs encoder circuits , the data corresponding to bit positions 9 , 12 and 15 are set to dummy values of zero . tpp check matrix 202 contains three columns of parity bits . the 9 th , 12 th , and 15 th columns in matrix 202 contain the parity bits for the tpp code . the dummy bits in matrix 201 are in the same three columns as the parity bits in matrix 202 . unlike many prior art systems , an rs decoder of the present invention does not check the tpp parity bits . this means that the rs code can be encoded independent of the tpp code . a parity check matrix completely describes any linear block code . furthermore , by applying simple algebraic manipulation known to persons skilled in the art , a parity check matrix can be transformed into a generator matrix . a generator matrix can be used to encode data into a codeword that satisfies the parity check rules described in the parity check matrix . encoding by matrix multiplication is not preferred . for the most common codes , more efficient encoders exist that do not require large matrix multiplications . codes used for real hard disk drives are much larger than the example codes shown in fig2 . the dummy bits in matrix 201 act as place holders that greatly reduce the complexity of the computations performed using the h rstp matrix . as a result , the present invention requires less latency time and a smaller chipset to perform the error correction encoding . fig3 illustrates a process for encoding bits with a composite code according to an embodiment of the present invention . the example illustrated in fig3 is a toy example using codes much smaller than codes used in typical hard disk drive systems . a shift register 310 a is shown in fig3 to illustrate the present invention . each portion of the register has enough space to store one segment of 3 bits . the number of bits in each segment equals the span length . in the example of fig2 and 3 , the span length of every segment is 3 , which is based on the span of the h 1 matrix . because every segment in this example has the same span length , the span is uniform . at step 301 , register 310 a is set up , for example , by setting the values stored in the register to zero . the register stores input bits . a set of 12 input bits ( e . g ., 101011011110 ) is serially shifted into the register from left to right at step 302 . none of the 12 input bits are stored in the 9 th , 12 th , and 15 th bit positions of the shift register . instead , three zero - value dummy bits are stored in these 3 bit positions . the last two segments of the register remain empty . at step 303 , a first level of error correction encoding is performed . the result of the first level of error correction encoding is a set of redundant bits that is added to the set of input bits . for example , the first level of error correction encoding can be reed - solomon ( rs ) encoding . rs parity data can be efficiently generated by recursive methods well known in the prior art . in fig3 , two redundant rs check bytes 311 are generated and added to the set of bits to generate a rs codeword . at step 304 , a second level of error correction encoding is performed using a composite code to compute additional parity bits . in the example of fig2 and 3 , the second level encoder uses a tensor product parity code ( tppc ) as the composite code . the parity bits are stored in the dummy bit locations ( e . g ., the 9 th , 12 th , and 15 bit positions of the register in the example of fig3 ). the parity and dummy bits can be stored in any bit locations , except in the rs check bytes . the second level encoding is performed in three steps in the example of fig3 . in the first step 304 a , the first component code based on parity check matrix h 1 is applied to each segment of bits in the codeword to compute intermediate results a i . for example , equations ( 1 )-( 7 ) can be applied to the 7 three - bit data segments stored in register 310 b to generate intermediate results a 1 , a 2 , a 3 , . . . , a 7 = 0010111 . equations ( 1 )-( 7 ) indicate whether each segment of 3 - bits in the codeword has an even ( 0 ) or an odd ( 1 ) number of 1 bits . in the second step 304 b of second level encoding , the second component code encoder generates new intermediate values a 3 ′, a 4 ′, and a 5 ′ such that a 1 , a 2 , a 3 ′, a 4 ′, a 5 ′, a 6 , a 7 satisfy parity check matrix h 2 . in this example , the inputs to the second component code encoder are intermediate values a 1 , a 2 , a 6 , and a 7 , and the outputs are a 3 ′, a 4 ′, and a 5 ′. in general , the inputs are the intermediate values generated by segments that do not contain a dummy bit , and the outputs correspond to segments that do contain a dummy bit . in the third step 304 c of second level encoding , the final parity bits for the composite code are generated by applying modulo 2 addition ( xor ) to the two sets of a i values calculated for the segments with dummy bits . for example , in fig3 , the intermediate values a i calculated from the segments with dummy bits using the encoder for the first component code are a 3 - a 5 . the new values for a 3 ′, a 4 ′, and a 5 ′ computed by the encoder for the second component code encoder are xor &# 39 ; ed with corresponding values for a 3 , a 4 , and a 5 computed using the first component code . in the example of fig3 , the values computed for a 3 - a 5 using the encoder for the first component code are 101 , and the values computed for a 3 ′- a 5 ′ using the second component code are 100 . bits 101 are xor &# 39 ; ed with corresponding bits 100 to generate final tpp parity bit values 001 , as shown in fig3 next to step 304 c . the present invention provides significant benefits to data recording media , including hard disk drives . specifically , the error encoding techniques of the present invention use dummy bits in the encoding process to simplify the computations . the encoding techniques of the present invention are simple enough that they can be performed using encoders designed for two or more codes that are used to form a composite code . for the toy example shown in fig2 and 3 , encoders of the rs code and the tpp code are used in the two levels of the encoding procedure , respectively . the present invention reduces the size of the chipset required to perform the encoding . the present invention also reduces the latency in the controller electronics . fig4 illustrates another example of a parity check matrix h rstp for a composite that can be used to implement error correction encoding according to the present invention . the parity check matrix of fig4 has a non - uniform span that corresponds to the non - uniform span of the code c rstp . the parity check matrix h rstp shown in fig4 is generated by combining a parity check matrix 401 and a parity check matrix 402 . parity check matrix 401 is based on a full reed - solomon ( rs ) code , and parity check matrix 402 is modified from a tensor product parity ( tpp ) code . three additional columns are added to the rs parity check matrix 401 corresponding to three dummy bits per row , as shown in fig4 . these three columns of dummy bits act as place holders for the parity bits generated by the tpp code encoder . the tpp code parity bits are located in the same 3 columns as the dummy bits . the span of the tpp component code is variant in the example of fig4 . the extra columns added to accommodate the dummy bits and tpp code parity bits cause the parity check matrix h rstp of fig4 to have a non - uniform span . the span of the first four segments is 3 , and the span of the next three segments is 4 , as shown in fig4 . fig5 illustrates an example of how bits can be encoded with a composite code having a non - uniform span , according to an embodiment of the present invention . error correction encoding can be performed on blocks of data stored in shift register 510 . after register 510 a is cleared , 15 information bits are shifted into the register . information bits are not loaded into the last 9 spaces 511 . these 9 spaces remain empty . first level error correction encoding ( e . g ., rs encoding ) is then performed to generate first level redundant check bytes 512 . the redundant check bytes are loaded into the last two segments of register 510 b as shown in fig5 . the last three segments having a span of four each have one dummy bit ( 0 ). the dummy bits are the last bits in each of these three segments . the second level of error correction encoding is performed using a composite code ( e . g ., a tensor product parity code ) to compute the parity bits . in the example of fig4 and 5 , the parity bits are stored in the dummy bit locations of the codeword . the first component code encoder is applied to each segment of bits in the codeword to compute intermediate results a 1 - 7 . subsequently , the second component code encoder is applied to the intermediate results a i computed using the segments that do not contain a dummy bit . in the example of fig5 , the values generated for a 1 , a 2 , a 3 , and a 4 are substituted into equations ( 8 )-( 10 ) to generate a second set of values for a 5 ′, a 6 ′, and a 7 ′. this second set of values a 5 ′, a 6 ′, and a 7 ′ are xor &# 39 ; ed with the corresponding values for a 5 , a 6 , and a 7 computed using the first component code . the results of these three xor functions are the correct parity values for the second level composite code . the correct parity values are inserted into the codeword stored in register 510 c to replace the dummy bits , as shown in fig5 . final parity values can be computed for each segment using the non - uniform span first parity check matrix . the foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed . a latitude of modification , various changes , and substitutions are intended in the present invention . in some instances , features of the invention can be employed without a corresponding use of other features as set forth . many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings , without departing from the scope of the invention . it is intended that the scope of the invention be limited not with this detailed description , but rather by the claims appended hereto .
| 7 |
referring more particularly to the drawing by characters of reference , fig1 discloses a face mask such as , for example , a baseball catcher &# 39 ; s mask 10 comprising a plurality of wires 11 interconnected into a grillwork assembly 12 . preferably , the metal wires 11 are welded together at intersecting points and then the entire grillwork is coated with a suitable plastic . defined by the wires 11 are a plurality of apertures or slots 13 that permit the free circulation of air through mask 10 , but are of a maximum size that prevents the passage of a conventional baseball therethrough . preferably , the apertures or slots have a maximum rectilinear spacing between wires of less than two inches . the mask is of a known configuration having a forehead pad 14 and a chin pad 15 positioned within the mask around portions of its grillwork assembly 12 for bearing on particular portions of the face of the catcher of a baseball team . the grillwork is provided with the usual elastic band which passes around the back of a user &# 39 ; s head which is not shown for simplicity purposes . both pads 14 and 15 are attached to the grillwork assembly 12 by straps 16 and 17 , respectively . these straps are attached at one end to the associated pad and encircle one or more of the wires 11 of the grillwork assembly , and overlap themselves at which point a catch 18 , 18 &# 39 ; is provided for detachably securing the pad to the grillwork assembly in the manner shown in fig1 and 2 . in accordance with the teachings of the invention , a sunshade or eye shield 20 is provided which is detachably secured between wires 11 of the grillwork assembly 12 and the forehead pad 14 . this eye shade comprises an arcuate shaped thin plate formed of a suitable plastic material , for example , of approximately 0 . 09 inches thick , and may be formed substantially as a quadrant of a circle . the arcuate piece is provided with three rectangular openings or slots 21 spacedly positioned in a line across the eye shield , each opening or slot being provided for receiving therethrough one of the ends of a strap 16 as it passes around a given wire 11 of the grillwork and back on itself so that the parts of clasp or catch 18 , 18 &# 39 ; may engage each other , as shown in fig1 and 2 . this eye shield is intended to shield the eyes of the catcher when needed from the rays of the sun or night lights of an illuminated ballpark , and may be readily added to or removed from the grillwork assembly when needed by merely unclasping catches 18 , 18 &# 39 ;, removing the shield from the grillwork assembly and reclasping catches 18 , 18 &# 39 ; to again secure the forehead pad to the grillwork assembly . in order to properly align the eye shield in the grillwork , an alignment notch 22 is formed at the middle of the upper edge 23 of the eye shield , as shown in fig1 . further , the lower edge of eye shield 20 &# 39 ; may be formed with a bead 24 for strength , as shown in fig7 and also to eliminate the possibility of a rough edge . it should be noted that even though a catcher &# 39 ; s mask is shown , the invention is intended to cover any type of face mask for other sports , and the openings through the eye shield may be aligned as shown or out of alignment if so desired . although but a few embodiments of the invention have been shown and described , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims .
| 0 |
before the description of the preferred embodiments , a prior art method for manufacturing a bicmos device will be explained with reference to fig1 a through 1i ( see jp - a - 4 - 34626 ). in fig1 a through 1i , nmos designates an n - channel mos transistor forming area , pmos designates a p - channel mos transistor forming area , bip designates a bipolar transistor forming area , and i designates an isolation area . first , referring to fig1 a , arsenic ions are implanted into a p - - type monocrystalline silicon substrate 1 by using a photoresist pattern and a silicon oxide pattern ( not shown ) as a mask to form n + - type buried regions 2 - p and 2 - b in the pmos area and the bip area , respectively . then , boron ions are implanted into a p - - type monocrystalline silicon substrate 1 by using a photoresist pattern and a silicon oxide pattern ( not shown ) as a mask to form p + - type buried regions 3 - n and 3 - i in the nmos area and the i area , respectively . then , an n - - type expitaxial layer 4 is grown on the entire surface , and a p - type isolation region 5 , a p - type well 6 and an n - type well 7 are formed within the epitaxial layer 4 in the i area , the nmos area and the pmos area , respectively . next , referring to fig1 b , an about 350 nm thick field silicon oxide layer 8 is grown by a local oxidation of silicon ( locos ) process to partition the nmos area , the pmos area and the bip area . in this case , the field silicon oxide layer 8 is also formed partly on the bip area . then , a heating process is carried out at a temperature of about 900 ° c . simultaneously with doping of phosphorous ions to form an n + - type collector diffusion region 9 in a collector taken - out portion of the bip area . next , referring to fig1 c , a silicon oxide layer 10 is grown by thermally oxidizing the entire surface , and is patterned by a photolithography and etching process , so that the silicon oxide layer 10 is left only on the bip area . next , referring to fig1 d , a gate silicon oxide layer 11 is grown by thermally oxidizing the epitaxial layer 4 , the p - type well 6 , the n - type well 7 and the like . then , a polycrystalline silicon layer 12 is deposited on the entire surface by a chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ) process . then , boron ions are implanted by using a photoresist pattern ( not shown ) as a mask into the epitaxial layer 4 to form a p - type base region 13 in the bip area . note that the silicon oxide layer 10 is thicker than the gate silicon oxide layer 11 . next , referring to fig1 e , an emitter opening 14 is perforated in the polycrystalline silicon layer 12 and the silicon oxide layer 10 by a photolithography and etcing process . next , referring to fig1 f , a polycrystalline silicon layer 15 is deposited on the entire surface by a cvd process . then , arsenic ions are implanted into the polycrystalline silicon layers 15 and 12 . then , a heating operation is carried out to diffuse arsenic ions from the polycrysrtalline silicon layers 15 and 12 into the base region 13 . thus , an n + - type emitter region 16 is formed . next , referring to fig1 g , the polycrystalline layers 15 and 11 are patterned by a photolithography and etching process , so that a gate electrode g n , a gate electrode g p and an emitter electrode e are formed in the nmos area , the pmos area and the bip area , respectively . then , phosphorous ions are implanted into the p - type well 6 by using the gate electrode g n and a photoresist pattern ( not shown ) to form n - - type impurity ( source / drain ) regions 17s and 17d having a low concentration for a lightly doped drain ( ldd ) structure . similarly , boron ions are implanted into the n - type well 7 by using the gate electrode g p and a photoresist pattern ( not shown ) to form p - - type impurity ( source / drain ) regions 18s and 18d having a low concentration for an ldd structure . next , referring to fig1 h , a silicon oxide layer 19 is deposited on the entire surface by a cvd process . then , the silicon oxide layer 19 is etched back by an anisotropic dry etching process , so that the silicon oxide layer 19 is left as a sidewall spacer on the sidewalls of the gate electrodes g n and g p and the emitter electrode e . then , arsenic ions are implanted into the p - type well 6 by using the gate electrode g n , its sidewall spacer 19 and a photoresist pattern ( not shown ) to form n + - type impurity ( source / drain ) regions 20s and 20d having a high concentration for an ldd structure . similarly , boron fluoride ions are implanted into the n - type well 7 by using the gate electrode g p , its sidewall spacer 19 and a photoresist pattern ( not shown ) to form p + - type impurity ( source / drain ) regions 21s and 21d having a high concentration for an ldd structure . in this case , a p + - type base graft region 22 is simultaneously formed and is connected to the base region 13 . finally , referring to fig1 i , a silicon oxide layer 23 is deposited on the entire surface by a cvd process . then , contact holes are perforated in the silicon oxide layer 23 by a photolithography and etching process . then , an aluminum layer 24 is deposited on the entire surface by a sputtering process , and the aluminum layer 24 is patterned . thus , the bicmos device is completed . in the prior art method as illustrated in fig1 a through 1i , the heating operation for forming the emitter region 16 is carried out before the formation of the source / drain regions 17s , 17d , 18s , 18d 20s , 20d , 21s and 21d . therefore , the short channel effect of the mos transistors can be suppressed . also , the heating operation for forming the emitter region 16 , i . e ., the base - emitter junction can be sufficiently carried out . further , since the silicon oxide layer 10 , which is thicker than the gate silicon oxide layer 11 , is provided between the emitter electrode e and the base region 13 , the parasitic capacitance of the emitter electrode e can be reduced to improve the high frequency characteristics . in the above - described prior art method , however , the reduction of the parasitic capacitance of the emitter electrode e is insufficient . that is , if the thickness of the silicon oxide layer 10 is too large , the presence of the field silicon oxide layer 8 becomes meaningless . also , when the thick silicon oxide layer 10 is completely etched from the nmos area and the pmos area , the field silicon oxide layer 8 is also etched too much , so that the thickness of the field silicon oxide layer 8 becomes remarkably small or the field silicon oxide layer 8 makes stepwise . in view of tradeoff between the field silicon oxide layer 8 and the silicon oxide layer 10 , the thickness of the silicon oxide layer 10 is half of that of the field silicon oxide layer 8 at most . also , the prior art method as illustrated in fig1 a through 1i requires an additional process for thermally growing the silicon oxide layer 10 , thus increasing the manufacturing cost . further , it has been suggested that silicon nitride used in the locos process be left to reduce the parasitic capacitance of the emitter electrode e ( see jp - a - 4 - 34626 ). in this case , however , the high permittivity of silicon nitride cannot reduce the parasitic capacitance of the emitter electrode e sufficiently . in addition , stress caused by the thermal expansion of silicon nitride induces defects in the silicon layers , so that a leakage current flowing therethrough is increased , which also cannot reduce the parasitic capacitance of the emitter electrode e . fig2 a through 2j are cross - sectional views for explaining a first embodiment of the method for manufacturing a bicmos device according to the present invention . first , referring to fig2 a , in the same way as in fig1 a , arsenic ions are implanted into a p - - type monocrystalline silicon substrate 1 by using a photoresist pattern and a silicon oxide pattern ( not shown ) as a mask to form n + - type buried regions 2 - p and 2 - b in the pmos area and the bip area , respectively . then , boron ions are implanted into a p - - type monocrystalline silicon substrate 1 by using a photoresist pattern and a silicon oxide pattern ( not shown ) as a mask to form p + - type buried regions 3 - n and 3 - i in the nmos area and the i area , respectively . then , an n - - type expitaxial layer 4 is grown on the entire surface , and a p - type isolation region 5 , a p - type well 6 and an n - type well 7 are formed within the epitaxial layer 4 in the i area , the nmos area and the pmos area , respectively . next , referring to fig2 b , in a similar way to that of fig1 b , an about 350 nm thick field silicon oxide layer 8 is grown by a locos process to partition the nmos area , the pmos area and the bip area . in this case , the field silicon oxide layer 8 is also formed on a base forming area of the bip area . then , a heating process is carried out at a temperature of about 900 ° c . simultaneously with doping of phosphorous ions to form an n + - type collector diffusion region 9 in a collector taken - out portion of the bip area . next , referring to fig2 c , in a similar way to that of fig1 d , about 2 × 10 13 boron ions per cm 2 are implanted at an acceleration energy of about 100 kev by using a photoresist pattern ( not shown ) as a . mask into the epitaxial layer 4 to form a p - type base region 13 in the bip area . in this case , since the base region 13 is formed after the formation of the n + - type collector diffusion region 9 , the base region 13 can be shallowed . next , referring to fig2 d , an emitter opening 14 &# 39 ; is perforated in the field silicon oxide layer 8 on the base region 13 by a photolithography and etching process . in this case , since the minimum width of the emitter opening 14 &# 39 ; is about 600 nm while the field silicon oxide layer 8 is about 350 nm thick , there is no problem in aspect ratio . next , referring to fig2 e , an about 150 to 200 nm thick polycrystalline silicon layer 15 is deposited on the entire surface by a cvd process . then , a about 1 × 10 16 arsenic ions per cm 2 are implanted at an acceleration energy of about 60 to 80 kev into the polycrystalline silicon layer 15 . then , a heating operation is carried out at a temperature of about 900 ° c . to diffuse arsenic ions from the polycrystalline silicon layer 15 into the base region 13 . thus , an n + - type emitter region 16 is formed . next , referring to fig2 f , the polycrystalline silicon layer 15 is patterned by a photolithography and etching process , so that an emitter electrode e is formed in the bip area . next , referring to fig2 g , an about 5 to 10 nm thick gate silicon oxide layer 11 is grown by thermally oxidizing the epitaxial layer 4 , the p - type well 6 , the n - type well 7 and the like . in this case , the polycrystalline silicon layer 15 is also simultaneously oxidized to form a silicon oxide layer 11 &# 39 ;. next , referring to fig2 h , an about 200 to 400 nm thick polycrystalline silicon layer 21 is deposited on the entire surface by a cvd process . then , a heating process is carried out under a pocl 3 gas atmosphere to reduce the resistance of the polycrystalline silicon layer 31 . also , a phospho - silicated glass ( psg ) layer ( not shown ) is deposited on the entire surface . then , the psg layer 32 is removed by a wet etching process , and the polycrystalline silicon layer 31 are patterned by a photolithography and etching process , so that a gate electrode g n and a gate electrode g p are formed in the nmos area and the pmos area . then , about 1 × 10 13 to 5 × 10 13 phosphorous ions per cm 2 are implanted at an acceleration energy of 10 to 30 kev into the p - type well 6 by using gate electrode g n and a photoresist pattern ( not shown ) to form n - - type impurity ( source / drain ) regions 17s and 17d having a low concentration for an ldd structure . similarly , about 1 × 10 13 to 3 × 10 3 boron ions per cm 2 are implanted at an acceleration energy of about 10 to 30 kev into the n - type well 7 by using gate electrode g p and a photoresist pattern ( not shown ) to form p - - type impurity ( source / drain ) regions 18s and 18d having a low concentration for an ldd structure . next , referring to fig2 i , an about 100 nm thick silicon oxide layer 19 is deposited on the entire surface by a cvd process . then , the silicon oxide layer 19 is etched back by an anisotropic dry etching process , so that the silicon oxide layer 19 is left as a sidewall spacer on the sidewalls of the gate electrodes g n and g p and the emitter electrode e . in this case , since the base - emitter junction of the bip area is completed , the base - emitter junction can be protected against the anistropic etching operation . then , about 1 × 10 15 to 5 × 10 15 arsenic ions per cm are implanted at an acceleration energy of about 30 to 50 kev into the p - type well 6 by using gate electrode g n , its sidewall spacer 19 and a photoresist pattern ( not shown ) to form n + - type impurity ( source / drain ) regions 20s and 20d having a high concentration for an ldd structure . similarly , about 1 × 10 15 to 5 × 10 15 boron fluoride ions per cm 2 are implanted at an acceleration energy of about 30 to 50 kev into the n - type well 7 by using the gate electrode g p , its sidewall spacer 19 and a photoresist pattern ( not shown ) to form p + - type impurity ( source / drain ) regions 21s and 21d having a high concentration for an ldd structure . in this case , a p + - type base graft region 22 is simultaneously formed and is connected to the base region 13 . finally , referring to fig2 j , an about 100 nm thick silicon oxide layer 23 is deposited on the entire surfacre by a cvd process . then , contact holes are perforated in the silicon oxide layer 23 by a photolithography and etching process . then , an aluminum layer 24 is deposited on the entire surface by a sputtering process , and the aluminum layer 24 is patterned . thus , the bicmos device is completed . in the first embodiment as illustrated in fig2 a through 2j , since the field silicon oxide layer 8 , which is thicker than the gate silicon oxide layer 10 of the prior art , is provided between the emitter electrode e and the base region 13 , the parasitic capacitance of the emitter electrode e can be further reduced to improve the high frequency characteristics . although the silicon oxide layer 10 of the prior art requires an additional thermal growing process , the field silicon oxide layer 8 between the emitter electrode e and the base region 13 does not require an additional thermal growing process , thus reducing the manufacturing cost . fig3 a through 3i are cross - sectional views for explaining a second embodiment of the method for manufacturing a bicmos device according to the present invention . first , referring to fig3 a , in the same way as in fig2 a , arsenic ions are implanted into a p - - type monocrystalline silicon substrate 1 by using a photoresist pattern and a silicon oxide pattern ( not shown ) as a mask to form n + - type buried regions 2 - p and 2 - b in the pmos area and the bip area , respectively . then , boron ions are implanted into a p - - type monocrystalline silicon substrate 1 by using a photoresist pattern and a silicon oxide pattern ( not shown ) as a mask to form p + - type buried regions 3 - n and 3 - i in the nmos area and the i area , respectively . then , an n - - type expitaxial layer 4 is grown on the entire surface , and a p - type isolation region 5 , a p - type well 6 and n - type well 7 are formed within the epitaxial layer 4 in the i area , the nmos area and the pmos area , respectively . next , referring to fig3 b , in the same way as in fig2 b , an about 350 nm thick field silicon oxide layer 8 is grown by a locos process to partition the nmos area , the pmos area and the bip area . in this case , the field silicon oxide layer 8 is also formed on a base forming area of the bip area . then , a heating process is carried out at a temperature of about 900 ° c . simultaneously with doping of phosphorous ions to form an n + - type collector diffusion region 9 in a collector taken - out portion of the bip area . next , referring to fig3 c , in the same way as in fig2 c , about 2 × 10 13 boron ions per cm 2 are implanted at an acceleration energy of about 100 kev by using a photoresist pattern ( not shown ) as a mask into the epitaxial layer 4 to form a p - type base region 13 in the bip area . in this case , since the base region 13 is formed after the formation of the n + - type collector diffusion region 9 , the base region 13 can be shallowed . next , referring to fig3 d , in the same way as in fig2 g , an about 5 to 10 nm thick gate silicon oxide layer 11 is grown by thermally oxidizing the epitaxial layer 4 , the p - type well 6 , the n - type well 7 and the like . next , referring to fig3 e , in the same way as in fig2 d , an emitter opening 14 &# 39 ; is perforated in the field silicon oxide layer 8 on the base region 13 by a photolithography and etching process . next , referring to fig3 f , in the same way as in fig2 e , an about 150 to 200 nm thick polycrystalline silicon layer 15 is deposited on the entire surface by a cvd process . then , about 1 × 10 16 arsenic ions per cm 2 are implanted at an acceleration energy of about 60 to 80 kev into the polycrystalline silicon layer 15 . then , a heating operation is carried out at a temperature of about 900 ° c . to diffuse arsenic ions from the polycrystalline silicon layer 15 into the base region 13 . thus , an n + - type emitter region 16 is formed . next , referring to fig3 g , the polycrystalline silicon layer 15 is patterned by a photolithography and etching process , so that a gate electrode g n , a gate electrode g p and an emitter electrode e are , formed in the nmos area , the pmos area and the bip area , respectively . then , about 1 × 10 13 to 5 × 10 13 phosphorous ions per cm 2 are implanted at an acceleration energy of 10 to 30 kev into the p - type well 6 by using the gate electrode g n and a photoresist pattern ( not shown ) to form n - - type impurity ( source / drain ) regions 17s and 17d having a low concentration for an ldd structure . similarly , about 1 × 10 13 to 3 × 10 3 boron ions per cm 2 are implanted at an acceleration energy of about 10 to 30 kev into the n - type well 7 by using the gate electrode g p and a photoresist pattern ( not shown ) to form p - - type impurity ( source / drain ) regions 18s and 18d having a low concentration for an ldd structure . next , referring to fig3 h , in the same way as in fig2 i , an about 100 nm thick silicon oxide layer 19 is deposited on the entire surface by a cvd process . then , the silicon oxide layer 19 is etched back by an anisotropic dry etching process , so that the silicon oxide layer 19 is left as a sidewall spacer on the sidewalls of the gate electrodes g n and g p and the emitter electrode e . then , about 1 × 10 15 to 5 × 10 15 arsenic ions per cm 2 are implanted at an acceleration energy of about 30 to 50 kev into the p - type well 6 by using the gate electrode g n , its sidewall spacer 19 and a photoresist pattern ( not shown ) to form n + - type impurity ( source / drain ) regions 20s and 20d having a high concentration for an ldd structure . similarly , about 1 × 10 15 to 5 × 10 15 boron fluoride ions per cm 2 are implanted at an acceleration energy of about 30 to 50 kev into the n - type well 7 by using the gate electrode g p , its sidewall spacer 19 and a photoresist pattern ( not shown ) to form p + - type impurity ( source / drain ) regions 21s and 21d having a high concentration for an ldd structure . in this case , a p + - type base graft region 22 is simultaneously formed and is connected to the base region 13 . finally , referring to fig3 i , in the same way as in fig2 j , an about 100 nm thick silicon oxide layer 23 is deposited on the entire surface by a cvd process . then , contact holes are perforated in the silicon oxide layer 23 by a photolithography and etching process . then , an aluminum layer 24 is deposited on the entire surface by a sputtering process , and the aluminum layer 24 is patterned . thus , the bicmos device is completed . in the first embodiment , the emitter electrode e and the gate electrodes g n and g p are formed by using different polycrystalline silicon layers . on the other hand , in the second embodiment , the emitter electrode e and the gate electrodes g p and g n are formed by the same polycrystalline silicon layer . therefore , the second embodiment is advantageous over the first embodiment in terms of the manufacturing cost . fig4 a through 4j are cross - sectional views for explaining a third embodiment of the method for manufacturing a bicmos device according to the present invention . first , referring to fig4 a , in the same way as in fig3 a , arsenic ions are implanted into a p - - type monocrystalline silicon substrate 1 by using a photoresist pattern and a silicon oxide pattern ( not shown ) as a mask to form n + - type buried regions 2 - p and 2 - b in the pmos area and the bip area , respectively . then , boron ions are implanted into a p - - type monocrystalline silicon substrate 1 by using a photoresist pattern and a silicon oxide pattern ( not shown ) as a mask to form p + - type buried regions 3 - n and 3 - i in the nmos area and the i area , respectively . then , an n - - type expitaxial layer 4 is grown on the entire surface , and a p - type isolation region 5 , a p - type well and an n - type well 7 are formed within the epitaxial layer 4 in the i area , the nmos area and the pmos area , respectively . next , referring to fig4 b , in the same way as in fig3 b , an about 350 nm thick field silicon oxide layer 8 is grown by a locos process to partition the nmos area , the pmos area and the bip area . in this case , the field silicon oxide layer 8 is also formed on a base forming area of the bip area . then , a heating process is carried out at a temperature of about 900 ° c . simultaneously with doping of phosphorous ions to form an n + - type collector diffusion region 9 in a collector taken - out portion of the bip area . next , referring to fig4 c , in the same way as in fig3 c , about 2 × 10 13 boron ions per cm 2 are implanted at an acceleration energy of about 100 kev by using a photoresist pattern ( not shown ) as a mask into the epitaxial layer 4 to form a p - type base region 13 in the bip area . next , referring to fig4 d , in the same way as in fig3 d , an about 5 to 10 nm thick gate silicon oxide layer 11 is grown by thermally oxidizing the epitaxial layer 4 , the p - type well 6 , the n - type well 7 and the like . next , referring to fig4 e , in the same way as in fig3 e , an emitter opening 14 &# 39 ; is perforated in the field silicon oxide layer 8 on the base region 13 by a photolithography and etching process . next , referring to fig4 f , in a similar way to that of fig3 f , an about 150 to 200 nm thick polycrystalline silicon layer 15 is deposited on the entire surface by a cvd process . then , about 1 × 10 16 arsenic ions per cm 2 are implanted at an acceleration energy of about 60 to 80 kev into the polycrystalline silicon layer 15 . next , referring to fig4 g , a silicon oxide layer 11 &# 39 ; is thermally grown on the polycrystalline silicon layer 15 . then , the silicon oxide layer 11 &# 39 ; is patterned by a photolithography and etching process , so that the silicon oxide layer 11 &# 34 ; is left on the emitter opening 14 &# 39 ; and its periphery . then , a heating process is carried out under a pocl 3 gas atmosphere to reduce the resistance of the polycrystalline silicon layer 15 . in this case , an emitter region 16 is also formed . next , referring to fig4 h , a psg layer ( not shown ) is deposited on the entire surface . then , the psg layer is removed by a wet etching process , and the polycrystalline silicon layer 15 are patterned by a photolithography and etching process , so that a gate electrode g n and a gate electrode g p are formed in the nmos area and the pmos area , respectively . then , an about 1 × 10 13 to 5 × 10 13 phosphorous ions per cm 2 are implanted at an acceleration energy of 10 to 30 kev into the p - type well 6 by using gate electrode g n and a photoresist pattern ( not shown ) to form n - - type impurity ( source / drain ) regions 17s and 17d having a low concentration for an ldd structure . similarly , an about 1 × 10 13 to 3 × 10 3 boron ions per cm 2 are implanted at an acceleration energy of about 10 to 30 kev into the n - type well 7 by using the gate electrode g p and a photoresist pattern ( not shown ) to form p - - type impurity ( source / drain ) regions 18s and 18d having a low concentration for an ldd structure . next , referring to fig4 i , in the same way as in fig3 h , an about 100 nm thick silicon oxide layer 19 is deposited on the entire surface by a cvd process . then , the silicon oxide layer 19 is etched back by an anisotropic dry etching process , so that the silicon oxide layer 19 is left as a sidewall spacer on the sidewalls of the gate electrodes g n and g p and the emitter electrode e . then , about 1 × 10 15 to 5 × 10 15 arsenic ions per cm 2 are implanted at an acceleration energy of about 30 to 50 kev into the p - type well 6 by using the gate electrode g n , its sidewall spacer 19 and a photoresist pattern ( not shown ) to form n + - type impurity ( source / drain ) regions 20s and 20d having a high concentration for an ldd structure . similarly , about 1 × 10 15 to 5 × 10 15 boron fluoride ions per cm 2 are implanted at an acceleration energy of about 30 to 50 kev into the n - type well 7 by using the gate electrode g p , its sidewall spacer 19 and a photoresist pattern ( not shown ) to form p + - type impurity ( source / drain ) regions 21s and 21d having a high concentration for an ldd structure . in this case , a p + - type base graft region 22 is simultaneously formed and is connected to the base region 13 . finally , referring to fig4 j , in the same way as in fig3 i , an about 100 nm thick silicon oxide layer 23 is deposited on the entire surface by a cvd process . then , contact holes are perforated in the silicon oxide layer 23 by a photolithography and etching process . then , an aluminum layer 24 is deposited on the entire surface by a sputtering process , and the aluminum layer 24 is patterned . thus , the bicmos device is completed . in the third embodiment , the emitter region 16 is formed by a heating process under a pocl 3 gas atmosphere for reducing the resistance of the gate electrodes g n and g p . in the above - described embodiments , the gate electrode g n and g p can be made of polycide formed by polycrystalline silicon and refractory metal silicide such as tungsten silicide or titanium silicide . the present invention can be applied to a static random access memory ( sram ) device . also , when the first embodiment is applied to an sram device , the emitter region can be formed simultaneously with the formation of a contact structure ( direct contact structure ) between a gate and an n + - type impurity diffusion region . further , when the second embodiment is applied to a sram device , the emitter electrode can be made of polycide from which a ground wiring layer of memory cells is also made . as explained hereinabove , according to the present invention , since a thick field insulating layer is provided between the emitter electrode and the base region , the parasitic capacitance of the emitter electrode can be remarkably reduced to improve the high frequency characteristics . also , the field insulating layer does not require additional processes , thus reducing the manufacturing cost .
| 7 |
the first aspect of the present invention is a composition comprising a halogenated aromatic monomer - metal complex having a halogenated aromatic monomer fragment and a metal complex fragment and represented by the following formula : where l is a bidentate ligand ; m is ir , rh , or os ; ar ′ and ar ″ are aromatic moieties which may be the same or different with the proviso that at least one of ar ′ and ar ″ is heteroaromatic ; and wherein r a and r b are each independently a monovalent substitutent or h , with the proviso that at least one of r a and r b contains a halogenated aromatic monomer fragment and a linking group that disrupts conjugation between the aromatic monomer fragment and the metal complex fragment . the halogenated aromatic monomer - metal complex of the present invention can be thought of as comprising a metal complex fragment and one or more halogenated aromatic monomer fragments as illustrated : r a is x m ar - g - and r b is x n ar - g -; each ar is independently an aromatic group ; each g is independently a divalent linking group that disrupts conjugation between ar and ar ′- ar ″, preferably alkylene , o , s , carbonyl , sir 2 , where r is a substituent , or oxyalkylene , more preferably methylene , oxymethylene , or o ; each x is independently a halogen group , preferably , each x is chloro or bromo ; the sum of m + n is a positive integer , preferably 1 or 2 ; more preferably 1 ; and the sum of o + p is a positive integer , preferably 1 or 2 , more preferably 1 . when o ( or p ) is 0 , r a ( or r b ) can be any substituent including h . thus , it is most preferred that each ar ′- ar ″ ligand contain one monohalogenated aromatic substituent separated from ar ′- ar ″ by conjugation disrupting group . the ligand ar ′- ar ″ is attached at least one substituent that is a polymerizable aromatic monomer separated from the ligand by a divalent linking group . examples of suitable substituted ar ′- ar ″ ligands include , but are not restricted to 2 - phenylpyridines , 2 - benzylpyridines , 2 -( 2 - thienyl ) pyridines , 2 -( 2 - furanyl ) pyridines , 2 , 2 ′- dipyridines , 2 - benzo [ b ] thien - 2 - yl - pyridines , 2 - phenylbenzothiazoles , 2 -( 1 - naphthalenyl ) benzothiazoles , 2 -( 1 - anthracenyl ) benzothiazoles , 2 - phenylbenzoxazoles , 2 -( 1 - naphthalenyl ) benzoxazoles , 2 -( 1 - anthracenyl ) benzoxazoles , 2 -( 2 - naphthalenyl ) benzothiazoles , 2 -( 2 - anthracenyl ) benzothiazoles , 2 -( 2 - naphthalenyl ) benzoxazoles , 2 -( 2 - anthracenyl ) benzoxazoles , 2 -( 2 - thienyl ) benzothiazoles , 2 -( 2 - furanyl ) benzothiazoles , 2 -( 2 - thienyl ) benzoxazoles , 2 -( 2 - furanyl ) benzoxazoles , benzo [ h ] quinolines , 2 - phenylquinolines , 2 -( 2 - naphthalenyl ) quinolines , 2 -( 2 - anthracenyl ) quinolines , 2 -( 1 - naphthalenyl ) quinolines , 2 -( 1 - anthracenyl ) quinolines , 2 - phenylmethylpyridines , 2 - phenoxypyridines , 2 - phenylthiopyridines , phenyl - 2 - pyridinylmethanones , 2 - ethenylpyridines , 2 - benzenemethanimines , 2 -( pyrrol - 2 - yl ) pyridines , 2 -( imidazol - 2 - yl )- pyridines , 2 - phenyl - 1h - imidazoles , and 2 - phenylindoles . as used herein , “ aromatic compounds ” includes both aromatic and heteroaromatic compounds unless otherwise stated . similarly , the term “ aryl ” is used herein to include both aryl and heteroaryl groups or compounds unless otherwise stated . the divalent linking group g contains a linking group or atom that disrupts conjugation , thereby inhibiting electron delocalization between the aromatic monomer fragment and the metal complex fragment . this disruption of conjugation between the fragments results in a similar disruption between the complex and the conjugated polymer backbone formed from the aromatic monomer fragment . disruption of conjugation is often desirable to preserve the light emission properties of the metal complex in a polymer formed from the aromatic monomer - metal complex . such properties could be disadvantageously perturbed if electrons are delocalized between the conjugated polymer backbone and the complex . the linking group is preferably a substituted or unsubstituted non - conjugated linear , branched , or cyclohydrocarbylene group or a divalent heteroatom or combinations thereof . examples of linking groups include , alone or in combination , alkylene or cycloalkyl groups such as methylene , ethylene , propylene , isopropylene , butylene , isobutylene , t - butylene , cyclopropyl , cyclobutyl , cyclopentyl , and cyclohexyl groups ; and heteroatoms such as oxygen and sulfur atoms and r — si — r , carbonyl , and amine groups , except for triaryl amines . preferred linking groups include an oxygen atom and methylene and oxymethylene groups . as used herein , “ oxymethylene ” refers to — och 2 — or — ch 2 o — groups . a halogenated aromatic monomer - metal complex containing a bis ( monohalogenated aromatic ) fragment attached to a metal complex through a linking group can be prepared by a 4 - step process , as shown : g is as previously defined and is preferably o , methylene , or oxymethylene ; ar , ar ′, and ar ″ are each independently aromatic moieties with the proviso that at least one of ar ′ and ar ″ is heteroaromatic . preferably , ar is a non - heteroaromatic moiety including a benzene , a naphthalene , or an anthracene moiety , more preferably a benzene moiety . preferably , ar ′ and ar ″ are each independently selected from the group consisting of benzene , pyridine , thiophene , and fluorene moieties that are complexed with the metal so as to form a 5 - membered ring . more preferably one of ar ′ and ar ″ is a benzene moiety and the other of a ar ′ and ar ″ is pyridine moiety . x is halo , x ′ and x ″ are each independently halogen , boronate , — zncl , — znbr , — mgcl , mgbr , or — sn ( c 1 - 10 - alkyl ) 3 , with the proviso that one of x ′ and x ″ is halogen and the other of x ′ and x ″ is boronate , — zncl , — znbr , — mgcl , mgbr , or — sn ( c 1 - 10 - alkyl ) 3 ; x ′″ is halogen , hydroxy , or alkoxy , preferably chloro , bromo , methoxy , or ethoxy , more preferably chloro or bromo . where x ′″ is halogen , the addition of the hydroxide or alkoxide base is not necessary ; where x ′″ is hydroxy or alkoxy , the addition of a hydroxide or alkoxide base is preferred . l is a bidentate ligand which can be the same as or different from ar ′- ar ″. other examples of l include a diamine , including ethylene diamine , n , n , n ′, n ′- tetramethyl ethylene diamine , propylene diamine , n , n , n ′, n ′- tetramethyl propylene diamine , cis - and trans - diaminocyclohexane , and cis - and trans - n , n , n ′, n ′- tetramethyl diaminocyclohexane ; an imine , including 2 [( 1 - phenylimino ) ethyl ] pyridine , 2 [( 1 -( 2 - methylphenylimino ) ethyl ] pyridine , 2 [( 1 -( 2 , 6 - isopropylphenylimino ) ethyl ] pyridine , 2 [( 1 -( methylimino ) ethyl ] pyridine , 2 [( 1 -( ethylimino ) methyl ] pyridine , 2 [( 1 -( ethylimino ) ethyl ] pyridine , 2 [( 1 -( isopropylimino ) ethyl ] pyridine , and 2 [( 1 -( t - butylimino ) ethyl ] pyridine ; a dimine , including 1 , 2 - bis ( methylimino ) ethane , 1 , 2 - bis ( ethylimino ) ethane , 1 , 2 - bis ( isopropylimino ) ethane , 1 , 2 - bis ( t - butylimino ) ethane , 2 , 3 - bis ( methylimino ) butane , 2 , 3 - bis ( ethylimino ) butane , 2 , 3 - bis ( isopropylimino ) butane , 2 , 3 - bis ( t - butylimino ) butane , 1 , 2 - bis ( phenylimino ) ethane , 1 , 2 - bis ( 2 - methylphenylimino ) ethane , 1 , 2 - bis ( 2 , 6 - diisopropylphenylimino ) ethane , 1 , 2 - bis ( 2 , 6 - di - t - butylphenylimino ) ethane , 2 , 3 - bis ( phenylimino ) butane , 2 , 3 - bis ( 2 - methylphenylimino ) butane , 2 , 3 - bis ( 2 , 6 - diisopropylphenylimino ) butane , and 2 , 3 - bis ( 2 , 6 - di - t - butylphenylimino ) butane ; a heterocyclic compound containing two nitrogen atoms , including 2 , 2 ′- bypyridine , and o - phenanthroline ; a diphosphine , including bis -( diphenylphosphino ) methane , bis -( diphenylphosphino ) ethane , bis -( diphenylphosphino ) propane , bis -( dimethylphosphino ) methane , bis -( dimethylphosphino ) ethane , bis -( dimethylphosphino ) propane , bis -( diethylphosphino ) methane , bis -( diethylphosphino ) ethane , bis -( diethylphosphino ) propane , bis -( di - t - butylphosphino ) methane , bis -( di - t - butylphosphino ) ethane , and bis -( di - t - butylphosphino ) propane ; a 1 , 3 - diketonate ( β - diketonate ) prepared from a 1 , 3 - diketone ( β - diketone ), including acetyl acetone , benzoyl acetone , 1 , 5 - diphenylacetyl acetone , dibenzoyl methane , and bis ( 1 , 1 , 1 - trifluoroacetyl ) methane ; a 3 - ketonate prepared from a 3 - keto ester , including acetoacetic acid ethyl ester ; a carboxylate prepared from an aminocarboxylic acid , including pyridine - 2 - carboxylate , 8 - hydroquinolinate , quinoline - 2 - carboxylate , glycine , dimethyl glycine , alanine , and dimethylaminoalanine ; a salicyliminates prepared from a salicylimine , including methyl salicylimine , ethyl salicylimine , and phenyl salicylimine ; a dialcoholate prepared from a dialcohol , including ethylene glycol and 1 , 3 - propylene glycol ; a dithiolate prepared from a dithiol , including 1 , 2 - ethylene dithiolate and 1 , 3 - propylene dithiolate . preferably , l is a β - diketonate , pyridine - 2 - carboxylate , a salicyliminate , or a derivative of 8 - hydroquinoline or quinoline - 2 - carboxylic acid . the halogenated aromatic monomer - metal complex is a precursor for a metal - complexed conjugated luminescent polymer , which can be a homopolymer , a copolymer , a terpolymer , etc ., and which can be prepared by any of a number of means , for example , the polymer can be prepared by a suzuki coupling reaction , described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 169 , 163 ( the &# 39 ; 163 patent ), column 41 , lines 50 - 67 to column 42 , lines 1 - 24 , which description is incorporated herein by reference . in the present case , the suzuki coupling reaction can be carried out by reacting , in the presence of a catalyst , preferably a pd / triphenylphosphine catalyst such as tetrakis ( triphenylphosphine ) palladium ( 0 ), the halogenated aromatic monomer - metal complex , preferably the bis ( monohalogenated aromatic ) complex , with a diboronated aromatic compound . the aromatic group of the co - monomer — which form structural units of the resultant polymer — may be the same as or different from , preferably different from , the aromatic group associated with the halogenated aromatic monomer - metal complex . it is also possible , and sometimes preferable , to prepare a polymer having structural units of more than two monomers by including in the reaction mixture a variety of halogenated and boronated co - monomers along with the halogenated aromatic monomer - metal complex . polymerization can also be carried out by coupling one or more dihalogenated aromatic monomer - metal complexes with one or more dihalogenated aromatic compounds in the presence of a nickel salt , as described in the &# 39 ; 163 patent , column 11 , lines 9 - 34 , which description is incorporated herein by reference . the aromatic co - monomers that can be used to couple with the halogenated aromatic monomer - metal complex is nearly endless but a representative list includes , 1 , 4 - dixbenzenes , 1 , 3 - dixbenzenes , 1 , 2 - dixbenzenes 4 , 4 ′- dixbiphenyls , 1 , 4 - dixnaphthalenes , 2 , 6 - dixnaphthalenes , 2 , 5 - dixfurans , 2 , 5 - dixthiophenes , 5 , 5 - dix - 2 , 2 ′- bithiophenes , 9 , 10 - dixanthracenes , 4 , 7 - dix - 2 , 1 , 3 - benzothiadiazoles , dix triarylamines including n , n - di ( 4 - xphenyl ) anilines , n , n - di ( 4 - xphenyl )- p - tolylamines , and n - dixphenyl - n - phenylanilines , 3 , 6 - dix - n - substituted carbazoles , 2 , 7 - dix - n - substituted carbazoles , 3 , 6 - dix - dibenzosiloles , 2 , 7 - dix - dibenzosiloles , n - substituted - 3 , 7 - dixphenothiazines , n - substituted - 3 , 7 - dixphenoxazines , dix - n , n , n ′, n ′- tetraaryl - 1 , 4 - diaminobenzenes , dix - n , n , n ′, n ′- tetraarylbenzidines , dixarylsilanes , and 2 , 7 - dix - 9 , 9 - disubstituted fluorenes , including fluorenes in which the 9 , 9 - substituents combine to form a ring structure , and combinations thereof , where each x is independently a halogen or a boronate , preferably bromo or chloro or boronate , more preferably bromo or boronate . as used herein , “ boronate ” refers to an aromatic fragment or compound that is substituted with a borane group , a boronic acid ester group , or a boronic acid group . the resultant polymer has a backbone having structural units of a ) an aromatic group which is also attached to a linking group that disrupts conjugation between the aromatic group and the metal complex fragment ; and b ) an aromatic comonomer , which forms a conjugated system with the aromatic group . the term “ structural units ” is used herein to refer to the remnant of the monomer after polymerization . a structural unit of the aromatic group that is attached to the metal complex through a linking group is represented by the following structure : where l , m , ar ′, and ar ″ are as previously defined , and at least one of r ′ a and r ′ b , preferably only one of r ′ a and r ′ b , contains an aromatic group that is part of the polymer backbone , preferably a phenyl group , a naphthalenyl group , or an anthracenyl group , more preferably a phenyl group ; and a linking group , g , that disrupts conjugation between the aromatic group and the metal complex fragment . the other of r ′ a and r ′ b is preferably a monovalent substituent , including h . thus , where ar is phenyl and r ′ b is h , the following structural unit is formed : similarly , a structural unit of a benzene - containing comonomer that is incorporated into the polymer backbone through the 1 , 4 - positions is a 1 , 4 - phenylene group ; a structural unit of a 9 , 9 - disubstituted fluorene - containing comonomer that is incorporated into the polymer backbone through the 2 , 7 - positions is a 9 , 9 - disubstituted fluorene - 2 , 7 - diyl group , where each r is a substituent , as illustrated : accordingly , the structural units corresponding to the above listed co - monomers are 1 , 4 - phenylenes , 1 , 3 - phenylenes , 1 , 2 - phenylenes , 4 , 4 ′- biphenylenes , naphthalene - 1 , 4 - diyls , naphthalene - 2 , 6 - diyl , furan - 2 , 5 - diyls , thiophene - 2 , 5 - diyls , 2 , 2 ′- bithiophene - 5 , 5 - diyls , anthracenes - 9 , 10 - diyls , 2 , 1 , 3 - benzothiadiazoles - 4 , 7 - diyls , n - substituted carbazole - 3 , 6 - diyls , n - substituted carbazole - 2 , 7 - diyls , n - substituted - phenothiazine - 3 , 7 - diyls , n - substituted - phenoxazines - 3 , 7 - diyls , triarylamine - diyls including triphenylamine - 4 , 4 ′- diyls , diphenyl - p - tolylamine - 4 , 4 ′- diyls , and n , n - diphenylaniline - 3 , 5 - diyls , dibenzosilole - 3 , 6 - diyls , dibenzosilole - 2 , 7 - diyls , n , n , n ′, n ′- tetraaryl - 1 , 4 - diaminobenzene - diyls , n , n , n ′, n ′- tetraarylbenzidine - diyls , arylsilane - diyls , and 9 , 9 - disubstituted fluorenes - 2 , 7 - diyls . it is to be understood that the polymer , copolymer , etc . is not limited by the manner in which it is made . the resultant polymer has a conjugated backbone with metal complexation that can be precisely controlled because preferably at least 90 %, more preferably at least 95 %, and most preferably 100 % of the structural units of the aromatic monomer - metal complex contain a metal complex that is incorporated within the polymer backbone . moreover , the metal complex is insulated from the conjugated polymer backbone due to the absence of direct delocalization between the ligand and the polymer backbone , which insulation preserves the luminescent properties of the metal complex . the terms “ conjugated polymer ” and “ conjugated polymer backbone ” are used to mean that the polymer backbone has electrons that are delocalized throughout at least two adjacent structural units , preferably at least five adjacent structural units , more preferably at least ten adjacent structural units . preferably , the ratio of structural units of halogenated aromatic monomer - metal complex to structural units of the comonomer is preferably at least 0 . 01 : 99 . 99 , more preferably at least 0 . 1 : 99 . 9 , and most preferably at least 1 : 99 ; and preferably not greater than 20 : 80 , more preferably not greater than 10 : 90 . the polymer of the present invention preferably has a weight average molecular weight m w of at least 5000 daltons , more preferably at least 10 , 000 daltons , more preferably at least 50 , 000 daltons , and most preferably at least 100 , 000 daltons ; and preferably less than 2 , 000 , 000 daltons . m w is determined using gel permeation chromatography against polystyrene standards . the polymer of the present invention can be combined with one or more other polymers to make a blend . examples of suitable blending polymers include homo - or co - polymers ( including terpolymers or higher ) of polyacrylates , polymethacrylates , polystyrenes , polyesters , polyimides , polyvinylenes , polycarbonates , polyvinyl ethers and esters , fluoropolymers , polycarbazoles , polyarylene vinylenes , polyarylenes , polythiophenes , polyfurans , polypyrroles , polypyridines , polyfluorenes , and combinations thereof . the polymer or blend of the present invention can be combined with a sufficient amount of one or more solvents ( hereinafter “ solvent ”) to make a solution which is useful , for example , as an ink . the amount of solvent varies depending upon the solvent itself and the application , but is generally used at a concentration of at least 80 weight percent , more preferably at least 90 weight percent , and most preferably at least 95 weight percent , based on the weight of the luminescent polymer , the optional additives or modifiers , and the solvent . examples of suitable solvents for the polymer include benzene ; mono -, di - and trialkylbenzenes including c 1 - 12 - alkyl benzenes , xylenes , mesitylene , cyclohexylbenzene , and diethylbenzene ; furans including tetrahydrofuran and 2 , 3 - benzofuran ; 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydronaphthalene ; cumene ; decalin ; durene ; chloroform ; limonene ; dioxane ; alkoxybenzenes including anisole , and methyl anisoles ; alkyl benzoates including methyl benzoate ; biphenyls including isopropyl biphenyl ; pyrrolidinones including cyclohexylpyrrolidinone ; imidazoles including dimethylimidazolinone ; and fluorinated solvents ; and combinations thereof . more preferred solvents include c 1 - 8 - alkyl benzenes , cyclohexylbenzene , xylenes , mesitylene , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydronaphthalene , methyl benzoate , isopropyl biphenyl , and anisole , and combinations thereof . in a typical application , the ink formulation can be deposited on a substrate such as indium - tin - oxide ( ito ) glass having a hole transporting material disposed thereon . the solvent is then evaporated , whereupon the ink forms a thin film of the luminescent polymer . the film is used as an active layer in an organic light - emitting diode ( oled ) device , which can be used to make a display such as a self - emissive flat panel display . the film is also useful in other electronic devices including light sources , photovoltaic cells , and field effect transistor devices . the following examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention . 4 - phenoxyphenylboronic acid ( 10 . 7 g , 0 . 05 mol ) and 2 - bromopyridine ( 11 . 58 g , 0 . 075 mol ) were dissolved in 250 ml of thf followed by addition of 2m naco 3 ( 60 ml ) and tetrakis ( triphenylphosphine ) palladium ( 0 ) ( 0 . 29 g ). the reaction mixture was boiled at reflux overnight and then transferred into a separation funnel to remove the aqueous layer . the organic layer was removed in vacuo and the residue was eluted through a silica gel column , first with 1 : 1 chloroform and hexane mixture and then with pure chloroform to afford a pale yellow oil . hplc showed a purity of 99 . 5 %. gcms : m + = 247 . a solution of n - bromosuccinimide ( nbs , 3 . 95 g , 22 . 2 mmol ) in dmf ( 10 ml ) was added to a solution of 2 -( 4 ′- phenoxy ) phenylpyridine ( 5 . 8 g , 23 . 4 mmol ) in dmf ( 100 ml ) at room temperature . the reaction mixture was stirred at 80 ° c . for 1 h . hplc showed about 40 % of the starting material was converted . additional nbs ( 1 . 55 g ) was added and the reaction continued at 80 ° c . overnight . hplc indicated a conversion of 55 %. additional nbs ( 5 g ) was added and the reaction was continued at 80 ° c . for 1 h . hplc showed complete conversion of the starting material . after being cooled to room temperature , the reaction mixture was poured into water ( 300 ml ) with stirring whereupon naoh solution ( 15 ml of 50 % ( w / w )) was added into the mixture . the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 2 h and was then filtered to collect the solid . the solid was washed with water and was re - crystallized from ethanol to provide 5 . 5 g of the titled compound in white crystals . hplc showed a purity of 98 . 6 %. gcms : m + = 327 . iridium ( iii ) chloride (% ir = 54 . 11 , 1 . 5 g , 4 . 25 mmol ) and 2 -[ 4 ′-( 4 ″- bromophenoxy ) phenyl ] pyridine ( 3 . 5 g ) were dispersed in 2 - ethoxyetanol ( 30 ml ) at room temperature . the mixture was boiled at reflux under nitrogen for 20 h , at which time , a yellow solid precipitated from solution . methanol ( 100 ml ) was added to the reaction mixture to complete the precipitation . the solid was collected by filtration and was washed with methanol , 1n hcl , and ethanol successively and then was dried in vacuo at 40 ° c . to provide 3 . 27 g of yellow powder . iridium ( iii ) bis { 2 -[ 4 ′-( 4 ″- bromophenoxy ) phenyl ] pyridinato - n , c 2 ′} μ - chloro - bridged dimer ( 1 . 05 g , 0 . 6 mmol ) and sodium carbonate ( 1 . 0 g ) were dispersed in 2 - ethoxyethanol ( 60 ml ). the mixture was degassed with nitrogen at room temperature for 15 min , whereupon 2 , 4 - pentanedione ( 0 . 132 g , 1 . 32 mmol ) was added together with 2 - ethoxyethanol ( 20 ml ). the mixture was refluxed for 1 h . tlc showed no dimer starting material and the main product was found to be a green emissive material . after being cooled to room temperature , water ( 100 ml ) was added to precipitate the product . the yellow solid was collected by filtration and dried in vacuo at 40 ° c . overnight . the crude product was re - dissolved in methylene chloride and purified on a silica gel column eluted by methylene chloride to give 0 . 48 g of yellow powder , purtiy of 99 . 5 % by hplc : tetrakis ( triphenylphosphine ) palladium ( 0 ) ( 5 mg ) and 2m aqueous sodium carbonate solution ( 11 ml ) were added under nitrogen to a stirred mixture of 9 , 9 - di ( 1 - octyl ) fluorene - 2 , 7 - diboronic acid ethylene glycol ester ( 2 . 149 g , 4 . 04 mmol ), 2 , 7 - dibromo - 9 , 9 - di ( 1 - octyl ) fluorene ( 1 . 647 g , 3 . 00 mmol ), 3 , 7 - dibromo - n -( 4 - n - butyl )- phenyl - phenoxazine ( 0 . 190 g , 0 . 40 mmol ), n , n ′-( di ( bromophenyl )- n , n ′- di ( 9 , 9 - dibutyl ) fluorene - 1 , 4 - phenylenediamine ( 0 . 390 g , 0 . 40 mmol ), iridium ( iii ) bis { 2 -[ 4 ′-( 4 ″- bromophenoxy ) phenyl ] pyridinato - n , c 2 ′}( acetylacetonate ) ( 0 . 188 g , 0 . 20 mmol ), and aliquat 336 ( 0 . 75 g ) phase transfer catalyst in toluene ( 50 ml ). the reaction mixture was stirred at 101 ° c . under nitrogen for 16 h . then , 9 , 9 - di ( 1 - octyl ) fluorene - 2 , 7 - diboronic acid ethylene glycol ester ( 20 mg ) was added and the polymerization was continued under the same conditions for another 3 h . bromobenzene ( 0 . 15 g dissolved in 10 ml of toluene ) was then added under the same reaction conditions for 2 h . phenylboronic acid ( 0 . 4 g ) and tetrakis ( triphenylphosphine ) palladium ( 0 ) ( 3 mg dissolved in 10 ml of toluene ) was added under the same reaction conditions for 4 h . the mixture was allowed to cool to about 50 ° c ., the aqueous layer removed , and the organic layer washed with water . the resultant polymer solution was then poured into methanol ( 1 . 5 l ) with stirring to precipitate pale yellow polymer fibers . these fibers were collected by filtration , washed with methanol , and dried in vacuo at 50 ° c . overnight . the polymer was re - dissolved in toluene and the solution passed through a column packed with layers of celite and silica gel . the combined eluates were concentrated to about 100 ml , then poured into methanol ( 1 . 5 l ) with stirring . the polymer fibers were collected and dried in vacuo at 50 ° c . overnight . the polymer was re - dissolved in toluene and re - precipitated in methanol . after further filtration and drying , 2 . 26 g of pale yellow fibers were obtained . the weight average molecular weight ( m w ) of the polymer was measured by gel permeation chromatography ( gpc ) against the polystyrene standards as 121 , 000 with a polydispersity index ( m w / m n ) of 3 . 78 . the procedure described in example 2 was followed except that n , n - diphenyl - 3 , 5 - dibromoaniline ( 0 . 3248 g , 0 . 80 mmol ) was used instead of dibromo - n -( 4 - n - butyl )- phenyl - phenoxazine and n , n ′-( di ( bromophenyl )- n , n - di ( 9 , 9 - dibutyl ) fluorene - 1 , 4 - phenylenediamine ( 0 . 390 g , 0 . 40 mmol ); the copolymer ii was prepared in the yield of 2 . 13 g . a thin film of poly ( ethylenedioxythiophene )/ polystyrenesulfonic acid ( commercially available from h . c . starck and baytron ™ p conducting polyer ) was spin - coated on a ito ( indium tin oxide )- coated glass substrate , at a thickness of 80 nm . then , a film of the metal complex - containing polymer described in example 3 was spin - coated on the pedot film at a thickness of 80 nm from a solution in xylenes . after drying , a thin layer ( 3 nm ) of lif was deposited on the top of the polymer layer by thermal evaporation , followed by the deposition of a calcium cathode ( 10 - nm thick ). an additional aluminum layer was applied by evaporation to cover the calcium cathode . by applying a bias ( ito wired positively ) on the resultant device , bluish green light emission was obtained . the electroluminescent spectrum recorded at 200 cd / m 2 corresponds to the chromaticity coordinates of ( x = 0 . 240 , y = 0 . 270 ) in the cie 1931 diagram . the brightness of the emission reached 200 cd / m 2 at about 13 v with the luminance efficiency of 0 . 08 cd / a .
| 8 |
the invention will be described here with respect to the embodiments in which the binding device is more particularly adapted to cross - country skiing . however , as noted above , cross - country skiing is merely exemplary of the fields of endeavor to which the invention is intended to encompass . the first embodiment of a binding device 10 shown in fig1 - 3 has a base 12 that is adapted to be fixed to a sports article ( not shown ), such as a ski or skate , as described above , but which could also be incorporated directly therein as an insert or be unitary with a component thereof . in this first embodiment , the binding device 10 has a connecting member 14 on which a boot is adapted to be connected or integrated , such as by screws , rivets , or by being part of an insert for a sole of the boot or by being made unitary with the sole . this connection can be manifested by a detachable interface system , which could take the form of a “ step - in ” type interface system in which the connection of the boot on the connecting member 14 occurs automatically , for example , by a mere contact between the two . the disconnection can possibly require manual intervention by the user . as described in the document wo 00 / 13755 and u . s . pat . no . 6 , 499 , 761 , the disclosure of the latter of which is hereby incorporated by reference thereto in its entirety , particularly for a general understanding of the operation of such a binding , the connecting member 14 is provided to be fixed beneath the front portion of the boot , and to move between a low position shown in fig2 ( the connecting member , as well as the boot that is attached thereto , is then substantially horizontal ) and a high position shown in fig1 , when the user &# 39 ; s heel is raised in relation to the sports article . the connecting member 14 is connected to the base by a rocker bar 16 that is rotationally mounted about two transverse axes a 1 and a 2 , possibly in the form of respective pins , on a block 13 , or projection , of the base 12 , on the one hand , and on the connecting member 14 , on the other hand . in the example shown , the rocker bar 16 is articulated by its rear end ( with respect to the direction of the sports article ) on the base 12 , and by its front end on the front end of the connecting member 14 , such that in the low position , the rocker bar and the connecting member are nested with respect to one another . to this end , one can provide , for example , that the connecting member 14 be made of two parallel elements that are offset transversely and joined by spacers , the rocker bar 16 then being received between the two parallel elements . the rocker bar 16 can also be designed in the form of two parallel elements spaced apart . one can also provide the rocker bar to be made of two parallel elements arranged on both sides of the connecting member 14 . however , the invention can also be implemented by arranging the rocker bar at the front of the connecting member , i . e ., by articulating it by its front end on the base and by its rear end on the front end of the connecting member . during the lifting movement of the heel , when the connecting member 14 moves from its low position to its high position , the connecting member 14 is in support on the base by its front end which has a curved profile 19 on at least one portion . the form and development of the curved profile 19 provides for the height position of the axle a 2 in relation to the base 12 , depending upon the angular orientation of the connecting member . by an optimal design of the curved profile 19 , and by a judicious selection of the length and of the initial angle of the rocker bar 16 , one provides for the relative movement of the connecting member 14 in relation to the base 12 during the heel lifting phase . in the example shown , it can be noted that the angular movement of the rocker bar 16 is small , for example , on the order of 10 - 20 degrees , or approximately 10 - 20 degrees , when the connecting member 14 tilts over an angle of about 60 degrees , and that given the initial angle of the rocker bar , it translates into a small but actual forward displacement of the axis a 2 . it is noted that the lifting movement of the heel occurs due to a rolling movement with sliding of the curved profile 19 on the base 12 . the connecting member 14 , the rocker bar 16 , and the arrangement for connecting the boot on the connecting member are the main elements forming a retaining system whereby the boot is fixed to the sports article , and whereby the relative movement of the boot in relation to the sports article is determined . the binding device 10 also has a system for the elastic return of the boot to its low position , the retaining system being independent and distinct of the elastic return system . according to the teachings of the invention , the elastic return system has at least one elastic member that is connected to the sports article , and a flexible linkage that connects the elastic member to the boot , and which cooperates with at least one return member . in the first embodiment shown in fig1 - 3 , the flexible linkage is indirectly connected to the boot , in the sense that it is not directly connected on the boot , but rather it is connected to the connecting member . however , because the boot and the connecting member are in constant connection when this system is in use , this functionally leads to the same result . in the example shown in fig1 - 3 , the binding device 10 has a guiding ridge or rib 18 that is made of a profile having a generally parallelepipedic cross - section , and which extends longitudinally rearward , at the rear of the connecting member 14 . in a manner known in cross - country bindings , for example , this guiding ridge 18 is provided to cooperate with a groove having a complementary cross - section and arranged in the boot sole to ensure a lateral guiding of the boot / binding assembly . advantageously , the elastic member 20 is integrated into a housing 22 arranged inside the ridge 18 . in this first embodiment , the elastic member 20 comprises a compression spring that is arranged horizontally and longitudinally in the housing 22 . the front end of the spring 20 is in support against a front surface 24 of the housing 22 . this front end of the spring is therefore fixed . the rear end of the spring is in support against a movable carriage 26 that can slide longitudinally in relation to the base 12 and to the ridge 18 . more specifically , the carriage 26 has a front end 27 that moves in the area of a front opening 29 of the housing 22 , and a rear end 31 that moves in the housing 22 , and on which the rear end of the spring 20 takes support . such an arrangement of an elastic member and of a movable carriage is similar to that found in the device described in the document ep - 768 103 and in certain cross - country ski binding devices marketed by the assignee salomon s . a . under the trademark “ sns pilot .” however , in contrast to this prior art in which the elastic member is connected to the boot by a rocker bar , the device according to the invention has a flexible linkage 30 that connects the elastic member 20 to the connecting member 14 . as can be seen in the drawing figures , the linkage 30 is not directly connected to the elastic member , but rather on the front end 27 of the carriage 26 . it passes over a guide or return 34 , or return member , which is constituted here of a pulley mounted on a block 13 , coaxially with the rocker bar 16 about the axis a 1 . the return could also be constituted of a mere slide , such as curved surface . in this embodiment , the return 34 is fixed in relation to the base 12 and in relation to the sports article . the other end of the linkage 30 is connected to the connecting member 14 such that the portion of the flexible linkage 30 that extends between the return 34 and the connecting member 14 is substantially vertical , such that the return force exerted on the connecting member 14 is mainly directed downward , i . e ., primarily vertical ( when the upper surface of the base is considered horizontal ) including when the connecting member 14 is in the high position as shown in fig1 . that is , as seen in fig1 , for example , the linkage 30 has an orientation with a greater vertical component than horizontal component . conversely , the portion of the linkage 30 that extends from the return to the elastic member 20 extends along a substantially horizontal direction , e . g ., substantially parallel with the upper surface of the base 12 . as can be seen from fig1 and 2 , when the connecting member moves from its low position to its high position , the flexible linkage 30 moves lengthwise and pulls the movable carriage forward and causes the compression of the spring , which therefore provides a return force . according to a particular embodiment , the flexible linkage is substantially inextensible . for example , this can be a metallic cable or a cable made of fibers exhibiting very low extensibility , for example , a cable made of aramid fibers . one can also envision this link to be made in the form of a strip , such as a flat strip having a width much greater than its thickness . this traction strip can be obtained , for example , in the form of a metallic strip , or of a harness of parallel fibers embedded in a polymer material . in a particular embodiment , the linkage is sufficiently supple and flexible not to produce a notable elastic effect , and in particular , to support a return having an angle of about 90 degrees . therefore , the flexibility of the linkage 30 should be generally understood as being the flexional flexibility about the return axis . this flexibility of the link cannot be only local , because the linkage moves in relation to the return . however , particularly if the flexible linkage is a strip , this strip will not be flexible in flexion about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the strip ; but this will not prevent the strip from being considered as flexible in the context of the invention if it does not offer any substantial resistance to the flexion about the return axis . this flexibility requires that the transverse guiding of the boot be ensured by a distinct mechanism , in this case by the retaining system . in the example shown , the guiding mechanism is constituted , for example , by the rocker bar 16 and by the sliding surface 19 . however , the guiding mechanism could be designed differently , for example , in the form of a mechanism having a plurality of rocker bars as described in the document wo 96 / 37269 and u . s . pat . no . 6 , 113 , 111 . fig3 shows a variation of the first embodiment of the invention , in which the return system according to the invention has a mechanism for adjusting the stiffness of the elastic member 20 , in order to provide the user with the possibility of increasing or reducing the intensity of the elastic return force to adapt it to his type of sporting activity . thus , one can see that the front end of the spring is in support on an abutment 36 that is mounted in the housing , on a threaded portion 38 of a rod 40 . the rod 40 is mounted in the housing 22 so as to be rotationally movable about its longitudinal axis a 3 ; but it is stopped longitudinally in translation . furthermore , it is seen that the rod 40 extends over the entire length of the housing 22 , such that it also ensures the guiding of the spring 20 ( whose helical turns wind about the rod ) and of the rear end of the carriage 26 on which the spring 20 takes support . contrary to the spring 20 and to the carriage 26 which slide freely on the rod 38 , the abutment 36 is formed by a nut that is screwed on the threaded portion 38 of the rod 40 , and which cannot pivot about its longitudinal axis a 3 . the front end of the rod 40 extends out of the housing 22 and is in the form of a screw head 44 so as to enable the user to control the rotation of the rod 40 about its axis a 3 . in this way , due to this screw - nut system , the user can cause the longitudinal displacement of the abutment 36 in the housing in order to cause a more or less substantial prestress of the spring 20 . in the example shown , the guiding ridge 18 has a window 42 that enables the user to see the position of the abutment 36 and therefore to evaluate the spring prestress value . graphical references can be associated with this window 42 . this elastic return system is particularly advantageous because it makes it possible to house the elastic member in a zone of the device where it does not hinder the kinematics and the foot rolling movement allowed by the binding . in this case , the elastic member is arranged toward the rear of the binding device , but it could also be provided to be arranged at the front thereof . the elastic member is therefore generally immovable with respect to the sports article , and it is only indirectly connected to the connecting member by the flexible linkage . in addition , because the latter passes over a return , a better orientation of the direction of the return force is obtained , which follows the direction of the portion of the flexible linkage that extends between the return and the boot . this orientation is substantially parallel to that of the trajectory that the boot must follow toward its low position . in the example shown , the spring is a compression spring , which requires the presence of the movable carriage . the invention could also be embodied as any of other types of elastic members , for example , with a traction spring , as will be described with respect to the second embodiment . in this first embodiment , one can ascertain that the system for retaining the boot remains independent of the elastic return system , even if , in this case , the flexible linkage ( which is part of the return system ) is connected to the connecting member , which is primarily part of the retaining system . this independence is ascertained by the fact that , even in the absence of the return system ( for example in the case of a failure / breakage of the flexible linkage or of the elastic member ), the retaining system continues to ensure fully its primary function of retaining the boot . fig4 - 7 show an assembly having a boot 46 and a binding device 10 according to a second embodiment of the invention . in this case , the boot has the conventional appearance of a cross - country ski boot 46 having a flexible sole provided , on the lower surface of its sole , with a longitudinal continuous groove adapted to cooperate with a continuous guiding ridge or rib 18 of the binding device 10 . furthermore , this boot 46 has , at its front end , a front transverse connector , in the form of a bar 48 arranged across the groove and , set back from the front bar 48 , a second transverse bar 50 also arranged across the groove and located substantially in an area vertically beneath an area of the metatarso - phalangeal articulation zone of the user &# 39 ; s foot , and at the most , at the rear limit of the first third along the length of the boot which constitutes the extreme rear limit of the metatarso - phalangeal articulation zone . any position of the rear transverse bar 50 is possible between the front bar 48 and the rear limit defined hereinabove . the front bar 48 is preferably made in the form of a cylindrical rotatable rod adapted to cooperate , in a known manner , with a retaining system having a hook - shaped movable jaw 52 controlled by a lever 54 , and a front edge 56 of the base constituting a fixed jaw for the rotatable latching of the boot on the sports article . the principle of such a binding device is described , for example , in the patent publication fr 2 634 132 and in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 085 , 454 , which are commonly owned , and the disclosure of the latter of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety , and which binding device can have either a manual closure , or a self - latching closure . therefore , it will not be further described . the rear bar 50 is adapted to allow the direct connection of an elastic return system according to the invention on the sole of the boot . indeed , a return system is found in this second embodiment , in which the elastic member 20 , in this case , a traction spring ( i . e ., a tension spring ), is integrated into a housing 22 arranged within a guiding ridge 18 of the device and is connected by a rear end to the base 12 of the binding device . according to the invention , the front end of the elastic member is connected to a flexible linkage 30 that extends forward . the flexible linkage is provided at its front end with a hook 58 made of metal , for example . as can be seen in fig6 and 7 , the hook 58 is adapted to be connected to the rear bar 50 of the boot to ensure the connection of the elastic member 20 to the boot 46 , and therefore to enable the system to ensure its function of elastic return . therefore , the hook 58 forms a connecting member between the flexible linkage and the boot , but this connecting member is only connected to the remainder of the binding device by the flexible linkage 30 . as in the first embodiment , the flexible linkage 30 passes beneath a return 34 ( for example , made in the form of a pulley or a curved surface ) which is arranged here in the area of the front opening 29 of the housing 22 . one of the difficulties to overcome in implementing this principle is to allow an easy and reliable connection and disconnection of the hook 58 on the rear bar 50 of the boot . indeed , in contrast to the prior art example of the document ep 768 103 and u . s . pat . no . 6 , 017 , 050 , the hook 58 is arranged here at the end of a flexible linkage 30 which therefore cannot , alone , ensure a precise and predetermined positioning of the hook 58 in the absence of the boot 46 . therefore , according to another aspect of the invention , the hook 58 has a guiding portion 60 that is adapted to cooperate with complementary surfaces of the base 12 of the binding so that , when the elastic member 20 returns the hook 58 to a resting position , by means of the lengthwise movement of the flexible linkage 30 , in the absence of the boot , the latter is guided and maintained in this predetermined position due to the cooperation of the guiding portion and of the associated shapes of the base . furthermore , it is seen that the binding device also has a drawer / slide 62 which , controlled by the opening lever 54 , also cooperates with the guiding portion of the hook in order to bring the hook from its resting position to a waiting position enabling the positioning of the boot . indeed , one can see in fig5 - 7 that the binding device has a drawer / slide 62 that is mounted to slide longitudinally on the base 12 of the binding , and whose front portion 61 is connected to the movable jaw 52 in order to follow the longitudinal movements thereof , which are controlled by the lever 54 . thus , when the lever 54 is lifted to bring the binding into an open state , it is noted that the drawer / slide 62 advances longitudinally at the same time as the movable jaw 52 . however , the drawer / slide 62 has a rear portion 64 that is u - shaped in transverse cross - section and which , in the setback position of the drawer / slide 62 , extends within the through opening 29 of the housing 22 . with the adjacent walls 70 of this opening 29 , the u - shaped rear portion 64 thus demarcates shapes complementary to the guiding portion 60 of the hook 58 , as schematically shown in fig8 - 10 . the complementary shapes can include engagement ramps 66 , 68 , abutment surfaces 66 , or , in a non - limiting manner , lateral guiding surfaces 70 . under the effect of the elastic member 20 , the flexible linkage 30 is retracted inside the housing 22 , through the opening 29 and , in the absence of the boot , it pulls the guiding portion 60 of the hook 58 along . the guiding portion is then automatically blocked against the complementary shapes of the base and of the drawer / slide , thus blocking the hook 58 in a predetermined position . from this predetermined resting position , the hook 58 can be displaced longitudinally forward by the rear portion 64 of the drawer / slide 62 when the latter is controlled forwardly when the user lifts the lever . in this waiting position , shown in fig5 , the hook 58 is no longer capable of cooperating with the rear bar 50 of the boot , which can then be positioned ( or instead removed ). this positioning is done by engaging the front bar 48 of the sole between the two jaws 52 , 54 of the hinge , then by pivoting the sole of the boot 46 downward about the axis formed by hinge . when the boot is in the low position , in support both at the front and at the rear , the rear bar 50 has reached a position in which it is capable of being engaged by the hook 58 . at that moment , the user can close the binding by lowering the lever 54 , which results in locking the jaws of the hinge about the front bar 48 . at the same time , the drawer / slide 62 moves back and , under the return effect of the spring 20 , the hook 48 moves back until it hooks on the rear bar 50 ( which is not necessarily a revolving cylinder ) that is interposed on its path between its waiting and return positions . the assembly is then in the situation shown in fig6 . if the user raises the heel of the boot , the latter makes a rotational movement about the axis of the hinge defined by the front bar 48 . at the same time , the rear bar 50 is raised along a substantially half - circle arc trajectory and , as shown in fig7 , drives the hook 58 along with it , which causes the expansion of the spring 20 , in accordance with the same principle as that described with respect to the first embodiment . the operation of removing the boot is carried out in reverse direction from the positioning direction . when the boot 46 is the low position , the user opens the binding by raising the lever 54 , which causes the opening of the jaws 52 , 56 , on the one hand , and the advance of the drawer 62 , on the other hand . the latter , by its rear portion 64 , grips the guiding portion 60 of the hook 58 and drives the hook 58 forward , which frees the rear bar 50 from the boot . the two embodiments of the invention provide for a return system whose return force is completely controlled , the retention and the guiding of the movement of the boot being obtained by an independent system . one can thus provide the beginning of the lifting to be carried out with little initial return force , then to program the development curve of this force as a function of the lifting angle of the boot . to this end , the elastic member can be constituted of a plurality of serial and / or parallel springs , and / or it can also incorporate elastomeric elements having another type of force / deformation curve . furthermore , in any case , the elastic return system can be completed by other elastic systems or abutment systems . thus , one can provide a limit abutment 72 , as shown in fig1 , which cooperates only at a predetermined lifting angle of the boot . this abutment 72 can be a rigid abutment that limits the travel of the boot , or an elastic abutment obtained in the form of an elastic buffer of the type described in the document fr 2 650 192 and in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 152 , 546 , the disclosure of the latter of which is incorporated by reference thereto in its entirety , which will then provide a flexible abutment effect and an additional elastic return force at the same time . the abutment 72 , whether rigid or elastic , can cooperate directly with the boot or with a portion of the retaining system , such as the connecting member 14 of the retaining device . in the illustrated form of the embodiment of fig1 , the abutment 72 is positioned at a front end portion of the binding device and , when the boot is in the low position and , until the rear of the boot reaches a predetermined lifting angle , the abutment 72 is spaced from a front end of the boot . in the embodiments shown in the drawing figures , the guiding ridge 18 is integrated into the base 12 . however , one can provide that the guiding ridge be directly integrated into the sports article , for example , to the ski . in this case , the housing 22 , and the spring 20 ( and , if necessary , the carriage 26 ) can be directly integrated into the sports article . advantageously , this elastic return system can have a width on the order of 15 - 20 millimeters and can be completely integrated into the sole of the boot , so as to be housed , for example , in the space required by the groove that is found beneath the soles of cross - country skis . furthermore , one can see that , in all of the embodiments shown , the return 34 is arranged at a short distance from the end of the flexible linkage that is connected to the boot ( possibly by means of the connecting member ), this being considered with the boot in the low position . the horizontal projection of this distance is preferably less than 3 centimeters , and even more preferably less than 2 centimeters . this proximity ensures that the effective return direction ( which is the direction of the portion of the link that extends between the boot and the return ) remains as close as possible to a parallel to the direction of the relative movement of the boot with respect the sports article ( or close to the direction of a tangent to the trajectory of the boot , which is equivalent ). furthermore , both the end of the flexible linkage connected to the boot and the return are preferably arranged in an area vertically beneath the vicinity of the metatarso - phalangeal articulation zone of the user &# 39 ; s foot when the boot is in the low position . moreover , particularly in the cases where the boot retaining and guiding system determines a relative movement of the boot with respect to the sports article , which is a rotational movement or similar movement ( as the second embodiment shown here ), one must provide to arrange the return at a certain distance from the center of this rotational movement , otherwise the movement of the boot will cause only a slight displacement or no displacement of the end of the linkage that is connected to the elastic member , rendering the return system inefficient .
| 0 |
the present invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings , in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown . this invention may , however , be embodied in different forms , and the invention should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein . rather , these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete , and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art . in the drawings , the thickness of layers and regions are exaggerated for clarity , and like numbers refer to like elements throughout the specification . referring to fig1 and 2 , in the angle adjusting device for the lcd of a telephone , a wired or wireless telephone comprises : an upper cover 14 provided with an lcd 20 mounted thereon and fixed thereto by a screw ; a lower cover 16 engaged with the upper cover 14 and fixed to an upper housing 12 of the telephone ; a hinge 22 enabling the upper cover 14 and the lower cover 16 to be rotated within a predetermined angle ; a first groove 26 , a second groove 28 , a third groove 30 and a fourth groove 32 for indicating an angle of the lcd 20 , respectively ; a lock 24 for locking the lcd 20 after the completion of the angle adjustment of the lcd 20 ; a resilient member 25 which pushes the lock 24 into inner parts of the grooves by a resilient force when the lock 24 protrudes into inlets of the first to fourth grooves 26 , 28 , 30 and 32 ; and a handle 18 for moving the upper cover 14 and the lower cover 16 upward and downward . the angle adjustment step of the lcd 20 is composed of four steps . however , the lcd angle adjusting device as described above has a problem in that fine angle adjustment is impossible since the angle adjustment is accomplished by the predetermined four steps . in addition , the lcd angle adjusting device as described above has other problems , specifically , an increased number of parts , an excessive assembly time , and an unacceptable failure rate , since the lock 24 is supported by the resilient member 25 so as to require a large number of parts for adjusting the angle of the lcd . referring to fig3 , a vertical angle adjusting device of an lcd 40 can be vertically rotated about a coupling axis by hinging both side walls of a mounting recess 18 of a main body housing 10 with both sides of one end of the lcd 40 . the vertical angle adjustment device is installed at a lower case of the lcd 40 , and is provided with a sawtooth thread 33 formed like a part of a circular gear about the coupling axis , and a resilient rib 52 integrally formed with the housing at the mounting recess 18 of the main body housing 10 so as to correspond with the sawtooth thread . a sharply protruded shape is coupled with the sawtooth thread , and when the lcd 40 is rotated about the coupling axis , the end part of the resilient rib 52 is inserted and fixed into recesses of the sawtooth thread by stages . however , the latter configuration has a problem that the above composition still cannot accomplish a very fine and smooth angle adjustment , although its angle adjustment width is somewhat decreased in comparison to the former configuration . furthermore , the latter configuration also is burdened by an inferior design due to external protrusion of the angle adjusting device . as shown in fig4 , a main body 100 ( shown as a key phone terminal ) is provided with a mounting recess 110 having a predetermined radius of curvature so that the lcd 200 is rotatably mounted in a vertical direction . the lcd 200 is provided with an upper case 210 , a lower case 230 , and an lcd plate 250 installed between the cases 210 and 230 . a curved portion 231 , having a predetermined radius of curvature corresponding to the mounting recess 110 , is formed at a lower side of a bottom surface of the lower case 230 . as shown fig5 and 11 , a first rib 111 in line contact with a bottom surface of the curved portion 231 protrudes from the inner surface of the mounting recess 110 , and a second rib 231 a in line contact with the inner surface of the mounting recess 110 protrudes in an alternate position with the first rib 111 at a bottom surface of the curved portion 231 . in this connection , the height of the first rib 111 is made greater than that of the second rib 231 a , and the bottom surface of the curved portion 231 initially contacts the upper surface of the first rib 111 . the second rib 231 a is additionally manufactured in consideration of the distribution of force or a difference between heights of each part , and the like . as described above , the lcd 200 is constructed so that the curved portion 231 can be smoothly and vertically rotated by line contact with the mounting recess 110 , and thereby rotated by an angle regulator 270 ( see fig6 ) at a predetermined angle , and then stopped . as shown in fig5 to 8 , the angle regulator 270 includes : a plurality of bosses 271 protruding from the bottom surface of the lcd 200 ; a guide hole 272 formed along a curvature of the mounting recess 110 to form a passageway through which the boss 271 is rotated ; a guide rail 273 protruding at both sides of the guide hole 272 toward the bottom surface of the mounting recess 110 ; and a slider 290 for sliding along the guide rail 273 and engaging with the boss 271 . as shown in fig1 , the slider 290 includes a pressing surface 291 contacting an upper surface of the guide rail 273 , and side surfaces 293 and 295 bent at a right angle relative to both sides of the pressing surface 291 for insertion between both side surfaces of the guide rail 273 . a gap d between both side surfaces 293 and 295 is , as shown in fig6 , smaller than a gap d between exterior surfaces of the guide rail 273 so as to achieve a tight fit therein . therefore , when the lcd 200 is angularly adjusted , lateral movement ( in a direction perpendicular to the side surface of the guide rail 273 ) is prevented . a first contact protrusion 297 ( see fig1 ) in line contact with the upper surface of the guide rail 291 is formed at an inner portion of the pressing surface 291 of the slider 290 , and a second contact protrusion 298 in surface contact with the exterior surface of the guide rail 273 is additionally formed at an inner portion of both side surfaces 293 and 295 of the slider 290 . the first and second contact protrusions 297 and 298 serve to decrease contact area between the slider 290 and the guide rail 273 . a boss groove 299 , in which an upper end of the boss 271 is inserted , is additionally formed at the inner portion of the pressing surface 291 of the slider 290 . in this connection , a through - hole 299 a is formed at a center portion of the boss groove 299 so as to connect the slider 290 and the boss 271 by passing through a fastening screw 301 ( see fig6 ). the fastening screw 301 provides a force for supporting the lcd 200 rotated to a predetermined position by adjusting its tightening force . a rounded portion r ( see fig1 ) having a curvature corresponding to the curvature of the guide rail 273 is formed at lower ends of both side surfaces 293 and 295 of the slider 290 . as a result , the slider 290 precisely engages the guide rail 273 so as to provide for smooth rotation of the lcd 200 . in addition , the slider 290 uses pom ( polyoxymethylene ) as an abrasion resisting and self - lubricant material . hereinafter , the angle adjusting operation of the lcd 200 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention will be described . first , when a user pushes an upper or lower center portion of the lcd 200 ( see fig4 ) to adjust the angle of the lcd 200 , the curved portion 231 protruding from the lower case 230 of the lcd 200 is slid along the mounting recess 110 of the main body 100 . at this point , the curved portion 231 is rotated in line contact with the first rib 111 formed at the bottom surface of the mounting recess 110 and the second rib 231 a ( see fig1 ) formed at the bottom surface of the curved portion 231 so as to be smoothly rotated . on the other hand , the slider 290 ( see fig6 ) connected to the boss 271 is slid along the guide rail 273 during the rotation as described above , and the slider 290 is formed of a self - lubricant material to smoothly accomplish the sliding operation . referring to fig6 and 10 , both side surfaces 293 and 295 of the slider 290 are tightly fitted to the both side surfaces of the guide rail 273 so as to prevent the lcd 200 from moving laterally in a direction perpendicular to both surfaces of the guide rail 273 ( see arrows a in fig9 ) so as to provide for stable rotation of the lcd 200 . when the user releases the force from the lcd 200 , the lcd 200 maintains the rotated angle . at this point , since the tightening force of the fastening screw 301 is greater than the rotational force by weight of the lcd 200 , the lcd 200 can be maintained in position . when the lcd 200 is rotated as described above , the upper - limit angle and the lower - limit angle are determined since the boss 271 is stopped by both ends of the guide hole 272 . as described above , the present invention has the advantage of smoother rotation of the lcd 200 due to formation of the curved portion 231 at the bottom surface of the lcd 200 , provision of the mounting recess 110 corresponding to the curved portion 231 at the main body , and formation of the first rib 111 and second rib 231 a at the mounting recess 110 and the curved portion 231 , respectively , so that the lcd 200 is rotated by line contact . in addition , the present invention has another advantage of decreased noise when adjusting the angle due to use of the guide rail 273 and the slider 290 during rotation of the lcd 200 . the present invention has a further advantage in that shaking of the lcd 200 is reduced by decreasing tolerance of parts through simplification of the composition of the angle adjusting device resulting , in part , from use of guide rail 273 and the slider 290 during rotation of the lcd 200 . while this invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment , but on the contrary , it is intended to cover various modification within the spirit and the scope of the appended claims .
| 8 |
in accordance with the principles of the present invention , an intraocular lens is provided having a haptic portion and a light - transmissive optic portion . the optic portion contains one or more fluid - mediated pistons arranged to apply a deflecting force on an anterior or posterior element of the lens to provide accommodation of the lens . as used herein , the lens is fully “ accommodated ” when it assumes its most highly convex shape , and fully “ unaccommodated ” when it assumes its most flattened , ellipsoidal state . the lens of the present invention is capable of dynamically assuming any desired degree of accommodation between the fully accommodated state and fully unaccommodated state responsive to the ciliary process . forces applied to a transducer disposed in the haptic portion by the ciliary process are communicated to one or more lens pistons that control deflection of an anterior or posterior element of the lens , resulting in a larger dynamic range of accommodation than heretofore is believed to have been available . the lens piston and surrounding fluids all are index - matched to prevent the occurrence of optical aberrations throughout the range of motion of the lens piston . in accordance with another aspect of the present invention , the transducer may include one or more haptic pistons that provide a volumetric mechanical advantage with respect to forces applied by the ciliary process to the lens piston . referring to fig1 and 2 , the structure and operation of a human eye are first described as context for the present invention . eye 10 includes cornea 11 , iris 12 , ciliary muscles 13 , ligament fibers or zonules 14 , capsule 15 , lens 16 and retina 17 . natural lens 16 is composed of viscous , gelatinous transparent fibers , arranged in an “ onion - like ” layered structure , and is disposed in transparent elastic capsule 15 . capsule 15 is joined by zonules 14 around its circumference to ciliary muscles 13 , which are in turn attached to the inner surface of eye 10 . vitreous 18 is a thick , transparent substance that fills the center of eye 10 . isolated from the eye , the relaxed capsule and lens takes on a spherical shape . however , when suspended within the eye by zonules 14 , capsule 15 moves between a moderately convex shape ( when the ciliary muscles are relaxed ) to a highly convex shape ( when the ciliary muscles are contracted ). as depicted in fig2 a , when ciliary muscles 13 relax , capsule 15 and lens 16 are pulled about the circumference , thereby flattening the lens . as depicted in fig2 b , when ciliary muscles 13 contract , capsule 15 and lens 16 relax and become thicker . this allows the lens and capsule to assume a more spherical shape , thus increasing the diopter power of the lens . accommodating lenses currently nearing commercialization , such as the crystalens device under development by eyeonics , inc ., aliso viejo , calif ., typically involve converting diametral movements of the ciliary muscle into forward and backward movement of an optic portion of the iol relative to the retina . this approach is thought to be required because , following extraction of a cataract - effected lens , the capsule is very loose , and the zonules that couple the capsule to the ciliary muscles are no longer in tension . devices such as the crystalens thus do not employ the natural accommodation mechanisms described above , but instead rely directly on radially inward compressive forces applied by the ciliary muscle to the haptics of the iol . by contrast , according to one aspect of the present invention , an intraocular lens is designed to engage capsule 15 and to transition between the accommodated and unaccommodated states responsive to forces applied to capsule 15 by ciliary muscle 13 and zonules 14 , thereby more closely mimicking operation of the natural eye . alternatively , the haptic portion may be disposed directly in contact with the ciliary muscle . referring to fig3 a and 3b , an exemplary embodiment of an intraocular lens constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention is described . iol 20 comprises optic portion 21 and haptic portion 22 . optic portion 21 is constructed of light transmissive materials , while haptic portion 22 is disposed at the periphery of the optic portion and does not participate in focusing light on the retina of the eye . optic portion 21 comprises anterior lens element 23 , actuator layer 24 including lens piston 25 , substrate 26 and posterior lens element 27 , all made of light - transmissive materials , such as silicone or acrylic polymers or other biocompatible materials as are known in the art of intraocular lenses . haptic portion 22 illustratively comprises arms 28 and 29 extending from substrate 26 , although other haptic configurations may be employed . each of arms 28 and 29 terminates in transducer 30 . transducers 30 preferably each comprise a haptic piston including force - concentrating fin 31 , diaphragm 32 and reservoir 33 . reservoirs 33 are coupled in fluid communication with the interior of lens piston 25 via channels 34 that extend from the reservoirs to well 35 disposed beneath lens piston 25 . in fig3 b , transducers 30 are in an undeformed state in which force - concentrating fins 31 apply a maximum deflection to diaphragms 32 , thereby fully deflecting end wall 41 and driving anterior element 23 to the fully accommodated position . this corresponds to a fully - contracted state of the ciliary muscles , as described herein below . actuator layer 24 is disposed in recess 36 of substrate 26 , and preferably comprises a sturdy elastomeric material . actuator layer 24 isolates the fluid in channels 34 , well 35 and the interior of lens piston 25 from the fluid disposed in the space 37 between anterior lens element 23 and actuator layer 24 . fluids 38 and 39 disposed , respectively , within channels 34 and space 37 , preferably comprise silicone or acrylic oils and are selected to have refractive indices that match the materials of anterior lens element 23 , actuator layer 24 and substrate 26 . in a preferred embodiment , lens piston 25 includes substantially nondeformable cylindrical side wall 40 coupled to expandable end wall 41 . end wall 41 is configured to deflect outward responsive to pressure applied within sidewall 40 by fluid movement from the haptic portion . end wall 41 contacts the interior surface of anterior lens element 23 , so that deflection of end wall 41 of the lens piston causes a corresponding deflection of anterior lens surface 23 . such deflections cause the anterior lens element to assume a spherical shape with a shorter radius of curvature , thereby changing the diopter power of the lens . as will of course be understood , optic portion could instead be arranged so that the lens piston deflects posterior lens element 27 ; the arrangement depicted in fig3 is illustrative only . the inner surface and thickness of anterior element 23 ( relative to the optical axis of the lens ) are selected so that the outer surface of anterior element 23 retains an optically corrective shape , e . g ., spherical , throughout the entire range of motion of lens piston 25 , e . g ., for accommodations 0 - 10 diopters . it should of course be understood that the inner surface and thickness of anterior element 23 may be selected to provide an aspherical outer surface , as required for a desired degree of optical correction . as shown in fig3 , one preferred embodiment of actuator layer 24 includes a single lens piston 25 located at the center of optic portion 21 . alternative embodiments of actuator layer 24 ′ may include an array of lens pistons 25 ′ spaced apart in a predetermined configuration on the anterior surface of the actuator layer , as depicted in fig4 , as may be required to impose a desired pattern of localized deflection on the anterior lens element . as will be apparent to one of skill in the art , an annular structure may be substituted for the individual lens pistons depicted in fig4 , and side walls 40 may be of any desired shape other than cylindrical . referring now to fig5 a and 5b , haptic pistons 42 , constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention are described in greater detail . haptic pistons comprise flexible and resilient transducers 30 that support force - concentrating fins 31 biased against diaphragms 32 . each diaphragm 32 comprises an elastomeric cover for a corresponding reservoir 33 filled with fluid 38 . as described herein above , fluid 38 communicates through channels 34 into well 35 and the interior of lens piston 25 . transducers 30 are constructed from a resilient , elastomeric material that changes shape responsive to forces applied by capsule 15 from the ciliary muscles 13 and zonules 14 . in fig5 a , haptic piston 42 is shown in an undeformed state ( as in fig3 b ), corresponding to the ciliary muscles being fully contracted . in this state , the apex of fin 31 bears against diaphragm 32 to develop the maximum force resulting from the bias of transducer 30 . inward displacement of diaphragm 32 in turn displaces fluid through channels 34 ( see fig3 ) to well 35 , resulting in expansion of end wall 41 of lens piston 25 . when transducer 30 is in the undeformed state , fin 31 displaces the maximum volume of fluid from the haptic portion to lens piston 25 , resulting in the maximum deflection of anterior element 23 , and thus the maximum degree of accommodation of the lens . this corresponds to the state in which the ciliary muscles are fully contracted , and zonules 14 and capsule 15 apply the least amount of compressive force to the anterior and posterior surfaces of transducer 30 . when the ciliary muscles relax , however , the tension in the zonules increases , causing capsule 15 to assume an ellipsoidal shape ( see fig2 a ) and the lens to transition to its unaccommodated state . when the capsule becomes taut , it applies compressive forces f to the anterior and posterior surfaces of transducer 30 , causing the transducer to deform to the elliptical shape depicted in fig5 b . deformation of transducers 30 moves fins 31 away from diaphragms 32 , thereby unloading the diaphragms and reducing the fluid pressure applied to lens piston 25 . this in turn permits lens piston 25 to move to an undeflected state , reducing deflection of anterior lens element 23 and returning the lens to an unaccommodated state . referring now to fig6 a to 6 c , iol 20 is shown implanted into capsule 15 of human eye 10 . when so implanted , haptic arms 28 and 29 support the iol within the capsule , while transducers 30 engage the interior of the capsule at locations adjacent to ciliary muscles 13 . in fig6 b the ciliary muscles are shown in a contracted state , in which the compressive forces applied by zonules 14 and capsule 15 to transducers 30 is lowest and transducers 30 assume the undeformed position . this also corresponds to transducers 30 applying the least tension to capsule 15 and zonules 14 . as discussed above , in the undeformed position , fins 30 are biased against diaphragms 32 , displacing fluid 38 from reservoirs 33 to the lens piston . in fig6 c , the ciliary muscles are relaxed , and zonules 14 pull capsule 15 taut into an ellipsoidal shape . as noted above , in this state the capsule applies compressive forces to the lateral surfaces of transducers 30 that ensure that lens piston 25 is drawn to its fully retracted position . in accordance with one aspect of the present invention , the volume of fluid in the accommodating lens may be selected so that the forces required to provide a useable range of accommodation are satisfactory for a preselected population of patients . alternatively , the volume of fluid used in iol 20 may be specified during manufacture for a given patient , or may be adjusted prior to implantation of the iol on a patient - by - patient basis . in this manner , the forces developed by lens piston 25 and haptic pistons 42 may be tailored for a specific patient . in addition , the number , shape and placement of lens pistons 25 ′ on actuator layer 24 ′ may be selected , e . g ., prescribed during manufacture , to optimize accommodation of the lens for a specific patient . it may been noted that in the undeformed state , transducers 30 maintain the lens in the accommodated or high power state . accordingly , any failure that allows the transducers to assume the undeformed state without any physiologic influence could result in a residual near - sighted condition . in accordance with another aspect of the present invention it would be advantageous to provide for a mechanism to relieve a small amount of quiescent pressure within the lens so that the lens piston assumes the unaccommodated , low power state . to accomplish this result , a relief valve in the form of a sacrificial plug may de disposed on a channel that leads to an evacuated cavity . the plug may be constructed of material that remodels when activated by a laser to permit a reduction of the pressure in the lens piston , and thereby allowing the anterior lens element to assume the unaccommodated state . the plug preferably comprises a colored material that readily and preferentially absorbs laser light , for example , 1 . 06 micron wavelength radiation from a nd : yag laser . when irradiated , the plug experiences a phase change or otherwise deforms to permit a predetermined quantity of fluid in the channel 34 to enter the evacuated cavity . referring now to fig7 a to 7 c , an alternative embodiment of the iol of the present invention is described . iol 50 comprises optic portion 51 and haptic portion 52 . optic portion 51 comprises anterior lens element 53 and substrate 54 formed of light - transmissive materials . substrate 54 includes lens piston 55 having expandable end wall 56 , and fluid channels 57 in fluid communication with the interior of lens piston 55 . expandable end wall 56 contacts the inner surface of anterior lens element 53 , so that deflection of end wall 56 causes anterior lens element 53 to assume a more convex shape . the thickness profile of anterior lens element 53 is tailored to a desired degree of optical correction when deflected , as previously described . channels 57 and space 58 , disposed between anterior lens element 53 and substrate 54 , are filled with fluid 59 having an index of refraction that is matched to the materials of anterior lens element 53 and substrate 54 . substrate 54 may include integrally formed posterior lens element 60 . haptic portion 52 is disposed at the periphery of optic portion 51 , and includes transducers 61 that include force - concentrating fins 62 coupled to diaphragms 63 . fluid channels 57 extend circumferentially along the edges of substrate 54 for an arc - length corresponding to the arc - length of haptic portions 52 to form edge recesses 64 that function as reservoirs . transducer 61 , fin 62 , diaphragm 63 and edge recess 64 together form a haptic piston that adjusts the deflection of end wall 56 of lens piston 55 responsive to contraction and relaxation of the ciliary muscle , zonules and capsule . as in the embodiment of fig3 - 6 , transducers 61 are constructed so that , in the undeformed state , they bias force - concentrating fins 62 to cause the maximum inward displacement of diaphragms 63 . because diaphragms 63 of the haptic pistons are coupled to fins 62 , compressive forces applied to the anterior and posterior faces of transducers 61 by the capsule during relaxation of the ciliary muscles urges the iol to its unaccommodated state by deforming transducers 61 and withdrawing fluid from lens piston 55 . as illustrated in fig7 b , contraction of the ciliary muscles causes the zonules and capsule to relax , thereby reducing the compressive forces applied by the capsule to transducers 61 . this permits transducers 61 to return to an undeformed state in which fins 62 extend radially inward to displace diaphragms 63 into edge recesses 64 . this in turn displaces fluid 59 to the lens piston , causing end wall 56 to deflect anterior lens element 53 to the accommodated state . relaxation of the ciliary muscles causes the zonules and capsule to become taut , thereby compressing transducers 61 to deform to the position shown in fig7 c . more specifically , the compressive forces applied by the zonules and capsule deform transducers 61 to an elongated shape . this in turn causes fins 62 and diaphragms 63 to deflect outward away from edge recesses 64 , and draw fluid from lens piston 55 , returning the lens to its unaccommodated state . referring to fig8 a - 8c , another alternative embodiment of the intraocular lens of the present invention is described . iol 70 includes optic portion 71 and haptic portion 72 . iol 70 differs from the iol 50 primarily in that haptic portion 72 is disposed around the entire optic portion , and in addition haptic portion 72 omits the use of haptic pistons , as in the preceding embodiments . optic portion 71 comprises anterior lens element 73 and substrate 74 formed of light - transmissive materials . substrate 74 includes lens piston 75 having expandable end wall 76 , and fluid channels 77 in fluid communication with the interior of lens piston 75 . expandable end wall 76 contacts the inner surface of anterior lens element 73 , so that deflection of end wall 76 causes anterior lens element 73 to assume a more convex shape , as in the preceding embodiments . the thickness profile of anterior lens element 73 is tailored to produce a desired degree of accommodation when deflected , as previously described . channels 77 and space 78 , disposed between anterior lens element 73 and substrate 74 , are filled with fluid 79 having a matched index of refraction . substrate 74 may define a posterior lens surface 80 , or may include a separate lens element . haptic portion 72 is disposed surrounding the periphery of optic portion 71 , and includes transducer 81 . transducer 81 comprises diaphragm 82 including elastomeric ring 83 disposed along the midline of the diaphragm that biases the ring to the radially compressed state depicted in fig8 a and 8b . this state corresponds to the maximum deflection of lens piston 75 , and thus the state of maximum accommodation of lens 70 . ring 83 also ensures that diaphragm 82 engages and applies tension to the capsule . transducer 81 adjusts the deflection of end wall 76 of lens piston 75 responsive to contraction and relaxation of the ciliary muscle , zonules and capsule . more specifically , contraction of the ciliary muscles causes the zonules and capsule to relax , thereby reducing the compressive forces applied by the capsule to transducer 81 . this permits the transducer to return to an undeformed state , in which ring 83 biases diaphragm 82 to displace fluid to lens piston 75 . this in turn causes end wall 76 to deflect anterior lens element 73 to the accommodated state . relaxation of the ciliary muscles causes the zonules and capsule to become taut , thereby applying compression to the anterior and posterior surfaces of transducer 81 to deform to the diaphragm to the position shown in fig8 c . in particular , the compressive forces applied by the zonules and capsule deform transducer 81 to an elongated shape that reduces the pressure on fluid 59 and permits end wall 76 of lens piston 75 to transition to the undeflected state shown in fig8 c . this in turn reduces deflection of anterior lens element 73 and returns the lens to its unaccommodated state . referring now to fig9 a - 9c , a second family of embodiments of intraocular lenses is described . unlike the preceding embodiments , in which action of the ciliary muscle is transmitted to the iol via the zonules and capsule , in this embodiment action of the ciliary muscle directly against the transducer is communicated to the lens piston . as depicted in fig9 a , iol 90 may be implanted anterior to the capsule , and includes optic portion 91 and haptic portion 92 . optic portion 91 comprises anterior lens element 93 and substrate 94 formed of light - transmissive materials . substrate 94 includes lens piston 95 having expandable end wall 96 , and fluid channels 97 in fluid communication with the interior of lens piston 95 . expandable end wall 96 contacts the inner surface of anterior lens element 93 , so that deflection of end wall 96 causes anterior lens element 93 to assume a more convex shape . as in the preceding embodiments , the thickness profile of anterior lens element 93 may be tailored to produce a desired degree of accommodation when deflected . channels 97 and space 98 , disposed between anterior lens element 93 and substrate 94 , are filled with fluid 99 having a matched index of refraction . substrate 94 may define a posterior lens surface 100 , or may include a separate lens element . the optical power provided by posterior lens surface 100 may be used to provide the base power of the device , and may be tailored for specific patient population . the profile of posterior lens surface 100 also may be chosen to provide optimal performance of the optical system in concert with the optical correction provided by anterior lens element 93 throughout its range of motion . in addition or alternatively , any error of the refractive surface of anterior lens element 93 , for example 1 or 2 microns or less of wave error that the surface experiences throughout its range of motion , may be further reduced by adding a small compensating thickness to anterior lens element 93 , in exactly the reverse sense of the error , e . g ., corresponding to the average error incurred at each point on anterior lens element 93 through its range of motion . haptic portion 92 includes a plurality of transducers 101 , each transducer comprising diaphragm 102 . transducers 101 are designed to directly engage the ciliary muscle in the area of the sulcus , and comprise resilient , flexible diaphragms 102 that have an undeformed shape depicted in fig9 c . the interiors of diaphragms 102 form reservoirs 103 communicate with channels 97 , and are filled with index - matched fluid 99 . contraction of the ciliary muscles applies a radially compressive force to the transducers that transitions the diaphragms to the shape depicted in fig9 b . this causes fluid to be displaced from reservoirs 103 of transducers 101 , pressurizing the fluid in channels 99 and lens piston 95 . responsive to this pressure increase , end wall 96 of the lens piston expands anteriorly , deflecting anterior lens element 93 and transitioning the lens to the accommodated state , as shown in fig9 b . when the ciliary muscle subsequently relaxes , the radially compressive forces applied by the muscles diminish , transducer 101 returns to an undeformed state of fig9 c , and lens piston resumes its unexpandable position . this in turn reduces deflection of anterior lens element 93 and returns the lens to its unaccommodated state . while the design of the haptic portion of the embodiment of fig9 is similar to those of previously - known fluid - mediated accommodating intraocular lenses , such as those described in the aforementioned patent to christie , the presence of lens piston 95 is expected to provide significantly greater volumetric mechanical advantage and greater dynamic range than could be achieved with prior art designs . whereas previously - known designs distribute a pressure increase resulting from action of the ciliary muscle over the entire surface of the lens , the lens piston of the present invention amplifies motion of the ciliary muscle , e . g ., 100 microns , by the ratio of the transducer area to the area of the lens piston . it is expected that ratios of 2 or more may be readily achieved , however , a ratio of one may be sufficient for many patient populations . accordingly , the amount of fluid that must be displaced to optically correct axial displacement of the refractive surface of anterior lens element 23 is relatively small . with respect to fig1 a - 10c , a third family of embodiments of the intraocular lens of the present invention is described . like the embodiments of fig3 - 8 , iol 110 is implanted within the capsule , includes haptic pistons , and is actuated by action of the ciliary muscles , zonules and capsule . however , as in the embodiment of fig9 , the lens is unaccommodated in its unstressed condition , and transitions to the accommodated state upon application of radially compressive forces . in particular , whereas the embodiments of fig3 - 6 transition from the accommodated state to the unaccommodated state by virtue of lateral ( anterior and posterior ) compressive forces applied during the capsule during relaxation , the embodiment of fig1 transitions to the accommodated state upon thickening of the capsular equator during contraction of the ciliary muscles . the structure of iol 110 is similar to that of iol 90 of fig9 , with like parts identified by like - primed numbers , except that transducers 101 ′ are surrounded by force concentrating elements 111 , and haptic portions 92 ′ further comprise flanges 112 that orient iol 110 within the capsule and maintain tension on the zonules . more specifically , iol 110 includes optic portion 91 ′ and haptic portion 92 ′. optic portion 91 ′ comprises anterior lens element 93 ′ and substrate 94 ′ formed of light - transmissive materials . substrate 94 ′ includes lens piston 95 ′ having expandable end wall 96 ′, and fluid channels 97 ′ in fluid communication with the interior of lens piston 95 ′. expandable end wall 96 ′ contacts the inner surface of anterior lens element 93 ′, so that deflection of end wall 96 ′ causes anterior lens element 93 ′ to assume a more convex shape . as in the preceding embodiments , the thickness profile of anterior lens element 93 ′ may be tailored to produce a desired degree of accommodation when deflected . channels 97 ′ and space 98 ′, disposed between anterior lens element 93 ′ and substrate 94 ′, are filled with fluid 99 ′ having a matched index of refraction . substrate 94 ′ defines posterior lens surface 100 ′. haptic portion 92 ′ includes transducers 101 ′, with each transducer having diaphragm 102 ′. arcuate force - concentrating elements 111 are disposed radially outward of transducers 101 ′ and illustratively have fixed end 113 connected to haptic portion 92 and free end 114 . elements 111 contact the equator of capsule 15 and flex radially inward or outward to follow thickening or thinning of the capsular equator responsive to contraction of the ciliary muscles . elements 111 , diaphragms 102 ′, and reservoirs 103 ′ together form haptic pistons . elements 111 and diaphragms 102 ′ have an undeformed shape depicted in fig1 c . as in the preceding embodiments reservoirs 103 ′ communicate with channels 97 ′, and are filled with index - matched fluid 99 ′. as noted above , laterally - extending flanges 112 apply tension to the capsule to orient the iol within the capsule and maintain tension on the zonules when the capsule changes shape responsive to action of the ciliary muscles . as described herein above with respect to fig2 , contraction of the ciliary muscles causes the capsule to become more spherical and thicken along its equator . this thickening applies a radially compressive force to elements 111 of transducers 101 ′ that compresses diaphragms 102 ′ to the deformed shapes depicted in fig1 a and 10b . this causes fluid to be displaced from reservoirs 103 ′ of transducers 101 ′, pressurizing the fluid in channels 97 ′ and lens piston 95 ′. responsive to this pressure increase , end wall 96 ′ of the lens piston expands anteriorly , deflecting anterior lens element 93 ′ and transitioning the lens to the accommodated state , as shown in fig1 b . frames 112 retain iol 110 centered on the capsular equator as the capsule transitions to a more spherical shape . when the ciliary muscle subsequently relaxes , the radially compressive forces applied by the muscles diminish , the capsule becomes more ellipsoidal , and the capsular equator thins . frames 112 become compressed by the lateral forces applied by the capsule and zonules , and transducers 101 ′ follow the elongation of the capsule , with free ends 114 of elements 111 deflecting outward to the undeformed state depicted in fig1 c . this in turn relieves compression of diaphragms 102 ′, so that fluid moves from channels 97 ′ back to reservoirs 103 ′, and lens piston 95 ′ resumes its unexpanded position . consequently , anterior lens element 93 ′ returns to its undeflected state and lens 110 transitions to the unaccommodated state shown in fig1 c . referring to fig1 a - 11c , a further alternative embodiment of the intraocular lens of the present invention is described . iol 120 is similar in construction to iol 110 , and like components are designated by like double prime numbers . thus , for example , while the anterior lens element of fig1 a is designated 93 ′, the anterior lens element of fig1 a is designated 93 ″. iol 120 differs from iol 110 of fig1 in that diaphragm 102 ′ is omitted , and reservoir 103 ″ is defined by an internal lumen of element 111 ″ that communicates with channel 97 ″ via opening 121 . in iol 120 , element 111 ″ therefore defines transducer 101 ″. as in iol 110 of fig1 , iol 120 is disposed within the capsule and transitions to the accommodated state upon thickening of the capsular equator during contraction of the ciliary muscles . flanges 112 ″ that orient the iol within the capsule and maintain tension on the zonules . iol 120 includes optic portion 91 ″ and haptic portion 92 ″. optic portion 91 ″ comprises anterior lens element 93 ″ and substrate 94 ″ formed of light - transmissive materials . substrate 94 ″ includes lens piston 95 ″ having expandable end wall 96 ″, and fluid channels 97 ″ in fluid communication with the interior of lens piston 95 ″. expandable end wall 96 ″ contacts the inner surface of anterior lens element 93 ″, so that deflection of end wall 96 ″ causes anterior lens element 93 ″ to assume a more convex shape . as in the preceding embodiments , the thickness profile of anterior lens element 93 ″ may be tailored to produce a desired degree of accommodation when deflected . channels 97 ″ and space 98 ″, disposed between anterior lens element 93 ″ and substrate 94 ″, are filled with index - matched fluid 99 ″. substrate 94 ″ defines posterior lens surface 100 ″. haptic portion 92 ″ includes transducers 101 ″ in the form of arcuate elements 111 ″ having fixed end 113 ″ connected to haptic portion 92 ″ and free end 114 ″. elements 111 ″ include internal lumens defining reservoirs 103 ″ that are in fluid communication with channels 97 ″ via openings 121 . elements 111 ″ contact the equator of capsule 15 and flex radially inward or outward to follow thickening or thinning of the capsular equator responsive to contraction of the ciliary muscles . elements 111 ″ have the undeformed shape depicted in fig1 c . reservoirs 103 ″ m , channels 97 ″ and lens piston 95 ″ are filled with index - matched fluid 99 ″. as noted above , laterally - extending flanges 112 ″ apply tension to the capsule to orient the iol within the capsule and maintain tension on the zonules when the capsule changes shape responsive to action of the ciliary muscles . as for iol 110 , contraction of the ciliary muscles causes the capsule to become more spherical and thicken along its equator , thereby applying a radially compressive force to transducers 101 ″ that compresses elements 111 ″ to the deformed shapes depicted in fig1 a and 11b . this causes fluid to be displaced from reservoirs 103 ″ of transducers 101 ″, pressurizing the fluid in channels 97 ″ and lens piston 95 ″. responsive to this pressure increase , end wall 96 ″ of the lens piston expands anteriorly , deflecting anterior lens element 93 ″ and transitioning the lens to the accommodated state , as shown in fig1 b . frames 112 ″ retain iol 120 centered on the capsular equator as the capsule transitions to a more spherical shape . when the ciliary muscle subsequently relaxes , the radially compressive forces applied by the muscles diminish , the capsule becomes more ellipsoidal , and the capsular equator thins . frames 112 ″ become compressed by the lateral forces applied by the capsule and zonules , and transducers 101 ″ follow the elongation of the capsule , with free ends 114 ″ of elements 111 ″ deflecting outward to the undeformed state depicted in fig1 c . this in turn relieves compression of transducers 101 ″, so that fluid moves from channels 97 ″ back to reservoirs 103 ″, and lens piston 95 ″ resumes its unexpanded position . consequently , anterior lens element 93 ″ returns to its undeflected state and lens 120 transitions to the unaccommodated state shown in fig1 c . in fig1 a - 12c , still another embodiment of an intraocular lens constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention is described . iol 130 comprises optic portion 131 and haptic portion 132 . optic portion 131 comprises anterior lens element 133 and substrate 134 formed of light - transmissive materials . substrate 134 includes lens piston 135 having expandable end wall 136 , and fluid channels 137 in fluid communication with the interior of lens piston 135 . expandable end wall 136 contacts the inner surface of anterior lens element 133 , so that deflection of end wall 136 causes anterior lens element 133 to assume a more convex shape . the thickness profile of anterior lens element 133 is tailored to provide a desired degree of optical correction throughout its range of deflection . channels 137 and space 138 , disposed between anterior lens element 133 and substrate 134 , are filled with fluid 139 having an index of refraction that is matched to the materials of anterior lens element 133 and substrate 134 . substrate 134 includes posterior lens surface 140 . haptic portion 132 is disposed at the periphery of optic portion 131 , and includes transducers 141 having segments 142 slidably disposed in edge recesses 143 . edge recesses 143 are defined by extensions 144 of fluid channels 137 that extend circumferentially along the edges of substrate 134 for an arc - length corresponding to the arc - length of haptic portions 132 and function as reservoirs . segments 142 are coupled to diaphragms 145 so that force applied to the outer edges of segments 142 by the capsular equator causes the segments to be displaced radially inward . laterally - extending flanges 146 apply tension to the capsule to orient iol 130 within the capsule and maintain tension on the zonules . segment 142 , substrate extensions 144 , diaphragm 145 and edge recess 143 together form a haptic piston that transfers fluid to lens piston 135 responsive to contraction and relaxation of the ciliary muscle , zonules and capsule . specifically , inward movement of segments 142 causes diaphragms 145 to displace inwardly into edge recesses 143 , thereby transferring fluid to lens piston 135 . as in the preceding embodiment , fluid entering lens piston 135 expands end wall 136 , thereby deflecting anterior lens element 133 to its accommodated shape , as shown in fig1 a and 12b . in fig1 c , when the ciliary muscles relax , the capsule elongates and applies laterally compressive forces to flanges 146 . as the capsule elongates , the forces applied to segments 142 decrease , allowing end wall 136 to return to its unexpanded state and permitting anterior lens element 133 to return to the unaccommodated state . while preferred illustrative embodiments of the invention are described above , it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention . the appended claims are intended to cover all such changes and modifications that fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention .
| 0 |
fig1 through 4 illustrate a bearing assembly constructed in accordance with the invention . fig1 shows a portion of an electrical submersible pump motor 10 that has an outer housing 12 that encloses a stator 14 . the stator 14 is made up of a number of laminations 16 and encloses a bore 17 . a rotor shaft 18 is rotatably disposed within the bore 17 of the stator 14 and supported by bearing assembly 20 . it is pointed out that , while only a single bearing assembly 20 is depicted here , there are , in fact , a number of similar bearing assemblies , all of which surround the rotor shaft 18 within the same motor 10 . the bearing assembly 20 is representative of each of these , and it should be recognized that a number of such assemblies , in combination , will form a bearing system for support of the rotor shaft 18 in the motor 10 . the rotor shaft 18 carries cylindrical laminated plates 19 , and thrust washers 21 surround the rotor shaft 18 and abut the bearing assembly 20 . the rotor shaft 18 also defines a central longitudinal bore 23 having lateral fluid flow passages 25 that extend radially outwardly from the central bore 23 . the bearing assembly 20 includes several concentric members that will be described from the radial outside moving inward . the bearing assembly 20 includes an annular bearing sleeve insert holder 22 that presents a central portion 24 of enlarged diameter and two axial portions 26 of reduced diameter . a pair of grooves 28 are disposed in the enlarged diameter portion 24 . annular anti - rotation extension springs 30 are disposed each of the grooves 28 . when so disposed , the springs 30 extend outwardly slightly from the grooves 28 ( see fig4 ). when the bearing sleeve insert holder 22 is inserted into the bore 17 , the springs 30 are urged against the bore 17 and are compressed to form a resilient seal . a sleeve insert 32 is located radially within the bearing sleeve insert holder 22 . the sleeve insert 32 ( shown apart from the bearing assembly in fig2 ) is an annular ring that has two grooves 34 in its external surface 36 . as will be apparent , the sleeve insert 32 contacts the fluid within a fluid chamber along its external radial surface while its internal radial surface contacts a fluid film barrier that helps to support the rotor shaft 18 and reduce damage to the rotor shaft 18 due to friction and abrasion . fluid metering holes 38 are disposed through the insert 32 . there are preferably only two such holes 38 that have a minimal diameter so that fluid is transmitted , or metered , through the holes 38 slowly and some of the mechanical energy that has been imparted to the fluid will be converted to heat energy via such metering . currently , a diameter of about { fraction ( 1 / 16 )} th of an inch is believed to be optimal for the holes 38 . anti - rotation extension springs 40 reside within the grooves 34 so that the sleeve insert 32 is prevented from rotating with respect to the sleeve insert holder 22 . at either axial end of the sleeve insert 32 , an annular oil seal 42 and oil seal compression cap 44 are located . each oil seal 42 supplements the resilient seal provided by the spring 40 in closing off the fluid chamber ( described shortly ) which is defined in part by the springs 40 . a snap ring 46 is positioned outside of either compression cap 44 . the snap rings 46 engage the inner surface of the bearing sleeve insert holder 22 and thereby help to lock the insert holder 22 and the sleeve insert 32 together . a bearing sleeve 50 is disposed radially within the sleeve insert 32 . the bearing sleeve 50 is an annular member that is keyed to the rotor shaft 18 so as to rotate with the shaft 18 and functions as a wear sleeve that protects the rotor shaft 18 from abrasion and friction damages . the bearing sleeve 50 contains four ( only three visible in fig2 ) fluid communication openings 52 that are disposed at 90 degree angles from one another about the periphery of the sleeve 50 . there are key notches 54 cut into the sleeve 50 at the upper and lower axial ends of the sleeve 50 into which complimentary shaped key members 56 on the shaft 18 will reside to spline the bearing sleeve 50 to the shaft 18 . referring now to fig4 the construction of one side of the bearing assembly 20 is shown in close up with some of the gaps and spaces between various components being exaggerated in order to facilitate explanation of portions of the invention . as illustrated there , there is a narrow chamber 60 defined between the sleeve insert 32 and the sleeve insert holder 22 within which a fluid film 62 of fluid resides . the most common and preferred type of fluid to be used for this application is oil , which is substantially incompressible . the chamber 60 is closed off at each end by the contact between anti - rotation springs 40 and the sleeve insert holder 22 . it is noted , however , that the width of the chamber 60 can vary by virtue of the fact that contact with the inner surface of the sleeve insert holder 22 is accomplished by springs that are initially compressed when inserted into the holder 22 . a gap 64 is present between the sleeve insert 32 and the bearing sleeve 50 . a second fluid film 66 resides within the gap 64 . during normal operation and absent system vibrations , the chamber 60 has a width of approximately 0 . 005 inches while the gap 64 is approximately 0 . 003 inches in width . the fluid within chamber 60 and gap 64 is disposed therein by pumping through bore 23 and lateral fluid passages 25 and then transmitted through the fluid communication openings 52 of the bearing sleeve 50 . it is pointed out that the oil is also present within the fluid metering passages 38 of the insert 32 . in operation , the rotor 18 rotates and the bearing sleeve 50 rotates with it . the sleeve insert 32 and sleeve insert holder 22 do not rotate . during operation , fluid , such as an oil lubricant , is transmitted through the central bore 23 under pressure , the lateral fluid passages 25 and fluid communication openings 52 to continually replenish the fluid film layer 66 in gap 64 . the use of the pumped in fluid and the fluid metering openings 38 provide a shock absorption function against vibration of the rotor 18 within the stator 14 and thereby curb instability in the system due to vibration . as the rotor shaft 18 moves laterally within the bore 17 , such as would result from system vibration , one side of the bearing sleeve 50 is compressed against the sleeve insert 32 causing the fluid entrapped therebetween to be metered through the metering passages 38 and into the chamber 60 . the metering passages 38 act like hydraulic metering valves . the fluid absorbs the vibration and converts the mechanical energy associated with it into heat . conversely , when the rotor shaft 18 moves in the opposite direction as a result of vibration ( i . e ., so that the bearing sleeve 50 is moved away from the sleeve insert 32 , oil is drawn from the gap 60 through the metering passages 38 into the second gap 64 . one the opposite side of the rotor shaft 18 , the opposite actions occur . in either case ( whether the shaft 18 and bearing sleeve 50 are moved toward or away from the sleeve insert 32 ), fluid is drawn through the metering passages 38 and the mechanical energy associated with the vibration is converted into heat energy . the sizes of gaps 60 and 64 may vary as required by the type of lubricating fluid used . however , the gaps 64 should be of sufficient size to permit a fluid film to reside therein that will resist friction between the bearing sleeve 50 and the sleeve insert 32 . any incidental friction or vibration induced contact is borne by the bearing sleeve 50 rather than the rotor shaft 18 itself . the resilient sealing of the fluid chamber 60 , which is provided by the annular springs 40 , is desirable in that it permits the volume of the fluid chamber 60 to expand and contract slightly to accommodate increases and decreases in the amount of fluid that is retained within the chamber 60 . it can be seen , then , that the bearing assembly 20 provides a fluid spring that dampens vibrations of the rotor shaft 18 within the stator bore 17 . in addition , the pressurized fluid within bore 23 constantly lubricates and replenishes the bearing assembly 20 . since the bearing assembly 20 does not rely upon elastomeric components to provide wear surfaces , the assembly can be operated at very high temperatures . referring now to fig5 a and 5b , there is shown an enlarged view of the lower portion of the exemplary motor 10 which incorporates bearing assemblies to support the rotor 18 within stator 14 . only the two lower bearing assemblies 60 , 62 are shown . it should be understood that there are additional bearing assemblies ( not shown ) located at regular intervals within the motor 10 . the bearing assemblies 60 , 62 are constructed and operate in the manner of the bearing assembly 20 described earlier . in this view , it is possible to see the wire bundles 61 that form the terminus of the laminations and windings 16 , 19 of the stator 14 . a tubular base 62 is secured within the housing 12 below the bundles . a processor sub 64 is shown affixed to the lower end of the motor 10 . the processor sub 64 houses a multi - measurement sensor that is capable of processing sensed parameters and transmitting that information to the surface of the wellbore . one example of a suitable processor sub 64 is “ the tracker ,” a device manufactured and marketed by the assignee of the present invention . a variety of exemplary sensor devices are shown schematically within the motor 10 for sensing abnormalities in the operation of the bearing assemblies 60 , 62 , such as excessive vibration . a first thermocouple sensor 66 is disposed between adjacent laminations 16 in the stator 14 . the first thermocouple sensor 66 is located within the stator 14 to be proximate the upper bearing assembly 60 and extends downwardly through the stator 14 to the processing sub 64 . the thermocouple sensor 66 is an elongated , wire - like sensor that is made of two dissimilar metals . each of these metals will expand and contract at different rates to changes in temperature proximate the upper bearing assembly 60 , and the amount of differential expansion can be detected by the processor sub 64 . although the thermocouple sensor 66 is depicted within the motor housing 12 as being disposed vertically through the laminations 16 , it should be understood that this depiction is schematic only , and that in actuality , the sensor 66 is layered in a coiled fashion with the laminated winds 16 of the stator 14 . a second thermocouple sensor 70 is disposed between adjacent laminations 16 in the stator 14 , but is located within the stator 14 so as to be proximate the lower bearing assembly 62 . the second thermocouple 70 senses changes in temperature proximate the lower bearing assembly 62 . as can be seen in fig5 b , there is an accelerometer 72 secured to the lower end of the base 63 . the accelerometer 72 detects vibrations in the base 63 that are transmitted to it by vibration of the rotor 18 . cable 74 interconnects the accelerometer 72 to the processor sub 64 . excessive vibration of the rotor 18 within the stator 14 during operation of the motor 10 is sensed by some or all of the sensors ( 66 , 70 , 72 ) described above . the sensed information is transmitted to the processor sub 64 where it is recorded and / or transmitted to the surface of the well . excessive vibration of the rotor 18 proximate a particular bearing assembly ( 60 or 62 ) would be expected to raise the temperature proximate that bearing assembly . this rise in temperature would be detectable by the processor sub 64 via the thermocouple sensor ( 66 or 74 ) located near that particular bearing assembly . additionally , general excessive vibration of the rotor 18 at or around its lower end would be detected by the accelerometer 72 with this detected condition being transmitted to the processor sub 64 . while the invention has been shown in only some of its forms , it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited , but is susceptible to various changes without departing from the scope of the invention .
| 5 |
the present invention is directed to a system and method that enables communication ( i . e ., audio conferencing ) between a linked packet - switched server architecture for internet protocol ( ip )- based clients and a circuit - switched server architecture for phone - based clients . in a preferred embodiment of the present invention , a service provider supplies the linkage infrastructure ( i . e ., full duplex dial - up or ip link ), agreement terms , and facilities so that clients ( i . e ., participants ) who subscribe to their conferencing services can take part in a multi - party audio conference application . the service provider would also provide customer , service , support , and billing as will be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art ( s ) after reading the description herein . clients would connect to their respective servers using whatever equipment and protocol they currently have access to , and the invention would provide seamless linkage among the various clients . referring to fig1 , a block diagram illustrating the system architecture of an embodiment of the present invention , showing connectivity among the various components , is shown . more specifically , fig1 illustrates a linked multipoint control unit ( mcu ) architecture 100 for packet - switched ( ip - based ) personal computer system clients and circuit - switched ( phone - based ) client conferencing . architecture 100 includes a plurality of pc - based clients 102 ( shown as clients 102 a - 102 n ) which connect to an ip - based mcu 104 . architecture 100 also includes a plurality of telephone - based clients 112 ( shown as clients 112 a - 112 n ) which connect to a phone - based mcu 110 . the connection between ip mcu 104 and phone mcu 110 is provided by a full - duplex client channel 108 . full - duplex client channel 108 enables a service provider to send and receive audio packets from pc - based clients 102 using , for example , the sip protocol . full - duplex client channel 108 also enables a service provider to send and receive , for example , h . 323 protocol packets from telephone - based clients 112 . the client channel 108 looks like just another active speaker to both the ip mcu 104 and the phone mcu 110 . in an embodiment of the present invention , because the transport may be different ( e . g . h323 ethernet packets for the ip mcu 104 , and a pri digital phone line for the phone mcu 110 ), the client channel 108 may go through a protocol converter or gateway . the present invention is described in terms of the above example . this is for convenience only and is not intended to limit the application of the present invention . in fact , after reading the following description , it will be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art ( s ) how to implement the following invention in alternative embodiments ( e . g ., mcus 104 and 10 handling protocols other than those illustrated herein ). the terms “ client ,” “ subscriber ,” “ party ,” “ participant ,” and the plural form of these terms may be used interchangeably throughout herein to refer to those who would access , use , and / or benefit from the system and method of the present invention . referring to fig2 , a flowchart representing the general operational flow , according to an embodiment of the present invention , is shown . more specifically , fig2 depicts an example control flow 200 involved in providing a linked internet protocol ( ip )- based client and phone - based client audio conference . in this embodiment , the ip multipoint control unit ( mcu ) 104 performs the initial steps necessary to establish a link to the phone mcu 110 . control flow 200 begins at step 202 with control passing immediately to step 204 . in step 204 , ip mcu 104 establishes a continuously active connection 108 to phone mcu 110 . connection 108 is established as continuously active ( i . e ., recognized as active speaker by ip mcu 104 ), thereby ensuring that the audio data of actively speaking ( e . g ., participants who are actually speaking rather than simply listening ) phone - based clients 112 is always included in the audio stream later distributed to the connected ip - based clients 102 . ip mcu 104 also keeps an active speaker list so that it can limit the number of actively speaking ip - based clients 102 recognized and added to the stream , thus ensuring that the list does not become too large . if the number of actively speaking ip - based clients 102 becomes too large , the data being sent by the ip mcu 104 to every participant in the audio conference will be unintelligible ( i . e ., too many participants speaking on top of each other ). returning to control flow 200 , in step 206 , the ip mcu 104 receives a mixed and converted phone client audio packet from the phone mcu 110 via the continuously active connection 108 . upon receipt of this audio packet , in step 208 , the ip mcu 104 sends the mixed and converted phone client audio packet to each connected pc client 102 connected to ip mcu 104 . in step 210 the ip mcu 104 receives pc client 102 audio packet ( s ) from each actively speaking pc client 102 connected to ip mcu 104 . upon receipt of pc audio packet ( s ), in step 212 , the ip mcu 104 forwards the actively speaking pc client audio packet ( s ) to the phone mcu 110 via the continuously active connection 108 . in step 214 , the process begins again if the continuously active connection 108 is still active . thus , control flow 200 continues until either the phone mcu 110 or the ip mcu 104 ceases hosting the audio conference ( i . e ., the conference is terminated ) as indicated by step 216 . it should be noted , as will be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art ( s ) after reading the description here , that control flow 200 as presented in fig2 assumes that there is an order to the phone mcu mixing and the ip mcu forwarding packets . this is done for ease of explanation herein , whereas , in actuality , these events are asynchronous and simultaneous as suggested above . further , as will also be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art ( s ), there may some delay between an active speaker becoming active on one mcu , and before that active speaker is heard on the other mcu , but it is symmetric . referring to fig3 , a flowchart representing the general operational flow , according to an embodiment of the present invention , is shown . more specifically , fig3 depicts an example control flow 300 involved in providing a linked ip - based client and phone - based client audio conference . in this embodiment , the phone multipoint control unit ( mcu ) 110 performs the initial steps necessary to establish a link to the ip mcu 104 . control flow 300 begins at step 302 with control passing immediately to step 304 . in step 304 , the phone mcu 110 establishes a continuously active connection 108 to ip mcu 104 . connection 108 is established as continuously active ( i . e ., recognized as active speaker by phone mcu 110 ) thereby ensuring that the audio data of actively speaking ( e . g ., participants who are actually speaking rather than simply listening ) ip - based clients 102 is always included in the audio mix later distributed to the connected phone - based clients 112 . phone mcu 110 also keeps an active speaker list so that it can limit the number of actively speaking phone - based clients 112 recognized and added to the mix , thus ensuring that the list does not become too large . if the number of actively speaking phone - based clients 112 becomes too large , the data being sent by the phone mcu 110 to every participant in the audio conference will be unintelligible ( i . e ., too many participants speaking on top of each other ). returning to control flow 300 , in step 306 , the phone mcu 110 receives a mixed pc client audio packet from the ip mcu 104 via the continuously active connection 108 . in step 308 , the phone mcu 110 receives an audio packet from each actively speaking phone client 112 connected to phone mcu 110 . upon receipt of the actively speaking phone client audio packet , in step 310 , the phone mcu mixes the mixed pc client audio packet , received in step 306 , with the actively speaking phone client audio packet , received in step 308 , into a combined audio packet . in step 312 , the phone mcu 110 forwards the combined audio packet to phone clients 112 connected to phone mcu 110 . in step 314 the phone mcu forwards the audio packet , received in step 308 , to the ip mcu 104 via the continuously active connection 108 . in step 316 , the process begins again if the continuously active connection 108 is still active . thus , control flow 300 continues until either the phone mcu 110 or the ip mcu 104 ceases hosting the audio conference ( i . e ., the conference is terminated ) as indicated by step 318 . it should be noted , as will be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art ( s ) after reading the description here , that control flow 300 as presented in fig3 assumes that there is an order to the phone mcu mixing and the ip mcu forwarding packets . this is done for ease of explanation herein , whereas , in actuality , these events are asynchronous and simultaneous as suggested above . further , as will also be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art ( s ), there may some delay between an active speaker becoming active on one mcu , and before that active speaker is heard on the other mcu , but it is symmetric . the present invention ( i . e ., architecture 100 , control flow 200 , control flow 300 , or any part thereof ) may be implemented using hardware , software or a combination thereof and may be implemented in one or more computer systems or other processing systems . in fact , in one embodiment , the invention is directed toward one or more computer systems capable of carrying out the functionality described herein . an example of a computer system . the computer system represents any single or multi - processor computer . the computer system includes one or more processors , such as processor . the processor is connected to a communication infrastructure ( e . g ., a communications bus , cross - over bar , or network ). various software embodiments are described in terms of this exemplary computer system . after reading this description , it will become apparent to a person skilled in the relevant art how to implement the invention using other computer systems and / or computer architectures . the computer system may include a display interface that forwards graphics , text , and other data from the communication infrastructure ( or from a frame buffer not shown ) for display on the display unit . the computer system also includes a main memory , preferably random access memory ( ram ), and may also include a secondary memory . the secondary memory may include , for example , a hard disk drive and / or a removable storage drive , representing a floppy disk drive , a magnetic tape drive , an optical disk drive , etc . the removable storage drive reads from and / or writes to a removable storage unit in a well - known manner . removable storage unit , represents a floppy disk , magnetic tape , optical disk , etc . which is read by and written to by removable storage drive . as will be appreciated , the removable storage unit includes a computer usable storage medium having stored therein computer software and / or data . in alternative embodiments , secondary memory may include other similar means for allowing computer programs or other instructions to be loaded into computer system . such means may include , for example , a removable storage unit and an interface . examples of such may include a program cartridge and cartridge interface ( such as that found in video game devices ), a removable memory chip ( such as an eprom , or prom ) and associated socket , and other removable storage units and interfaces , which allow software and data to be transferred from the removable storage unit to computer system . the computer system may also include a communications interface . the communications interface allows software and data to be transferred between computer system and external devices . examples of communications interface may include a modem , a network interface ( such as an ethernet card ), a communications port , a pcmcia slot and card , etc . software and data transferred via communications interface are in the form of signals , which may be electronic , electromagnetic , optical or other signals capable of being received by communications interface . these signals are provided to communications interface via a communications path ( i . e ., channel ). this channel carries signals and may be implemented using wire or cable , fiber optics , a phone line , a cellular phone link , an rf link and other communications channels . in this document , the terms “ computer program medium ” and “ computer usable medium ” are used to generally refer to media such as removable storage drive , a hard disk installed in hard disk drive , and signals . these computer program products are means for providing software to computer system . the invention is directed to such computer program products . computer programs ( also called computer control logic ) are stored in main memory and / or secondary memory . computer programs may also be received via communications interface . such computer programs , when executed , enable the computer system to perform the features of the present invention as discussed herein . in particular , the computer programs , when executed , enable the processor to perform the features of the present invention . accordingly , such computer programs represent controllers of the computer system . in an embodiment where the invention is implemented using software , the software may be stored in a computer program product and loaded into computer system using removable storage drive , hard drive or communications interface . the control logic ( software ), when executed by the processor , causes the processor to perform the functions of the invention as described herein . in another embodiment , the invention is implemented primarily in hardware using , for example , hardware components such as application specific integrated circuits ( asics ). implementation of the hardware state machine so as to perform the functions described herein will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art ( s ). in yet another embodiment , the invention is implemented using a combination of both hardware and software . while various embodiments of the present invention have been described above , it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example , and not limitation . for example , the operational flows presented in fig2 and 3 , are for example purposes only and the present invention is sufficiently flexible and configurable such that it may flow in ways other than that shown . further , it will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art that various changes in form and detail can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . thus the present invention should not be limited by any of the above - described exemplary embodiments , but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents .
| 7 |
preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinbelow with references to the accompanying drawings . in the following description , well - known functions or constructions are not described in detail , since such minutia would obscure the invention in unnecessary trivia . referring to fig1 , an embodiment of the ladder system 20 mounted to pull - down ladder 10 in a partially collapsed state is depicted . the ladder system 20 , or smaller strut section , includes a pair of support rails 22 , 24 substantially identical but of opposite hand , a lateral cross member strut 26 , a pair of adjustable feet 28 , 30 substantially identical but of opposite hand , and a pair of rigid adjustable spreaders 32 , 34 substantially identical but of opposite hand . referring now to fig2 , the ladder system of fig1 is shown fully extended . in this embodiment , the support rails 22 , 24 are substantially parallel , however in an alternative embodiment the rails 22 , 24 may be outwardly flared at their lower ends to create a wider stance , allowing for increased stability . in either embodiment , each of the rails 22 , 24 has a foot 28 , 30 located at the end of the rail 22 , 24 where contact is made with the ground , referred to as the ground contacting point , while the opposite end of each of the rail 22 , 24 is pivotally connected , using pivotal connectors 36 , 38 , to its respective rails 40 , 42 of the pull - down ladder 10 . the pivotal connectors 36 , 38 can be either permanently connected by means of a bolt , rivet , pivoting hinge , etc . or alternatively , the pivotal connection can be removably attached to the rails 40 , 42 of the pull - down ladder 10 by means of , for example , a clamping structure , allowing the ladder system to be used on a multitude of preexisting ladders , including , for example , drop - down and extension ladders . as will be described in greater detail below , an exemplary method for removably attaching each rail 22 , 24 to its respective rail 40 , 42 is illustrated in fig1 b and 11c . referring to fig2 a , an exploded view of an adjustable spreader of the ladder system , the depicted rigid adjustable spreader 32 , 34 is generally composed of two rigid spans 32 a , 32 b that are pivotally connected at their ends with a shank 33 a and lock pin 33 b such that the two rigid spans 32 a , 32 b can lock in the fully extended position to form a spreader between the rails 22 , 24 in the lower section , between the midpoint of the ladder rail length and the ground contact points , of their respective rails 40 , 42 of the pull - down ladder 10 . in other embodiments , an extension ladder or step - to - straight ladder may be stabilized in lieu of a pull - down ladder . for example , when applied to a 28 - foot extension ladder , the rigid span , or spreader , is connected to the existing ladder approximately 17 inches ( nearly 1 / 20th the total length of the ladder ) off the ground . the pivotal connection may be laterally adjustable such that the length of the spreader can be increased or decreased thereby increasing or decreasing the angle created between the ladder system rails 22 , 24 and their respective rails 40 , 42 of the pull - down ladder 10 . in certain embodiments , as seen in fig1 a , the spreader may a standard spreader 62 with a fixed length s as used in a traditional step ladders . the length s of the fixed spreader is determined based on the total length l of ladder being stabilized and the desired base or footprint size . for example , in a preferred embodiment using a standard spreader 62 , the spreader &# 39 ; s 62 total length s , when applied to a 28 - foot extension ladder , may be approximately 24 inches . the approximately 24 - inch spreader may , however , be used for a range of ladder sizes ( e . g ., 24 ′ to 40 - foot extension ladders ). for smaller ladders ( e . g ., a 16 - foot extension or step - to - straight ladder ) a spreader length s of approximately 18 to 19 inches would be preferred . naturally , various spreader lengths s may be used depending on the application and length l of the ladder ( e . g ., a longer spreader may be used for longer ladders which may require a larger footprint or base ). as seen in the figures , the rails 22 , 24 may be predrilled with more than one set of holes near the shaft 44 so that a single fixed length spreader 62 may be used with a number of ladders lengths and sizes by simply installing the spreader 62 at different locations on the rails 22 , 24 . referring to fig7 , another means for connecting two rigid spans 32 a , 32 b is shown . the two rigid spans 32 a , 32 b are connected to one another at two points , with a pen anent laterally slideable connection and a second connection that locks the span at the specified length using the safety stop 84 and a pin 33 a that penetrates the hole of the safety stop 84 and the desired hole in the rigid span 32 b therefore locking the overall length of the spreaders 32 , 34 . when the pin 33 a is not in the safety stop 84 , the spreader can be folded at the slideable connection . to prevent misplacement , the pin 33 a may be tethered to the ladder or ladder system 20 . in an alternative embodiment , there may be more than two rigid spans comprising the spreader , and the connection between the at least two rigid spans can be by another means , including , but not limited to , a threaded post and wing nut or screw caps 50 . referring to fig2 b , an exploded view of a ladder system foot 28 is shown . the feet 28 , 30 , located at the end of the rails 22 , 24 at the ground contact point , are both angularly and vertically adjustable . each of said feet 28 , 30 is composed of two primary components , a vertically extendable shaft 44 and shoe 46 pivotally connected to the shaft 44 using a pivotal connector 48 . the pivotal connector 48 allows the shoe 46 to conform to the angle of the ground on which it is placed . if required , the pivotal connector 48 can be tightened , therefore locking the shoe 46 in the preferred arrangement . the length of the rails 22 , 24 depends on the application of the ladder system . when stabilizing a shorter ladder , the rails 22 , 24 may be shorter than rails 22 , 24 being used to stabilize a longer ladder , or when a larger foot - print or base is needed for stabilizing a ladder . for example , when a ladder having a length l of 6 to 23 feet ( e . g ., a 16 - foot extension ladder or step - straight ladder ) is used , the rails 22 , 24 may be approximately 21 inches in length k from the foot - end to the bent portion 64 of the rails 22 , 24 . similarly , when a ladder having a length l of 24 to 40 feet ( e . g ., a 28 - foot extension ladder ) is used , the rails 22 , 24 may be approximately 30 inches in length k from the foot - end to the bent portion of the rails 22 , 24 . naturally , the length k of the rails 22 , 24 may vary from the provided measurements . the underside of the shoe 46 includes a gripping material 76 to minimize slippage at the ground contact point . depending on the application , said gripping material 76 could be a rubber pad for use on a relatively smooth hard surface , spiked ( as seen in fig9 ) or staggered for use on grass and packed dirt , or even a planar foot that creates a large shoe surface area , therefore preventing the foot 28 , 30 from sinking into soft ground . depending on the choice of shoe 46 , the ladder system 20 can be used on ground surfaces such as concrete , dirt , steel , tile , grating , brick , stone and most floor materials . the pivotable connector 48 between the shaft 44 and shoe 46 may be permanent or removable , therefore allowing one to interchange the shoe 46 depending on the application or environment . alternative foot embodiments are shown in fig7 wherein the shoe 46 is directly coupled to the end of the rails 22 , 24 and fig8 wherein the shaft 44 comes into direct contact with the ground or through an optional intermediate such as a rubber boot 80 . the rubber boot 80 acts as a gripping material and prevents the shaft 44 from scratching the ground . referring now to fig9 , in lieu of a rubber boot 80 , the end of the shaft 44 may be pointed to increase ground penetration , therefore preventing slippage on dense penetrable surfaces such as dirt , grass , gravel and rock . referring now to fig3 - 5 , in this embodiment , a side view of the ladder system &# 39 ; s versatility is shown when the ladder system 20 is installed on a traditional straight ladder 60 ; however , the system is not restricted to a straight ladder but can be applied to any ladder where additional stability is required . fig3 - 5 show three adjustment configurations where the rigid adjustable spreaders 32 , 34 have been laterally adjusted to create a larger overall footprint by increasing the distance between the larger ladder section 60 and the ladder system 20 , the shaft 44 is vertically adjusted to ensure that steady contact between the shoe 46 and the ground is maintained , and the shoe 46 adapts to the angle and terrain of the ground . the shaft 44 as shown in fig3 b , 4 b and 5 b is adjusted using two nested tubes 56 , 58 with a plurality of holes 52 which , when adjusted to the appropriate height , can be aligned and locked into place using a set pin 54 . in alternative embodiments , a push - button adjustment mechanism with or without a locking ring may be used to secure the two nested tubes 56 , 58 , the nested tubes 56 , 58 may be locked at a specified length with a slip nut and washer or the two nested tubes 56 , 58 may be threadedly coupled wherein the overall shaft 44 is extended or shortened by rotating the shoe 46 and / or lower nested tube 56 . in another embodiment , as depicted in fig1 a - 12d , the nested tubes 56 , 58 may be spring - loaded . this may be accomplished , for example , using a spring 68 and series of notches 70 , or grooves , to quickly and safely adjust the height of the shaft . the upper nested tube 58 includes a series of angled notches 70 configured to receive one or more pegs 72 . the lower nested tube 56 would include one or more pegs 72 which may be received by the angled notches 70 in the upper nested tube 58 . a spring 68 is housed in the hollow space within the nested tubes 56 , 58 and creates a constant force pulling the tube ends toward each one another in direction b , therefore shortening the shaft 44 . to make adjustments to the shaft &# 39 ; s 44 length , a user could twist the foot 46 and / or lower nested tube 56 in direction c so that the one or more pegs 72 is withdrawn from one or more angled notches 70 . the user may then pull the foot 46 and / or lower nested tube 56 in direction a until the desired shaft 44 length has been reached . once the desired length has been reached , the user twists the foot 46 and / or lower nested tube 56 in direction d causing the one or more pegs 72 to be inserted into the one or more angled grooves 70 . the tension created by the spring 68 pulls nested tube 56 in direction b and securely holds the one or more pegs 72 in the one or more angled grooves 70 . when weight is applied to the ladder or shaft 44 , a force is created in direction b that further secures the one or more pegs 72 in the one or more angled grooves 70 to prevent collapsing and / or shortening of the shaft 44 . turning now to fig1 b , a technique for removably attaching each rail 22 , 24 to its respective rail 40 , 42 is illustrated . in certain situations , it may be advantageous to removably attach each rail 22 , 24 to a ladder without drilling or otherwise modifying the original ladder structure . in fact , certain ladder manufactures may prohibit the drilling of holes though a ladder rail alleging that it could weaken the structural integrity of the ladder . while this may not necessarily be true , the ladder manufacturer may nevertheless void the warranty . therefore , to circumvent the risk of voiding a manufacturer warranty , a user may wish to safely attach a ladder system without requiring any modifications to the original ladder . this may be accomplished by , for instance , inserting a rod 78 through the hollow rung 86 of a ladder 60 . in order to receive a nut 82 , the rod 78 may be threaded at the ends or , in the alternative , threaded across the entire length of the rod 78 . in order to reduce friction and / or prevent the rod 78 from becoming misaligned during use , a bushing 80 may be inserted on each end of the rod 78 such that , when assembled , a bushing 80 is located between each ladder 60 rail 40 , 42 and the corresponding ladder system rail 22 , 24 . the bushing 80 may be fabricated from any material known in the art of bushing manufacture , including , for example , polyacetal , nylon , fiberglass and / or metallic materials . as illustrated in the fig1 b , the bushing 80 may be configured with two different outer diameters , wherein the narrower diameter may be configured to snugly fit within the end of the hollow rung 86 while the second larger diameter would ensure that the bushing 80 remains at the rail 40 , 42 surface . once the bushings 80 have been installed , the rails 22 , 24 may be mounted on the rod 78 ends and secured using , for example , a nut 82 . the nut 82 may be a traditional nut or a nut design to prevent loosening ( e . g ., a lock nut ). alternatively , as seen in fig1 e , to ease tightening and loosening ( e . g ., during assemble , disassembly and adjustment ), the rails 22 , 24 may be mounted on the rod 78 ends and secured using a threaded knob 88 . as seen in both fig1 b and 11e , the spreader 62 may be attached to the ladder 60 using the same through - the - rung techniques as those used to attached the rails 22 , 24 . alternatively , the spreaders 62 may be attached using more traditional methods , such as traditional nuts 82 and bolts 84 . while the ladder system illustrated in fig1 b presents an exemplary method for removeably attaching each rail 22 , 24 to a ladder without drilling or otherwise modifying the original ladder , it should be appreciated that one having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . turning now to fig1 c and 11d , the ladder system of fig1 b is shown fully assembled . fig1 c illustrates the ladder system in a fully extended state while fig1 d illustrates the ladder system in a folded state . fig1 e illustrates the ladder system of fig1 b wherein a threaded knob 88 is used . one or more threaded knobs 88 may be use in conjunction with , or in lieu of nut 82 , where the threaded knobs 88 and nut 82 may be interchanged as desired by the user . for example , as illustrated in fig1 e , the user may wish to secure the spreader using a nut 82 , but may prefer to use a knob 88 to secure each rail 22 , 24 . similarly , in certain embodiments , a user may wish to use a knob 88 on only one end while the other of the rod 78 is secured using a nut 82 or a more permanent means such as welding a nut or bushing to the rod 78 . the knob 88 may be fabricated from any material known in the art of knob manufacture , including , for example , polyacetal , nylon and / or metallic materials . to enable coupling with a rod 78 , the knob 88 is preferably threaded to receive the threads of the rod 78 . as seen in fig1 - 5 and 11 a - e , each of the rails 22 , 24 includes a bend 64 , 66 near the point where the rails 22 , 24 are connected to ladder rails 40 , 42 . the bends 64 , 66 allow for the ladder system 20 to lay flush , or substantially parallel , to the existing ladder , when in a closed position . in a preferred embodiment , the bends 64 , 66 in rails 22 , 24 are approximately 45 degrees off the rails &# 39 ; 22 , 24 center line ( s ). the length and angle of the bent portion may however be adjusted based on the application , length and shape of the ladder system 20 or rails 22 , 24 . referring to fig1 , the ladder system may be locked in the closed position using the safety latch 82 which locks the ladder system 20 to the ladder being stabilized . the safety latch can be used with a plurality of ladders , including but not limited to pull - down ladders , straight ladders and extension ladders . fig1 shows the safety latch 82 attached to the lateral cross member strut 26 , however in another embodiment , the safety latch 82 may attach to a loop or other latch receptacle . the ladder system 20 structure as described can be constructed from any material known in the art of ladder fabrication , including but not limited to wood , metal , metal alloys , fiberglass , composites , carbon fiber , plastic or a combination thereof . similarly , the rails of the smaller strut section or ladder system 20 need not be the same material as the larger ladder section . in certain embodiments , each of the ladder system rails 22 , 24 may be constructed from a single , continuous material ( e . g ., a singular , unbroken material ). by constructing the rails 22 , 24 from a single , continuous material , fewer connection points ( e . g ., welds / joints ) are needed , thereby decreasing costs while also strengthening the rails 22 , 24 . for example , each rail may be constructed from a single length of metal or metal alloy which may be cut , molded or stamped in the shape of the support rail . the ladder system 20 may also include a kick peg 74 mounted on one or both of the ladder system rails 22 , 24 or other stable ladder system 20 surface . the kick peg 74 allows for easy employment of the ladder system because the user is able to spread the ladder system away from the existing ladder using only a foot . while the present invention has been described with respect to what are currently considered to be the preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments . to the contrary , the invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims . the scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation , so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions . all u . s . and foreign patent documents , all articles , all brochures and all other published documents discussed above are hereby incorporated by reference into the detailed description of the preferred embodiment .
| 8 |
referring to fig2 to 4 , the preferred embodiment of a protective cover device according to the present invention is adapted to be mounted on a worktable of a sawing machine ( not shown ) on which a workpiece ( not shown ) is fed along a working path in a longitudinal direction , and is shown to comprise a supporting member 20 , a cantilever 40 , a cover shield 30 , a rear journal unit 50 , a front journal unit 60 , and a hold - down unit 70 . the supporting member 20 is in the form of a flat plate , and has a lower end portion 21 which is adapted to be secured on the worktable of the sawing machine , and an upper end portion 22 which is opposite to the lower end portion 21 in an upright direction transverse to the longitudinal direction and which has a rear pivot hole 23 and a retaining hole 24 extending therethrough in a transverse direction relative to both the upright direction and the longitudinal direction , and a retaining edge 25 disposed upwardly of the retaining hole 24 . the rear pivot hole 23 is round , and the retaining hole 24 is rectangular . the cantilever 40 has front and rear pivot ends 401 , 402 opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction . with further reference to fig5 and 6 , the rear pivot end 402 includes left and right lugs 43 , 44 which are spaced apart from each other in the transverse direction so as to define an accommodation space for receiving the upper end portion 22 of the supporting member 20 therein , and which respectively have left and right through holes 431 , 441 . the rear journal unit 50 includes a first guiding member 51 , a second guiding member 52 , a rear journal pin 53 , a rear push actuator 54 , and a biasing member 55 . the first guiding member 51 includes a left stem 5112 which is configured to pass through the left through hole 431 , which has an inserting bore 5111 extending along a rear axis in the transverse direction to be exposed to the accommodation space between the lugs 43 , 44 , and which has a left outer threaded surface that surrounds the rear axis and that is threadedly engaged with a left tightening member 512 , and a left enlarged head 511 which extends leftwards from the left stem 5112 and outwardly of the left through hole 431 , and which forms , in cooperation with the left stem 5112 , a left surrounding shoulder to abut against the left lug 43 so as to be secured to the left lug 43 . the second guiding member 52 includes a right stem 5212 which is disposed in and which extends rightwards and outwardly of the right through hole 441 , and a right enlarged head 521 which extends leftwards from the right stem 5212 into the accommodation space between the lugs 43 , 44 , and which forms , in cooperation with the right stem 5212 , a right surrounding shoulder . the right stem 5212 has a right outer threaded surface which surrounds the rear axis and which is threadedly engaged with a right tightening member 522 so as to permit the right surrounding shoulder to be brought to abut against the right lug 44 so as to be secured to the right lug 44 . the right enlarged head 521 has a guiding bore 5211 which extends along the rear axis to communicate with the inserting bore 5111 . the rear journal pin 53 is received in and is guided to move into the inserting bore 5111 , and has an actuated end 531 which can extend through the rear pivot hole 23 to pivotally secure the rear pivot end 402 of the cantilever 40 to the upper end portion 22 of the supporting member 20 , as shown in fig6 , such that the rear pivot end 402 is turnable about the rear axis between a lifted position where the front pivot end 401 is remote from the upper end portion 22 , and a working position where the front pivot end 401 is closer to the upper end portion 22 . the biasing member 55 is disposed in the inserting bore 5111 between the left enlarged head 511 and the actuated end 531 of the rear journal pin 53 to bias the actuated end 531 to a latched position , where the actuated end 531 extends through the rear pivot hole 23 so as to pivotally secure the rear pivot end 402 to the upper end portion 22 . the rear push actuator 54 has an actuating end 542 which confronts the actuated end 531 of the rear journal pin 53 , and an operated end 541 which extends outwardly of the guiding bore 5211 and which is pushed to move the actuating end 542 in the transverse direction so as to push the actuated end 531 of the rear journal pin 53 along the rear axis against the biasing action of the biasing member 55 to a released position , where the actuated end 531 is clear of the rear pivot hole 23 , thereby permitting separation of the rear pivot end 402 of the cantilever 40 from the upper end portion 22 of the supporting member 20 , as shown in fig7 and 8 . preferably , each of the actuated end 531 of the rear journal pin 53 and the actuating end 542 of the rear push actuator 54 has a round edge so as to facilitate movement of the rear pivot end 402 upwards and away from the upper end portion 22 while the actuated end 531 is kept in contact with the actuating end 542 by the biasing action of the biasing member 55 in the released position . referring once again to fig4 , the cover shield 30 is configured to be adapted to cover a cutting blade ( not shown ) of the sawing machine , and includes two side plates 31 which are spaced apart from each other in the transverse direction to define a mounting space 33 for receiving the cantilever 40 therein , and a top wall 32 interconnecting the side plates 31 . each of the side plates 31 includes front and rear ends opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction , and a middle portion interposed therebetween . the front end extends downwards to terminate at a nose edge 34 . the middle portion has a front pivot hole 311 which extends therethrough in the transverse direction . thus , the cover shield 30 is movable by the cantilever 40 so as to be detached from the supporting member 20 when the rear pivot end 402 of the cantilever 40 is separated from the upper end portion 22 of the supporting member 20 , as shown in fig8 . further , referring to fig9 and 10 , the front pivot end 401 of the cantilever 40 includes two lugs 41 which are spaced apart from each other in the transverse direction , and an upper wall 42 which interconnects the lugs 41 . each of the lugs 41 has a through hole 411 extending in the transverse direction , and a releasing hole 421 which extends in the upright direction and which is communicated with the through hole 411 by a communicating slot 412 to form an integral opening . the front journal unit 60 includes a front journal pin with two journal shafts 61 and two screw nuts 62 , and two biasing members 63 . each of the journal shafts 61 has a shank 611 which extends through the respective front pivot hole 311 to pivotally secure the middle portions of the side plats 31 of the cover shield 30 to the front pivot end 401 of the cantilever 40 such that the nose edges 34 of the cover shield 30 are brought to be in sliding contact with an upper surface of the workpiece fed along the working path by virtue of gravity when the rear pivot end 402 is in the working position . the shank 611 terminates at a connecting end 6111 which is threadedly engaged with the respective screw nut 62 . the journal shaft 61 further has an operated end 612 which is opposite to the connecting end 6111 and which is disposed outwardly of the respective side plate 31 . an operated slot 6121 is formed in the operated end 612 to receive a hand tool ( not shown ) used to fasten the connecting end 6111 and the screw nut 62 . each of the biasing members 63 is sleeved on the shank 611 of the respective journal shaft 61 between the operated end 612 and the respective side plate 31 . by virtue of the threaded engagement between the screw nut 62 and the connecting end 6111 against the biasing action of the respective biasing member 63 , each screw nut 62 is brought to abut against the respective side plate 31 so as to be retained in the respective through hole 411 , thereby placing the respective journal shaft 61 in a latched position by the biasing action of the respective biasing member 63 , as shown in fig1 . as shown in fig1 , when the operated end 612 is pressed against the biasing action of the respective biasing member 63 , the connecting end 6111 and the screw nut 62 are withdrawn inwardly to be clear of the respective through hole 411 so as to be moved to a released position , thereby permitting lifting of the cover shield 30 away from the lugs 41 in the upright direction , as shown in fig1 . furthermore , referring to fig1 and 14 , the hold - down unit 70 includes a journal body 71 , two hold - down members 72 , a first biasing member 74 , a retaining pin 76 , a second biasing member 77 , and a middle push actuator 78 . the journal body 71 is disposed to ride on the retaining edge 25 of the upper end portion 22 of the supporting member 20 through a slot 711 , and has two tubular journal portions 712 which are disposed at two opposite sides of the upper end portion 22 of the supporting member 20 and which respectively have receiving holes 713 that are aligned with the retaining hole 24 in the transverse direction and that are in the form of screw holes so as to threadedly engage screw bolts 73 . in addition , the journal body 71 is formed with a passage hole 714 that extends in the transverse direction . a barrier shaft 75 extends through the passage hole 714 , and has two ends extending outwardly thereof . each of the hold - down members 72 has an upper pivot end 722 which is journalled on the respective tubular journal portion 712 through a hole 721 , and a lower holding end 723 which extends downwardly from the upper pivot end 722 and which is configured to be kept in sliding contact with the workpiece sawn by the cutting blade so as to stabilize the sawing operation of the sawing machine . the first biasing member 74 is a torsion spring , and includes an abutting portion 741 abutting against the supporting member 20 , two coiled spring portions 742 respectively surrounding the tubular journal portions 712 , and two hooks 743 respectively abutting against the hold - down members 72 so as to bias the lower holding ends 723 of the hold - down members 72 downwardly toward the worktable . moreover , the turning of the lower holding ends 723 is limited by abutment of the upper pivot ends 722 against the ends of the barrier shaft 75 . the retaining pin 76 is substantially rectangular in shape , and mates with the retaining hole 24 in the upper end portion 22 of the supporting member 20 . the retaining pin 76 is received in the receiving hole 713 in one of the tubular journal portions 712 , extends in the transverse direction , and is movable relative to the journal body 71 in the transverse direction . the second biasing member 77 is disposed in a seat hole 732 in one of the screw bolts 73 . thus , the retaining pin 76 is movable between a latched position , as shown in fig1 , where the retaining pin 76 extends into the retaining hole 24 so as to retain the journal body 71 on the upper end portion 22 , and a released position , as shown in fig1 , where the retaining pin 76 is clear of the retaining hole 24 when pressed out of the retaining hole 24 in the transverse direction against the biasing action of the second biasing member 77 . the middle push actuator 78 extends through the receiving hole 713 in the other one of the tubular journal portions 712 , and has an actuating end 782 extending to be in contact with an actuated end 761 of the retaining pin 76 , and an operated end 781 extending out of the respective screw bolt 73 through a through hole 733 such that the operated end 781 can be operated to push the retaining pin 76 in the transverse direction against the biasing action of the second biasing member 77 so that the retaining pin 76 is clear of the retaining hole 24 , thereby permitting separation of the journal body 71 from the supporting member 20 , as shown in fig1 and 16 . preferably , each of the actuated end 761 of the retaining pin 76 and the actuating end 782 of the middle push actuator 78 has a round edge so as to facilitate movement of the retaining pin 76 upwards and away from the upper end portion 22 while the actuated end 761 is kept in contact with the actuating end 782 by the biasing action of the second biasing member 77 in the released position . as illustrated , when it is desired to replace the cutting blade of the sawing machine , the cover shield 30 and the cantilever 40 can be detached from the supporting member 20 by separating the rear pivot end 402 of the cantilever 40 from the upper end portion 22 of the supporting member 20 , as shown in fig7 and 8 . alternatively , the cover shield 30 can be detached alone from the supporting member 20 by separating the shanks 611 and the screw nuts 62 from the releasing holes 421 in the front pivot end 401 of the cantilever 40 , as shown in fig1 and 12 . thus , replacement of the cutting blade is convenient to conduct . moreover , the hold - down unit 70 can be detached from the supporting member 20 by removing the journal body 71 from the retaining hole 24 in the supporting member 20 . while the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment , it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretations and equivalent arrangements .
| 8 |
the present invention is directed to optical interconnection networks and more particularly to optical interconnection networks exploiting space - time - wavelength domains with reduced power consumption . the ensuing description provides exemplary embodiment ( s ) only , and is not intended to limit the scope , applicability or configuration of the disclosure . rather , the ensuing description of the exemplary embodiment ( s ) will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing an exemplary embodiment . it being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope as set forth in the appended claims . optical communication systems may exploit single - mode and multi - mode based propagation and both have seen widespread deployment to address a wide range of applications from short - haul card - card interconnect through to long - haul and ultra - long - haul networks exploiting time - division multiplexing ( tdm ) to encode multiple communication sessions to a single channel . multimode optical fiber networks may exploit limited use of the inherent frequency parallelism available through wavelength division multiplexing ( wdm ) to overlay several channels onto a single physical fiber these deployments have been typically limited to bidirectional or unidirectional transmission on different wavelength bands , e . g . 850 nm and 1300 nm . however , wdm within single - mode optical fiber links has led to 8 , 16 , 32 , 40 , 48 , 64 , and 80 channel transmission over links of tens to hundreds of kilometers and establishment of wavelength dependent routing ( wdr ) and reconfigurable optical add - drop modules ( roadm ). the interconnection of multiple optical fibers with single channels or multiple wdm channels upon a single optical fiber represent what the inventors refer to as single - plane interconnections , typically referred to as space switching or wavelength switching . alternatively optical interconnection networks , as the inventors describe below , may exploit the space domain and time domain for switching optical data packets ( packets ). the inventors refer to such an optical interconnection network as a multi - plane interconnection . scalability is typically limited by the switching domain as well as by the network performance , e . g . the latency experienced by the packets waiting in the queue . the three possible switching domains are shown in fig1 a with their respective scalability limitations . typically , single - plane optical interconnection networks , i . e . those exploiting a single switching domain , exploit the space domain , such as in broadcast - and - select architectures , see for example lin et al in “ capacity scaling in a multihost wavelength - striped soa - based switch fabric ” ( j . lightwave tech ., vol . 25 , pp . 655 - 663 ) and hemenway et al in “ optical - packet - switched interconnect for supercomputer applications ” ( j . opt . net ., vol . 3 , pp . 900 - 913 ). as the packet is being broadcast , the power loss can be compensated by the optical amplifiers at the cost of amplified spontaneous emission ( ase ) noise , which ultimately limits the scalability from the minimum optical signal - to - noise ratio ( osnr ) requirement . for instance , in liboiron2 , the binary tree structure of the broadcast - and - select switch contains amplification stages after a cascade of five power splitters to maintain the optical signal power . the scalability of the single - plane space architecture ( s ) was in that analysis limited to 1024 ports due to ase noise accumulation in the soa - based space - switch . alternatively , the wavelength domain can also be exploited to realize a single - plane interconnection architecture , see for example gaudino , wherein the scalability is limited by the wavelength tunability in the transmitters limiting the number of ports to a few tens , e . g . such as for example 40 channels on 0 . 8 nm channel spacing in the 1550 nm window . accordingly , to overcome the scalability limitations imposed by one switching domain , multi - plane architectures can be devised , where multiple switching domains are exploited . in multi - plane architectures , ports in a card are addressed using one domain while cards are addressed using another domain . an example is given by the space - wavelength ( sw ) architecture ; see for example gaudino , raponi , and liboiron2 , which exploits the space and wavelength domains to switch packets among cards and ports , respectively . in liboiron2 , the analysis showed that greater throughput is achieved by the multi - plane sw architecture while exhibiting a reduction of up to 40 % of the energy per bit compared with a single - plane architecture which solely exploits the space domain . while the space - wavelength makes use of the same space - switch structure , its scalability is enhanced by the wavelength domain and the energy per bit is reduced thanks to the smaller number of active optical components used for the same throughput with respect to the single - plane architecture . an alternative design of multi - plane architectures with broadcast - and - select switches can be realized by exploiting the third switching domain , i . e ., time . however , the time compression efficiency limits the scalability of this domain . packets can be compressed in time either by increasing the data rate per channel ( resorting to speed up or complex modulation formats ) or by expanding serial packets in the wavelength domain through wavelength - striped techniques . the inventors have established an approach to time compression without requiring increasing costs and power consumption by exploiting convention time domain multiplexing ( tdm ) nor require complex modulation formats be implemented to encode and decode the data packets . this is referred to as a space - time ( st ) interconnection network . the space - time ( st ) architecture consists of m cards , each supporting n input ports and n output ports . the space - time ( st ) architecture exploits the space domain to individually switch packets among cards and the time domain to switch them among different ports , as depicted schematically in fig1 b . in addition , the wavelength domain is exploited to further increase the throughput . this is achieved by encoding packets on multiple wavelengths ( also referred to as wdm packets ) and switching them in space and time among ports of different cards . the wdm packets are switched between input and output ports for example by an m × m semiconductor optical amplifier ( soa ) based switch . optionally , other optical amplification techniques may be employed including , but not limited to photonic integrated circuit optical amplifiers exploiting ion - exchanged glass or silica waveguides , erbium doped fiber amplifiers ( edfas ), rare - earth doped fiber amplifiers , and raman optical amplifiers . in some instances , such optical amplifiers may require additional elements to provide the required dynamic range of switching on and off for the gated amplifiers . accordingly to an alternate embodiment of the invention a wavelength - striped process is performed electronically where the serial data packet is partitioned ( striped ) and mapped to multiple wavelengths such that each wavelength carries a portion of the serial packet . a set of optoelectronic components ( such as electro - optical ( e / o transmitters or sources and opto - electronic ( o / e ) receivers or detectors ) are assigned to each wavelength , leading to a linear increase of the power dissipation with the number of wavelengths . however , this approach requires that high - speed electronics convert the bit sequence of the serial packet into parallel streams at the transmitter side and compiling the serial packet from the parallel streams at the receiver side would be required . however , within the embodiments of the invention described below the wavelength - striped process is performed entirely within the optical domain using optical filters and delay lines , see for example liboiron - ladouceur et al in “ low - power , transparent optical network interface for high bandwidth off - chip interconnects ” ( opt . express , vol . 17 , pp . 6550 - 6561 , hereinafter liboiron3 ). beneficially , the optical generation of wdm packets is based on a single set of optoelectronic components for the signal conversion between the electrical and optical domains for all wavelengths . the process of creating and receiving a wdm packet is illustrated in fig2 and as described herein with reference to st architecture 200 . as depicted a serial packet whose transmission duration at the selected data rate is t is employed . accordingly , the bits of an input serial packet 210 are employed to simultaneously modulate a comb of n optical channels in broadband e / o 220 . for example , broadband e / o 220 may be realized with a single broadband modulator which modulates an array of n lasers emitting on n different wavelengths . then , the passive wavelength - striped mapping ( pwm ) circuit 230 delays the modulated channels in time by ( t / n ) from each other and the delayed channels are gated in time with time slot packet generator 240 to generate a wdm packet of duration ( t / n ). the serial packet is therefore essentially compressed in time by the number of channels n and transmitted as a wdm set . this time slot packet is then coupled to an m × m interconnection fabric 250 before being coupled to pwm reversal circuit 270 via the optional time slot packet clipping circuit 260 to generate the output serial packet 290 . accordingly pwm reversal circuit 270 delays the received wdm packet in time by ( t / n ) from each other whilst time slot packet clipping circuit 260 gates the received wdm packet to select the bits on each packet that constitute the serial packet . accordingly , an implementation of the st architecture is depicted by st architecture 300 in fig3 . as depicted a plurality of transmitter side cards , denoted as input card a 300 a to input card m 300 m converts data upon a plurality of n input data ports , port in , 1 to port in , n , to time compressed wdm packets . each of input card a 300 a to input card m 300 m comprises an n - channel optical source 305 , for example an array of n lasers or a filtered , fanned - out supercontinuum source , is coupled to an array of external broadband optical modulators ( depicted as 1 st to n th e / o 310 a through 310 n ) wherein data from the intra - card scheduler 330 is encoded onto each wavelength . the output of each 1 st to n th e / o 310 a through 310 n is coupled to its corresponding 1 st to n th pwm 315 a through 350 n to delay each wdm channel by the appropriate time delay and thence to the corresponding 1 st to n th gate 320 a through 320 n which gate the wdm channels at the appropriate times , t = t 0 , . . . , t n , before being combined with n : 1 combiner 325 . the wdm packets from each of 1 st input card a 300 a to m th input card m 300 m is then coupled to m × m space - switch interconnection 370 , controlled by inter - card scheduler 360 . at the receiving side , each output port from the m × m space - switch interconnection is coupled to output card a 390 a to output card m 390 m wherein the opposite process is performed . initially the optical signal received is coupled to 1 : n splitter 335 wherein the outputs are coupled to 1 st to n th gate 340 a through 340 n and therein to 1 st to n th pwm 345 a through 345 n before being converted back to electrical signals by 1 st to n th o / e 350 a through 350 n , each of which is a broadband optical receiver . where the combiner is a wdm then a single broadband optical receiver is employed but optionally if the combiner is an n × p star coupler then p broadband optical receivers may be employed distributed apart from one another . accordingly , it would be evident to one skilled in the art , that the time domain is exploited by sequentially transmitting the wdm packets in different time - slots of duration ( t / n ). the n time - slots are then combined to form a time - frame of duration t , as shown in fig2 . for 100 % utilization , up to n compressed wdm packets from different ports can be accommodated in a time - frame . hence , the number of wavelengths , responsible for the compression factor , corresponds to the number of ports . in this architecture , each time - slot of a time - frame is assigned to a specific port of the output card . in other words , a wdm packet at the k - th input port port in , k of the h - th card ( k = 1 , . . . , n and h = 1 , . . . , m ) destined to the n - th output port port out , n of any given output card m ( with n = 1 , . . . , n and m = 1 , . . . , m ) is transmitted in the n - th ( n = 1 , . . . , n ) time - slot ( see fig2 ). however , as the time - slot gating is fixed at the transmitting side , a cross - point is now not necessary as described within the prior art , see for example dally et al in “ principles and practices of interconnection networks ” ( published by morgan kaufmann , 2003 ). the intra - card scheduler 330 on each card , for example an electrical cross - point switch , connects the input buffer of each port port in , k to each modulator input in n with k , n = 1 , . . . , n ). hence , the interconnection configuration is performed at each time - frame t based on the intra - card scheduler 360 decisions . the gated wdm packets are then multiplexed together at the card by the n : 1 combiner 325 wherein the wdm packet crosses the m × m space - switch interconnection . at the receiving side , a 1 : n splitter 335 broadcasts the routed packet to the array of pwms , 1 st to n th pwm 345 a through 345 n , of each output port and an soa gate , for example , selects the time - slot corresponding to the output port . the presented space - wavelength interconnection network is non - blocking , see dally , in that at each time - frame it is possible to switch up to m * n packets from every input port to distinct output ports , and the switching configuration can be modified at each time - frame . the switching configurations and packet selection are dynamically decided by the schedulers . at each time - frame , the intra - card and inter - card schedulers select and schedule the packets to be switched , according to the two - step scheduler ( tss ) framework described in raponi . in particular , at each time - frame , the intra - card scheduler 330 running on each of 1 st input card a 300 a to m th input card m 300 m maps the n input buffers to the n time - slots ( i . e ., to the n output ports ). this mapping should ensure that each buffer is assigned to a different time - slot to avoid collisions . for example , the mapping may be performed by solving a weighted matching problem , based solely on buffer information related to the corresponding card . once solved , the intra - card scheduler 330 is responsible for setting the electrical cross - point switch , depicted as internal to the intra - card schedule 330 but it may be external , at each time - frame . based on the decisions of the intra - card schedulers 330 , the intra - card scheduler 360 selects the output card for each time - slot on each card . the selection should ensure that each output port on any card is receiving at most one wdm packet . the selection , like that at the input cards , may be performed by solving n weighted matching problems in parallel ( i . e ., one for each output port ) every time - frame . once solved , the inter - card scheduler 360 controls the m × m space - switch interconnection by setting the n configurations , one for each time - slot . it would be evident that the scheduling problem for the proposed architecture can be solved also by a unique single - step scheduler . however , in raponi it was demonstrated that the tss has a superior scalability in terms of computational complexity with respect to the classical single - step scheduler . moreover , when practical scheduling algorithms are used with realistic traffic , the sub - optimality of the tss is counter - balanced by the performance degradation of the single - step scheduler for very high port counts , leading to an overall advantage in using the tss compared with a single - step scheduler , see raponi . the implementation of the pwm and the m × m space - switch interconnection is discussed in this section to outline enabling optical technologies suitable as a result of their low propagation loss , optical bandwidth , power efficiency , and integrability . based on recent developments related to 100 gigabit ethernet technology , the line rate has been assumed to be 50 gb / s and the optical modulation format to be non - return - to - zero on - off keying ( nrz - ook ), see for example moller in “ high - speed electronic circuits for 100 gb / s transport networks ” ( proc . optical fiber communication 2010 , paper othc6 ). an important element in the low power enabling of the space - time architecture is the passive wavelength - striped mapping ( pwm ) circuit , such as pwm 230 in fig2 and 1 st to nth pwm 315 a to 315 n in fig3 , and as depicted in fig4 according to an embodiment of the invention . in the pwm , each wavelength channel should first be filtered and then delayed in time . however , a challenge to address and price to pay in performing the mapping in the optical domain is power loss due to longer propagation within photonic integrated circuits which would provide a small footprint monolithic implementation of the pwm . however , for experimental purposes the inventors have utilized a power - efficient implementation with fiber - based components , see liboiron3 , where the wavelength - striped process was achieved using passive optical components such as filters and fiber delay lines ( fdls ). whilst fiber - based implementation is viable , it becomes increasing impractical and bulky when considering long delays with increasing serial packet length , e . g . delaying 2048 bits at 50 gb / s requires 8 meters of singlemode optical fiber . hence , an integrated solution with propagation losses as low as possible becomes important such as silica optical waveguide technologies which allow suitable waveguide delays to be implemented on - chip , see for example legrange et al in “ demonstration of an integrated buffer for an all - optical packet router ” ( ieee phot . tech . lett ., vol . 21 , pp . 781 - 783 ). in such photonic integrated circuits the total loss of the waveguide delay is strongly dependent on the layout and desired layout efficiency as waveguide bend losses increase with reducing bend radius but typically die footprint reduces with reducing bend radius . propagation losses for single - mode silica rib waveguides have been reported as low as 3 db per meter for a 2 mm bend radius , see for example bauters et al in “ ultra - low loss silica - based waveguides with millimeter bend radius ” ( 36th european conf . on opt . comm . ( ecoc ), 2010 , paper we . 8 . e . 6 ). filtering may be achieved for example using lattice structure based upon mach - zehnder interferometers ( mzis ) or filters inserted into slots within the waveguides to filter each wavelength . the lattice structure has one input and consists of a binary tree of mzi stages for filtering the wdm channels such that for example p stages provide 2 p wavelengths using ( 2 p − 1 ) mzis provided that the free spectral ranges ( fsr ) of the stages are appropriately set . hence , if the first stage is set to separate the even from the odd labeled channels ( λ2 , λ4 , λ6 , λ8 from λ1 , λ3 , λ5 , λ7 ) then the second stage may be set to separate alternate channels , e . g . λ2 , λ6 from λ4 , λ8 , and then the final stage separates to individual channels . with a channel separation of 400 ghz ( approximately 3 . 2 nm at 1500 nm ) the first stage mzi , mzi 420 , is designed with an fsr of 800 ghz , the second stage mzis , 425 a and 425 b , are designed with an fsr that is four times the channel separation , e . g . ghz , and then the third stage mzis , 430 a through 430 d , are designed with an fsr of 3200 ghz to individually filter each channel . between the mzi stages , appropriate delays are inserted to perform the wavelength - striped mapping as shown in fig4 . it would be evident that generally other optical technologies , such as those exploiting microrings and array waveguide gratings ( awgs ), would not be suitable in this design configuration due to their high loss . for microring resonators , large fsrs are achieved with small radius leading to higher loss in the resonance cavity whilst the awg approach incurs overall greater loss due to the delay requirements within the phased array region of the circuit . accordingly , the inventors have exploited in experiments and simulations the mzi approach but different optical designs may exploit these other techniques , especially if design improvements for microrings or awgs for example result in reduced loss compared to the mzi approach . typically silica based mzi uses multimode interference ( mmi ) 3 db couplers for minimal loss and required arm imbalance for the target fsr . a typical estimated insertion loss per mzi is 1 db based on recent developments presented by jinguji et al in “ synthesis of one - input m - output optical fir lattice circuits ” ( j . light . tech ., vol . 26 , pp . 853 - 866 ). time delays corresponding to a multiple of the time - slot are appropriately integrated within the lattice structure . accordingly , the wdm array of optical signals from the e / o 415 are demultiplexed and time delayed within the tx_pwm 410 a before being combined using a silica - based awg with an estimated insertion loss of 5 db , see for example kakehashi et al in “ analysis and development of fixed and variable waveband mux / demux utilizing awg routing functions ” ( j . light . tech ., vol . 27 , pp . 30 - 40 ) and ito et al in “ small bend structures using trenches filled with low - refractive index material for miniaturizing silica planar lightwave circuits ” ( j . light . tech ., vol . 27 , pp . 786 - 790 ). a semiconductor optical amplifier ( soa ) 440 is used to generate the wdm packet by gating in time the optical signal as shown in fig2 . the gating is performed on the optical signal at the output of the awg 435 by the soa 440 , which is electrically pumped with a pulse of width t / n . the timing of the gating pulse with the incoming wdm packet is controlled by the intra - card scheduler , not shown for clarity , within the input card , e . g . one of 1 st input card a 300 a to m th input card m 300 m . the gating soa 440 also plays the important role of optical amplifier to compensate for the optical power loss in the pwm . the implementation approach of the pwm has a strong effect on its scalability in terms of port number as certain wavelength channels experience greater insertion loss . for example , with a packet sub - slot of 16 ns ( t / n ) with a total serial packet length of 128 ns ( 800 bytes at 50 gb / s ) and n = 8 , the maximum insertion loss difference in the pwm is 10 . 5 db between two channels , see first insert 400 a in fig4 . each 16 ns delay induces approximately 1 . 5 db of loss . to ensure physical layer scalability of the soa - based interconnect , the laser sources may be pre - compensated to obtain equal power for each channel of the wdm packet being launched in the m × m interconnection 450 . at the destination card , the loss difference between channels is reversed , e . g ., channel λ6 will experience the lowest in the pwm at the receiving side , rx - pwm 410 b , since it experienced the most loss in the pwm at the transmitting side , tx - pwm 410 a . in the rx - pwm 410 b , the maximum loss difference remains 10 . 5 db between the channels as evident from second insert 400 b , which can be compensated or converted using an optical receiver with large dynamic range . in this proposed configuration , the pwm can be implemented without an amplification stage and is estimated to have a footprint of approximately 21 cm 2 . for a greater number of ports the total insertion loss , using the figures and designs described supra , needs to be compensated with the inclusion of one or more optical amplifiers within the pwm , which may for example be soas flip - chipped onto the planar integrated circuit , see for example maxwell et al in “ hybrid integration of monolithic semiconductor optical amplifier arrays using passive assembly ” ( proc . 55th elec . components and tech . conf ., 2005 , pp . 1349 - 1352 ), or formed using erbium ( er ) doped silica waveguides , such as lee et al in “ optical gain at 1 . 5 μm in nanocrystal si - sensitized er - doped silica waveguide using top - pumping 470 nm leds ” ( j . light . tech ., vol . 23 , pp . 19 - 25 ). in the instance of er - silica waveguides the required gating may be provided by switching the pump lasers on and off and / or adding gate elements to the outputs of the er - silica waveguide . as depicted in fig3 , the considered architecture for the m × m space - switch interconnection 370 consists of a broadcast - and - select implementation with m 1 : m space - switches controlled by the inter - card scheduler 360 and m m : 1 couplers . each 1 : m space - switch 510 a through 510 m is a binary tree structure of 3 db couplers with soas , while each m : 1 coupler 520 a through 520 m is another binary tree structure of 3 db couplers with soas , as shown in fig5 . fig5 also indicates a possible implementation that is achieved by connecting the 1 : m space - switches 510 a through 510 m placed on m vertical input layers to the m : 1 couplers 520 a through 520 m placed on m horizontal output layers . the passive optical interconnection can still be cumbersome as a number of connections equal to m 2 is required for a space - wavelength network with an overall number of input ports mn . however , such a number of connections is n 2 times smaller than the number of connections required by a single - stage interconnection network based only on such a space - switch with the same number of ports , i . e ., mn . the soas on the terminal branches of the 1 : m space - switches 510 a through 510 m , not shown for clarity , act both as amplifiers and as switches that may enable or block the passage of the optical signal , as decided by the appropriate inter - card scheduler . the soas on the output of the m : 1 couplers 520 a through 520 m are required for amplification purposes only . moreover , typically additional stages of soas are required every five splitting stages ( in both the 1 : m space - switch and the m : 1 coupler ) to compensate for the power loss introduced by the 3 db splitters , i . e . the 15 db splitting or combining loss . alternatively , where m is large multiple groups of such soas every 5 stages may be replaced with a single optical amplifier , e . g . edfa , with higher gain , e . g . 30 db , which is gated by addition of a programmable attenuator or switch and / or switching on and off of the pump laser depending upon the required rise / fall times of the gate . accordingly , a single 30 db gain stage may replace 32 × 32 15 db soas = 1024 soas . in fig3 , each inter - card scheduler decides that the k - th input port i k should be connected to the n - th output port o n during a given time - slot . for an energy - efficient implementation therefore only the soas in the path from the input port i k to the output port o n should be enabled , whilst the unused soas are in an idle , dissipating minimum power , commensurate with the reconfiguration time for transmitting the next data block and enabling / disabling different sets of soas . accordingly , the state of soas in the 1 : m space - switches 510 a through 510 m is controlled by the appropriate inter - card scheduler . in contrast , the m : 1 couplers 520 a through 520 m are not controlled by the inter - card scheduler unless alternate signalling is provided such that power minimization is ideally accomplished as the result of a self - enabling mechanism . the working principle of the self - enabled soa is depicted in fig6 wherein a small amount of the optical power , e . g . 10 %, of the incoming optical packets is converted to an electrical signal via tap 610 and o / e 620 with a pulse width equal to the propagating packet length . the converted electrical signal is then the input of a current driver injecting carriers ( i . e . the current injection pump ) in the soa active region to provide the necessary gain to the input packet . accordingly such an se - soa may be employed as a switch such that only those m : 1 couplers 520 a through 520 m with received optical signals amplify and then for only the duration of the received data packet . such se - soas have been demonstrated to switch in the sub - nanosecond range , see for example gallep et al in “ reduction of semiconductor optical amplifier switching times by pre - impulse step - injected current technique ” ( ieee phot . tech . lett ., vol . 14 , pp . 902 - 904 ) and liboiron - ladouceur et al in “ optimization of a switching node for optical multistage interconnection networks ” ( ieee phot . tech . lett ., vol . 19 , pp . 1658 - 1660 , hereinafter liboiron4 ) and “ the data vortex optical packet switched interconnection network ” ( j . light . tech ., vol . 26 , pp . 1777 - 1789 , hereinafter liboiron5 , and can be used to switch packets in broadcast - and - select space - switches , see for example liboiron3 , lin , and hemeney . despite the high switching speed capability of soas , a guard time ( guardband ) must be introduced for each time - slot wherein the duration of this guard time depends on the rising time of the enabled soa . faster switching time can be achieved with a higher bias current used in the idle state as long as it is below the soa transparency condition , see for example c . tai and w . way , “ dynamic range and switching speed limitations of an n × n optical packet switch based on low - gain semiconductor optical amplifiers ” ( j . light . tech ., vol . 14 , pp . 525 - 533 ) and burmeister et al in “ integrated gate matrix switch for optical packet buffering ” ( ieee phot . tech . lett ., vol . 18 , pp . 103 - 105 ). however , such a bias current also negatively affects the extinction ratio , see for example ehrhardt et al in “ semiconductor laser amplifier as optical switching gate ” ( j . light . tech ., vol . 11 , pp . 1287 - 1295 ), and hence there is a tradeoff between the switching speed , the extinction ratio , and the power dissipation of the soa when idle . optionally , instead of adding guardbands the inventors have established that an electrical pulse stretcher may be employed to extend the pulse such that the payload does not get alleviating the need for the guard time . the performance of the st architecture was evaluated and compared with the space - wavelength ( sw ) architecture presented by liboiron - ladouceur et al , see liboiron3 , and a single - plane space architecture ( s ) as discussed supra in respect of section a . the metrics of interest in the assessment were the physical layer scalability , the network performance , and the power consumption . the scalability in size of the st architecture is determined by the limitation of the switching domains , as shown in fig1 a wherein the maximum number of cards that the network can support is constrained by the optical signal - to - noise ratio ( osnr ) degradation experienced by the wdm packets when traversing the m × m space - switch interconnection . the physical layer analysis was performed using commercial optical system software ( optisystem ). the soa simulated was based upon the work of tanaka , see tanaka et al in “ monolithically integrated 8 : 1 soa gate switch with large extinction ratio and wide input power dynamic range ” ( j . quant . elect ., vol . 45 , pp . 1155 - 1162 ), with a noise figure of 8 . 6 db and a saturated output power of 15 . 6 dbm . the physical layer analysis accounts for both saturation power and ase noise accumulation from the soa devices in the data path of the wdm packet . at a modulation rate of 50 gb / s and 8 ports per card , the bit - error rate is lower than 10 − 9 for m up to 8192 cards for a total of 216 ports . the scalability to 8192 cards of the st architecture is four times higher than the scalability of the sw architecture and eight times higher than the scalability of the s architecture , see liboiron3 . the maximum number of ports per card ( n ) that the network can support is constrained by the wavelength - striped technique used for packet time - compression . since the time - compression is based on wdm , n is limited by the maximum number of wavelengths that can be used in the c band with an adequate physical layer performance . while a large port count is possible , as for example 40 plus channels are common on long - haul networks using the c - band at 100 ghz ( 0 . 8 nm ) spacing , eight ports was chosen in the proposed architecture as no amplification would be required within the pwm stage of the interconnection network . greater throughput can be achieved through the use of complex modulation formats . for example by encoding more bits per symbol as in 100 gb / s differential quadrature phase shift keying ( dpqsk ), the maximum throughput can be increased ( by a factor of 2 in the case of dpqsk ) without any changes to the network architecture as the interconnection is transparent to the data rate and modulation format . by using more complex modulation formats , the energy consumption increases due to the more complex optical modulators ( e . g ., nested modulators ) but in a predictable linear manner with the overall number of ports . the network performance of the st architecture is driven by the performance of the intra - card and inter - card scheduler algorithms and affects both the throughput of the network and the queuing delay experienced by the packets in the input buffers . the schedulers avoid packet collisions and are able to ensure the delivery of all the packets to the output ports , leading to 100 % throughput , see for example raponi . therefore the level of load also corresponds to the effective network utilization as packets are transmitted between interconnected cards . the maximum throughput of the st network is ( mn / t ) packets per second . however , such a theoretical value is difficult to achieve due to the necessity of introducing a guard time for each time - slot . assuming a guard - time duration of ( kt / n ) seconds , where k is a ratio normalized to the wdm packet duration , the time - slot and the time - frame durations increase to t / n ( 1 + k ) and t ( 1 + k ), respectively , and the maximum throughput would drop to mn /[ t1 + k )] with a relative performance loss of k /( 1 + k ). the queuing delay is evaluated here to assess whether the limited scalability of the number of ports per card ( i . e ., n ≦ 8 ) imposed by the physical layer is detrimental . two configurations of the interconnection network are considered . both configurations have the same maximum throughput , i . e ., the same number of total input ports ( mn = 4096 and mn = 8192 ). the simulations are performed using the maximal matching algorithm islip , see for example mckeown in “ the islip scheduling algorithm for input - queued switches ” ( ieee / acm trans . netw ., vol . 7 , pp . 188 - 201 ), in the second step of the tss , see liboiron3 . the packets are generated according to an on / off markov modulated model , with a mean on duration equal to 32 packets and with uniform distribution on the destinations ( i . e ., output ports and cards ). fig7 shows how the queuing delay is affected by the varying number of ports per card , n , without considering the scalability limitation imposed by the physical layer . independently of the considered loads , the queuing delay improves when increasing n from 2 ports up to reach a minimum whose value is load dependent . such behavior can be explained as follows : when n is low ( i . e ., with a small number of time - slots ), it is more probable that all the packets stored in different input buffers of a card are destined for the same output port , i . e ., must be transmitted in the same time - slot . thus , multiple time - frames are necessary to accommodate them , leading to an increased delay . increasing the number of ports mitigates this problem since the probability of finding a maximal matching ( and thus sending one packet for each time - slot ) improves . when the number of ports per card is further increased , the behavior of the queuing delay depends on the load . for medium loads ( e . g ., 0 . 5 in the figure ), the queuing delay is almost constant . as the load increases ( e . g ., 0 . 8 and 0 . 9 ), the delay performance degrades with n . at high loads the comparison of the delay performance for the configurations with mn = 4096 and mn = 8192 ports shows that the delay difference is minimal and mainly experienced for high values of n . such differences and the degradation in performance for large n depend on islip behavior at high loads . in fact , in these conditions , islip is known to have poor performance for small size matching problems , see mckeown . in fig7 , the problem size ( in number of cards m ) decreases when passing from mn = 8192 to mn = 4096 for a fixed n and when moving along the x - axis ( i . e ., increasing n with fixed mn ). in summary , the delay performance indicates that a low value of n ( ranging from 4 to 16 ) is preferable as it ensures a minimal delay for high loads ( with n = 8 being the optimal value ) and a limited delay at medium - low loads . the scalability limitation of up to n = 8 ports per card imposed by physical layer performance is in fact leading to better delay performance at high loads and good performance at medium and low loads . the energy consumption of the m × m space - switch interconnection and the overall st architecture is evaluated keeping in consideration the power consumptions of the optical devices in active and idle modes . the devices contributing to the power drainage are laser arrays ( 8 × 200 mw ; see zhu et al in “ the fabrication of eight - channel dfb laser array using sampled gratings ” ( phot . tech . lett ., vol . 22 , pp . 353 - 355 ), modulators and drivers ( 225 mw ), soas ( 5 mw when idle , 455 mw when enabled , see for example tanaka and sahri et al in “ a highly integrated 32 - soa gates optoelectronic module suitable for ip multi - terabit optical packet routers ” ( optical fiber communications , 2001 , vol . 4 , paper pd32 ), and receivers ( 250 mw ). the overall power consumption per bit / s ( energy per bit ) of the st architecture is compared with the power consumption of the sw and s architectures , as a function of the network utilization . when the network utilization increases , a large number of packets are switched and therefore a large number of optical devices are active and drain power . in particular , it is assumed that the soas in the m × m space - switch are enabled when wdm packets need to be switched , or idle otherwise . therefore , the average power consumption of the soa is linearly increasing with the average network utilization . also , it is assumed that the receivers , the modulators , and the drivers drain more power when modulating . more specifically , the power consumption of the modulator increases from 225 mw to 300 mw when utilized . the increase in power consumption of the receiver is negligible ( approximately 1 mw ). finally , the laser arrays are assumed to be always on , independent of the level of network utilization . as a result , the average power drained by soas is more utilization dependent than the other devices . the energy per bit of the soa - based m × m space - switch interconnection is shown in fig8 for varying numbers of interconnected cards m . the results for m = 32 cards ( solid lines in the figure ) show an energy per bit of a few picojoules and are similar to previous works on soa - based space - switches , see for example albores - mejia et al in “ monolithic multistage optoelectronic switch circuit routing 160 gb / s line - rate data ” ( j . light . tech ., vol . 28 , pp . 2984 - 2992 ). as the network utilization increases , the energy per bit is almost constant or decreasing . a utilization independent energy per bit means that the energy efficiency is optimal and that the number of active soas increases linearly with the network utilization . in the considered m × m space - switch interconnection with broadcast - and - select architecture , the soa used for amplification at the output stage must always be active . this is why their energy per bit improves with the network utilization . in addition , the amount of power associated with the soas in idle mode decreases with the network utilization , leading to an improvement of the energy efficiency at a high level of utilization . fig8 also shows that the energy consumption is affected by the switch size m , since the number of soa devices increases as the interconnection scales . the increase in the total number of soas with m 2 explains the increase of energy per bit for larger space - switch sizes . the number of active soas scales linearly with m ; therefore the increase in power consumption is mainly due to the idle soas . in fact , there is a significant drop of the energy per bit when the idle power of the soas ( due to the drained bias current ) is reduced to 10 % ( from 5 mw to 0 . 5 mw ). for large space - switch sizes , the drop in energy consumption is almost one order of magnitude . soa devices with their idle mode consuming close to zero power ( 0 . 5 mw , dashed lines in the figure ) would enable low energy per bit of the order of picojoules per bit for interconnection network sizes up to 1024 cards . technological progress and innovations suggest that no current could be used in the idle mode and a switching time in the range of nanoseconds would still be possible , see for example albores - mejia . the energy per bit of the sw interconnection network is quantified by adding the energy consumption of the m × m space - switch interconnection to the energy consumption of the laser arrays , the receivers , the modulators , and the drivers . the energy per bit is evaluated as a function of the network utilization in fig9 for different sizes m × n of the network architecture and it is compared with s and st architectures . as discussed supra in section 1d1 scalability , the st architecture scales up to 8192 × 8 . in contrast , the s and sw architectures scale up to 1024 × 8 and 512 × 8 , respectively , as derived in liboiron3 , primarily limited by the physical layer . for all three architectures , the energy consumption decreases at high network utilization . this reduction is only in part due to the behavior of the energy consumption of the m × m space - switch interconnection , see fig8 . the main reason for the reduction is due to the energy consumption of the laser arrays that is constant independently of the network utilization , making the network more power - efficient at high utilization levels . the use of self - enabling technology and soas with low power idle mode allows compensation for the power dissipation of the laser arrays . fig9 shows also that the single - plane architecture ( s ) consumes more energy per bit than the multi - plane architectures ( st and sw ). when comparing the three architectures with the same overall number of ports ( i . e ., 1024 ), the 1024 × 1 single - plane architecture ( s ) consumes more energy per bit than the 128 × 8 multi - plane architectures ( st and sw ). the energy effectiveness of the multi - plane architectures also holds when increasing their port count . in other words , for the same energy per bit ( corresponding to the energy per bit of the 1024 × 1 s ) the sw architecture can be designed with an 8 - times higher port count and the st architecture can be designed with a 64 - times higher port count . among the multi - plane architectures , the sw architecture is more energy efficient than st only when the number of cards is low ( i . e ., m ≦ 128 ). interestingly , the energy consumption of the st architecture increases more slowly with the network size and thus is more energy efficient than sw when m increases further . the reason for the better scalability is mainly due to the different sizes and complexities of the space - switches : the st architecture requires a m × m space - switch that can be realized with m 1 : m switches and m m : 1 couplers , whereas the sw architecture requires nm × m space - switches ( and couplers ) per card , leading to mn switches ( and couplers ). thus , the number of switches and couplers in st architecture is reduced by a factor of n with respect to the sw architecture . this makes the st architecture not only more scalable in size but also in energy consumption . within the preceding section comparisons of single and multi - plane switching architectures for large scale interconnection were made with respect to considerations of scalability and power consumption . as presented in fig3 and 4 a plurality of input and output cards exploiting wdm parallelism for transmission are interconnected via an m × m interconnect exploiting soa gating elements . it was also evident that the overall power consumption of the overall switch fabric depends heavily upon the active and idle power consumption of the amplifier ( soa ) gating elements . accordingly , within this section variants of amplifier gated switching architectures are presented exploiting modulator - based gating elements in conjunction with amplifier - based gates ( typically soas ) in the same space switch architecture , thereby taking advantage of both technologies . the modulator - based gating element may for example be an optical switch based on the electroabsorption effect or a mach - zehnder interferometer ( mzi ). the inventors refer to such novel switching architectures and fabrics as heterogenous space switches , as opposed to homogenous space switches discussed supra exploiting only amplifier gating . as will be shown alternating amplifier ( soa ) stages with stages of the more power - efficient modulator - based gates , the overall power consumption of heterogeneous space switches according to embodiments of the invention are reduced with respect to a homogeneous space switch . at the same time , the optical power loss caused by electroabsorption or interferometric devices can be compensated by the amplification capabilities of soas . novel hybrid integration technologies , see for example roelkens et al in “ iii - v / silicon photonics for on - chip and intra - chip optical interconnects ” ( laser & amp ; photonics rev ., vol . 4 , pp . 751 - 779 ), may be exploited to realize such heterogeneous switches . within this section the requirements of the number of gating elements , both amplifier and modulator - based elements , for different non - blocking space switch architectures including crossbar , benes , spanke - benes , clos , and hybrid clos , and their scalability for a large number of ports are assessed as opposed to the fully - connected architecture , or spanke architecture , exploiting 1 × m splitters and m × 1 combiners discussed supra . based on such assessments , the power consumption analysis is addressed to find the most promising architecture without impairing signal quality . within this section we evaluate the number of soas and modulators required in the most relevant non - blocking architectures for large space switches , see dally . each architecture a has n input and n output ports , interconnected by one or multiple stages of basic switching blocks . unless otherwise stated , the basic switching block is a 2 × 2 optical switch that can be realized with a single stage of gating elements ( in particular , σ soas or μ modulator - based gates . an example of such a switching block is shown in fig1 wherein packets propagate from the input ports on the left and are switched to the output ports on the right along the established paths highlighted with black dots . thus , if n a is the total number of switching blocks of architecture a , then s a switching blocks are soa - based and m a = n a − s a are modulator - based . therefore , the total number of soas in a , w a , is w a = s a σ . similarly , the total number of modulator - based gates is y a = m a μ . the values of n a and s a are derived for the different non - blocking architectures assuming that each s - th switching block must be soa - based , as shown in fig1 , i . e ., the maximum number of modulator - based switching blocks that can be traversed by a packet routed from an input port to an output port before requiring amplification by an soa is equal to ( s − 1 ). in all considered architectures , the soa - based switching blocks are arranged to minimize the overall number of soas , for a given value of the parameters . in crossbar interconnection architectures , inputs and outputs are connected by means of a matrix : to connect input i to output j , the switching block in position ( i , j ) must be set to the bar state , whereas the other elements on row i or column j are set to cross state . therefore , the number of switching blocks is n xbar = n 2 . the soa - based switching blocks can be placed along the matrix diagonals ( from top right to bottom left ), spaced by s , so that no routing path crosses more than ( s − 1 ) consecutive modulators before reaching an soa . without loss of generality , the placement of the diagonals with soa based switching blocks can be carried out starting from the top leftmost element . the total number of soa - based switching blocks is therefore given by equations ( 1a ) and ( 1b ). s xbar = ∑ i = 0 a - 1 ( s · i + 1 ) + ∑ i = a b - 1 ( 2 n - s · i - 1 ) ( 1 a ) s xbar = a + ( 2 n - 1 ) ( b - a ) - s 2 ( b 2 - b - 2 a 2 + 2 a ) ( 1 b ) a = [ n s ] and b = [ 2 n - 1 s ] . the first term of equation ( 1a ) accounts for the soa - based switching blocks above the main diagonal whilst the second term of equation ( 1b ) accounts for those below and on the main diagonal . the benes ( be ) architecture derives itself from a clos switch which is expanded until 2 × 2 switching blocks are used . the benes architecture has 2 log n − 1 stages , each of them composed of n / 2 switching blocks . hence n be = n 2 · ( 2 log n - 1 ) . since the number of crossed switching blocks is the same for every path and equal to the number of stages in the architecture , the soa - based switching blocks can be placed every s - th stages . without loss of generality , the first stage is set as an soa based type . thus the number of soa - based switching blocks in the benes architecture is given by equation ( 2 ). the spanke ( sp ) architecture differs from the other architectures considered which are based on 2 × 2 switching blocks in that consists of n 1 × n switches , each of them connected to n n × 1 switches . in common with the analysis supra in section 1 an optical implementation based on trees is considered wherein an input 1 × n switch can be implemented as a binary tree with log n stages of 1 : 2 splitters and a final stage of gating elements , see for example liboiron2 . similarly , the output n × 1 switch can be implemented as a binary tree with log n stages of 2 : 1 couplers . due to the loss of such passive splitters and couplers amplification is required every s ′ stages of splitters / couplers . note that the value of s ′ may be different from s since the power penalty of a splitter / coupler can be different from that of a modulator . as presented in liboiron2 gating elements are only required at the last stage of the 1 × n space switch . to reduce the overall number of soas , the modulators are thus placed at the last stage , for a total of y sp = n 2 . to avoid an excessive degradation of the optical signal quality , soas are placed every s ′ stages . further , in order to minimize soa usage they are placed symmetrically with reference to the gating stage , thus avoiding the largest levels of the binary tree . with this placement , the total number of amplification stages a l and a r required for the 1 × n and n × 1 space switches respectively are as given by equations ( 3 ) and ( 4 ). accordingly , the number of soas w l and w r in the 1 × n and n × 1 space switches is given by equations ( 5 ) and ( 6 ) where i l = log n −[ μ / 2 ] and i r = log n − μ +[ μ / 2 ] are the indices of the first amplification stage placed on the left and on the right of the modulation stage , respectively . since the n × n spanke consists of n 1 × n switches and n n × 1 switches , the total number of soas required in the spanke architecture is given by equation ( 7 ). the spanke - benes ( sp - be ) architecture , also called n - stage planar , is a hybrid between the two previous architectures . it consists of n stages and n sp - be = n ( n - 1 ) 2 switching blocks . it is constructed by alternating a stage of ( n / 2 ) switching blocks with a stage of thus , the soa - based switching blocks have to be placed only in the stage with ( n / 2 ) switching blocks . by starting the placement from the first stage , the total number of soa - based switching blocks is given by equation ( 8 ). a clos architecture is a class of interconnection networks that uses multi - stage space switches , and is suitable to build switches with a high port count . it consists of three stages . a re - arrangeably non - blocking clos architecture with the minimum number of switching blocks can be realized with a first and third stage of 2p p × p switches and a middle stage of p 2p × 2p switches where p =√{ square root over ( n / 2 )}. the total number of switching blocks is n clos = 4p · n p × p + p · n 2p × 2p , where n p × p and n 2p × 2p are the number of switching blocks in a p × p and 2p × 2p space switch , respectively . to realize the p × p and 2p × 2p space switches , only the spanke and benes architectures are considered as they require fewer switching blocks . due to symmetry , first and third stages are implemented using the same architecture . accordingly , the four possible hybrid clos architectures are denoted as sp - be - sp , be - sp - be , sp - sp - sp and be - be - be , where each stage is a either spanke ( sp ) or benes ( be ) architecture . in the be - be - be architecture , the total number of stages can be derived as described in section 2a2 and is equal to 2 ( 2 log p − 1 )+ 2 log p − 1 = 6 log p − 1 . when placing the first soa - based switching block on the leftmost stage , the total number of soa - based switching blocks is given by equation ( 9 ). in the sp - sp - sp architecture , the optimal placement of the soa - based switching blocks is carried out from the center . hence w sp ( x ) is the number of soas required in a x × x spanke architecture given in equation ( 7 ) with x = n and is given by equation ( 10 ). w sp - sp - sp 4 pw sp ( p )+ pw sp ( 2 p ) ( 10 ) in a similar way , the sp - be - sp and be - sp - be architectures consist of 4p p × p switches for the first and second stage and p 2p × 2p for the second stage . the number of soas is given by equations ( 11 ) and ( 12 ) for the sp - be - sp and be - sp - be architectures respectively . w sp - be - sp = 4 pw sp ( p )+ ps be ( 2 p ) σ ( 11 ) w be - sp - be = 4 ps be ( p ) σ + pw sp ( 2 p ) ( 12 ) based upon the different architectures defined above in respect of section 2a a comparison of the different architectures in terms of number of switching blocks and power consumption is carried out . the analysis exploits the implementation of soa - based switching blocks proposed in albores - mejia , consisting of two soas ( σ = 2 ), of which only one is active in both cross and bar configurations . modulator - based switching blocks are implemented with two mzi ( μ = 2 ), see for example lee et al in “ demonstration of a digital cmos driver codesigned and integrated with a broadband silicon photonic switch ” ( j . of light . tech ., vol . 29 , pp . 1136 - 1142 ) and campenhout et al in “ low power , 2 × 2 silicon electro - optic switch with 110 nm bandwidth for broadband reconfigurable optical networks ” ( opt . express , vol . 17 , pp . 24020 - 24029 ). the maximum number of passive elements , i . e . modulator based gates , splitters , or couplers , that can be crossed before an amplifier is set to 4 , i . e . s − s ′= 5 . this number has been chosen such that the loss does not to exceed the maximum gain of the soa , i . e ., the power losses of the s ( or s ′) stages of passive elements are compensated by the stage of soa - based gating elements . to minimize the power consumption , only the soas in the switching blocks along the path ( s ) are considered enabled to active state , while all the other soas are left idle . as discussed supra to reduce the switching time , soas in idle state are fed with a current slightly below the threshold required for amplification . in idle state , soas will therefore drain a non - negligible amount of power . in the following , maximum network utilization is considered , in which each input port is connected to a different output port ( for a total of n paths simultaneously active ). instead the mzi can be either in active state or in off state consuming a negligible amount of power . the power consumption is derived by assuming a normalized power consumption of 1 and 0 . 01 for an active and idle soa , see for example liboiron1 and liboiron2 , respectively , and 0 . 005 for the active mzi , see for example lee . such values include the power consumption of the respective drivers . the soa power consumption is referred to the unsaturated gain . fig1 depicts the total number of soas needed for each architecture versus the number of input / output ports n . as is evident the crossbar , spanke - benes , and spanke architectures require the highest number of soas , owing to the poor asymptotical scaling with n 2 n2 . clos architectures with at least one spanke stage ( namely sp - sp - sp , sp - be - sp and be - sp - be ) perform slightly better , scaling asymptotically with n 3 / 2 , whilst the benes and be - be - be architectures have the minimum requirement of soas , each scaling with n log n . the total number of modulators required in the different architectures is shown in fig1 and follows trends which are similar to the total number of soas as depicted in fig1 . now referring to fig1 there are depicted the maximum total number of crossed gating crossed , i . e ., soa - based and modulator - based . the inset shows a logarithmic y - axis , while the bigger graph provides a zoom of the lower part of the inset due to the substantial differences between the architectures . as evident the high number of crossed gating elements impacts negatively the feasibility of the spanke - benes and crossbar architectures as the number of gated elements scale with n and are the same order of magnitude as n . hence , at 2048 ports the number of crossed elements is already several thousand . however , the spanke architecture and hybrid clos architecture ( sp - sp - sp ) based on spanke exhibit the least number of elements crossed , a beneficial characteristic to reduce physical impairments . the maximum number of soas crossed in the largest configuration ( 219 ports ) is less than 13 for all architectures , with the exceptions for crossbar and spanke - benes . accordingly , it is evident that whilst the benes and be - be - be architectures require smallest number of gating elements , leading to reduced complexity and cost , that the lowest number of gating elements crossed is lowest with the spanke and sp - sp - sp architectures , such that these lead to lowest optical degradation / physical impairment . accordingly , a tradeoff between these two desired characteristics of an interconnection network is required . now referring to fig1 the power consumption per port of the different architectures is plotted as a function of the number of input - output ports . as evident from this the power consumption per port for the crossbar , spanke - benes , and spanke architectures increases with the number of ports . in the crossbar and spanke - benes architectures this arises from the fact that the number of active and idle soas scales with n 2 . the behaviour of spanke architecture is due to the high number of soas , see fig1 , even if most of them are in the idle state . the other architectures drain less power , especially the benes and be - be - be architectures . a sensitivity analysis of these architectures has been performed to investigate how the power consumption per port is affected by the power dissipation of the soas in the idle mode of operation . these results are presented in fig1 wherein the x - axis represents the power drained by an idle soa when the power drained by the soa in its active state is normalized to 1 . a 2 13 input / output port configuration was considered . as can be seen the benes and be - be - be are the architectures with the lowest sensitivity to the idle power consumption . this behaviour arises due to the high ratio of active soas to the total number of soas needed , which makes the contribution of the idle soas negligible compared to the total power consumption . in contrast the crossbar and spanke - benes architectures are also essentially unaffected by the variation of idle power consumption , even though the total power consumption is the highest . however , the spanke architecture is the most sensitive configuration , due to the high percentage of idle soas compared to the total number of soas . accordingly , the spanke architecture has the potential to be very power efficient when realized with soas that have negligible idle power consumption . it is also evident that clos architectures based on spanke structures in at least one stage are also influenced by this dependence , even though in a less critical way , due to the reduced total number of soas required . table 1 outlines the power consumption of the different architectures with 2 13 = 8192 input / output ports in a homogeneous space switch ( s = 1 ) and in heterogeneous space switches with s = 3 and s = 5 . as evident from table 1 the reduction in power consumption per port in the heterogenous implementation with respect to the homogeneous implementation is approximately 60 % when s = 3 and reaches approximately 80 % when s = 5 . this reduction is due to the lower power consumption of modulator - based switching blocks compared to soa - based switching blocks . the lower power consumption reduction in the spanke - benes architecture is due to the placement strategy of the modulator based switching blocks , which cannot be optimized unlike the other architectures . within the preceding section 2 the optical interconnection concepts established in section 1 with respect to multi - plane space - time interconnection networks were progressed to address alternate interconnection architectures in respect of complexity and power consumption by exploiting interferometric and soa based gates to generate novel heterogeneous switch fabrics . accordingly , in this section the performance of such heterogeneous switches is compared with the prior art homogeneous switch architecture . a space switch with n input and n output ports arranged in a spanke architecture is considered , see liboiron1 , where each input port is connected to an 1 × n optical switch and each output port is connected to a n : 1 coupler . each 1 × n switch consists of a binary tree of 1 : 2 splitters , while each n : 1 coupler consists of a binary tree of 2 : 1 couplers . a stage of optical gates is needed in the last stage of each 1 : n such that given a packet at an input port , for each possible output selection only one optical gate is enabled ( closed ), allowing the packet to be routed to the desired output , while the remaining n − 1 are disabled ( open ). to recover the inherent splitting losses , amplification stages of soas are introduced along the paths . we define the maximum span , namely the number of passive elements such as couplers , splitters , mzi gates , etc ., between two consecutive soas as s and this depends upon the loss of the passive elements and the gain of the soas . the paths traversed by a packet in the prior art homogeneous soa - based and heterogeneous architecture according to an embodiment of the invention are depicted in fig1 and 17 respectively . in homogeneous soa - based implementation depicted in fig1 with 1 × n switch 1610 and n : 1 coupler 1620 the number of amplifiers is minimized by placing the amplification stages starting from the soa output gate 1630 stage within the 1 × n switch 1610 and proceeding backward every s stages of splitters . for the n : 1 coupler 1620 the number of amplifiers is minimized by placing the amplification stages starting from the output and proceeding backward every s stages of couplers . the number of soas in the last stage of the 1 × n switch is n 2 . in the heterogeneous implementation according to an embodiment of the invention as depicted in fig1 , the soa output gate 1630 is replaced by a stage of interferometric gates 1730 , e . g . mzi gates . the number of soas is minimized by placing the first amplification stage evenly spaced from the interferometric gate 1730 within the 1 × n switch 1710 and then proceeding backward towards the input , according to the maximum spacing s . similarly , for the n : 1 coupler 1720 the number of amplifiers is minimized by placing the amplification stages starting from the output and proceeding backward every s stages of couplers . accordingly , the amplification elements , e . g . soas , are placed as far as possible from the last stage of the binary tree , thereby reducing the overall number of required soas and hence power consumption of the switch fabric . a physical layer analysis has been carried out using a commercial optical system simulator ( optisystem ). the parameters were set in common with those described above , see also tanaka and lee , wherein the soas have a noise figure of 8 . 6 db , a saturated output power of + 15 . 6 dbm , and an unsaturated gain value of 14 . 3 db . the interferometric gates simulated were mach - zehnder interferometers ( mzi ) with an insertion loss & lt ; 3 db , a crosstalk & lt ;− 18 db and a reported power consumption of 2 mw including the integrated cmos driver circuit . since the wavelength domain can be exploited together with the space domain , see for example liboiron1 and liboiron2 , and accordingly 8 wavelengths modulated at 25 gb / s were employed within the simulations . for the given maximum gain of the soa , the maximum span between soas was set to s = 5 . the signal traversing the n : 1 coupler 1720 in the heterogeneous configuration depicted in fig1 is impaired by the presence of in - band crosstalk leaked from the mzi gate 1730 . referring to fig1 there is depicted the logarithm of the bit - error rate ( ber ) of the worst channel versus the optical input power ( p in ) of this channel in two switch configurations , with n = 8192 and n = 16384 ports . in both configurations , the heterogeneous implementation requires a lower input power ( p in ) to achieve the same ber performance of the soa - based implementation . in particular , in the heterogeneous implementation , the input optical power at ber = 10 − 12 reduced by more than 4 db for n = 8192 and 4 . 5 db for n = 16384 ports . this performance improvement is due to the amplified spontaneous emission ( ase ) noise difference , as a result of the different placement of the amplification stages in the two implementations . since the first soa crossed by the signal entering in the space switch can be assumed to work far from saturation , the noise figure remains constant , and hence the ase spectral density increases with the gain . due to the soa placement , the first soa of the soa - based implementation needs to compensate at higher loss and thus higher noise is experienced leading to the degradation in performance . now referring to fig1 there is depicted the logarithm of the ber versus the output optical power for an optical input power of − 2 dbm in the same switch configurations as fig1 . the penalty at ber = 10 − 12 of the heterogeneous implementation with respect to the soa - based one is very small for n = 16384 ports at & lt ; 1 db whilst both implementations undergo the same penalty for n = 8192 ports . now referring to fig2 there is depicted the total number of soas and the power drained by the heterogeneous implementation , normalized to the soa - based switch for increasing number of ports n . as evident from this the number of soas is reduced by almost 50 % for all the considered switch configurations , while the reduction of total power consumption is more than 10 %. the reduction in power consumption and number of soas is achieved thanks to the optimized placement of the amplification stages . the heterogeneous implementation requires the same number of soa stages as in the homogeneous soa - based implementation but these are placed closer to the input ( output ) of the switch ( coupler ) binary tree , and the number of active soas crossed by the signal is the same . the only exception , n = 2048 , rises as the heterogeneous implementation requires two less soa stages than the homogeneous implementation leading to the increased reduction in power consumption of approximately 20 %. it would be evident to one skilled in the art that whilst the optical splitters , e . g . 1 : n splitter or 1 : n optical switch , and optical combiners , e . g . n : 1 combiner , have been described as based upon sequential stages of 1 × 2 and 2 × 1 elements . however , it would be evident that according to other embodiments of the invention 2 × 2 elements may be employed without changing the architectures described . however , within some photonic technologies implementations of these optical splitters , optical switches , and optical combiners may exploit r × s elements wherein r = 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 . . . and s = 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 . . . . for example , in fused biconic fiber technologies 1 × 3 and 1 × 4 splitters may be fabricated either to reduce insertion losses overall , i . e . l 1 × 4 & lt ; 2 × l 1 × 2 , or provide splitters with channel counts not compatible with n = 2 n , e . g . n = 27 , n = 768 , and n = 3 , 072 for example . it would also be evident to one skilled in the art that according to embodiments of the invention that implementations of the optical transmitters , optical receivers , optical splitters , optical combiners , optical switches , and optical interconnection network may exploit one or more technologies including fused biconic tapers ( fbt ), fiber - based bragg gratings , free - space optics , passive photonic integrated circuits ( pics ) such as those based upon glass , polymer , silicon oxynitride , and ferroelectrics for example , active pics such as those based upon rare earth doped glass , rare earth doped silica , polymers , and semiconductors for example ; and combinations thereof such that those exploiting hybrid integration , free space coupling , etc . for example , high index silicon oxynitride waveguides may be employed to provide the different fsr couplers as well as the required time delays and interferometric gates with hybrid integration of soas or externally coupled laser arrays to pump integrated rare - earth doped waveguide amplifiers . whilst focus has been given to solutions that leverage hybrid and / or monolithic integration using pics it would be evident that non - pic based solutions exploiting fbts in combination with thin film filters ( tffs ) and erbium - doped fiber amplifiers ( edfas ) may similarly be deployed . optionally , partitioning of the architecture may be varied such that a wdm signal is transmitted from a transmitter to a remote node comprising the parallel wavelength - striped mapping , e . g . pwm circuit 230 , and time slot packet generator 240 . similarly , the parallel wavelength - striped mapping reversal circuit 270 may be remotely disposed with respect to the receiver ( broadband o / e 280 ). specific details are given in the above description to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments . however , it is understood that the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details . for example , circuits may be shown in block diagrams in order not to obscure the embodiments in unnecessary detail . in other instances , well - known circuits , processes , algorithms , structures , and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments . the foregoing disclosure of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed . many variations and modifications of the embodiments described herein will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in light of the above disclosure . the scope of the invention is to be defined only by the claims appended hereto , and by their equivalents . further , in describing representative embodiments of the present invention , the specification may have presented the method and / or process of the present invention as a particular sequence of steps . however , to the extent that the method or process does not rely on the particular order of steps set forth herein , the method or process should not be limited to the particular sequence of steps described . as one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate , other sequences of steps may be possible . therefore , the particular order of the steps set forth in the specification should not be construed as limitations on the claims . in addition , the claims directed to the method and / or process of the present invention should not be limited to the performance of their steps in the order written , and one skilled in the art can readily appreciate that the sequences may be varied and still remain within the spirit and scope of the present invention .
| 7 |
by the expression “ non - electrically powered device ” it is meant here a device which is able to release a volatile , with an essentially linear performance over the lifetime of the device , without requiring an electric help such as heating or venting means . other means generally used to regulate the rate of evaporation of the active volatile liquid , such as covers or caps allowing regulation the evaporative surface of an emanating body are not mandatory in the invention &# 39 ; s devices . such covering means can be present or not . moreover , by “ active volatile liquid ” we mean here a liquid which is at least partially volatile , i . e . can evaporate , and which is able to impart a benefit to the surrounding space . the reservoir chamber has the function of storing the non - aqueous active volatile liquid composition , from now on referred to also as “ active composition ”, that is not absorbed by the wick - emanator superstructure . the reservoir chamber lid has the function of preventing the evaporation of the active composition from the reservoir and also of acting as support of the wick - emanator superstructure . the reservoir chamber lid securely covers the open end of the reservoir chamber either by acting as , e . g ., a screwed stopper or by being permanently sealed to the reservoir chamber . preferably the chamber lid has either one or two apertures , for holding the wick - emanator superstructure . the reservoir chamber , as well as the reservoir chamber lid , are constructed from materials which are compatible with the active composition and totally impermeable to the vapors of the latter . preferably the reservoir chamber is made of a transparent or translucent material , so that a consumer can visually monitor the level of the active composition , present in the reservoir chamber , and therefore know when the device according to the invention has to be replaced because exhausted . suitable materials for the reservoir chamber and the reservoir chamber lid , include injection or thermoform molded materials such as those obtainable from polymers like polyethylene , polypropylene , polystyrene , polyvinyl chloride , polyvinyl acetate , polyamide , polyacrylamide , polymethylacrylate , and the like . alternatively , the reservoir , or the reservoir and the lid , could be formed from glass . it is also understood that the reservoir and the lid could be parts of a single body . an example of such body can be a bottle having an open neck , the bottle being the reservoir and the neck being the lid . by “ non - aqueous active volatile liquid composition ” it is meant here an active volatile liquid composition which is essentially devoid of or contains only marginal amounts of water , e . g . one may cite as example a composition which contains less than 5 %, of it total weight , of water . a useful active composition is also surfactant free or devoid of the latter . the active composition contains at least two ingredients . the ingredients can be divided into ingredients capable of imparting a benefit to the surrounding space or enclosed space , and forming an active volatile material , and optional ingredients which can be beneficial to the active volatile material . in other words the active composition contains an active volatile material , comprising at least one ingredient , and optionally one or more ingredients selected from the group consisting of solvents , thickeners , anti - oxidants , dyes , bittering agents and uv inhibitors . as the active volatile material , there can be used , for example , a perfume , in which case the consumer product will be of the air freshener type . other suitable active volatile materials can be deodorizing or sanitizing agents or insect repellents or any other active materials capable of imparting perceptible and desirable benefits to the quality of the air into which it is diffused . preferred active volatile material is a perfume . as perfume there can be used any ingredient or mixture of ingredients currently used in perfumery , i . e . capable of exercising a perfuming action . more often , however , it will be a more or less complex mixture of ingredients of natural or synthetic origin . the nature and type of the ingredients do not warrant a more detailed description here , which in any case would not be exhaustive , the skilled person being able to select them on the basis of its general knowledge and according to intended use or application and the desired organoleptic effect . in general terms , these perfuming ingredients belong to chemical classes as varied as alcohols , aldehydes , ketones , esters , ethers , acetates , nitrites , terpene hydrocarbons , nitrogenous or sulphurous heterocyclic compounds and essential oils of natural or synthetic origin . many of these ingredients are in any case listed in reference texts such as the book by s . arctander , perfume and flavor chemicals , 1969 , montclair , n . j ., usa , or its more recent versions , or in other works of a similar nature , as well as in the abundant patent literature in the field of perfumery . although special mention has been made hereinabove of the perfuming effect that can be exerted by the devices of the invention , the same principles apply to analogous devices for the diffusion of deodorizing or sanitizing vapors , the perfume being replaced by a deodorizing composition , an antibacterial , an insecticide , an insect repellent or an insect attractant . by the term “ sanitizing vapors ”, we refer here not only to the vapors of those substances which can enhance the degree of acceptance of the air surrounding the observer , but also to those substances which can exert an attractant or repellent effect towards certain species of insects , for instance towards houseflies or mosquitoes , or else , which can have bactericide or bacteriostatic activity . it goes without saying that mixtures of such agents can also be used . the total amount of active volatile material in the active composition may be comprised between 20 % and 100 %, preferably between 30 % and 70 %, of the weight of the of the active composition . as anticipated above , the active composition may also contain some optional ingredients acting as , for example , solvents , thickeners , anti - oxidants , dyes , bittering agents and uv inhibitors . the presence of one or more solvents may be useful to have a single - phase liquid and / or to modulate the speed of evaporation of the active material into the surrounding air . the solvents may belong to the families of isoparaffins , paraffins , hydrocarbons , glycols , glycol ethers , glycol ether esters , esters or ketones . examples of commercially available solvents useful to the invention are known under the tradename isopar ® h , j , k , l , m , p or v ( isoparaffins ; origin : exxon chemical ), norpar ® 12 or 15 ( paraffins ; origin : exxon chemical ), exxsol ® d 155 / 170 , d 40 , d 180 / 200 , d 220 / 230 , d 60 , d 70 , d 80 , d 100 , d 110 or d 120 ( dearomatised hydrocarbons ; origin : exxon chemical ), dowanol ® pm , dpm , tpm , pnb , dpnb , tpnb , pnp or dpnp ( glycol ethers ; origin : dow chemical company ), eastman ® ep , eb , eeh , dm , de , dp or db ( glycol ethers ; origin : eastman chemical company ), dowanol ® pma or pgda ( glycol ether esters ; origin : dow chemical company ) or eastman ® eb acetate , eastman ® de acetate , eastman ® db acetate , eastman ® eep ( all glycol ether esters ; all origin : eastman chemical company ). other examples of solvents useful to the invention are dipropylene glycol , propylene glycol , ethylene glycol ethyl ether acetate , ethylene glycol diacetate , isopropyl myristate , diethyl phthalate , 2 - ethylhexyl acetate , methyl n - amyl ketone or di - isobutyl ketone . the total amount of solvents present in the active composition may vary between 0 . 0 % and 80 %, preferably between 30 % and 70 %, the percentages being relative to the weight of the active composition . as non - limiting examples of useful thickener ingredients , one can cite ethyl cellulose ( commercial examples of which are available from hercules inc . ), fumed silica ( commercial examples of which are available from degussa ) and styrene - butadiene - styrene block copolymers ( commercial examples of which are available from shell ). the total amount of thickeners present in the active composition may vary between 0 . 0 % and 10 %, preferably between 1 % and 4 %, the percentages being relative to the weight of the active composition . as non - limiting examples of useful antioxidant ingredients , one can cite the sterically hindered amines , i . e . the derivatives of the 2 , 2 , 6 , 6 - tetramethyl - piperidine , such as those known under the tradename uvinul ® ( origin basf ag ) or tinuvin ® ( origin : ciba speciality chemicals ), as well as the alkylated hydroxyarene derivatives , such as butylated hydroxytoluene ( bht ). the total amount of antioxidants present in the active composition may vary between 0 . 0 % and 10 %, preferably between 1 % and 4 %, the percentages being relative to the weight of the active composition . dyes are other optional ingredients of the active composition . suitable dyes are oil - soluble and can be found in the colour index international , published by the society of dyers and colourist . non - limiting examples of suitable dyes are derivatives of the anthraquinone , methine , azo , triarylmethane , triphenylmethane , azine , aminoketone , spirooxazine , thioxanthene , phthalocyanine , perylene , benzopyran or perinone families . examples of such dyes which are commercially available are known under the tradename sandoplast ® violet rsb , violet fbl , green gsb , blue 2b or savinyl ® blue rs ( all anthraquinone derivatives ; origin : clariant huningue s . a . ), oilsol ® blue db ( anthraquinone ; origin : morton international ltd . ), sandoplast ® yellow 3g ( methine ; origin : clariant huningue s . a . ), savinyl ® scarlet rls ( azo metal complex ; origin : clariant huningue s . a . ), oilsol ® yellow seg ( monoazo ; origin : morton international ltd . ), fat orange ® r ( monoazo ; origin : hoechst ag ), fat red ® 5b ( diazo ; origin : hoechst ag ), neozapon ® blue 807 ( phtalocyanine ; origin : basf ag ), fluorol ® green golden ( perylene ; origin : basf ag ). the total amount of dyes present in the active composition may vary between 0 . 0 % and 0 . 5 %, preferably between 0 . 005 % and 0 . 05 %, the percentages being relative to the weight of the active composition . the presence of a bittering agent may be desirable in order to render the product unpalatable , making less likely that the active composition is ingested , especially by young children . one can cite , as non - limiting example , isopropyl alcohol , methyl ethyl ketone , methyl n - butyl ketone or yet a denatonium salt such as the denatonium benzoate known also under the trademark bitrex ™ ( origin : mac farlan smith ltd .). the bittering agent may be incorporated in the active composition in a total amount comprised between 0 . 0 % and 5 %, the percentages being relative to the total weight of the active composition . in the case of bitrex ™ the amount can be comprised between 0 . 0 % and 0 . 1 %, preferably between 0 . 001 % to 0 . 05 % of the total weight of the active composition . as non - limiting examples of useful uv - inhibitor ingredients , one can cite benzophenones , diphenylacrylates or cinnamates such as those available under the trade name uvinul ® ( origin : basf ag ). the total amount of uv - inhibitors present in the active composition may vary between 0 . 0 % and 0 . 5 %, preferably between 0 . 01 % and 0 . 4 %, the percentages being relative to the total weight of the active composition . as mentioned above , at least 60 % by weight of the active composition comprises ingredients having a vapor pressure comprised between 4 pa and 270 pa , the vapor pressure being measured at 20 ° c . and a pressure of 760 mmhg . the described requirement in the formulation of the active composition ensures that a relatively constant composition is maintained over the lifetime of the device and that the active composition evaporates at a relatively steady rate during the life of the product . most preferably , at least 80 % by weight of the active composition comprises ingredients having a vapor pressure comprised between 4 pa and 270 pa . the device of the invention also comprises a wick - emanator superstructure that consist of an emitting part and a wicking part . the emitting part and the wicking parts can be separated entities contacting each to other to form the superstructure or can be a single entity . moreover , the emitting part may comprise one or more emitting bodies in contact to each other , in general from one to four emitting bodies are used . similarly , the wicking part may comprise one or more wicks , in general from one to four wicks are used . the emitting part contributes more than significantly to the regulation of the speed of evaporation of the active composition . indeed , thanks to its specific absorbency , its weight per square meter of evaporative surface and optionally its evaporative surface , the emitting part is able to influence the evaporation of the active composition so that the evaporation occurs at an essentially constant rate during the lifetime of the device . by “ rate ” it is meant here the amount of active composition , per unit of time , which is emitted into the surroundings during a given frame of time , or if preferred a weight loss per a given period of time . by “ essentially constant rate ” it is meant here a rate which can oscillate in a range comprised between approximately 80 % and approximately 120 % of the mean rate , preferably between 90 % and 110 %, during a period of at least 20 days , or even 25 days , of use of the invention &# 39 ; s device . as mentioned above , the emitting part has the capacity of absorbing from 0 . 01 g to approximately 0 . 1 g of active composition per square centimeter of evaporative surface , and has a weight comprised between 80 g / m 2 and 1000 g / m 2 , relative to the evaporative surface . moreover , the emitting part absorbs less than about 20 % of the initial total weight of active volatile liquid present in device . preferably the emitting part has the capacity to absorb from 0 . 02 g to approximately 0 . 08 g of active volatile liquid per square centimeter of evaporative surface , and has a weight comprised between 100 g / m 2 and 500 g / m 2 , relative to the evaporative surface . furthermore , the emitting part preferably absorbs less than about 15 % of the initial total weight of active volatile liquid present in device . the emitting part can also be characterized by an evaporative surface comprised between 50 cm 2 and 200 cm 2 . preferably , the evaporative surface will be comprised between 100 cm 2 and 150 cm 2 . non - limiting examples of materials of which the emitting part can be made are cellulose derivatives , e . g . papers , molded ceramics , sintered or porous plastics . preferred papers are those currently used as filter paper and having a particle retention size comprised between 3 μm and 30 μm , such as those commercially available from whatman international ltd ., uk as filter paper n ° 1 , 3 , 4 or 113 . in the case of sintered or porous plastics , preferably the material will have a porous size comprised between 5 μm and 200 μm and is based on high density polyethylene , ultra high molecular weight polyethylene or polypropylene . examples of such materials are commercially available , e . g ., under the tradename vyon ® t ( origin : porvair technology ltd , uk ). the wicking part is intended to absorb a part of the active composition and transport the latter to the emitting part , from which it can evaporate into the surrounding space of the invention &# 39 ; s device . as mentioned previously , the wicking part may comprise between one and four wicks . the wicking part may be made of organic and inorganic materials . examples for appropriate inorganic materials include porous porcelain materials , molded ceramics , glass fibers , or asbestos , in combination with a suitable binder such as , for example , gypsum or bentonite . it is also possible to prepare wicks from powdered mineral materials , such as , for example , clay , talc , kieselguhr , alumina , silica or the like , singly or in combination with , for example , wood flour , carbon powder , or activated carbon , using an appropriate glue . organic materials include felt , cotton , pulp , woven and non - woven cotton fibers , synthetic fibers , cellulose derivatives , e . g . papers , and woven and non - woven sintered or porous plastics . preferably , the wicking part and the emitting part are made of the same material . as anticipated above , a consumer article may comprise a device of the invention . such a consumer article can be , depending on the nature of the active composition used , in the form of a perfuming or sanitizing device such as an air freshener , a car freshener , a closet freshener , an insecticide or an insect repellent device or a combination thereof if it is used an active composition capable of exerting more that one effect , e . g . a perfuming and sanitizing effect . air - fresheners are a preferred embodiment of the invention &# 39 ; s devices . during the storage of the invention &# 39 ; s device , the active composition may be prevented from evaporating through a variety of methods . for instance , if the consumer product comprises a fully assembled invention device , a first method to prevent the evaporation of active volatile liquid may consist in using a sealing which covers the emitting part of the device thus preventing the evaporation of the active composition prior to activation by a consumer . alternatively , if the consumer product comprises an unassembled invention device , e . g . wherein the wick - emanator superstructure is not fixed to the rest of the device , then another method to prevent the evaporation of active volatile liquid may consist in sealing the apertures of the reservoir chamber lid . in such a case the device will be activated by the consumer simply by removing the sealing and introducing the wicking part of the wick - emanator superstructure into the lid apertures . furthermore , if the consumer product comprises an unassembled invention device , e . g . wherein the emitting part is not fixed to the rest of the device such as when the wicking part and the emitting part are separate bodies , then to prevent the evaporation of active volatile liquid it is possible to seal the wicking part extending over the lid . the consumer will activate such a device simply by removing the sealing and locating the emitting part such as that it is in direct contact with the wicking part . the sealing mentioned above can be a removable and vapor - impermeable closure cap , cover or film . the combination of the invention device and of a closure cap , cover or film may constitute a consumer article which is a further object of the present invention . it is also interesting to note that the consumer article according to the invention once exhausted may be easily reactivated by the consumer simply by refilling the reservoir chamber with an active volatile liquid , which may be provided in separated sachets . furthermore , another object of the invention is a kit for the preparation of a device as defined above , the kit comprising a reservoir chamber , a reservoir chamber lid and a wick - emanator superstructure as defined in claim 1 . in the embodiment an active composition as defined above can be supplied separately to the consumer . alternatively , the kit may further comprise the active composition , which is either contained in the reservoir , which is sealed , or the kit comprises also a containing means , or a plurality of the containing means , filled with the active composition . in the embodiment of the invention , all the various element of the invention &# 39 ; s device can be in a non - assembled or partially assembled form , for example as described above . the following examples are further illustrative of the present invention embodiments , and further demonstrate the advantages of the invention devices relative to prior art teachings . an air freshener dispenser in accordance with the present invention was constructed as illustrated in fig1 to 3 . the bodies 1 a , 1 b and 1 c , having the dimension given in fig1 , were cut from a sheet of 2 mm thick vyon t ® ( porvair technology ltd . ), and assembled to form a wick - emanator superstructure 1 , as pictured in fig2 . reservoir chamber lid 2 was provided with an aperture to accept the wick - emanator superstructure 1 . a reservoir chamber 3 , see fig2 , having approximately a volume of 30 ml was filled with 10 g of a perfuming composition and 10 g of dipropylene glycol n - butyl ether ( dowanol ® dpnb , origin : dow chemical company ). after assembling the filled reservoir , the lid and the wick - emanator superstructure it was obtained a device according to the invention as shown in fig3 . the total mass of device was recorded . the device was placed in a temperature - humidity controlled test room ( at 20 ° to 22 ° c . and 45 % to 55 % relative humidity ) and the weights recorded at regular intervals up to 45 days . the test data are listed in table i . table i evaporation of the active liquid volatile component as a function of time cumulative weight loss elapsed time ( t ) ( cwl ) rate of evaporation * ( days ) ( g ) ( g / day ) 0 . 00 0 . 00 10 . 00 5 . 12 0 . 51 13 . 95 6 . 43 0 . 33 17 . 81 7 . 71 0 . 33 23 . 76 9 . 72 0 . 34 29 . 71 11 . 62 0 . 32 30 . 98 12 . 04 0 . 33 35 . 95 13 . 56 0 . 31 41 . 93 15 . 41 0 . 31 45 . 93 16 . 36 0 . 31 * calculated by applying the following formula : ( cwl t 2 − cwl t 1 )/( t 2 − t 1 ) table i shows that an invention device emanates a high volume of vapor ( up to 75 % of the whole volatile in 45 days ) with a very uniform rate over at least 32 days of use and without requiring any external input such an electrical heater . air freshener dispensers in accordance with the present invention were constructed as illustrated in fig4 to 6 . a wick - emanator superstructure 7 , according to the one illustrated in fig5 , was formed from a single sheet 6 , see fig4 , made of whatman no . 4 qualitative filter paper ( whatman plc ). reservoir chamber lid 8 was provided with apertures to accept the wick - emanator superstructure 7 . a reservoir chamber 3 , see fig5 , having approximately a volume of 30 ml was filled with 10 g of the perfuming composition used in example 1 and 10 g of dipropylene glycol n - butyl ether ( dowanol ® dpnb , origin : dow chemical company ). after assembling the filled reservoir , the lid and the wick - emanator superstructure it was obtained a device according to the invention as shown in fig6 . four devices having the emitting part with different surface areas ( sa ) were built using the same protocol as above . the total mass of each device was recorded . the devices were placed in a temperature - humidity controlled test room ( at 20 ° to 22 ° c . and 45 % to 55 % relative humidity ) and the weights recorded at regular intervals up to 47 days . the test data are listed in table ii . table ii evaporation of the active liquid volatile component as a function of time elapsed time ( t ) cumulative weight loss ( cwl ) ( g ) ( days ) sa = 50 cm 2 sa = 100 cm 2 sa = 150 cm 2 sa = 200 cm 2 0 . 00 0 . 00 0 . 00 0 . 00 0 . 00 4 . 73 2 . 57 ( 0 . 54 ) 7 . 08 2 . 79 3 . 61 ( 0 . 39 ) ( 0 . 44 ) 8 . 79 3 . 27 4 . 30 ( 0 . 28 ) ( 0 . 41 ) 11 . 81 1 . 56 2 . 87 3 . 90 5 . 19 ( 0 . 13 ) ( 0 . 24 ) ( 0 . 21 ) ( 0 . 30 ) 13 . 73 1 . 85 3 . 25 4 . 44 6 . 00 ( 0 . 15 ) ( 0 . 20 ) ( 0 . 29 ) ( 0 . 42 ) 15 . 94 2 . 25 3 . 77 5 . 07 7 . 00 ( 0 . 18 ) ( 0 . 23 ) ( 0 . 29 ) ( 0 . 45 ) 21 . 04 3 . 01 4 . 68 6 . 45 8 . 94 ( 0 . 15 ) ( 0 . 18 ) ( 0 . 27 ) ( 0 . 42 ) ( 0 . 38 ) 29 . 82 4 . 37 6 . 29 9 . 17 12 . 15 ( 0 . 16 ) ( 0 . 18 ) ( 0 . 31 ) ( 0 . 37 ) 34 . 92 5 . 04 7 . 19 10 . 27 13 . 87 ( 0 . 13 ) ( 0 . 18 ) ( 0 . 21 ) ( 0 . 34 ) 41 . 06 5 . 94 8 . 17 11 . 76 15 . 36 ( 0 . 15 ) ( 0 . 16 ) ( 0 . 24 ) ( 0 . 24 ) 47 . 71 6 . 91 9 . 25 13 . 21 16 . 92 ( 0 . 15 ) ( 0 . 16 ) ( 0 . 22 ) ( 0 . 23 ) values between brackets represents the rate of evaporation ( g / day ) calculated as in example 1 . as in example 1 , these invention devices , although having an emitting part with a different shape or surface , emanates a high volume of vapor with a very uniform rate without requiring any external input such an electrical heater or a fan .
| 0 |
the invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings , in which example embodiments of the invention are shown . this invention may , however , be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the example embodiments set forth herein ; rather , these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art . like numbers refer to like elements throughout . embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to block diagrams and schematic illustrations of methods and systems according to embodiments of the invention . it will be understood that each block of the diagrams , and combinations of blocks in the diagrams can be implemented by computer program instructions . these computer program instructions may be loaded onto one or more general purpose computers , special purpose computers , or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce machines , such that the instructions which execute on the computers or other programmable data processing apparatus create means for implementing the functions specified in the block or blocks . such computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer - readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner , such that the instructions stored in the computer - readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that implement the function specified in the block or blocks . in embodiments of this invention , any physical system , control system or property of the engine or engine subsystem may be modeled , including , but not limited to , the engine itself , the gas path and gas path dynamics ; actuators , effectors , or other controlling devices that modify or change any engine behavior ; sensors , monitors , or sensing systems ; the fuel metering system ; the fuel delivery system ; the lubrication system ; and / or the hydraulic system . the models of these components and / or systems may be physics - based models ( including their linear approximations ). additionally or alternatively , the models may be based on linear and / or nonlinear system identification , neural networks , and / or combinations of all of these . gas turbine engines are air breathing engines that produce work based on the brayton thermodynamic cycle . some non - limiting examples of gas turbine engines include : aircraft engines , power systems , propulsion engines for marine applications , turbines used as pumps , turbines used in combined cycle power plants , and turbines used for other industrial applications . in gas turbine engines , thermal energy is drawn from the combustion of fuel with air , the combustion of fuel with an oxidizer , chemical reactions and / or heat exchange with a thermal source . the thermal energy is then converted into useful work . this work can be output in the form of thrust , shaft power or electricity . the performance or operation of these engines is controlled through the use of actuators . some non - limiting examples of actuators in gas turbine engines include fuel metering valves , inlet guide vanes , variable stator vanes , variable geometry , bleed valves , starter valves , clearance control valves , inlet bleed heat , variable exhaust nozzles , and the like . some non - limiting examples of sensed engine values include temperatures , pressures , rotor speeds , actuator positions , and / or flows . one example schematic of an example gas turbine engine 100 is shown in fig1 . the example engine 100 shown is a can annular combustor system such as the ge energy heavy duty gas turbine series . multiple cans 102 , 104 , 106 , 108 , 110 , 112 , 114 , 116 , 118 , 120 , 122 , 124 , 126 , 128 , also designated as numbers 1 through 14 , can be oriented in an annular - shaped configuration . each can 102 - 128 can include at least one sensor , such as a dynamic pressure transducer , capable of measuring or otherwise detecting an operating frequency of the can or engine component . an example of a suitable sensor is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 708 , 568 . signals from each sensor can be processed using spectral analysis or similar techniques to isolate a frequency of interest . in one embodiment , operating frequency data from each can 102 - 128 , such as dynamic pressure measurements , can be processed using a fast fourier transformation to determine the frequency content and amplitudes of the frequencies . using this information , a frequency distribution such as a histogram can be generated . based at least in part on the histogram , a representative operating frequency can be selected for the particular can or engine component . as shown in fig3 , operating frequency data or selected representative operating frequencies for each can 102 - 128 can be used as an input , such as 330 , to an example combustion dynamics tuning model and algorithm . it will be understood that “ operating frequency information ” and “ operating frequency data ” can be used interchangeably , and that both phrases can include , but are not limited to , operating data , operating pressures , dynamic operating pressures , and operating amplitude data . it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein may be applicable to a variety of systems and are not limited to engines or other devices similar to that described in fig1 . fig2 illustrates a control arrangement implementing an example engine model according to an embodiment of the invention . the control system 200 shown in fig2 is adapted to monitor and control the physical engine plant or gas turbine engine 210 to provide substantially optimal performance under a variety of conditions . the plant or engine 210 can include sensors which sense or measure values y of certain parameters . these parameters can include , but are not limited to , fan speed , operating frequencies , dynamic pressures , operating pressures , operating pressure ratios , and temperatures . the plant or engine 210 can also include one or more actuators which can be controlled by one or more command inputs u . the plant or engine 210 may be similar to , for example , the engine 100 illustrated in fig1 . the values y of the sensed or measured parameters are provided to a state estimator 220 . the values input to the state estimator 220 , such as sensor inputs , operating frequencies or dynamic pressures , can be used to initialize one or more values in the state estimator 220 . the state estimator 220 can include an engine model or model 230 of the plant or engine 210 . the model 230 can be used by the state estimator 220 to generate one or more state parameters which can include estimates of performance parameters . one example of a suitable engine model is described in further detail as 300 in fig3 . the state parameters from the state estimator 220 and associated model 230 can be transmitted to a model - based predictive control module or control module 240 . the control module 240 can use the state parameters to perform an optimization to determine commands for one or more actuators of the plant or engine 210 . for example , the control module 240 can perform an optimization to determine one or more engine control actions and corresponding control commands for one or more actuators of a gas turbine engine . in this regard , the control module 240 can include an optimizer 250 and a model 260 . the model 260 associated with the control module 240 may be identical to the model 230 associated with the state estimator 220 . those skilled in the art will recognize that an engine model or model can be implemented in either or both the state estimator 220 and control module 240 . using either or both of the models 230 , 260 allows optimization of the engine 210 to converge rapidly . in use , embodiments of the invention can be utilized to initialize an engine model , such as models 230 , 260 , on startup of the plant or engine 210 . furthermore , embodiments of the invention can be utilized to re - initialize the dynamic states of the model , such as models 230 , 260 , after any time of event , such as load rejection or a sensor failure . other embodiments of the invention can be used to initialize dynamic states of other types of machines or devices in other circumstances . fig3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example engine model during initial configuration and also during normal execution according to embodiments of the invention . this diagram illustrates data processing by various modules associated with an engine model or model 300 such as a combustion dynamics tuning algorithm model . as shown , the model 300 can include some or all of the following modules in accordance with embodiments of the invention : sensor health block 302 ; median block 304 ; transfer function ( tf ) tuning block 306 ; a memory block 308 ; median dynamics block 310 ; model based control algorithm block 312 ; standard deviation block 314 ; mean block 316 ; covariance block 318 , constant block 320 ; median dynamics block 322 ; median target block 324 ; and a memory block 326 . the module blocks 302 - 326 represent various “ run time ”- type modules for which various parameters can be input to each of the modules 302 - 326 , and respective corresponding outputs can be received from the modules 302 - 326 in accordance with embodiments of the invention . those skilled in the art will recognize that various inputs and outputs can be configured as data inputs , vectors , matrices , functions , and other mathematical - type devices . in any instance , the example model 300 shown can determine model predictions and dynamically tune combustion model predictions to measured performances in a real time environment for a gas turbine engine , such as 100 in fig1 , or a similar device . the example model 300 can be implemented with the gas turbine engine shown as 100 in fig1 , and the system shown as 200 in fig2 . sensor health block 302 receives one or more inputs 328 from an engine 330 , similar to engine 100 shown in fig1 . for example , the inputs can be operating frequency information or dynamic pressure information from one or more sensors associated with respective cans oriented in an annular - shaped configuration . in the embodiment shown in fig3 , inputs from 14 sensors , one for each can of can - annular type engine can be obtained . in addition , the sensor health block 302 can determine whether some or all of the inputs 328 are valid input signals . in one embodiment , the sensor health block 302 can determine whether some or all of the inputs are within a predefined range by comparing the inputs 328 to a previously stored set of data . in other embodiments , any number of inputs from the engine , or any number of cans associated with the engine can be input to the sensor health block 302 . in one embodiment , a determination whether to use some or all of the inputs 328 can be made depending on whether some or all of the inputs 328 are within a predefined range . other embodiments may include different types of input signal validity checks , such as a simple range check or application of an algorithm to determine or evaluate input signal validity . in the event that some or all of the inputs 328 do not meet input signal validity checks or are not within a predefined range , some or all of the inputs 328 can be rejected , and no further action with respect to some or all of the inputs 328 . alternatively , additional data may be used to replace some or all of the inputs 328 . in the event that some or all of the inputs 328 are found to be valid input signals or are within a predefined range , some or all of the inputs 328 can be further processed by other components of the engine model , such as model 300 . in the event that some or all of the inputs are found to be valid input signals or are within a predefined range , some or all of the inputs can be transmitted via 332 to the median block 304 . the median block 304 can determine a median value 334 based on some or all of the inputs 330 transmitted . the median value 334 can be transmitted to the transfer function ( tf ) tuning block 306 for storage in and subsequent retrieval from memory block 308 . in addition , the median value 334 can be input to the median dynamics transfer function ( tf ) block 310 . in this manner , the transfer function ( tf ) tuning block 306 can utilize the median value 334 to tune , or modify , the median dynamics transfer function ( tf ) block 310 in order to reduce the difference between the median value 334 and the median dynamics transfer function ( tf ) block 310 . the memory block 308 may be used to store and process the tuning variable data used to tune or modify the median dynamics transfer function ( tf ) block 310 . the median dynamics transfer function ( tf ) block 310 can receive input , or can otherwise be tuned or modified using the median value 334 with a median dynamics transfer function to determine an input “ m hat ” 336 to the model based control algorithm block 312 . as shown by the multiple input arrows to the median dynamics transfer function ( tf ) block 310 , additional median values for other operating frequencies can be input and simultaneously processed . in one embodiment , multiple inputs to the median dynamics transfer function ( tf ) block 310 can be implemented , and the output of block 310 may be a function of any number of different operating parameters and constants . utilizing the median value 334 associated with the input “ m hat ” 336 and the accompanying tuning variable from 306 and / or 308 , control of the engine 330 by the model based control algorithm block 312 may be prone to problems when variations between can - to - can operating frequencies of the engine 330 are relatively large . the median transfer functions can be functions of operating conditions including , but not limited to , fuel flow , combustor fuel splits , fuel temperature , fuel composition , combustor pressure , and combustor airflow . referring back to sensor health block 302 , some or all of the inputs 328 , such as operating frequency information , is input to standard deviation block 314 via 338 , where a standard deviation 340 can be determined . furthermore , some or all of the inputs 328 , such as operating frequency information , is input to mean block 316 via 342 , where a mean 344 can be determined . based at least in part on the standard deviation 340 and mean 344 input to the covariance block 318 , the covariance block 318 can determine covariance between the inputs 328 associated with the cans of the engine 330 . for example , the mean 344 can be divided by the standard deviation 340 to determine a covariance value 346 representative of the operation of the engine 330 . in one embodiment , the covariance value 346 can be modified by an engine - dependent function , such as 348 . for example , an engine - dependent function can be determined based on prior data taken over time from one or more of a series of similar engines . turning now to the constant block 320 , the covariance value 346 can be multiplied or otherwise adjusted by the engine - dependent function 348 to determine a “ maximum to median ” dynamics ratio 350 representative of the operation of the engine 330 . depending on prior operating performance of engine 330 , an upper specification limit ( usl ) 352 can be predefined based on the highest or maximum operating frequency or dynamic pressure that the engine 332 may be safely operated at , or any other desired upper operating limit . as represented by the median dynamics block 322 , the “ maximum to median ” dynamics ratio 350 can be adjusted or otherwise modified by the usl 352 . in this instance , maximum to median ” dynamics ratio 350 can be divided by the usl 352 to obtain a median target 354 . the median target 354 can be transmitted by the median target block 324 to be stored in memory block 326 for subsequent retrieval . ultimately , the median target 354 can be input to the model based control algorithm block 312 . utilizing the median target 354 , control of the engine 330 by the model based control algorithm block 312 may be improved since variations between cans of the engine 330 can be accounted for . control of the engine 330 in this manner can minimize the influence of poor sensor measurements by maintaining a maximum combustion dynamics limit on some or all of the cans associated with the engine 330 . in one embodiment , as the median target 354 is continuously calculated and input to the model based control algorithm block 312 , the control loop 302 - 310 , 314 - 328 , 332 - 354 is continuously “ closed ” and improved control of the engine 330 can result . in another embodiment , simultaneous or other real time processing of other operating frequencies can be performed and processed by the model 300 shown . in use , some or all of the above processes and instructions can be used , and repeated as needed , to automatically and dynamically tune combustion in multiple cans of an engine , such as a can annular combustion engine , during model execution at any particular time . in this manner , the engine can be configured to “ tune ” the operating state of the combustion dynamics algorithm model to match measured dynamic performance of the engine or other device of interest . fig4 - 9 illustrate various operating frequency data for a particular type of gas turbine engine implementing a combustion dynamics tuning model , similar to that described in fig1 - 3 , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . fig4 , 6 , and 8 illustrate operating frequency data , correlations , and proposed and estimated target values for one particular operating frequency ; whereas fig5 , 7 , and 9 illustrate operating frequency data , correlations , and proposed and estimated target values for a different operating frequency . fig4 and 5 each illustrate a series of example steady state - type operating frequency data 400 , 500 for the gas turbine engine . in both fig4 and 5 , approximately 50 data points are plotted along the x - axis 402 , 502 and the peak - to - peak dynamic pressures ( psi ) of the data points are shown against the y - axis 404 , 504 . in each figure , maximum operating frequency data 406 , 506 and median operating frequency data 408 , 508 for each data point are shown . with reference to the data in these figures , the maximum operating frequency data 506 for fig5 is relatively smooth in comparison to the maximum operating frequency data 406 for fig4 . in particular , the maximum operating frequency data 406 in fig4 appears to increase significantly between data points 24 - 30 , whereas the maximum operating frequency data 506 in fig5 remains relatively constant throughout the data points shown . generally , depending on the maximum operating frequency data , a median value , similar to the median value 334 described with respect to median block 304 in fig3 can be selected for the operating data at a particular peak frequency . for example , using the maximum operating frequency data 506 in fig5 , a median value such as the value “ 2 ” can be selected since the maximum operating data 506 appears to remain constant at approximately the value of 2 psi against the y - axis 504 . in contrast , the maximum operating frequency data 406 in fig4 would not be suitable for selecting a median value , such as the value “ 2 ”, since the data 406 is not relatively smooth for the data points shown and the significant increase shown by a portion of the data points could adversely affect any selected median value . fig6 and 7 illustrate the implementation of a combustion dynamics tuning model using the operating frequency data 400 , 500 shown in fig4 and 5 for the same gas turbine engine . in fig6 and 7 , example “ maximum to median ” correlations 600 , 700 between the respective predicted maximum operating data and measured maximum operating data of fig4 and 5 are shown . in the embodiments shown in fig6 and 7 , the following equation associated with the combustion dynamics tuning model was implemented : for the data in both figures , median values ( median ), covariances ( cov ), and engine - dependent function ( function or constant ) were determined for each data point and the resulting predicted maximum operating data was determined . determination of the median values , covariances , and engine - dependent functions are similar to the determinations and calculations described with respect to the median value 334 , covariance value 346 , and engine - dependent function 348 described in fig3 . the resulting data points of fig6 and 7 were plotted against the respective x - axis 602 , 702 indicative of the measured maximum pressure , and the y - axis 604 , 704 indicative of the predicted maximum pressure . as shown in both figures , the “ maximum to median ” correlations 600 , 700 for each set of operating frequency data are relatively straight line correlations . thus , based on these correlations , a new median target , similar to 354 shown with respect to median target block 324 in fig3 can be determined or otherwise selected for use with the combustion dynamics tuning model , similar to 300 in fig3 . turning to fig8 and 9 , the proposed peak ( pk ) median target data 800 , 900 are respectively shown . in the embodiments shown , the following equation was implemented using the other existing data to determine estimated peak ( pk ) maximum . as a result of implementation of this equation , the estimated peak ( pk ) maximum data 802 , 902 were determined . as shown by the estimated peak maximum data 802 , 902 for both operating frequencies , the implemented embodiment of the combustion dynamics tuning model can hold the upper specification limit ( usl ) closer to a value of approximately 2 psi for the particular operating frequency data of the gas turbine engine shown . many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings . thus , it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention may be embodied in many forms and should not be limited to the embodiments described above . therefore , it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims . although specific terms are employed herein , they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation .
| 5 |
while the present invention may be embodied in various forms , there will hereinafter be described some exemplary and non - limiting embodiments , with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated . in this application , the use of the disjunctive is intended to include the conjunctive . the use of definite or indefinite articles is not intended to indicate cardinality . in particular , a reference to “ the ” object or “ a ” and “ an ” object is intended to denote also one of a possible plurality of such objects . referring to fig1 - 3 , there is shown an embodiment of an apparatus or assembly 100 for securing a panel , such as a pv panel , to a substrate . as shown , apparatus 100 includes a clip assembly 102 and a c - shaped body , frame or clamp 104 , coupled to each other through a screw or bolt 106 . clip assembly 102 includes clip 102 a , having a generally u - shaped structure , and an angle - sided or generally triangular member 102 b . u - shaped clip 102 a has a central portion 108 , and a pair of raised portions or walls 110 . central portion 108 and raised walls 110 define an access region 114 . access region 114 is accessible from two ( 2 ) longitudinal sides and from above to enable unobstructed access to triangular member 102 b and to bolt 106 . raised walls 110 can be substantially perpendicular to central portion 108 . alternately , raised walls 110 can extend inwardly or outwardly over central portion 108 . central portion 108 includes a hole 116 formed therein for receipt there - through of bolt 106 , and triangular member 102 b includes a hole 118 for receipt there - through of bolt 106 , thus facilitating the coupling of clip assembly 102 to c - shaped frame 104 via bolt 106 . raised walls 110 include longitudinal flanges 120 extending substantially laterally away from access region 114 . alternately , flange 120 may be configured to extend from wall 110 in a slight downward direction , instead of forming a substantially right angle with a direction of wall 110 . c - shaped frame 104 includes a top frame portion 124 and a bottom frame portion 126 , spanned by an intermediate frame portion 128 . bottom frame portion 126 is terminated by a bottom clamp seat 130 . top frame portion 124 carries at its end , distant from the frame portion 128 , a threaded hole or an internally threaded housing 132 having a generally cylindrical shape . bottom clamp seat 130 and threaded housing 132 are separated by an opening 133 , whose size is selected to be at least slightly wider that a thickness of a substrate to which a panel is to be secured . a cross - handle 134 is slideably mounted in a transverse bore through the top end of bolt 106 , and a nut 136 is threaded on bolt 106 to be positioned between the triangular member 102 b , positioned within access region 114 of clip 102 a , and cross - handle 136 . during operation , elongated bolt 106 can adjustably penetrate through internally threaded housing 132 to press an object , such as a substrate , via a free bottom end of bolt 106 against bottom clamp seat 130 . now referring to fig4 , 5 a and 5 b , a plurality of assemblies 100 are used to secure a plurality of panels 402 to a plurality of benches or seating substrates 404 . as best seen in fig5 a and 5b , c - shaped frames 104 and bolts 106 are used to securely affix the corresponding assemblies 100 to benches 404 . by tightening nuts 136 , clip assemblies 102 are biased , via flanges 120 , against top ends or edges of panels 402 while bottom surfaces of panels 402 are pressed against benches 404 . for this securing of panels 402 to benches 404 , triangular members 102 b are configured to have one of their respective internal angles match the vertical angle formed by an oblique straight line connecting consecutive forward edges of vertically adjacent benches 404 and a horizontal line sharing a vertical plane with the oblique straight line . in another embodiment , triangular member 102 b is configured to include a manually adjustable internal angle . for this embodiment , triangular member 102 b may include an internal mechanism , controlled manually externally , that adjusts the adjustable internal angle so as to match it to an incline angle of the substrate to which assembly 100 is to be secured . in yet another embodiment , triangular member 102 b is configured to include an automatically adjustable internal angle . for this embodiment , triangular member 102 b may include an internal mechanism that automatically adjusts , during operation , the adjustable internal angle to an incline angle of the substrate to which assembly 100 is being secured . now referring to fig6 , 7 a and 7 b , assembly 100 is used to secure a couple of panels 402 to a couple of adjacent seats 704 . as best seen in fig7 a and 7b , c - shaped frame 104 and bolt 106 are used to securely affix assembly 100 to a seat arm 706 separating adjacent seats 704 . by tightening corresponding nuts 136 , clip assemblies 102 are biased , via flanges 120 , against top ends or edges of panels 402 , while bottom surfaces of panels 402 are pressed against both a forward edge 708 of seat arm 706 and a top end 710 of a seat back 712 . triangular members 102 b , selected for this securing of panels 402 to seats 704 , have one of their respective internal angles match the vertical angle formed by an oblique straight line connecting forward edges of arm 706 and top end 710 and a horizontal line sharing a vertical plane with the oblique straight line . alternately , as discussed above , triangular members 102 b , selected for this securing of panels 402 to seats 704 , may have a manually adjustable internal angle or an automatically adjustable angle so match the incline angle of the line connecting forward edges of arm 706 and top end 710 . now referring to fig8 and 9 , an embodiment of an alternate assembly 800 is shown . assembly 800 is substantially assembly 100 augmented with an additional clip assembly 802 , an alternate bolt 806 , and an additional nut 808 . when assembly 800 is used to securely affix a panel to a substrate , clip assemblies 102 and 802 are biased against top edges and bottom edges of the panel , respectively , via nuts 136 and 808 , respectively . clip assembly 802 is similar to assembly clip 102 , in that it includes a clip 802 a and a triangular member 802 b . triangular member 802 b preferably has one internal angle equal to that of triangular 102 b , when they are used together to hold or capture a panel , having sides with substantially parallel edges , therebetween flanges 120 and 820 , of clips 102 a and 802 a , respectively . now referring to fig1 , an embodiment of another alternate assembly 1000 is shown . assembly 1000 is configured to have a different clip 1002 than that of assembly 100 . unlike assembly 100 , assembly 1000 is configured to include only one raised wall 1110 . assembly 1000 is configured to be used to secure an end panel to a substrate . as such , assembly 1000 includes only one flange 1020 to be in contact with the end panel . now referring to fig1 , a side view of an embodiment of assembly 100 , 800 or 1000 is shown . typically , a pv panel includes a circumferential frame ( not shown ), having a substantially u - shaped cross - section , that surrounds it preferably from all sides . to improve the securing of the panel , flanges 120 , 820 and 1020 of clips 102 a , 802 a and 1002 a , respectively , may include teeth 1101 that point substantially downward . as such , during the securing of assembly 100 , 800 or 1000 to a substrate , flanges 120 , 820 or 1020 are engaged to the circumferential frame via teeth 1101 . in another embodiment , to ensure good grounding of a pv panel , for example , each element or member of assembly 100 is formed of conductive material or at least includes or is covered with a conductive outer surface . as such , teethed clip 102 a , bolt 106 and c - shaped frame 104 provide an electrical connection between a pv panel and a conductive supporting substrate , to ensure good grounding of the pv panel . alternately , if the supporting substrate is formed of a non - conductive material , assembly 100 may be equipped with a grounding electrical wire ( not shown ) that may extend to a grounding element . while certain embodiments of the present invention have been described , it will be appreciated that changes and modifications can be made and that other embodiments may be devised without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention .
| 8 |
the following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention , and is provided in the context of particular applications and their requirements . various modifications to the exemplary embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art , and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . thus , the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown , but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein . as noted above , the carry save adder method is a known method . however , it has not yet been implemented in a pld using hardwired adders to add the sums and shifted carrys to produce the final result . in the present invention , the carry save adder method is implemented using a hardwired adder to add the sums and shifted carrys . moreover , some carrys from one le are shared with the following le . this is illustrated in the following figures . in the present invention , carrys are shifted relative to the sums in the sense that an n - th carry bit is added to an ( n + 1 )- th sum bit , where n is an integer . fig2 a is a block diagram of two les of the present invention . in fig2 a , le 205 includes luts 210 , 215 , 220 , and 225 . additionally , it includes adders 216 and 226 . similarly , le 255 includes luts 260 , 265 , 270 , and 275 . additionally , it includes adders 266 and 276 . in one embodiment , adders 266 and 276 are hardwired adders . luts 210 and 215 provide the sums and carrys results for the n - th bit of the binary numbers x , y , and z . in other words , they provide the sums and carrys results for the x [ n ], y [ n ], and z [ n ] bits . luts 220 and 225 provide the sums and carrys results for the ( n + 1 )- th bit of the binary numbers x , y , and z . in other words , they provide the sums and carrys results for the x [ n + 1 ], y [ n + 1 ], and z [ n + 1 ] bits . luts 260 and 265 provide the sums and carrys results for the ( n + 2 )- th bit of the binary numbers x , y , and z . in other words , they provide the sums and carrys results for the x [ n + 2 ], y [ n + 2 ], and z [ n + 2 ] bits . luts 270 and 275 provide the sums and carrys results for the ( n + 3 )- th bit of the binary numbers x , y , and z . in other words , they provide the sums and carrys results for the x [ n + 3 ], y [ n + 3 ], and z [ n + 3 ] bits . adder 216 receives data from lut 210 . if le 205 is the first le in a lab , then adder 216 also receives ground signals . otherwise , if le 205 is not the first le in a lab , then adder 216 receives the output signals of a carry lut ( i . e ., a lut that determines the carrys for the ( n − 1 )- th bit ). additionally , if n is not the first bit to be output as a result of adding x , y , and z , then adder 216 also receives a carry over signal from the previous le . the carry over signal is received on line 290 , which is part of the carry chain for adders 216 , 226 , 266 , and 276 . if n is the first bit to be output as a result of adding x , y , and z , then adder 216 would receive a ground signal on line 290 . adder 216 outputs the final result for the n - th bit . it also outputs a carry over signal that is sent to adder 226 via line 290 . adder 226 receives data from luts 215 and 220 . in other words , it receives the carrys for the n - th bit and the sums for the ( n + 1 )- th bit . moreover , adder 226 receives the carry over signal from adder 216 via line 290 . adder 226 outputs the final result for the ( n + 1 )- th bit . it also outputs a carry over signal that is sent to adder 266 via line 290 . adder 266 receives data from luts 225 and 260 . in other words , it receives the carrys for the ( n + 1 )- th bit and the sums for the ( n + 2 )- th bit . moreover , adder 266 receives the carry over signal from adder 226 via line 290 . adder 266 outputs the final result for the ( n + 2 )- th bit . it also outputs a carry over signal that is sent to adder 266 via line 290 . adder 276 receives data from luts 265 and 270 . in other words , it receives the carrys for the ( n + 2 )- th bit and the sums for the ( n + 3 )- th bit . moreover , adder 266 receives the carry over signal from adder 266 via line 290 . adder 276 outputs the final result for the ( n + 3 )- th bit . it also outputs a carry over signal that is sent to the first adder in the next le via line 290 . as can be seen in fig2 a , the output of lut 275 is not used by either le 205 or le 255 . instead , the output of lut 275 , which is the carrys for the ( n + 3 )- th bit are shared with the le following le 255 . each of the sum luts , such as luts 210 , 220 , 260 , and 270 , receives one bit of data from each of the binary numbers x , y , and z , and outputs a one bit signal that represents the sum of the three bits received . for example , lut 210 receive the n - th bit of the binary numbers x , y , and z and outputs the sum of those three bits . in other words , it receives the bits x [ n ], y [ n ], and z [ n ] and outputs x [ n ]( xor ) y [ n ]( xor ) z [ n ], where xor represents the boolean exclusive or function . fig2 b illustrates an exemplary logic circuit that performs the function of a sum lut that receives the binary numbers x , y , and z , and outputs x ( xor ) y ( xor ) z in response thereto . as can be seen in fig2 b , inputs signals x , y , and z are xor - ed by the xor gate 291 , which outputs the signal x ( xor ) y ( xor ) z . it is to be noted that other logical circuits may also perform the function of receiving three binary bits and outputting the sum thereof . each of the carry luts , such as luts 215 , 225 , 265 , and 275 , receives one bit of data from each of the binary numbers x , y , and z , and outputs a one bit signal that represents the carry resulting from adding the three bits received . for example , lut 215 receive the n - th bit of the binary numbers x , y , and z and outputs the carry resulting from adding those three bits . in other words , it receives the bits x [ n ], y [ n ], and z [ n ] and outputs ( x [ n ]( and ) y [ n ])( or )( x [ n ]( and ) z [ n ])( or )( y [ n ]( and ) z [ n ]), where and represents the boolean and function , and or represents the boolean or function . fig2 c illustrates an exemplary logic circuit that performs the function of a carry lut that receives the binary numbers x , y , and z , and outputs ( x ( and ) y )( or )( x ( and ) z )( or )( y ( and ) z ) in response thereto . as can be seen in fig2 c , and gate 292 receives x and y and outputs the result x ( and ) y . the and gate 293 receives x and z and outputs the result x ( and ) z . the and gate 294 receives y and z and outputs the result y ( and ) z . the or gate 295 receives the outputs of and gates 292 , 293 , and 294 , and outputs the signal { x ( and ) y }( or ){ x ( and ) z }( or ){ y ( and ) z } in response thereto . it is to be noted that other logical circuits may also perform the function of receiving three binary bits and outputting the carry resulting from adding those bits . it is to be noted that the carry over signals that are determined by adders 216 , 226 , 266 , and 276 and carried on line 290 are not the same as the carry signals determined in luts 215 , 225 , 265 , and 275 , which are also herein referred to as a share carry signals . the carry over signal is the carry signal resulting from adding the signals input to the adder . for example , the carry over signal output by adder 226 is the carry signal resulting from adding the signals received from luts 215 and 220 and from adder 216 via line 290 . the share carry signal is the carry signal in the carry adder save process . it is the carry result of adding the binary numbers x , y , and z . in one embodiment , each of adders 216 , 226 , 266 , and 276 may be implemented using logic circuits such as those shown in fig2 b and 2c . the three input signals to the adder would be provided to both of the logic circuits . one logic circuit , such as that shown in fig2 b , would output the sum of the three input signals . that sum would represent the one bit sum of the corresponding bits of the numbers x , y , and z and would be provided as an output of the le . the other logic circuit , such as that shown in fig2 c , would output the carry resulting from adding the three input signals . the carry signal would be provided to the following adder on line 290 as a carry over signal . it is to be noted that when logic circuits , such as those shown in fig2 b and 2c , are used in an adder , such as for example , adder 216 , the input signals to the logic circuits are not x , y , and z . instead , they are the three input signals that adder 216 receives as shown in fig2 a and described above . it is also to be noted that other logic circuits , besides those shown in fig2 b and 2c , may be used to perform the function of adding three bits of numbers and providing their sum and carry results . fig3 is a more detailed block diagram of an le 205 of the present invention . in fig3 , luts 312 and 313 in conjunction with multiplexer 314 correspond to lut 210 . those skilled in the art know that two 3 input luts ( such as luts 312 and 313 ) in combination with a 2 : 1 multiplexer ( such as multiplexer 314 ) are functionally the same as a 4 input lut ( such as lut 210 ). luts 317 and 318 in conjunction with multiplexer 319 correspond to lut 215 . luts 322 and 323 in conjunction with multiplexer 324 correspond to lut 220 . luts 327 and 328 in conjunction with multiplexer 329 correspond to lut 225 . multiplexers 314 and 319 receive the signal d 0 as a select signal . multiplexers 324 and 329 receive the signal d 1 as a select signal . le 205 in fig3 also includes multiplexers 331 , 332 , 341 , 342 , 381 , 386 , and 391 . the input terminals of multiplexer 331 are coupled to the output terminals of multiplexers 314 and 319 . multiplexer 331 receives the signal e as a select signal . using select signal e , multiplexer 331 selects as an output signal one of the two input signals that it receives , i . e ., the output signals of multiplexers 314 and 319 . the input terminals of multiplexer 332 are coupled to the output terminals of luts 317 and 318 . multiplexer 332 receives the signal e as a select signal . using select signal e , multiplexer 332 selects as an output signal one of the two input signals that it receives , i . e ., the output signals of luts 317 and 318 . the input terminals of multiplexer 341 are coupled to the output terminals of multiplexers 324 and 329 . multiplexer 341 receives the signal e as a select signal . using select signal e , multiplexer 341 selects as an output signal one of the two input signals that it receives , i . e ., the output signals of multiplexers 324 and 329 . the input terminals of multiplexer 342 are coupled to the output terminals of luts 327 and 328 . multiplexer 342 receives the signal f as a select signal . using select signal f , multiplexer 342 selects as an output signal one of the two input signals that it receives , i . e ., the output signals of luts 327 and 328 . multiplexer 381 receives the output signal of multiplexer 332 on an original input terminal and a shared signal from the previous le on a new input terminal . multiplexer 391 receives the output signal of multiplexer 319 on a new input terminal and the output signal of multiplexer 342 on an original input terminal . when the le is set to operate in the addition of three binary numbers mode , each of multiplexers 381 and 391 is set to select the input signal that it receives on its new input terminal . in other words , multiplexer 381 selects as an output signal the shared signal it receives from the multiplexer of the previous le and multiplexer 391 selects as an output signal the signal that it receives from the multiplexer 319 . when the le is not set to operate in the addition of three binary numbers mode , as , for example , when it is set to operate in the addition of two binary numbers mode or a non - arithmetic mode , then each of multiplexers 381 and 391 is set to select the input signal that it receives on its original input terminal . in other words , multiplexer 381 selects as an output signal the signal that it receives from multiplexer 332 , and multiplexer 391 selects as an output signal the signal that it receives from the multiplexer 342 . the output terminals of multiplexers 381 and 391 are coupled to adders 216 and 226 , respectively . thus , adder 216 receives the output signal of multiplexer 381 as an input signal and adder 226 receives the output signal of multiplexer 391 as an input signal . adder 216 also receives the output signal of multiplexer 314 and a signal on line 290 . the signal that adder 216 receives on line 290 is either a carry over signal from a previous le or a ground signal if le 205 outputs the first bit resulting from adding the binary numbers x , y , and z . adder 226 also receives the output signal of multiplexer 324 and a signal on line 290 . the signal that adder 226 receives on line 290 is the carry over signal from adder 216 . when multiplexer 381 selects the input signal that it receives on the new input terminal , then the output signal of adder 216 is fn ( a , b , c 0 , d 0 )+ fn ( a , b , c 0 , e ). in other words , the output signal is the sum of ( 1 ) a function of the input signals received on terminals a , b , c 0 , d 0 and ( 2 ) a function of the input signals received on terminals a , b , c 0 , e . when multiplexer 381 selects the input signal that it receives on the original input terminal , then the output signal of adder 216 is a , b , c 0 , d 0 and prva , prvb , prvc 1 , prvd 1 . in other words , the output signal is the sum of ( 1 ) the signals received on terminals a , b , c 0 , d 0 and ( 2 ) the signals received on the a , b , c 1 , and d 1 terminals of the le preceding le 205 . when multiplexer 391 selects the input signal that it receives on the new input terminal , then the output signal of adder 226 is fn ( a , b , c 1 , d 1 )+ fn ( a , b , c 1 , f ). in other words , the output signal is the sum of ( 1 ) a function of the input signals received on terminals a , b , c 1 , d 1 and ( 2 ) a function of the input signals received on terminals a , b , c 1 , f . when multiplexer 391 selects the input signal that it receives on the original input terminal , then the output signal of adder 226 is a , b , c 1 , d 1 and a , b , c 0 , d 0 . in other words , the output signal is the sum of ( 1 ) the signals received on terminals a , b , c 1 , d 1 and ( 2 ) the signals received on the terminals a , b , c 0 , and d 0 of le 205 . it is to be noted that in one embodiment , le 205 may be used for the addition of three binary numbers without including multiplexers 381 and 391 . for example , the terminal on which the shared input signal is received may be hardwired to an input terminal of the adder 216 . similarly , the output terminal of multiplexer 319 may be hardwired to an input terminal of the adder 226 . such an embodiment would allow saving the die area that would otherwise be occupied by multiplexers 381 and 391 . it would also save the die area that would otherwise by occupied by the 1 - bit ram for providing the select signal to multiplexers 381 and 391 . finally , it would save the die area that would otherwise by occupied by multiplexers 332 and 342 . also , in such an embodiment , the output signals of adders 216 and 226 are the same as those described above when multiplexers 381 and 391 select the signals received on the new input terminals . the input terminals of multiplexer 386 are coupled to the output terminals of multiplexers 331 and 341 . multiplexer 386 receives the f signal as a select signal . using the f signal , multiplexer 386 selects as an output signal one of the two signals that it receives as input signals ( i . e ., the output signals of multiplexers 331 and 341 ). the output signal of multiplexer 386 is fn ( a , b , c , d , e , f ). in other words , it is a function of the signals received on terminals a , b , c , d , e , and f of le 205 . the output signal of multiplexer 329 is provided to the next le , i . e ., le 255 ( shown in fig2 a ). more specifically , it is provided as an input signal to hardwired adder 266 in le 255 ( both of which are shown in fig2 a ). the output signal of multiplexer 329 is a shared carry signal . as shown in fig2 a , each le outputs two bits of data resulting from adding the binary numbers x , y , and z . as further shown in fig3 , in addition to the two adder outputs , i . e ., the outputs of adders 216 and 226 , le 205 also outputs a signal fn ( a , b , c , d , e , f ) that is a logical function of the input signals a , b , c , d , e , and f . fig4 is a schematic diagram illustrating , by way of example , the benefits of using a ternary adder tree 405 ( where each adder adds three binary numbers ) instead of a binary adder tree 410 ( where each adder adds two binary numbers ). in the example of fig4 , there are 128 binary numbers that are to be added . the addition of 128 binary numbers may , for example , occur in a large finite input response (“ fir ”) filter . in the example shown in fig4 , in the case of the binary adder tree 410 , there are seven levels of adders and 127 adders 411 ( not all of which are shown in fig4 ) required to produce a result . by contrast , in the case of the ternary adder tree 405 , there are 5 levels of adders and 64 adders 406 ( not all of which are shown in fig4 ) required to produce a result . thus , using a ternary adder tree , instead of a binary adder tree , results in an approximately 50 % reduction in the number of adders needed . this reduces the chip area required to implement the adder tree by approximately 50 %. the reduction in the number of adder levels increases the speed with which the 128 binary numbers can be added . in the example of fig4 , the ternary adder tree 405 provides an approximately 33 % improvement in speed over the binary adder tree 410 . the adder tree accounts for the bulk of digital signal processing (“ dsp ”) applications such as fir filters as well as appearing in multipliers and general arithmetic logic . this makes the area savings attractive for common classes of circuits . those skilled in the art will recognize that adders 406 or 411 are not the same as adders 216 , 226 , 266 , or 276 ( shown in fig2 and 3 ). instead , each of adders 406 includes a combination of luts , multiplexers , and hardwired adders used to implement an adder for adding three binary numbers . similarly , each of adders 411 includes lut ( s ), multiplexer ( s ), and / or hardwired adders needed to implement an adder for adding two binary numbers . fig5 illustrates , by way of example , a pld 510 in a data processing system 500 . as one example , logic circuits of this invention may be implemented in les of plds such as pld 510 . pld 510 includes a plurality of labs such as lab 512 ( only one lab is shown to avoid overcomplicating the drawing ). lab 512 includes a plurality of les such as le 205 ( only one le is shown to avoid overcomplicating the drawing ). in one embodiment , le 205 and lab 511 are on the same die / chip as pld 510 . data processing system 500 may include one or more of the following components : a processor 540 ; memory 550 ; input / output ( i / o ) circuitry 520 ; and peripheral devices 530 . these components are coupled together by a system bus 565 and are populated on a circuit board 560 which is contained in an end - user system 570 . a data processing system such as system 500 may include a single end - user system such as end - user system 570 or may include a plurality of systems working together as a data processing system . system 500 can be used in a wide variety of applications , such as computer networking , data networking , instrumentation , video processing , dsp , or any other application where the advantage of using programmable or reprogrammable logic is desirable . pld 510 can be used to perform a variety of different logic functions . for example , pld 510 can be configured as a processor or controller that works in cooperation with processor 540 ( or , in alternative embodiments , a pld might itself act as the sole system processor ). pld 510 may also be used as an arbiter for arbitrating access to a shared resources in system 500 . in yet another example , pld 510 can be configured as an interface between processor 540 and one of the other components in system 500 . it should be noted that system 500 is only exemplary . in one embodiment , system 500 is a digital system . as used herein a digital system is not intended to be limited to a purely digital system , but also encompasses hybrid systems that include both digital and analog subsystems . while the present invention has been particularly described with respect to the illustrated embodiments , it will be appreciated that various alterations , modifications and adaptations may be made based on the present disclosure , and are intended to be within the scope of the present invention . while the invention has been described in connection with what are presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but , on the contrary , is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the scope of the appended claims .
| 6 |
fig1 is a block diagram depicting an electronic data system 100 incorporating a data storage system 104 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention . in general , the data storage system 104 may be interconnected to one or more host processors or computers 108 by a host bus and / or network 112 . accordingly , embodiments of the present invention have applications in association with single or multiple hosts 108 in storage area network ( san ) or direct connect environments . with reference now to fig2 , components that may be included in a data storage system 104 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention are illustrated . in general , the data storage system 104 includes a number of storage devices 204 a - f . examples of storage devices 204 include hard disk drives , such as serial advanced technology attachment ( sata ), small computer system interface ( scsi ), serial attached scsi ( sas ), fiber channel ( fc ) or parallel advanced technology attachment ( pata ) hard disk drives . other examples of storage devices 204 include magnetic tape storage devices , optical storage devices or solid state disk devices . furthermore , although a number of storage devices 204 are illustrated , it should be appreciated embodiments of the present invention are not limited to any particular number of storage devices , and that a lesser or greater number of storage devices 204 may be provided as part of a data storage system 104 . as can be appreciated by one of skill in the art , arrays and / or array partitions , hereinafter referred to as logical unit numbers ( luns ) may be established on the data storage devices 204 . as can further be appreciated by one of skill in the art , a lun may be implemented in accordance with any one of the various raid array levels or other arrangements for storing data on one or more storage devices 204 . as can also be appreciated by one of skill in the art , data stored within logical unit numbers may be associated with a logical block address ( lba ) that identifies a block and a bitmap that identifies a sector within the array at which a sector of data is stored . a data storage system 104 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention may be provided with a first controller slot 208 a and a second controller slot 208 b . as can be appreciated by one of skill in the art , a controller slot 208 may comprise a connection or set of connections to enable a controller 212 to be operably interconnected to other components of the data storage system 104 . furthermore , a data storage system 104 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention includes a pair of controllers 212 a - b . for example , the data storage system 104 may be operated in a dual controller mode , such as a dual controller redundant active - active controller mode . the first controller 212 a is received by the first controller slot 208 a , while the second controller 212 b is received by the second controller slot 208 b . as can be appreciated by one of skill in the art , the provision of two controllers 212 a - b permits data to be mirrored between the controllers 212 a - b , providing redundant controller operation . furthermore , a data storage system 104 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention can provide an active - active dual controller mode of operation , according to which the first controller 212 a operates as the primary controller with respect to a first set of luns while the second controller 212 b operates as the secondary controller with respect to the first set of luns , and according to which the second controller 212 b operates as the primary controller with respect to a second set of luns while the primary controller 212 a operates as the secondary controller with respect to the second set of luns . as can also be appreciated by one of skill in the art , the controller slots 208 may be configured such that a controller 212 may be removed from or added to the data storage system 104 relatively easily , to facilitate upgrade and / or maintenance operations . for example , the controller slots 208 may facilitate the provision of a controller 212 as a field replaceable unit ( fru ) that can be added to the data storage system 104 or replaced as part of a plug - in type operation . one or more storage device buses or channels 216 are generally provided to interconnect with a controller or controllers 212 a - b , through the associated controller slot or slots 208 a - b , to the storage devices 204 . furthermore , while illustrated as a single shared storage device bus or channel 216 , it can be appreciated that a number of dedicated and / or shared storage device buses or channels may be provided . the storage device bus or channel 216 may , for example , comprise an sata , scsi , sas , fc or pata bus or channel . the storage device bus or channel 216 may also serve to interconnect the controllers 212 a - b , for example to pass frames of customer data and associated metadata between the controllers as described herein . alternatively or in addition , a link channel 218 may be provided to interconnect the controllers 212 a - b . additional components that may be included in a data storage system 104 include one or more power supplies 128 and one or more cooling units 132 . in addition , a bus or network interface 136 may be provided to interconnect the data storage system 104 to the host bus or network 112 . in accordance with other embodiments of the present invention , the controllers 212 may be interconnected to the host bus or network 112 directly . with reference now to fig3 , aspects of a controller 212 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention are illustrated . in general , a controller 212 includes a processor subsystem 304 capable of executing instructions for performing , implementing and / or controlling various controller 212 functions . such instructions may be stored as software and / or firmware . furthermore , instructions carried out by the processor subsystem 304 may comprise the operation of hardwired logic . for example , operations of a controller 212 related to creating frames of customer data and associated metadata may be performed by executing instructions stored in software or firmware . as a further example , operations concerning the generation of parity data may be performed using hardwired logic circuits provided as part of the processor subsystem 304 . accordingly , the processor subsystem 304 may be implemented as a number of discrete components , such as one or more programmable processors in combination with one or more hardwired logic circuits . the processor subsystem 304 may also include or be implemented as one or more integrated devices , including , for example , application specific integrated circuits ( asics ). a controller 212 also generally includes memory 308 . the memory 308 is divided or partitioned into at least first and second partitions comprising a write cache 312 and a read cache 316 . as can be appreciated by one of skill in the art , by providing caches 312 , 316 , a controller can improve the speed of input / output ( io ) operations between a host 108 and the data storage devices 204 comprising an array or array partition . as can further be appreciated by one of skill in the art , a controller 212 typically reports to the relevant host 108 that a write operation has been completed after data associated with that operation has been written to the write cache 312 . as can also be appreciated by one of skill in the art , the indication that a write operation has been completed will generally be given to the host even though data has not yet been successfully written to a data storage device or devices 204 . therefore , while providing this early indication of the completion of a write is advantageous in that it allows the host 108 to discard the data provided as part of the write operation , improving overall data system 100 performance , it risks the loss of that data should the controller 212 , the target device or devices 204 , the bus or channel 216 interconnecting the controller 212 to the source device or devices 204 , or some other component or operation fail . for this reason , it is often considered desirable to provide dual redundant controllers 212 in which data comprising a write operation being primarily handled by one controller 212 is mirrored to a partner controller 212 . the memory 308 of the first controller 212 a and the memory 308 of the second controller 212 b have the same memory map and the same memory size . the memory 308 is not specifically limited to memory of any particular type . for example , the memory 308 may comprise a solid state memory device . as a further example , the memory 308 may comprise a number of solid state memory devices . in a typical implementation , the memory 308 comprises volatile memory . in order to support the mirroring of data , the write cache 312 is segmented into first and second segments 320 and 324 . one segment 320 is used to cache write operations that the controller 212 is primarily responsible for ( i . e ., write operations involving luns owned by the subject controller 212 ). the second segment ( e . g ., segment 324 ) is , according to embodiments of the present invention , used as a cache for data involving write operations associated with luns that are not owned by or zoned to the subject controller 212 . that is , the second segment 324 of the write cache 312 is used in connection with luns that are separable from those directed to luns associated with the first segment 320 , and in particular is used as a write cache for data mirrored from a partner controller 212 when the subject controller 212 is associated with a data storage system 104 operating in a dual controller mode . a controller 212 may additionally include other components . for example , a bus and / or network interface 328 may be provided for operably interconnecting the controller 212 to the host processors or computers 108 , for example through a controller slot 208 and a host bus or channel 112 . furthermore , the interface 328 may be physically configured to facilitate removal or replacement of the controller 212 in a controller slot 208 as a field replaceable unit ( fru ). with reference to fig4 , components and / or tasks that may be included in or performed by a processor subsystem 304 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention are illustrated . such components may include a processor 404 capable of executing instructions in connection with performing , implementing and / or controlling various controller 212 functions . the instructions may be stored as software and / or firmware . for example , an application or instruction set comprising controller operating instructions 412 and an application or instruction set comprising a data mirroring application 416 as described herein may be maintained by or included in the processor subsystem 304 . functions of the processor 404 that may be performed in connection with the execution of controller operating instructions 412 include , for example , the distribution of data across multiple storage devices 204 , the detection of power outages and the transfer of data held in the write cache 312 to non - volatile memory 324 in response to the detection of power outages . functions of the processor 404 that may be performed in connection with the execution of the data mirroring application 416 include the generation of data frames and associated metadata on a controller 212 operating as a primary controller 212 , as described herein . in addition , through execution of the data mirroring application 416 on a controller 212 operating as a secondary controller 212 , the processor 404 may function to place metadata and customer data in appropriate areas of memory , to maintain a count value that is incremented for each received frame , and to assign a current count value to a received frame . furthermore , although various discrete devices can be used to implement a processor subsystem 304 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention , other embodiments of a processor subsystem 304 may include components that are at least partially integrated . for example , a processor subsystem 304 may incorporate or be implemented as a central processing unit ( cpu ), microprocessor , digital signal processor ( dsp ) or application specific integrated circuit ( asic ). with reference to fig5 , aspects of the operation of a data storage system 104 incorporating a pair of controllers 212 implementing data mirroring in accordance with embodiments of the present invention are illustrated . initially , at step 500 , a chunk of customer data is received from a host processor or computer 108 at the primary controller 212 ( e . g . first controller 212 a ) of a controller pair 212 providing redundant operation . the primary controller 212 places at least a portion of the chunk of customer data in a frame , determines the lun and lba for the customer data , and inserts a head in the frame describing the raid array ( lun ) and the logical block address ( lba ) of the data included in the frame ( step 504 ). metadata in addition to the lun and lba may also be included in the head of the frame . at step 508 , the primary controller 212 places the customer data included in the frame and the associated metadata in memory 308 . more particularly , the customer data and the associated metadata may be placed in different locations included in the segment 320 of the write cache 312 that is used to cache write operations that the controller 212 is primarily responsible for ( i . e ., write operations involving luns owned by the subject controller 212 ). the frame of customer data and associated metadata is then sent to the secondary controller 212 ( e . g . second controller 212 b )( step 512 ). the secondary controller 212 receives the frame , increments a count value held by a counter , and assigns the current count value to the received frame ( step 516 ). in accordance with embodiments of the present invention , the counter may be established and maintained by the data mirroring application or task 416 of the processor subsystem 304 of the secondary controller 212 . the secondary controller 212 then places the customer data in memory 308 and places the metadata , including the lun , lba and assigned count value for the customer data in the memory 308 at a location that is different than the location of the customer data but that is indexed to the location of the customer data ( step 520 ). accordingly , the association of the customer data in the received frame and the metadata for that customer data is maintained by storing the metadata in a location in memory 308 that corresponds to the location of the customer data in memory 308 . in accordance with embodiments of the present invention , the customer data from the received frame and the associated metadata may be placed in different locations of the write cache 312 included in the memory 308 provided as part of the secondary controller 212 . more particularly , the secondary controller 212 may place the data from the received frame and the associated metadata in different locations within the segment 324 of memory 308 that is used as a cache for data involving write operations associated with luns that are not owned by or zoned to the subject controller 212 . that is , the second segment 324 of the write cache 312 is used in connection with luns that are separable from those directed to luns associated with the first segment 320 , and in particular is used as a write cache for data mirrored from a partner controller 212 . moreover , the address of the metadata in the memory 308 of the primary controller 212 is the same as the address of the copy of that metadata in memory 308 of the secondary controller 212 . similarly , the address of the customer data in the memory 308 of the primary controller 212 is the same as the address of the copy of that customer data in the memory 308 of the secondary controller 212 . at step 524 a determination is made as to whether there is additional data from the received chunk that remains to be placed into a frame , associated with metadata , and mirrored from the primary controller 212 to the secondary controller 212 . if additional data remains to be mirrored , the next portion of the received chunk of data is obtained or identified ( step 528 ), and the process returns to step 504 . if no more data from the received chunk remains to be mirrored from the primary controller 212 to the secondary controller 212 , the process for mirroring customer data may end . as can be appreciated by one of skill in the art from the description provided herein , embodiments of the present invention provide for the mirroring of a segment of customer data from a primary controller 212 to a secondary controller 212 in a single message or frame , without requiring a separate message and without causing the generation of an interrupt on the second controller 212 in order to provide the second controller with metadata for the segment of customer data . in addition , it can be appreciated that in an active - active arrangement , one controller 212 may operate as the primary controller 212 with respect to operations involving a first set of luns , while that same controller 212 may operate as a secondary controller 212 with respect to operations involving a second set of luns . with reference to fig6 , aspects of the operation of a storage system 104 in connection with a failover condition in which the primary controller 212 has failed and the secondary controller 212 performs write operations ( i . e ., writes data from the write cache that was mirrored from the primary controller 212 ) on behalf of the primary controller 212 are illustrated . initially , a determination is made as to whether the primary controller 212 is in a failover condition that requires writing data mirrored to the secondary controller 212 to one or more storage devices 204 ( step 600 ). if the primary controller is not in a failover condition , the process may idle at step 600 . if the primary controller 212 is determined to be in a failover condition , the secondary controller reads through the mirrored metadata in its memory 308 ( step 604 ). a determination is then made as to whether the metadata for one frame of customer data includes an lba and an lun that matches the lba and lun for another frame of data in the secondary controller &# 39 ; s 212 memory 308 ( step 608 ). if frames with matching lbas and luns are identified by the secondary controller 212 , the secondary controller 212 identifies which of the frames is oldest by comparing the count values assigned to the frames ( step 612 ). after identifying the oldest frame , that frame is discarded ( step 620 ), and the remaining frame is made available for writing to the storage device or devices 204 ( step 624 ). once the oldest frames with lbas and luns that match the lbas and luns of newer frames are identified and discarded , or after determining that there are no matches between the lbas and luns of any of the cached data frames , the remaining frames are written to the storage device or devices 204 ( step 628 ). accordingly , redundancy with respect to write operations pending in the primary controller 212 when that controller 212 fails is provided by a secondary controller 212 that receives frames of mirrored data that include metadata as described herein . the foregoing discussion of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description . further , the description is not intended to limit the invention to the form disclosed herein . consequently , variations and modifications commensurate with the above teachings , within the skill or knowledge of the relevant art , are within the scope of the present invention . the embodiments described hereinabove are further intended to explain the best mode presently known of practicing the invention and to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention in such or in other embodiments and with the various modifications required by their particular application or use of the invention . it is intended that the appended claims be construed to include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted by the prior art .
| 6 |
the other resin added to polyethylene terephthalate ( referred to as the blend resin ) may be suitably chosen from among resins which can be extruded at 270 °- 350 ° c . e . g . polyolefin resins such as polyethylene or polypropylene , polyether resins such as polyethylene glycol , polyoxymethylene and polyoxypropylene , urethane resins such as polyester polyurethanes and polyether polyurethanes , and polycarbonates or polystyrenes . two or more of the aforesaid blend resins may also be used in conjunction . the blending ratio of the polyethylene terephthalate and the blend resin is suitably determined according to the polymerization degree and type of blend resin , but in the case of polyolefin resins , this ratio in terms of weight preferably lies in the range 100 : 0 - 80 : 20 . if the blending ratio of the blend resin is greater than 20 weight %, the toughness of the photographic printing paper support decreases , and its surface smoothness is unsatisfactory . if a resin other than a polyolefin resin is used , the aforesaid blending ratio may lie in the range 100 : 0 - 40 : 60 . if the blending ratio of the blend resin exceeds 60 weight %, the curl of the support with time cannot be adequately prevented . the titanium oxide used in this invention may be in the anatase or rutile form , and its average particle size should lie in the range 0 . 1 - 0 . 8 , μm . if this particle size is less than 0 . 1 μm , it is difficult to disperse it evenly throughout the resin layer . if on the other hand it is greater than 0 . 8 μm , flatness of the photographic printing paper support surface cannot be obtained , and the whiteness is unsatisfactory . it is further desirable that the amount of titanium oxide lies in the range 2 - 20 weight %. it is preferable that the average particle size of calcium carbonate used in this invention lies in the range 0 . 01 - 1 . 5 μm . if this particle size is less than 0 . 01 μm , dispersion is difficult as in the case of the aforesaid titanium oxide , while if it is greater than 1 . 51 μm , flatness of the photographic printing paper support surface cannot be obtained . it is further desirable that the amount of calcium carbonate lies in the range 1 - 30 weight %. the titanium oxide or calcium carbonate may be easily mixed with the aforesaid polyethylene terephthalate by any of the usual methods . in order to manufacture the photographic printing paper support of this invention , one surface of the raw paper is covered by a composition comprising polyethylene terephthalate resin or polyethylene terephthalate resin mixed with a blend resin and titanium oxide so as to form the surface to be emulsion - coated , and the other surface of the raw paper is coated with a composition comprising polyethylene terephthalate resin or polyethylene terephthalate resin mixed with a blend resin and calcium carbonate . it is preferable that the thickness of the resin layer covering each side of the raw paper lies in the range 5 - 50 μm and particularly preferable that it lies in the range 15 - 35 μm . if the thickness is greater than 50 μm , the covering layer easily breaks , while if it is less than 5 μm , the water resistance of the photographic printing paper support is insufficient and its toughness declines . further , from the viewpoint of preventing curl , it is preferable that the thickness of the covering on each surface is approximately the same . in order to apply the aforesaid composition to the raw paper , the raw paper surface may first be prepared by corona discharge treatment or by priming with an undercoat . in the support of this invention , the raw paper surface is covered by a resin containing polyethylene terephthalate as its principal constituent which is known to give better surface smoothness than polyolefin . the printing paper therefore , while retaining the same water resistance and whiteness of conventional papers , has improved surface smoothness and excellent gloss . further , one surface of the raw paper is covered by a composition containing titanium oxide mixed with a resin having polyethylene terephthalate as its principal constituent , and the other surface is covered by a composition containing calcium carbonate mixed with a resin having polyethylene terephthalate as its principal constituent . the paper therefore does not curl with time . this invention will now be described in more detail by specific examples , but it should be understood that the invention is by no means limited to these examples . a composition containing titanium oxide shown in table 1 was applied to one surface of a raw paper of thickness 180 μm , and a composition containing calcium carbonate shown in table 2 was applied to the other side of the paper . both compositions were hot extruded at 300 ° c . so as to form laminated layers of thickness 25 - 30 μm . the curl of the support obtained was evaluated , and the results are shown in table 2 . table 1__________________________________________________________________________ composition covering one surface of raw paper weight weight % of laminated ratio of type of titanium oxide film resin 1 / titanium with respect to thickness , sample resin 1 resin 2 resin 2 oxide whole composition μm__________________________________________________________________________example 1 r1 -- -- t1 10 25example 2 r1 r2 90 / 10 t1 10 25example 3 r1 -- -- t1 10 30example 4 r1 rm 90 / 10 t1 8 30comparative r2 -- -- t1 10 30example 1__________________________________________________________________________ the symbols in the table have the following significance : r1 : polyethylene terephthalate r2 : polypropylene r3 : polyethylene rm : composition having a weight ratio of r2 and r3 = 1 : 1 t1 : titanium oxide of average particle diameter 0 . 3 μm table 2__________________________________________________________________________ composition covering other surface of raw paper weight weight % of calcium laminated standard ratio of carbonate with film deviation of resin 3 / type of respect to whole thickness , height abovesample resin 3 resin 4 resin 4 powder composition μm platform , mm__________________________________________________________________________example 1 r1 r2 98 / 2 p1 7 25 0 . 2example 2 r1 -- -- p1 7 30 0 . 2example 3 r1 -- -- p1 7 30 0 . 2example 4 r1 r2 98 / 2 p1 20 30 0 . 1comparative r3 -- -- -- 0 30 0 . 7example 1__________________________________________________________________________ the symbols in the table have the following significance : r1 : polyethylene terephthalate r2 : polypropylene r3 : polyethylene p1 : calcium carbonate of average particle diameter 0 . 07 μm curl was evaluated for a plurality of samples . to evaluate curl , the aforesaid support was wound around a core of diameter 10 cm , and left at a temperature of 50 ° c . for 6 hours . a sample of dimensions 5 cm length × 5 cm width was then mounted on a flat plate , the height of the sample above the flat plate in the vertical and horizontal directions was measured at 1 cm intervals ( 36 points including the 4 corners of the sample ), and the standard deviation from this height was calculated to give the curl .
| 1 |
a preferred embodiment of the invention is incorporated into a node referred to as a adaptable node ( rxn ) in a adaptive computing engine ( ace ) manufactured by quicksilver , inc ., of san jose , calif . details of the ace engine and rxn node can be found in the priority and related patent applications reference above . aspects of the invention described herein are adaptable for use with any generalized digital processing system , such as a system adapted for digital signal processing or other types of processing . [ 0024 ] fig2 illustrates the configurable data path arrangement of the present invention . in fig2 digital processing system 100 is designed for fast dsp - type processing such as in discrete cosine transformation ( dct ), fast fourier transformation ( fft ), etc . digital processing system 100 includes four 32 - bit data path address generators ( dag ) to interface between four groups of configurable data path lines 200 and a main memory bus 110 . main memory bus 110 is an arbitrated high - speed bus as is known in the art . other types of main memory accessing can be used . each group of 32 lines includes two subgroups of 16 lines each . each subgroup connected to a register files of eight 16 - bit words . for example , dag 120 is connected to register files 180 and 182 . dag 122 is connected to register files 184 and 186 . similarly , dags 124 and 126 are connected to register files 188 , 190 and 192 , 194 , respectively . naturally , other embodiments can use any number of dags , groups , subgroups register files . although specific bit widths , numbers of lines , components , etc ., and specific connectivity are described , many variations are possible and are within the scope of the invention . although the dags play a major role in the preferred embodiment , other embodiments can use other types of interfacing to the main memory bus . although the dags provide a high degree of configurable routing options ( as discussed below ), other embodiments can vary in the degree of configurability , and in the specific configuration options and control methods . in some cases simple registers , register files , multiplexers or other components might be used in place of the dags of the present invention . the use of register files on each of the discrete subgroup lines simplifies the interconnection architecture from that of the more generalized bus and multiport register file shown in fig1 of the prior art . this approach can also provide benefits in reduced transistor count , power consumption , improved scalability , efficient data access and other advantages . although configuring the data path of the present invention may be more complex than with generalized approaches , in practice a compiler is able to automatically handle the configuration transparently to a human programmer . this allows creation of faster - executing code for a variety of dsp applications by using the same hardware architecture without any placing any undue burden on the programmer . if desired , a programmer can customize the data path configuration in order to further optimize processing execution . groups of data path lines 200 are used to transfer data from memory bus 110 to functional units within blocks 130 and 132 , and also to transfer data among the functional units , themselves . the functional unit blocks are essentially the same so only block 130 is discussed in detail . functional units include programmable array multipliers ( pams ) 140 , accumulators ( and shift registers ) 150 , data cache 160 and arithmetic / logic units ( alus ) 170 and 172 . naturally , the functional units used in any specific embodiment can vary in number and type from that shown in fig2 . functional units are connected to the data path line groups via multiplexers and demultiplexers such as 210 and 220 , respectively . inputs and outputs ( i / os ) from the functional units can , optionally , use multiplexing to more than one subgroup of data path lines ; or an i / o can be connected directly to one subgroup . a preferred embodiment uses pipeline registers between i / o ports and data path lines , as shown by boxes labeled “ p ” in fig2 . pipeline registers allow holding data at i / o ports , onto data lines , or for other purposes . the pipeline registers also allow obtaining a zero , 1 , or other desired binary values and provide other advantages . pipeline registers are described in more detail in the co - pending patent application “ input pipeline registers for a node in an adaptive computing engine ” referenced above . table i , below , shows dag operations . the configuration of the data path from cycle to cycle is set by a control word , or words obtained from the main memory bus in accordance with controller modules such as a hardware task manager , scheduler and other processes and components not shown in fig2 but discussed in related patent applications . part of the configuration information includes fields for dag operations . a dag operation can change from cycle to cycle and includes reading data of various widths from memory or from another dag . dag operations other than those shown in table i can be used . each dag has one 5 - bit ‘ dag - op ’ field and one 4 - bit ‘ address ’ field . there is a single ‘ pred ’ field that defines non - sequencing operations . table i dag - p mnemonic description cycles 0x00 read8 read 8 - bits from memory 1 0x01 read8x read 8 - bits from memory and sign extend to 32 - bits 1 0x02 read16 read 16 - bits from memory 1 0x03 read16x read 16 - bits from memory and sign extend to 32 - bits 1 0x04 read24 read 24 - bits from memory 1 0x05 read24x read 24 - bits from memory and sign extend to 32 - bits 1 0x06 read32 read 32 - bits from memory 1 0x07 write8 write 8 - bits to memory 1 0x08 write16 write 16 - bits to memory 1 0x09 write24 write 24 - bits to memory 1 0x0a write32 write 32 - bits to memory 1 0x0b writemindp write 32 - bits ( only mode supported ) to min write queue from the data path 1 buses 0x0c writeminm write 32 - bits ( only mode supported ) to min write queue from a 32 - bit memory 1 read . ( pipelined ) 0x0d readdag16 read a 16 bit value from one dag register 0 0x0e readdag32 read a 32 bit value from two dag registers 0 0x0f load32dp load two 16 - bit dag registers or 32 - bit write buffer using 32 - bit data in 1 dp2n : dp2n + 1 connecting to dagn 0x10 load16dpn load a dag register from an even data path bus 1 0x11 load16dpn + 1 load a dag register from an odd data path bus 1 0x12 modify modify address but do not do a memory access . 1 0x13 dagnoop do nothing . all dag operations execute every clock cycle until this operation 1 is chosen 0x14 dagcont continue the previous operation 1 0x15 writepa writes 32 - bits of data from memory into ‘ tfrl ’ or ‘ tbrl ’ 1 0x16 writeminbuf write 32 - bits to min write queue from buffer 1 for dag - op : 0x00 to 0x0a , 0x0c and 0x12 the dag operation format of table ii applies . the address field is divided into action and context as shown . the ‘ action ’ field describes the address modification / generation process using a set of registers ( base , limit , index and delta ) pointed to by the ‘ context ’ field . the ‘ context ’ field is used to point at a specific dag setting ( base , limit , index and delta ) on which an ‘ action ’ is performed or a dag register is accessed ( ii ) for convenience , an action function is defined according to the action table — action ( action , context ) where ‘ action ’ and ‘ context ’ refer to the dag operation fields . this function is used in the individual dag operation descriptions . ( ii ) for dag - op : 0x0d to 0x11 the following dag operation format applies : the ‘ dag - reg ’ field is used to identify a specific 16 - bit register ( base or limit or index or delta ) within a dag ‘ context ’ as specified by the dag - reg table ( below ) for operations 0x0e and 0x0f , the dag - reg field is used to address 2 dag registers — base and limit or index and delta or a write buffer location . in this case , the ‘ dag - reg ’ table is as follows : the universal ‘ pred ’ field along with the ‘ s ’ bit determines whether a dag operation is executed or not executed . when a dag operation is ‘ not executed ’ due to its predication , the last executed dag operation executes again . although the invention has been discussed with respect to specific embodiments thereof , these embodiments are merely illustrative , and not restrictive , of the invention . for example , although the node has been described as part of an adaptive computing machine , or environment , aspects of the filter node design , processing and functions can be used with other types of systems . in general , the number of lines and specific interconnections can vary in different embodiments . specific components , e . g ., the data address generator , can be implemented in different ways in different designs . components may be omitted , substituted or implemented with one or more of the same or different components . for example , a data address generator can by substituted with a general register , or it can be a different component responsive to a control word . many variations are possible . thus , the scope of the invention is to be determined solely by the dependent claims .
| 6 |
the viscosity measuring system 10 is based on and uses a stein hall cup 11 used in the paper and paperboard industry for many years . as discussed above , the stein hall cup is supplied with liquid starch and the starch level in the cup is monitored as it moves downwardly by gravity through an orifice 12 in the cup . the time it takes for the surface of the starch to pass two vertically separated points , represented for example by an upper pin 13 and a lower pin 14 extending horizontally into the cup , provides a viscosity value . the adhesive sample moving downwardly past the pins 13 , 14 passes through the orifice 12 and to a drain 15 . the system 10 of the present invention is adapted to minimize or virtually eliminate errors attributable to operator observation of the passage of the adhesive level past the upper and lower pins and the variations in adhesive viscosity resulting from temperature change . the accuracy of the change in adhesive level in the cup is determined by the use of a laser 16 which generates sequential time signals as the adhesive level drops in the cup 11 past the pins 13 and 14 . the time signals for adhesive movement are directed to a programmable logic controller ( plc ) 17 to generate a starch viscosity value . because the viscosity of the starch adhesive varies considerably with temperature , temperature of the adhesive is monitored with a temperature probe 18 which may be conveniently located at the inlet to an adhesive circulating pump 20 . the adhesive temperature signal from the probe 18 is also directed to the plc 17 where it is processed with the timed viscosity value signal to generate a temperature compensated starch viscosity . it has been found that , as the cup is being initially filled with adhesive for testing , turbulence in the supply flow tends to generate bubbles in the adhesive over the top surface . because the bubbles can interfere with proper operation of the laser , the cup 11 may be purposely overfilled until the level of the adhesive reaches the top of the cup and the bubbles are discharged . adhesive flow through the system is controlled by a solenoid - operated three - way pneumatic valve 21 that is operable to receive adhesive , via adhesive supply line 34 , from the pump 20 and directed into the stein hall cup 11 or to recirculate the adhesive back to supply , via adhesive return line 33 . the system also utilizes a water supply to direct water to the cup 11 for a number of purposes . the flow of water into the cup 11 is directed from water supply line 23 to a solenoid - operated three - way ball valve 24 from which the water is directed to a fill line 25 into the cup , a set of rinse nozzles 26 at the top of the cup , and a rinse line 27 to the drain 15 . the water supply may be used to pre - heat the cup , to calibrate the cup as discussed above , and to rinse the cup and drain upon completion of an adhesive viscosity measurement . the process controller is preferably programmed to generate a temperature compensated viscosity signal whenever an adhesive formula has been completed . in addition , the operator may manually introduce a liquid adhesive sample to the cup and operate the processor to generate a sample reading of temperature compensated viscosity . when a viscosity measurement cycle has been completed , as by generating a lower pin level signal , the plc operates to open a drain valve 32 , followed by rinsing the remaining adhesive from the cup 11 . the system may conveniently utilize and air / solenoid bank 28 to distribute signals to and from the various valves , the system also preferably includes a control enclosure 30 to permit manual override , provide test access or provide off - line cleaning . a strainer 31 may be positioned in the adhesive line downstream from the pump 20 to remove undispersed solids and the like that might interfere with adhesive flow and / or level detection in the cup . in the foregoing description , certain terms have been used for brevity , clearness , and understanding . no unnecessary limitations are to be inferred therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed . the different configurations , systems , and method steps described herein may be used alone or in combination with other configurations , systems and method steps . it is to be expected that various equivalents , alternatives and modifications are possible within the scope of the appended claims .
| 6 |
in the following detailed description , reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof , and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced . these embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention , and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized , and that structural , logical and electrical changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . the term “ substrate ” is to be understood as a semiconductor - based material including silicon , silicon - on - insulator ( soi ) or silicon - on - sapphire ( sos ) technology , doped and undoped semiconductors , epitaxial layers of silicon supported by a base semiconductor foundation , and other semiconductor structures . furthermore , when reference is made to a “ substrate ” in the following description , previous process steps may have been utilized to form regions or junctions in and / or over the base semiconductor structure or foundation . in addition , the semiconductor need not be silicon - based , but could be based on silicon - germanium , germanium , or gallium arsenide . the term “ pixel ” or “ pixel cell ” refers to a picture element unit cell containing a photosensor and transistors for converting light radiation to an electrical signal . for purposes of illustration , a representative pixel is illustrated in the figures and description herein and , typically , fabrication of all pixels in an imager will proceed simultaneously in a similar fashion . moreover , while a four - transistor pixel cell is described , the invention is not limited to such an embodiment . the invention may be employed for any pixel cell , such as a two - transistor , three - transistor , five - or more transistor pixel cells and is also not limited to cmos pixels . referring now to the drawings , where like elements are designated by like reference numerals , fig3 illustrates a cross - section of a pixel cell 20 , which is schematically similar to the pixel cell 10 of fig1 . the cross - sectional view of pixel cell 20 shows a photodiode photosensor 24 , transfer transistor 27 and reset transistor 26 . photodiode photosensor 24 is formed as a pinned photodiode having a p - n - p construction comprising a p - type surface layer 23 and an n - type photodiode region 22 within a p - type active layer 21 . the photodiode photosensor 24 is adjacent to and partially underneath the transfer transistor 27 . the reset transistor 26 is on a side of the transfer transistor 27 opposite the photodiode photosensor 24 . as shown in fig3 , the reset transistor 26 includes a source / drain region 22 . the floating diffusion region 25 is between the transfer and reset transistors 27 , 26 . in pixel cell 20 , the transfer transistor 27 and reset transistor 26 gates sit on a gate oxide layer 35 . gate oxide layer 35 , which comprises nitrided gate oxide material , has a thicker region 36 located over the photodiode photosensor 24 . in its thinner portion , gate oxide layer 35 typically has a thickness in the range of approximately 30 å to approximately 40 å , and a nitride concentration of approximately 18 %. this may be the same thickness and nitride concentration as gate oxide layer 15 of a pixel cell 10 of the prior art as illustrated in fig1 . the thicker region 36 has a thickness of approximately double the thickness of the thinner region 34 of gate oxide layer 35 , more preferably , approximately 70 å and a nitride concentration that is greater by approximately 15 - 20 % than the nitride concentration of thinner region 34 , due to its greater thickness . the advantages of pixel cell 20 over the prior art are many . the thicker region 36 over the photodiode photosensor 24 significantly improves the blocking of contaminants that diffuse into the silicon of photodiode photosensor 24 and increase dark current . this is of particular importance where tungsten ( w or wsi x ) is to be used in the formation of the gate stacks of transfer transistor 27 and other transistors . the thicker region 36 may be used to block tungsten ( w ) metal residuals from diffusing into the photodiode silicon after the gates stacks have been formed . another advantage of the thicker region 36 over the photodiode photosensor 24 is that it prevents photodiode junction leakage , thereby enhancing charge storage in the photodiode photosensor 24 and , ultimately , charge transfer to the floating diffusion region 25 . the thicker region 36 inhibits photodiode junction leakage by maintaining the boron ( or other p - type ion ) distribution in the p - type surface layer 23 , which is over the n - type photodiode region 22 . the thicker region 36 provides a further advantage of reducing photon reflection at the surface of photodiode photosensor 24 . the thicker region 36 has a greater index of refraction than the thinner region 34 . increasing the nitride concentration of the gate oxide layer 35 over the photodiode photosensor 24 by increasing the thickness of the gate oxide layer 35 in thicker region 36 also increases the optical refractive index of the gate oxide layer 35 , thereby reducing photon reflection and increasing the amount of incident light on the photodiode photosensor 24 . the present invention requires only a minor change from cmos imager fabrication processing steps . referring to fig4 , at an early stage of fabrication , nitrided gate oxide layer 35 layer is blanket deposited over the substrate 28 by any known method including , but not limited to , high temperature furnace oxide formation , chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition ( pecvd ), or sputtering . whereas , in the prior art process , the nitrided gate oxide layer 35 would have a uniform thickness , the present invention forms a thicker region 36 and a thinner region 34 , as shown in fig3 . the thicker region 36 may be formed by methods including , but not limited to , photolithography or reactive ion etching , as shown in fig5 . a mask or reticle 37 is patterned to remain over the regions 24 ′ where the photodiode will be formed in later stages of processing . the exposed portions of the nitrided gate oxide layer 35 are etched away , leaving a thicker region 36 of nitrided gate oxide layer 35 under the mask 37 , as illustrated in fig6 . the mask 37 is removed and subsequent processing steps to form pixel cell 20 are performed in accordance with known techniques . the subsequent processing steps include , but are not limited to , masking and doping regions for source / drain region 22 , photodiode photosensor 24 , and floating diffusion region 25 ( fig3 ), and forming gate stacks for transfer transistor 27 and reset transistor 26 , among others . fig7 illustrates an exemplary imaging device 200 that may utilize pixel cells 20 constructed in accordance with the invention . the imaging device 200 has an imager pixel array 100 comprising a plurality of pixel cells constructed as described above . row lines are selectively activated by a row driver 202 in response to row address decoder 203 . a column driver 204 and column address decoder 205 are also included in the imaging device 200 . the imaging device 200 is operated by the timing and control circuit 206 , which controls the address decoders 203 , 205 . the control circuit 206 also controls the row and column driver circuitry 202 , 204 . a sample and hold ( s / h ) circuit 207 associated with the column driver 204 reads a pixel reset signal vrst and a pixel image signal vsig for selected pixels . a differential signal ( vrst - vsig ) is produced by differential amplifier 208 for each pixel and is digitized by analog - to - digital converter ( adc ) 209 . the analog - to - digital converter 209 supplies the digitized pixel signals to an image processor 210 which forms and outputs a digital image . fig8 shows a system 300 , a typical processor system modified to include the imaging device 200 ( fig7 ) of the invention . the processor - based system 300 is exemplary of a system having digital circuits that could include image sensor devices . without being limiting , such a system could include a computer system , still or video camera system , scanner , machine vision , vehicle navigation , video phone , surveillance system , auto focus system , star tracker system , motion detection system , image stabilization system , and data compression system . the processor - based system 300 , for example a camera system , generally comprises a central processing unit ( cpu ) 395 , such as a microprocessor , that communicates with an input / output ( i / o ) device 391 over a bus 393 . imaging device 200 also communicates with the cpu 395 over bus 393 . the processor - based system 300 also includes random access memory ( ram ) 392 , and can include removable memory 394 , such as flash memory , which also communicate with cpu 395 over the bus 393 . imaging device 200 may be combined with a processor , such as a cpu , digital signal processor , or microprocessor , with or without memory storage on a single integrated circuit or on a different chip than the processor . while the invention has been described in detail in connection with exemplary embodiments known at the time , it should be readily understood that the invention is not limited to such disclosed embodiments . rather , the invention can be modified to incorporate any number of variations , alterations , substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described , but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of the invention . for example , the thicker region of nitrided gate oxide layer may be formed by forming a first thin layer of gate oxide over the substrate and patterning a second thin layer over the photodiode regions such that the resulting and patterning a second thin layer over the photodiode regions such that the resulting gate oxide layer over the photodiode regions has approximately twice the thickness of the gate oxide layer formed over the rest of the substrate . accordingly , the invention is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description , but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims .
| 7 |
the features and numerous advantages of the method and system according to the present invention will be best apparent from a detailed description of preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings , in which : fig1 is a schematic drawing of an optical network topology in which the present invention may be employed ; fig2 is a diagram showing the operation principle of a method of assigning performance indicators to objects of the network according to an embodiment of the invention ; fig3 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of assigning performance indicators to objects of a network according to an embodiment of the invention ; fig4 a and 4 b illustrate how unfeasible optical paths may be generated from feasible optical paths in a step in the flow diagram of fig3 ; fig5 illustrates how performance indicators are assigned to network objects for the network topology of the example of fig1 ; and fig6 is a flow diagram that illustrates a method of evaluating the performance of a path in a network according to an embodiment of the invention . the invention will now be described with reference to an optical network in which light signals are employed to transfer data between nodes via optical communication channels , such as optical fibers . however , this is merely one example of a network in which the present invention can be employed . in general , the invention can be used in any network for signal or data transmission . in the optical network example that follows , the objects of the network to which performance indicators are assigned are network connections or network links that may comprise optical fibers and connect network elements such as wavelength division multiplexers or demultiplexers , optical switches , or splitters . however , this is merely an example . in more generality , network objects in the sense of the present invention may be understood to encompass any network equipment or network component , either passive or active , that may degrade the signal quality of optical signals traversing the network . hence , network objects may include optical network connections such as fiber links , but also any other kind of device that can be employed in an optical network , such as network elements , in particular wavelength division multiplexers or demultiplexers , optical switches , or splitters . fig1 shows an example of an optical network 10 with optical network elements 12 1 to 12 5 that are interconnected by network links 14 1 to 14 6 . the links 14 1 to 14 6 denote which of the optical network elements 12 1 to 12 5 are interconnected in the optical network 10 . fig1 shows an example of a small network , but this is merely for illustration purposes , and in general the optical network 10 can comprise any number of optical network elements 12 and corresponding links 14 . an example of an optical path or light path 16 that comprises the optical network elements 12 1 , 12 2 and 12 3 and network links 14 1 and 14 2 is shown in broken lines in fig1 . the optical network links , such as the links 14 1 and 14 2 generally degrade the signal quality , which can be measured in terms of an optical performance metric such as the optical signal to noise ratio ( osnr ). the light path 16 is considered to be feasible if an optical performance metric is maintained below a given threshold , indicating that the degradation of the optical signal is sufficiently small to allow for correct detection of the optical signal . otherwise , the light path is assumed to be unfeasible , and 3r regeneration can be provided in an intermediate node to enhance the signal quality . optical performance estimation to distinguish between feasible and unfeasible light paths involves the assessment of the quality of the data channel and depends on various aspects such as the length and the type of optical fibers , the number and type of the optical network links traversed , the bit rate or the modulation format . the complexity of the optical performance evaluation usually requires large computational and storage resources . this provides a particular challenge in situations in which a network fault occurs , such as due to a cut in an optical fiber , and re - routing has to be performed quickly to restore the network operation , or when a new service needs to be quickly established . alternatively , all feasible light paths may be computed in advance , thus avoiding time - consuming online computations in the re - routing process . however , the main disadvantage of the latter approach is that it may require maintaining a large set of data comprising all feasible light paths in the network for both offline and online applications . exploiting this large data set in online applications can also be time - consuming . the invention according to the preferred embodiment proposes a solution that assigns performance indicators to the objects , in particular the links of a network by means of an optimization computation , in particular by means of linear optimization . this results in a compression of the optical channel performance information that allows to evaluate the feasibility of an optical light path 16 in the network 10 simply by summing up the performance indicators of the optical network objects , such as along the network links 14 1 and 14 2 along the light path 16 , and comparing the sum with a threshold value that is a parameter in the linear optimization . fig2 is a high - level diagram that illustrates the idea underlying the invention . an optical performance estimation tool , such as transnet , may be employed to determine all the feasible light paths in the network 10 . feasibility may be determined based on a pre - defined criterion , such as optical signal to noise ratio ( osnr ). such optical performance estimation tools are generally known in the art , and hence a detailed description is omitted . the optical performance estimation may yield a list of x feasible optical channels ochs 1 to x in the network . the feasible optical channels och 1 to och x may be given in terms of ordered collections of network objects , in this case ordered collections of optical multiplexing sections ( oms ), which denote the sections or links between consecutive wdm multiplexers / demultiplexers . the calculation according to the present invention converts this information into a set of n performance indicators that are attributed to the network objects . each of the optical multiplexing sections oms 1 to oms n may hence be assigned one performance indicator , e . g ., one real number . in addition , there may be an exception list of those p optical channels for which the assignment of performance indicators may not be fully conclusive to decide whether the channel is feasible or not . the assigned performance indicators ( and exception list , if needed ) may then be used efficiently to evaluate the performance and feasibility of an optical path in the network during network planning and operations , such as in a capacity planning tool for routing algorithms such as the dijkstra algorithm . fig3 is a flow diagram that shows an example of how performance indicators may be assigned to objects of a network , such as the optical multiplexing sections or links 14 1 to 14 6 by means of linear optimization . in a first step s 100 , all the feasible light paths in the optical network 10 are determined by means of an optical performance estimation tool . as described above with reference to fig2 , any conventional optical performance estimation tool , such as transnet , may be employed for that purpose . depending on the size and characteristics of the network and depending on the feasibility criterion , a determination of the feasible light paths may require significant computational resources . however , this is not a major concern , since step s 100 may be executed offline as part of the network planning , or as a background process when the network is operating . in a subsequent step s 102 , those feasible light paths that are contained in other feasible light paths are removed from the set of feasible light paths in step s 100 . this will yield a first set of light paths in said network , which will henceforth be denoted set s 1 . the set s 1 may alternatively be characterized as the set containing the longest feasible light paths . for instance , referring to the example given in fig1 and assuming that the light path 16 comprising of the optical network links 14 1 and 14 2 ( as well as the network elements 12 1 , 12 2 and 12 3 ) is feasible , the same will generally be true for subsections of the light path 16 , such as the light path comprising only the link 14 1 and the optical network elements 12 1 and 12 2 . this is because additional network objects usually introduce additional signal distortions . hence , a subsection of a feasible light path 16 will usually experience a lesser degree of signal degradation and hence will likewise be feasible . in step s 102 , the feasible light path consisting of the optical link 14 1 and the optical network elements 12 1 and 12 2 would be removed from the set of feasible light paths , since it is fully contained in the optical path 16 that is likewise feasible . removing the feasible light paths that are contained in other feasible light paths excludes redundant light paths , thereby simplifying the computation . based on set s 1 of the longest feasible light paths , a set of unfeasible light paths is generated in step s 104 by adding one network object , in particular one network link , to the start node of the feasible light paths in set s 1 and by adding one network object , in particular one network link to the end node of the feasible light paths . cycles are avoided , i . e . optical objects that are already in the light path are not considered as possible extensions . generation of the set of unfeasible light paths in step s 104 is illustrated in fig4 a and 4 b for the network configuration of fig1 . the feasible light path 16 shown in fig1 has the start node 12 1 and the end node 12 3 . assuming that the light path 16 has no feasible extensions and hence is a longest feasible light path contained in set s 1 , an extension from the start node 12 1 to node 12 5 via the additional link 14 5 will result in an unfeasible light path 18 , as shown in fig4 a . similarly , extending the feasible light path 16 from the end node 12 3 to node 12 4 via the additional link 14 3 will result in another unfeasible light path 20 , as shown in fig4 b . in a subsequent step s 106 , among the set of unfeasible light paths determined in step s 104 , only those unfeasible light paths that are contained in other unfeasible light paths are kept . the resulting subset of unfeasible light paths is denoted set s 2 . the set s 2 may be characterized as the set containing the shortest unfeasible light paths , in the sense that the light paths in the set s 2 become feasible if they are shortened by just one network object , in particular by just one network link . based on the set s 1 and s 2 a linear optimization problem can be formulated as follows : in equation ( 2 ), p denotes a light path in the set s 1 , which is given as an ordered tuple { p 1 , . . . , p n } of interconnected network objects p n that are traversed by an optical signal in this order . the parameters α n denote performance indicators , which are real - valued numbers assigned to the network objects p n . the parameter t 1 denotes a threshold value . similarly , q denotes a light path in the set s 2 , which are again given as an ordered tuple q ={ q 1 , . . . , q m }. the objective function δ should be minimized , so to allow for the sharpest possible separation between the sets s 1 and s 2 . the threshold value t 1 is a scaling parameter that can be fixed in advance , such as t 1 = 1 . equation ( 2 ) is a more complete representation of equation ( 1 ), which describes the same optimization problem in a shorthand notation . this optimization problem may be solved by means of standard techniques from linear optimization theory , and yields a set of real - valued performance indicators α n , wherein a performance indicator is attributed to each object of the network , in particular each link of the network . the optimization further yields the objective function δ ( step s 110 ). as indicated in step s 112 , we can now distinguish two different cases . ideally , δ = 0 . in this case , the optimization yields performance indicators that allow to distinguish completely between the feasible light paths and the unfeasible light paths simply by adding up the performance indicators an along the respective light path . in case σ n α n ≦ t 1 , the respective light path is feasible , and otherwise the light path is unfeasible . in this case , no further steps are required , and the algorithm stops at step s 114 . the δ = 0 case corresponds to a lossless compression . an evaluation of the feasibility of an optical path can be fully reduced to a calculation of a sum of performance indicators α n . hence , only the performance indicators α n need to be stored for network planning and operations . fig5 shows how , as a result of the optimization algorithm according to the preferred embodiments , performance indicator values α 1 , α 2 , α 3 , α 4 , α 5 , α 6 are attributed to each one of the network links 14 1 to 14 6 , respectively , for the optical network 10 of fig1 . only these performance indicators α n need to be stored in order to allow the performance of an optical path to be evaluated . this is a significant advantage over prior art techniques that require to store a list of all feasible light paths , in particular for large networks . otherwise , if δ ≠ 0 , the outcome of the optimization algorithm does not allow to distinguish conclusively between feasible and unfeasible light paths . if σ n α n ≦ t 1 , the light path is feasible . if σα n & gt ; t 1 + δ =: t 2 , the light path is unfeasible . however , if σ n α n is in between the first threshold value t 1 and a second threshold value t 2 = t 1 + δ , the decision whether the respective light path is feasible or unfeasible cannot be made conclusively . these light paths can be stored in an exception list to which the user may revert during network planning and operations . in order to create the exception list , in step s 116 all light paths are determined for which the sum of the respective performance indicators falls in the interval ( t 1 , t 1 + δ ]. the feasible light paths in the set may then be determined by comparison with the set of feasible light paths determined in step s 100 . these light paths constitute the exception list ( step s 118 ). the algorithm then ends in step s 120 . in summary , the optimization according to the preferred embodiment yields a set of performance indicators α n assigned to the network objects , a maximum error δ , and ( if needed ) an exception list . the outcome of the optimization may result in two possible scenarios : ( i ) lossless compression , i . e ., δ = 0 : in case the linear compression returns no exceptions , the obtained performance indicators enable to retrieve all feasible light paths and exclude all the unfeasible light paths by comparison of the sum of performance indicators σ n α n of the respective light path with the threshold value t 1 . ( ii ) lossy compression , i . e ., δ ≠ 0 : in case a linear compression returns exceptions , the performance indicators do not allow to simultaneously recover all feasible light paths and exclude all the unfeasible ones . however , the optimization method minimizes δ , and hence the number of exceptions . the optimization is conservative in that a given light path is guaranteed to be feasible if the sum of the respective performance indicators is below the first threshold value t 1 . however , only if the sum of the performance indicators is above the second threshold t 2 = t 1 + δ , the light path is guaranteed to be unfeasible . if the sum of the performance indicators is in between the first threshold t 1 and the second threshold t 2 = t 1 + δ , the light path could be either feasible or unfeasible , and a search in the exception list is required to decide this . the method illustrated in the flow diagram of fig3 can be implemented as a computer program that receives the network topology and the list of feasible light paths calculated in an optical performance estimation tool , and manipulates that list in order to generate the sets s 1 and s 2 . for the linear optimization method , both linear programming and integer linear programming models can be used and solved using a conventional server , such as gurobi , cplex , lpsolver , or matlab . heuristic algorithms may also be employed for this step . the performance indicator values α n obtained in the optimization method may then be employed together with a standard routing algorithm , such as dijkstra or k - shortest path to create an exception list if necessary . the inventors tested the method as described above with reference to the flow diagram of fig3 for several real - world networks , and found that very often the optimization yields δ = 0 , and hence no exception list is required . even in the cases δ ≠ 0 where an exception list is required , the inventors found that it is usually rather short and comprises less than 5 % of the feasible light paths . hence , even with the exception list taken into account , the invention results in a significant simplification both in terms of online computational resources and storage resources . fig6 is a flow chart that shows in additional detail how the performance indicator values may be employed to check the feasibility or unfeasibility of a given light path according to an embodiment of the present invention . in step s 200 , an optical performance of the given light path is calculated by summing up the performance indicator values α n of the optical objects along the given light path , σ n α n . in step s 202 , the optical performance is compared with the threshold value t 1 . in case σ n α n ≦ t 1 , the light path is known to be feasible ( step s 204 ). if , on the other hand , σ n α n & gt ; t 1 , feasibility or unfeasibility of the light path depends on the obtained error quantity δ ( step s 206 ). if δ = 0 , the light path is unfeasible ( step s 208 ). if , on the other hand , δ ≠ 0 , the method proceeds in step s 210 with a comparison of the optical performance σ α n with the second threshold value t 2 = t 1 + δ . if σ n α n & gt ; t 1 + δ , the light path is unfeasible ( step s 212 ). if , on the other hand , the optical performance σ n α n ≦ t 1 + δ , reference is made to the exception list ( step s 214 ). if the respective light path is contained in the exception list , the light path is determined feasible in step s 216 . otherwise , the light path is unfeasible ( step s 218 ). for the performance evaluation method illustrated in the flow diagram of fig6 , a computer program implemented in the planning tool or in the control plane may be used . the evaluation method can be integrated into a routing algorithm such as dijkstra that employs the performance indicators as weights for the nodes and edges of the graph that represents the network . an important implementation of the method is in the control plane , as the method allows a quick evaluation of the feasibility of a light path while maintaining the best optical performance calculated with the optical performance estimation tool . the major advantages of the method are simplicity , scalability and accuracy . simplicity is achieved by avoiding over - engineering in the network planning and operation ecosystem . this may be achieved by keeping the optical performance details in the network planning tools , such as transnet , rather than propagating the complexity of models and parameters to higher layer planning and operation tools . as a result , the cost of maintaining the overall system may be significantly reduced . scalability is achieved by the reduction of the amount of data handed over between the tools . the invention facilitates the importing and maintaining of data for multiple optical channel types , as well as multi - layer planning and operation of very large networks and generalized multi - protocol label switching ( gmpls ) impairment - aware routing . accuracy is achieved by preserving the high quality of the offline determination of the feasible light paths . in case of lossless compression or inclusion of the exception list , the most accurate optical performance estimation is fully kept , and there is no need to compromise accuracy by simplifications of the performance model . this may be particularly relevant to avoid degrading of tender planning results with upcoming channel formats , such as 16qam . in the example described above with reference to fig1 to 6 , the network links 14 1 to 14 6 were considered network objects which degrade the signal quality and to which performance indicators α 1 to α 6 are assigned . however , this is merely an example . in other configurations , the optical network elements 12 1 to 12 5 may be considered network objects that degrade the signal quality , and performance indicators may be assigned to the network elements 12 1 to 12 5 , either additionally or instead of the network links 14 1 to 14 6 . the description of the preferred embodiments and the figures merely serve to illustrate the invention , but should not be understood to imply any limitation . the scope of the invention is to be determined based on the appended claims .
| 7 |
the asphalt additive of the present invention comprises the compound represented by the formula ( i ), ( ii ) or ( iii ). the asphalt additive may comprise the compound alone or may comprise another component in addition to the compound . further , the compound represented by the formula ( i ), ( ii ) or ( iii ) may be used singly or in a combination of two or more of them . still further , two or more compounds represented respectively by the formula ( i ), ( ii ) or ( iii ) may be used together . it must be noted that the compound represented by the formula ( i ), ( ii ) or ( iii ) includes a polymer formed by the condensation of two or more compounds via -- oh groups thereby producing a p - o - p linkage . in the compound which is used in the present invention and which is represented by the formula ( i ); r 1 is a saturated or unsaturated straight , hydrocarbon radical or an alkylphenyl group having 8 to 24 carbon atoms , preferably 8 to 20 carbon atoms and more preferably 10 to 18 carbon atoms . examples of the saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon radical and the alkylphenyl group include alkyl groups such as dodecyl , hexadecyl and octadecyl groups , and alkylphenyl groups such as octylphenyl , nonylphenyl and dodecylphenyl groups . in the compound represented by the formula ( i ), the order of the oxypropylene group ( po ) and the oxyethylene group ( eo ) is not limited to the indication in the formula ( i ). therefore , the order may be the ro - group , the oxyethylene group , the oxypropylene group , and the phosphorus atom . further , the order of the oxypropylene group and the oxyethylene group may be reversed , or otherwise the oxypropylene group and the oxyethylene group may be added at random . as for - the number of moles added of the oxypropylene group and the oxyethylene group , m is 1 to 6 , preferably 1 to 4 , and more preferably 1 to 2 ; and n is 0 to 6 , preferably 0 to 4 , and more preferably 0 to 3 . in the compound represented by the formula ( i ), each of x and y is a number of 1 to 2 , provided , however , that x becomes more preferable as x approaches 1 , and the sum of x and y is 3 . in the compound which is used in the present invention and which is represented by the formula ( ii ); r 2 is a saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon radical having a branched methyl group and having 8 to 24 carbon atoms , and preferably 8 to 20 carbon atoms and more preferably 10 to 18 carbon atoms . examples of the saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon radical corresponding to the straight portion include decyl , dodecyl , tetradecyl and heptadecyl groups . the site where the methyl group is linked is not particularly limited . the added order of the oxypropylene group and the oxyethylene group as well as x and y which is represented by the formula ( ii ) are the same as those in the compound represented by the formula ( i ). as for the number of moles added of the oxypropylene group and the oxyethylene group , m is 0 to 6 , preferably 0 to 4 , and more preferably 0 to 2 ; and n is 0 to 6 , preferably 0 to 4 , and more preferably 0 to 3 . in the compound which is used in the present invention and which is represented by the formula ( iii ); r 3 is a saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon radical having two or more branched methyl groups or at least one branched group having 2 or more carbon atoms and having 8 to 24 carbon atoms , preferably 8 to 20 carbon atoms and more preferably 10 to 18 carbon atoms . examples of the saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon radical corresponding to the straight portion include hexyl , decyl and tetradecyl groups . the site where the methyl group or the branched group having 2 or more carbon atoms is linked is not particularly limited . the number of the methyl groups linked is preferably 2 to 5 . examples of the branched group having 2 or more carbon atoms include an alkyl group having 2 to 10 carbon atoms . among these alkyl groups , preferable groups are ethyl , propyl , hexyl and decyl groups . the added order of the oxypropylene group and the oxyethylene group as well as x and y which is represented by the formula ( iii ) are the same as those in the compound represented by the formula ( i ). as for the number of moles added of the oxypropylene group and the oxyethylene group , m is 0 to 6 , preferably 0 to 4 , and more preferably 0 to 2 ; and n is 0 to 6 , preferably 0 to 4 , and more preferably 0 to 3 . the method for producing the compound represented by the formula ( i ), ( ii ) or ( iii ) is not particularly limited . an example of the method comprises the steps of adding ethylene oxide and propylene oxide to a saturated or unsaturated alcohol having 8 to 24 carbon atoms by a commonly adopted process to produce an addition polymer and then converting the addition product into a phosphoric ester . the conversion of the addition polymer into a phosphoric ester can be performed by reacting the addition polymer with phosphoric acid anhydride , phosphorus oxytrichloride or phosphorus trichloride . the asphalt additive of the present invention may further contain an aliphatic amine . the aliphatic amine , which contains a nitrogen atom in the molecule , increases the wettability of asphalt to aggregates at an initial stage . examples of the aliphatic amine include higher aliphatic polyamines such as tallow alkyl propylenediamine or derivatives thereof , and alkylol amines such as alkylhydroxyamine , monoethanol amine , diethanol amine and triethanol amine . if such an amine is used , it is preferable to use the asphalt additive at a ph value within a neutral to acidic range . the amount added of the aliphatic amine is preferably 5 to 70 % by weight in the asphalt additive and more preferably 10 to 50 % by weight . the state of the asphalt additive of the present invention is not particularly limited . the state may be , for example , a solid , a liquid or a paste . preferably , the asphalt additive is a liquid or a paste at a temperature of 40 ° c . so as to improve the workability and the miscibility with asphalt and so as to increase the adhesion between asphalt and aggregates for a long period of time and at an initial stage in particular . the mechanism by which the asphalt additive of the present invention increases the adhesion between asphalt and aggregates so that the anti - stripping of asphalt from aggregates is conducted for a long period of time is not clarified . presumably , the effect of the asphalt additive of the present invention is caused by the formation of hydrogen bond by the -- oh groups on a surface of the aggregates in a wet state , the formation of a chemical bond through thermal dehydration and the formulation of hydrophobic polymerized film , as described in jp - b 8 - 32 , 832 , in column 6 , lines 17 to 23 . particularly , in the case of the asphalt additive of the present invention , the solubility in and affinity for asphalt is increased by the introduction of a prescribed amount of the oxypropylene group and the oxyethylene group or by the introduction of a specific branched alkyl group into the compound represented by the formula ( i ), ( ii ) or ( iii ). it is believed that these properties of the asphalt additive bring about the result that the above - described bonds remarkably emerge immediately after the additive is blended in the asphalt and the result that the work time can be shortened and the excellent anti - stripping ability can be obtained immediately after paving and for a long period of time after paving . next , detailsof the asphalt composition are given below . the asphalt which is used in the asphalt composition according to the present invention is , for example , a bituminous substance resulting from straight asphalt , semi - blown asphalt , cut - back asphalt , natural asphalt , petroleum tar , pitch , or an asphalt which meets the requirements of the specification of asphalt for road paving and which is produced by blending a softener with solvent - deasphalting . such asphalt is incorporated with the asphalt additive . from such standpoints as the improving the adhesion and anti - stripping ability between the asphalt and aggregates , economics , and storage stability , the amount of the asphalt additive to be added is preferably 0 . 1 to 3 % by weight , more preferably 0 . 2 to 2 % by weight , and most preferably 0 . 3 to 1 . 5 % by weight , based on the amount of the asphalt . in order to increase the consistency of asphalt , the asphalt composition according to the present invention may contain , for example , a natural rubber , a synthetic rubber , such as styrene / butadiene rubber or chloroprene rubber , a thermoplastic elastomer , a polymer or a copolymer made up of one or more monomers selected from the group consisting of ethylene , vinyl acetate , acrylates , methacrylates , and styrene . the amount of such component is preferably 1 to 20 % by weight , and more preferably 3 to 10 % by weight , in the composition . depending on applications , the asphalt composition according to the present invention may further contain an inorganic filler , such as calcium carbonate , slaked lime , cement or activated carbon , an organic filler , a petroleum resin , a petroleum - derived softener such as polyethylene having a low molecular weight , a vegetable oil - derived softener such as olecic acid , a plasticizer , sulfur , and others . the method for preparing the asphalt composition according to the present invention is not particularly limited . for example , the asphalt composition can be prepared by adding a prescribed amount of the asphalt additive to asphalt which is molten at a temperature of 100 to 250 ° c . and which is being stirred . since the asphalt additive of the present invention has an excellent solubility in and affinity for asphalt , as described previously , ordinarily a special blending operation is not necessary . therefore , thermal convection flow by heating or the vibration at the time of transportation is sufficient for homogeneous blending . if a quick workability is required , however , the additive may be blend with the asphalt by using a blending apparatus . since the asphalt additive of the present invention has an excellent solubility in and affinity for asphalt , the asphalt additive can be homogeneously blended into the asphalt even if a special stirring operation is not employed . in addition , the asphalt composition comprising the asphalt additive has an excellent heat resistance and the asphalt composition exhibits excellent adhesion to aggregates immediately after the asphalt composition is blended with the aggregates . the adhesion lasts for a long period of time . accordingly , in the case where the asphalt composition of the present invention is used for paving a road , it is possible to carry out the paving work in a shorter time , to ensure the adhesion between the asphalt and the aggregates , and to maintain a good surface condition of road for a long period of time . the following examples further illustrate the present invention . they are not to be construed to limit the scope of the present invention in any manner whatsoever . asphalt additives of the present invention in various states were prepared by using the compounds represented by the formula ( i ), ( ii ) or ( iii ) as shown in tables 1 to 3 . next , the asphalt compositions according to the present invention were each prepared by adding the asphalt additive shown in tables 1 to 3 to asphalt which was molten at a temperature of 180 ° c . and by stirring the composition for the time period ( one minute or 30 minutes ) as shown in tables 1 to 3 . in a similar way , the asphalt compositions of comparative examples 1 ˜ 14 were obtained . by using the asphalt compositions thus obtained , the stripping ability of asphalt from aggregates was examined in accordance with the following stripping test of the asphalt film as described in the manual for asphalt pavement ( issued from the japan road association ). the results are shown in tables 1 to 3 . the details of the compounds represented by the formula ( ii ) or ( iii ), which were used in the asphalt additives in examples and comparative examples , are as follows : examples 14 ˜ 16 , 18 : r has two or more branched methyl groups or has a branched ethyl group . example 17 ( tridecanol manufactured by kyowa hakko kogyo co ., ltd . ): alcohol which has 13 carbon atoms and which has 2 to 3 branched methyl groups on an average . example 11 , comparative example 11 ( dobanol 23 manufactured by mitsubishi chemical co ., ltd . ): oxo alcohol which has 12 or 13 carbon atoms and which has a ratio of branched methyl groups of 20 %. example 19 ( lial 123 manufactured by condea augusta s . p . a . ): a mixture of alcohols , one of which has 12 carbon atoms and the other of which has 13 carbon atoms , and the mixture includes 60 wt % of a methyl - branched alcohol ( s ). example 20 ( isalchem 11 manufactured by condea augusta s . p . a . ): an alcohol mixture which has 11 carbon atoms and contains more than 95 wt % of methyl - branched alcohol ( s ). ( method for testing of anti - stripping ) aggregates from takarazuka ( quartz porphyry : acidic rock ) and aggregates from kuzu ( limestone : basic rock ), which had a particle size distribution of from 5 mm to 13 mm by means of a sieve , were used in the test . 100 g of aggregates was well washed and was then placed in a 300 ml metal vessel . the aggregates were then dried . next , the aggregates were heated for one hour in a thermostatted drier already kept at 150 ° c . on the other hand , an asphalt composition was heated for a time period ( 2 hours or 48 hours ) shown in tables 1 to 3 in a thermostatted drier kept at 180 ° c . then , 5 . 5 g of the asphalt composition was added onto the aggregates in the metal vessel . after the addition , the contents in the metal vessel were well stirred for 2 to 3 minutes by means of a spatula to ensure perfect coating of the surface of the aggregates with the asphalt composition . in this way , the surface of the aggregates was entirely coated with the asphalt composition . the coated aggregates thus obtained were spread on a glass plate and the coated aggregates were allowed to stand for 1 to 2 hours for cooling to room temperature . in this way , the asphalt composition was caused to harden . the coated aggregates were immersed in water of a thermostatted bath kept at 80 ° c . at a point of 120 minutes after the immersion , the state of the coated aggregates in the water was visually inspected . by this inspection , the stripped area percentage of the film of the asphalt composition was obtained based on the area of the film of the asphalt composition at the time when the test started . table 1__________________________________________________________________________ stripped area (%) time period quartz state of amount added ( in minutes ) porphyry limestone additive of additive for stirring 2 48 2 48examples asphalt additives ( 30 ° c .) (% by weight ) after addition hours hours hours hours__________________________________________________________________________1 mono and di ( lauryl alcohol liquid 0 . 5 1 0 & lt ; 5 0 0 po1 ) phosphoric ester2 mono ( lauryl alcohol liquid 0 . 5 1 0 & lt ; 5 0 0 po1 . 5eo1 ) phosphoric ester3 mono and di ( myristyl alcohol liquid 0 . 5 1 & lt ; 5 & lt ; 5 0 & lt ; 5 p02e04 ) phosphoric ester4 mono and di ( stearyl alcohol solid 0 . 5 1 & lt ; 5 5 0 & lt ; 5 po3eo0 . 5 ) phosphoric ester5 mono ( c16 , 18 alcohol paste 0 . 5 1 & lt ; 5 & lt ; 5 0 & lt ; 5 po4eo1 . 5 ) phosphoric ester6 mono and di ( stearyl alcohol viscose 0 . 5 1 5 10 & lt ; 5 5 po6eo3 ) phosphoric ester liquid7 mono and di ( cetyl alcohol paste 0 . 5 1 & lt ; 5 5 & lt ; 5 & lt ; 5 po3 . 5 ) phosphoric ester8 mono and di ( octyl alcohol liquid 0 . 5 1 & lt ; 5 5 & lt ; 5 & lt ; 5 po1eo1 ) phosphoric ester9 mono and di ( coconut oil liquid 0 . 5 1 0 & lt ; 5 0 & lt ; 5 alcohol po2eo1 ) phosphoric ester10 mono ( nonylphenol po1 ) liquid 0 . 5 1 & lt ; 5 5 & lt ; 5 & lt ; 5 phosphoric ester__________________________________________________________________________ table 2__________________________________________________________________________ stripped area (%) time period quartz state of amount added ( in minutes ) porphyry limestone additive of additive for stirring 2 48 2 48examples asphalt additives ( 30 ° c .) (% by weight ) after addition hours hours hours hours__________________________________________________________________________11 mono ( dobanol 23 from liquid 0 . 5 1 & lt ; 5 5 & lt ; 5 & lt ; 5 mitsubishi chemical co ., ltd . po1eo2 ) phosphoric ester12 mono and di ( 2 - liquid 0 . 5 1 & lt ; 5 5 & lt ; 5 5 methyldodecanol eo3 ) phosphoric ester13 mono ( 2 - methyltetradecanol liquid 0 . 5 1 & lt ; 5 5 & lt ; 5 & lt ; 5 po1eo3 ) phosphoric ester14 mono and di ( 2 - ethylhexanol ) liquid 0 . 5 1 5 5 & lt ; 5 5 phosphoric ester15 mono ( 2 - hexyldecanol ) liquid 0 . 5 1 0 & lt ; 5 0 & lt ; 5 phosphoric ester16 mono and di ( 2 - liquid 0 . 5 1 & lt ; 5 5 0 & lt ; 5 octyldodecanol po2 ) phosphoric ester17 mono ( tridecanol from kyowa liquid 0 . 5 1 5 5 & lt ; 5 5 hakko co ., ltd .) phosphoric ester18 mono and di ( 3 , 3 , 5 - liquid 0 . 5 1 5 10 5 5 trimethylhexanol eo1 . 5 ) phosphoric ester19 mono ( lial 123 by condea ) paste 0 . 5 1 5 5 0 5 phosphoric ester20 mono ( isalchem 11 by condea ) liquid 0 . 5 1 0 5 0 & lt ; 5 phosphric ester__________________________________________________________________________ note ) example 19 and 20 are phosphates represented by formula ( ii ), wherein x i 1 , y is 2 and m and n are 0 . table 3__________________________________________________________________________ stripped area time period quartz state of amount added ( in minutes ) porphyry limestonecomparative additive of additive for stirring 2 48 2 48examples asphalt additives ( 30 ° c .) (% by weight ) after addition hours hours hours hours__________________________________________________________________________1 none -- -- -- 60 80 40 702 phosphoric acid liquid 0 . 5 30 60 80 35 703 mixture of mono and di - solid 0 . 5 1 10 25 10 15 stearyl phosphates4 mixture of mono and di - solid 0 . 5 30 & lt ; 5 10 & lt ; 5 10 stearyl phosphates5 mono and di ( stearyl liquid 0 . 5 30 10 30 10 20 alcohol po15 ) phosphoric ester6 mono and di ( lauryl alcohol paste 0 . 5 30 15 25 10 20 eo3 ) phosphoric ester7 monononylphenol solid 0 . 5 30 15 40 15 30 phosphoric ester8 mono ( butylphenol po8 ) liquid 0 . 5 30 10 20 10 15 phosphoric ester9 mono ( nonylphenol eo5 ) liquid 0 . 5 30 20 50 20 40 phosphoric ester10 mono and di ( 2 - solid 0 . 5 30 15 30 10 20 tridecylheptadecanol ) phosphoric ester11 mono ( dobanol 23 from solid 0 . 5 30 10 20 10 15 mitsubishi chemical co ., ltd .) phosphoric ester12 tallow alkyl solid 0 . 5 30 20 60 10 50 propylenediamine13 tallow alkyl liquid 0 . 5 30 30 60 10 40 propylenediamine eo314 1 - aminoethyl - 2 - liquid 0 . 5 30 20 70 10 50 heptadecenylimidazoline__________________________________________________________________________ as can be seen from tables 1 to 3 , the asphalt compositions of examples 1 to 18 exhibit little or no stripping irrespective of the kind of the aggregates . in particular , the anti - stripping effect was higher where the asphalt additives were in the state of a liquid . the fact that the stripping did not occur even in a severe condition , i . e ., immersion in water at 80 ° c . for 120 minutes , indicates that the asphalt additive of the present invention has a quick effect which imparts an excellent anti - stripping effect to asphalt immediately after the addition of the additive . generally , the anti - stripping effect lasts at least 3 to 5 years , although the durability varies depending on meteorological conditions and traffic conditions . since this excellent anti - stripping effect can be obtained only after about 1 minute &# 39 ; s stirring of asphalt when the asphalt additive is added to the asphalt , the excellent solubility and affinity of the asphalt additive of the present invention were confirmed . in addition , the continuous heating of 48 hours did not impair the anti - stripping ability . consequently , the characteristics of the asphalt composition according to the present invention , i . e ., excellent heat resistance and requirement of only short time for stirring , can significantly improve the workability at site , in view of the situation that asphalt is heated continuously for a long time in the case of , for example , paving operations at night . to the contrary , the asphalt compositions of comparative examples 1 to 14 were remarkably inferior with respect to the anti - stripping ability . in addition , since a long time is required for stirring and since the heat resistance of these asphalt compositions is inferior , the workability at site is impaired .
| 2 |
referring to fig1 to 7 , what is shown is a method for the treatment of glaucoma by trabecular bypass surgery . in particular , a seton implant is used to bypass diseased trabecular meshwork at the level of trabecular meshwork to use or restore existing outflow pathways and methods thereof . for background illustration purposes , fig1 shows a sectional view of an eye 10 , while fig2 shows a close - up view , showing the relative anatomical locations of the trabecular meshwork , the anterior chamber , and schlemm &# 39 ; s canal . thick collagenous tissue known as sclera 11 covers the entire eye 10 except that portion covered by the cornea 12 . the cornea 12 is a thin transparent tissue that focuses and transmits light into the eye and the pupil 14 which is the circular hole in the center of the iris 13 ( colored portion of the eye ). the cornea 12 merges into the sclera 11 at a juncture referred to as the limbus 15 . the ciliary body 16 begins internally in the eye and extends along the interior of the sclera 11 and becomes the choroid 17 . the choroid 17 is a vascular layer of the eye underlying retina 18 . the optic nerve 19 transmits visual information to the brain and is sequentially destroyed by glaucoma . the anterior chamber 20 of the eye 10 , which is bound anteriorly by the cornea 12 and posteriorly by the iris 13 and lens 26 , is filled with aqueous . aqueous is produced primarily by the ciliary body 16 and reaches the anterior chamber angle 25 formed between the iris 13 and the cornea 12 through the pupil 14 . in a normal eye , the aqueous is removed through the trabecular meshwork 21 . aqueous passes through trabecular meshwork 21 into schlemm &# 39 ; s canal 22 and through the aqueous veins 23 which merge with blood - carrying veins and into venous circulation . intraocular pressure of the eye 10 is maintained by the intricate balance of secretion and outflow of the aqueous in the manner described above . glaucoma is characterized by the excessive buildup of aqueous fluid in the anterior chamber 20 which produces an increase in intraocular pressure ( fluids are relatively incompressible and pressure is directed equally to all areas of the eye ). as shown in fig2 , the trabecular meshwork 21 constitutes a small portion of the sclera 11 . it is understandable that creating a hole or opening for implanting a device through the tissues of the conjunctiva 24 and sclera 11 is relatively a major surgery as compared to a surgery for implanting a device through the trabecular meshwork 21 only . a seton implant 31 of the present invention for either using or restoring existing outflow pathways positioned through the trabecular meshwork 21 is illustrated in fig5 . in a first embodiment , a method for increasing aqueous humor outflow in an eye of a patient to reduce the intraocular pressure therein . the method comprises bypassing diseased trabecular meshwork at the level of the trabecular meshwork and thereby restoring existing outflow pathways . alternately , a method for increasing aqueous humor outflow in an eye of a patient to reduce an intraocular pressure therein is disclosed . the method comprises bypassing diseased trabecular meshwork at a level of said trabecular meshwork with a seton implant and using existing outflow pathways . the seton implant 31 may be an elongated seton or other appropriate shape , size or configuration . in one embodiment of an elongated seton implant , the seton has an inlet end , an outlet end and a lumen therebetween , wherein the inlet end is positioned at an anterior chamber of the eye and the outlet end is positioned at about an exterior surface of said diseased trabecular meshwork . furthermore , the outlet end may be positioned into fluid collection channels of the existing outflow pathways . optionally , the existing outflow pathways may comprise schlemm &# 39 ; s canal 22 . the outlet end may be further positioned into fluid collection channels up to the level of the aqueous veins with the seton inserted either in a retrograde or antegrade fashion with respect to the existing outflow pathways . in a further alternate embodiment , a method is disclosed for increasing aqueous humor outflow in an eye of a patient to reduce an intraocular pressure therein . the method comprises ( a ) creating an opening in trabecular meshwork , wherein the trabecular meshwork comprises an interior side and exterior side ; ( b ) inserting a seton implant into the opening ; and ( c ) transporting the aqueous humor by said seton implant to bypass the trabecular meshwork at the level of said trabecular meshwork from the interior side to the exterior side of the trabecular meshwork . fig3 shows an embodiment of the seton implant 31 constructed according to the principles of the invention . the seton implant may comprise a biocompatible material , such as a medical grade silicone , for example , the material sold under the trademark silastic ™, which is available from dow corning corporation of midland , mich ., or polyurethane , which is sold under the trademark pellethane ™, which is also available from dow corning corporation . in an alternate embodiment , other biocompatible materials ( biomaterials ) may be used , such as polyvinyl alcohol , polyvinyl pyrolidone , collagen , heparinized collagen , tetrafluoroethylene , fluorinated polymer , fluorinated elastomer , flexible fused silica , polyolefin , polyester , polysilison , mixture of biocompatible materials , and the like . in a further alternate embodiment , a composite biocompatible material by surface coating the above - mentioned biomaterial may be used , wherein the coating material may be selected from the group consisting of polytetrafluoroethlyene ( ptfe ), polyimide , hydrogel , heparin , therapeutic drugs , and the like . the main purpose of the seton implant is to assist in facilitating the outflow of aqueous in an outward direction 40 into the schlemm &# 39 ; s canal and subsequently into the aqueous collectors and the aqueous veins so that the intraocular pressure is balanced . in one embodiment , the seton implant 31 comprises an elongated tubular element having a distal section 32 and an inlet section 44 . a rigid or flexible distal section 32 is positioned inside one of the existing outflow pathways . the distal section may have either a tapered outlet end 33 or have at least one ridge 37 or other retention device protruding radially outwardly for stabilizing the seton implant inside said existing outflow pathways after implantation . for stabilization purposes , the outer surface of the distal section 32 may comprise a stubbed surface , a ribbed surface , a surface with pillars , a textured surface , or the like . the outer surface 36 , including the outer region 35 and inner region 34 at the outlet end 33 , of the seton implant is biocompatible and tissue compatible so that the interaction / irritation between the outer surface and the surrounding tissue is minimized . the seton implant may comprise at least one opening at a location proximal the distal section 32 , away from the outlet end 33 , to allow flow of aqueous in more than one direction . the at least one opening may be located on the distal section 32 at about opposite of the outlet end 33 . in another exemplary embodiment , the seton implant 31 may have a one - way flow controlling means 39 for allowing one - way aqueous flow 40 . the one - way flow controlling means 39 may be selected from the group consisting of a check valve , a slit valve , a micropump , a semi - permeable membrane , or the like . to enhance the outflow efficiency , at least one optional opening 41 in the proximal portion of the distal section 32 , at a location away from the outlet end 33 , and in an exemplary embodiment at the opposite end of the outlet end 33 , is provided . fig4 shows a top cross - sectional view of fig3 . the shape of the opening of the outlet end 33 and the remaining body of the distal section 32 may be oval , round or some other shape adapted to conform to the shape of the existing outflow pathways . this configuration will match the contour of schlemm &# 39 ; s canal to stabilize the inlet section with respect to the iris and cornea by preventing rotation . as shown in fig3 , the seton implant of the present invention may have a length between about 0 . 5 mm to over a meter , depending on the body cavity the seton implant applies to . the outside diameter of the seton implant may range from about 30 μm to about 500 μm . the lumen diameter is preferably in the range between about 20 μm to about 150 μm . the seton implant may have a plurality of lumens to facilitate multiple flow transportation . the distal section may be curved at an angle between about 30 degrees to about 150 degrees , in an exemplary embodiment at around 70 - 110 degrees , with reference to the inlet section 44 . fig5 shows another embodiment of the seton implant 45 constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention . in an exemplary embodiment , the seton implant 45 may comprise at least two sections : an inlet section 47 and an outlet section 46 . the outlet section has an outlet opening 48 that is at the outlet end of the seton implant 45 . the shape of the outlet opening 48 is preferably an oval shape to conform to the contour of the existing outflow pathways . a portion of the inlet section 47 adjacent the joint region to the outlet section 46 will be positioned essentially through the diseased trabecular meshwork while the remainder of the inlet section 47 and the outlet section 46 are outside the trabecular meshwork . as shown in fig5 , the long axis of the oval shape opening 48 lies in a first plane formed by an x - axis and a y - axis . to better conform to the anatomical contour of the anterior chamber 20 , the trabecular meshwork 21 and the existing outflow pathways , the inlet section 47 may preferably lie at an elevated second plane , at an angle θ , from the first plane formed by an imaginary inlet section 47 a and the outlet section 46 . the angle θ may be between about 30 degrees and about 150 degrees . fig6 shows a perspective view illustrating the seton implant 31 , 45 of the present invention positioned within the tissue of an eye 10 . a hole / opening is created through the diseased trabecular meshwork 21 . the distal section 32 of the seton implant 31 is inserted into the hole , wherein the inlet end 38 is exposed to the anterior chamber 20 while the outlet end 33 is positioned at about an exterior surface 43 of said diseased trabecular meshwork 21 . in a further embodiment , the outlet end 33 may further enter into fluid collection channels of the existing outflow pathways . in one embodiment , the means for forming a hole / opening in the trabecular mesh 21 may comprise an incision with a microknife , an incision by a pointed guidewire , a sharpened applicator , a screw shaped applicator , an irrigating applicator , or a barbed applicator . alternatively , the trabecular meshwork may be dissected off with an instrument similar to a retinal pick or microcurrette . the opening may alternately be created by retrogade fiberoptic laser ablation . fig7 shows an illustrative method for placing a seton implant at the implant site . an irrigating knife or applicator 51 comprises a syringe portion 54 and a cannula portion 55 . the distal section of the cannula portion 55 has at least one irrigating hole 53 and a distal space 56 for holding a seton implant 31 . the proximal end 57 of the lumen of the distal space 56 is sealed from the remaining lumen of the cannula portion 55 . for positioning the seton 31 in the hole or opening through the trabecular meshwork , the seton may be advanced over the guidewire or a fiberoptic ( retrograde ). in another embodiment , the seton is directly placed on the delivery applicator and advanced to the implant site , wherein the delivery applicator holds the seton securely during the delivery stage and releases it during the deployment stage . in an exemplary embodiment of the trabecular meshwork surgery , the patient is placed in the supine position , prepped , draped and anesthesia obtained . in one embodiment , a small ( less than 1 mm ) self sealing incision is made . through the cornea opposite the seton placement site , an incision is made in trabecular meshwork with an irrigating knife . the seton 31 is then advanced through the cornea incision 52 across the anterior chamber 20 held in an irrigating applicator 51 under gonioscopic ( lens ) or endoscopic guidance . the applicator is withdrawn and the surgery concluded . the irrigating knife may be within a size range of 20 to 40 gauges , preferably about 30 gauge . from the foregoing description , it should now be appreciated that a novel approach for the surgical treatment of glaucoma has been disclosed for releasing excessive intraocular pressure . while the invention has been described with reference to a specific embodiment , the description is illustrative of the invention and is not to be construed as limiting the invention . various modifications and applications may occur to those who are skilled in the art , without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention , as described by the appended claims .
| 0 |
modes for carrying out the present invention will be described hereinbelow . a . means for specifying and isolating limulus reaction - activating substance of the present invention a limulus reaction - activating substance of the present invention ( hereinafter also referred to as a limulus reaction - activating substance ) is a new substance which indicates falsely positive during an endotoxin - specific limulus reaction . this substance is specified and isolated by means of the following procedure . a sample for limulus assay [ which is predominantly a biological product ( e . g ., blood products , vaccines , antibiotics which will be described later )] can be purified by means of various isolation means which utilize physical and chemical properties of the limulus reaction - activating substance . for example , the isolation means comprises processing of the sample through use of an ordinary protein precipitant , ultrafiltration , gel filtration , centrifugation , electrophoresis , gel permeation chromatography , ion exchange chromatography , affinity chromatography , reversed phase chromatography , hydrophobic chromatography , or dialysis . as a matter of course , these isolation means may be employed in combination , as required . of these isolation means , the gel permeation chromatography is preferred , with gel permeation chromatography which employs high - performance liquid chromatography being more preferred . more specifically , the sample is applied to a chromatography column and is eluted with distilled water which serves as a solvent and is free of endotoxin and β - d - glucan . the flow rate of the solvent is not limited to any particular rate , but a flow rate of 0 . 5 mi / min . or thereabouts is preferred . an aqueous solution of polymyxin b sulfate is added to eluted fractions in such a way that the final concentration of polymyxin b sulfate reaches 0 . 5 mg / ml , thereby completely inhibiting the endotoxin activity . the fractions are measured by means of an endotoxin - specific limulus reagent and positive fractions are collected , whereby the limulus reaction - activating substance can be obtained . the thus - manufactured limulus reaction - activating substance is predominantly present in biological products , such as vaccines or albumin products , and has the following characteristics . the characteristics of the substance will be described in the embodiment section hereinbelow . fig8 a and 8b show the effect of a surfactant and triethylamine on various endotoxin responses ( in a biological product ); and fig9 is a plot showing the measurement of the amount of endotoxin contained in a biological product by means of quantitative assay on parallel regression line . ( 3 ) activating factor c of an amebocyte lysate of a horseshoe crab ; ( 8 ) maintaining the limulus reaction activity when coexisting with polymyxin b ; ( 10 ) maintaining the limulus reaction activity when being exposed to 0 . 2m hydrochloric acid at 37 ° c . for 60 min ; ( 11 ) maintaining the limulus reaction activity when being exposed to 0 . 2m potassium hydroxide at 37 ° c . for 60 min ; ( 12 ) reducing the limulus reaction activity when being exposed to polyoxyethylene hexadecylether . the above substance is reported to increase the toxicity of endotoxin such as that reported with regard to tsst - 1 of staphylococcal exotoxin ( staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome toxin - 1 ) [ h . fujikawa et . al ., infect immun ., 52 , 134 ( 1986 )], or to have a physiological action or toxicity analogous to that of endotoxin , for example , the production of inflammatory mediator . accordingly , elucidating the action of the limulus reaction - activating substance isolated for the first time by the present invention in an organism or in various types of morbidity is of considerable importance . further , a method of measuring the limulus reaction - activating substance of the present invention provides considerably important information , as does the method of measuring endotoxin . the present inventors have observed that the limulus reaction - activating substance is present predominantly in biological products and is contained in comparatively large amounts in biological products imported from overseas . the origin of this substance is not clear , and the possibility of biological products being contaminated with the substance during the course of manufacture of the products cannot be denied . it is expected that the method of measuring the amount of the limulus reaction - activating substance of the present invention will be applied to determining the contamination of biological products with the substance in manufacturing processes or to check final products . as a result , the production of biological products which are much safer than existing biological products is anticipated . the method of measuring the limulus reaction - activating substance of the present invention will be described later . b . means for inactivating the limulus reaction - activating substance ( hereinafter also referred to as a method of inactivating the limulus reaction - activating substance ) in a case where the limulus reaction - activating substance is contained in a sample for limulus assay , the substance indicates falsely positive in response to the limulus reagent , thereby reducing the accuracy of detection of a desired substance ( e . g ., endotoxin ). specifically , the means for inactivating the limulus reaction - activating substance of the present invention may be a method of mixing the substance with a surfactant at a temperature ranging from that higher than a freezing point of the surfactant to 50 ° c . the surfactant used for the present invention is not limited to any particular surfactant , so long as it does not impair the limulus reaction of endotoxin as a result of dissociation of the endotoxin micelles , does not activate a limulus reaction , or does not inhibit active serine proteases . the surfactant may be selected from a group comprising cationic surfactants , anionic surfactants , ampholytic surfactants , nonionic surfactants , and natural surfactants . it is preferred to select the nonionic surfactants which less directly act on endotoxin . further , these surfactants may be used in combination , as required . of the nonionic surfactants , a surfactant having polyoxyethylene in a hydrophilic moiety thereof ( hereinafter also referred to as polyoxyethylenes ) is preferred . examples of the polyoxyethylenes include polyoxyethylene alkyl ether ( represented by c n 2 n + 1 ( och 2 ch 2 ) x oh or usually abbreviated as c n e x ), polyoxyethylene alkylphenyl ether ( c n φe x ) having a phenyl group between an alkyl chain and a polyoxyethylene chain , and acylpolyoxyethylene sorbitan ( c n - sorbitan - e x ). these surfactants are respectively known by common names ( or tradenames ), such as brij ( cnex ), triton x ( cn ( ex ), and tween ( cn - sorbitan - ex ), and are widely used for the purpose of solubilizing membrane protein . although the polyoxyethylene chain of the polyoxyethylenes used in the present invention [ i . e ., ( och 2 ch 2 ) x oh of the foregoing formula , also abbreviated as “ ex ”] is not particularly limited , polyoxyethylenes ( where x = an integer from 2 to 25 inclusive , preferably x = an integer from 4 to 23 inclusive , and more preferably x = an integer from 7 to 13 inclusive ) are preferred . although the number of carbons of the alkyl group ( i . e ., c n h 2n + 1 of the formula , which is also abbreviated as “ c n ”) of the polyoxyethylenes employed in the present invention is not particularly limited , it is preferred for polyoxyethylenes to have an n = an integer from 8 to 18 inclusive . examples of the polyoxyethylenes include polyoxyethylene dodecyl ether , polyoxyethylene hexadecyl ether ( also referred to as polyoxyethylene cetyl ether ), polyoxyethylene isooctylphenyl ether , polyoxyethylene nonylphenyl ether , polyoxyethylene fatty acid ester , and polyoxyethylene sorbitol ester . it is preferred that these surfactants be used as aqueous solution and have a certain micelle size . the solvent of the aqueous solution of the surfactant may be a buffer solution . preferably , the ph of the buffer solution is adjusted to be in the range of optimum ph of the cascade participated with factor c ( more preferably a ph of about 7 to 9 ). examples of the buffer solution include good &# 39 ; s buffers [ e . g ., hepes ( n - 2 - hydroxyethylpiperazine - n ′- 2 - ethanesulfonic acid buffer ), colaminechloride buffer , bes buffer , mops buffer , tes buffer , hepps buffer ( n - 2 - hydroxyethylpiperazine - n ′- 3 - propanesulfonic acid buffer ), tricine buffer , glycinamide buffer , or bicine buffer , taps buffer ]; tris - hydrochloric acid buffer ; or the like . the amount of a surfactant to coexist with the limulus reaction - activating substance is not particularly limited and can be changed depending on the amount of limulus reaction - activating substance or the type and amount of surfactant to coexist with the substance , as required . for example , specific concentrations of surfactant are usually set to 0 . 005 % to 0 . 8 % ( weight by volume ), preferably 0 . 01 % to 0 . 5 % ( weight by volume ), and more preferably 0 . 05 % to 0 . 3 % ( weight by volume ) as the final concentration of the surfactant when it comes into contact with the sample . however , these concentrations are merely illustrative and are not intended to be construed in a limiting sense . an aqueous solution of a desired surfactant can be prepared by subjecting the solution to means for removing endotoxin from the solution , e . g ., an activated carbon treatment , a membrane filtering treatment , or an autoclave treatment . the method and the sequence of causing the surfactant or the aqueous solution of a surfactant to coexist with the sample containing the limulus reaction - activating substance are not particularly limited , so long as the surfactant coexists in predetermined concentrations with the sample without being subjected to modification or disruption . the objective of the present invention can be achieved even if a surfactant is added to a limulus reagent in advance and the limulus reagent is mixed and concurrently reacted with a sample . however , in terms of effect , it is preferred to mix a surfactant with the sample before limulus reaction . the aqueous solution of the surfactant is desirably mixed with the sample at a ratio of 0 . 1 to 10 : 1 parts by volume . however , the ratio is not particularly limited , so long as the surfactant is added in a predetermined concentration into the sample and the effective concentration is maintained . in order to inactivate the limulus reaction - activating substance , the surfactant must be mixed with the substance at a temperature ranging from that higher than a freezing point of the surfactant to 50 ° c . at a temperature below the freezing point of the surfactant , the surfactant becomes frozen , thereby making it difficult to smoothly perform desired inactivation of the substance . in contrast , if the temperature exceeds 50 ° c ., endotoxin or the other substances to be measured is also inactivated , thereby making it difficult to correctly measure the amount of endotoxin or the like . the limulus reaction - activating substance can be brought into contact with the surfactant preferably at a temperature ranging from 1 ° c . to 50 ° c ., more preferably at a temperature ranging from 4 ° c . to 50 ° c ., even more preferably at a temperature ranging from 4 ° c . to 45 ° c ., and particularly preferably at a temperature ranging from 15 ° c . to 40 ° c . in this respect , the present invention greatly differs from the existing technique ( as disclosed in japanese patent laid - open ( kokai ) no . 6 - 118086 ) which employs a surfactant and actively heats to inactivate a limulus reaction false - positive substance . the method for achieving copresence of the sample and the surfactant is not particularly limited . the sample and the surfactant are usually made to coexist with each other by adding them together and sufficiently mixing this mixture . there is no particular limitation on the time period over which the sample coexists with the surfactant at a temperature ranging from that higher than a freezing point of the surfactant to 50 ° c ., so long as the endotoxin molecules and micelles associated with them are physically and chemically stable and are not adsorbed to a container . the time period is usually set to a period ranging from several seconds to five minutes , and one to two minutes are adequate for the time period . thus , the limulus reaction - activating substance can be inactivated through use of the surfactant within a very short period of time . the foregoing method of inactivating the limulus reaction - activating substance can be directly applied to the inactivation of the limulus reaction - activating substance contained in the sample for limulus assay . the present invention comprises the use of a surfactant for the purpose of inactivating the limulus reaction - activating substance so as to mix the sample with the surfactant at a temperature ranging from that higher than a freezing point of the surfactant to 50 ° c . as will be described later , an alkylamine preferably coexists with the sample in addition to surfactant . the present invention comprises the use of a surfactant for the purpose of inactivating the limulus reaction - activating substance so as to mix the sample with the surfactant and an alkylamine at a temperature ranging from that higher than a freezing point of the surfactant to 50 ° c . as described above , the present invention provides the methods for inactivating the limulus reaction - activating substance , thereby directly yielding a sample for limulus assay which contains the limulus reaction - activating substance inactivated by the surfactant . this inactivation methods can be applied to various forms . for example , the inactivation methods can be applied to a surfactant - contained agent for inactivating a limulus reaction - activating substance based on the copresence of the sample and the surfactant at a temperature ranging from that higher than a freezing point of the surfactant to 50 ° c . the inactivation methods can be also applied to a limulus reagent which contains the inactivation agent , a kit for limulus assay which contains the limulus reagent , or a kit for limulus assay which contains both the inactivation agent and the limulus reagent . the term “ limulus assay ” used herein signifies measurement which uses a limulus reaction . the term “ kit for limulus assay ” used herein signifies a kit which is used for assay which uses a limulus reaction and contains at least a limulus reagent . in addition to the limulus reagent , the kit can contain an optional reagent , as required . for example , this reagent includes distilled water for blank test purposes or reactive - reagent - dissolution / reaction buffer solutions . however , the reagent is not limited to these examples . the present invention provides an agent which contains a surfactant and inactivates the limulus reaction - activating substance , a limulus reagent containing the inactivating agent , and a kit for limulus assay which contains the limulus reagent and the inactivating agent . preferably , the limulus reagent is an endotoxin - specific limulus reagent . the present invention further comprises a method of eliminating the effect of a sample for limulus assay on the limulus reaction , which method is characterized by copresence of a sample for limulus assay and a surfactant at a temperature ranging from that higher than a freezing point of the surfactant to 50 ° c . to inactivate the limulus reaction - activating substance . the present invention includes a sample for limulus assay which contains the limulus reaction - activating substance inactivated by the surfactant in the previously - described manner . the sample to be subjected to the inactivation of the limulus reaction - activating substance is not particularly limited , so long as the sample is subjected to the detection of endotoxin by means of a limulus reaction . particularly preferable samples are so - called biological products which are biologically - derived limulus samples and have a higher possibility that the limulus reaction - activating substance is contained . the term “ biological products ” used herein is a concept which excludes blood fractions containing whole blood ; i . e ., whole blood , plasma , serum , or the like , which is not biologically processed . more specifically , the biological products are biologically - processed products including vaccine preparations [ which are generally prepared for the purpose of reducing a morbidity rate by increasing a blood antibody titer with respect to a target virus by means of vaccination ; for example , vaccine preparations include inactivated vaccines which are usually manufactured by proliferating virions in a host , such as a transovarian allantoic cavity or a brain , and decomposing and inactivating highly - purified virions { e . g ., influenza vaccine ( influenza ha vaccine ), japanese encephalitis vaccine , or the like } or attenuated vaccine ], biologically - processed blood products [ e . g ., human serum albumin or human plasma protein which is usually produced from a starting material , such as plasma , and are fractionated and prepared to a high purity by changing various conditions of the starting material , such as ph , ionic strength , or ethanol concentrations and using a fractional precipitation method ( e . g ., cohn fractionation ) on the basis of the degree of dissolution of protein ], or antibiotics . the vaccine takes the form of a colorless - and - transparent or slightly - opaque , odorless liquid article to which a stabilizing agent such as gelatin has been added . there is also freeze - dried vaccine which is a slightly - yellowish - white powdery solid . this vaccine is used in liquid form prepared by adding a specified quantity of distilled water is added to the solid . c . means for measuring the amount of endotoxin which uses the means for inactivating the limulus reaction - activating substance ( hereinafter also referred to as an endotoxin measurement method ) by virtue of the use of the foregoing means for inactivating the limulus reaction - activating substance , there is provided a method of measuring the amount of endotoxin contained in a sample for limulus assay , comprising : ( 1 ) a first step of mixing the sample with a surfactant at a temperature ranging from that higher than a freezing point of the surfactant to 50 ° c . to thereby inactivate the limulus reaction - activating substance contained in the sample ; and ( 2 ) a second step of subjecting the sample whose limulus reaction - activating substance is inactivated in the first step to a limulus reagent and of measuring a change through a limulus reaction . preferably , the sample , the surfactant , and the alkylamine are brought into copresence with each other at a temperature ranging from that higher than a freezing point of the surfactant to 50 ° c . the technical significance of the addition of an alkylamine will be described later . desirably , the sample is a biological product , and the preferred biological products have already been described . the amount of endotoxin contained in the sample can be more easily measured by use of a limulus reagent which contains an agent containing a surfactant for inactivating the limulus reaction - activating substance . therefore , there is further provided a method of measuring the amount of endotoxin contained in a sample for limulus assay , comprising : ( 1 ) a first step of preparing a limulus reagent which contains an agent for inactivating the limulus reaction - activating substance , and ( 2 ) a second step of subjecting the sample to a limulus reaction through use of the limulus reagent prepared in the first step . in the present invention , an endotoxin - specific limulus reagent is preferably used , although usable limulus reagents are not particularly limited , so long as the reagents enable the detection of endotoxin , in view that the limulus reaction - activating substance falsely tests positive during the course of the detection of endotoxin . if the sample clearly does not contain any β - d - glucan , use of the endotoxin - specific limulus reagent is not necessarily required . in this case , a limulus reagent which detects both endotoxin and β - d - glucan may also be used . the limulus reagent is not limited , so long as the reagent enables the detection of endotoxin . in addition to a limulus reagent utilizing synthetic substrate method ( end - point assay or kinetic assay ), a limulus reagent utilizing an ordinary gelation method or turbidimetry ( end - point assay or kinetic assay ) may be employed . in the present invention , various limulus reagents commercially available can be used ; e . g ., toxicolor system ls - 6 , toxicolor system ls - 20 , toxicolor system ls - 200 , endospecy es - 6 , endospecy - es - 200 , pyrodick , pregel , pregel - s , pregel - m , pyrotell multitest , pyrotell single test , pyrotell - t ( all of which are available from seikagaku corporation ); limulus j test wako , limulus hs - j test wako , limulus j single test wako , limulus hs - j single test wako , limulus f test wako , limulus hs - f test wako , limulus f single test wako , limulus hs - f single test wako , limulus es - ii test wako , limulus es - ii single test wako , limulus es - iii test wako , limulus es - j test wako ( all of which are available from wako pure chemical industries ); pyrogent , pyrogent multitest , pyrogent single test , qcl - 1000 , kinetic qcl system ( all of which are manufactured by bio - whitecker co ., ltd and are available from daiichi kagaku yakuhin co ., ltd . ); co - test endotoxin ( available from chromogenic ab ltd . ); endochrome , endochrome - k ( which is manufactured by charles river laboratory and is available from end safe ltd . ); pyrosate ( available from hemachem ltd . ); or pyrochrome ( available from capecod ltd .). of these commercially - available limulus reagents , two types of reagents , i . e ., endospecy and limulus es test , are specific to endotoxin . the limulus reagent to be used in the present invention is not limited to the aforementioned commercially - available limulus reagents . so long as a series of enzymes of factor c pathway ( i . e ., a coagulation pathway ) are activated as a result of reaction with endotoxin , it is also possible to use a lysate which is prepared by means of a known method from the hematocyte of a horseshoe crab belonging to ; e . g ., the genera tachypleus tridentatus , tachypleus gigas , or tachypleus rotundicauda ( of asia ) or the genus limulus polyphemus ( of north america . more specifically , a lysate can be produced from a hemolymph of the horseshoe crab by means of a method disclosed in , e . g ., j . biochem ., 80 , pp . 1011 to 1021 ( 1976 ). the endotoxin - specific limulus reagent can be prepared by specifically inhibiting , adsorbing , or eliminating factor g of the lysate ( e . g ., wo 90 / 02951 , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 155 , 032 , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 179 , 006 , wo 92 / 03736 , wo 92 / 06381 , or japanese patent application no . 5 - 61464 ) or by fractionating and reconstituting factor - c - based components [ e . g ., japanese patent publication ( kokoku ) no . 2 - 18080 , or obayashi t . et . al ., clin . chem . acta ., 149 , pp . 55 to 65 ( 1985 )]. the endotoxin - specific limulus reagent can also be produced from factor c , a synthetic peptide substrate which will be described later , a buffer solution and bivalent metal salt , or factor c , factor b , the synthetic peptide substrate , a buffer solution and a bivalent metal salt . examples of the synthetic peptide substrate include synthetic peptide substrates whose carboxyl group of arginine at c - terminal of peptide capable of becoming a substrate of active factor c ( e . g ., peptide whose e - terminal is protected and which has an arrangement such as val - pro - arg , leu - gly - arg , or ile - glu - ala - arg or e . g ., methoxycarbonyl - d - hexahydrotylosil - gly - arg ) is combined through amide bonding with chromogenic residues [ e . g ., p - nitroaniline , p -( n , n - diethylamino ) aniline , p -( n - ethyl - n -( hydroxyethyl ) aniline ], fluorescent residues ( e . g ., 7 - aminomethylcoumarin ), luminous residues , or ammonia . when the measurement of the amount of endotoxin is carried out by using such a produced endotoxin - specific limulus reagent , the activity of amidase can be determined by measurement of a reaction product ( e . g ., p - nitroaniline or ammonia ) which is produced as a result of active factor c acting on the synthetic substrate . according to an example of the measurement method used for measuring the amount of endotoxin , a mixture comprising a liquid to be tested and factor c , a buffer liquid and bivalent metal salt is prepared and reacted with a synthetic substance , and , if necessary , the product is transformed into another pigment . subsequently , the pigments , fluorescent substances , luminous substances , or ammonia resulting from the reaction are measured by a spectrophotometer [ see japanese patent publication ( kokoku ) nos . 63 - 26871 and 3 - 66319 ], a fluorophotometer , a chemoluminescense measuring device , or an ammonia detection electrode ( see japanese patent laid - open ( kokai ) no . 62 - 148860 ), respectively . the inventors have discovered that the coexistance of alkylamine with a surfactant in the detection system of endotoxin , enables endotoxin to be maintained in a suitable associated or dispersed state and minimizes the difference in solubility or reactivity between endotoxin owing to the type of bacterium , thereby providing reproducible data . in short , it is preferred that an alkylamine be brought into copresence with the sample and the surfactant when the sample and the surfactant coexist with each other at a temperature ranging from that higher than a freezing point of the surfactant to 50 ° c . although the method of bringing the sample , the surfactant , and an alkylamine into copresence is not particularly limited , it is preferred to employ a method in which after an alkylamine and a surfactant have been mixed to a predetermined concentration in advance , and the thus - produced mixture is directly mixed with a sample for limulus assay . if an alkylamine is maintained at a predetermined concentration with respect to the sample , any method may be employed , e . g ., a method of bringing a surfactant into copresence with the sample and an alkylamine after the alkylamine has been brought into copresence with the sample , a method of bringing an alkylamine into copresence with the sample and the surfactant after the surfactant has been brought into copresence with the sample , or a method of bringing an alkylamine into copresence with a limulus reagent in advance . for example , the effect of an alkylamine can be readily achieved by the sole addition of an alkylamine to the aqueous solution of surfactant prepared to a predetermined concentration in such a way that the final concentration of the alkylamine reaches the range of 0 . 0001 % to 0 . 05 % ( weight by volume ), and more preferably the range of 0 . 002 % to 0 . 01 % ( weight by volume ), when the alkylamine comes into contact with the sample for limulus assay , thereby resulting in a further improvement in the advantageous results of the present invention . if the amount of the alkylamine contained in the solution is under 0 . 0001 % ( weight by volume ), a desired effect will be difficult to achieve . in contrast , if the amount of alkylamine exceeds 0 . 05 % ( weight by volume ), there is no corresponding increase in a resultant effect . alkylamine may have a substituent . any substance can be used as alkylamine , so long as the substance is usually soluble in a polar solvent or water and cannot be readily decomposed . preferred examples of alkylamines include secondary amines such as methylmethaneamine or ethylethaneamine , and more preferred examples include tertiary amines such as dimethylamine or dimethylethaneamine . more specifically , there may be used n - ethylethaneamine ( diethylamine ), 2 , 2 ′- iminodiethanol , bis ( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) amine ( diethanolamine ), n , n - dimethylmethaneamine ( trimethylamine ), n , n - diethylethaneamine ( triethylamine ), or tris ( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) amine ( triethanolamine ). d . means for measuring the amount of the limulus reaction - activating substance ( hereinafter also referred to as a method of measuring the limulus reaction - activating substance ) the present invention provides a method of specifically measuring solely endotoxin by inactivating the limulus reaction - activating substance contained in a biological product , i . e ., a method of more appropriately testing the safety of drugs . furthermore , the present invention provides a method of specifically measuring solely the limulus reaction - activating substance . more specifically , the amount of limulus reaction - activating substance is calculated by measuring a total amount of limulus reaction - activating substance and endotoxin ( or the amount of substance which reacts with a limulus reagent ) through use of an ordinary limulus test , and by subtracting from the thus - measured total amount the amount of endotoxin obtained by various means alone . in the present invention , it is possible to use one type of a biological product or a mixture of two or more types of biological products . the present invention also comprises a method in which the endotoxin alone is inactivated through use of a substance which specifically inactivates solely endotoxin in the sample — e . g ., acid , alkali , or polymyxins such as polymyxin b or colistin — and by measuring the limulus reaction - activating substance by means of the ordinary limulus test . of these endotoxin - inactivating substances , polymyxins such as polymyxin b or colistin may sometimes erroneously reflect a measured value of the limulus reaction - activating substance . in other terms , a substance which inhibits polymyxins from neutralizing endotoxin sometimes coexists in the sample . in contrast , in a case where endotoxin is inactivated through use of acid or alkali , the foregoing problems will not arise . therefore , acid or alkali can be used as a desirable endotoxin - inactivating substance . although the acid used herein is not limited to any particular acid , strong acid such as hydrochloric acid , sulfuric acid , or nitric acid is preferred . further , although alkali is not limited to any particular alkali , strong alkali such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide is preferred . the sample is usually treated by the addition of acid or alkali thereto in such a way that the sample coexists with acid or alkali . although the concentration of acid or alkali in the sample is not particularly limited , the final concentration of acid or alkali in the sample is preferably set to a value of 0 . 05m or more , and more particularly to a value ranging from 0 . 05 to 0 . 2 m or thereabouts . before being subjected to measurement through use of the limulus reagent , an endotoxin - inactivated sample for limulus assay must be neutralized . preferably , after the neutralization of the sample , the ph of the sample is maintained as a ph ranging from 6 to 9 . more specifically , the present invention is directed to a method of measuring the amount of the limulus reaction - activating substance in a sample for limulus assay comprising : ( 1 ) a first step of measuring the total amount of substances which react with the limulus reagent contained in the sample through the use of the limulus reagent ; ( 2 ) a second step of measuring the amount of endotoxin contained in the sample by means of the method of measuring endotoxin ; and ( 3 ) a third step of calculating the amount of the limulus reaction - activating substance through determining the difference between the total amount of the substances — which react with the limulus reagent — measured in the first step and the amount of endotoxin measured in the second step . the limulus reagents used in the first and second steps must be of the same type . in a case where an endotoxin - specific limulus reagent is used in the first step , the endotoxin - specific limulus reagent must be used in the second step as well . limulus reagents which are usable for these steps are the same as those previously described as being usable for the endotoxin measurement method . endotoxin - specific limulus reagents are preferred . the present invention also comprises a method of measuring the amount of the limulus reaction - activating substance contained in a sample for limulus assay , the method comprising : ( 1 ) a first step of treating the sample with an endotoxin - inactivating substance , particularly acid or alkali ; and ( 2 ) a second step of measuring the limulus reaction - activating substance by causing the endotoxin - inactivated sample obtained in the first step to a limulus reagent , and by measuring a change through a limulus reaction . as previously described , before being subjected to measurement through use of the endotoxin - specific reagent , the endotoxin - inactivated sample obtained in the first step must be maintained . e . means for measuring the true amount of endotoxin contained in a biological product ( or a method of measuring endotoxin contained in a biological product ): the method of measuring endotoxin contained in a biological product according to the present invention enables the measurement of the true amount of endotoxin contained in a biological product by means of a limulus reaction which is found to be impossible for the existing known method to measure . the present invention also comprises a series of steps of measuring the amount of endotoxin through use of the limulus reagent after having eliminated the effect of the limulus reagent false - positive substance ( e . g ., the limulus reaction - activating substance ) contained in a biological product . the effect of the limulus reaction false - positive substance contained in a biological product is eliminated by use of a surfactant , whereby a biological product to be subjected to limulus - reagent is brought into copresence with the surfactant at a temperature ranging from that higher than a freezing point of the surfactant to 50 ° c . as described hereinabove , it is preferable to mix the biological product with an alkylamine in addition to the surfactant . more specifically , it is particularly preferred to use a surfactant and an alkylamine in such a way that the biological product , the surfactant , and the alkylamine coexist with each other at a temperature ranging from that higher than a freezing point of the surfactant to 50 ° c . the present invention also comprises a method of pre - treating a biological product to be subjected to limulus - reagent measurement , the method being characterized by copresence of a surfactant with the biological product at a temperature ranging from that higher than a freezing point of the surfactant to 50 ° c . the present invention also comprises a biological product to be subjected to limulus - reagent which is obtained by this pretreatment and which contains a surfactant . as a result of elimination of the influence of the limulus reaction false - positive substance contained in a biological product as described above , there is provided a method of measuring endotoxin contained in the biological product , the method comprising : ( 1 ) a first step of mixing the biological product with a surfactant at a temperature ranging from that higher than a freezing point of the surfactant to 50 ° c . ; and ( 2 ) a second step of subjecting the sample for limulus assay obtained in the first step to a limulus reagent , and of measuring a change through a limulus reaction . more preferably , in the first step , the sample is brought into copresence with a surfactant and an alkylamine at a temperature ranging from that higher than a freezing point of the surfactant to 50 ° c . limulus reagents which are usable for these steps are the same as those previously described as being usable for the endotoxin measurement method . endotoxin - specific limulus reagents are more preferred . the present invention will be more specifically described hereinbelow with reference to examples which are illustrative but not restrictive . 50 μl of influenza ha vaccine ( iha - lot a ) and 50 μl of japanese b encephalitis ( jec - lot a ) were subjected to gel permeation chromatography employing high - performance liquid chromatography , i . e ., the vaccines were applied to columns tskgel g4000sw and tskgel g3000sw which were joined together ( columns manufactured by toso co ., ltd , each column measuring 7 × 30 mm and having a volume of 14 . 3 cm 8 ). the vaccine was eluted with a solvent , or distilled water from which endotoxin and β - d - glucan had been removed , at a flow rate of 0 . 5 ml / min . the thus - eluted liquid was fractionated every 1 ml . the pattern of elution of influenza ha vaccine is shown in fig2 . an aqueous solution of polymyxin b sulfate was added to each of the thus - eluted factions in such a way that the final concentration of the fraction reached 0 . 5 mg / ml , thereby completely inhibiting the activity of endotoxin . subsequently , limulus reaction was measured through use of endospecy ( which is an endotoxin - specific reagent and available from seikagaku corporation ), and positive fractions ( i . e ., active fractions ) were collected , whereby a limulus reaction - activating substance was obtained . comparison between a limulus reaction - activating substance mixed in vaccine preparations and endotoxin with regard to physical properties and various characteristics table 1 shows the results of comparison between the limulus reaction - activating substance manufactured from influenza ha vaccine ( iha - lot a ) and japanese b encephalitis ( jec - lot a ) in the foregoing example , and various types of purified endotoxin ( westphal type endotoxin prepared from e . coli 0111 : b4 , e . coli 055 : b5 , e . coli ukt - b , salmonella minnesota r595 , s . marcescens , s . typhimurium , s . abrtus equi .) with regard to physical properties . after having been treated under the conditions provided below table 1 , the samples for limulus assay was made to react with an endotoxin - specific limulus reagent ( endospecy available from seikagaku corporation ) on a microtiter plate — which was free from endotoxin and ( 1 → 3 )- β - d - glucan ( e . g ., toxipet plate 96f available from seikagaku corporation )— in a microplate reader ( well reader sk601 available from seikagaku corporation ) for 30 min . the concentration of endotoxin was automatically calculated from the rate of changes ( mabs / min .) in the absorbance of light [ having a wavelength of 405 to 492 nm ] per minute . as a result , the residual activity of the limulus reaction - activating substance (%) and of endotoxin was calculated , taking the residual activity of an unprocessed control group as 100 %. from table 1 , it is evident that the limulus reaction - activating substance contained in the influenza ha vaccine , the japanese b encephalitis , or the like , has the effect of directly activating an endotoxin - sensitive factor ( i . e ., factor c ) present in the amebocyte of a horseshoe crab . further , it is obvious that the limulus reaction - activating substance is a non - serine - protease ( incapable of activating factor c , a proclotting enzyme , or directly hydrolyzing a synthetic substrate ) and non -( 1 → 3 )- β - d - glucan ( incapable of activating factor g ) molecule and has physical properties similar to those of endotoxin which form a macromolecular amphipathic micells . the limulus reaction - activating substance is found to have the property of not adhering to a glass test tube and the property of stably maintaining limulus action even when it is left for a long period of time . pyrogenicity : a test for pyrogenicity is performed in compliance with the rabbit pyrogen test described in the japanese pharmacopoeia . if the value obtained by subtracting the body temperature ( rectal temperature ) of the rabbit measured at the starting time from the maximum body temperature measured after a lapse of three hours is greater than 0 . 55 ° c ., the rabbit is considered to test positive . polymyxin b : an aqueous solution of polymyxin b sulfate ( sigma co ., ltd ., and a concentration of used polymyxin b : 0 . 5 mg / ml ) acid : the substance and endotoxin are treated with 0 . 2m hydrochloric acid at 37 ° c . for 60 min . alkali : the substance and endotoxin are treated with 0 . 2m potassium hydroxide at 37 ° c . for 60 min . heat stability : the substance and endotoxin are heated at 100 ° c . for 60 min . solution stability : the substance and endotoxin are left in 0 . 02m phosphate buffer solution ( ph 7 . 0 ) at 4 ° c . for 10 days . ability to hydrolyze synthetic substrate : boc - leu - gly - art - pna - hcl ( the number of reacted moles : 3 . 0 mm ) ability to activate factor c : the ability to activate factor c is measured by means of the amidase activity against the synthetic substrate of active factor c through use of purified factor c ( prepared by the method disclosed in nakamura t . et . al ., eur . j . biochem . 154 , pp . 511 to 521 81986 ). anti - factor - c monoclonal antibody : the hindrance is measured after a 250 - fold dilution of mouse monoclonal antibody against factor c ( 2c12 ) has been added to a sample for limulus assay in proportions of 1 : 1 part by volume . ability to activate factor g : the proclotting enzyme - activation ability is measured by means of the amidase activity against a synthetic substrate through use of purified factor g [ prepared by the method disclosed in obayashi t . et al ., clin . chi ., acta , 149 , pp . 55 to 65 ( 1985 )]. ability to activate proclotting enzyme : like the case of factor g , the ability to activate into the activated clotting enzyme of the proclotting enzyme purified by the method proposed by obayashi et . al ., is measured by means of the amidase activity against the synthetic substrate . alkali metal or others : an aqueous solution of nacl , kcl , mgcl 2 , or cacl 2 ( the number of reacted moles : 0 to 1 . 5m ) endotoxin adsorbent : endotoxin is brought into contact with end - x - b15 ( i . e ., an adsorbent it &# 39 ; s ligand is a neutralizing factor in the limulus amebocyte ; adsorbent manufactured by capecod co ., ltd . and available from seikagaku corporation ), and pyrocep a & amp ; c ( i . e ., an adsorbent it &# 39 ; s ligand is histidine ; adsorbent manufactured by tanabe seiyaku co ., ltd . and available from wako pure chemical industries ), and unadsorbed fractions are collected . the amount of endotoxin contained in the thus - collected fractions is measured by endospecy to thereby calculate the proportion of the endotoxin adhered to a carrier (%). effect of various types of surfactants on the limulus reaction - activating substance and endotoxin 25 μl of the limulus reaction - activating substance manufactured from the influenza ha vaccine ( iha - lot a ) or the japanese b encephalitis ( jec - lot a ) in the foregoing example and 25 μl of e . coli 0111 : b4 endotoxin ( westphal type , hereinafter referred to as et - b4 , 2eu / ml ) were poured into a toxipet plate 96f . 25 μl of nonionic surfactant solution , such as a polyoxyethylene - based surfactant ( available under the trade - names tween , triton , brij or the like from sigma co ., ltd ., aldrich co ., ltd ., wako pure chemical industries , and dojin kagaku laboratories ), were added to and mixed with the substance and the endotoxin well . subsequently , 50 μl of endospecy were added and allowed to react with the mixture at 37 ° c . for 30 min . as in example 1 , the residual activity of the limulus reaction - activating substance and endotoxin (%) was calculated , with distilled water taken as an unprocessed control group . from table 2 , it is understood that if an appropriate concentration of surfactant is added , a great difference with regard to residual activity arises between the limulus reaction - activating substance and endotoxin , depending on the types of surfactants . for example , it is obvious that if surfactant brij 56 is added to the limulus reaction - activating substance and endotoxin , the limulus reaction - activating substance contained in the influenza ha vaccine can be completely inactivated , whereas the activity of endotoxin is maintained suitably . as is also evident from table 2 , in addition to brij 56 , another surfactant , such as triton n - 101 or tergitol , acts on the limulus reaction - activating substance in an analogous manner . it is found that , as a result of copresence of an aqueous solution of such surfactant in the sample , as required , the effect of the limulus reaction - activating substance mixed in the sample on the limulus reaction ( i . e ., the false - positive characteristics of the sample ) is eliminated , and that the amount of endotoxin alone can be specifically measured . effects of various types of surfactants on the measurement of the amount of endotoxin contained in each of various types of biological products 25 μl of a biological product containing a high concentration of limulus reaction - activating substance [ influenza ha vaccine ( iha - lot b , a stock solution ), japanese b encephalitis ( jec - lot b , a stock solution ), and human serum albumin ( hsa - lot y1 ) prepared to a concentration of 2 . 5 % ( weight by volume )] were dispensed to separately microplates . 25 μl of tergitol , triton n - 101 , and brij 56 ( all of which are available from sigma co ., ltd .) solutions were added to and mixed with the respective microplates so as to produce a concentration of 0 . 004 to 0 . 25 % ( weight by volume ). after the thus - prepared mixtures had been stirred well ( at room temperature for 1 min . ), 50 μl endospecy were added to each of the mixtures . the concentration of endotoxin contained in each of the mixtures was calculated by the method described in example 1 . the amount of residual limulus reaction - activating substance , i . e ., the proportion (%) residual limulus reaction - activating substance , was calculated by comparing the endotoxin concentration with that of an endotoxin - free control group ( i . e ., distilled water ). further , taking the endotoxin recovery (%) of distilled water as 100 %, the endotoxin recovery was calculated by adding a known concentration ( 1 . 2 eu / ml ) of endotoxin ( et - b4 ) to various types of biological products which substantially do not contain any limulus reaction - activating substance . as is evident from table 3 , if an aqueous solution of surfactant prepared to a suitable concentration is used , there can be set conditions under which nonspecific endotoxin reaction does not remain and the amount of endotoxin alone can be specifically measured . more specifically , it is understood that a superior ratio of recovery of endotoxin and the elimination of the nonspecific endotoxin activity ( i . e ., the response of the limulus reaction - activating substance ) can be achieved by merely mixing the sample with the aqueous solution of surfactant which respectively have suitable concentrations . as a result , the amount of endotoxin alone contained in the sample can be specifically measured . from table 3 , it is obvious that the foregoing objectives can be achieved by use of an aqueous solution having a suitable concentration of brij 56 for biological product iha ; an aqueous solution having a suitable concentration of tergitol , triton n - 101 , or brij 56 for biological product jec ; and an aqueous solution having a suitable concentration of brij 56 for biological product hsa . after 25 μl of brij 56 solution — which was prepared in such a way as to have a concentration of 0 to 0 . 5 % ( weight by volume ) when mixed with a biological product — had been added to each 25 μl of the biological products used in the example 3 , 50 μl of endospecy was added to the biological products . the concentration of endotoxin contained in each of the biological products ( eu / ml ) was measured by the method described in example 1 . concurrently , there was measured the endotoxin recovery (%) for each of the concentrations of the aqueous solutions of brij 56 . fig3 shows the thus - measured endotoxin concentrations and the brij 56 concentrations . as the concentration of the aqueous solution of brij 56 increases , the limulus activity ( i . e ., the non - specific endotoxin concentrations ) and the endotoxin recovery decrease significantly . accordingly , there is selected the concentration of brij 56 which enables the maximum inhibition of the activity of the nonspecific endotoxin ( i . e ., the limulus reaction - activating substance ) while the endotoxin recovery is suitably maintained , as required . it is obvious that the limulus reaction - activating substance mixed in the sample can be inactivated and the amount of endotoxin alone can be specifically measured within the thus - selected extent of concentration . influence of the temperature at which brij is mixed with the sample and the time period over which the mixed sample is left after the mixing of brij on the measurement of the amount of endotoxin contained in each of the various types of biological products the aqueous solution of brij 56 was added to and mixed with 25 μl influenza ha vaccine ( iha - lot b ) in such a way that the concentration of brij 56 in the mixture became 0 . 125 %. the mixture was added at 4 to 80 ° c . for one min . after having been mixed further , the mixture was left at the same temperature for 1 to 20 minutes . the relative value of the activity of endotoxin [ i . e ., the ratio of residual limulus reaction which is obtained on the basis of distilled water being taken as a control group ( having a residual limulus reaction ratio of 100 %)] and the endotoxin recovery was calculated . fig4 shows the results of such calculation at each temperature obtained when the mixture was stirred for one min . fig4 shows that the maximum inhibition of limulus activity is achieved while a suitable endotoxin recovery is maintained by merely adding the aqueous solution of surfactant to the sample and stirring the mixture for one min . at 4 to 50 ° c . ( i . e ., the ratio of residual limulus activity and the endotoxin recovery were not particularly affected even when the mixture was left for 5 minutes at 4 to 40 ° c .). additionally , under the conditions in which the mixture was heated to 60 ° c . or more , the activity of endotoxin was not stably maintained , thereby making is impossible to correctly measure the amount of endotoxin contained in the sample . influence of polymyxin b , edta - 4na , and brij 56 on the measurement of the amount of endotoxin contained in each of various types of biological products a total of six lots of 25 μl of preparations containing biological products similar to those used in example 3 were mixed with 25 μl of polymyxin b sulfate ( available from sigma co ., ltd ., 2 mg / ml ) solution , 25 μl of edta - 4na solution , or 25 μl of 0 . 25 % ( weight by volume ) brij 56 solution . 50 μl of endospecy was added to each mixture , and the concentration of endotoxin ( eu / ml ) in the thus - prepared mixture was measured in the same way as in example 1 . provided that a control group ( a total amount of endotoxin and the limulus reaction - activating substance ) without addition of polymyxin b , edta - 4na , or brij 56 is taken as 1 , the activity ratio of the mixture to the control group was calculated under various conditions . assuming that the endotoxin contained in the sample alone is specifically inactivated by addition to the biological products of the polymyxin b or edta - 4na solution having a predetermined concentration , and the limulus reaction - activating substance contained in the sample alone is specifically inactivated by addition of brij 56 to the biological products , the sum of the ratio of an endotoxin concentration and a limulus reaction - activating substance concentration obtained as a result of addition of the surfactant to the biological product to the control must represent a total amount of endotoxin and the limulus reaction - activating substance . as is evident from fig5 a and 5b ( a similar test was performed through use of other lots ), in each of the biological products , the sum of the endotoxin concentration and the limulus reaction - activating substance concentration was 1 ( 0 . 05 ( cv = 5 %, n = 3 ). the hypothesis was proved to be correct . from this fact , it is understood that the limulus reaction - activating substance alone can be inactivated and the amount of endotoxin can be specifically measured by solely bringing the brij 56 solution in copresence with the sample in a given concentration . 0 . 25 % ( weight by volume ) brij 56 solution were added in an equivalent amount to biological products similar to those used in example 3 . 25 μl of the solution — which was diluted 2 to 32 fold with distilled water or 0 . 125 % brij 56 solution — and 25 μl of the solution — which was diluted 2 to 32 fold with distilled water in advance — were poured into each of the toxipet plates 96f . distilled water and 25 μl of 0 . 25 % ( weight by volume ) brij 56 solution were added to the respective plates and stirred well . 50 μl of endospecy were added to the plates , and the concentration of endotoxin contained in the thus - prepared mixture on each plate was measured by the method described in example 1 . each of the thus - measured endotoxin concentrations was divided by a true amount of endotoxin , i . e ., a measured value obtained by adding 25 μl of 0 . 25 % ( weight by volume ) brij 56 solution to 25 μl of the sample , to thereby obtain a relative activity (%). the thus - obtained relative activities were plotted for each of dilution ratios . as shown in fig6 a to 6 c , as for the sample that is diluted with distilled water in advance and to which the brij 56 solution was then added , stable relative activity was obtained in each of the dilution ratios . but the sample that diluted with distilled water after addition of the brij 56 solution showed tendency that the relative activity was rising with the increase of dilution rate . the brij 56 solution was added to the sample , and this sample was then diluted with 0 . 125 % ( weight by volume ) brij 56 solution in place of distilled water . as a result , the stable relative activity was obtained , as in the case where the brij 56 solution was added to the sample , and a suitable dilution dose response is acknowledged . the reversible recovery of part of the activity of the limulus reaction - activating substance inactivated by brij 56 was observed by addition of distilled water so as to dilute the limulus reaction - activating substance ( i . e ., by dilution of the concentration of brij 56 in the sample ). in contrast , such a recovery phenomenon was not observed at all in the sample which was inactivated by brij 56 and diluted with brij 56 to the same concentration as that of the inactivated sample . a constant endotoxin concentration is obtained for any dilution ratio . in this respect , the limulus reaction false - positive substance of the present invention is significantly different in properties from known limulus reaction false - positive substances , and the method of inactivating the limulus reaction - activating substance of the present invention is greatly different from the existing method of inactivating a limulus reaction false - positive substance produced predominantly from blood used as a sample for limulus assay . it is known that once the false - positive substance has been inactivated , the limulus activity of the substance is not recovered at all even if the substance undergoes treatment . the limulus - reaction - activating - ability of the limulus reaction - activating substance of the present invention is inhibited only when it coexists with a specific surfactant having a given concentration . accordingly , in a case where a true amount of endotoxin contained in the sample is correctly measured by elimination of the effect of the limulus reaction - activating substance , the substance must be constantly held in copresence with the specific surfactant having a given concentration . in this respect , the endotoxin measurement method of the present invention is significantly different from the existing endotoxin measurement method associated with the method of inactivating a limulus reaction false - positive substance or the like . measurement of endotoxin contained in a biological product through use of various types of limulus reagents 0 . 3 % ( weight by volume ) brij 30 solution was added in an equivalent amount to each of the various types of biological products used in example 3 , and endospecy or various types of limulus reagents were added to the biological products . the concentration of endotoxin ( eu / ml ) contained in each of the thus - prepared samples for limulus assay was measured through use of standard endotoxin et - b4 . the results of such measurement are provided in table 4 . after the brij 30 solution had been added to the samples , the concentration of endotoxin contained in each of the samples was measured through use of various types of limulus reagents . as can be seen from table 4 , every sample shows a substantially similar tendency . it is obvious that the amount of endotoxin alone can be specifically measured by merely bringing brij 30 into copresence with the sample even when another measurement method and another measurement reagent are used . 25 μl of brij 56 solution ( 0 . 25 %) were added to each of water - dilution steps ( n = 9 ), each step having a quantity of 25 μl , for each of various b - and r - types endotoxin solutions which are different from each other primarily with regard to the chain length of o - antigen polysaccharide ( e . coli 0111 : b4 three types , e . coli ukt - b , e . coli 0113 , salmonella minnesota r595 , s . minnesota r5 ( rc ), s . typhosa , s . enteritidis ). 50 μl of endospecy were added to each of the thus - produced mixtures , and the concentration of endotoxin ( eu / ml ) in each of the mixtures was measured by the method described in the examples . the thus - measured endotoxin concentrations are represented in the form of a log - log plot . as a result , there arises a tendency to show a different titer according to the type of endotoxin . as shown in fig7 a and 7b , the irregularities in the titer are properly converged by adding triethylamine to the brij 56 solution to a concentration of 0 . 005 % ( weight by volume ) in advance ( a multiple correlation of 0 . 844 ). similarly , the dose dependency of endotoxin was checked by adding various types of endotoxin to influenza ha vaccine ( iha - lot m ) which is substantially free from endotoxin . as shown in fig8 a and 8b , in comparison with the case where endotoxin coexists solely with brij 56 , a superior convergence of titer lines ( a multiple correlation of 0 . 850 ) is obtained in the case where triethylamine is added to the brij 56 solution . accordingly , it has become evident that the dispersed state of endotoxin is properly maintained by adding triethylamine having a predetermined concentration to the brij 56 solution to thereby minimize the difference in reactivity between endotoxin owing to solubility or the type of fungus to as small as extent as possible , and that the amount of endotoxin contained in the sample can be more correctly measured . measurement of the amount of endotoxin in each of various types of biological products by means of parallel line assay 25 μl of brij mixture packed into a kit [ 0 . 25 % ( weight by volume ) brij 56 + 0 . 010 % ( weight by volume ) triethylamine ] were added to each of a series of distilled water - diluted solution ( n = 4 )— each solution having a volume of 25 μl — for each of three types of biological products ( iha - lot d , jec - f , hsa - y2 . the mixtures were then stirred . 50 μl of endospecy attached to the kit was added to the mixtures , and the mixtures were brought into reaction at 37 ° c . for 30 min . in a well reader sk601 . the rate of changes ( mabs405 - 492 nm / min .) in the absorbance per minute was analyzed through use of parallel determination software ( available under tradename rg301 from seikagaku corporation ). the concentration of endotoxin ( eu / ml ) was calculated through use of standard endotoxin of the japanese pharmacopoeia ( e . coli ukt - b ). as shown in fig9 suitable parallel lines and reproducibility were obtained for each of the preparations . the kit was able to specifically and accurately determine the amount of endotoxin contained in the biological products . measurement of the limulus reaction - activating substance in each of various types of biological products 0 . 2m naoh was added in an equivalent amount to each 50 μl of the various types of biological products described in example 8 . after the preparations had been heated at 37 ° c . for one hr ., 50 μl of 0 . 2m hcl were added so as to neutralize the mixtures . ( a ) 50 μl of endospecy were added to the thus - neutralized mixtures and brought into reaction at 37 ° c . for 30 min ., and the amount of the limulus reaction - activating substance was measured . in contrast , there were measured ( c ) a total amount of the endotoxin and limulus reaction - activating substance measured through use of distilled water in place of naoh and ( b ) the amount of endotoxin measured by adding 25 μl of 0 . 25 % brij 56 to 25 μl of the preparations and subsequently adding 50 μl of endospecy to the same . all these amounts are provided in table 5 . as shown in table 5 , even in the case of each of iha , jec , hsa preparations , the amount of the limulus reaction - activating substance mixed in the preparations alone can be specifically measured by merely adding naoh to the preparation and heating at 37 ° c . the value obtained by adding the measured value ( b ) of endotoxin obtained by adding aqueous solution of the brij 56 and endospecy to the preparation to the measured value ( a ) of the limulus reaction - activating substance obtained by the foregoing method is substantially equivalent to the measured value ( c ) of the total amount of endotoxin and the limulus reaction - activating substance . therefore , it is evident that the measurement method of the present invention enables correct measurement of the amount of limulus reaction - activating substance . as has been described above , the present invention provides a method of readily and quickly inactivating a non - endotoxin limulus reaction - activating substance which is mixed in a biological product and does not have pyrogenic characteristics , and of accurately measuring the amount of endotoxin alone through use of a limulus reagent . by virtue of the present invention , the amount of endotoxin in the biological product is correctly measured , and therefore the evaluation of safety of biological products can be performed more suitably , representing a great contribution to medical care . further , since the limulus reaction - activating substance has physical properties similar to those of endotoxin , physiological properties and toxicity present new problems in the future . the method of measuring the amount of endotoxin and the limulus reaction - activating substance of the present invention possesses great medical significance .
| 8 |
the present invention relates to systems , methods and devices for composing , sending and receiving reliable asynchronous message transmissions . referring to fig1 , an overview of a system 10 for composing , sending and receiving such asynchronous voicemail transmissions is shown . in this embodiment , system 10 includes at least one originating mobile device 20 where one or more messages ( i . e . voicemails ) may be composed in an asynchronous manner . in one exemplary operative scenario , one or more messages 24 are composed in an asynchronous manner on originating mobile device 20 and are sent to a communication network 30 for eventual delivery to one or more destination mobile devices 46 and 50 where the messages ) may be played back . in another exemplary operative scenario , destination mobile devices 40 and 50 may download messages from communication network 30 for review in an asynchronous manner . as discussed in more detail later herein , the originating mobile device ( s ) and destination mobile device ( s ) utilize local storage facilities such as storage facilities 26 , 46 and 56 for the storage of both outbound and inbound messages . in the present invention , communication network 30 generally provides interconnection utilizing various interconnection architectures including a variety of wireless based networks , internet protocol ( ip ) based networks such as the internet , the public switched telephone network ( pstn ), atm networks , signaling networks , satellite networks , fixed wireless networks , dsl networks as well as other systems . network 30 provides versatile intelligent conduits that may carry , for example , communication signals , data signals , internet protocol ( ip ) telephony based signal and other multimedia signals . in the present invention , communications between the mobile devices and the communications network are enabled by a variety of networks , protocols and standards including , but not limited to cdma ( code division multiple access ), tdma ( time division multiple access ), amps ( advanced mobile phone system ), gsm ( global system for mobile communications ), gprs ( general packet radio service ), 2 . 5g , 3g , edge ( enhanced data for gsm evolution ), ieee 802 . 11x , 1xrtt , wcdma ( wideband cdma ), and so forth and other related networks , protocols and standards . as used herein , the network described herein may include base stations , regional stations , central stations and transmitters that are interconnected by landline trunks , base stations , satellites , antennas , routers , bridges and wireless connections to facilitate the necessary connections to establish the communications described herein . referring now to fig2 , one embodiment of a method of the instant invention is shown . in step 110 , the user creates an audio message . such an audio message is typically a voice message , but could also include generalized audio such as music or ambient sounds . for example , an exemplary message could include some speech by the user as well as some desirable environmental sounds or noise . in one embodiment , step 110 may include a number of substeps , e . g ., recording the message , any signal conversion such as from an analog signal from a microphone to a digital format suitable for network transmission , reviewing it , deleting it , re - recording it , editing it , and the like . in addition , header information , or meta - data may also be created , or associated with the message , e . g ., addressing it to one or more recipients ( typically phone numbers ), creating an index key or name for it , marking an urgency , time - stamping it , creating and associating a unique message identifier , and the like . referring still to fig2 , in step 120 , the message and any header information are stored , in accordance with the principles of the instant invention , in a local memory or storage facility . steps 110 and 120 may be repeated as necessary , either as new messages are created , or as the audio portion or meta - data of the message are modified . thus a multitude of messages may be created or composed and then stored in the local storage facility . referring again to fig2 , in step 130 , a possibly intermittent connection is monitored for connection quality , signal strength , or the like , and the one or more messages which are in the local storage facility are reliably transmitted to one or more edge devices or base stations of the communication network . such edge devices may have an intermittent connection with the mobile device , and consequently such messages , or components thereof may require one or more retransmissions in order for the message ( s ) to be reliably delivered to a server or switch adjunct or the like connected to the base stations . techniques for ensuring reliable message transmission over unreliable connections and elements thereof such as error detection , forward error correction , reliable session layers , packetization , datagram delivery , and the like may be utilized herein . in one exemplary embodiment , one such mechanism for ensuring reliable message transmission is represented by the following pseudo - code as follows : each of the above pseudo - code routines in turn invokes other subroutines in either software , firmware , or hardware , e . g ., packet error detection using cyclic redundant checksums . in another exemplary embodiment , another such mechanism for ensuring reliable message transmission is represented by the following pseudo - code as follows : optionally and advantageously , messages may either be deleted upon successful reception at the base station , or maintained in the local store until space is required , but marked as successfully and completely sent and received by the base station . many variations of step 130 are in the scope of the instant invention . for example , a single message may have to be completely sent before the next one is even initially attempted , they may be sent in sequential order or based on priority markings , and so forth . finally , with reference still to fig2 , in step 140 , the message is forwarded to its ultimate destination . for each ( one or more ) recipient identified in the header information , the message is delivered . this delivery may occur over one or more networks , using one or more technologies / protocols as discussed earlier herein such as via pots , voicemail , voice over ip , wireless transmission , tdm , etc . it is worth noting that the steps shown in fig2 and described herein may occur sequentially , i . e ., create the message , store the message , transmit the message , and then deliver the message . or , they may occur in overlapping fashion , where message delivery , even to a live user actively listening to the message may have begun even as the message is being created and stored . advantageously , this means that buffering and reliable message delivery can be used to provide robust communications even over connections of intermittent quality . also , these steps may be conducted in parallel with other activities , e . g ., messages may be uploaded even while the user is conducting a live conversation , either on control channels or in conversational interstices when both speakers have paused momentarily . referring now to fig3 , another embodiment of a method of the present invention is shown . in this embodiment , audio messages existing in the network are delivered by one or more base stations to the local store or repository of a mobile device . in step 210 , one or more messages are acquired from one or more sources , such as voicemail by a subsystem associated with the base station . in step 220 , the one or more messages are transmitted by one or more transmitters at one or more base stations , and the messages are reliably received by the mobile device . in step 230 , the one or more audio messages are entered into and maintained by the local store . in step 240 , the audio messages are reviewed . other steps , not shown , may exist , e . g ., to delete messages which have been listened to . as described above , these steps may be conducted sequentially or in overlapping fashion . fig4 illustrates an embodiment of a system for implementing the principles of the instant invention . in this embodiment , a mobile device 300 cooperates with a wireless network 400 to deliver and acquire messages to recipients and from senders across one or more network ( s ) 500 . with reference to fig4 , mobile device 300 , such as a cell phone , two - way voice enabled pda or the like , may include a control interface 310 , a control processor 320 , a microphone 330 , an analog - to - digital converter 340 , a local message store 350 , a digital - to - analog converter 360 , a speaker 370 and a device network interface 380 . mobile device 300 may also include additional components such as an antenna ( not shown ), a power supply ( not shown ) and / or battery ( not shown ), a housing ( not shown ), a headset connection ( not shown ), a headset ( not shown ) and a unique device identifier such as an international mobile equipment identifier or electronic serial number ( esn ) typically embedded in a chip ( not shown ), and the like . wireless network 400 may include one or more edge network interfaces 420 x , shown here for ease of illustration as 420 a and 420 b , but it is contemplated that the actual number may be greater or lesser than shown here . wireless network 400 may also include a network message processor 410 , a network message store 430 , and a main network interface 440 . with reference to fig4 , a mobile user will record an audio message which may include voice , music , sounds , and the like , using microphone 330 . this message is converted to digital form by analog - to - digital converter 340 , and stored in local message store 350 , typically with additional metadata such as message length , creation date / time , and the like . using control interface 310 , which may comprise one or more keys , a visual display , knobs , buttons , switches , and the like , the user may then review the message , edit it , forward it , delete it prior to sending , receive messages from the network , listen to them , delete them prior to , during , or after review , set preferences for automatic deletion upon successful transmittal , and so forth . also , control interface 310 may be used to toggle between different modes of operation , e . g ., power off , power on and mobile device active but offline ( i . e ., neither receiving nor transmitting ), and power on and mobile device active and online . the offline mode may be used , e . g ., to record or listen to messages when in an environment where transmission is prohibited , e . g ., when flying , or not desired , e . g ., the user wants to create a message without being disturbed by incoming calls . also , the user enters one or more destination addresses , e . g ., typically recipient phone numbers but possibly email addresses , screen names , or the like . the control processor 320 , which is typically a combination of software , firmware , and / or hardware , interprets the commands , and interacts with the analog - to - digital converter 340 , local message store 350 , and digital - to - analog converter / amplifier 360 to record , edit , playback , attach addressing information , and the like . local message store 350 allocates bytes or blocks of memory to the digitized audio message , metadata , and store information , such as which bytes or blocks are allocated and / or free . for reviewing created or received messages , control interface 310 cooperates with control processor 320 , digital - to - analog amplifier 360 , and speaker 370 to convert stored digital audio information in local message store 350 to audible sounds . referring still to fig4 , device network interface 380 implements logic for interacting with one or more base stations or edge devices , such as edge network interface ( s ) 420 x , e . g ., 420 a , 420 b , and so forth . communication may be via one or more channels , e . g ., a control channel and a paired transmit channel and receive channel . in one embodiment , the channels are digital , but the channels may be a mix of analog and digital , and may use any of a variety of wireless protocols as discussed earlier herein . in an exemplary mode of operation , device network interface 380 broadcasts or otherwise announces the presence of mobile device 300 , homes on an edge network interface 420 x , establishes a viable connection , transmits and / or receives packets and metadata or channel control information , and the like . still with reference to fig4 , network message processor 410 maintains a session with mobile device 300 via edge network interface ( s ) 420 . one session involving transmitting or receiving multiple messages may only utilize one edge network interface 420 , e . g ., when a user has just landed , and uploads or receives messages as they wait for their luggage . alternatively , multiple edge network interfaces 420 may be adjacent , e . g ., when a user , after flying into an airport with a half an hour worth of messages to transmit , drives across multiple cell sites as they upload the messages . or , use of multiple edge network interfaces 420 may be widely dispersed in space and time , even when uploading or receiving one message . for example , a user may begin to upload a message in a first location and then complete the uploading at a later time at a second location where the second location may be geographically removed from the first location . in a more specific example , uploading may begin by a user in a first city and then uploading may be completed at a later time in a different city , with such a scenario being encountered during conventional air travel , which takes the user from one locale to another distant locale . network message processor 410 provides message and session continuity across these multiple intermittent links , reliably acquiring packets or parts of messages and associated metadata and placing them in the network message store 430 , and / or reliably sending packets or parts of messages and associated metadata based on messages contained in network message store 430 for the destination mobile device 300 , and then eventually marking them as fully received or transmitted and notifying the mobile device 300 accordingly . still with reference to fig4 , when uploading messages for delivery , when network message store 430 has a complete message and associated metadata , main network interface 440 cooperates with one or more networks 500 to deliver the message . this may involve setting up one or more circuit switched calls to destination called parties , based on metadata such as phone number , leaving voice mails for the parties in voicemail systems , sending digitized audio files such as wave files to the parties based on metadata such as an email address , setting up a voice - over - ip call , or the like . conversely , main network interface 440 may receive messages from one or more network ( s ) 500 , which may be circuit switched or packet switched networks , together with information such as recipient telephone number , sender email address or telephone number , and the like . it should be noted that the time to transmit or receive a message may be less than , the same as , or greater than the actual duration of the message . for example , the message may be compressed using data compression techniques as are known in the art to eliminate pauses or “ white space ,” as well as to speed delivery . conversely , if multiple connections must be established with one or more base stations , and significant retransmission must occur , the actual connect time ( as well as the passage of real time ) to transmit a message may be greater than the duration of the actual message itself . while the present invention has been described with reference to preferred and exemplary embodiments , it will be understood by those of ordinary skill 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 device , situation or step to the teachings of the invention without departing from the scope thereof . therefore , it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed , but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims .
| 7 |
hereinafter , a preferred embodiment of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings . fig1 is a block diagram showing in outline the arrangement of a camera - integrated type vtr arranged according to the invention as an embodiment thereof . referring to fig1 an image pickup part 10 is composed of an optical system lens , a ccd image sensor , an automatic focusing mechanism , a zooming mechanism , etc . the image pickup part 10 operates , in accordance with instructions from a camera system control device 12 , to adjust focus , an amount of light , etc ., for a field of view , to convert an optical image of the field of view obtained through the optical system lens into a video signal and to supply the video signal to a camera signal processing device 14 . the camera signal processing device 14 then processes the video signal in a predetermined manner in accordance with instructions from the camera system control device 12 , and supplies the processed video signal to a vtr block 16 . a camera system operating device 18 is composed of various switches and dials ( for af on / off , ae auto / lock and programmed ae actions , etc .). a system control device 20 is arranged to supply the camera system control device 12 with information on an operation performed by the operator on the camera system operating device 18 . the camera system control device 12 is composed of a microcomputer , etc ., and is arranged to control the entire camera system according to instructions coming from the system control device 20 and the camera system operating device 18 . the vtr block 16 includes , among others , a mechanism part , a mechanism driving part arranged to drive the mechanism part , a mechanism part servo control device composed mainly of a microcomputer , and a video and audio signal processing part . in accordance with the instructions from the system control device 20 , the vtr block 16 records and reproduces video signals on and from a recording medium , sends the video signals to an evf ( electronic viewfinder ) 22 and also sends out the video signals from an output terminal which is not shown . a vtr system operating device 24 is composed of switches of varied kinds related to the vtr system and the whole apparatus ( including up , down , right , left , execution , menu , reproduction ( playback ), fast - feeding / reverse - feeding , pause and start / stop switches ). information on any operation that is performed on the vtr system operating device 24 by the operator is supplied to the system control device 20 . a power supply mode switch 26 is provided for allowing the operator to select the power supply mode of the main body of the vtr ( including on / off switching of power for the camera , vtr and editing ). information on the selected state of the switch 26 is supplied to the system control device 20 . an osd ( on - screen display ) control device 28 is arranged to convert information of varied kinds of the main body into display character signals and to supply these signals to the evf ( electronic viewfinder ) 22 in accordance with the instructions of the system control device 20 . the osd control device 28 also supplies the vtr block 16 with character signals to be recorded , such as a title , a date , etc . the evf 22 is composed of either a crt or a liquid crystal display panel or the like which is arranged to show video images to the operator . the evf 22 displays not only the display of video images but also information of varied kinds in characters and symbols and guide information when a menu is set there . the system control device 20 is composed of a microcomputer for total control over the above - stated various parts and has various functions , such as a timer function as will be described later herein . the system control device 20 is thus arranged to control the power supply mode , a shift to the operating mode of the vtr block 16 , various information displays , an editing mode , various shooting modes , storing and holding an editing program , etc . the system control device 20 is further arranged to supply an infrared remote control signal generating device 30 with signals for remotely operating an external recording apparatus . the infrared remote control signal generating device 30 is thus caused to transmit control signals to an outside space with infrared rays used as a carrier wave . an infrared remote control signal receiving device 32 is arranged , on the other hand , to receive infrared remote control signals from the outside and to supply the system control device 20 with data codes corresponding to the infrared remote control signals received . fig2 and 4 are flow charts jointly showing a flow of operation of the embodiment of the invention . fig5 and 7 show examples of displays made while the operation of the embodiment is in process . fig8 is a timing chart showing various actions of the embodiment . remote operation command codes applicable to the respective recording apparatus in use vary with the manufacturers of recording apparatuses . in the case of the embodiment , remote operation command codes of applicable manufacturers are arranged to be selected by using one item on a menu . referring to fig5 and 7 which show menu pictures , when a menu cursor 40 is located at an item reading “ recorder select ”, if an execution key of the vtr system operating device 24 is pushed by the operator , a selected code action verification is executed . referring to fig2 at a step s 1 , a check is made to find if an operation is performed to start the execution of the selected code action verification . if so , the flow proceeds to a step s 2 . at the step s 2 , preparation is made for transmission of the remote operation command codes of the recording apparatus of the manufacturers currently being selected . at a step s 3 , a command transmission timing timer cmd . timer is initialized to 0 . 0 second and is then caused to start counting time . the timer cmd . timer operates within the system control device 20 to up count at every 0 . 1 second after the start . at a step s 4 , the system control device 20 causes the infrared remote control signal generating device 30 to transmit a recording pause cancel command to the recording apparatus at the same time as the step s 3 . at a step s 5 , a display reading “ recorder ; rec ” is made at a section 42 of the menu picture which is provided for indicating an acting state in which the recording apparatus is to be operated upon receipt of the recording pause cancel command . at a step s 6 , the flow of operation waits until the count value of the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer reaches 5 . 0 seconds . when the count value of the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer reaches 5 . 0 seconds , the flow proceeds to a step s 7 . at the step s 7 , a timing adjusting clock display timer adjust . timer is initialized to a value of + 5 . 0 . at a step s 8 , a cut - out timing adjusting clock is started to be displayed . the cut - out timing adjusting clock may be displayed in the same size as other character displays , and , however , is preferably displayed in a larger size than other character displays as shown at a section 44 in fig5 . at a step s 9 , the flow waits until the count value of the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer is updated by 0 . 1 second . the flow then proceeds to a step s 10 . at the step s 10 , the count value of the timing adjusting clock display timer adjust . timer is decremented by 0 . 1 . the display of the cut - out timing adjusting clock ( for example , the section 44 in fig5 ) is also updated . at a step s 11 , the steps s 9 and s 10 are repeated until the count value of the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer reaches 10 . 0 seconds . when the count value of the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer is found to have reached 10 . 0 seconds at the step s 11 , the flow proceeds to a step s 12 which is shown in fig3 . at the step s 12 , a recording pause command is transmitted to the recording apparatus . at a step s 13 , the acting state in which the recording apparatus is to be operated upon receipt of the recording pause command is displayed as “ recorder ; rec pause ”, as shown in a section 43 in fig6 . at a step s 14 , the flow waits until the count value of the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer is updated by 0 . 1 second . after updating of the timer , the flow proceeds to a step s 15 . at the step s 15 , the count value of the timing adjusting clock display timer adjust . timer is decremented by 0 . 1 . the display of the cut - out timing adjusting clock ( for example , the section 44 in fig5 ) is also updated accordingly . at a step s 16 , the flow repeats the steps s 14 and s 15 until the count value of the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer reaches 11 . 0 seconds . when the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer reaches 11 . 0 seconds , the flow proceeds to a step s 17 to bring the display of the cut - out timing adjusting clock to an end . a display resulting from this step is shown in fig6 . at a step s 18 , the flow waits until the count value of the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer reaches 20 . 0 seconds . when the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer reaches 20 . 0 seconds , the flow proceeds to a step s 19 . at the step s 19 , the recording pause cancel command is transmitted to the recording apparatus . at a step s 20 , the acting state in which the recording apparatus is to be operated upon receipt of the recording pause cancel command is displayed as “ recorder ; pause ”, as shown in the section 44 in fig7 . then , the flow proceeds to a step s 21 which is shown in fig4 . at the step s 21 , the timing adjusting clock display timer adjust . timer is initialized to 0 . 0 second . at a step s 22 , a cut - in timing adjusting clock is started to be displayed . as in the case of the cut - out timing adjusting clock , although the cut - in timing adjusting clock may be displayed in the same size as other display characters , it is preferably displayed in a larger size than other display characters , as shown in a section 46 in fig7 . at a step s 23 , the flow waits until the count value of the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer is updated by 0 . 1 second . when the count value of the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer is updated , the flow proceeds to a step s 24 . at the step s 24 , the count value of the timing adjusting clock display timer adjust . timer is decremented by 0 . 1 . the display of the cut - in timing adjusting clock , which is , for example , as shown in the section 46 in fig7 is also updated accordingly . at a step s 25 , the steps s 23 and s 24 are repeated until the count value of the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer reaches 25 . 0 seconds . when the count value of the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer has reached 25 . 0 seconds at the step s 25 , the flow proceeds to a step s 26 to put out the display of the cut - in timing adjusting clock . at a step s 27 , the flow waits until the count value of the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer reaches 30 . 0 seconds . when the count value of the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer reaches 30 . 0 seconds , the flow proceeds to a step s 28 to transmit the recording pause command to the recording apparatus . at a step s 29 , the display of the acting state in which the recording apparatus is to be operated is put out , and the selected code action verification comes to an end . further , the signals for the displays of various kinds are line - outputted . therefore , a recording medium for timing adjustment can be perfectly completed by connecting the display signals to the line inputs of the recording apparatus and actually performing a recording action under the work of the above - stated selected code action verification . incidentally , when a signal recorded on the recording medium for timing adjustment is reproduced , clock display data which is obtained at a change - over point from the display of the cut - out timing adjusting clock to the display of the cut - in timing adjusting clock becomes a timing adjustment value applicable to each adjustment of timing . therefore , the data thus obtained is set as timing adjustment data for each timing . fig9 is a flow chart showing an operation in the editing mode in the embodiment . fig1 and 11 show by way of example displays made during the operation . referring to fig9 at a step s 31 , a check is made to find if an editing execution mode is turned on by the execution key of the vtr system operating device 24 . if not , the flow of operation proceeds to a step s 39 . at the step s 39 , the vtr is permitted to accept remote operation commands , and a display “ s_off ” indicating inhibition of acceptance of remote operation commands , shown at a part 50 in fig1 , is put out . then , the flow proceeds to a step s 40 to shift the mode of display to a normal editing mode display as shown in fig1 , and returns to the step s 31 . in the display shown in fig1 , display parts 52 - 1 to 52 - 8 indicate the contents of a preset editing program . as shown , editing program parts no . 1 to no . 8 have already been registered . in the case of fig1 , the whole space of the picture has already been fully used for display of information . there is left no room for any more information display . if the editing execution mode is found at the step s 31 to have been turned on by the execution key of the vtr system operating device 24 , the flow proceeds to a step s 32 . at the step s 32 , the system control device 20 inhibits acceptance of remote operation commands at the vtr for the purpose of preventing the editing work from being suspended by any erroneous operation from the outside . at the same time , the system control device 20 causes the command acceptance inhibition display “ s_off ” to be turned on , as shown at the display part 50 in fig1 . at the next step s 33 , an editing execution mode display is turned on as shown in fig1 . at a step s 34 , only the display of a part of the editing program currently in process of execution is inverted as shown by way of example at a part 54 in fig1 . in the case of this display example , the editing program is indicated at a part 56 and a part of the editing program which is currently in process of execution is shown in an inverted state at the part 54 in fig1 . the inverted display part clearly shows that the first part of the editing program is now in process of execution . at a step s 35 , a check is made to find if a date code has been turned on . if so , the flow proceeds to a step s 36 to turn on a display of date code as shown at a part 58 in fig1 . if not , the flow proceeds to a step s 37 to put out the display of date code . at the next step s 38 , a check is made to find if the editing action of the whole editing program has been finished . if not , the flow returns to the step s 33 to repeat the step s 33 and steps subsequent thereto . if so , the flow returns to the step s 31 . as will be readily understood from the foregoing description , the start and end of the verifying work on the action of the command codes selected to be actually used become clear , so that the reliability of the verifying action can be enhanced by the arrangement of the embodiment described above . further , the arrangement for making a display of clock adjusted to the timing of transmission of the command codes while the selected code action verification is in process enables the editing work to be accurately carried out , because a recording medium which facilitates timing adjustment for accurate editing work can be prepared at the same time as the process of the selected code action verification by virtue of the arrangement described above . the arrangement for making a clock display in a size larger than a normal character display size permits easy clock confirmation during the process of setting a timing adjusting value . the arrangement for providing a means for inhibiting acceptance of commands while the editing work is in process ( in the editing execution mode ) effectively enables the operator to clearly know whether acceptance of commands is being inhibited or not . the arrangement for making a display provided during the process of setting the editing program ( editing program setting mode ) different from a display provided during the process of executing the editing work ( editing execution mode ) enables some item that cannot be displayed in the editing program setting mode because of the limited space but must be displayed in the editing execution mode , such as a date display , to be displayed as necessary .
| 6 |
fig1 illustrates a conventional direct digital synthesizer dds which comprises a digital triangle wave generator 1 whose output , digital triangle wave is fed to a look up table in the form of a prom 2 . the output from the prom 2 is fed to a dac 3 having a linear transfer function which generates an analogue sinewave 4 . fig2 illustrates a dds according to one example of the invention . in this example , the digital triangle wave generator 1 is provided as before but this time the output from the generator feeds directly to a dac 5 having a non - linear transfer function . in this context , &# 34 ; directly &# 34 ; means that no pre - shaping of the output from the generator 1 takes place before feeding to the dac 5 although this must be understood in the context of the modification to be described below in fig8 . the output from the dac 5 is a piece - wise linear sinewave 6 . the construction of the digital triangle wave generator 1 is conventional and is shown schematically in fig3 . the generator essentially comprises a counter having an adder 7 whose 24 bit output is fed to a latch 8 forming a delay circuit . the output from the latch 8 is fed back to the adder 7 where it is added to a constant value . consequently , the output from the latch 8 regularly increments by an amount corresponding to the constant value and by switching the sense of the output depending on the value of the most significant bit , a triangle wave is formed . the construction of the dac 5 is shown in fig4 . this will not be explained in detail but it can be seen that the dac 5 comprises five sets of components 9 - 13 corresponding to the five segments or pieces of the sinewave which are generated in a half cycle . each set of components comprises a latch 14 - 18 and a dac 19 - 23 respectively . the construction of each dac 19 - 23 is shown generally in fig5 b . fig5 a illustrates a conventional binary dac where it will be seen that provision is made to dump the so - called &# 34 ; i dump &# 34 ; output to ground . in the modified dac ( fig5 b ) an additional switch is provided to enable the i dump current itself to be switched to the output of the dac . the operation of the dac shown in fig4 will now be described in connection with the first two sets of components 9 , 10 , the operation of the remainder of the components 11 - 13 being self - explanatory . the seven msbs from the generator 1 are fed to the dac 5 and , as can be seen in fig6 since at this point 36 the curve is relatively shallow , the least significant of these bits is ignored and the next three bits d 1 - d 3 are fed to the latch 14 . the remaining three bits are fed to a nor gate 25 . the output from the nor gate 25 initially enables the latch 14 so that the data bits d 1 - d 3 pass through the latch to the dac 19 . the output from the nor gate 25 is also inverted by an inverter 26 so that the i dump output is non - enabled . initially , the databits d 1 - d 3 are all zero with the result that the output current i 0 is zero . as the bits d 1 - d 3 begin to increment a corresponding increase in current i 0 occurs until all three bits are &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. at the next clock cycle bit d 0 will change to a 1 and no different action will take place . at the next clock cycle , however , bit d 4 will change state to a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; with the result that the output from the nor gate 25 changes to a &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; thus deactivating the latch 14 and holding the values at q 0 - q 2 at &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. in addition , the i dump current is activated to flow from the i 0 output of the dac 19 . the analogue sinewave has thus reached the point 27 ( fig6 ). upon the bit d 4 switching to a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; the component 10 becomes active . this is because the bit d 4 is fed through an inverter 28 to a nor gate 29 thus enabling the latch 15 while the bits d 5 , d 6 are fed through an or gate 30 to the i dump input of the dac 20 . these two bits will remain &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; so that the i dump current does not flow . since at this part of the sinewave cycle the slope is relatively steep , the effect of the least significant bit is taken into account so that bits d 0 - d 3 are fed to the latch 15 . at the point where d 4 switches to a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; the bits d 0 - d 3 will all be zero so that the final increment in current is due to the dac 19 when i dump is output . at the next clock cycle , d 0 changes to a 1 and this is passed through the latch 15 to the dac 20 causing its i 0 output to increase above zero and hence be added to the output from the dac 19 and so be output from the dac 5 at the beginning of the next segment of the cycle . this then continues as before with the output current increasing until the output from dac 20 is latched at the i dump value whereupon the components 11 come into play . this continues until the input value becomes 1111111 and then the digital values will begin to decrease and the reverse operation will take place . fig6 illustrates the different portions of the sinewave curve and the dacs 19 - 23 involved . as will be appreciated from the previous discussion , the output from the generator 1 is truncated and this leads to significant quantisation of the finally output analogue signal . furthermore , the digital signal provided by the generator 1 is itself quantised and if the constant value ( fig3 ) is not an integer factor of the highest count value then the generator will itself exhibit a degree of jitter which should be minimised . fig7 is a fast fourier transform of the output signal from a conventional dds such as that shown in fig1 and it will be seen that there are significant frequencies present on either side of the primary frequency . to reduce this problem , it is proposed to insert an adder 31 between the generator 1 and dac 5 ( fig8 ). the input to the adder 31 is a 24 bit digital value from the generator 1 as shown at 32 while the eight msbs shown at 33 are fed to the dac 5 . the sixteen lsbs output by the adder 31 are fed back through a delay circuit 34 to the input of the adder 31 where they are added to the corresponding sixteen lsbs of the next digital value . fig9 illustrates a typical frequency plot of the output from such a modified synthesiser showing that the nature of the error has been spread into a densely sloping noise floor , increasing the dynamic range to 70 db for a similar example to that above .
| 7 |
the packaging container producing apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the invention is composed of the same construction as the packaging container producing equipment described in fig1 excepting the major parts . fig2 is a sketch of a tension pressing device for tensioning the web w being transferred , which is not illustrated in fig1 . fig3 ( a ) is an enlarged perspective view of web cross seal jaws 7 , and fig3 ( b ) is a top view thereof . fig4 is a view of a drive mechanism for folding lug flaps responsive to detection of specified printing patterns or specified detection marks such as a straw port on web w . fig5 is a sketch of the major portions of the drive for folding lug flaps , and fig7 is an explanatory view of a mechanism compensating for printing error ( deviation in mark registration ). the packaging container producing equipment shown in fig1 is as described above , wherein tubular web w is transferred while being pulled by a pair of cross seal jaws 7 during a downward movement thereof , in the process of pressing said web w by a pair of cross jaws 7 along a direction orthogonal to the lengthwise direction of the tubular web w . at this time , while web wa ( fig . 12 ) is being nipped between a pair of jaws 7b of the cross seal jaws 7 , lug folding flaps 7c fold the lugs wb formed at web w . therefore , tubular web w is transferred downward and folded while the web w is nipped by a pair of cross seal jaws 7 in the tube forming device 3 . however , after the pair of cross seal jaws 7 carry out feeding of web w for an appointed distance while moving downward , they repeat an upward movement . in practice , two pair of cross seal jaws 7 are provided as shown in fig7 wherein after they feed web w downward for an appointed distance , they repeat a returning movement to the original position as shown by the arrow r in fig7 . on the other hand , the tension pressing device 2 controls the feedrate and feeding amount of web w inside the packaging container producing apparatus or continuously applies tension to the web w . formability is worsened and the web feeding amount becomes unstable unless tension is applied to the web when the filled tubular web is formed into a square - column - like web w by forming members ( not illustrated ). fig2 is a perspective view of tension pressing device 2 . the tension pressing device 2 includes a dancer roller ( rocking roller ) 9 which is disposed between a feeding roller 10 driven by drive means 8 , having a clutch , to transport the web w and a guide roller 11 and is rockable in a direction almost orthogonal to the web transfer direction . tensioning device 2 further includes a pair of rocking arms 12 which carry the above - mentioned dancer roller at their distal ends and allow the dancer roller 9 to rock in a direction almost orthogonal to the web transfer direction . a rotating shaft 13 is secured at the base of the above - mentioned pair of rocking arms 12 , for transmitting a drive force to the rocking arms 12 from a pneumatic cylinder 16 ( or a hydraulic cylinder or motor ) via member 15 . the pneumatic cylinder 16 is provided with a control valve 31 for controlling the air pressure in multistage in compliance with the timing of detection of a detection mark a ( fig . 4 ). an electro - pneumatic proportional valve , etc . which is able to continuously adjust the tension pressing force on the web may be employed . furthermore , a pressing roller 17 transmits a transfer force to the web being transported by the feeding roller 10 and the feeding roller 10 is fixed in the position opposite the feeding roller 10 . as shown in fig2 although the rotating shaft ( not illustrated ) of the feeding roller 10 and guide roller 11 is supported at the wall of germfree chamber 18 , the dancer roller 9 is not supported at said wall . the dancer roller 9 is able to rock in a direction almost orthogonal to the feeding direction of web w with respect to rocking of the rocking arm 12 . however , in order to solve a problem such as a printing error on web w , as explained above , there are two methods , that is , ( 1 ) a method of adjusting the amount of web w foled in the transfer direction , and ( 2 ) a method of adjusting the tension pressing force imposed on web w by the tension pressing device 2 . ( 1 ) method of adjusting the amount of folding of web w in the transfer direction this embodiment employs a method of changing the folding angle of lug folding flaps 7c provided on only one cross seal jaw 7 of a pair of cross seal jaws 7 . a detector 19 for detecting a mark a such as a specified printing pattern , straw port , etc ., is installed , as shown in fig4 at a specified point established in advance in packaging container producing apparatus . data signals for detection of a mark a of web w of the above - mentioned detector 19 and cam rotation angle signals of an encoder 22 for detecting the rotational angle of the main shaft 6 , to which a cross seal jaw drive cam 24 is attached , are input into a control device 23 . the rotational angle of shaft 6 which is detected at the point when the data signal of the above - mentioned detection mark a is read , is regarded as a detection angle of the detection mark a in the above - mentioned control device 23 , and a deviation between the detection angle of the above - mentioned detection mark a and the reference angle established in advance is obtained . a value corresponding to the deviation is output , via a solenoid valve 25 , to the pneumatic cylinder 26 for adjusting the amount of folding by lug folding flaps 7c ( fig . 3 ) of the cross seal jaws 7 . as shown in fig5 lug folding cam 27 is moved between positions 1 and 2 by the pneumatic cylinder 26 . since a roller 28 moves on the cam surface when the lug folding cam 27 is at the position 1 , the lug folding flap 7c carries out a corrective action of folding to the position shown in fig8 ( b ), and since the roller 28 moves on the cam surface when the lug folding cam 27 is at the position 2 , the lug folding flaps 7c carries out a normal feeding action of folding to the position shown in fig8 ( a ). with reference to fig6 operation of a control device which adjusts the amount of folding the above - mentioned cross seal jaw 7 into the web w transfer direction by the lug folding flaps 7c will now be described . data of web w detection mark a , which is detected by the detector 19 , is input into main shaft rotation angle judging circuit 33 of the control device 23 . furthermore , the rotational angle of the main shaft 6 detected by the encoder 22 is input into the main shaft rotational angle judging circuit 33 . the main shaft rotational angle judging circuit 33 regards the rotational angle of the main shaft , which is detected at the point in time when the data of detection mark a read by the detector 19 is input , as a mark detection angle . furthermore , the data of the detector 19 is also input into a production control circuit 35 , which is used as data for production control . the detection angle of the main shaft 6 is input into a subtracter 36 along with the reference angle ( the rotational angle established as a reference in advance ) and the subtracter 36 determines any deviation between the detection angle and reference angle and outputs a deviation value to a corrective value calculation circuit 38 . in the corrective value calculation circuit 38 , a corrective value corresponding to the above - mentioned deviation value is obtained , and an electric signal corresponding to the corrective value thus obtained is output from the control device 23 to a solenoid valve 25 which drives the pneumatic cylinder 26 ( fig4 ) so that the lug folding flap 7c carries out either a normal feeding action or a corrective feeding action in order to obtain an adequate feeding amount of web w . the lug folding angle of web w of the lug folding flaps 7c is established from a deviation between the detection angle of the detection mark a by the detector 19 and the reference angle in such a manner that a normal feeding action which produces a web feeding amount obtained by adding only 0 . 5 mm to the reference feeding amount is employed until a detection value equivalent to the value obtained by adding only 1 . 5 mm to the reference feeding amount is obtained as the web feeding amount , and as the detection value equivalent to a value obtained by adding only 1 . 5 mm to the reference feeding amount is obtained for the web feeding amount , a corrective feeding action which produces a web feeding amount obtained by subtracting only 1 . 0 mm from the reference feeding amount is employed . fig8 ( a ) is a view explaining the normal feeding action of web w and fig8 ( b ) is another view explaining a corrective feeding amount of web w . in the normal feeding action of web w in fig8 ( a ), web w is fed at the initial set value equivalent to the web feeding amount obtained by adding only 0 . 5 mm to the reference feeding amount ( the feeding amount which becomes a reference set in design ) at a folding angle a ° of the lug folding flaps 7c . fig8 ( b ) shows the folding angle of the lug folding flaps 7c changed to angle b ° for corrective feeding action of web w to secure an amount of feeding obtained by subtracting only 1 . 0 mm from the above - mentioned reference feeding amount . the above - mentioned web w feeding amounts [- 1 . 0 mm ] or [+ 0 . 5 mm ] are used for only making the explanation more understandable . that is , the normal feeding action and corrective feeding action of the invention are not limited to these amounts . conventionally , the feeding of web w was controlled by only the abovementioned normal feeding action and corrective feeding action of the lug folding flaps 7c . for example , where it is assumed that there is no printing error ( no slip of the detection mark a ) of web w , and there is nothing abnormal in the feeding amount of the feeding roller 10 , guide roller 11 , etc ., as shown in fig9 ( a ), the folding angle of the lug folding flaps 7c is changed to angle b °, as shown in fig8 ( b ), and the action is changed to a corrective feeding action at the point of time ( after the normal feeding action is performed two times ) when web w is excessively fed 0 . 5 mm each by the abovementioned normal feeding amount made by the lug folding flaps 7c and web w is excessively fed 1 . 5 mm which is the allowance of slip from the reference feeding amount . web w , the slip of which became 0 . 5 mm from the reference feeding amount by the corrective feeding action , is returned to the normal feeding action again . in a case where there is no slip of the detection mark a such as a printing error of web w and there is nothing abnormal in the feeding amount of feeding roller 10 , guide roller 11 , etc ., the above - mentioned corrective feeding amount is carried out once every three feeding actions ( see fig9 ( a )). however , since web w is excessively fed 0 . 5 mm per normal feeding action if a slip of the detection mark a of web w is , for example , + 0 . 5 mm , the slip from the reference feeding amount in total becomes 1 . 5 mm per normal feeding action , wherein the feeding is changed to a corrective feeding action after the usual feeding action is performed once . therefore , the corrective feeding action is executed once every two feeding actions as shown in fig9 ( b ). if the control device 23 judges that , in the normal feeding action , a slip from the reference feeding amount became 1 . 5 mm , the action is changed to the corrective feeding action . furthermore , since web w is excessively fed 0 . 5 mm in the normal feeding action if a slip of the detection mark a of web w is , for example , - 0 . 25 mm each , the feeding action is separated 0 . 25 mm each from the reference position in one normal feeding action in total , and at the point of time when the slip from the reference feeding amount becomes 1 . 5 mm , the action is changed to a corrective feeding action . therefore , as shown in fig9 ( c ), the corrective feeding action is executed once every five feeding actions . ( 2 ) method of adjusting the degree of tension applied to web w being transferred . in order to accurately cause web w to move an appointed distance without fail by the method ( 1 ) of adjusting the web feeding amount by adjustment of the folding angle by the lug folding flaps 7c , it is necessary to give adequate fixed tension to web w by the tension pressing device 2 ( fig1 ). if the abovementioned mark registration is carried out by only a combination of the method ( 2 ) with the method ( 1 ), there are a number of prior art problems which can not be solved . to compensate for a change ( error ) of the feeding amount of web w , it is necessary that , for example , the average error of each time for every 100 pitches of the web feeding action equivalent to one packaging container c be less than an appointed value ( for example + 0 . 5 mm ), and a change ( error ) of the feeding amount of web w per pitch of the web feeding action equivalent to one packaging container c does not exceed an appointed value ( for example + 1 . 5 mm ). however , the further the consumption of roll - like web w progresses , the more frequently the feeding amount exceeds the allowable range for error in the mark registration of detection mark a , which is correctable by the method ( 1 ) of adjusting the amount of folding of web w in the transfer direction by the cross seal jaws 7 . for example , in the three patterns shown in fig9 ( a ) through fig9 ( c ), if a slip of the detection mark a from the reference feeding amount , for example due to an error in printing of web w , is + 1 . 0 mm per pitch of the above - mentioned actions , the slip exceeds the allowable range for printing error , thereby causing faulty containers c to be produced . in some cases , packaging container producing equipment is unavoidably caused to come to a stop . furthermore , if a slip of the detection mark a , due to an error in printing of the above - mentioned web w is continuously , for example , - 0 . 5 mm or more per pitch , the slip goes beyond the reference feeding amount line ( see fig9 ) equivalent to the reference feeding amount , and correction of the amount of feeding of web w becomes impossible . thus , since the prior art range for adjustment of the feeding amount of web w is narrow , there is the problem that it is difficult to adjust the feed amount of web w while continuously running the equipment . therefore , in this preferred embodiment , the following construction is employed in order to increase the correctable range of error in registration of detection mark a on web w . the method of this preferred embodiment escalationally controls the tension pressing force of the dancer roller 9 in multiple stages utilizing tension pressing device 2 , or continuously controls the tension pressing force without any stages . in fig2 and fig7 a pneumatic cylinder 16 for driving a rocking arm rocking shaft 13 is positioned by a control valve 31 controlling air pressure thereto in multiple stages , for example three stages ( strong , medium and weak ), wherein the air pressure of the pneumatic cylinder 16 for driving the rocking arm rocking shaft is changed in compliance with an action pattern selected by the folding amount controlling means to change the tension applied onto web w , thereby adjusting the amount of feed of web w . the flow chart of fig1 shows a method for controlling the feeding amount of web w by changing the web pressing force of the web tension pressing device 2 shown in fig1 fig2 etc ., and fig6 shows a control device 23 for controlling of the feeding amount of web w by changing the pressing force of the web tension pressing device 2 . after the air pressure of the cylinder 16 of the web tension pressing device 2 is set to medium , the control valve 31 changes the web w pressing force of the tension pressing device 2 to &# 34 ; strong &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; medium &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; weak &# 34 ; in compliance with a signal by which a mark slip frequency detecting circuit 41 outputs a frequency of corrective feeding actions on the basis of a signal coming from a corrective value calculation circuit 38 which outputs an instruction signal for corrective feeding action or normal feeding action by the lug folding flaps 7c . thus , tension on web w is changed by using a pneumatic cylinder 16 for driving the rocking arm rocking shaft of the tension pressing device 2 , wherein by changing the initial value of the feeding amount of the web w feeding roller 10 , an error in printing web w is compensated , and the correctable range of the feeding amount of web w can be widened relative that of prior art , although the mechanical feeding amount of web w by a cross seal jaw 7 per time is fixed . for example , as the fundamental setting of a detection mark error compensating ( mark registration ) mechanism is described in fig9 ( a ), it is assumed that there is nothing abnormal in the web feeding amount in the feeding roller 10 , guide roller 11 , etc ., and a corrective feeding action ( that is , the action of feeding web w by folding to angle b ° aa shown in fig8 ( b ) reduces the feeding amount by 1 . 0 mm from the reference feeding amount ) is carried out once after the normal feeding action of web w ( the action of feeding web w ) by folding to angle a ° as in fig8 ( a ) to add 0 . 5 mm to the reference feeding amount ) is continuously carried out two times exceeding 0 . 5 mm each , i . e ., a corrective feeding action has been carried out 1 / 3 . then , the tension applied to the dancer roller 9 is set to , for example ion , and this state is regarded as a fundamental setting . as the number of times of corrective feeding actions becomes 1 / 5 times halfway of executing continuous operation in this fundamental setting state , the control device 23 outputs a control signal , which sets the tension in web w to weak , to the control valve 31 . that is , as the number of times of corrective feeding actions becomes 1 / 5 , the web is expected to be excessively fed 0 . 5 mm per time ( per pitch ) by the normal feeding action . therefore , it means that the web w has not been fed equivalent to only that amount . in other words , it means that the pitch of detection mark a ( see fig4 ) of web w is longer than the prescribed pitch , and when being observed from the detection mark a side of web w , it means that the web w has not been fed only the prescribed amount . at this time , it is judged that the tension applied to web w is strong , the control device 23 attempts to decrease the tension by action of the pneumatic cylinder 16 in repositioning the dancer roller 9 . ( for example , the fundamental setting 1on is decreased to 8n . as a result , even though the feeding amount of web w becomes great and a slip of the detection mark a of web w is , for example , - 0 . 25 mm each for one pitch , a corrective feeding action of the pattern shown in fig9 ( a ) is carried out . furthermore , similarly , if the number of times of corrective feeding actions becomes 1 / 2 times shown in fig9 ( b ) halfway of executing continuous operation in the fundamental setting state , the control device 23 outputs a control signal for setting the tension onto web w to &# 34 ; strong &# 34 ; to the control valve 31 . that is , in this case , it is judged that the tension applied to web w ( packaging material ) is weak , the pneumatic cylinder 16 of the dancer roller 9 operates so as to increase the tension . thereby , even though the printing error ( slip of detection mark a ) of web w is , for example , + 0 . 5 mm each , a correction feeding action of the pattern shown in fig9 ( a ) is carried out . thus , the allowable range with respect to a printing error ( slip of detection mark ) of web w and abnormality of the web feeding amount by the feeding roller 10 , guide roller 11 , etc ., can be further widened as compared to the prior art . next , a description is given of another embodiment which is constructed so that the tension fluctuation is decreased by securing the amount of accumulation of tension of web w by further actuating the feeding roller 10 in two stages , high speed and low speed , in a case where the tension pressing force on the web is adjusted by a combination of normal feeding actions and corrective feeding actions of the web as described above . since the web transfer path is long , the web travels a complicated path with its transfer direction changed many times , and because the distance is long , feeding force of the feeding roller 10 is used in addition to the web transfer force of cross seal jaw 7 . however , it is remarkably difficult to have the feedrate of the web feeding roller 10 completely coincide with the web feedrate by the cross seal jaw 7 . therefore , in order that the tension or feedrate of the web at the tension pressing device 2 including the feeding roller 10 does not influence the web feedrate at the cross seal jaw 7 , it is necessary to secure the amount of accumulation by the tension pressing device 2 consisting of web feeding roller 10 , etc ., so as to correspond to changes in the feedrate of web w due to the action of the cross seal jaw 7 . accordingly , the present embodiment includes a rocking type dancer roller 9 which allows the feeding roller 10 to change between high - speed operation and low - speed operation . thereby , the tension applied onto web w can be controlled and kept constant . when the feeding roller 10 is operated at a low speed , the dancer roller 9 is slowly elevated , and when the dancer roller 9 reaches the upper dead point , the feeding roller 10 is changed to a high - speed operation to cause the feeding rate of the web to be increased . the dancer roller 9 is then slowly lowered . when the dancer roller reaches the lower dead point , it is changed to a low - speed operation again to cause the feedrate of web w to decrease . then , the dancer roller 9 is elevated to cause the tension operating on the web w to be controlled and kept constant . with reference to fig2 although the feeding roller 10 is driven by a drive means 8 having a clutch , the transfer force for transport of web w is generated while the web w is being nipped between the feeding roller 10 and pressing roller 17 . the pressing roller 17 is able to give a pressing force to the feeding roller 10 by using a fluid cylinder ( not illustrated ). furthermore , rotation shaft 13 of the rocking arm 12 of the dancer roller 9 penetrates the wall of the germfree chamber 18 , and an operating arm 20 is fixed outside the wall of the chamber . the operating arm 20 is elongated in a direction parallel to the rocking arm 12 . the upper - limit position detector 21a and lower - limit position detector 21b are respectively provided at the outer wall side of the germfree chamber in the vicinity of the operating area at the distal end of the operating arm 20 . although the driving means 8 of the feeding roller 10 is operated in two stages , high speed and low speed , web w is intermittently advanced in the process of forming it from tubular web w into hexahedral packaging containers c ( fig . 1 ). if it is assumed that it is continuously advanced , the feeding amount per unit time is made a reference feeding amount . in this case , the operating speed of the driving means 8 is established so that the feedrate of web w by the feeding roller 10 exceeds the reference feedrate when the driving means 8 is operated at the high speed , and the feedrate of web w by the feeding roller 10 becomes less than the reference feedrate when the driving means 8 is operated at a low speed . since the feedrate of web w by the feeding roller exceeds the reference feedrate if it is assumed that the driving means 8 is operated at the high speed , the web w is slackened , and the slackening thereof is gradually increased , and the dancer roller 9 is caused to go down by the pressing force of the pneumatic cylinder 16 . therefore , the rocking arm 12 rotates downward around its rotating shaft 13 , and the operating arm 20 rotates in the same direction as that of the rocking arm 12 via its rotation shaft 13 . in the meantime , as the distal end of the operating arm 20 reaches the position opposite the lower limit position detector 21b , the same detector 21b detects this . at this time , the same detector 21b outputs a lower limit position signal , and the control device 23 changes the high speed operation of the driving means 8 to the lower speed operation on the basis of the output signal . since the feedrate of web w by the feeding roller 10 becomes less than the reference feedrate at this time ,, the slackening of web w is gradually decreased , and the dancer roller 9 is elevated by being pulled by the web w . at this time , the operating arm 20 rotates in the reverse of the abovementioned direction , and as the distal end of operating arm 20 comes to the position opposite the upper limit position detector 21a , the same detector 21a outputs an upper limit position signal , whereby the driving means 8 is changed from the low speed operation to the high speed operation again . thus , although the dancer roller 9 repeats vertical movements between the upper limit position and the lower limit position as detectors 21a , 21b detect the operating arm 20 , web w is given tension resulting from the pressing force by the pneumatic cylinder 16 of the dancer roller 9 and the web w is continuously fed . therefore , it is possible to keep the tension , applied onto the web w , fixed at all the times . furthermore , since the upper limit and lower limit detectors 21a , 21b are disposed outside the germfree chamber 18 , they are not affected by any trouble resulting from high temperature inside the germfree chamber 18 . as described above , according to the invention , in addition to operation of controlling the tension pressing force of web and operation of changing between high speed / low speed operations of the driving means of web feeding roller , the allowable range for correction of web feed amount by the cross seal jaws 7 can be widened relative to the prior art , and even if a change ( error ) of the feeding amount of web w is greater than in the conventional examples , no faulty products are produced .
| 1 |
fig1 illustrates the region of the vessel bottom , lined with refractory material 1 , of a direct - current arc furnace having a bottom electrode 2 . the bottom electrode 1 originally passing through the entire vessel bottom has been partly consumed . the space above is filled with a mixture of molten electrode material and furnace melt . the bath agitation , which arises under the influence of the furnace current , is indicated by arrows . it can be seen that the bath agitation weakens with increasing depth . a state of equilibrium is established , dependent upon the current density in the bottom electrode and cooling from outside ( below ). fig2 illustrates the way in which the invention is realised in a direct - current arc furnace . it shows the lower furnace of a direct - current arc furnace having a furnace vessel 3 , which is provided with the customary shell 4 made of metallic material . in the exemplary embodiment , the furnace has only one electrode 5 , connected as the cathode , but this number may also be 2 , three or more . the bottom electrode 2 is fitted in the base of the furnace . in this particular example it is composed of steel having a similar composition to the melt . the bottom taphole is designated by 6 . adjoining this towards the outside is the conventional furnace lining 1 . it consists as a rule of bricks which rest in one or more layers on a bottom plate 7 shaped like a spherical cap . the bottom electrode 2 is provided at its lower end with a supply terminal 8 , which can be utilised at the same time for cooling the bottom electrode 2 . to this extent the direct - current arc furnace corresponds to the prior art and is described in detail , for example , in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 228 , 314 and also in german patent specification 30 22 566 . according to the invention , an electromagnet 9 , which surrounds the bottom electrode 2 , is provided on the underside of the furnace bottom 7 . in this arrangement , a field strength ranging from 0 . 05 to 0 . 2 tesla has proved sufficient to damp sufficiently the bath agitations above the bottom electrode . in a typical 80 - tonne direct - current arc furnace with a furnace diameter of about 5 . 5 m , the diameter of the electromagnet is about 2 m . with a current density of , for example , 5a / mm 2 , the ( sic ) weight of the electromagnet is approximately 4000 kg and the electrical losses are approximately 200 kw , an acceptable value considering that the power requirement of a direct - current arc furnace of this type is around 65 mva ; consequently , the power requirement of the entire plant increases only by approximately 0 . 3 %. instead of a single bottom electrode 2 , a multiplicity of individual electrodes can be employed , as shown schematically in fig3 . these individual electrodes are located in the central region of the bottom plate 7 . in this particular example , six individual electrodes 10 are grouped around a central electrode 11 , all the electrodes being located inside the electromagnet 9 . the design of the bottom region of the furnace vessel can be simplified in the case of a multielectrode arrangement by designing the individual electrodes in accordance with fig4 . the 7 individual electrodes 10 , 11 are , in contrast to the embodiment according to fig3 not embedded directly into the refractory material 1 of the furnace bottom , but are surrounded by hexagonal shaped bodies 12 , with the cross - section of a regular hexagon , made of a refractory material , for example magnesite , magnesite - graphite or another suitable material . for reasons of manufacturing simplicity , the shaped bodies 12 are constructed in two parts , the parting planes extending symmetrically ( either diagonally ( from top to bottom as depicted ) or along the dashed line in fig4 ). this geometry enables this structure to be densely packed . instead of the hexagonal form , it is of course also possible to use another geometry , for example with square cross - section ( cf . fig4 a ). the bottom electrode may also be formed from more than seven individual electrodes , for example 13 . of course , it is also possible to install an individual bottom electrode with the geometry in accordance with fig4 in a direct - current arc furnace in accordance with fig2 . in the current - supply equipment of direct - current arc furnace chokes are always employed for smoothing the rectified three - phase current . the invention now offers an extremely economical possibility here of using these chokes , which are necessary in any case , for damping the bath agitation . the circuit arrangement according to fig5 shows this for a 12 - pulse rectifier arrangement . connected to a three - phase network 13 is a transformer 14 having two primary windings 15 , 16 , which are delta - connected , and two secondary windings 17 , 18 , one of which is delta - connected and the other star - connected . both secondary windings lead to a three - phase rectifier bridge circuit 19 and 20 respectively . the negative busbars are connected to one another and lead to the melting electrode 5 . located between each positive busbar of the bridge circuits 19 and 20 and of the bottom electrode 2 is a choke 9a and 9b respectively . according to the invention , these two chokes now form the electromagnet consisting here of two coils , the connections and winding direction of the coils naturally being so disposed that these part - magnets are connected magnetically in parallel . in a six - pulse rectifier circuit the windings 15 , 17 or 16 , 18 of the transformer 14 and accordingly one of the bridges 19 and 20 respectively and also one of the chokes 9a and 9b respectively were dispensed with .
| 2 |
fig1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a mos solid - state imaging device consistent with the present invention . as shown in fig1 , a solid - state imaging device 1 according to a first embodiment includes a pixel array ( so - called pixel region ) 3 , in which a plurality of pixels 2 including a photoelectric conversion unit are regularly arranged in the form of a two - dimensional array on a semiconductor substrate 11 such as a silicon substrate , and a peripheral circuit section . the pixel 2 includes a photodiode serving as the photoelectric conversion unit and a plurality of pixel transistors ( so - called mos transistors ). the plurality of pixel transistors includes three transistors , for example , a transfer transistor , a reset transistor , and an amplification transistor . alternatively , the plurality of pixel transistors may include four transistors , including a selection transistor . since the equivalent circuit of a unit pixel is the same as a general circuit , a detailed description thereof is omitted . the pixel 2 may be configured as one unit pixel . alternatively , the pixel 2 may have a shared pixel structure . the shared pixel structure includes one floating diffusion and each different pixel transistor shared by a plurality of photodiodes and a plurality of transfer transistors . that is , in the shared pixel , the photodiodes and the transfer transistors forming the plurality of unit pixels each share other pixel transistors , respectively . the peripheral circuit section includes a vertical driving circuit 4 , column signal processing circuits 5 , a horizontal driving circuit 6 , an output circuit 7 , and a control circuit 8 . the control circuit 8 receives data instructing an input clock , an operation mode , or the like and outputs data such as internal information regarding the solid - state imaging device . that is , based on a vertical synchronization signal , a horizontal synchronization signal , and a master clock , the control circuit 8 generates a clock signal and a control signal which are the references of the operations of the vertical driving circuit 4 , the column signal processing circuits 5 , the horizontal driving circuit 6 , and the like . the control circuit 8 inputs these signals to the vertical driving circuit 4 , the column signal processing circuits 5 , the horizontal driving circuit 6 , and the like . the vertical driving circuit 4 formed by a shift register selects pixel driving wirings and supplies pulses for driving the pixel to the selected pixel driving wirings to drive the pixels in a column unit . that is , the vertical driving circuit 4 selectively scans the pixels 2 of the pixel array 3 sequentially in a vertical direction in a column unit and supplies the column signal processing circuits 5 with pixel signals corresponding to signal charges , which are generated in accordance with the amount of light received by the photodiodes serving as the photoelectric conversion units of the respective pixels 2 , via the vertical signal lines 9 . the column signal processing circuit 5 is disposed in each column of the pixels and performs signal processing , such as noise removal , on the signals output from the pixels 2 of one column for each pixel column . that is , the column signal processing circuit 5 performs cds to remove a specific fixed pattern noise of the pixels 2 or performs signal processing such as signal amplification or ad conversion . in the output stage of the column signal processing circuit 5 , a horizontal selection switch ( not shown ) is connected to the horizontal signal line 10 . the horizontal driving circuit 6 formed by a shift register sequentially outputs horizontal scanning pulses , sequentially selects the respective column signal processing circuits 5 , and outputs the pixel signals output from the column signal processing circuit 5 to the horizontal signal line 10 . the output circuit 7 processes the signals sequentially supplied from the column signal processing circuits 5 via the horizontal signal line 10 and outputs the processed signals . the signals are only buffered in some cases , or the signals are subjected to black level adjustment , line - variation correction , or various kinds of digital signal processing in some cases . the input / output terminals 12 exchange signals with the outside . fig2 a to 2c are diagrams illustrating the basic overall configuration of a mos solid - state imaging device according to embodiments of the invention . in a mos solid - state imaging device 151 according to a related art , as shown in fig2 a , a pixel array 153 , a control circuit 154 , and a logic circuit 155 performing signal processing are mounted on one semiconductor chip 152 . in general , the pixel array 153 and the control circuit 154 form an image sensor 156 . in a mos solid - state imaging device 21 according to an embodiment of the invention , however , as shown in fig2 b , a pixel array 23 and a control circuit 24 are mounted on a first semiconductor chip section 22 , and a logic circuit 25 including a signal processing circuit which performs signal processing is mounted in a second semiconductor chip section 26 . the mos solid - state imaging device 21 is formed by electrically connecting the first semiconductor chip section 22 and the second semiconductor chip section 26 to each other to form one semiconductor chip . in a mos solid - state imaging device 28 according to another embodiment of the invention , as shown in fig2 c , the pixel array 23 is mounted on the first semiconductor chip section 22 , and the control circuit 24 and the logic circuit 25 including a signal processing circuit are mounted on the second semiconductor chip section 26 . the mos solid - state imaging device 28 is formed by electrically connecting the first semiconductor chip section 22 and the second semiconductor chip section 26 to each other to form one semiconductor chip . although not illustrated , two or more semiconductor chip sections may be bonded to each other to form a mos solid - state imaging device . a mos solid - state imaging device may be configured in such a manner that three or more semiconductor chip sections including the first and second semiconductor chip sections and a semiconductor chip section with a memory element array or a semiconductor chip section with another circuit element are bonded to each other to form one chip . fig3 is a diagram illustrating one embodiment of a semiconductor device , that is , the mos solid - state imaging device that is consistent with the present invention . in this first embodiment , the solid - state imaging device 28 includes a stacked semiconductor chip 27 in which the first semiconductor chip section 22 including the pixel array 23 and the control circuit 24 and the second semiconductor chip section 26 including the logic circuit 25 are bonded to each other . the first semiconductor chip section 22 and the second semiconductor chip section 26 are bonded to each other so that multi wiring layers 41 and 55 face each other . the first and second semiconductor chip sections can be bonded by an adhesive layer 57 with protective layers 42 and 56 interposed therebetween in this embodiment . alternatively , the first and second semiconductor chip sections may be bonded by plasma joining . in this embodiment , a semiconductor removal region 52 , where a part of a semiconductor portion of the first semiconductor chip section 22 is entirely removed , is formed and connection wirings 67 each connecting the first semiconductor chip section 22 to the second semiconductor chip section 26 are formed in the semiconductor removal region 52 . the semiconductor removal region 52 covers all regions where each connection wiring 67 connected to a laying wiring 40 d corresponding to each vertical signal line of the pixel array 23 is formed . as shown in fig1 a , the semiconductor removal region 52 is formed outside the pixel array 23 . the semiconductor removal region 52 corresponds to a so - called electrode pad region . in fig1 a , the semiconductor removal region 52 is formed outside the pixel array 23 in a vertical direction . in the first semiconductor chip section 22 , the pixel array 23 including a photodiode ( pd ), which serves as a photoelectric conversion unit , and a plurality of pixel transistors tr 1 and tr 2 and the control circuit 24 including the mos transistors tr 3 and tr 4 are formed in a thinned first semiconductor substrate 31 . the pixel transistors tr 1 and tr 2 and the mos transistors tr 3 and tr 4 are representative transistors . on the side of a front surface 31 a of the semiconductor substrate 31 , the multi wiring layer 41 in which a plurality of wirings 40 [ 40 a , 40 b , and 40 c ] formed by triple layered metals m 1 to m 3 in this embodiment are disposed is formed using an inter - layer insulation film 39 . the pixel transistors tr 1 and tr 2 and the mos transistors tr 3 and tr 4 of the control circuit 24 will be described in detail below in a manufacturing method . in the second semiconductor chip section 26 , the logic circuit 25 including mos transistors tr 6 to tr 8 is formed in a second semiconductor substrate 45 . on the side of the front surface 45 a of the semiconductor substrate 45 , a multi wiring layer 55 in which wirings 53 [ 53 a , 53 b , and 53 c ] formed by triple layered metals m 11 to m 13 in this embodiment are disposed is formed using an inter - layer insulation film 49 . the mos transistors tr 6 to tr 8 will be described in detail below in the manufacturing method . in the semiconductor removal region 52 of the first semiconductor chip section 22 , the entire first semiconductor substrate 31 is removed by etching . a stacked insulation film 61 including a silicon oxide ( sio 2 ) film 58 and a silicon nitride ( sin ) film 59 is formed to extend from the bottom surface and the side surface of the semiconductor removal region 31 to the front surface of the semiconductor substrate . the stacked insulation film 61 serves as a protective insulation film that protects the semiconductor substrate 31 exposed to the side surface of a recessed portion of the semiconductor removal region 52 and also serves as an anti - reflection film of the pixels . in the semiconductor removal region 52 , a connection hole 64 , which reaches from the silicon nitride film 59 to a first connection pad 65 electrically connected to a necessary wiring in the multi wiring layer 41 a laying wiring 40 d formed by the third - layer metal m 3 in the first semiconductor chip section 22 , is formed . in addition , a through connection hole 62 , which is penetrated through the multi wiring layer 41 of the first semiconductor chip section 22 and reaches a second connection pad 63 electrically connected to a necessary wiring in the multi wiring layer 55 a laying wiring 53 d formed by the third - layer metal m 13 in the second semiconductor chip section 26 , is formed . the connection wiring 67 includes a connection conductor 68 buried in the connection holes 64 and 62 and electrically connected to the first connection pad 65 , a through connection conductor 69 electrically connected to the second connection pad 63 , and a link conductor 71 electrically connecting both of the conductors 68 and 69 to each other in the upper end of the conductors 68 and 69 . a light - shielding film 72 covering the region where light has to be blocked is formed on the side of a rear surface 31 b that is a light incident surface of a photodiode 34 of the first semiconductor chip section 22 . a planarization film 73 is formed to cover the light - shielding film 72 , on - chip color filters 74 are formed on the planarization film 73 to correspond to the each pixel , and on - chip micro lenses 75 are formed on the on - chip color filters 74 . in this way , the back - illuminated solid - state imaging device 28 is formed . the link conductor 71 of the connection wiring 67 exposed to the outside serves as an electrode pad connected to an external wiring by a bonding wire . fig4 to 14 are diagrams illustrating one embodiment of a method of manufacturing the solid - state imaging device 28 according to the first embodiment . as shown in fig4 , partly - finished image sensors , that is , the pixel array 23 and the control circuit 24 are formed in the regions of a first semiconductor wafer ( hereinafter , referred to as a semiconductor substrate ) 31 , where the respective chip sections are formed . that is , a photodiode ( pd ) serving as a photoelectric conversion unit of each pixel is formed in each region of the semiconductor substrate ( such as a silicon substrate ) 31 where the chip section is formed , and a source / drain region 33 of each pixel transistor is formed in a semiconductor well region 32 . the semiconductor well region 32 is formed by implanting first conductive - type impurities such as p - type impurities . the source / drain region 33 is formed by implanting second conductive - type impurities such as n - type impurities . the photodiode ( pd ) and the source / drain region 33 of each pixel transistor are formed by implanting ions from the front surface of the semiconductor substrate . the photodiode ( pd ) includes an n - type semiconductor region 34 and a p - type semiconductor region 35 on the side of the front surface of the semiconductor substrate . a gate electrode 36 is formed on the front surface of the semiconductor substrate , in which the pixel is formed , via a gate insulation film . the gate electrode 36 and a pair of source / drain regions 33 form the pixel transistors tr 1 and tr 2 . in fig4 , the two pixel transistors tr 1 and tr 2 are representatives of a plurality of pixel transistors . the pixel transistor tr 1 adjacent to the photodiode ( pd ) corresponds to a transfer transistor and the source / drain region of the pixel transistor tr 1 corresponds to a floating diffusion ( fd ). the unit pixels 30 are isolated from each other by a device isolation region 38 . the device isolation region 38 is formed to have an sti ( shallow trench isolation ) structure in which an insulation film such as a sio 2 film is buried in a groove formed in the substrate . on the other hand , the mos transistors forming the control circuit are formed in the semiconductor substrate 31 on the side of the control circuit 24 . in fig4 , the mos transistors tr 3 and tr 4 are representatives of the transistors and indicate the mos transistors forming the control circuit 23 . the mos transistors tr 3 and tr 4 each include an n - type source / drain region 33 and a gate electrode 36 formed via a gate insulation film . next , the interlayer insulation film 39 of a first layer is formed on the front surface of the semiconductor substrate 31 , the connection holes are formed in the inter - layer insulation film 39 , and then the connection conductors 44 connected to the necessary transistors are formed . when the connection conductors 44 with different heights are formed , a first insulation thin film 43 a , such as a silicon oxide film , and a second insulation thin film 43 b , such as a silicon nitride film serving as an etching stopper , are stacked on the entire surface including the upper surface of the transistors . the first - layer inter - layer insulation film 39 is formed on the second insulation thin film 43 b . then , connection holes with different depths are selectively formed in the first - layer inter - layer insulation film 39 up to the second insulation thin film 43 b serving as the etching stopper . next , the first insulation thin film 43 a and the second insulation thin film 43 b with the same thickness are selectively etched in the respective units to form connection holes so as to continue with the respective connection holes . then , the connection conductor 44 is buried in each connection hole . next , the multi wiring layer 41 in which the plurality of wirings 40 [ 40 a , 40 b , and 40 c ] formed by triple layered metals m 1 to m 3 are disposed is formed using an inter - layer insulation film 39 so as to be connected to the respective connection conductors 44 . the wirings 40 are formed of copper ( cu ). in general , each copper wiring is covered with a barrier metal film to prevent diffusion of cu . thus , a cap film , a so - called protective film 42 , for the copper wirings 40 is formed on the multi wiring layer 41 . by the above - described processes , the first semiconductor substrate 31 including the partly - finished pixel array 23 and the partly - finished control circuit 24 is formed . on the other hand , as shown in fig5 , the logic circuit 25 including a partly - finished signal processing circuit to process signals is formed in the region where each chip section of the second semiconductor substrate ( semiconductor wafer ) 45 is formed . that is , a plurality of mos transistors each including a logic circuit is formed in p - type semiconductor well regions 46 on the front surface side of the semiconductor substrate ( such as a silicon substrate ) 45 so as to be isolated from each other by device isolation regions 50 . here , the mos transistors tr 6 , tr 7 , and tr 8 are representatives of the plurality of mos transistors . the mos transistors tr 6 , tr 7 , and tr 8 each include a pair of n - type source / drain regions 47 and a gate electrode 48 formed via a gate insulation film . the logic circuit 25 can include a cmos transistor . the device isolation region 50 is formed to have an sti ( shallow trench isolation ) structure in which an insulation film such as a sio 2 film is buried in a groove formed in the substrate . next , a first - layer inter - layer insulation film 49 is formed on the front surface of the semiconductor substrate 45 and then connection holes are formed in the inter - layer insulation film 49 to form connection conductors 54 connected to the necessary transistors . when the connection conductors 54 with different heights are formed , like the above description , a first insulation thin film 43 a , such as a silicon oxide film , and a second insulation thin film 43 b , such as a silicon nitride film , serving as an etching stopper are stacked on the entire surface including the upper surface of the transistors . the first - layer inter - layer insulation film 49 is formed on the second insulation thin film 43 b . then , the connection holes with different depths are selectively formed in the first inter - layer insulation film 39 up to the second insulation thin film 43 b serving as the etching stopper . next , the first insulation thin film 43 a and the second insulation thin film 43 b with the same thickness are selectively etched in the respective units to form connection holes so as to continue with the respective connection holes . then , the connection conductor 44 is buried in each connection hole . next , a multi wiring layer 55 in which the plurality of wirings 53 [ 53 a , 53 b , and 53 c ] formed by triple layered metals m 11 to m 13 are disposed is formed using an inter - layer insulation film 49 so as to be connected to the respective connection conductors 54 . the wirings 53 are formed of copper ( cu ). like the above description , a cap film , a so - called protective film 56 , for the copper wirings 53 is formed on the inter - layer insulation film 49 . by the above - described processes , the second semiconductor substrate 45 including the partly - finished logic circuit 25 is formed . next , as shown in fig6 , the first semiconductor substrate 31 and the second semiconductor substrate 45 are bonded to each other so that the multi wiring layers 41 and 55 face each other . the first and second semiconductor substrates can be bonded by plasma joining or an adhesive . the first and second semiconductor substrates are bonded by an adhesive . when an adhesive is used , as shown in fig7 , an adhesive layer 58 is formed on one of the joining surfaces of the first semiconductor substrate 31 and the second semiconductor substrate 45 . both the semiconductor substrates are superimposed to each other with the adhesive layer 58 interposed therebetween . that is , the first semiconductor substrate 31 and the second semiconductor substrate 45 are bonded to each other . when the first semiconductor substrate and the second semiconductor substrate are bonded by plasma joining , although not illustrated , a plasma teos film , a plasma sin film , a sion film ( block film ), a sic film , or the like is formed on the joining surfaces of the first semiconductor wafer 31 and the second semiconductor wafer 45 . the joining surfaces on which this film is formed are subjected to plasma processing to be superimposed , and then the both joining surfaces are adhered by annealing . preferably , the first and second semiconductor wafers are bonded at a low temperature of 400 ° c . or less at which the wirings or the like are not influenced . next , as shown in fig8 , grinding and polishing are performed from the rear surface 31 b of the first semiconductor substrate 31 to thin the first semiconductor substrate 31 . the thinning is performed so that the photodiode ( pd ) is faced . after the thinning , a p - type semiconductor layer is formed on the rear surface of the photodiode ( pd ) to prevent dark current . the semiconductor substrate 31 has about a thickness of 600 μm , but is thinned from about 3 μm to about 5 μm . in a related art , a separate support substrate is bonded for the thinning . in this embodiment , however , the second semiconductor substrate 45 including the logic circuit 25 also serves as a support substrate so that the first semiconductor substrate 31 is thinned . the rear surface 31 b of the first semiconductor substrate 31 is a light incident surface of the back - illuminated solid - state imaging device . next , in the first semiconductor substrate 31 and the second semiconductor substrate 45 bonded to each other , as shown in fig9 , the part of a semiconductor portion of the region of the finished first semiconductor chip section , that is , the part of the semiconductor substrate 31 , is completely removed to form the semiconductor removal region 52 . the semiconductor removal region 52 covers all regions including a part where each connection wiring connected to the laying wiring 40 d corresponding to each vertical signal line of the pixel array is formed , and is formed outside the pixel array 23 , as shown in fig1 b . in fig1 b , the semiconductor removal region 52 is formed outside the pixel array 23 in a vertical direction . next , as shown in fig1 , a stacked insulation film 61 including a silicon oxide ( sio 2 ) film 58 and a silicon nitride ( sin ) film 59 is formed and adhered across the rear surface ( light incident surface ) of the control circuit 24 and the pixel array 23 from the internal surface of the semiconductor removal region 52 . the stacked insulation film 61 serves as a protective film of the semiconductor side surface of the semiconductor removal region 52 and also serves as an anti - reflection film for the pixel array 23 . next , as shown in fig1 , the through connection hole 62 formed from the stacked insulation film 61 to the second connection pad 63 , which is connected to the necessary wiring 53 for the multi wiring layer 55 of the second semiconductor substrate 45 , through the multi wiring layer 41 of the first semiconductor substrate 31 is formed in the semiconductor removal region 52 . the through connection hole 62 reaches the second connection pad 63 electrically connected to the wiring 53 d formed by the uppermost layer of the multi wiring layer , that is , the third - layer metal m 13 . the plurality of through connection holes 62 are formed to correspond in number to the vertical signal lines of the pixel array 23 . the wiring 53 d formed by the third - layer metal m 13 connected to the second connection pad 63 serves as the laying wiring corresponding to the vertical signal line . as an illustrated example , the second connection pad 63 is formed by the third - layer metal m 13 and is formed so as to continue with the laying wiring 53 d corresponding to the vertical signal line . next , as shown in fig1 , the connection hole 64 formed from the stacked insulation film 61 to the first connection pad 65 , which is connected to the necessary wiring 40 for the multi wiring layer 41 of the first semiconductor substrate 31 , is formed in the semiconductor removal region 52 . in this example , the connection hole 64 reaching the first connection pad 65 electrically connected to the wiring 40 d formed by the third - layer metal m 3 of the multi wiring layer 41 is formed . the plurality of connection holes 64 are formed to correspond in number to the vertical signal lines of the pixel array 23 . the wiring 40 d formed by the third - layer metal m 3 connected to the first connection pad 65 serves as the laying wiring corresponding to the vertical signal line . in the illustrated example , the first connection pad 65 is formed by the third - layer metal m 3 and is formed so as to continue with the laying wiring 40 d corresponding to the vertical signal line . next , as shown in fig1 , the connection wiring 67 is formed to electrically connect the first connection pad 65 to the second connection pad 63 . that is , a conductive film is formed on the entirety of the rear surface of the first semiconductor substrate 31 so as to be buried in both the connection holes 62 and 64 , and then is subjected to etch - back and patterning to form the connection wiring 67 . the connection wiring 67 includes the connection conductor 68 buried in the connection hole 64 and connected to the first connection pad 65 and the through connection conductor 69 buried in the through connection hole 62 and connected to the second connection pad . the connection wiring 67 further includes the link conductor 71 electrically linking the connection conductor 68 to the through connection conductor 69 on the exposed bottom surface of the semiconductor removal region . the connection conductor 68 , the through connection conductor 69 , and the link conductor 71 are integrally formed of the same metal . the connection wiring 67 can be formed of metal , such as tungsten ( w ), aluminum ( al ), or gold ( au ), which can be patterned , via barrier metal ( tin or the like ). next , as shown in fig1 , the light - shielding film 72 is formed in the region where light has to be shielded . the light - shielding film 72 is formed on the control circuit 24 , as schematically illustrated in the drawing . alternatively , the light - shielding film 72 may be also formed on the pixel transistors . the light - shielding film 72 can be formed of metal such as tungsten ( w ). the planarization film 73 is formed across the pixel array 23 so as to cover the light - shielding film 72 . such as , but not limited to , red ( r ), green ( g ), and blue ( b ) on - chip color filters 74 are formed on the planarization film 73 so as to correspond to the respective pixels , and then the on - chip micro lenses 75 are formed on the on - chip color filters 74 . the pixel array 23 and the control circuit 25 are finished for the first semiconductor substrate 31 . the link conductor 71 of the connection wiring 67 serves as an electrode pad exposed to the outside . the logic circuit 25 is finished for the second semiconductor substrate 45 . next , the divided individual chips are obtained , and thus the desired back - illuminated solid - state imaging device 28 shown in fig3 is obtained . in the solid - state imaging device 28 , the electrode pad formed by the link conductor 71 of the connection wiring 67 is connected to an external wiring by wire bonding . in the solid - state imaging device and the method of manufacturing the same according to the first embodiment , the pixel array 23 and the control circuit 24 are formed in the first semiconductor chip section 22 and the logic circuit 25 processing signals is formed in the second semiconductor chip section 26 . since the solid - state imaging device has a configuration in which the pixel array function and the logic function are realized in the different chip sections , the optimum processing techniques of the pixel array 23 and the logic circuit 25 can be used . accordingly , the performances of the pixel array 23 and the logic circuit 25 can be sufficiently achieved , thereby providing the high - performance solid - state imaging device . in this embodiment , the part of the first semiconductor chip section 22 , that is , the semiconductor portion of the region where the connection conductor and the through connection conductor are formed is completely removed . since the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 are formed in the semiconductor removal region 52 where the semiconductor portion is removed , parasitic capacitance between the semiconductor substrate 31 and the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 can be reduced , thereby realizing high performance in the solid - state imaging device . when the configuration shown in fig2 c is used , the pixel array 23 receiving light may be formed on the first semiconductor chip section 22 , and the control circuit 24 and the logic circuit 25 may be separated from each other to be formed in the second semiconductor chip section 26 . accordingly , the optimum processing techniques can be independently selected when the semiconductor chip sections 22 and 26 are manufactured , and the area of the product module can be reduced . in the first embodiment , the first semiconductor substrate 31 including the pixel array 23 and the control circuit 24 and the second semiconductor substrate 45 including the logic circuit 25 , which are all partly - finished products , are bonded to each other , and then the first semiconductor substrate 31 is thinned . that is , the second semiconductor substrate 45 is used as the support substrate when the first semiconductor substrate 31 is thinned . accordingly , the number of members can be reduced and the manufacturing process can be simplified . in this embodiment , the first semiconductor substrate 31 is thinned and the through connection hole 62 and the connection hole 64 are formed in the semiconductor removal region 52 where the semiconductor portion is further removed . therefore , the aspect ratio of the holes is reduced , thereby forming the connection holes 62 and 64 with high precision . accordingly , the high - performance solid - state imaging device can be manufactured with high precision . fig1 is a diagram illustrating one embodiment of a semiconductor device , that is , a mos solid - state imaging device that is consistent with the present invention . in the second embodiment , a solid - state imaging device 78 includes the stacked semiconductor chip 27 in which the first semiconductor chip section 22 including the pixel array 23 and the control circuit 24 and the second semiconductor chip section 26 including the logic circuit 25 are bonded to each other . the first semiconductor chip section 22 and the second semiconductor chip section 26 are bonded to each other so that multi wiring layers 41 and 55 face each other . in this embodiment , the semiconductor removal region 52 , where a part of a semiconductor portion of the first semiconductor chip section 22 is entirely removed , is formed and the stacked insulation film 61 extending from the internal surface of the semiconductor removal region 52 to the rear surface 31 b of the semiconductor substrate 31 is formed . an insulation film 77 subjected to planarization and thus flush with the front surface of the stacked insulation film on the semiconductor substrate 31 is formed in the semiconductor removal region . the etching rate of the insulation film 77 is different from that of the silicon nitride film 59 on the front surface of the stacked insulation film 61 . the insulation film 77 is formed of , such as , but not limited to , a silicon oxide film . then , the connection hole 64 and the through connection hole 62 reaching the first connection pad 65 and the second connection pad 63 , respectively , through the insulation film 77 are formed . the connection wiring 67 connecting the first connection pad 65 to the second connection pad 63 through both the connection holes 64 and 62 is formed . the connection wiring 67 includes the connection conductor 68 buried in the connection holes 64 and 62 and electrically connected to the first connection pad 65 , the through connection conductor 69 electrically connected to the second connection pad 63 , and the link conductor 71 electrically connecting both of the conductors 68 and 69 to each other in the upper end . the connection conductor 68 , the through connection conductor 69 , and the link conductor 71 are integrally and necessarily formed of metal . the link conductor 71 is formed on the insulation film 77 subjected to planarization . the other configuration is the same as the above - described configuration of the first embodiment . therefore , the same reference numerals are given to the corresponding members in fig3 and repetition of the description thereof is omitted . fig1 to 24 are diagrams illustrating one embodiment of a method of manufacturing the solid - state imaging device 78 according to the second embodiment . fig1 is a diagram illustrating the same configuration as that in fig1 in the steps of manufacturing the solid - state imaging device 28 according to the above - described first embodiment . since the steps of fig1 are the same as the steps of fig4 to 10 described above , a detailed description thereof is omitted . in the steps of fig1 , the stacked insulation film 61 including the silicon oxide ( sio 2 ) film 58 and the silicon nitride ( sin ) film 59 is formed and adhered across the rear surface ( light incident surface ) of the control circuit 24 and the pixel array 23 from the internal surface of the semiconductor removal region 52 . next , as shown in fig1 , the insulation film 77 such as a silicon oxide film is stacked on the entirety of the rear surface of the semiconductor substrate 31 to bury the inside of the semiconductor removal region 52 . next , as shown in fig1 , the insulation film 77 is polished by a chemical mechanical polishing ( cmp ) method until the insulation film 77 has a necessary thickness . next , as shown in fig2 , the insulation film 77 is etched up to the silicon nitride film 59 by a wet etching method using hydrofluoric acid , and is subjected to planarization so as to be flush with the silicon nitride film 59 . at this time , the silicon nitride film 59 serves as an etching stopper . next , as shown in fig2 , the through connection hole 62 penetrated through the insulation film 77 the multi wiring layer 41 and reaching the second connection pad 63 , which is connected to the necessary wiring 53 d for the multi wiring layer 55 of the second semiconductor substrate 45 , is formed in the semiconductor removal region 52 . the through connection hole 62 reaches the second connection pad 63 electrically connected to the wiring 53 d formed by the uppermost layer of the multi wiring layer 55 , that is , the third - layer metal m 13 like the above description . the plurality of through connection holes 62 are formed to correspond in number to the vertical signal lines of the pixel array 23 . the wiring 53 d formed by the third - layer metal m 13 connected to the second connection pad 63 serves as the laying wiring corresponding to the vertical signal line . as an illustrated example , the second connection pad 63 is formed by the third - layer metal m 13 and is formed so as to continue with the laying wiring 53 d corresponding to the vertical signal line . next , as shown in fig2 , the connection hole 64 formed from the insulation film 77 to the first connection pad 65 is formed in the semiconductor removal region 52 . the connection hole 64 reaches the second connection pad 65 electrically connected to the wiring 40 d formed by the third - layer metal m 3 of the multi wiring layer 41 . the plurality of connection holes 64 are formed to correspond in number to the vertical signal lines of the pixel array 23 . the wiring 40 d formed by the third - layer metal m 3 connected to the first connection pad 65 serves as the laying wiring corresponding to the vertical signal line . as anillustrated example , the first connection pad 65 is formed by the third - layer metal m 3 and is formed so as to continue with the laying wiring 40 d corresponding to the vertical signal line . next , as shown in fig2 , the connection wiring 67 is formed to electrically connect the first connection pad 65 to the second connection pad 63 . that is , a conductive film is formed on the entirety of the rear surfaces of the insulation film 77 and the first semiconductor substrate 31 so as to be buried in both the connection holes 62 and 64 , and then is subjected to etch - back and patterning to form the connection wiring 67 . the connection wiring 67 includes the connection conductor 68 buried in the connection hole 64 and connected to the first connection pad 65 and the through connection conductor 69 buried in the through connection hole 62 and connected to the second connection pad . the connection wiring 67 further includes the link conductor 71 electrically linking the connection conductor 68 to the through connection conductor 69 on the insulation film 77 subjected to planarization . the connection conductor 68 , the through connection conductor 69 , and the link conductor 71 are integrally formed as the conductive film using the same metal film . the connection wiring 67 can be formed of metal , such as tungsten ( w ), aluminum ( al ), or gold ( au ), which can be patterned , via barrier metal ( tin or the like ). next , as shown in fig2 , the light - shielding film 72 is formed in the region where light has to be shielded . the light - shielding film 72 is formed on the control circuit 24 , as schematically illustrated in the drawing . alternatively , the light - shielding film 72 may be also formed on the pixel transistors . the light - shielding film 72 can be formed of metal such as tungsten ( w ). the planarization film 73 is formed across the pixel array 23 so as to cover the light - shielding film 72 . such as , but not limited to , red ( r ), green ( g ), and blue ( b ) on - chip color filters 74 are formed on the planarization film 73 so as to correspond to the respective pixels , and then the on - chip micro lenses 75 are formed on the on - chip color filters 74 . the pixel array 23 and the control circuit 25 are finished for the first semiconductor substrate 31 . the link conductor 71 of the connection wiring 67 serves as an electrode pad exposed to the outside . the logic circuit 25 is finished for the second semiconductor substrate 45 . next , the individual divided chips are obtained , and thus the desired back - illuminated solid - state imaging device 78 shown in fig1 is obtained . in the solid - state imaging device 78 and the method of manufacturing the same according to the second embodiment , the part of the first semiconductor chip section 22 , that is , the semiconductor portion of the region where the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 are formed is completely removed , the insulation film 77 is buried in the removed semiconductor removal region 52 . since the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 are buried in the connection hole 64 and the through connection hole 62 formed in the insulation film 77 , the connection conductors 68 and 69 are distant from the side surface of the semiconductor substrate 31 by the insulation film 77 , thereby reducing the parasitic capacitance between the connection conductors 68 and 69 and the semiconductor substrate 31 . since the inside of the semiconductor removal region 52 is buried by the insulation film 77 , the surface of the semiconductor substrate 31 facing the side wall of the semiconductor removal region 52 can be reliably protected mechanically in cooperation with the stacked insulation film 61 . accordingly , high performance in the solid - state imaging device can be realized . in this embodiment , the first semiconductor substrate 31 is thinned and the through connection hole 62 and the connection hole 64 are formed . therefore , the aspect ratio of the holes is reduced , thereby forming the connection holes 62 and 64 with high precision . accordingly , the high - performance solid - state imaging device can be manufactured with high precision . further description is omitted , but the same advantages as those of the first embodiment can be obtained . fig2 is a diagram illustrating a semiconductor device , that is , a mos solid - state imaging device according to a third embodiment of the invention . in the third embodiment , a solid - state imaging device 82 includes the stacked semiconductor chip 27 in which the first semiconductor chip section 22 including the pixel array 23 and the control circuit 24 and the second semiconductor chip section 26 including the logic circuit 25 are bonded to each other . the first semiconductor chip section 22 and the second semiconductor chip section 26 are bonded to each other so that multi wiring layers 41 and 55 face each other . in this embodiment , the semiconductor removal region 52 , where a part of a semiconductor portion of the first semiconductor chip section 22 is entirely removed , is formed and the stacked insulation film 61 extending from the internal surface of the semiconductor removal region 52 to the rear surface of the semiconductor substrate 31 is formed . an insulation film 77 subjected to planarization and thus flush with the front surface of the stacked insulation film 61 on the semiconductor substrate 31 is formed in the semiconductor removal region 52 . a concave portion 81 with a necessary depth is formed from the front surface in the portion corresponding to the connection wiring 67 of the insulation film 77 . the etching rate of the insulation film 77 is different from that of the silicon nitride film 59 on the front surface of the stacked insulation film 61 . the insulation film 77 is formed of such as , but not limited to , a silicon oxide film . then , the connection hole 64 and the through connection hole 62 penetrated through the insulation film 77 below the concave portion 81 and reaching the first connection pad 65 and the second connection pad 63 , respectively , are formed . the connection wiring 67 connecting the first connection pad 65 to the second connection pad 63 through both the connection holes 62 and 64 is formed . the connection wiring 67 includes the connection conductor 68 buried in the connection holes 64 and 62 and electrically connected to the first connection pad 65 , the through connection conductor 69 electrically connected to the second connection pad 63 , and the link conductor 71 electrically connecting both of the conductors 68 and 69 to each other in the upper stage . the connection conductor 68 , the through connection conductor 69 , and the link conductor 71 are integrally and necessarily formed of metal . the link conductor 71 is buried in the concave portion 81 of the insulation film 77 . the front surface of the link conductor 71 is flush with the front surface of the insulation film 77 . the other configuration is the same as the above - described configuration of the first embodiment . therefore , the same reference numerals are given to the corresponding members in fig3 and repetition of the description thereof is omitted . fig2 to 30 are diagrams illustrating a method of manufacturing the solid - state imaging device 82 according to the third embodiment . fig2 is a diagram illustrating the same configuration as that in fig2 in the steps of manufacturing the solid - state imaging device 78 according to the above - described second embodiment . since the steps of fig2 are the same as the steps of fig4 to 10 and the steps of fig1 to 20 described above , a detailed description thereof is omitted . in the step of fig2 , the insulation film 77 is stacked so as to be buried in the semiconductor removal region 52 , and then the front surface of the insulation film 77 is subjected to planarization by chemical mechanical polishing ( cmp ) and wet etching so as to be flush with the front surface of the stacked insulation film 61 . next , as shown in fig2 , the concave portion 81 with the necessary depth from the front surface is formed on the front surface of the insulation film 77 to correspond to the region of the connection wiring 67 . next , as shown in fig2 , the through connection hole 62 penetrated through the insulation film 77 below the concave portion 81 and the multi wiring layer 41 and reaching the second connection pad 63 is formed . the through connection hole 62 reaches the second connection pad 63 electrically connected to the wiring 53 d formed by the uppermost layer of the multi wiring layer 55 of the second semiconductor chip section 26 , that is , the third - layer metal m 13 like the above description . the plurality of through connection holes 62 are formed to correspond in number to the vertical signal lines of the pixel array 23 . the wiring 53 d connected to the second connection pad 63 serves as the laying wiring corresponding to the vertical signal line . as an illustrated example , the second connection pad 63 is formed by the third - layer metal m 13 and is formed so as to continue with the laying wiring 53 d corresponding to the vertical signal line . then , the connection hole 64 formed from the insulation film 77 below the concave portion 81 to the first connection pad 65 is formed in the semiconductor removal region 52 . the connection hole 64 reaches the second connection pad 65 electrically connected to the wiring 40 d formed by the third - layer metal m 3 of the multi wiring layer 41 of the first semiconductor chip section 22 . the plurality of connection holes 64 are formed to correspond in number to the vertical signal lines of the pixel array 23 . the metal wiring 40 c formed by the third - layer metal m 3 connected to the first connection pad 65 serves as the laying wiring corresponding to the vertical signal line . as an illustrated example , the first connection pad 65 is formed by the third - layer metal m 3 and is formed so as to continue with the laying wiring 40 d corresponding to the vertical signal line . next , as shown in fig2 , the connection wiring 67 is formed to electrically connect the first connection pad 65 to the second connection pad 63 . that is , a conductive film is formed on the entirety of the rear surfaces of the insulation film 77 and the first semiconductor substrate 31 so as to be buried in the concave portion 81 and both the connection holes 62 and 64 , and then is subjected to etch - back to form the connection wiring 67 . the connection wiring 67 includes the connection conductor 68 buried in the connection hole 64 and connected to the first connection pad 65 and the through connection conductor 69 buried in the through connection hole 62 and connected to the second connection pad . the connection wiring 67 further includes the link conductor 71 electrically linking the connection conductor 68 to the through connection conductor 69 . the link conductor 71 is subjected to planarization to be buried in the concave portion 81 and be flush with the front surface of the insulation film 77 . the connection conductor 68 , the through connection conductor 69 , and the link conductor 71 are integrally formed as the conductive film using the same metal . the connection wiring 67 can be formed of copper ( cu ), since the connection wiring 67 is formed by etch - back . the link conductor 71 can be formed of metal , such as tungsten ( w ), aluminum ( al ), or gold ( au ), which can be patterned , via barrier metal ( tin or the like ). next , as shown in fig3 , the light - shielding film 72 is formed in the region where light has to be shielded . the light - shielding film 72 is formed on the control circuit 24 , as schematically illustrated in the drawing . alternatively , the light - shielding film 72 may be also formed on the pixel transistors . the light - shielding film 72 can be formed of metal such as tungsten ( w ). the planarization film 73 is formed across the pixel array 23 so as to cover the light - shielding film 72 . such as , but not limited to , red ( r ), green ( g ), and blue ( b ) on - chip color filters 74 are formed on the planarization film 73 so as to correspond to the respective pixels , and then the on - chip micro lenses 75 are formed on the on - chip color filters 74 . the pixel array 23 and the control circuit 25 are finished for the first semiconductor substrate 31 . the link conductor 71 of the connection wiring 67 serves as an electrode pad exposed to the outside . the logic circuit 25 is finished for the second semiconductor substrate 45 . next , the divided individual chips are obtained , and thus the desired back - illuminated solid - state imaging device 82 shown in fig2 is obtained . in the solid - state imaging device and the method of manufacturing the same according to the third embodiment , the part of the first semiconductor chip section 22 , that is , the semiconductor portion of the region where the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 are formed is completely removed , the insulation film 77 is buried in the removed semiconductor removal region 52 . the concave portion 81 is formed in the insulation film 77 , and the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 are buried in the connection hole 64 and the through connection hole 62 formed in the insulation film 77 below the concave portion 81 . accordingly , both the connection conductors 68 and 69 are distant from the side surface of the semiconductor substrate 31 by the insulation film 77 , thereby reducing the parasitic capacitance between the connection conductors 68 and 69 and the semiconductor substrate 31 . since the inside of the semiconductor removal region 52 is buried by the insulation film 77 , the surface of the semiconductor substrate 31 facing the side wall of the semiconductor removal region 52 can be reliably protected mechanically in cooperation with the stacked insulation film 61 . accordingly , high performance in the solid - state imaging device can be realized . since the link conductor 71 is buried in the concave portion 81 of the insulation film 77 and the link conductor 71 is subjected to planarization so as to be flush with the front surface of the insulation film 77 , the solid - state imaging device with a small uneven surface can be obtained . in the third embodiment , the first semiconductor substrate 31 is thinned , the concave portion 81 is formed in the insulation film 77 , and the through connection hole 62 and the connection hole 64 are formed . therefore , the aspect ratio of the holes is reduced , thereby forming the connection holes 62 and 64 with high precision . accordingly , the high - performance solid - state imaging device can be manufactured with high precision . further description is omitted , but the same advantages as those of the first embodiment can be obtained . in the second and third embodiments , the configuration in fig2 c can be used . in the above - described embodiments , the two semiconductor chips 22 and 26 are bonded to each other . the solid - state imaging device according to the embodiment of the invention may be configured by bonding two or more semiconductor chip sections to each other . even in the configuration in which two or more semiconductor chip sections are bonded to each other , the above - described configuration in which the semiconductor portion is completely removed is applied to the connection portion in which the first semiconductor chip section 22 having the pixel array 23 and the second semiconductor chip section 26 having the logic circuit 25 processing signals . in the configuration in which the above - described semiconductor chip sections are bonded to each other , parasitic capacitance such as pair ground capacitance or pair adjacent coupling capacitance occurs . in particular , since the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 have a large surface area , it is preferable to reduce the adjacent coupling capacitance between the connection conductors of the adjacent lines or the laying wirings of the adjacent lines . here , the portion between the connection conductors indicates a portion between the connection conductors of the adjacent pairs when the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 are paired . on the other hand , since the area and pitch of the first connection pad 65 and the area and pitch of the second connection pad 63 are larger than the pixel area and the pixel pitch , a practically obtainable layout is preferable . next , embodiments in which the practically obtainable layout is realized to reduce the pair adjacent coupling capacitance will be described . fig3 to 35 are diagrams illustrating a semiconductor device , that is , a mos solid - state imaging device according to a fourth embodiment of the invention . in the drawings , only the layout of the wiring connection portion including the connection pads electrically connecting the first and second semiconductor chip sections to each other is shown . fig3 is a plan view illustrating a connection pad array . fig3 is a sectional view taken along the line xxxii - xxxii of fig3 . fig3 is a sectional view taken along the line xxxiii - xxxiii of fig3 . fig3 and 35 are exploded plan views of fig3 . in a solid - state imaging device 84 according to the fourth embodiment , like the above description , two semiconductor chip sections 22 and 26 are bonded to each other , the part of a semiconductor portion of the first semiconductor chip section 22 is removed , and both the semiconductor chip sections 22 and 26 are connected to each other through the connection wiring 67 in the semiconductor removal region 52 . in this embodiment , since the several configurations of the above - described embodiments are applicable to the other configuration excluding the layout of the wiring connection portion , a detailed description thereof is omitted . in the fourth embodiment , the wirings 40 [ 40 a , 40 b , 40 c , and 40 d ] of the multi wiring layer 41 in the first semiconductor chip section 22 are formed by a plurality of layers by four - layer metals . the first connection pad 65 is formed by the first - layer metal , and the laying wiring 40 d corresponding to the vertical signal line is formed by the metal subsequent to the second - layer metal . the laying wiring 40 d corresponding to the vertical signal line is formed by the fourth - layer metal . the wirings 53 [ 53 a , 53 b , 53 c , and 53 d ] of the multi wiring layer 55 in the second semiconductor chip section 26 are formed by a plurality of layers by four - layer metals . the second connection pad 63 is formed by the metal subsequent to the second - layer metal the third - layer metal or the fourth - layer metal . the second connection pad 63 is formed by the fourth - layer metal . the laying wiring 53 d corresponding to the vertical signal line is formed by the first - layer metal . in the first semiconductor chip section 22 , the first connection pad 65 formed by the first - layer metal is electrically connected to the laying wiring 40 d formed by the fourth - layer metal via a connection portion 85 and a via conductor 86 respectively formed by the second - layer metal and the third - layer metal . in the second semiconductor chip section 26 , the second connection pad 63 formed by the fourth - layer metal is electrically connected to the laying wiring 53 d formed by the first - layer metal via a connection portion 87 and a via conductor 88 respectively formed by the third - layer metal and the second - layer metal . the second connection pad 63 is formed to have an area larger than that of the first connection pad 65 in consideration of the difference between the positions at which the first semiconductor chip section 22 and the second semiconductor chip section 26 are bonded to each other . a pair of first connection pad 65 and second connection pad 63 is collectively called a connection pad pair 89 . the first connection pad 65 and the second connection pad 63 have an octagonal shape in a plan view , and preferably have a regular octagonal shape . the first and second connection pads of the connection pad pair 89 are arranged in a horizontal direction . the plurality of connection pad pairs 89 is arranged in the horizontal direction in which the laying wirings 40 d and 53 d of the respective lines are arranged . on the other hand , a plurality of stages , in this embodiment , four stages of the connection pad pairs 89 , is arranged in the vertical direction . that is , in the wiring connection portion of both the semiconductor chip sections 22 and 26 , the first connection pads 65 and the second connection pads 63 with the regular octagonal shape are alternately arranged in the horizontal and vertical directions . here , the plurality of connection pad pairs 89 is arranged in the horizontal direction and four stages of the connection pad pairs 89 are arranged in the vertical direction to configure a connection pad array 91 . here , the octagonal shape is defined . the octagonal first connection pad 65 may integrally have a connection protrusion portion 65 a protruding in part , since the octagonal first connection pad 65 is connected to the laying wiring 40 d ( see fig3 ). in this case , the shape slightly protrudes in terms of the entire octagonal shape , and thus falls within the range of the octagon . in the connection pad array 91 , the first connection pads 65 and the second connection pads 63 are densely arranged in a plan view . the first connection pads 65 and the second connection pads 63 may be arranged to partially overlap with each other . the connection conductors 68 and the through connection conductors 69 are connected to the first connection pads 65 and the second connection pads 63 , respectively , and the first semiconductor chip section 22 and the second semiconductor chip section 26 are electrically connected to each other via the connection wirings 67 each including the link conductor 71 linking both the connection conductors 68 and 69 to each other . the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 may be formed to have the same octagonal shape as the planar shape of the connection pads 65 and 63 corresponding to the cross - section shapes of the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 . the connection wiring 67 is formed in the same way as that of the third embodiment . that is , the insulation film 77 is buried in the semiconductor removal region 52 , the connection conductor 65 and the through connection conductor 63 are penetrated through the insulation film 77 , the front surface of the link conductor 71 is subjected to planarization so as to be flush with the front surface of the insulation film 77 . in this embodiment , the laying wirings 40 d and 53 d each corresponding to four vertical signal lines are connected to the first connection pads 65 and the second connection pads 63 of the four - stage connection pad pairs 89 , respectively . in the first semiconductor chip section 22 , the first connection pads 65 are each formed by the first - layer metal and the laying wirings 40 d are each formed by the fourth - layer metal . since the laying wirings 40 d can cross below the first connection pads 65 , the distance between the adjacent laying wirings 40 d can be increased . likewise , in the second semiconductor chip section 26 , the second connection pads 63 are each formed by the fourth - layer metal and the laying wirings 53 d are each formed by the first - layer metal . since the laying wirings 53 d can be disposed so as to cross below the second connection pads 63 , the distance between the adjacent laying wirings 53 d can be increased . in the solid - state imaging device 84 according to the fourth embodiment , the planar shapes of the first connection pads 65 and the second connection pads 63 are octagonal and the connection pad array 91 is formed in which the first connection pads 65 and the second connection pads 63 are alternately arranged densely in the horizontal and vertical directions . that is , the dense connection pad array 91 is formed in the wiring connection portion of both the semiconductor chip sections 22 and 26 . since the laying wirings 40 d and 52 d corresponding to the vertical signal lines of four lines are connected to each of the four - stage connection pad pairs 89 of the connection pad array 91 , the distance between the adjacent laying wirings 40 d and the distance between the adjacent laying wirings 53 d are increased , thereby reducing the adjacent coupling capacitance . moreover , since there is the insulation film 77 between the adjacent connection conductor pairs , the adjacent coupling capacitance between the connection conductor pairs can be reduced . a wiring resistance difference caused by the difference in the wiring length of the laying wirings of four lines is reduced in the configuration in which the pairs of first connection pads 65 and second connection pads 63 are arranged in the horizontal direction , compared to a configuration described below in which the pairs of first connection pads 65 and second connection pads 63 are arranged in the vertical direction . the area and pitch of the connection pads 65 and 63 are larger than the area and pitch of the pixels . however , in the above - described layout of the connection pads 65 and 63 , the wirings 40 d and 53 d can be drawn , thereby providing the high - performance solid - state imaging device . in the fourth embodiment , even when the configuration of the connection wirings 67 of the first and second embodiments is used , the adjacent coupling capacitance can be similarly reduced . in the fourth embodiment , the same advantages as those of the first to third embodiments can be obtained . fig3 is a diagram illustrating a semiconductor device , that is , a mos solid - state imaging device according to a fifth embodiment of the invention . in the drawing , only the layout of the wiring connection portion including the connection pads 65 and 63 electrically connecting the first semiconductor chip section 22 to the second semiconductor chip section 26 is shown . in a solid - state imaging device 93 according to the fifth embodiment , like the above description , two semiconductor chip sections 22 and 26 are bonded to each other , the part of a semiconductor portion of the first semiconductor chip section 22 is removed , and both the semiconductor chip sections 22 and 26 are connected to each other through the connection wiring 67 in the semiconductor removal region 52 . in this embodiment , since the several configurations of the above - described embodiments are applicable to the other configuration excluding the layout of the wiring connection portion , a detailed description thereof is omitted . in the fifth embodiment , connection pad arrays 91 a and 91 b are disposed on both outsides to face each other in the vertical direction with the pixel array 23 interposed therebetween , and the laying wirings 40 d and 53 d corresponding to the vertical signal lines are alternately connected to the connection pad arrays 91 a and 91 b . in this embodiment , as in fig3 , the connection pad pairs 89 in which the pairs of first connection pads 65 and second connection pads 63 are arranged in the horizontal direction are disposed in a plurality of stages in two stages . the connection pad pairs 89 of the connection pad arrays 91 a and 91 b are densely arranged . the pairs of laying wirings 40 d and 53 d are alternately connected at the interval of two layers to the two - stage connection pad pairs 89 of the connection pad arrays 91 a and 91 b . both the connection pad arrays 91 a and 91 b are formed in semiconductor removal regions 52 a and 52 b shown in fig1 b . in fig3 , the planar shapes of the connection pads 65 and 63 are octagonal , and preferably regular octagonal . however , since the distance between the wirings can be increased , the planar shapes of the connection pads may be tetragonal or hexagonal ( preferably , regular hexagonal ). this embodiment is applicable to the configuration described below in which the connection pad pairs 89 can be replaced by the connection pad pairs in which the first connection pads 65 and the second connection pads 63 are arranged in the vertical direction . in the solid - state imaging device 93 according to the fifth embodiment , the connection pad arrays 91 a and 91 b are disposed with the pixel array 23 interposed therebetween , and the laying wirings of the plurality of lines two lines corresponding to the vertical signal lines are alternately connected to the two - stage connection pad pairs 89 of the connection pad arrays 91 a and 91 b . with such a configuration , it is not necessary to narrow the distance between the adjacent laying wirings 40 d and the distance between the laying wirings 53 d . in other words , the distance between the adjacent laying wirings 40 d and the distance between the laying wirings 53 d can be sufficiently increased . therefore , the adjacent coupling capacitance can be reduced . moreover , since the difference in the wiring length between the laying wirings is reduced , the wiring resistance difference can be further reduced . the area and pitch of the connection pads 65 and 63 are larger than the area and pitch of the pixels . however , in the above - described layout of the connection pads 65 and 63 , the wirings 40 d and 53 d can be drawn , thereby providing a high - performance solid - state imaging device . in the fifth embodiment , even when the configuration of the connection wirings of the first , second , or third embodiment is used , the adjacent coupling capacitance can be similarly reduced . in the fifth embodiment , the same advantages as those of the first to third embodiments can be obtained . fig3 and 38 are diagrams illustrating a semiconductor device , that is , a mos solid - state imaging device according to a sixth embodiment of the invention . in the drawings , particularly , only the layout of the wiring connection portion including the connection pads 65 and 63 electrically connecting the first semiconductor chip section 22 to the second semiconductor chip section 26 is shown . in a solid - state imaging device 95 according to the sixth embodiment , like the above description , two semiconductor chip sections 22 and 26 are bonded to each other , the part of a semiconductor portion of the first semiconductor chip section 22 is removed , and both the semiconductor chip sections 22 and 26 are connected to each other through the connection wiring 67 in the semiconductor removal region 52 . in this embodiment , since the several configurations of the above - described embodiments are applicable to the other configuration excluding the layout of the wiring connection portion , a detailed description thereof is omitted . in the sixth embodiment , the connection pad array 91 in which the first connection pads 65 and the second connection pads 63 with the same regular octagonal shape shown in fig3 are alternately arranged in the horizontal and vertical directions , and the laying wirings 40 d and 53 d of every four lines are connected to each of the four - stage connection pad pairs 89 of the connection pad array 91 . each first connection pad 65 in the first semiconductor chip section 22 is formed by the first - layer metal and each laying wiring 40 d connected to the connection pad 65 is formed by the fourth - layer metal . each second connection pad 63 in the second semiconductor chip section 26 is formed by the fourth - layer metal and each laying wiring 53 d connected to the connection pad 63 is formed by the first - layer metal . the laying wiring 40 d in the first semiconductor chip section 22 is disposed so as to cross below another necessary first connection pad 65 to which this laying wiring 40 d is not connected . since the area of the connection pad 65 is relatively large , coupling capacitance may occur between the connection pad 65 and another laying 40 d crossing the connection pad 65 and having a different potential . in this embodiment , accordingly , a shield wiring 96 formed by the metal of the layer between the first connection pad 65 and the laying wiring 40 d is formed between the first connection pad 65 and the necessary laying wiring 40 d . that is , the shield wiring 96 formed by the second - layer metal or the third - layer metal the second - layer metal is formed between the first connection pad 65 and the necessary laying wiring 40 d . as shown in fig3 , three laying wirings 40 d cross below the first connection pad 65 in some cases . therefore , the shield wirings 96 are continuously formed in the four - stage connection pad pairs 89 so as to have a width corresponding to the width of the connection pad 65 . in the solid - state imaging device according to the sixth embodiment , the shield wiring 96 disposed between the first connection pad 65 and the laying wiring 40 d crossing below the first connection pad 65 is formed , thereby preventing the coupling capacitance from occurring between the connection pad 65 and the laying wiring 40 d of which potentials are different . accordingly , it is possible to provide a high - performance solid - state imaging device . in the sixth embodiment , as in the first to third embodiments , the same advantages such as the reduction in the adjacent coupling capacitance can be obtained . in the sixth embodiment , the advantage can be obtained by the shield wiring 96 irrespective of the planar shape of the connection pad 65 or the layout of the connection pad 65 . fig3 is a diagram illustrating a semiconductor device , that is , a mos solid - state imaging device according to a seventh embodiment of the invention . in the drawing , particularly , only the layout of the wiring connection portion including the connection pads 65 and 63 electrically connecting the first semiconductor chip section 22 to the second semiconductor chip section 26 is shown . in a solid - state imaging device 97 according to the seventh embodiment , like the above description , two semiconductor chip sections 22 and 26 are bonded to each other , the part of a semiconductor portion of the first semiconductor chip section 22 is removed , and both the semiconductor chip sections 22 and 26 are connected to each other through the connection wiring 67 in the semiconductor removal region 52 . in this embodiment , since the several configurations of the above - described embodiments are applicable to the other configuration excluding the layout of the wiring connection portion , a detailed description thereof is omitted . in the seventh embodiment , the pairs of first connection pads 65 and second connection pads 63 are arranged in the vertical direction ( so - called longitudinal direction ) in which the laying wirings 40 d and 53 d corresponding to the vertical signal lines extend . a plurality of connection pad pairs 99 is arranged in the horizontal direction in which the laying wirings 40 d and 53 d are arranged and a plurality of stages three stages of the connection pad pairs 99 are arranged in the vertical direction to configure a connection pad array 98 . the first connection pads 65 and the second connection pads 63 have an octagonal shape , and preferably , a regular octagonal shape in a plan view , like the description of the fourth embodiment . the first connection pads 65 and the second connection pads 63 are electrically connected to each other by the connection wirings 67 each including the connection conductor 68 , the through connection conductor 69 , and the link conductor 71 , like the above description . when the wirings 40 of the multi wiring layer 41 in the first semiconductor chip section 22 are configured byfour - layer metals , it is preferable that the first connection pads 65 are formed by the first - layer metal the laying wirings 40 d connected to the first connection pads 65 are formed by the fourth - layer metal . however , the invention is not limited thereto . the first connection pads 65 and the laying wirings 40 d may be formed by any layer metal . when the wirings 53 of the multi wiring layer 55 in the second semiconductor chip section 26 are configured by four - layer metals , it is preferable that the second connection pads 63 are formed by the fourth - layer metal and the laying wirings 53 d connected to the second connection pads 63 are formed by the first - layer metal . however , the invention is not limited thereto . the second connection pads 63 and the laying wirings 53 d may be formed by any layer metal . the laying wirings 40 d and 53 d are connected at the interval of three lines to the three - stage pad pairs 99 of the connection pad array 98 . in the solid - state imaging device 97 according to the seventh embodiment , the connection pad array 98 is configured by arranging the plurality of stages of the connection pad pairs 99 in which the first connection pads 65 and the second connection pads 63 are arranged in the vertical direction . therefore , the wirings 40 d and 53 d can be drawn . in particular , even in the connection pads 65 and 63 having the area larger than that of the pixels , the wirings 40 d and 53 d can be drawn , thereby providing a high - performance solid - state imaging device . when the laying wirings 40 d and 53 d are disposed so as to cross the connection pads 65 and 63 , respectively , the distance between the adjacent laying wirings can be sufficiently increased , thereby reducing the adjacent coupling capacitance occurring between the laying wirings . in the seventh embodiment , even when the configuration of the connection wirings of the first , second , or third embodiment is used , the adjacent coupling capacitance can be similarly reduced . in the seventh embodiment , the same advantages as those of the first to third embodiments can be obtained . the planar shapes of the connection pads 65 and 63 are octagonal , but may be a polygonal shape such a tetragonal shape or a hexagonal shape ( preferably , regular hexagonal shape ), a circular shape , or the like . the cross - sectional surface shapes of the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 can be configured to be the planar shapes of the connection pads 65 and 63 . the planar shapes of the connection pads 65 and 63 may be different from the cross - sectional surface shapes of the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 . in the solid - state imaging devices according to the above - described embodiments , electrons serve as the signal charges , the first conductive type is the p - type , and the second conductive type is the n - type . however , the embodiments are also applicable to a solid - state imaging device in which holes serve as the signal charges . in this case , the conductive types of each semiconductor substrate and the semiconductor well region or the semiconductor region are configured conversely . the n - type is configured as the first conductive type and the p - type is configured as the second conductive type . an n - channel transistor and a p - channel transistor are applicable to the mos transistors of the logic circuit . fig4 is a diagram illustrating a semiconductor device according to an eighth embodiment of the invention . a semiconductor device 131 according to the eighth embodiment includes a stacked semiconductor chip 100 in which a first semiconductor chip section 101 having a first semiconductor integrated circuit and a multi wiring layer and a second semiconductor chip section 116 having a second semiconductor integrated circuit and a multi wiring layer are bonded to each other . the first semiconductor chip section 101 and the second semiconductor chip section 116 are bonded to each other so that multi wiring layers face each other . the first and second semiconductor chip sections can be bonded by an adhesive layer 129 with protective layers 114 and 127 interposed therebetween . alternatively , the first and second semiconductor chip sections may be bonded by plasma joining . in this embodiment , the semiconductor removal region 52 , where a part of a semiconductor portion of the first semiconductor chip section 101 is entirely removed , is formed and the connection wirings 67 each connecting the first semiconductor chip section 101 to the second semiconductor chip section 116 are formed in the semiconductor removal region 52 . the semiconductor removal region 52 is all regions including the portion where the respective connection wirings 67 of the semiconductor integrated circuits are formed , and is formed in the peripheral section of the semiconductor chip section 101 . in the first semiconductor chip section 101 , the first semiconductor integrated circuit the logic circuit 102 is formed in a thinned first semiconductor substrate 103 . that is , a plurality of mos transistors tr 11 , tr 12 and tr 13 are formed in a semiconductor well region 104 formed in the semiconductor substrate ( such as , but not limited to , a silicon substrate ) 103 . the mos transistors tr 11 to tr 13 each include a pair of source / drain regions 105 and gate electrodes 106 formed via an insulation film . the mos transistors tr 11 to tr 13 are isolated from each other by device isolation regions 107 . the mos transistors tr 11 to tr 13 are representative transistors . the logic circuit 102 may include cmos transistors . therefore , the plurality of mos transistors may be configured as n - channel mos transistors or p - channel mos transistors . therefore , when the n - channel mos transistors are formed , source / drain regions are formed in the p - type semiconductor well region . when the p - channel mos transistors are formed , p - type source / drain regions are formed in the n - type semiconductor well region . a multi wiring layer 111 in which wirings 109 formed by a plurality of metals triple layered metals are stacked via an inter - layer insulation film 108 is formed on the semiconductor substrate 103 . the wirings 109 can be formed by a material such as , but not limited to , cu wirings . the mos transistors tr 11 to tr 13 are connected with the necessary first - layer wiring 109 and a connection conductor 112 interposed therebetween . the three - layer wirings 109 are connected to each other through a connection conductor . in the second semiconductor chip section 116 , the second semiconductor integrated circuit the logic circuit 117 is formed in a second semiconductor substrate 118 . that is , a plurality of mos transistors tr 21 , tr 22 , tr 23 are formed in a semiconductor well region 119 formed in the semiconductor substrate ( such as , but not limited to , a silicon substrate ) 118 . the mos transistors tr 21 to tr 23 each include a pair of source / drain regions 121 and gate electrodes 122 formed via an insulation film . the mos transistors tr 21 to tr 23 are isolated from each other by device isolation regions 123 . the mos transistors tr 21 to tr 23 are representative transistors . the logic circuit 117 may include cmos transistors . therefore , the plurality of mos transistors may be configured as n - channel mos transistors or p - channel mos transistors . therefore , when the n - channel mos transistors are formed , source / drain regions are formed in the p - type semiconductor well region . when the p - channel mos transistors are formed , p - type source / drain regions are formed in the n - type semiconductor well region . a multi wiring layer 126 in which wirings 125 formed by a plurality of metals triple layered metals are stacked via an inter - layer insulation film 124 is formed on the semiconductor substrate 118 . the wirings 125 can be formed by a material including , but not limited to , cu wirings . the mos transistors tr 21 to tr 23 are connected with the necessary first - layer wiring 125 and a connection conductor 120 interposed therebetween . the three - layer wirings 125 are connected to each other through a connection conductor 120 . the semiconductor substrate 118 of the second chip section 116 also serves as a support substrate of the thinned first semiconductor chip section 101 . as the first semiconductor integrated circuit a semiconductor memory circuit may be used instead of the logic circuit 102 . in this case , the logic circuit 117 serving as the second semiconductor integrated circuit is provided to process signals of the semiconductor memory circuit . in the semiconductor removal region 52 , the entire first semiconductor substrate 118 is removed by etching . the stacked insulation film 61 including a silicon oxide ( sio 2 ) film 58 and a silicon nitride ( sin ) film 59 is formed to extend from the bottom surface and the side surface of the semiconductor removal region 52 to the front surface of the semiconductor substrate 118 . the stacked insulation film 61 protects the semiconductor substrate 118 exposed to the front surface of the semiconductor substrate 118 and the side surface of the semiconductor removal region 52 . in the semiconductor removal region 52 , the connection hole 64 , which reaches from the silicon nitride film 59 to the first connection pad 65 electrically connected to a necessary wiring in the multi wiring layer 111 the wiring 109 d of the third - layer metal in the first semiconductor chip section 101 , is formed . in addition , the through connection hole 62 , which is penetrated through the first semiconductor chip section 101 and reaches the second connection pad 63 electrically connected to a necessary wiring in the multi wiring layer 126 a wiring 125 d formed by the third - layer metal in the second semiconductor chip section 116 , is formed . the connection wiring 67 includes the connection conductor 68 buried in the connection holes 64 and 62 and electrically connected to the first connection pad 65 , the through connection conductor 69 connected to the second connection pad 63 , and the link conductor 71 electrically connecting both of the conductors 68 and 69 to each other in the upper end of the conductors 68 and 69 . the link conductor 71 of the connection wiring 67 exposed to the outside serves as an electrode pad connected to an external wiring by a bonding wire . the semiconductor device according to the eighth embodiment can be manufactured by the manufacturing method described in the first embodiment . in this case , the pixel array and the control circuit of the first semiconductor chip section in the first embodiment is replaced by the first semiconductor integrated circuit and the logic circuit in the second embodiment chip section is replaced by the second semiconductor integrated circuit . in the semiconductor device according to the eighth embodiment , the first semiconductor chip section 101 and the second semiconductor chip 116 are bonded to each other . therefore , the optimum processing techniques can be used when the first and second semiconductor integrated circuits are formed . accordingly , the performances of the first and second semiconductor integrated circuits can be sufficiently achieved , thereby providing a high - performance semiconductor device . in this embodiment , the part of the first semiconductor chip section 101 , that is , the semiconductor portion of the region where the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 are formed is completely removed . since the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 are formed in the semiconductor removal region 52 , parasitic capacitance between the semiconductor substrate 104 and the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 can be reduced , thereby realizing high performance in the semiconductor device . in the eighth embodiment , the first semiconductor substrate 104 and the second semiconductor substrate 118 in a partly finished state are bonded to each other before formation of a chip , and then the first semiconductor substrate 104 is thinned in the manufacturing process . that is , the second semiconductor substrate 118 is used as the support substrate when the first semiconductor substrate 104 is thinned . accordingly , the number of members can be reduced and the manufacturing process can be simplified . in this embodiment , the first semiconductor substrate 104 is thinned and the through connection hole 62 and the connection hole 64 are formed in the semiconductor removal region 52 where the semiconductor portion is removed . therefore , the aspect ratio of the holes is reduced , thereby forming the connection holes with high precision . accordingly , the high - performance semiconductor device can be manufactured with high precision . fig4 is a diagram illustrating a semiconductor device according to a ninth embodiment of the invention . a semiconductor device 132 according to the ninth embodiment includes a stacked semiconductor chip 100 in which the first semiconductor chip section 101 including the first semiconductor integrated circuit and a multi wiring layer and the second semiconductor chip section 116 including the second semiconductor integrated circuit and a multi wiring layer are bonded to each other . the first semiconductor chip section 101 and the second semiconductor chip section 116 are bonded to each other so that multi wiring layers face each other . in this embodiment , the semiconductor removal region 52 , where a part of a semiconductor portion of the first semiconductor chip section 101 is entirely removed , is formed and the stacked insulation film 61 extending from the internal surface of the semiconductor removal region 52 to the rear surface of the semiconductor substrate 103 is formed . the insulation film 77 subjected to planarization and thus flush with the front surface of the stacked insulation film 61 on the semiconductor substrate 103 is formed in the semiconductor removal region 52 . like the above description , the insulation film 77 is formed by an insulation film , such as a silicon oxide film , with an etching rate different from that of the silicon nitride film 59 on the front surface of the stacked insulation film 61 . then , the connection hole 64 and the through connection hole 62 reaching the first connection pad 65 and the second connection pad 63 , respectively , through the insulation film 77 are formed . the connection wiring 67 connecting the first connection pad 65 to the second connection pad 63 is formed through both the connection holes 64 and 62 . the connection wiring 67 includes the connection conductor 68 buried in the connection holes 64 and 62 and electrically connected to the first connection pad 65 , the through connection conductor 69 electrically connected to the second connection pad 63 , and the link conductor 71 electrically connecting both of the conductors 68 and 69 to each other in the upper end . the connection conductor 68 , the through connection conductor 69 , and the link conductor 71 are integrally and necessarily formed of metal . the link conductor 71 is formed on the insulation film 77 subjected to planarization . the other configuration is the same as the above - described configuration of the eighth embodiment . therefore , the same reference numerals are given to the corresponding members in fig4 and the repetition of the description thereof is omitted . the semiconductor device 132 according to the ninth embodiment can be manufactured by the manufacturing method described in the second embodiment . in this case , the pixel array and the control circuit of the first semiconductor chip section in the second embodiment is replaced by the first semiconductor integrated circuit and the logic circuit in the second embodiment chip section is replaced by the second semiconductor integrated circuit . in the semiconductor device 132 according to the ninth embodiment , the part of the first semiconductor chip section 101 , that is , the semiconductor portion of the region where the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 are formed is completely removed , the insulation film 77 is buried in the removed semiconductor removal region 52 . since the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 are buried in the connection hole 64 and the through connection hole 62 formed in the insulation film 77 , the connection conductors 68 and 69 are distant from the side surface of the semiconductor substrate 103 by the insulation film 77 . therefore , the parasitic capacitance between the connection conductors 68 and 69 and the semiconductor substrate 103 can be reduced . since the inside of the semiconductor removal region 52 is buried by the insulation film 77 , the surface of the semiconductor substrate 103 facing the side wall of the semiconductor removal region 52 can be reliably protected mechanically in cooperation with the stacked insulation film 61 . accordingly , high performance in the semiconductor device can be realized . in this embodiment , the first semiconductor substrate 103 is thinned and the through connection hole 62 and the connection hole 64 are formed . therefore , the aspect ratio of the holes is reduced , thereby forming the connection holes 62 and 64 with high precision . accordingly , the high - performance semiconductor device can be manufactured with high precision . further description is omitted , but the same advantages as those of the eighth embodiment can be obtained . fig4 is a diagram illustrating a semiconductor device according to a tenth embodiment of the invention . a semiconductor device 133 according to the tenth embodiment includes the stacked semiconductor chip 100 in which the first semiconductor chip section 101 including a first semiconductor integrated circuit and a multi wiring layer and the second semiconductor chip section 116 including a second semiconductor integrated circuit and a multi wiring layer are bonded to each other . the first semiconductor chip section 101 and the second semiconductor chip section 116 are bonded to each other so that multi wiring layers face each other . in this embodiment , the semiconductor removal region 52 , where a part of a semiconductor portion of the first semiconductor chip section 101 is entirely removed , is formed and the stacked insulation film 61 extending from the internal surface of the semiconductor removal region 52 to the rear surface of the semiconductor substrate 103 is formed . the insulation film 77 subjected to planarization and thus flush with the front surface of the stacked insulation film 61 on the semiconductor substrate 103 is buried in the semiconductor removal region 52 . the concave portion 81 with a necessary depth from the front surface is formed in the portion corresponding to the connection wiring 67 of the insulation film 77 . then , the connection hole 64 and the through connection hole 62 reaching the first connection pad 65 and the second connection pad 63 , respectively , through the insulation film 77 below the concave portion 81 are formed . the connection wiring 67 connecting the first connection pad 65 to the second connection pad 63 through both the connection holes 64 and 62 is formed . the connection wiring 67 includes the connection conductor 68 buried in the connection holes 64 and 62 and electrically connected to the first connection pad 65 , the through connection conductor 69 electrically connected to the second connection pad 63 , and the link conductor 71 electrically connecting both of the conductors 68 and 69 to each other in the upper end . the connection conductor 68 , the through connection conductor 69 , and the link conductor 71 are integrally and necessarily formed of metal . the link conductor 71 is buried in the concave portion 81 of the insulation film 77 . the front surface of the link conductor 71 is flush with the front surface of the insulation film 77 subjected to planarization . the other configuration is the same as the above - described configuration of the eighth embodiment . therefore , the same reference numerals are given to the corresponding members in fig4 and repetition of the description thereof is omitted . the semiconductor device 133 according to the tenth embodiment can be manufactured by the manufacturing method described in the third embodiment . in this case , the pixel array and the control circuit of the first semiconductor chip section in the third embodiment is replaced by the first semiconductor integrated circuit and the logic circuit in the second embodiment chip section is replaced by the second semiconductor integrated circuit . in the semiconductor device 133 according to the tenth embodiment , the part of the first semiconductor chip section 101 , that is , the semiconductor portion of the region where the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 are formed is completely removed , the insulation film 77 is buried in the removed semiconductor removal region 52 . the concave portion 81 is formed in the insulation film 77 , and the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 are penetrated through the connection hole 64 and the through connection hole 62 formed in the insulation film 77 below the concave portion 81 , respectively , to form the connection wiring 67 . accordingly , both the connection conductors 68 and 69 are distant from the side surface of the semiconductor substrate 103 by the insulation film 77 , thereby reducing the parasitic capacitance between the connection conductors 68 and 69 and the semiconductor substrate 103 . since the inside of the semiconductor removal region 52 is buried by the insulation film 77 , the surface of the semiconductor substrate 103 facing the side wall of the semiconductor removal region 52 can be reliably protected mechanically in cooperation with the stacked insulation film 61 . accordingly , high performance in the solid - state imaging device can be realized . since the link conductor 71 is buried in the concave portion 81 of the insulation film 77 and the link conductor 71 is subjected to planarization so as to be flush with the front surface of the insulation film 77 , the semiconductor device with a small uneven surface can be obtained . in the tenth embodiment , the first semiconductor substrate 103 is thinned , the concave portion 81 is formed in the insulation film 77 , and the through connection hole 62 and the connection hole 64 are formed . therefore , the aspect ratio of the holes is reduced , thereby forming the connection holes 62 and 64 with high precision . accordingly , a high - performance semiconductor device can be manufactured with high precision . further description is omitted , but the same advantages as those of the eighth embodiment can be obtained . in the above - described eighth to tenth embodiments , two semiconductor chip sections are bonded to each other . in the semiconductor device according to the embodiments of the invention , three or more semiconductor chip sections may be bonded to each other . even in a configuration in which three or more semiconductor chip sections are bonded to each other , the above - described configurations in which the semiconductor portion is completely removed are applicable to the connection portion between the first semiconductor chip section including the first semiconductor integrated circuit and the second semiconductor chip section including the second semiconductor integrated circuit . a memory circuit and other electric circuits excluding a logic circuit are applicable to the semiconductor integrated circuit . in the above embodiments , the layouts of the connection pad arrays 91 , 91 a , 91 b , and 98 described in the fourth to seventh embodiments are applied to the solid - state imaging device in which the semiconductor portion in the region of the connection wirings 67 according to the first to third embodiments is completely removed . the layouts of the connection pad arrays 91 , 91 a , 91 b , and 98 are applicable to the semiconductor device according to the eighth to tenth embodiments . the layouts of the connection pad arrays 91 , 91 a , 91 b , and 98 are not limited thereto . when another wafer or chip is bonded to form connection wirings , the layouts of the connection pad arrays are applicable to a case where a semiconductor in the vicinity of the connection wirings is not removed . the layouts of the connection pad arrays are applicable to a semiconductor device , such as a solid - stage imaging device or a semiconductor device having the above semiconductor integrated circuit , in which the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 are penetrated through the semiconductor substrate and are buried via an insulation film without removing the semiconductor portion . fig4 and 44 are diagrams illustrating an example of the solid - state imaging device in which the connection wirings are formed without removing the semiconductor portion and to which the connection pad layout is applied . in this example , a solid - state imaging device 135 has a configuration in which the semiconductor in the region of the connection wirings 67 shown in fig1 in the above - described second embodiment is not removed . in this example , the connection hole 64 penetrated through the first semiconductor substrate 31 and reaching the first connection pad 65 and the through connection hole 62 penetrated through the first semiconductor chip section 22 including the semiconductor substrate 31 and reaching the second connection pad 63 are formed in the connection wiring region . the semiconductor substrate 31 and an insulation film 136 for insulation are formed on the inner surface of each of the connection hole 64 and the through connection hole 62 . the connection wiring is formed in which the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 are buried in the connection hole 65 and the through connection hole 62 and are connected to each other by the link conductor 71 so as to be connected to the first connection pad 65 and the second connection pad 63 , respectively . since the other configuration is the same as that described in the second embodiment , the same reference numerals are given to the corresponding members in fig1 and repetition of the description thereof is omitted . on the other hand , as shown in fig4 , the layout of the wiring connection portion including the connection pads 63 and 65 in the solid - state imaging device 135 of this example has the same structure as that in fig3 . that is , the connection pad array 91 is formed in which the connection pad pairs 89 of the octagonal connection pads 63 and 65 are densely arranged in four stages . since the other detailed configuration is the same as that in fig3 , the same reference numerals are given to the corresponding members in fig3 and repetition of the description thereof is omitted . in the solid - state imaging device 135 of this example , the distance between the adjacent laying wirings 40 d and the distance between the laying wirings 53 d are increased , like the above description in fig3 . accordingly , the adjacent coupling capacitance can be reduced . fig4 and 46 are diagrams illustrating an example of the semiconductor device in which the connection wirings are formed without removing the semiconductor portion and which includes the semiconductor integrated circuit to which the connection pad layout is applied . in this example , a semiconductor device 137 has a configuration in which the semiconductor in the region , where the connection wirings 67 is formed , shown in fig4 in the above - described ninth embodiment is not removed . in this example , the connection hole 64 penetrated through the first semiconductor substrate 31 and reaching the first connection pad 65 and the through connection hole 62 penetrated through the first semiconductor chip section 22 including the semiconductor substrate 31 and reaching the second connection pad 63 are formed in the connection wiring region . the semiconductor substrate 31 and the insulation film 136 for insulation are formed on the inner surface of each of the connection hole 64 and the through connection hole 62 . the connection wiring is formed in which the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 are buried in the connection hole 65 and the through connection hole 62 and are connected to each other by the link conductor 71 so as to be connected to the first connection pad 65 and the second connection pad 63 , respectively . since the other configuration is the same as that described in the sixth embodiment , the same reference numerals are given to the corresponding members in fig4 and repetition of the description thereof is omitted . on the other hand , as shown in fig4 , the layout of the wiring connection portion including the connection pads 63 and 65 in this example has the same structure as that in fig3 . that is , the connection pad array 91 is formed in which the connection pad pairs 89 of the octagonal connection pads 63 and 65 are densely arranged in four stages . since the other detailed configuration is the same as that in fig3 , the same reference numerals are given to the corresponding members in fig3 and repetition of the description thereof is omitted . in the solid - state imaging device 137 of this example , the distance between the adjacent laying wirings 40 d and the distance between the laying wirings 53 d are increased , like the above description in fig3 . accordingly , the adjacent coupling capacitance can be reduced . in the solid - state imaging device in which the connection wirings are formed without removing the semiconductor portion and the semiconductor device having an integrated circuit , the layout according to the fifth embodiment ( fig3 ), the sixth embodiment ( fig3 and 38 ), the seventh embodiment ( fig3 ), or the like is applicable as the layout of the connection pad . in the above - described solid - state imaging devices according to the embodiments , it is necessary to stabilize the potential of the semiconductor substrate or the semiconductor well region where the pixel array 23 of the first semiconductor chip section 22 is formed . that is , it is necessary to stabilize variation in the potentials of the through connection conductor 69 and the connection conductor 68 when operating without variation in the potential ( so - called substrate potential ) of the semiconductor substrate or the semiconductor well region in the vicinities of the through connection conductor 69 and the connection conductor 68 . in order to stabilize the substrate potential , in this example , a contact portion is formed in the semiconductor well region 32 by an impurity diffusion layer and the contact portion is connected to an electrode pad portion formed in the vicinity of a portion on the first semiconductor chip section 22 via the connection conductor 44 and the wiring 40 . by supplying a fixed voltage such as a power voltage vdd or a ground voltage ( 0 v ) to the electrode pad portion , the power voltage or the ground voltage ( 0 v ) is applied to the semiconductor well region 32 via the contact portion , thereby stabilizing the substrate potential of the semiconductor well region . for example , when the semiconductor substrate or the semiconductor well region is of the n - type , the power voltage is supplied . when the semiconductor substrate or the semiconductor well region is of the p - type , the ground voltage is applied . in the above - described solid - state imaging devices according to the embodiments , when the connection wirings 67 including the through connection conductor 69 and the connection conductor 68 are processed to be formed , protective diodes are installed in order to protect the transistors of the logic circuit against plasma damage . when the connection wirings 67 are formed , the connection holes 62 and 65 reaching the pads 63 and 65 are formed by plasma etching . however , particularly , the connection pads 63 in the logic circuit are charged with excessive plasma ions at the time of the plasma processing . when the transistors in the logic circuit are charged with the excessive plasma ions via the wirings 53 , the transistors receive so - called plasma damage . the protective diodes serve as preventing the plasma damage . in this embodiment , the protective diodes are formed in each logic circuit of each column circuit section of the column signal processing circuit 5 . as described above , the laying wirings corresponding to the respective vertical signal lines are connected to the through connection conductor 69 and the connection conductor 68 of each connection wiring 67 via the connection pads 63 and 65 , respectively . in the second semiconductor chip section 26 , the protective diodes are formed in each column circuit section in the semiconductor substrate 45 in which the mos transistors of the column circuit section are formed . the protective diodes are connected to the same laying wirings to which the gate electrodes of the mos transistors of the column circuit section are connected . the protective diodes connected to the laying wirings are disposed closer to the connection pads 63 than the mos transistors of the column circuit section . at the time of plasma processing , the charges caused by the excessive plasma ions charged in the connection pads 63 of the logic circuit flow to the protective diodes and thus do not damage the column circuit section . accordingly , the plasma damage to the column circuit section can be prevented when the connection wirings 67 are processed . moreover , the same protective diodes can be installed in order to prevent the plasma damage to the mos transistors of another peripheral circuit as well as preventing the plasma damage to the column circuit section . the solid - state image devices according to the above - described embodiments are applicable to a camera system such as a digital camera or a video camera or electronic apparatuses such as a portable phone with an image capturing function and other apparatuses with an imaging capturing function . fig4 is a diagram illustrating a camera as an example of an electronic apparatus according to an eleventh embodiment of the invention . the camera according to this embodiment is a video camera capable of capturing a still image or a moving image . a camera 141 according to this embodiment includes a solid - state imaging device 142 , an optical system 143 guiding incident light to a light - sensing portion of the solid - state imaging device 142 , and a shutter device 144 . the camera 141 further includes a driving circuit 145 driving the solid - state imaging device 142 and a signal processing circuit 146 processing signals output from the solid - state imaging device 142 . the solid - state imaging device 142 is one of the solid - state imaging devices according to the above - described embodiments . the optical system ( optical lens ) 143 forms an image on the image capturing surface of the solid - state imaging device 142 with image light ( incident light ) from a subject . then , signal charges are accumulated in the solid - state imaging device 142 for a given time . the optical system 143 may be an optical lens system configured by a plurality of optical lenses . the shutter device 144 controls a light illumination time and a light block time for the solid - state imaging device 142 . the driving circuit 145 supplies a driving signal to control the transmission operation of the solid - state imaging device 142 and the shutter operation of the shutter device 144 . based on the driving signal ( timing signal ) supplied from the driving circuit 145 , the signal of the solid - state imaging device 142 is transmitted . the signal processing circuit 146 processes various kinds of signals . an image signal subjected to the signal processing is stored in a storage medium such a memory or output to a monitor . in the electronic apparatus such as a camera according to the eleventh embodiment , the high - performance solid - state imaging device 142 can be realized . accordingly , the electronic apparatus with a high reliability can be provided . while various embodiments of the present invention have been described , it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible that are within the scope of this invention . accordingly , the present invention is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents .
| 7 |
fig1 is a perspective view of a turf conditioning machine 12 according to the invention located on a golf green 16 . machine 12 is attached by an air hose 21 and a fluid hose 20 to a support system 14 . the support system 14 includes a trailer 28 that supports a 200 gallon tank 26 , a hose reel 24 , and compressor 22 . fluid stored in tank 26 is pumped at high pressure over fluid hose 20 to machine 12 . compressor 22 transfers compressed air over air hose 21 to machine 12 . reel 24 dispenses the air hose 21 and the fluid hose 20 and allows trailer 28 to be located off of golf green 16 as machine 12 is being operated . thus , machine 12 is hand - driven by an operator 18 over golf green 16 without the additional weight of tank 26 and compressor 22 . fig2 is a left side elevation of the machine 12 shown in fig1 . referring to fig1 and 2 , a frame 29 includes two vertically aligned side walls 44 joined together at a back end by a vertically aligned back wall 43 . the top end of both side walls 44 and the back wall 43 support a top mounting plate 41 . the mounting plate 41 extends from a back end of frame 29 partially along the top of sides 44 . the side walls , back wall , and mounting plate are all formed of metal . a handle 36 is attached to the back end of frame 29 and includes a hand grip 37 at a top end . a lever 32 actuates a safety switch 34 coupled by a cable 35 to a solenoid controller 57 located underneath mounting plate 41 . a lever 30 is attached to the top end of handle 36 and is mechanically coupled to a clutch 74 . mounting plate 41 supports an engine 38 having a gas tank 40 , a battery 42 , and a control box 48 . a row of air guns 52 are pneumatically controlled by solenoid controller 57 via individual air hoses 58 . a manifold 54 provides fluid from fluid hose 20 ( fig1 ) to air guns 52 . each air - gun contains a nozzle 64 that disperses the fluid vertically downward into the ground . a rod 63 is coupled between the side walls 44 of frame 29 and extends through a mounting bracket 62 on the back of each air gun 52 for mounting the air guns to frame 29 a given distance above the ground . a front roller 60 is located in the front of frame 29 and a rear roller 46 is located at the back end of frame 29 for rolling the machine over the green . fig3 is a right side elevation of machine 12 showing in more detail the clutch mechanism for initiating forward movement of machine 12 . lever 30 actuates the clutch 74 via linkage 68 engaging a belt 70 . engine 38 drives a chain 66 in turn rotating a sprocket 76 and a pulley 77 . when clutch 74 is engaged with belt 70 , engine 38 drives pulley 77 . pulley 77 rotates belt 70 in turn rotating a pulley located on the end of roller 46 . thus , machine 12 is self - propelled in a forward direction . fig4 is a front elevation of machine 12 . the solenoid controller 57 is enabled when lever 32 is pressed downward against hand grip 37 . in the depressed state , lever 32 depresses a button 33 on safety switch 34 completing a connection in cable 35 . the signal on cable 35 enables solenoid controller 57 . control box 48 is water resistent and contains a programmable control circuit 78 shown in detail in fig8 . the control circuit 78 receives power from battery 42 over cable 45 and sends control signals to solenoid controller 57 ( see fig8 ). each air gun 52 includes an air nozzle 59 pneumatically coupled by an air hose 58 to a first side of solenoid controller 57 . air hose 21 is coupled to the second side of solenoid controller 57 . manifold 54 is joined at opposite ends to side walls 44 and is coupled to fluid hose 20 ( fig1 ). manifold 54 contains individual couplers 56 that connect into a lower nozzle 80 on each air gun 52 ( fig4 ). front roller 60 extends across the front of air guns 52 and is joined on opposite ends to side walls 44 . fig5 is a bottom view of machine 12 shown in fig1 . the rear roller 46 is joined at opposite ends to side walls 44 and is driven by belt 70 as described above in fig3 . rod 63 passes through each air gun mounting bracket 62 and is joined at opposite ends to side walls 44 . front roller 60 and back roller 46 operate in conjunction to transport frame 29 over golf green 16 ( fig1 ). the wide rollers evenly distribute the weight of machine 29 to eliminated ruts in the top surface of the golf green . fig6 is an enlarged detailed side view of an air gun 52 from machine 12 dispersing a fluid 50 into the ground . air gun 52 is a standard air gun and is , therefore , not described in detail . a top shut - off valve 61 can be manually switched to disable air - gun 52 . air pressure from hose 58 ( fig4 ) lifts a valve 66 allowing fluid from manifold 54 ( fig4 ) to enter into nozzle 80 and out nozzle 64 . nozzle 64 disperses the fluid 50 into the golf green 16 drilling a hole 51 . because manifold 54 is located so close to the nozzle section or &# 34 ; head &# 34 ; of gun 52 , high fluid pressure is maintained right up to the nozzle 64 . other spray guns connect fluid at an upper location on the spray gun that can reduce fluid pressure and retard fluid speed . the distance between nozzle 80 and nozzle 64 is approximately 11 / 2 inches . referring to fig6 and 7 , nozzle 64 contains a rigid baffle 65 that creates a vertically directed spray swath from an orifice 67 as shown in fig6 . baffle 65 has a &# 34 ; figure 8 &# 34 ; cross - sectional shape that prevents the fluid 50 entering nozzle 80 from swirling inside cavity 69 . the stagnant fluid created by baffle 65 allows fluid 50 to disperse uniformly downwardly in a substantially cylindrical spray pattern . the cylindrical spray pattern drills hole 51 to a desired depth 72 into the ground . hole 51 has a consistent circular cross - sectional shape with vertically descending parallel walls 53 . the narrow cross - sectional diameter of hole 51 can be drilled deep into the ground without overlapping with the holes drilled from adjacent air guns . thus , the existing subterranean structure of the golf green remains strong enough to prevent cave - in &# 39 ; s . because only a small amount of soil is displaced by fluid 50 , the substructure of the golf green is strong enough for immediate utilization by golfers . other aeration systems create laterally overlapping holes underneath the turf that prevent golf green utilization for extended periods of time . in one preferred embodiment , the hole depth is drilled between 2 - 4 inches and has a diameter of approximately 0 . 25 inches . the pressure coming out of nozzle 64 is between 2000 - 5000 psi . the nozzle height is preferably located about 3 / 8 inch above the ground . in one preferred embodiment , the air guns receive fluid at 3500 pounds per square inch from manifold 54 at the end of each tip 64 and disperses fluid at approximately 6650 pounds per square inch which hits the ground at approximately 722 feet per second . various fluids can be dispersed through air guns 52 . for example , water can be used to drill hole 51 . another material used for drilling hole 52 is a hydrated polymer that serves to absorb surface water on the golf green 16 . hydrated polymers or &# 34 ; water polymers &# 34 ; are the same as or similar to substances used in diapers to absorb water , leaving the diaper seemingly dry . hydrated polymers injected into turf serve to hold water from the soil surface , reducing the accumulation of water on the surface and making the water available for absorption by grass roots . the long , narrow shape of hole 51 allow the polymer material to absorb water more effectively . in wider holes , the hydrated polymer material has a tendency to dissipate into the soil . the narrower hole diameter allows more of the polymer to coagulate or &# 34 ; puddle &# 34 ; in the bottom of the hole , such as puddle 55 , providing more effective moisture retention . thus , more water can be absorbed and a high moisture content can be maintained on golf green 16 for longer periods of time , without flooding the surface . further , because each hole 51 maintains vertical side walls 53 , there is less chance of hole overlap from adjacent air guns . thus , each hole can be drilled deeper to retain more polymer without jeopardizing the subterranean strength of the golf green . fig8 is a circuit diagram of the programmable control circuit 78 contained in control box 48 ( fig4 ). an on - off switch 81 activates a microprocessor 92 . a set of dual in - line package ( dip ) switches 82 , 84 and 86 are coupled between a 5 volt dc power supply and microprocessor 92 . the 5 volt power supply is generated from battery 42 ( fig4 ). a magneto detector circuit 88 is coupled between engine 38 ( fig2 ) and a magneto divider circuit 90 . the output of magneto divider 90 is coupled to microprocessor 92 . an array of transistors 94 , 96 , and 98 couple outputs from microprocessor 92 to various solenoid relays in solenoid controller 57 . solenoid controller 57 includes an array of standard electric air valves such as model no . m1251lw made by humphrey and is , therefore , not described in detail . dip switch 84 controls the amount of time each air gun 52 remains activated during any one discharge cycle . for example , a first switch in dip switch 84 when closed keeps each air gun activated , for example , for 0 . 05 seconds . closing a second switch in dip switch 84 increases the on time for each activated air gun to , for example , 0 . 1 seconds . controlling the on time of each air gun is important to prevent slitting when the air guns are moved forward over the golf green . for example , if the guns remain on too long , the high pressure fluid can cut elongated slits in the forward frame direction . thus , air gun activation time is automatically adjusted according to frame speed . in addition , each nozzle may be activated for a longer period according to the type of soil . for example , a hard clay material may require a longer air gun activation time to drill a hole 51 a desired depth 72 ( fig6 ). thus , dip switch 84 allows the hole depth to be changed without having to manually change the distant each nozzle 64 is held above the ground or the speed of machine 29 . the on - time is typically controllable to increments of 0 . 05 seconds . thus , holes can be drilled with more precision . dip switch 86 controls the frequency between each air gun discharge cycle . for example , closing a first switch in dip switch 86 directs each activated air gun to drill a hole every three inches . by closing a second switch in dip switch 86 a hole is drilled every two inches , etc . dip switch 86 operates either independently or in coordination with magneto detector circuit 88 . to monitor the speed of machine 12 as it travels over the golf green , magneto detector circuit 88 monitors magneto firings from engine 38 . for example , as the rotations per minute ( rpm ) of engine 38 increase , the fire rate of the engines magneto increases . thus , the speed that the machine 12 moves across the golf green is proportional to magneto fire rate . magneto divider circuit 90 divides the number of detected firings from magneto detection circuit 88 into a sequence of pulses that are sent to microprocessor 92 . according to the pulse rate from magneto divider 90 and the switch setting in dip switch 86 , microprocessor 92 determines the speed in which the frame 29 is traveling over the golf green . according the microprocessor 92 calculates how often each enabled air gun must be activated to drill holes at a predetermined distance . the magneto detector circuit 88 , magneto divider 90 and the software to calculate the repeat interval for each air gun are easily implemented by one with average skill in the art and are , therefore , not described in detail . air guns 52 typically operate up to 180 cycles per minute . dip switch 82 contains multiple switches that enable and disable the various air guns 52 . addition switches in dip switch 82 control the sequence of enabled guns that are activated each discharge cycle . for example , closing a first switch allows an associated air gun to activate each discharge cycle . a second switch in dip switch 82 enables or disables a second air gun , etc . additional switches in dip switch 82 control the sequence of enabled air guns that activate each discharge cycle . for example , another switch in dip switch 82 when closed directs microprocessor 92 to alternate every other enabled air gun every other discharge cycle as is shown in detail below in fig1 and 11 . by controlling the number of activated air guns , a machine operator can control the fluid pressure output from each activated nozzle . disabling more air guns with dip switch 82 proportionally increases the pressure exerted by each enabled nozzle . by increasing fluid pressure each hole can be drilled at a greater depth . according to the signals generated by dip switches 82 , 84 , and 86 and the pulse signal from magneto divider 90 , microprocessor 92 generates output signals to transistors 94 , 96 , and 98 . each transistor is coupled to a corresponding solenoid valve that connects and disconnects air pressure to an associated air gun 52 . when the signal coupled to the base of transistor 94 is active high , transistor 94 turns on pulling the signal to solenoid 1 to five volts . solenoid 1 then activates coupling air from air hose 21 ( fig1 ) to a corresponding air nozzle 59 ( fig4 ) on air gun 52 . air entering nozzle 59 raises pin 66 ( fig6 ) allowing fluid from manifold 54 to enter the air gun . fig9 is a block diagram showing the different functions performed by the control circuit 78 shown in fig8 . referring to fig8 and 9 , the control circuit 78 is first started by closing on - off switch 81 as stated in block 100 . the combination of selected dip switches 82 and 84 control the number of air guns activated and the amount of time each enable air gun remains on for each discharge cycle . thus , circuit 78 controls the depth each hole is drilled into the ground as stated in block 102 . the combination of switches closed in dip switch 82 control the pattern of guns that are activated each discharge cycle as shown in block 104 . block 106 then receives the repeat interval information from dip switch 86 and the pulse sequence from magneto divider 90 generating the necessary air gun discharge frequency that creates the desired hole spacing . decision block 108 checks machine speed . if the machine speed changes , decision block 108 jumps back to block 106 readjusting the discharge frequency for the air guns . thus , the air guns generate consistent hole spacing for changes in machine speed . the process then continues to monitor the dip switches for new input commands . fig1 is an isolated front view of machine 12 during a first discharge cycle and fig9 is a isolated front view of machine 12 during a second discharge cycle . according to the number and arrangement of switches selected in dip switch 82 ( fig8 ), every other air gun 52 is activated during the first discharge cycle shown in fig1 . accordingly , during the second discharge cycle , shown in fig1 , the air guns previously activated during the first discharge cycle are deactivated and the remaining air guns are activated . the sequence shown in fig1 and 11 is then repeated so that for a third discharge cycle , the nozzles shown discharging in fig1 are again reactivated . any combination of nozzles can be controlled each discharge cycle . fig1 is a top view of golf green 16 showing the hole pattern created from the air gun discharge configuration shown in fig1 and 11 . row 112 shows the holes formed during the first discharge cycle and row 114 show the holes formed during the second discharge cycle . varying the combination of activated air guns allow a greater variety of hole patterns . holes can then be spaced farther apart both in the forward direction of the machine as it travels along the golf green and laterally between adjacent air guns . thus , machine 12 is more adaptable to different turf conditions and can vary the aesthetics of the golf green 16 by varying hole patterns . in addition , an offset hole pattern as shown in fig1 can provide a more desirable putting surface for golfers . fig1 is a side view of a dual head turf conditioning machine according to another embodiment of the invention . a first set of air guns 120 are positioned in substantially the same location as air guns 52 shown in fig2 . a second row of air guns 122 are located in the middle of frame 29 . each row of air guns is separately controllable to provide more flexibility in drilling holes . for example , each row of air - guns can activate concurrently during the same discharge cycle or in a staggered arrangement . alternatively , each row of nozzles can be directed to drill holes of different depths into the golf green as shown in fig1 . multiple rows of air guns activated at the same time allow machine 12 to drill more holes into the golf green in a shorter amount of time . having described and illustrated the principles of the invention in a preferred embodiment thereof , it should be apparent that the invention can be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from such principles . i claim all modifications and variation coming within the spirit and scope of the following claims .
| 0 |
the object of the present invention is to discover and develop a novel small molecule compound acting on vp1 of a picornavirus , which can block the adhesion and uncoating of the virus , has an inhibition activity on a picornavirus , and thereby accomplishes the goals of the prevention and / or treatment of a disease caused by a picornavirus . after extensive studies , the present inventors have found that a compound of the following formula i can act on vp1 of picornavirus to block the adhesion and uncoating of the virus , and thus may be used for the prevention and / or treatment of a disease caused by a picornavirus . the present invention is thus accomplished on the basis of the above findings . the first aspect of the present invention provides a compound of formula i : r1 , r2 and r3 are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and halogen ( such as fluorine , chlorine , bromine or iodine , preferably fluorine or chlorine ); n is an integer of 2 to 5 ( such as an integer of 3 to 5 , an integer of 3 to 4 , an integer of 2 , 3 , 4 or 5 , preferably an integer of 3 to 5 , an integer of 3 to 4 , or 2 , 3 or 4 ); and r4 , r5 and r6 are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , halogen ( such as fluorine , chlorine , bromine or iodine ), a straight or branched c1 - c8 alkyl ( such as a straight or branched c1 - c8 alkyl , a straight or branched c1 - c6 alkyl , a straight or branched c1 - c4 alkyl , methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl or tert - butyl ), — coor7 and — or8 ; wherein r7 and r8 are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , a straight or branched c1 - c6 alkyl ( such as a straight or branched c1 - c4 alkyl , methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl or tert - butyl ). the compound according to the first aspect of the present invention is a compound of formula ia : r1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , fluorine , chlorine , bromine and iodine ( preferably fluorine and chlorine ); n is an integer of 2 to 5 ( such as an integer of 3 to 5 , an integer of 3 to 4 , an integer of 2 , 3 , 4 or 5 , preferably an integer of 3 to 5 , an integer of 3 to 4 , or 2 , 3 or 4 ); and r4 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , halogen ( such as fluorine , chlorine , bromine , or iodine ), a straight or branched c1 - c8 alkyl ( such as a straight or branched c1 - c8 alkyl , a straight or branched c1 - c6 alkyl , a straight or branched c1 - c4 alkyl , methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl or tert - butyl ), — coor7 and — or8 ; wherein r7 and r8 are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , a straight or branched c1 - c6 alkyl ( such as a straight or branched c1 - c4 alkyl , methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl or tert - butyl ). the compound according to the first aspect of the present invention is a compound of formula ia : r1 is selected from the group consisting of fluorine and chlorine ; n is an integer of 3 to 5 ( preferably an integer of 3 to 4 , or 3 or 4 ); and r4 is selected from the group consisting of halogen ( such as fluorine , or chlorine ), a straight or branched c1 - c6 alkyl ( such as a straight or branched c1 - c4 alkyl , methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl or tert - butyl ), — coor7 and — or8 ; wherein r7 and r8 are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , a straight or branched c1 - c4 alkyl ( such as methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl or tert - butyl ). the compound according to the first aspect of the present invention is a compound of formula ia : r4 is selected from the group consisting of a straight or branched c1 - c6 alkyl ( such as a straight or branched c1 - c4 alkyl , methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , isopropyl and n - butyl ), — coor7 and — or8 ; wherein r7 and r8 are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and a straight or branched c1 - c4 alkyl ( such as methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , isopropyl and n - butyl ). the compound according to the first aspect of the present invention is selected from the group consisting of : 3 -{ 4 -[ 3 -( 4 - ethoxylphenoxy ) propyl ] piperazin - 1 - yl }- 6 - chloropyridazine , 3 -{ 4 -[ 3 -( 4 - methylphenoxy ) propyl ] piperazin - 1 - yl }- 6 - chloropyridazine , 3 -{ 4 -[ 3 -( 4 - ethylphenoxy ) propyl ] piperazin - 1 - yl }- 6 - chloro - pyridazine , 3 -{ 4 -[ 3 -( 4 - isopropylphenoxy ) propyl ] piperazin - 1 - yl }- 6 - chloropyridazine , 4 -{ 3 -[ 4 -( 6 - chloropyridazin - 3 - yl ) piperazin - 1 - yl ] propoxy } benzoic acid methyl ester , and 4 -{ 3 -[ 4 -( 6 - chloropyridazin - 3 - yl ) piperazin - 1 - yl ] propoxy } benzoic acid ethyl ester , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or hydrate . the second aspect of the present invention provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising a therapeutically and / or preventively effective amount of the compound according to the first aspect of the present invention or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or hydrate thereof , and optionally one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or excipient . the third aspect of the present invention provides use of the compound according to the first aspect of the present invention or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or hydrate thereof , or the pharmaceutical composition according to the second aspect of the present invention in the manufacture of a medicament for treating and / or preventing a disease or disorder associated with viral infections . in one embodiment of the third aspect of the present invention , the virus is a picornavirus . in one embodiment of the third aspect of the present invention , the picornavirus is selected from the group consisting of : rhinoviruses , enteroviruses , aphthoviruses , cardioviruses , hepatoviruses , dual echoviruses . in one embodiment of the third aspect of the present invention , the disease or disorder associated with viral infections is selected from the group consisting of : respiration diseases ( including but not being limited to : common cold ( such as summer cold ), pharyngitis , tonsillitis and croup ), hand - foot - mouth diseases , meningitis / encephalitis , acute poliomyelitis , cardiovascular diseases , hemorrhagic conjunctivitis , and hepatitis . the fourth aspect of the present invention provides use of the compound of the first aspect of the present invention or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or hydrate thereof or the pharmaceutical composition of the second aspect of the present invention as a medicament for combating a disease or disorder associated with viral infections . in one embodiment of the fourth aspect of the present invention , the virus is a picornavirus . in one embodiment of the fourth aspect of the present invention , the picornavirus is selected from the group consisting of : rhinoviruses , enteroviruses , aphthoviruses , cardioviruses , hepatoviruses , dual echoviruses . in one embodiment of the fourth aspect of the present invention , the disease or disorder associated with viral infections is selected from the group consisting of : respiration diseases ( including but not being limited to : common cold ( such as summer cold ), pharyngitis , tonsillitis and croup ), hand - foot - mouth diseases , meningitis / encephalitis , acute poliomyelitis , cardiovascular diseases , hemorrhagic conjunctivitis , and hepatitis . the fifth aspect of the present invention provides a method for treating and / or preventing a disease or disorder associated with viral infections in a subject in need thereof , comprising administering to the subject a therapeutically and / or preventively effective amount of the compound according to the first aspect of the present invention or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or hydrate thereof , or the pharmaceutical composition of the second aspect of the present invention . in one embodiment of the fifth aspect of the present invention , the virus is a picornavirus . in one embodiment of the fifth aspect of the present invention , the picornavirus is selected from the group consisting of : rhinoviruses , enteroviruses , aphthoviruses , cardioviruses , hepatoviruses , dual echoviruses . in one embodiment of the fifth aspect of the present invention , the disease or disorder associated with viral infection is selected from the group consisting of : respiration diseases ( including but not being limited to : common cold ( such as summer cold ), pharyngitis , tonsillitis and croup ), hand - foot - mouth diseases , meningitis / encephalitis , acute poliomyelitis , cardiovascular diseases , hemorrhagic conjunctivitis , and hepatitis . the sixth aspect of the present invention provides the compound according to the first aspect of the present invention or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or hydrate thereof for treating and / or preventing a disease or disorder associated with viral infections . in one embodiment of the sixth aspect of the present invention , the virus is a picornavirus . in one embodiment of the sixth aspect of the present invention , the picornavirus is selected from the group consisting of : rhinoviruses , enteroviruses , aphthoviruses , cardioviruses , hepatoviruses , dual echoviruses . in one embodiment of the sixth aspect of the present invention , the disease or disorder associated with viral infection is selected from the group consisting of : respiration diseases ( including but not being limited to : common cold ( such as summer cold ), pharyngitis , tonsillitis and croup ), hand - foot - mouth diseases , meningitis / encephalitis , acute poliomyelitis , cardiovascular diseases , hemorrhagic conjunctivitis , and hepatitis . the various aspects and features of the present invention are further described as follows . all cited references are incorporated herein by their full texts , and if the meaning of an expression in these references is inconsistent with that in the present invention , the meaning of the expression in the present invention should be used . in addition , the terms and phrases used in the present invention have common meanings known by those skilled in the art , unless they are defined otherwise . if the meaning of a term or phrase defined in the present invention is inconsistent with that well known in the art , the meaning defined in the present invention should be used . as used herein , by the term “ pharmaceutically acceptable ”, for example , when used in “ a pharmaceutically acceptable salt ”, it mans that the salt is not only physiologically acceptable in a subject , but also a substance having pharmaceutical value . as used herein , the term “ alkyl ” comprises a straight and branched saturated hydrocarbonyl with the designated number of carbon atoms . as used herein , the term “ c 1 - 6 alkyl ” refers to an alkyl having the designated number of carbon atoms , which is a straight or branched alkyl , and may comprise its subgroups , such as c 1 - 4 alkyl , c 1 - 3 alkyl , c 1 - 2 alkyl , c 2 - 6 alkyl , c 2 - 4 alkyl , for example , methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl , iso - butyl , tert - butyl , pentyl , or hexyl . as used herein , the term “ halogen ”, “ halogen atom ”, “ halogenated ” represents fluorine , chlorine , bromine or iodine , especially fluorine , chlorine or bromine . as used herein , the term “ effective amount ” refers to a dose that can achieve the treating and / or preventing of the disease or disorder as defined in the present invention in a subject . as used herein , the term “ pharmaceutical composition ” refers to a “ composition ”, which can achieve the treating and / or preventing of the disease or disorder as defined in the present invention in a subject , especially a mammal . as used herein , the term “ subject ” may refer to a patient or an animal , especially human , dog , monkey , bovine , or equine , which is administered with the compound of formula i of the present invention or a pharmaceutical composition thereof to treat and / or prevent the disease or disorder as defined in the present invention . as used herein , “%” refers to a weight / weight percentage , especially in a situation of describing solid substance , unless it is specifically indicated otherwise . of course , when it is described for a liquid substance , the “%” may refer to a weight / volume percentage ( in the case of a solid being dissolved in a liquid ), or a volume / volume percentage ( in the case of a liquid being dissolved in a liquid ). one embodiment of the present invention relates to a method for the prevention and / or treatment of a disease associated with an infection caused by a picornavirus , comprising administrating a therapeutically and / or preventively effective amount of at least one of the compound of formula i or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or hydrate thereof to a patient in need of such treating and / or preventing of the disease associated with an infection caused by a picornavirus . according to the present invention , the compound of formula ( i ) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or hydrate thereof is preferably selected from the group consisting of the following compounds : 3 -{ 4 -[ 3 -( 4 - methylphenoxy ) propyl ] piperazin - 1 - yl }- 6 - chloropyridazine , 3 -{ 4 -[ 3 -( 4 - ethylphenoxy ) propyl ] piperazin - 1 - yl }- 6 - chloro - pyridazine , 3 -{ 4 -[ 3 -( 4 - isopropylphenoxy ) propyl ] piperazin - 1 - yl }- 6 - chloropyridazine , 4 -{ 3 -[ 4 -( 6 - chloropyridazin - 3 - yl ) piperazin - 1 - yl ] propoxy } benzoic acid methyl ester , and 4 -{ 3 -[ 4 -( 6 - chloropyridazin - 3 - yl ) piperazin - 1 - yl ] propoxy } benzoic acid ethyl ester . according to the present invention , the compound of the present invention may be prepared as an example by a process of the following reaction scheme : for example , n - piperazine carboxylic acid ethyl ester is reacted with a compound of formula ii in the presence of potassium carbonate in acetonitrile as the solvent at room temperature to generate a compound of formula iii , the compound of formula iii is heated for refluxing in the presence of 10 % sodium hydroxide aqueous solution in ethanol as the solvent to generate a compound of formula iv , a compound of formula v is reacted with the compound of formula iv in the presence of sodium carbonate in chloroform , acetone , dichloromethane , n , n - dimethylformamide , n , n - dimethylacetamide ( preferably n , n - dimethylacetamide ) as the solvents at room temperature to generate a compound of formula vi , and the compound of formula vi is reacted with a compound of formula vii in the presence of triphenylphosphine and diethyl azodicarboxylate in tetrahydrofuran as the solvent at room temperature to generate a compound of formula i . according to the present invention , the term “ pharmaceutically acceptable salt ” of the compound of the present invention comprises acid salts formed with the compound of the present invention and pharmaceutically acceptable inorganic or organic acids , or alkali salts formed with the compound of the present invention and pharmaceutically acceptable alkalis , in which the acid salt include but are not limited to : hydrochloride , hydrobromide , hydroiodide , nitrate , sulfate , bisulfate , phosphate , biphosphate , acetate , propionate , butyrate , oxalate , trimethylacetate , adipates , alginate , lactate , citrate , tartrate , succinate , maleate , fumarate , picrate , aspartate , gluconate , benzoate , mesylate , esylate , besylate , tosilate , and pamoate ; and alkali salts include but are not limited to ammonium salt , alkali metal salts such as sodium and potassium salts , alkaline earth metal salts such as calcium and magnesium salts , organic alkali salts such as dicyclohexylamine and n - methyl - d - glucosamine , and amino acid salts such as arginine and lysine salts . according to the present invention , the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention comprises an effective amount of the compound of formula ( i ) of the present invention or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or hydrate and one or more suitable pharmaceutically acceptable carriers . these pharmaceutically acceptable carriers include but are not limited to : ion exchangers , alumina , aluminum phosphate , lecithin , serum proteins such as human serum protein , buffering substances such as phosphates , glycerol , sorbic acid , potassium sorbate , partial glycerides of saturated vegetable fatty acids , water , salt or electrolyte , such as protamine sulfate , disodium hydrogen phosphate , potassium hydrogen phosphate , zinc salts , colloidal silica , magnesium trisilicate , polyvinylpyrrolidone , cellulose substances , polyethylene glycol , carboxymethylcellulose sodium , polyacrylic esters , beewax , polyethylene - polyoxypropylene block polymer , and lanolin . the compounds of the present invention are a group of potent inhibitors for a picornavirus , and such compounds are highlighted in the both prevention and treatment of a disease caused by a picornavirus . the disease caused by a picornavirus includes but is not limited to respiratory diseases , hand - foot - mouth diseases , meningitis / encephalitis , acute poliomyelitis , cardiovascular diseases , hemorrhagic conjunctivitis , or hepatitis . the respiratory diseases include but are not limited to : common cold ( such as summer cold ), pharyngitis , tonsillitis and croup . these diseases are usually caused by rhinoviruses of the picornavirus family . according to the present invention , the pharmaceutical composition of the compound of the present invention may be administered via any one of the following manners : oral administration , spray inhalation , rectal administration , nasal administration , bucca administration , vagina administration , topic administration , parenteral administration , such as subcutaneous , intravenous , intramuscular , intraperitoneal , intrathecal , intraventricular , intrasternal , and intracranial injection or infusion , or administration with the help of an explanted reservoir , in which oral , intraperitoneal or intravenous administration is preferred . in addition , in order to allow the compound of the present invention to effectively treat central nervous system disorders , intraventricular administration is preferred to overcome the possible low blood - brain barrier permeability . for oral administration , the compound of the present invention may be processed in any acceptable forms for oral administration , including but not being limited to tablets , capsules , water solutions or water suspensions . the tablets use a carrier generally comprising lactose and maize starch , additionally comprising a lubrimayt such as magnesium stearate . the capsules use a diluent generally comprising lactose and dry maize starch . the water suspensions usually use a mixture of an active component and suitable emulsifying agent and suspending agent . if necessary , the above oral dosage forms may further comprise some sweetening agents , flavoring agents or coloring agents . for rectal administration , the compound of the present invention is usually processed to form a suppository , which is prepared by mixing the drug with a suitable unstimulated excipient . this excipient is of solid state , and melts at rectal temperature to release drug . this excipient comprises cocoa butter , bee wax and polypropylene glycol . for local administration , especially in treatment of neurogenic disease of a readily accessible affected surface or organ such as eye , skin or inferior part of intestinal tract by local external application , the compound of the present invention may be processed into different dosage forms for local administration according to different affected surfaces or organs , which are illustrated as follows : for local administration to eyes , the compound of the present invention may be processed in a dosage form of micronized suspension or solution , in which the used carrier is isotonic sterile saline with a certain ph , wherein a preservative such as chlorobenzylalkanol salt may be added or not be added . for the eye use , the compound may be processed into ointment form , such as vaseline ointment . for local administration to skin , the compound of the present invention may be processed in suitable dosage forms such as ointments , lotions or creams , wherein the active component is suspended or dissolved in one or more carriers . the carriers usable in ointments include but are not limited to : mineral oil , liquid paraffin , white vaseline , propylene glycol , polyethylene oxide , polypropylene oxide , emulsified wax and water ; the carriers usable in lotions or creams comprise but are not limited to : mineral oil , sorbitan monostearate , tween 60 , hexademaye ester wax , hexadecylene aromatic alcohol , 2 - octyldodemayol , benzyl alcohol and water . for local administration to lower intestinal tract , the compound of the present invention may be processed to form the above rectal suppository or suitable enema , and may be processed to form topic transdermal patches . the compound of the present invention may further be administered in dosage form of sterile injections , including water or oil suspensions for sterile injection , or sterile injection solutions . the usable carriers and solvents include water , ringer &# 39 ; s solution and isotonic sodium chloride solution . in addition , sterile nonvolatile oil may also be used as the solvent or suspending medium , such as monoglyceride or diglyceride . it is further pointed out that the dose and usage method of the compound of the present invention depend on many factors , including age , body weight , gender , natural health status , nutritional status , activity of compound , administration time , metabolic rate , severity of disease and subjective judgment of diagnostic doctor . the preferred dose used in the present invention is between 0 . 01 and 100 mg / kg bodyweight / day . the present invention is further illustrated with the following examples , but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following examples . those skilled in the art would understand that the present invention may be changed and modified in many ways without departing from the spirit and scope . the present invention describes in general and / or in details the materials and experimental methods used in experiments . although many materials and operation methods used for fulfilling the objective of the present invention are well known in the art , they are still described in the present invention in details as much as possible . as for all of the following examples , standard operations and purification methods known in the art may be used . unless other stated , all temperatures are represented with ° c . ( celsius degree ). the structures of the compounds are determined by nuclear magnetic resonance ( nmr ) or mass spectrum ( ms ). melting point of compound is measured by ry - 1 type melting point instrument , thermometer is not calibrated , and m . p . is expressed in ° c . 1 h nmr is measured by jnm - eca - 400 type nuclear magnetic resonance . mass spectrum is measured by agilent 5875 ( el ). all solvents used in reactions are subjected to a standard pretreatment , unless specifically indicated otherwise . n - piperazine carboxylic acid ethyl ester ( 25 . 50 g , 161 . 39 mmol ), 3 - bromo - 1 - propanol ( 22 . 43 g , 161 . 39 mmol ), potassium carbonate ( 55 . 68 g , 403 . 48 ) and anhydrous acetonitrile ( 200 ml ) were placed in a 500 ml round bottom flask , heated for refluxing and stirred overnight . the reaction was cooled down to room temperature , filtered , concentrated and subjected to a column chromatography ( eluting agent : dichloromethane / methanol / triethylamine system , v / v / v 100 : 1 : 0 . 5 ) to obtain a light yellow oily substance , 26 . 60 g , yield 76 . 3 %, which was directly used in the next step of reaction . 4 -( 3 - hydroxypropyl ) piperazinylcarboxylic acid ethyl ester ( 14 . 06 g , 65 . 09 mmol ), 10 % sodium hydroxide aqueous solution ( 150 ml ) and ethanol ( 150 ml ) were placed in a 500 ml round bottom flask , heated for refluxing and stirred overnight . the reaction was cooled down to room temperature , distilled under a reduced pressure to remove the solvent to obtain a light yellow oily substance , which was added with 200 ml saturated saline , and the resulting mixture was extracted with dichloromethane ( 5 × 200 ml ), dried ( na 2 so 4 ), filtered , concentrated to obtain a light yellow oily substance , 7 . 56 g , yield 80 . 7 %, which was directly used in the next step of reaction . 3 , 6 - dichloropyridazine ( 14 . 90 g , 100 mmol ), sodium carbonate ( 10 . 60 g , 100 mmol ) and dma ( 80 ml ) were placed in a 250 ml three - necked bottle , and the solution of 1 -( 3 - hydroxypropyl ) piperazine ( 14 . 4 g , 100 mmol ) in dma ( 20 ml ) was added slowly in dropwise within 30 min under an ice - bath condition . the mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight , distilled under a reduced pressure to remove the solvent to obtain a brown solid , which was subjected to a column chromatography ( gradient elution : petroleum / acetone system , v / v 2 : 1 to acetone ) to obtain a white solid , 13 g , yield 50 . 8 %. 3 -[ 4 -( 6 - chloropyridazin - 3 - yl ) piperazin - 1 - yl ] propan - 1 - ol ( 0 . 77 g , 3 mmol ), p - ethoxylphenol ( 0 . 41 g , 3 mmol ), triphenylphosphine ( 0 . 79 g , 3 mmol ) and anhydrous thf ( 20 ml ) were placed in a 100 ml three - necked bottle , and dead ( 0 . 52 g , 3 mmol ) was added slowly in dropwise within 10 min under an ice - bath condition . the mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight , subjected to a column chromatography ( eluting agent : petroleum / ethyl acetate , v / v 3 : 2 ) to obtain a white solid , 0 . 27 g , yield 23 . 9 %. mp : 125 - 127 ° c . ; 1 h - nmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 , δppm ) δ1 . 39 ( t , 3h , j = 7 . 2 hz ), 2 . 00 ( m , 2h ), 2 . 61 ( br , 6h ), 3 . 67 ( br , 4h ), 3 . 98 ( m , 4h ), 6 . 83 ( s , 4h ), 6 . 90 ( d , 1h , j = 9 . 6 hz ), 7 . 21 ( d , 1h , j = 9 . 6 hz ); ei - ms ( m / z ): 376 . 2 [ m + h ]. the following compounds may be prepared by referring to the procedures in step 1 . 4 of example 1 , replacing p - ethoxyphenol in step 1 . 4 by different reactants ( various substituted phenol ). by referring to the procedures in step 1 . 4 of example 1 , p - methylphenol was used to replace p - ethoxylphenol to obtain the titled compound as a white solid , yield 35 . 7 %. mp : 129 - 131 ° c . ; 1 h - nmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 , δppm ) δ2 . 00 ( m , 2h ), 2 . 29 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 59 ( br , 6h ), 3 . 65 ( br , 4h ), 4 . 02 ( t , 2h , j = 6 . 0 hz ), 6 . 81 ( d , 2h , j = 8 . 8 hz ), 6 . 90 ( d , 1h , j = 9 . 2 hz ), 7 . 08 ( d , 2h , j = 8 . 4 hz ), 7 . 21 ( d , 2h , j = 9 . 6 hz ); ei - ms ( m / z ): 346 . 1 [ m + h ] + . by referring to the procedures in step 1 . 4 of example 1 , p - ethylphenol was used to replace p - ethoxylphenol to obtain the titled compound as white solid , yield 33 . 3 %. mp : 123 - 125 ° c . ; 1 h - nmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 , δppm ) δ1 . 21 ( t , 3h , j = 7 . 2 hz ), 2 . 01 ( m , 2h ), 2 . 59 ( m , 8h ), 3 . 66 ( br , 4h ), 4 . 02 ( t , 2h , j = 6 . 0 hz ), 6 . 83 ( d , 2h , j = 8 . 4 hz ), 6 . 90 ( d , 1h , j = 9 . 2 hz ), 7 . 08 ( d , 2h , j = 8 . 4 hz ), 7 . 21 ( d , 2h , j = 9 . 6 hz ); ei - ms ( m / z ): 360 . 2 [ m + h ] + . by referring to the procedures in step 1 . 4 of example 1 , p - isopropylphenol was used to replace p - ethoxylphenol to obtain the titled compound as white solid , yield 17 . 1 %. mp : 125 - 127 ° c . ; 1 h - nmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 , δppm ) δ1 . 22 ( d , 6h , j = 7 . 2 hz ), 2 . 01 ( br , 2h ), 2 . 60 ( br , 6h ), 2 . 86 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 66 ( br , 4h ), 4 . 03 ( t , 2h , j = 8 . 8 hz ), 6 . 84 ( d , 2h , j = 8 . 4 hz ), 6 . 90 ( d , 1h , j = 9 . 2 hz ), 7 . 14 ( d , 2h , j = 8 . 8 hz ), 7 . 21 ( d , 1h , j = 9 . 6 hz ); ei - ms ( m / z ): 374 . 2 [ m − h ] + . by referring to the procedures in step 1 . 4 of example 1 , p - hydroxybenzoic acid methyl ester was used to replace p - ethoxylphenol to obtain the titled compound as white solid , yield 23 . 9 %. mp : 128 - 130 ° c . ; 1 h - nmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 , δppm ) δ2 . 04 ( t , 2h , j = 6 . 4 hz ), 2 . 60 ( br , 6h ), 3 . 66 ( br , 4h ), 3 . 89 ( s , 3h ), 4 . 11 ( t , 2h , j = 6 . 0 hz ), 6 . 91 ( m , 3h ), 7 . 21 ( d , 1h , j = 9 . 6 hz ), 7 . 99 ( d , 2h , j = 8 . 8 hz ); ei - ms ( m / z ): 390 . 2 [ m − h ] + . by referring to the procedures in step 1 . 4 of example 1 , p - hydroxybenzoic acid ethyl ester was used to replace p - ethoxylphenol to obtain the titled compound as white solid , yield 28 . 5 %. mp : 125 - 127 ° c . ; 1 h - nmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 , δppm ) δ1 . 38 ( t , 3h , j = 7 . 2 hz ), 2 . 05 ( br , 2h ), 2 . 61 ( br , 6h ), 3 . 66 ( br , 4h ), 4 . 11 ( t , 2h , j = 6 . 0 hz ), 4 . 35 ( m , 2h ), 6 . 91 ( m , 3h ), 7 . 20 ( d , 1h , j = 9 . 6 hz ), 7 . 99 ( d , 2h , j = 8 . 8 hz ); ei - ms ( m / z ): 404 . 2 [ m − h ] + . positive compounds : see , bioorg med . chem . 2009 , 17 : 621 - 624 , the preferred compounds therein , 4 -{ 2 -[ n -( 3 - chloropyridazin - 4 - yl ) piperidin - 4 - yl ] ethoxyl } benzoic acid ethyl ester ( 5f ) and 3 , 6 - dichloro - 4 -{ 4 -[ 2 -( 4 - ethoxylphenoxy ) ethyl ] piperazin - 1 - yl } pyridazine ( 5c ) were separately used as positive control 1 ( hereinafter referred to as control 1 ) and positive control 2 ( hereinafter referred to as control 2 ). the drug was dissolved in dmso , diluted with cell maintenance medium by 20 times , then diluted stepwise by 2 times to form working solutions with different concentrations . hela cells were inoculated on 96 - well plate in an amount of 10 , 000 ( 0 . 1 ml ) per well , added with 0 . 1 ml maintenance medium , incubated at 37 ° c . in adherence manner , sucked to remove maintenance medium , replaced it with 0 . 2 ml of compound working solution , and maintenance medium was used as control . the growth of cell was observed each 24 h , for 3 days . the lowest dilution times which did not cause pathological change was used to determine the nontoxic limit of drug ( maximum nontoxic dilution ). principle : drug was mixed with virus and incubated in advance to block the procedure of viral uncoating and invasion into cell . method : the drug in a concentration of 100 ng / ml was added to a 12 - well plate , then added with a viral dose with tcid 50 value of about 100 , after 0 . 5 h , 500 , 000 cells were added to each well , incubated at 33 ° c ., 3 days later , when virus control group showed 100 % cytopathic effect ( cpe ), the effects of drug on preventing cells from phagocytosis were observed , and expressed in cell protection rate (%). the results of prophylactic administration show that various compounds have protection effects in different extents in preventing phagocytosis ; in which control 1 , control 2 and the compounds obtained in various examples all have good protection effects . the compounds exhibiting better effects in prophylactic administration were further screened for therapeutic administration . 500 , 000 cells were added to each well , incubated at 33 ° c . overnight for adherence , then added with a viral dose with 100 μl tcid 50 value of about 100 , sucked to remove culture medium after 30 min , drug in a concentration of 100 ng / ml was added to the 12 - well plate , the total reaction volume was 2 ml , 48 h later , when the virus control group showed 100 % phagocytosis ( cpe ), the effects of drug on preventing cells from phagocytosis were observed , and expressed in cell protection rate (%). 4 ) half effective concentration of compound , inhibition index of compound and maximum viral inhibition concentration on the basis of primary screening , half effective concentration of compound , inhibition index of compound and maximum viral inhibition concentration were determined . measurement of half effective concentration ( therapy ): 100 , 000 cells were added to each well of a 24 - well plate , incubated at 33 ° c ., then added with virus with 50 μl tcid 50 value of about 100 , compound was diluted by 5 times in gradient manner and added stepwise to the 24 - well plate , 48 h later , when virus control group showed 100 % phagocytosis ( cpe ), the concentration of compound that could prevent 50 % cells from phagocytosis was determined ( expressed in ng / ml ). in the meantime , the lowest effective dose of compound was determined . measurement of inhibition index of compound : 2 times stepwise dilution was performed from the drug concentration with 100 % inhibition effects as determined in the primary screening , and the highest dilution times of drug without showing viral pathology was recorded . the inhibition index of drug was calculated : inhibition index = highest dilution times of viral inhibition / nontoxic limit dilution times . maximum viral inhibition concentration : the concentration of compound was set as 100 % inhibition of virus titer ( tcid 50 value of about 100 ), then virus was added stepwise in doubling manner , and the maximum of viral concentration that could be inhibited at the designated compound concentration was determined . according to the above experimental method , positive controls control 1 , control 2 and the compounds as prepared in the examples were tested , and their therapeutic activity data were shown in table 1 . the results show that under therapeutic administration condition , control 1 , control 2 and the compounds as prepared in examples all have good protection effects , and under the same inhibition index condition , some of the compounds of the present invention exhibit activity superior to that of the control compounds .
| 2 |
referring to fig1 a drug administration rate calculator 110 according to the invention includes a keyboard 112 and a display 114 mounted in a case 116 . the keyboard 112 and the display 114 are connected to a computation system 118 , shown in fig4 and 5 . the display 114 is preferably a liquid crystal display well known in the art , and the keyboard 112 may be any suitable data entry device well known in the art for inputting data to electronic calculators and computers . the computation system 118 preferably comprises well - known cmos technology so that it can operate for extended periods of time on the power available from conventional batteries ( not shown ). still referring to fig1 the keyboard 112 has keys for each of the variables that are considered in intravenous administration of a drug to a patient . the drug administration rate calculator 110 permits selection of the unknown variable and its units , where there is a choice of units , so that the numerical value of the unknown may be calculated . the labeling of these variable keys and the units for the variables are summarized in table i below . table 1______________________________________keyboard variable and unit keyskey label key variable units______________________________________pump pump setting cc / hr , drops / minddr drug dose rate μg , kg , mg per hr or per min , per m . sup . 2 or per kg , if specifieddrug drug amount μg , mg or unitsiv sol iv solution volume ccbsa body surface area m . sup . 2wt body weight kg , lbht body height cm , inchesdrops drops of drug drops / cc______________________________________ the pump setting variable should be understood to include any means for controlling the flow of drug to a patient . for example , in some systems it is necessary to control the setting of a valve ( not shown ) to regulate the flow of fluid from a container above the patient . the height differential supplies the pressure necessary for the fluid to enter the patient &# 39 ; s body so that pumping is unnecessary . the pump , ddr , drug and iv sol keys are the primary variables that are considered in intravenous drug administration . the remaining variables sometimes must be used to provide data necessary for determining some of the primary variables . for example , the patient &# 39 ; s body surface area may be calculated from the empirical formula where bsa is the body surface area , w is the patient &# 39 ; s body weight in pounds and h is the patient &# 39 ; s height in inches . the empirical formula for calculating the body surface area is preferably included in the software as explained subsequently . the keyboard 112 and display 114 are preferably arranged so that lcd annunciators correspond to the keys . the annunciators indicate the units of the variables . after the drug administration rate calculator 110 is turned on , the annunciators for the four primary keys turned on . the keyboard 112 includes a number pad that has a decimal point and digit keys 0 - 9 , a clear key c and a compute key , labeled comp . in order to input data for a known variable , the user first presses the key corresponding to the variable and then depresses keys to input the numerical value of the variable . the user must next depress a key to select the units for the variable if there is a choice of units available . after the input sequence is complete , the numerical value and the units of the variable last input are displayed on the lcd display 114 . the variables may be input to the drug administration rate calculator 110 in any desired order . any time a variable key is depressed , previous numerical values of that variable clear from the display 114 . the display 114 then displays a flashing legend that identifies the variable ; all permissible units for the variable are displayed ; and all data that was completely entered with numerical values and units is maintained in a memory stack within the computational system until a new complete set of data for that variable is entered via the keyboard 112 . the primary purpose of the drug administration rate calculator 110 is to determine the pump setting value from a given drug dose rate . occasionally it will be necessary to calculate the drug dose rate from the pump setting , and sometimes it is necessary to calculate the amount of drug or intravenous solution to be used . calculation of the body surface area from the weight and height is a convenience feature of the drug administration rate calculator 110 , but is not an essential function of the device . body surface areas may be obtained from tables of such data for any given height and weight , rather than being computed . the drug administration rate calculator 110 will not store values entered for all four primary variables . for example , if the operator enters data for all four variables from the keyboard , either the drug dose rate or the pump setting will clear from the display . the drug administration rate calculator 110 accepts entered values of three of the primary variables and then calculates the fourth primary variable . the hardware included in the drug administration rate calculator 110 includes a microcomputer 130 connected to the keyboard 112 to receive inputs therefrom . the microcomputer 130 preferably includes either an hitachi model hd63p01m1 , an hitachi hd6301 or other similar device . the microcomputer 130 provides outputs to a pair of display drivers 132 and 134 which drive the segments of the display 114 . the drivers 132 and 134 are preferably hitachi hd63602 integrated circuits or the equivalent . the microcomputer 130 and the display drivers 132 and 134 receive power from a power supply 135 , shown in fig3 . a power control circuit 136 , shown in fig2 supplies a low voltage warning signal if the voltage drops below a predetermined value and turns the power supply 135 off after it has been on for a predetermined time . as shown schematically in fig4 the keyboard 112 is a 5 × 8 matrix . the elements of the matrix include the variables of table i , the units of the variables , the numeric keypad and the compute key . in the exemplary embodiment of fig4 the eight columns of the keyboard 112 are input to port 1 of the microcomputer 130 . port 1 includes the pins 13 - 20 of the microcomputer 130 . each of the pins represents a bit of the signal sent between the microcomputer 130 and the keyboard 112 . for example , pin 13 corresponds to port 1 , bit 0 ; pin 14 corresponds to port 1 , bit 1 , etc . the five rows of the keyboard 112 are connected to port 2 of the microcomputer 130 . port 2 includes pins 8 - 12 . pin 8 corresponds to port 2 , bit 0 ; pin 9 corresponds to port 2 , bit 1 , etc . the keyboard 112 addresses the microcomputer 130 by providing low signals on the lines which intersect in the matrix . for example , depression of the key corresponding to the patient &# 39 ; s body weight , provides low signals to port 1 , bit 2 and port 2 , bit 4 of the microcomputer 130 . the wt light of the keyboard 112 then lights up . if the user then depresses the key to indicate that the units of the patient &# 39 ; s height are inches , the microcomputer 130 receives low signals at port 1 , bit 4 and port 2 , bit 2 to light up the in light on the keyboard 112 . resistors 140 - 144 are connected to pins 8 - 12 , respectively , to bring unaddressed lines between port 2 and the keyboard 112 to logic high states . the microcomputer 130 includes a first group of pins numbered 1 - 20 and second group of pins numbered 30 - 40 . the pins 8 - 12 and 13 - 20 form the first and second output ports previously described . pin 1 is connected to ground . pins 2 and 3 are connected across a crystal oscillator 150 , which supplies 4 mhz clock signals to the microcomputer 130 . pin 4 is a non - maskable interrupt input not used in the present invention and therefore tied high by a 100 kω resistor 162 . pin 5 is an interrupt request input that receives a signal warning of low power supply voltage . pin 6 is a reset input for reapplying power to the microcomputer 130 after an interruption . pin 7 is a standby input that receives a signal for placing the microcomputer 130 in a standby mode to conserve power . the second group of pins includes an eight bit output port 3 that has bits numbered p 30 through p 37 , where p 30 means port 3 , bit 0 . port 3 , bit 0 is connected to port 2 , bit 0 to activate the keyboard 112 after the drug administration rate calculator 110 has been turned on or reset . port 3 , bit 1 is outputs a signal for initiating the standby mode . port 3 , bit 4 and port 3 , bit 5 are chip select outputs for selecting which of the two display drivers 132 and 134 will receive data from the microcomputer 130 . port 3 , bit 6 outputs a signal indicating that the microcomputer 130 is ready to accept inputs from the keyboard 112 . the second group of pins further includes an eight bit output port 4 that has bits numbered p 40 through p 47 that supply data to the display drivers 132 and 134 . referring to fig3 the power supply 135 that preferably includes a low drop out voltage regulator 164 such as a national semiconductor model lm 2931 . the voltage regulator 164 receives voltage from any convenient source , such as a combination of batteries that outputs about 7 . 5 volts . the voltage regulator 164 preferably regulates the voltage down to 5 . 2 volt and provides an output of about 5 . 0 volts between an output terminal and ground . the output voltage may be taken across a capacitor 165 , which preferably has a capacitance of about 22 μf . the drug administration rate calculator 110 preferably includes the power control circuit 136 of fig2 a for controlling application of power to the microcomputer 130 . the power control circuit 136 includes a transistor 168 having its base connected to receive the output of the power supply 135 through a resistor 169 , which preferably has a resistance of about 100 kω . the emitter of the transistor 168 is connected to a 6 volt v cc source . the collector is grounded through a resistor 171 of about 560 kω . the collector is also connected to a 100 kω resistor , which is connected to input pins 12 and 13 of a nand gate 170 . pin 13 of the nand gate 170 is connected to input pin 5 of the microcomputer 130 . when the voltage from collector to base of the transistor 168 drops to about 0 . 7 volt , the transistor 168 turns off and provides a low signal to input pin 5 of the microcomputer 130 , which then turns off . an output pin 11 of the nand gate 170 is connected to pin 36 of the microcomputer 130 to control entry of the microcomputer 130 into a standby mode . referring to fig2 b , a second nand gate 172 has input terminals 8 and 9 connected to ground through a resistor 171 , which is preferably about 560 kω . the input terminals 8 and 9 are also connected to the anodes of a plurality of diodes 175a - 175h , which have their anodes connected to eight columns of the display 112 as shown in fig4 . the nand gate 172 provides an output through a resistance 173 of about 330 kω to an input terminal 1 of a flip flop 174 formed of a pair of nand gates 176 and 177 connected as an rs latch . an input 6 of the nand gate 177 is connected to inputs 8 and 9 of the nand gate 172 , which also receive inputs from pin 37 of the microcomputer 130 . an output 3 of the nand gate 176 is connected to an input 5 of the nand gate 177 , and an output 4 of the nand gate 177 is connected to an input 2 of the nand gate 176 . the inputs of the flip flop are normally high and must be pulsed to zero to change the state of the flip flop outputs . the output of the flip flop 174 is taken at pin 3 of the nand gate 176 and is connected to input pin 7 of the microcomputer 130 . the output of the flip flop 174 is also connected to input pin 6 of the microcomputer 130 through a resistor 178 of about 100 kω . the junction of the resistor 178 and pin 6 of the microcomputer 130 is grounded through a capacitor 179 of about 1 . 0 μf . if the power supply 135 is providing adequate power so that the transistor 168 is conducting , the microcomputer 130 is on and outputs a signal to input pin 8 of the nand gate to indicate that the drug administration rate calculator 110 is ready for operation . after the drug administration rate calculator 110 has been on for a predetermined time , such as twenty seconds , the output of the nand gate , which is connected to the standby input of the microcomputer , goes low . the microcomputer 130 then goes into a standby mode until it is reset . each of the drivers 132 and 134 is capable of driving 208 segments of the display 114 . a segment is any portion of the lcd display array that lights up at one time in response to a single signal from one of the drivers 132 and 134 . each numeral of the display 114 is seven segments . the letters indicating the drug dose rate are one segment . two drivers are required because the display 114 has more than 104 segments . the drivers 132 and 134 are each separate computers that store and output data . the drivers 132 and 134 get data from the microcomputer 130 and output the last information received . the drivers 132 and 134 update the display 114 at a rate of 130 times per second , which provides convenient reading of the display 114 . the voltages output from the drivers 132 and 134 to the display 114 may be adjusted by adjusting the resistance of trimmer resistors 182 and 184 connected between the power supply 135 and the power input pins of the drivers 132 and 134 respectively . the display 114 is preferably a multiplex lcd display , which is well - known in the art . four different common lines connected to pins 23 - 26 of the drivers 132 and 134 drive the display 114 in a time domain . port 4 of the microcomputer 130 outputs data to the driver selected by means of one of the chip select lines in port 3 described above . except for the chip select lines , the connections between the drivers 132 and 134 and the microcomputer are identical . port 3 provides reset , standby , ready and clock signals to the driver whose chip select line has been brought low by the microcomputer 130 . operation of the drug administration rate calculator 110 is initiated by turning on the start switch 180 to start the sequence of steps shown in fig6 a . all of the display 114 , the lights for the pump setting , the drug dose rate , drug and iv solution are turned on at the beginning of the sequence . the drug administration rate calculator 110 then waits for a keystroke to select one of the variables ps , ddr , d , iv sol , drops , the body weight or the body height . the variables may be entered in any order . variable selection should be done at the next keystroke . referring to fig7 the drug administration rate calculator 110 may be connected to a valve 200 , which is preferably an electrically controlled solenoid valve . the valve 200 is in fluid communication with a source 202 of pressurized fluid to regulate the flow of the pressurized fluid to the patient . the fluid may be pressurized by a pump 204 or it may be pressurized by a height differential between the fluid source and the point of insertion of the iv tube into the patient . if the operator depresses the pump setting key , the drug administration rate calculator 110 enters the routine shown in fig6 b . the ps light flashes and the cc / hr and drops / min segments of the display 114 are lighted . after a key is depressed , the microcomputer compares the d , ddr and iv sol numbers to zero . if all these numbers are nonzero , the ddr numbers are cleared from the memory and from the display 114 . the units of the ddr are maintained . the drug administration rate calculator 110 then waits for a keystroke , which causes the microcomputer 130 to jump to the compute , cc / hr , drop / min , clear , number , pump setting , wrong units or any other function sequences shown in the lower half of fig6 b . if the next keystroke is the compute command , the pump setting number from the memory is displayed and the microcomputer 130 goes to a compute routine described subsequently with reference to fig6 k . if the cc / hr key is depressed , the cc / hr segments of the display 114 light up and the ps light stops flashing . the pump set segments of the display 114 are lighted , and then the microcomputer goes to the main sequence of fig6 a and awaits a keystroke , which ordinarily will be a number . if the key for drops / min is depressed , then the corresponding portion of the display 114 is lighted . the pump setting light stops flashing and the pump setting from the memory is displayed . the microcomputer goes to the main sequence of fig . a and awaits a keystroke , which ordinarily will be a number . if the operator wishes to abort the sequence , the clear key is depressed , which causes all numbers and units to clear from the display 114 . the drug administration rate calculator 110 then awaits a keystroke indicating further instructions . if a number key is depressed , the segments of the display 114 corresponding to the number are lighted and the cc / hr and drops / min units are flashed to indicate that the available choices for the units of pump setting . after selection of units for pump setting , the process goes to another branch of the sequence described subsequently . if keys for the wrong units or for the pump setting are depressed , the program goes to point a of the pump setting routine and awaits a keystroke . if the key for any other function not described above was depressed the program goes to the corresponding routine . if the operator selects the drug dose rate from the main sequence of fig6 a , the microprocessor 130 goes to the drug dose rate routine shown in fig6 c . after a key is depressed , the microcomputer compares the d , ps and iv sol numbers to zero . if any of the numbers are not zero , then the microcomputer 130 clears the ps numbers and flashes the ps light . the drug administration rate calculator 110 then awaits a keystroke , which will cause the microcomputer 130 to jump to either the clear , compute , numbers , micrograms , milligrams , units or any other function sequences shown in the lower half of fig6 c . depression of the clear key causes the microcomputer 130 to return to the main sequence of fig6 a to await another keystroke . depression of the compute key causes the number for the drug dose rate from memory to be displayed and the ddr light to stop flashing and causes the microcomputer 130 to go to the compute routine . depression of any other function key causes the microcomputer 130 to go to the routine for the selected function . depression of a number key causes the segments of the display 114 corresponding to the number to light up . the drug administration rate calculator 110 then awaits another keystroke . if another number key is depressed , the number is displayed and the drug administration rate calculator 110 again awaits another keystroke . after the numbers are entered , the milligram , microgram and units lights are flashed to indicate the possible units for the drug dose rate . the selected unit is displayed , and then the microcomputer 130 goes to part c of the drug dose rate routine shown in the lower right corner of fig6 c the lights for kilograms , hours , square meters and minutes are flashed so that the user can enter data related to the weight or body surface area of the patient and the selected time units . if the wrong units or the ddr keys are depressed , the microcomputer 130 goes to point b of the ddr routine and awaits a keystroke . referring to fig6 d , if the kg key are depressed as one of the units of the drug dose rate , then kg is displayed and the program continues to the sequence e of fig6 d . the display segments of hr and min flash , and the drug administration rate calculator 110 awaits a keystroke to select the time unit before jumping to the compute , clear , wrong units , ddr , other function , hr or min sequences shown in the lower portion of fig6 d . if the m 2 key is depressed , m 2 is displayed and sequence e is repeated . if the hr key is depressed , kg and m 2 are turned off and hr is displayed . the drug dose rate from the memory is displayed and the microcomputer returns to the main sequence . if the min key is depressed , kg and m 2 are turned off and min is displayed . the drug dose rate from the memory is displayed and the microcomputer returns to the main sequence . depression of the drug key in the main sequence causes the microcomputer 130 to enter the drug routine shown in fig6 e . after a key is depressed , the microcomputer compares the d , ps and iv sol numbers to zero . if any of the numbers are not zero , then the microcomputer 130 clears the ps numbers and flashes the ps light . the drug administration rate calculator 110 then awaits a keystroke to select one of the computer , number , milligrams , micrograms , units or any other function sequences shown in the lower portion of fig6 e . the compute and any other function sequences for the drug routine are the same as for the routines described previously . depression of the number keys for the drug amount causes the gram , microgram , milligram and units keys to flash , and causes the microcomputer 130 to jump to one of the sequences for displaying the selected unit for the drug amount . if any of the keys for selecting units for the drug amount are depressed , the selected unit is displayed before the microcomputer 130 returns to the main sequence of fig6 a . selection of the iv routine from the main sequence causes the microcomputer 130 to execute the sequence shown in fig6 f . after a key is depressed , the microcomputer compares the d , ddr and iv sol numbers to zero . if all these numbers are nonzero , the ddr numbers are cleared from the memory and from the display 114 . the light iv sol is flashed and the &# 34 ; cc &# 34 ; units are displayed . if some of the numbers are not zero , the microcomputer 130 clears the pump setting number before the light iv sol is flashed and the &# 34 ; cc &# 34 ; units are displayed . the 110 then awaits a keystroke to select one of the clear , compute , any other function , number , wrong units , cc or iv sol sequences shown in the lower portion of fig6 f for execution . the clear , compute and any other function sequences have been previously described . depression of the number keys to enter a number for the amount of iv solution causes the number to be displayed and the &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; to flash . the microcomputer 130 then is prepared to jump to the cc sequence . depression of the cc key causes the cc segment of the display to light and causes the iv sol light to stop flashing . the amount of iv solution is displayed and stored before the microcomputer returns to the main sequence . depression of the iv sol key or a key for an incorrect unit causes the microcomputer to go to point h of the iv routine and await a keystroke . if it is necessary to calculate the patient &# 39 ; s body surface area ( bsa ), then the bsa key is depressed to start the body surface area routine of fig6 g . the bsa light is flashed , and the display 114 is cleared of numbers . the segment m 2 for the units of body surface is displayed , and the 110 awaits a keystroke to select one of the branches for compute , clear , bsa , wrong units , number , m 2 or any other function . if a number key is depressed , the number is displayed , and the units m 2 are flashed before the program jumps to the m 2 branch . the microcomputer checks to see if the display 114 reads zero . if the display 114 does not read zero , it is cleared before the sequence continues . after ascertaining that the display 114 reads zero , the 110 causes the display to light the segments for m 2 and stops flashing the bsa light . the microcomputer then clears the patient &# 39 ; s height and weight data and returns to the main sequence . if it is necessary to enter the patient &# 39 ; s weight , the user depresses the wt key , which causes the microcomputer the execute the sequence shown in fig6 h . the wt light is flashed , and the numbers are cleared from the display 114 . the units lb and kg are displayed , and the 110 awaits a keystroke indicating which of the compute , clear , weight , number , lb , kg wrong units or any other function branches of fig6 h are to be executed . depression of the compute , clear or any other function keys causes the execution of steps similar to those described above . depression of a number key causes the number to be displayed . after the numbers are entered into the 110 , the lights for pounds and kilograms are flashed ; and the microcomputer 130 jumps to either the pounds or kilograms sequence of fig6 h . the pounds sequence displays lbs and stops flashing the wt light . the microcomputer 130 compares the body weight area in the memory to zero . if the bsa data is zero and the light is not zero , then the microcomputer 130 computes the bsa as a function of weight and height by a predetermined algorithm . the calculated bsa is displayed , and the microcomputer 130 returns to the main sequence . if the bsa is not zero , the microcomputer 130 clears the previous value and then proceeds to calculate the bsa as described above . if the height is zero , then the microcomputer 130 goes to the main sequence so that the height routine may be executed if the operator desires . depression of the weight key or wrong units causes the microcomputer to go to point j of the weight routine to await a keystroke . if is necessary to enter the patient &# 39 ; s height into the 110 , the ht key is depressed , which causes the ht light to flash . the units centimeter and inches are displayed , and the 110 awaits a keystroke to indicate which branch of the compute , clear , number , in , cm , wrong units , height or any other function sequences to execute . the clear , compute and any other function sequences are similar to those described above . depressing the height key or the wrong units will cause the microcomputer to go to point k of the height routine to await another keystroke . depressing the number key causes the number to be displayed . after all of the numbers for the height are entered into the 110 , the units in and cm flash ; and the microcomputer jumps to one of the sequences selected by depressing the in or cm keys . if the in key is depressed , the display 114 114 stops flashing and the number and units are displayed . the microcomputer checks to see if the bsa is zero . if the bsa is zero , the microcomputer continues to execute steps to calculate the bsa . if the bsa is not zero , then the previous value is cleared so that a new value can be computed . the microcomputer 130 then checks the weight data . if the weight is zero , then the microcomputer goes to the main sequence so that the weight may be entered into the 110 if the operator so desires . if the weight is not zero , then the microcomputer computes the bsa and displays the calculated value in square meters before returning to the main sequence . selection of the drops routine from the main sequence causes the microcomputer to execute the sequence shown in fig6 j . the numbers are cleared from the display 114 , and the d / cc light is flashed . the system then awaits a keystroke for instructions regarding which of the compute , clear , number , d / cc , drops , wrong units or any other function branches to execute . the compute , any other function and clear branches function similarly to those previously described . depression of the keys for drops or incorrect units causes the microcomputer to go to point l of the drops routine . depression of a number key causes the number to be displayed . after all of the numbers for the drops have been entered , the microcomputer jumps to the d / cc sequence to calculate the amount of drug per cubic centimeter of iv solution . the first step of the d / cc sequence is to check for numbers . the d / cc segment of the display 114 is lighted , and the drops light stop flashing . the amount of drug per cubic centimeter is stored and displayed before the microcomputer 130 returns to the main sequence . depression of the compute key causes the 110 to execute the sequence of steps shown in fig6 k . the flow chart includes several flags to related to the units or status of the variables and functions . these flags are summarized in table ii to facilitate understanding of the compute routine . table ii______________________________________flow chart flagsdpm = status of pump setting = 0 , undefined = 1 , drops / min = 2 , cc / hrdcc = drops / cc status of drops / cc function = 0 , undefined ( implied cc / hr )= 1 , drops / cc specifiedddu = drug dose rate units = 0 , undefined = 1 , units = 2 , μg = 3 , mgdu = drug unit status = 0 , undefined = 1 , units = 2 , μg = 3 , mg = 4 , gramsh = height function status = 0 , not specified = 1 , inches = 2 , cmb = bsa status = 0 , not specified = 1 , input = 2 ., computedw = weight status = 0 , not specified = 1 , pounds = 2 , grams = 3 , kgddk = m . sup . 2 or kg or blank for ddr = 0 , undefined = 1 , kg = 2 , m . sup . 2 = 3 , blankddt = drug dose rate time = 0 , undefined = 1 , hr = 2 , min______________________________________ the microcomputer 130 first checks the status of the pump setting and the drops setting . if the pump setting is not in drops per minute and the drops / cc are not specified , then the display 114 flashes &# 34 ; id &# 34 ;, displays &# 34 ; ps &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; d &# 34 ; and waits for a keystroke . if the keystroke clears the pump setting or the drug setting , then the flashing ceases . if the keystroke does not clear the pump setting or the drug then the 110 awaits another keystroke that will clear either the pump setting or the drug amount . after the &# 34 ; id &# 34 ; flashing ceases , the microcomputer executes a branch of the program described subsequently . if the pump setting is in drops per minute and the drops / cc are specified , then the sequence continues , and the microcomputer determines whether the kilograms of body weight are to be considered in subsequent calculations of the drug dose rate . if the kilograms of body weight are to be considered , then the microcomputer 130 tests to determine whether data for the patient &# 39 ; s weight has been entered into the 110 . if the weight has not been entered , then &# 34 ; id &# 34 ; is flashed and the 110 awaits a keystroke to clear the w and ddr settings . if the weight has been specified , the 110 checks the status of the bsa . if the bsa has not been specified , then &# 34 ; id &# 34 ; flashes , and ddr and bsa are displayed . the system then awaits a keystroke to clear the ddr , bsa , ht and wt . if the bsa has been input or computed , the microcomputer 130 determines the status of the d / cc . if d / cc = 0 then the microcomputer checks the status of the drug units and the weight and height of the patient . the microcomputer 130 then determines which of the four primary variables is zero while the other three are not zero and calculates the previously unknown variable . the subroutines for calculating the pump setting , the drug dose rate , the drug amount and the amount of iv solution are shown in fig6 l . these are standard types of computational subroutines using formulas and constants stored in the memory for calculating the unknown variable . although the invention has been described with reference to a specific preferred embodiment , it should be understood that modifications may be made to the preferred embodiment without departing from the spirit of the invention . accordingly , the invention encompasses the subject matter of the appended claims , which distinctly point out the invention , and equivalents thereof .
| 6 |
the following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventor of carrying out her invention . various modifications , however , will remain readily apparent to those skilled in the art , since the general principles of the present invention have been defined herein specifically to provide a water - like drink containing significant amounts of soluble fiber . the current trend in foods is to add fiber and soluble fiber to a variety of food products . there are , however , potential drawbacks to this trend . to be fully effective soluble fiber must be combined with an adequate intake of water — certainly not available in dry goods and baked goods . this is true for both soluble and insoluble fiber . although the “ shake - like ” and other soluble fiber beverages or mixes to which water must be added do contribute water , they , like most dry goods , also contribute a significant source of calories to the diet — a major problem with today &# 39 ; s diets and something clearly not needed by our generally overfed population . while it is possible to limit the caloric content of the fiber - containing beverages through the use of non - nutritive sweeteners , this amounts to adding chemicals that may create or exacerbate health problems . therefore , the present inventor has developed a superior solution based on the unique synergistic interaction between water and soluble fiber . in experimenting with various types of soluble fiber , the inventor noticed that a number of the more refined materials , such as lower molecular weight grades of inulin ( for example see u . s . pat . no . 5 , 968 , 365 ), specialized dextrins , maltodextrins and partially hydrolyzed guar gums can actually produce a clear , or virtually clear , and virtually colorless solution in water . further , these soluble fibers are essentially tasteless at the preferred concentrations for consumption and essentially non - metabolized by the human digestive tract . . . sup . 1 thus is produced an entire new class of beverage — namely , “ fiber - water .” dissolving appropriate water - soluble fiber to a concentration of generally 0 . 1 - 10 % ( by weight ) produces fiber - water . the resulting product , fiber - water , is essentially water - like . any of the soluble fiber materials listed above can be used individually or combined so long as the resulting . sup . 1 many of these materials contain a small component of metabolizable carbohydrate . for example , inulins often contain about 1 . 6 food calories per gram . this is a tiny fraction of the calories provided by a fully metabolizable carbohydrate . in many cases the exact amount of carbohydrate absorbed varies from person to person depending on age , weight , health condition , etc . the exact number of calories absorbed can be discovered only by careful metabolic analysis . however , the maximum number of absorbed calories will not exceed the maximum given for a specific fiber type ( e . g ., 1 . 6 food calories per gram for a specific inulin ). product has the desired “ water - like ” characteristics — namely little or no taste , water - like viscosity , and few or no calories . some of the carbohydrate polymers may contain small amounts of material that is absorbed and does contribute calories to human metabolism . however , the number of calories is small compared to the significant dietary fiber contributed and can be minimized by careful selection and blending of different soluble fiber materials . fiber - water is the perfect addition to the modern human diet as well as that of appropriate animals . it adds few , if any , calories and is readily substituted for bottled water as a safe source of hydration with necessary soluble fiber . in the intestines water is withdrawn from the intestinal contents , and as the effective concentration of soluble fiber increases the viscosity increasing and sequestering properties of the soluble fiber result in slowed absorption of sugars and altered absorption of fats . this is of major significance in diabetes , heart disease and certain other health conditions . ultimately in the colon the hydrophilic properties of the soluble fiber have a softening and bulking effect on the stool . thus , fiber - water is a unique , consistent , safe , easy to use single product that simultaneously ameliorates the problems of dehydration and constipation . further , there are indications that the viscosity enhancing and carbohydrate absorption — slowing properties of the soluble fiber result in appetite suppression both by creating a feeling of fullness and by moderating swings in blood sugar . the literature is filled with positive effects of fiber on weight control both in humans and domestic animals . thus , the material is not only non - caloric or very low caloric but has additional positive effects on weight control . although the inventor contemplates fiber - water as a direct way to add water and fiber to the diet , it is also a feature of the invention that it can also be used to add fiber to other foods . for example , any packaged food or beverage can be reconstituted with fiber - water to yield a fiber - enhanced food or beverage . because fiber - water is based on safe water , it results in a safe food and / or beverage product even if the product is not heated to destroy microbes . soluble fiber polysaccharides are generally known to be stable during the cooking process . this means that if fiber - water is used to cook foods , such as grains ( rice ), oatmeal , and legumes , that imbibe water during the cooling process , these foods will also become fiber enhanced . fiber can readily be added to all types of packaged foods including gelatin products and canned concentrated foods such as soups . further , since fiber - water is heat stable it can be used to prepare fiber enriched hot beverages . in addition , it can be frozen to provide “ fiber ice cubes / products .” an important aspect of fiber - water is that it preferably has a “ water - like ” appearance . by this the inventor means that the solution is essentially clear . people tend to relate clear solutions to purity . some soluble fiber materials yield a cloudy or murky solution . it is preferred that fiber - water utilize materials that yield essentially clear solutions . as already mentioned , several available non - digestible carbohydrates produce “ water clear ” solutions . generally partial hydrolysis or fractionation of the soluble fiber materials , already discussed ( e . g . partially hydrolyzed guar gum ), will lead to clearer solutions . to date many manufacturers of soluble fibers have been concerned with using their products in solid foods where texture of the ingredient is most important . therefore , there has been little effort in producing materials that make clear solutions . besides , universal use as a hydrating and fiber providing material fiber - water is especially useful in situations of stress . it is believed that stress , both physiologically and psychologically , wrecks havoc on the body and alters or effects bowel regularity . when under stress humans and animals are known to reduce their consumption of water . when the body is stressed by disease it actually requires additional water yet this is exactly when many individuals reduce their water / fluid intake . further , stress may influence people to prefer sugar laden beverages , comfort type foods , or caffeinated beverages for alertness . these types of beverages actually increase ones water requirement and may actually lead to dehydration . thus it is beneficial to provide fiber - water , as opposed to plain water , as part of emergency supplies which are kept on hand and are used in “ natural disaster ” situations — fire , flood , storm , earthquake , or hurricane . during such an disasters people are stressed , and often forced to move from their homes . emergency situations often dictate shortages of food ( including beverages / water ) and / or the predictability as to when they may be available . this , combined with the general shortage of fresh fruits and vegetables , a key source of dietary fiber , during such an emergency naturally leads to loss of regularity . emergency food drops rarely contain fresh fruits and vegetables . having to deal with the emergency is bad enough . adding severe constipation and / or dehydration simply makes a bad situation worse . assuring ample supplies of fiber - water is intended to alleviate many of these problems . natural catastrophes and emergencies are certainly a source of stress as are medical problems . numerous and varied medical conditions , both short tern and long term , may require feeding an individual through a tube . the two types of tubes used most commonly are the naso - gastric tube and the gastrostomy tube . in either case nutriments are supplied directly into the stomach . great efforts have been made by major corporations to provide good nutritional products for tube feeding . depending on the design of the particular tube , viscosity of the feeding liquid may be a problem . the present inventor is a named inventor on u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 315 , 513 and 4 , 393 , 873 for a percutaneous tube containing a one way valve - and is an expert on the potential problems of tube feeding . depending on the specific medical condition and / or severity of the problem , dehydration and constipation may remain constant problems . sufficient hydration and more specifically the ingestion of sufficient water are most often a problem . nasal tubes often irritate the throat . even though there have been continuing efforts to create tube feeding formulae , commercial products are often low in fiber . also , liquid foods capable of passing through a tube are frequently high in calories and low in fiber . some patients may have a high requirement for calories but others do not . therefore , one may administer excess calories in an attempt to provide adequate fiber . the solution is to supplement the feeding regime with fiber - water rather than plain water . fiber - water as described herein is very low in viscosity so that it is simple to administer . for hospital use the inventor contemplates providing fiber - water in a number of different grades — that is with different strengths / quantities of fiber . in this way a grade can be selected that will provide the optimum amount of both fiber and water adjusted to meet the patient &# 39 ; s needs . it is further contemplated that the grades could each be uniquely colored with a safe soluble food - grade color so that hospital personnel , or other caregiver , could readily recognize which grade of fiber - water was being administered . this would further ensure that the correct grade was used for a particular patient . additionally , color might be pleasing to the patient , especially a child patient , and thus may serve to distract the child from an unpleasant situation . further , these tubes are not always permanent , and if the fiber - water experience is pleasant and convenient perhaps new drinking habits will be instilled and carried forward . although the above discussion presupposes that the primary user of fiber - water would be an adult , children and infants , as well , have significant fiber requirements . children , as well as adults , are victims of the american diet , which is notoriously deficient in fiber rich fruits and vegetables . consciously or not , many parents have taught their children to reject foods that are brown , speckled or have significant textures . it is important that parents , as care givers , become aware of the amount of fiber consumed by their children . children can benefit from optimal hydration based on fiber - water . by helping control appetite it may help control childhood obesity . it may even be of aid with eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia since victims of these disorders are known to drink water because it lacks calories . fiber - water would at least help preserve proper functioning of the gastrointestinal tract while other treatment is undertaken . at every stage of life fiber is vital to proper health and growth and development . infants and toddlers require a regular and controlled source of fiber . after babies cease to breast - feed or use liquid formulas and move on to more varied “ adult ” solid foods , they often suffer a number of painful digestive episodes which makes them fussy and difficult . fiber - water provides an ideal source of hydration for such infants because it ensures adequate hydration , and it also provides a consistent fiber source guaranteeing regularity . it should be kept in mind that typical commercial baby foods may vary widely in the amount of fiber provided . fiber - water provides an opportunity to lay the foundation of good habits of hydration and fiber intake . domestic animals , particularly cats and dogs , also suffer from problems with hydration and constipation . dogs are omnivorous and will naturally consume some fruits and vegetables . however , refined dog foods tend to be remarkably deficient in vegetable fiber . administering a source of fiber - water daily since dogs generally drink offered water can readily alleviate this problem . an alternative is to add the fiber water to dry kibble ( of the “ gravy ” forming type ) or even stir it into canned dog food . because fiber - water is essentially flavorless , it is well tolerated by dogs . cats also have serious dehydration and constipation problems . cats are obligate carnivores and generally will not knowingly consume fruits or vegetables . kidney failure is a common malady of geriatric cats resulting , in part , from inadequate hydration . constant vomiting is a common feline problem brought on by their grooming during which they ingest significant quantities of fur . in the wild cats ingest sufficient indigestible matter ( bones , cartilage and tendons ) to provide non - vegetable “ fiber .” with pet cats the owners are expected to mix fiber ( generally psyllium ) with the cat &# 39 ; s food or administer petroleum - based laxatives . neither alternative is particularly ideal . fiber - water can be given as water or mixed with the cat &# 39 ; s food to provide sufficient fiber to prevent both hairballs and constipation thus solving significant feline problems . it appears that reduction in vomiting positively contributes to the hydration of cats . it has been estimated that adult fiber requirements are between about 10 grams and about 40 grams per day . some experts have adopted a figure of around 25 grams . obviously , the requirement for fiber is related to body size , weight and health status . some attempts have been made to relate the requirement to weight . it has been estimated that between 50 and 300 mg . of fiber per kilogram of body weight per day . fiber requirements can also be estimated from daily caloric intake . current estimates call for about 25 grams per day for a 2 , 000 calorie diet ( adequate for a 125 pound person ) and about 37 grams for a 3 , 000 calorie diet ( adequate for a 175 pound person ). both approaches yield roughly similar results since a heavier person usually has a greater caloric intake . these estimates should provide adequate fiber for even a person with a very fiber deficient diet . taking a 25 g of fiber per day requirement and using the rubric of 8 glasses of water ( each glass equals approximately 250 ml of water ) one should spread the 25 g over 2 , 000 ml ( 8 . times . 250 ml ). therefore , the fiber - water used should contain 12 . 5 mg / ml of soluble fiber or approximately 1 . 25 % by weight fiber - water . for a daily caloric intake of 3 , 000 calories this translates to a fiber - water of about 2 % by weight soluble fiber . this analysis indicates that at least two different “ strengths ” of fiber - water should be produced to allow a range of average persons receive both the optimum amount of water and fiber . in actuality , it is convenient to produce a number of grades ranging from about 0 . 50 % to 2 . 5 %. this would allow a wide range of individuals to readily select a fiber - water that simultaneously supplies both the required amount of water and the required amount of fiber . depending on an individuals needs combined with the desire to drink , or not to drink , the amount of fiber can be increased by using an appropriate “ strength / grade ” of fiber - water to supply some or all of the required eight glasses of water . of course , it is also possible that an individual does not intend to spread out the fiber requirement over eight 8 oz . glasses . it may be desirable to consume the fiber at home , in the morning and evening only and not away from home . for this and similar reasons , it is desirable to make several more concentrated grades of fiber - water ranging from 5 % to even 10 % by weight fiber . this will reduce the number of daily doses needed . thus , if one does not have fiber - water available all day , hydration can be assured by drinking plain water supplemented with a higher “ strength / grade ” of fiber - water to fulfill daily fiber requirements . if necessary , the amount of fiber consumed can be a lower “ strength / grade ” of fiber - water to meat the daily required eight glasses of water . colors can be used to indicate different “ strength / grades ” of fiber in the water . it may also be advantageous to add a different food color to each grade so that the “ strength ” of the fiber - water can be identified at a glance . fiber - water for testing , according to the above scheme , was produced by dissolving the required weights of a mixture of indigestible dextrins and partially hydrolyzed guar gum in purified water . the preferred dextrins or maltodextrins are prepared by controlled hydrolysis of vegetable starches ( e . g . potato or corn ) as is described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 620 , 873 . the hydrolyzed guar gum is of the type discussed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 260 , 279 ( available in the united states as benefiber ® from novartis nutrition of minneapolis , minn . ; available in other countries as sun - fiber ® from taiyo of japan ). the resulting solution , ( fiber - water ) in the strengths explained above , is essentially colorless and clear having the basic appearance of plain water . the liquid is either flavorless or may have a very slight “ sweetness ” depending on the strength of the particular solution and the proportion of the soluble fibers used . the partially hydrolyzed guar gum is essentially flavorless while the maltodextrin has a slight sweet taste . in addition , some individuals can detect a slightly different “ mouth feel ” because of the slight viscosity increase resulting from the soluble fibers . however , for all practical purposes the resulting solution looks and behaves like bottled water and can readily be used in place of bottled water . if it is desired to ensure the microbial status of the fiber - water , it can be autoclaved or sterile filtered like plain water . starting with a good quality drinking water preferably one with little or no sodium can ensure palatability . addition of trace of “ essence ” or flavor such as lime or lemon can enhance palatability without adding any calories or otherwise detracting from the beneficial properties of the product . the product should look , behave and be used like high quality drinking water . to this end any “ naturally occurring ” water can be used as a starting . thus , it is possible to start with a mineral water and produce “ fiber mineral water .” such mineral waters may have up to 500 mg / l of dissolved salts . infants also have distinct fiber requirements . until recently , no specific guidelines for dietary fiber in children were available . recommendations have recently been developed , based on age , weight , and height of the child . it is now recommended that children older than two years consume a minimum amount of fiber equal to the age plus five grams a day . the recommended “ safe dose ” is between this and age plus ten grams a day . above that symptoms of excess fiber ( e . g ., loose stool ) may become apparent . it is the intent of the various grades of fiber - water provided in the present invention to enable a person or a caregiver to “ titrate ” the amount of fiber by looking for symptoms of excess fiber consumption . since infants and small children are generally unable to directly tell us of their digestive distress , constipation and other results of inadequate fiber are often exhibited as fussiness or similar undesirable behavior . this is especially true when infants are just being weaned from fiber - free milk to a fiber containing diet . there can be significant advantage to providing a fiber source in the water consumed by the infant . because infants have a constant requirement for water the addition of fiber - water to the typical diet can provide a more constant , even source of fiber while ensuring adequate hydration . further , the use of fiber - water can ensure adequate fiber without adding significant calories — an inevitable consequence of other fiber sources . consistent dietary fiber can provide for more even operation of the infant &# 39 ; s digestive process . in contrast , a more traditional infant diet is one that alternates between low fiber formula and high fiber “ adult ” foods may have an uneven or cramping effect . a useful amount of soluble fiber is ¼ - 1 gram per 8 oz ( a considerably lower concentration than for the adult fiber - water ). the “ baby fiber - water ” is produced by dissolving the required amount of soluble fiber consisting of a mixture of partially hydrolyzed guar gum and inulin ( frutafit ® from imperial - sensus of sugar land , tex . is a preferred inulin for this purpose ) in safe ( e . g ., purified ) water . the slight sweetness of the inulin makes the water especially palatable . the intent here is not to treat specific diseases but to ameliorate constipation — and only disease states known to cause constipation . for example , hirshprung &# 39 ; s syndrome is caused by a loss of motor cells in the lower rectum ; therefore there is a loss of thrust . children born with congenital problems , or children still suffering from incompletely healed accidents , benefit from fiber - water as it provides bulk and hydration to help overcome serious constipation that may result from such causes . actually babies are extremely sensitive to a variety of stresses and changes and get constipated as a result . alternating bouts of regularity and or constipation is not uncommon . a baby &# 39 ; s system may be under stress , and that alone can be the cause . infants can sense stress in their surroundings be it the home , etc . : 1 ) dysfunctional : homes where there is divorce , alcoholism , family abuse etc ., may be noted in the babies refusal to eat , defecate , crying spells etc . 2 ) changes in custodial care : baby sitters , new sibling , and or step parent etc . 3 ) changes due to normal childhood illnesses : colds , flu , teething , fever , measles , mumps , chicken pox , etc . while these illnesses may not be the direct cause of constipation they may be the indirect cause . with illness come changes in eating , sleeping , behaviors , and habits . 4 ) travel : when a babies environment is changed , from going to grandparents to international travel , sensitivities to the new can throw off a system that is used to regularity . international travel bears with it the dehydration of long hours on an airplane etc . the future holds even more stressing travel such as space travel . 5 ) accidents : also upset regular habits and can result in constipation . water probably can be given to the baby as early as one month , although it &# 39 ; s not usually started between 2 - 4 months after birth . in some instances fiber - water may be of especially significant value . fiber - water can serve as a great pacifier without the dangers of dental harm posed by traditional formula or beverages . diarrhea , which is often caused by contaminated water supplies , can be life threatening to infants . therefore , there are great advantages to using safe bottled water for any infant formula , etc . using safe packaged fiber - water is even better where it is desired to avoid excessive caloric intake . in the case of the “ fat baby ”, the fiber - water may well do more than provide a low or non caloric , hydrating agent . the soluble fiber in fiber - water has been shown to slow the absorption of fats and sugars . therefore , the fiber - water may also help to counteract an overly rich diet . as the infant becomes a toddler and moves towards more a more adult diet , the requirement for fiber increases . fiber - water again serves as the ideal source of both hydration and fiber . unlike soft drinks or fruit juices fiber - water does not add calories to the diet nor does it cause dental caries . it is most convenient to package toddler / young child fiber - water in flexible pouches or laminate boxes because these containers are shatter proof and can be easily used by small children . as with adult fiber - water , it is advantageous to provide the infant and child fiber - water in a number of “ grades ” so that the amount of fiber administered can be readily adjusted . again , it is advantageous to add identifying color so that it is apparent to the parent precisely which grade of fiber - water is being used . in the case of children the color is inherently appealing and may mitigate in favor of using transparent packaging so that the child can appreciate the color of the fiber - water being consumed . it is permissible and often advantageous to blend an assortment of different soluble fibers to create any particular fiber - water . it is believed that the various soluble fibers have essentially identical properties when it comes to providing bulk and hydration to the stools . however , it is not yet clear which soluble fibers will prove superior in altering lipid or sugar absorption . of the soluble fibers presently available the indigestible dextrins , inulins and partially hydrolyzed guar gum appear to provide the most “ water clear ” solutions . however , many dextrins and inulins contain a small amount of a metabolizable component and have a slight sweet taste . therefore , there can be an advantage of providing a portion of the soluble fiber in the form hydrolyzed guar gum or some other flavorless and totally non - metabolizable compound . even though some of these materials may produce a less clear solution , a combination with a “ clear ” soluble fiber can yield a solution that is both high in fiber and clarity and low in sweetness or other taste . other soluble fibers can be combined to realize the advantages of the different fibers . inulins have a slightly sweet taste and while not appreciably metabolized by humans , bacteria in the colon metabolize inulins . in some cases such colonic metabolism may provide a distinct advantage and would mitigate towards including inulins in the mixture . until the advent of fiber - water the advantage of a clear or nearly clear soluble fiber was not appreciated . as mentioned above , it is anticipated that partial hydrolysis and fractional refining of the various soluble fibers mentioned above will rapidly lead to a greater variety of “ water clear ” soluble fibers . the present invention discloses the hitherto unappreciated advantages of using fiber - water as an essentially non - caloric source of fiber and water . in other words , a new dietary component that simultaneously provides hydration and dietary fiber . while the examples have dealt with prepackaged fiber - water , there is nothing that precludes fiber - water from being prepared by the end user from a concentrated source of soluble fiber and potable water . the soluble fiber can be in the form of a powder or a slurry / suspension or a concentrated solution or syrup to which a predetermined quantity of water is added . in the past such fiber sources have been added to solid food items and to various beverages . however , such concentrated sources of fiber have never been used to prepare potable fiber - water for direct consumption as a water comprising of safe water and soluble dietary fiber . in addition to the equivalents of the claimed elements , obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements . the claims are thus to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above , what is conceptually equivalent , what can be obviously substituted and also what essentially incorporates the essential idea of the invention . those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the just - described preferred embodiment can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . the illustrated embodiment has been set forth only for the purposes of example and that should not be taken as limiting the invention . therefore , it is to be understood that , within the scope of the appended claims , the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein .
| 0 |
before proceeding with the detailed description , it should be noted that the present teaching is by way of example , not by limitation . the concepts herein are not limited to use or application with one specific type of space situational awareness system . thus , although the instrumentalities described herein are for the convenience of explanation , shown and described with respect to exemplary embodiments , the principles herein may be equally applied in other types of space situational awareness systems . fig1 shows an operational environment for the bistatic and multistatic system 101 of the present disclosure . a gateway antenna 100 , positioned on earth 102 , transmits an uplink radio frequency ( rf ) signal 104 to a satellite 106 orbiting earth 102 . the satellite 106 may be orbiting in any one of several orbits to include leo , meo and geo . further , satellite 106 may be a microsatellite , as that term is commonly used in the space satellite industry . while fig1 depicts one operational environment , it can be appreciated that other environments may be contemplated without exceeding the scope of this application . for example , an alternative source of rf signal 104 may be a second space - borne platform . likewise , satellite 106 may be any of a number of space - borne platforms , to include manned platforms . gateway antenna 100 may be any of a type of antenna well known in the art . typically , the frequency of signal 104 is in the c , x , ku or ka band , however , other frequency bands may be used as well . as shown in fig1 , signal 104 forms a conical beam 108 as it propagates toward satellite 106 . the base radius of beam 108 , and the direction of the beam 108 , can be changed automatically by controlling the parabolic antenna that is part of gateway antenna 100 . satellite 106 is positioned within the cone of beam 108 , which is to say satellite 106 is surrounded on all or most sides by rf energy transmitted from gateway antenna 100 . in this way , conical beam 108 is an electromagnetic fence surrounding satellite 106 . as satellite 106 continues to orbit earth 102 , an unknown object or target 110 may enter the path of satellite 106 , or the target 110 may intentionally approach satellite 106 from any angle or orientation . at some point , as target 110 approaches satellite 106 , target 110 may contact conical beam or electromagnetic fence 108 , thereby scattering some of the rf energy of the fence 108 . the degree to which rf energy is scattered is dependent , in part , on the characteristics of target 110 , to include angular rotation , size , and speed . further , the bandwidth of the spectral signal generated when target 110 contacts or breaches fence 108 is dependent on target characteristics as well . scattered rf energy 112 is detected by a receiver subsystem ( not shown ) in satellite 106 , setting off a chain of events in response to the approach of target 110 . the detection and characterization of target 110 may be referred to as relative situational awareness with respect to satellite 106 . system 101 , required to detect and identify the target 110 , may include in at least one embodiment a source ( e . g . antenna 100 ) of an uplink rf signal 104 , an electromagnetic fence 108 resulting from a radio frequency uplink signal 104 , and subsystems ( not shown ) on board the satellite 106 to detect , process and utilize scattered rf energy resulting from the breach of fence 108 by target 110 . referring for a moment to fig2 , a diagram of response events , for at least one embodiment , is presented . as shown , an initial warning signal is generated and sent to a satellite 106 system operator or system monitor , notifying the monitor that a signal has been detected , block 200 . contemporaneously , a processor in satellite 106 uses directed rf energy from antenna 100 and scattered rf energy data to calculate a distance to and a position of target 110 , block 202 . also , an inverse synthetic aperture radar ( isar ) image of target 110 is generated ( block 204 ) using angular rotation data derived from the received rf energy 112 . processed data , which may include both positional data as well as image data , is communicated to the system monitor ( block 206 ) for review . of note , the system monitor may be a person , or alternatively , the monitor may be an automated system for receiving and analyzing data , and for initiating certain response functions . once data is transmitted to the system monitor , a series of decision cycles may follow . an initial assessment may be made regarding the status of target 110 , i . e . friend or foe , block 208 . in this context , “ friend ” typically refers to a known system that may or may not be in an expected location . the term “ foe ” may be used to identify any unknown target , to include natural objects , or it may identify known but “ unfriendly ” targets . if target 110 is identified as “ friend ”, a decision is made regarding whether satellite 106 must be moved out of its current orbit into an alternate orbit , block 210 . if necessary , satellite 106 will be repositioned ( block 212 ) in order to avoid physical contact with target 110 . if no movement is required , a notice may be sent to appropriate system monitors and supervisory personnel ( block 214 ), informing each of the approach of target 110 and the actions taken in response . if target 110 is identified as a “ foe ”, in one embodiment satellite 106 is moved to avoid any possibility of physical contact between the satellite 106 and the target 110 , block 216 . an additional response may be required ( block 218 ) from satellite 106 , and if so that response may be concurrent with movement or completed after satellite 106 has been repositioned , block 220 . once a decision is made regarding an additional response , a notification process begins ( block 222 ) to notify concerned parties and system monitors of the ongoing or recently completed actions . in at least one embodiment , a sensor subsystem 300 of system 101 , such as that depicted in fig3 , may be used to transmit and receive rf energy . in fig3 , a transmitter subsystem 302 and a receiver subsystem 304 constitute the sensor subsystem 300 . the transmitter subsystem 302 , which may include a plurality of components such as an amplifier 306 , pulse generator 308 and frequency synthesizer 310 is used to generate an rf signal . a processor 312 controls the pulse generation and other functions . the signal is passed to a modulator 314 prior to transmitting the signal toward a target 316 and a known reference 318 , which may be satellite 106 . similarly , in receiver subsystem 304 , two rf signals ( generally pulsed signals ) reflected from the reference 318 and the target 316 respectively are received by one or more detectors or modulators , e . g . modulators 320 and 322 . one or more processors 324 and 326 control the processing of the received signals by directing the functions of a coherence detector 328 , an oscillator 330 and a timing alignment mechanism 332 . a synchronized , aligned signal is transmitted from a processor 326 as coherent rf data . the processed data is then used to verify detection and to identify a target , e . g . target 316 . considering now a determination of the distance to , and the position of , the target ( block 202 fig2 ), the position of target 110 relative to satellite 106 as depicted in fig1 may be calculated based on the receipt angle of the incoming scattered rf signal 112 , taking into account the angular rotation of both target 110 and satellite 106 . satellite 106 may , in at least one embodiment , employ a single receiver subsystem to formulate bistatic measurements . alternatively , multiple receiver subsystems ( multistatic detection ) may be used to detect and receive scattered rf energy 112 . more important , perhaps , than the orientation or position of target 110 , is the distance to target 110 , the determination of which will now be discussed . referring to fig4 , a spatial relationship between gateway antenna 100 , satellite 106 and target 110 is presented . as shown , antenna 100 has a known gain ( g t ) and a known power ( p t ). gateway antenna 100 is considered the transmitting antenna , hence the identifier (“ t ”). similarly , a receiving antenna on satellite 106 has a known gain ( g r ) as well . target 110 , which is at a distance r 1 from antenna 100 and r 2 from satellite 106 , has a radar cross section or rcs (“ σ ”) which may be calculated based on reflected energy returns as it contacts fence 108 . the distance r 1 may be determined within an acceptable and relatively small margin of error based on the established orbit of satellite 106 ( i . e . a leo , meo or geo orbit ) because target 110 must be in the same orbit in order to encounter satellite 106 . the ultimate variable of interest is “ r 2 ”, which is the distance or range from satellite 106 to target 110 at any given moment in time . the unknown “ r 2 ” may be calculated using the equation the variable “ r 2 ” is analogous to the bistatic link budget , and the bistatic radar equations may therefore be used to calculate a signal - to - noise ratio ( s / n ). in general , s / n is a function of the distances , r 1 and r 2 ( fig3 ). in a bistatic radar system , s / n is minimized when r 1 = r 2 . it can be appreciated , therefore , that s / n increases as target 110 comes closer to either satellite 110 or antenna 100 . by knowing the s / n , the range r 2 may be calculated as given in ( 1 ) above , wherein r 1 = distance from transmitter to target p t = power of the transmitting antenna g t = gain of the transmitting antenna g r = gain of the receiving antenna λ = wavelength of the transmitted signal σ = rcs of the target k = boltzman &# 39 ; s constant t = system temperature b = receiver bandwidth and , s / n = signal - to - noise ratio the processor in satellite 106 may be used to calculate r 2 , or alternatively data may be sent to a ground station processor for use in calculating the desired target - to - satellite range . subsequent range calculations can be used to determine if target 110 is moving closer to or further from satellite 106 . further , in at least one embodiment , relative changes in r 2 can be used to calculate a closing velocity for target 110 . the combination of range and velocity data may also be used to calculate an estimated path of flight for target 110 once target 110 fully breaches fence 108 , and is no longer in contact with fence 108 . for a target in motion , i . e . one that is rotating or moving with respect to pitch , yaw and / or roll , different components or facets of the target may have different velocities relative to a stationary antenna that is illuminating the target . for example , three different velocity vectors v 1 , v 2 and v 3 are shown in fig5 which represent the relative velocities , with respect to antenna 100 , of different facets on target 110 , as the target is illuminated by antenna 100 . of note , illumination in this context includes a contact or breach of fence 108 as antenna 100 projects a rf signal toward satellite 106 . as a function of the rotation depicted in fig5 , slight variations in doppler frequency are produced , and these frequency variations may be detected by a receiver sensor either on the ground or mounted on satellite 106 . stated differently , when a rotating target , e . g . target 110 , is illuminated , there will be a shift in the doppler frequencies of reflected energy between any two adjacent point scatterers . these differential doppler frequencies may be received and processed by a receiver subsystem on satellite 106 , or by another sensor suite , and may be used to characterize the reflectivity of target 110 in the doppler domain . inverse synthetic aperture radar ( isar ) techniques may use the differential doppler information to generate a cross - range or azimuth resolution of target 110 . in particular , a fourier transform or other transformation algorithm may be used to process the doppler data . down - range or line - of - sight radar measurements are simply a measure of the distance between an illuminating antenna , e . g . antenna 100 , and a target 110 , and these measurements may be referred to as conventional radar measurements . inverse synthetic aperture radar ( isar ) techniques combine the azimuth data derived from differential doppler frequencies , and the line - of - sight range data derived from a more traditional radar measurement , to generate a two - dimensional isar image of target 110 . in an embodiment of the system disclosed herein , one or more receiver subsystems positioned on satellite 106 or elsewhere collect reflectivity data as a rotating target 110 contacts and breaches fence 108 . the reflectivity data , indicative of both the doppler domain and the line - of - sight range distance to target 110 , is transmitted to a processor wherein an isar image of target 110 is produced . in this way , satellite 106 may detect ( at a known range ) and identify target 110 as the target contacts the electro - magnetic fence 108 surrounding satellite 106 . changes may be made in the above methods , devices and structures without departing from the scope hereof . it should thus be noted that the matter contained in the above description and / or shown in the accompanying drawings should be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense . the following claims are intended to cover all generic and specific features described herein , as well as all statements of the scope of the present method , device and structure , which , as a matter of language , might be said to fall therebetween .
| 6 |
the present invention provides in some embodiments , a device for strengthening and stretching muscles having a series of loops . the device can be formed from strips of elastic material periodically joined in order to form loops . more particularly , a top portion of elastic material can be laid on top of a bottom portion of elastic material . the top and bottom portions of materials can be joined in a variety of ways . a user of the device can engage different body parts with the loops and use the device to facilitate a dynamic stretch of a muscle or to leverage a user &# 39 ; s own bodyweight for stretching or performing a wide variety of exercises . for example , stretching may be a part of a well - rounded physical activity program , along with cardiovascular exercise and strength training . both muscle fibers and the tissues surrounding those fibers (“ fascia ”) have viscoelastic properties . stretching soft tissues increases the length of the muscle fibers and to some extent the fascia . a single stretching session can improve a person &# 39 ; s short - term range of motion , but these results are short - lived . it has been found that repeated stretching sessions over time provide the best sustained elongation of soft tissue . indeed , the american college for sports medicine (“ acsm ”) suggests 2 to 4 sets of 15 to 30 seconds of stretching is necessary to improve flexibility in a muscle , at least 2 to 3 days per week . generally , there are 2 types of stretching exercises : static stretching and dynamic stretching . static stretching involves the passive lengthening of the muscle , whereas dynamic stretching involves active contraction prior to the muscle being stretched . dynamic stretching includes proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (“ pnf ”) or “ contract - relax ” stretching . pnf stretching can decrease the muscle &# 39 ; s excitability by reducing reflexive activation , thus reducing its resistance to stretch and enhancing its length . additionally , a hybrid pnf - type stretch can be performed by varying the levels of contraction in which the muscle is first contracted and then passively stretched . these techniques are known as post isometric relaxation (“ pir ”) or post facilitation stretch (“ pfs ”). more specifically , pir can be used to reduce trigger point pain , while pfs can be used to alleviate chronic muscle tightness . pir utilizes a very low , 20 % to 25 % maximal contraction at end - range before relaxation , while the pfs utilizes 100 % maximal contraction performed at mid - range followed by a stretch at end - range . suspension exercising is an avenue for fitness training , targeted muscle building and muscle therapy , stretching , and rehabilitation . suspension exercising uses devices and systems that leverage gravity and a user &# 39 ; s own bodyweight for stretching or performing a wide variety of exercises . the leverage and support required to perform suspension exercises at varying degrees of difficulty , for example , is often determined by the angular relationships established between the suspension exercise device , the user , and the exercise device mount . the elasticity of the components used in a suspension exercise device must be controlled so a user can sufficiently establish the leverage and support required when using the device . too much elasticity in an exercise device , for example , will not allow a user to establish the required angular relationships necessary to leverage in any controlled manner their own suspended weight . inelastic exercise devices may create a harsh exercise experience for the user and / or limit the range of use of the device by limiting the assistance that may be provided to a user through elastic forces . the invention will now be described with reference to the drawing figures , in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout . fig1 illustrates a side view of a stretch strap device 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . the stretch strap device 10 includes a base portion 12 and a top portion 14 . the base portion 12 can be formed from a length of material having a first end 16 and a second end 18 , and the top portion 14 can also be formed from a second length of material having a first end 20 and a second end 22 . alternately , the base portion 12 and the top portion 14 can be formed by folding over a continuous length of a material used to form the base portion 12 and the top portion 14 . the stretch strap device 10 can be formed from a material such as polyester , propylene , nylon , or cotton that also incorporates an elastic component such as a natural or synthetic elastomer . in some embodiments , a nylon surrounding a latex cord for elasticity can be used . however , any suitable elastic material can be used to create the base portion 12 and the top portion 14 of the stretch strap device 10 . preferably , the stretch strap device can have an elongation percentage limited to between approximately 40 % and approximately 80 %. again , however , any elongation percentage that can be used to yield a dynamic stretch of a muscle can be used . fig1 also illustrates that the base portion 12 and the top portion 14 can be connected at points along their length , such that a loop 24 is formed between the base portion 12 and the top portion 14 . the loops can be connected in any suitable fashion such as sewing or heat bonding . as illustrated in the example device 10 in fig1 , there are six large loops 24 and two small loops 26 formed periodically along the length of the device 10 . preferably , there are between approximately 5 to approximately 10 loops along the length of a stretch strap device , but any suitable number of loops can be used . additionally , the loops can take any size suitable for facilitating a dynamic stretch . for example , the two small loops 26 illustrated in fig1 , can be used to engage a user &# 39 ; s toe in order to facilitate a dynamic stretch of the foot and leg . alternately , the stretch strap device 10 , need not contain any small loops . the toe loops 26 can be positioned near the middle of the stretch strap device 10 , as shown in fig1 or can be positioned anywhere along the length of the stretch strap device 10 , such that a foot and / or leg dynamic stretch can be facilitated . fig2 illustrates a top down view of the stretch strap device in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . as illustrated in fig2 , the stretch strap device 10 can include markers 28 . the stretch strap device can include markers 28 in the form of numbers labeling the loops 24 and 26 from one end 30 of the stretch strap device 10 to a second end of the stretch strap device 32 . as illustrated in fig2 , the markers 28 are positioned between the loops 24 , 26 of the stretch strap device 10 . while fig2 illustrates the markers 28 taking the form of numbers , this is only one example of a way to mark the different regions of the stretch strap device 10 . the markers can also take the form of colors , letters , symbols , patterns , or any other appropriate marking . additionally , while the markers 28 are shown between the loops 24 and 26 , in fig2 , the markers can be positioned in any place on the stretch strap device that facilitates the users dynamic stretch . fig3 illustrates a schematic diagram of a box stitch connection in accordance with an embodiment of this invention . as illustrated in fig3 , the base portion ( not shown ) and the top portion 14 , of the stretch strap device 10 , can be joined by sewing the two pieces of material together . in the example illustrated in fig3 , the base portion and the top portion 14 are connected using a simple box stitch connection . the connecting stitch is formed by stitching a box - shape 34 and stitching an x - shape 36 within the boundaries of the box - shape 34 . this stitch provides durability such that the stretch strap device 10 , can be used to facilitate a dynamic stretch . fig4 illustrates a method of performing a dynamic stretch using a stretch strap in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . the method can include step 100 which provides an elastic stretching device having elastic loops extending along a length of the device . the elastic stretching device can take the form of the example device described with respect to fig1 - 3 or can take the form of any stretch strap device that can be used for a dynamic stretch . step 110 can include engaging a portion of the body with one of the elastic loops of the elastic stretching device and step 120 can include contracting muscles in the engaged portion of the body . during the stretch the user can execute step 130 of holding a portion of the elastic stretching device . the method can also include step 140 of moving the engaged portion of the body in a direction to provide a stretch to a muscle . additionally , the method can include step 150 of using the elastic stretching device to resist the stretch of the muscle in the engaged portion of the body . fig5 illustrates a side view of a suspension exercise device 200 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . the exercise device 200 may include a first elastic strap portion 202 coupled to a second elastic strap portion 204 to form a strap assembly 205 wherein the first elastic strap portion 202 and the second elastic strap portion 204 extend substantially symmetrically from an anchoring device 206 . the anchoring device 206 may be any suitable means for anchoring the exercise device 200 to a suitable support . for example , as shown in fig5 , the anchoring device 206 may include a support strap 208 , which may be formed from a nylon webbing material or other suitable material and coupled to a door anchor 210 toward a distal end . the support strap 208 may be a continuous loop having a section directly attached to the strap assembly 205 near a central portion 203 . in accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure , the support strap 208 may be configured to allow the coupled strap portions 202 and 204 to be freely supported through the loop in a manner to allow the coupled strap portions 202 and 204 to slide through a proximal portion of the support strap 208 . in accordance with yet other aspects of the present disclosure , the anchoring device 206 may include a carabineer and the support strap 208 coupled to the carabiner at a distal end , for example , for hooking onto a stable support hook in a wall or ceiling . alternatively , the carabineer may be directly connected to one or both of the strap portions 202 and 204 to be configured as the anchoring device 206 . each of the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 may be similarly formed . as such , like reference numerals will be used to describe like components of the each of the strap portions . each elastic strap portion 202 and 204 may include a base portion 220 and a top portion 230 . the base portion 220 can be formed from two lengths , joined in any suitable manner , for example , at the ends or at another point to form loops at one or more distal ends of the elastic strap portion . alternately , the base portion 220 and the top portion 230 can be formed by folding over a continuous length of a material used to form the base portion 220 and the top portion 230 . in accordance with yet other aspects of the present disclosure , the two elastic strap portions 202 and 204 , rather than being separately formed components that are coupled , may be portions of an integrally formed strap having one base portion 220 and one top portion 230 joined at both ends or in any suitable manner to form a strap assembly 205 having the two elastic strap portions 202 and 204 described herein . in accordance with yet another aspect of the present disclosure , the integrally formed strap assembly 205 may include a base portion 220 and top portion 230 configured from one continuous length of material folded over , for example , to form loops 240 at both distal ends of the first elastic strap portion 202 and the second elastic strap portion 204 . the top portion 230 and the base portion 220 of the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 may be formed from a material such as polyester , propylene fabric , nylon , or cotton that also incorporates an elastic component such as a natural or synthetic elastomer . in some embodiments , a nylon surrounding a latex cord for elasticity can be used to form elastic nylon webbing . preferably , the material allows the exercise device to have an elongation percentage of between approximately 40 % and approximately 80 % along a longitudinal axis , although any suitable longitudinal elongation percentage may be provided . fig5 also illustrates that the base portion 220 and the top portion 230 can be connected at points along their length , such that a loop 240 is formed between the base portion 220 and the top portion 230 . the loops can be connected in any suitable fashion such as sewing or heat bonding . as illustrated in the example device 200 in fig5 , there may be a number of larger loops 240 and a number of smaller loops 242 formed periodically along the length of each of the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 . preferably , there may be between approximately 5 to approximately 10 loops along the length of each strap portion 202 and 204 , but any suitable number of loops may be used . additionally , the loops can take any size suitable for facilitating a dynamic stretch if used as a stretching device and / or for forming grasping / supporting loops / handles when used as a suspension device . for example , the smaller loops 242 illustrated in fig5 , may be used to engage a user &# 39 ; s toe in order to facilitate a dynamic stretching or exercising of the foot and leg , for example . the smaller loops 242 may be positioned near the middle of one or both of the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 , as shown in fig5 , or can be positioned anywhere along the length of each of the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 to facilitate a particular positioning of a foot and / or leg , for example , to accommodate a dynamic stretch or a particular exercise when the device 200 is positioned on a door . alternately , the exercise device 200 need not contain any small loops 242 . the exercise device 200 provides an apparatus and method to facilitate performing a stretch where the muscle is actively contracted at different levels of activation and then passively stretched . for example , the exercise device 200 may be used independently of any anchor supports for stretching exercises using “ contract - relax ” methods described above that are made possible by the elastic nature of the device 200 . fig5 illustrates that the loops 240 or 242 may be formed to stand up or lie flat . for example , a portion of the top portion 230 forming a particular loop may be dimensioned to have a greater longitudinal length than the portion of the base portion 220 forming that particular loop . accordingly , the top portion of a particular loop 240 or 242 may stand out from a section of the base portion forming the remainder of the loop 240 or 242 . similarly , the loops 240 or 242 may be formed so that each section of the top portion and base portion forming a particular loop are approximately equal in length such that the loop 240 or 242 will lie flat when the exercise device 200 is in a general state of rest or , in particular , when the exercise device 200 is in a state of use , under tension , and the particular loop 240 or 242 is not being used as a loop or handle . fig6 illustrates a side view of the exercise device 200 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . as illustrated in fig6 , each elastic strap portion 202 or 204 may include markers 260 in the form of numbers labeling the loops 240 and 242 at predetermined positions between one end 250 of one or both elastic strap portions to a second end 252 of one or both of the elastic strap portions . as illustrated in fig6 , the markers 260 may be positioned between the loops 240 , 242 on each of the strap portions . while fig6 illustrates the markers 260 taking the form of numbers , this is only one example of a way to mark the different regions of the elastic strap portions . the markers may also take the form of colors , letters , symbols , patterns , or any other appropriate marking . additionally , while the markers 260 are shown between the loops 240 and 242 , in fig6 , the markers may be positioned in any place on the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 that facilitates use of the exercise device 200 . fig6 and 7 illustrate that the anchoring device 206 may be coupled to the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 toward the second end 252 . thus , as shown in fig7 , with a door 300 slightly ajar , the door anchor 210 may be slid between the door 300 and a door jamb 310 , for example , along the upper lateral surface of the door , and the door 300 closed , so that the door anchor 210 may be secured in a holding position on one side of the door 300 with each of the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 hanging freely on the other side of the door . the support strap 208 may be conducted through the space between the door and the door jamb so that , in combination with the door anchor 210 , when the door is closed , the exercise device 200 is securely anchored in a position to enable a user to safely use the exercise device 200 . the multiple loops 240 and 242 on each of the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 of the exercise device 200 may be used as handles for grasping the strap portions 202 and 204 at different locations . to illustrate the concept of using the exercise device 200 , a user doing an exercise is shown in fig8 . the user may grasp one loop 240 of each of the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 in each hand . the user may assume a position in which they are generally relying on the exercise device 200 to support their weight . the amount of weight suspended may depend on the angle the user assumes for a particular exercise . in this regard , the various loops 240 and 242 may serve as different progression points for a user to easily and effectively chart progress and / or easily and quickly provide varying degrees of difficulty for the same exercise . by staying at exactly the same spot to start an exercise , such as a predetermined distance from the door , the user may , for example , grasp different loops 240 or 242 to change the end angle at which the exercise will be completed . in so doing , the angle may be lessened or increased , for example , by respectively using loops that are closer or further from door when the exercise is being performed . the relative amount of overall stretch in the system changes depending on the loops 240 or 242 selected for use . accordingly , different points of leverage may be established during a given exercise by simply using different loops 240 or 242 without the need to adjust straps and / or anchoring points , for example , as is typically required in conventional suspension systems . referring back to fig8 , the user may lean away from the door and / or let his / her arms straighten to begin the loading motion and force the device 200 to support a portion of the user &# 39 ; s weight . the elastic nature of the strap portions 202 and 204 allow the exercise device to progressively stretch as the user suspends his / her weight until the device 200 reaches a hard stop , which may be dictated by the less elastic materials used to construct the nylon webbing . at this point , the user has determined an angle , for example by positioning their body a certain distance from the door and / or by selecting which loops 240 to grasp , that dictates how much of their weight will be effectively suspended by the exercise device 200 while performing a given exercise . from the fully - extended position in which the exercise device 200 is under maximum load , the user may then pull himself / herself towards the door with either arm or both arms together until reaching a point when most or all of the loading is released from the exercise device 200 . as the load is released , the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 retract from the stretched position back toward the original untensioned positions . the user may then lean back again and / or allow his / her arms to straighten , for example , to reload the exercise device 200 under their suspended weight and perform another repetition of the exercise . the number and variety of exercises that may be performed in this manner are greatly enhanced by the closed system of loops 240 and 242 that provide multiple built - in handles for grasping the elastic strap portions 202 and / or 204 at different locations . the loops may also be used to support a user &# 39 ; s feet , arms , and portions of their legs . for many users , bodyweight exercises can be extremely difficult to accomplish a full range of motion for some exercises . the elasticity of the exercise device 200 provides dual benefits during the full range of motion of a given exercise , namely during both the loading phase and the unloading phase . as a user allows their weight to load the elastic strap portions 202 and / or 204 , the elasticity of the device provides a deceleration effect as the user approaches the fully extended position and the material is stretched to its limit . the gradual deceleration that occurs provides for a soft landing as the user reaches the end limit or stop point of the loading motion . on the contrary , the hard - stop often experienced with conventional rigid strap suspension systems occurs without any gradual deceleration , wherein the full force of the suspended weight is felt all at once by the user at the end point of the loading motion , which may produce a jarring impact to muscles and joints . furthermore , during the unloading motion , an acceleration effect is experienced by the user as the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 attempt to resume their natural , un - stretched positions . the elasticity of the exercise device 200 may thus provide an assisting force to the user &# 39 ; s advantage during the unloading motion of an exercise . in addition , conventional suspension exercise systems are limited to bodyweight exercises and require anchoring to an object , such as a door or ceiling , for example , to function properly . the exercise device 200 provides the added benefit that it may easily and efficiently be converted from use as a suspension device , i . e ., a closed - chain bodyweight exercise , to function as a stretching or open - chain resistance exercise device . fig9 illustrates other aspects of an exercise device in accordance with the present disclosure . the anchoring device 206 may include a pulley assembly 270 . the pulley assembly 270 may be separately attached to the anchoring device 206 and or may be an integral component of the anchoring device 206 . as shown in fig9 , the strap assembly 205 may be configured to include an extended center area 272 , wherein the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 are not configured with loops 240 or 242 in that region . the extended center area 272 may be a single layer of material , such as a single layer of the base portion 220 , or a double layer , for example , wherein the top portion 230 and the base portion 220 are joined together to lie flat for the entire longitudinal length of the extended center area 272 . the extended center area 272 may thus be mounted onto the pulley wheel 274 to allow a user to perform rotational movements during use of the exercise device 200 . each of the separate elastic strap portions 202 and 204 are then able to simultaneously move in opposing directions via rotation of the pulley wheel 274 . a locking mechanism on the pulley 270 and / or the anchoring device 206 may be provided to disengage or lock the pulley 270 from rotating . in accordance with yet another aspect of the present disclosure , the anchor device may include a separate mounting location , wherein the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 may be moved between mounting positions to engage or disengage a rotational capability . as shown in fig1 , a fabric sock 280 may be sewn or otherwise coupled to the back side of the coupled elastic strap portions 202 and 204 , the back side being the side of the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 opposite from the loops 240 . an elastic resistance tube 282 may be run through the sock 280 with handles 284 or any other suitable grasping means attached at the ends . thus , if the user chooses to use suspension as the exercise method , the users simply grabs the appropriate loops 240 and uses the exercise device 200 as discussed above . if , on the other hand , straight elastic resistance is desired , the user may instead grasp the handles 284 and use the exercise device 200 as one would a conventional resistance trainer , wherein the resistance tube 282 will stretch and relax within the sock 280 . in accordance with other aspects of the present disclosure , as also shown in fig1 , one or more d - rings 290 , or any other suitable attachment device , may be sewn into or provided on one or more of the loops 240 or 242 serving as handles on the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 . another d - ring , or any other suitable attachment device , may be added to the anchoring device 206 . an elastic resistance band 292 , or elastic tubing , for example , may then be removably attached between the loop 240 and the anchoring device 206 to provide additional assist during an exercise . similarly , resistance bands and or tubing may be attached between various loops 240 , which , for example , may serve to assist a user in keeping or bringing their hands back together during a particular exercise . the added connection between loops 240 serving as handles may be particularly beneficial for a user engaged in exercises using the pulley 270 discussed above . as shown in fig1 , in addition to elasticity being incorporated into the main strap assembly , i . e ., the strap portions 202 and 204 , removable handle assemblies 320 may be coupled to one or both of the strap portions 202 and 204 . the handle assemblies 320 may be formed with elastic tubing or straps , for example , to provide a certain degree of elasticity and may be attached or coupled to the strap portions 202 and 204 at the ends of the strap portions 202 and 204 or at any other point along the longitudinal length of the strap portions 202 and 204 . for example , the handle assemblies 320 may attach to one or more loops 240 or 242 via d - rings 290 , as illustrated in fig1 , or by any other suitable coupling or attachment means . in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure , progressive levels of assistance may be provided to a user performing suspension exercises by switching between handle assemblies 320 having different levels of elastic resistance . the many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification , and thus , it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention . further , because numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art , it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described , and accordingly , all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to falling within the scope of the invention .
| 0 |
referring to the drawings , fig1 shows a first embodiment of guard element 1 comprising an elongate body portion 2 of aluminium or plastics material having a pair of elongate slots 4 , 6 formed in its front surface 7 . lengths of synthetic brush strip 8 , 10 are fixed into the slots 4 , 6 , by means of a slide fit connection . surface formations comprising elongate ribs 12 , 14 are integrally formed with the body portion 2 and project from its back surface 16 . each elongate rib 12 , 14 is provided with a continuous elongate recess 18 , 20 which is substantially t - shaped in cross - section . each recess 18 , 20 is shaped to receive a corresponding surface formation comprising a substantially t - shaped rib 22 formed on an elongate mounting portion 24 . the mounting portion 24 is made from aluminium or plastics material . in accordance with various standard authorities recommendations , the guard element 1 must be installed such that the outer end of the brush strip 10 lies just above the step nose line ( nl in fig6 ) of an escalator . the guard element 1 is held in this position by fixing the back surface 16 of the body portion 2 against or substantially parallel to a side wall panel or skirting panel of the escalator . in the simplest case , the body portion 2 is fixed directly to the escalator side wall or skirting by means of screws ( not shown ) driven through the body portion 2 into the side wall or skirting panel . an elongate guide channel 25 is provided on the front surface 7 of the body portion . the channel 25 serves to align the screws or to centre a drill bit used to form screw holes . alternatively , as in the arrangement illustrated in fig1 it may be necessary to space the upper edge of the body portion 2 away from the side wall a greater distance than the lower edge of the body portion 2 . for example , this may be required where a skirting panel is fixed to an escalator side wall panel and it is necessary to fix the deflector element at the level of the transition between the skirting panel and the side wall panel . in such applications , an elongate mounting portion 24 is fixed to the upper edge of the body portion 2 , by pushing the t - shaped rib 22 on the elongate mounting portion 24 into the upper t - shaped recess 18 on the body portion 2 . to facilitate attachment of the elongate mounting portion 24 to the body portion 2 , the sides of the t - shaped rib 22 on the mounting portion 24 may be tapered . a corresponding taper may be provided on the side walls of the t - shaped recesses 18 to ensure that the t - shaped rib 22 is a tight fit in the t - shaped recess 18 . once the mounting portion has been fixed to the body portion 2 , the combined assembly can be screwed to the side wall panel and / or skirting panel of the escalator , such that the back surface of the mounting portion 24 rests on the side wall panel and the back surface of the lower rib 14 rests against the skirting panel . in appropriate situations , it may be desirable to fit respective mounting portions 24 in both the upper and lower ribs 12 , 14 . fig2 shows a second embodiment of guard element 23 in which a single elongate rib 14 , having a continuous t - shaped recess is provided along the lower edge of a body portion 19 . in addition , a second elongate t - shaped recess 26 is formed directly in the inner surface 16 at the upper edge of the body portion 19 . the t - shaped recess 26 is identical in size , shape and orientation to the t - shaped recess 20 formed in the rib 14 and can receive mounting portions 24 in the same way . referring to fig3 by selecting mounting portions 28 , 30 of different thicknesses , it is possible to space the body portion 2 a desired distance away from the side wall . it is also possible to &# 34 ; step over &# 34 ; side wall features such as skirting panels . in other words , a thinner mounting portion 30 is fixed to the upper rib 12 of the body portion 2 and a thicker mounting portion 28 is fixed to the lower rib 14 of the body portion 2 . the body portion 2 is then screwed to the escalator side wall such that the thinner mounting portion 30 contacts the skirting panel and the thicker mounting portion 28 contacts the side wall panel . in applications in which a very large discontinuity must be overcome , it is also possible to use one or more spacers 32 which have on one side a male surface formation which plugs into a surface formation of the body portion 19 or into an additional spacer 32 . on its other side , each spacer 32 has a female surface formation into which a mounting portion 28 or an additional spacer 32 may be plugged . there are also circumstances in which the side wall or skirting of the escalator does not present a flat mounting surface . in such circumstances a mounting portion 34 having a male surface formation 36 on one side and a shaped surface 38 on the other side may be employed . mounting portions 34 having a variety of profiles are preferably made available to the fitter , so that the most common discontinuities or surface profiles can be accommodated . for example , the upper edge of skirting is often curved and it would therefore be useful to have a mounting portion 35 having a profile on its inner surface 38 which conforms to the curve on the upper surface of the skirting . fig5 shows a guard element 23 installed on an escalator in the region of the bottom transition radius 40 . in this application of the second embodiment of the invention , the thickness of the mounting portion 42 is selected so that it equals the depth of the side wall feature . alternatively , a combination of mounting portions and spacers may be used to make up the gap . as will be appreciated , there is no need to use a mounting portion above the point a in fig5 because , from that point on , the upper edge of the body portion 19 can be fixed directly to the sidewall decking 46 . the mounting portion 42 or spacer is therefore cut off at the point a with a saw or sharp knife . fig6 shows the second embodiment of guard element 23 mounted on an inclined portion of escalator . in this application , the elongate rib 14 of the body portion 19 directly engages the skirting panel 44 of the escalator . conventional escalators may have side wall decking 46 which overlaps the skirting panel 44 . if the thickness of the side wall decking 46 is less than the thickness of the elongate rib 14 on the body portion 19 , the resulting gap can be made up using a thin mounting portion 30 . the thin mounting portion 30 is held in place by engagement of a t - shaped rib 45 on the mounting portion 30 in the t - shaped recess 26 formed directly in the body portion 19 . on an escalator having a landing , the arrangement illustrated in fig6 becomes the arrangement illustrated in fig7 in the region of the landing . in other words , on a landing , the side wall decking 46 moves away from the step nose line nl , so the guard element must be mounted entirely on the skirting panel 44 . in accordance with the present invention , at the transition to a landing from an incline , the thin mounting portion 30 is replaced by a thicker mounting portion 28 . other discontinuities and peculiar shapings of the escalator can be overcome in a straightforward manner by use of mounting portions and spacers in accordance with the present invention . it is to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are intended to be illustrative of the invention and that other embodiments are also contemplated . for example , any type or number of deflectors may be used instead of the brush strips 8 , 10 . furthermore any number , shape or disposition of surface formations on a body portion and a mounting portion are contemplated and any means of fixing the mounting portions and / or body portion to the side wall of an escalator are also contemplated . the invention may also be applied to the mounting of guard elements on or in the vicinity of other parts of an escalator .
| 1 |
fig1 and 2 illustrate , on general lines , drilling equipment attached to the three - point - linkage of a tractor , deriving its power from the tractor engine through its power - take - off . the working parts are carried on a carriage comprising a rectangular frame 1 supported at its rear end by a single road wheel 2 , the wheel being provided with external transverse spikes 3 for better gripping of the ground without slipping . a vertical post 4 extending upwardly from the front end of the frame serves for attachment of the upper arm 5 of the linkage of a tractor 10 , while the two lower linkage arms are pivotally connected to the front cross member 7 of the frame 1 . the working components comprise two coaxial and opposedly positioned augers , each comprising a shaft 10 , 10 &# 39 ; with double - helical blades 11 , 11 &# 39 ;, ending in cutting lips 12 , 12 &# 39 ;. the helices and the cutting lips of the two augers are respectively right - and left - oriented , for the following reason : the auger shafts are attached to the two - ended output shaft of a bevel gear 13 located in a gear box 14 , the latter being revolvable in bearings 15 mounted on the frame 1 perpendicular to the direction of travel as indicated by the arrow f . the bevel gear is rigidly fastened on this shaft 16 which transmits the torque to the two augers , in the same sense of rotation ; for this reason the augers have respective left and right helical orientation , since they attack the soil in alternate senses . the bevel gear is rotated by means of a gear 17 positioned in a gear box which in its turn is firmly attached to the frame and is stationary . the rotary power is obtained from the power - take - off 19 through a power train 20 comprising two universal joints and a drive shaft . the auger assembly , i . e . the gear box 14 , together with the augers , is revolved in the direction of the arrow r about a horizontal axis which is perpendicular to the direction of travel , by the forward travelling motion of the road wheel 2 . transmission means between wheel 2 and the auger assembly is in the form of a chain gear , comprising a driving sprocket wheel 21 mounted on the rotating axle of the road wheel , a driven sprocket wheel 22 mounted on the gear box 14 , and a connecting chain 23 . the sprocket 21 is exchangeable with a view to altering the ratio between the rotational speed of the road wheel and that of the auger assembly and a releasable coupling serves to connect and disconnect the chain drive and the wheel . in order to facilitate the entry of the augers into -- sometimes very hard -- soil and to ensure the revolving motion of the auger assembly , two blades 30 and 30 &# 39 ;, preferably in the shape of cultivator blades , are rigidly fastened to the gear box , between the two augers which , revolving together with the assembly , penetrate the soil prior to the entry of the augers and before their starting to drill a hole . the outer edges of the helical auger blades are studded with teeth 25 of a hard , wear - resisting material such as special tool steel , special alloyed steel or the like , thereby improving the drilling operation and preventing early wear of the auger blades . the tractor serves to pull the hole driller across a field , while the height of the augers above ground level can be adjusted by lengthening or shortening the tractor link 5 . by means of this linkage the implement can be lifted off the ground for transport from site to site . fig5 shows the process of a hole being drilled during the movement of an auger from its first moment of entry to its exit out of the hole . this figure also shows that the hole approaches cylindrical shape , with a flared opening , a shape particularly suitable for the planting of trees . fig3 and 4 illustrate a second embodiment of the invention , which comprises an i . c .- engine for the purpose of supplying the power for the drilling operation of the augers , and which is adapted to be drawn by any traction vehicle including a tractor . the operating components , i . e . the augers and blades as well as their driving mechanism are identical with those shown in fig1 and 2 , and are , therefore , denoted by identical numerals . the main difference lies in the provision of the i . c .- engine 31 , the transmission of power from the engine to the augers assembly , and the construction of the carriage . a hydraulic pump 32 is coupled to the engine 31 , which supplies pressurized liquid to a hydraulic motor 33 directly coupled to the gear transmission 13 . the auger revolutions are readily adjustable by either adjusting the engine speed or by throttling the liquid supply . the revolutions of the auger assembly are obtained from one of the roadwheels by way of a double chain - drive 35 and 36 . the chain drive 35 is provided to permit free motion of the road wheel , which is supported by helical springs 37 , without undue tension of the chain drive . in addition , a releasable clutch 38 serves to engage and to disengage the chain drives , during drilling operations and road transport , respectively . the carriage of this embodiment is much wider than that of the embodiment of fig1 and 2 as it serves to support the power unit as well . it comprises a frame 41 consisting of three longitudinal members and two cross members , and is supported in its rear portion by two road wheels 2 and 2 &# 39 ;. a draw - bar 42 is pivotally attached to the front end by means of vertical pivot means permitting its being secured in two alternate positions : a position a in line with the auger axis , in which the carriage is pulled during hole drilling , and a position b central in relation to the wheels 2 and 2 &# 39 ;, in which the carriage is pulled during road transport . additional equipment shown in the drawings are : a fuel tank 43 , and an oil reservoir 44 . the drilling operation is similar to that of the equipment of fig1 and 2 , except for the fact that power for drilling is derived from the engine 31 by way of the hydraulic pump and motor . it will be understood that instead of the hydraulic transmission , mechanical torque transmission may be provided between engine and gear . as an alternative , each auger may be rotated separately by a hydraulic motor attached to its shaft , which would dispense with the gear 13 and the gearbox 14 . as another alternative the engine 31 may be utilized for rotating the auger assembly about its axis , preferably by the addition of a hydraulic motor fixedly mounted on the chassis frame , transmission being direct or through a gear transmission ; control of the motor revolutions could be obtained by electronic circuit means monitored by the speed of the road wheels , viz . the speed of travel of the equipment . this arrangement would make the chain transmissions and the clutch redundant . instead of two augers , only one auger or more than two could be mounted on a rotating body , in the above case the gearbox , but it appears that two augers give the best results regarding speed of drilling and control . as a third alternative , it is proposed to utilize the pressurized liquid generated by the hydraulic system of the tractor itself , and to install hydraulic motors both for revolving the auger assembly , and for rotating the augers about their axes for drilling . in this case it may be necessary to choose a tractor of slightly bigger size , but is is evident that this arrangement would mean fewer mechanical components , more efficient control of the different rotational speeds , and ready adaptation to the conditions of the soil and the land formation .
| 4 |
embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail , by way of example only , with reference to the accompanying drawings in which identical or corresponding parts / features are provided with the same reference numerals in the figures . fig1 shows the processing flow of electronic documents received by a system 10 for processing electronic documents . system 10 includes an existing business system ( or systems ), for example erp system 20 , that is connected to a separate control system , for example grc ( governance , risk management , and compliance ) system 30 . certain content 35 of an incoming electronic document , for example xml document 40 , is extracted to determine which business process 45 is associated with the extracted content 35 . when implementing the processing steps associated with the determined business process 45 , some of the processing steps like checking the signature and authorization of an incoming legal document can be executed hi the grc system 30 , and other steps like posting a goods receipt or posting an invoice can be executed in connected erp system 20 . xml document 40 can be , for example , a nota fiscal eletrônica ( nf - e ) which is a legal document and an electronic invoice which contains tax and logistical information in the form of an xml document with a layout defined by the brazilian government , the ne - e can involve both business to government ( b2g ) communication ( requesting authorization of nf - e from tax administration before billing may take place ) as well as business to business / b2b ) or business to customer ( b2c ) communication ( sending the authorized nf - e to the customer ). because incoming electronic documents can contain information which requires processing steps like checking the signature and authorization of an incoming legal document that can be executed in the grc system 30 and information which belongs to different categories of documents in the erp system like purchase order , delivery , goods movement or invoice , they can be viewed as a combination of different grc and erp processes representing a larger business process which can be automatically executed . fig2 shows example system 10 in further detail . as mentioned above , system 10 includes an existing business system ( or systems ), for example erp system 20 , that is connected to a separate control system , for example grc system 30 . certain content 35 of an incoming electronic document , for example xml document 40 , is extracted to determine which business process 45 is associated with the extracted content 35 . grc system 30 extracts content 35 from the at least one xml document 40 according to an extraction table 50 in the grc system 30 . the extraction table 50 defines the contents 35 to be extracted for each type of electronic document that is processed . grc system 30 includes an extracted content table 60 which defines an associated business process 45 for each of the at least one extracted content 35 of the at least one xml document 40 . therefore a comparison of at least one of the extracted content 35 to the extracted content table 60 is performed in grc system 30 to determine which business process 45 should be implemented . for example , in the case of the nota fiscal eletrônica the business process determination depends mainly on the cfop code which is defined by the brazilian authorities and describes the type of business transaction . however , the meaning of a cfop code can be changed by the authorities so that the system behavior has to be adjusted . this type of situation can be handled by the extracted content table 60 of grc system 30 , which can be customized so as to adjust the business process determination to changes of the meaning of the cfop codes or any other extracted content 35 . the grc system 30 includes a business processes table 70 which defines the processing steps 75 that need to be implemented for each of the business processes 45 that can be implemented by system 10 . for example , the definition of the required processing steps 75 for possible business processes 45 like ‘ normal purchasing ’ or ‘ stock transfer ’ which would be implemented in the erp system 20 or “ signature authentication ” that would be implemented in the grc system . the business processes 45 can be categorized to be valid for certain document types . the definition and implementation of each of the processing steps 75 is contained in a process steps table 80 in the grc system . the process steps table 80 defines certain attributes of each processing step 75 , for example , if the step can be carried out automatically or also manually and if the step is optional or mandatory within the business process 45 . the grc system 30 includes a process flow sequence table 90 which defines the sequence of processing steps 75 for a certain business process 45 and if each of the processing steps 75 are to be executed automatically or have been deactivated . the grc system 30 also includes a control process flow table 100 which defines the prerequisites necessary before implementing each processing step 75 in each business process 45 . therefore with an extendable status concept this allows the control process flow table 100 to define which status of the preceding or subsequent steps are necessary to carry out a certain processing step 75 in a certain business process 45 . this allows the implementation of a linear process flow where a follow on step always depends on the preceding step as well as a more complex non linear process flow . a control parameters table 110 in grc system 30 allows users to influence the processing steps 75 . depending on the definition of the processing step 75 in process steps table 80 and the at least one extracted content 35 , for example the business partners involved in the business process 45 , the execution of a processing step 75 can be defined as automatically or manually implemented or can be deactivated , for example for a certain combination of business partners . therefore , control parameters table 110 allows users to overwrite the criteria defined in the process flow sequence table 90 . fig3 shows an example embodiment of the method for processing electronic documents . in step 300 at least one electronic document , for example xml document 40 , is received in grc system 30 . in step 310 grc system 30 extracts contents 35 from the at least one xml document 40 according to an extraction table 50 in the grc system 30 . in step 320 the business process 45 associated with the at least one xml document 40 is determined by comparing the at least one extracted contents 35 to the extracted content table 60 in grc system 30 to determine which business process 45 should be implemented . in step 330 the sequence of processing steps 75 associated with business process 45 is determined by comparing the determined business process 45 to business processes table 70 in grc system 30 to determine which processing steps 75 need to be implemented for business process 45 and comparing the determined business process 45 to process flow sequence table 90 in grc system 30 to determine the sequence of processing steps 75 for the determined business process 45 . in step 340 the sequence of processing steps 75 associated with business process 45 is implemented in a function module 120 in grc system 30 , based on the definition of each processing step 75 in process steps table 80 in grc system 30 . the implementing of the sequence of processing steps 75 proceeds by comparing the status of each processing step 75 in the sequence of processing steps for business process 45 to pre - requisites for implementing a next processing step 75 in the sequence of processing steps for business process 45 as defined in control process flow table 100 in grc system 30 . in step 350 the method concludes . as mentioned above the implementation of business process 45 is governed by a function module 120 which acts as the central engine responsible for execution and control of the business process flow . fig4 shows an example embodiment of the business process flow as executed by function module 120 . in step 400 the business process flow which is associated with the business process 45 assigned to the incoming electronic document , for example xml document 40 , is determined . in step 410 the first processing step 75 to be implemented is determined by examining the process flow sequence table 90 for the business process 45 assigned to xml document 40 . after the first processing step 75 to be implemented is determined , in step 420 a loop will be performed on the processing steps 75 beginning with the reading of the first step . in step 430 the prerequisites for the current processing step 75 are checked against the control process flow table 100 to evaluate the status of the prerequisites related to current processing step 75 . in step 440 the attributes of the current processing step 75 are checked to determine if the step is implemented automatically and if the step is deactivated for xml document 40 which is currently being processed . this information is stored on document level as result of the combination of the settings in table process flow sequence table 90 and the control parameters table 110 . if all prerequisites are fulfilled , the current processing step 75 implementation defined in process steps table 80 is called in step 450 . in step 460 the current processing step 75 is implemented in grc system 30 by a grc system application 130 in function module 120 or it is implemented in erp system 20 by an erp system application 140 . after the processing of the current processing step 75 the result will be stored on document level in step 470 and the status of the current processing step 75 will be updated . in step 480 the loop continues and an attempt is made to implement the next step if there is one . if no further processing is possible e . g . due to an error or the necessity of a user interaction the process stops in step 490 to be automatically continued at a later time . fig5 shows an example user interface for the system 10 for processing electronic documents . the user interface includes a list of incoming electronic xml documents 40 ( nf - e ) in the top half of the interface with the first such document selected and highlighted . the bottom half of the interface includes the processing steps 75 to be executed for the selected xml document 40 as well as the status of each of the processing steps 75 . fig6 shows examples of a user interface for the system 10 for processing electronic documents . the user interface includes an extracted content table 60 which defines an associated business process 15 for each of the at least one extracted content 35 of the xml document 40 in the top half of the interface with the first associated business process 15 selected and highlighted . the bottom half of the interface includes a control parameters table 110 that allows users to influence the processing steps 75 . depending on the at least one extracted content 35 , for example the business partners or tax number associated with business process 45 , the execution of a processing step 75 can be defined as automatically or manually implemented or can be deactivated , for example for a certain combination of business partners . shown below are schematic displays of example extracts of some of the tables used in an example business process 45 : ‘ normal purchasing ’. process flow sequence table 90 used to define the sequence and certain attributes of the processing steps 75 associated with business process 45 : ‘ normal purchasing ’: as shown above , some of the processing steps 75 are defined to be executed automatically and others need a user interaction and therefore are not automatic . in the above example all the steps are defined to be active . however , some of the processing steps 75 can be deactivated if they are not mandatory for business process 45 : ‘ normal purchasing ’ as per the definition of each processing step 75 in process steps table 80 . to deactivate processing steps 75 that are not mandatory the control parameters table 110 can be used . for example , if the steps shown below are not mandatory for business process 45 : ‘ normal purchasing ’, as per the definition of each processing step 75 in process steps table 80 , then control parameters table 110 could be used to influence the sequence ( of process flow sequence table 90 above ) as shown below : furthermore , the control parameters table 110 can change the settings of the process flow sequence for some steps depending on the business partners . as shown above , tax numbers are used which identify a business partner that may be involved in business process 45 : ‘ normal purchasing ’. a control process flow table 100 defines the pre requisites necessary before implementing each processing step 75 in business process 45 : ‘ normal purchasing ’, for example by defining which status of the preceding or subsequent steps are necessary to carry out a certain processing step 75 as shown below : as shown below , process steps table 80 can be used to define the implementation of the processing steps 75 and the step attributes , for example the processing steps 75 shown below are defined as being implemented in the function module 120 of grc system 30 : embodiments of the present invention are described in the context of a fully functional computer system , however those skilled in the art will appreciate that modules of the present invention are capable of being distributed in a variety of forms across a plurality of systems . embodiments consistent with the invention may also include one or more programs or program modules on different computing systems running separately and independently of each other , while in their entirety being capable of performing business transactions in a large enterprise environment or in a “ software on demand ” environment . these programs or program modules may be contained on signal bearing media that may include : recordable type media such as floppy disks and cd roms , and transmission type media such as digital and analog communication links , including wireless communication links . the foregoing description is not exhaustive and does not limit embodiments of the invention to the precise forms disclosed . modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from the practicing embodiments consistent with the invention . for example , some of the described embodiments may include software and hardware , but some systems and methods consistent with the present invention may be implemented in software or hardware alone . additionally , although aspects of the present invention are described as being stored in memory , one skilled in the art will appreciate that these aspects can also be stored on other types of computer - readable media , such as secondary storage devices , for example , hard disks , floppy disks , or cd - rom ; the internet or other propagation medium ; or other forms of ram or rom .
| 6 |
unless specifically defined otherwise , all technical or scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs . although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention , the preferred methods and materials are now described . as used herein the term aphenolic @ is an adjective meaning a member of the class of phenols . aphenols @ means the class of aromatic compounds in which one or more hydroxyl groups are attached directly to a benzene ring . examples of phenols include phenol , cresol and resorcinol . abiomass - derived phenols @ include the compounds known as guaiacol , syringol , isoeugenol and vanillin . the process uses a metal oxide , such as titanium dioxide , for the selective adsorption and removal of phenolic compounds from an aqueous solution , such as a biomass - hydrolyzate medium . dissolved sugars in the solution are thereby concentrated . adsorption is highly selective , and provides an efficient method for the fractionation of a biomass - hydrolyzate , 90 % of the hydrolyzate = s dissolved lignin being removed without a measurable decrease in the solution = s dissolved sugar concentration . selectivity is attributable to the metal oxide = s preferential binding with those oxygen molecules which are located on adjacent ( ortho ) carbons of the aromatic ring structures . with reference now to fig1 the starting material is a biomass hydrolysis liquor 1 . the hydrolysis liquor 1 is mixed in contacting step 4 , as a suspension , with a metal oxide 2 , such as a norton chemical process products corporation , akron , ohio high - surface - area tio 2 ⅛ ″ extrudate type xt25384 . high separation efficiency is generally achieved by using an amount or weight ( wt ) of tio 2 , which is twice the estimated phenol content of the liquor . this ratio varies , however , with the form , source , active surface area , and liquid - contact surface area of the tio 2 , to be used . separation efficiency also varies with the age of the aqueous mixture and source of the biomass . producing hydrolyzate under conditions of high severity also reduces the separation efficiency . selective adsorpting step 6 is accomplished using all grades of tio 2 . the rate and efficiency of the adsorption of aromatic compounds with tio 2 is dependent upon the tio 2 active surface area . anatase titanium dioxide , preferable to the rutile form , may be of any high - surface - area formulation , including powders , thin - films , sol - gel crystals , and extruded pellets . vanadium oxide and zirconium oxide , and at ph in a range of greater than 7 . 0 manganese dioxide , silica , and alumina , may also be used . depending upon the quantity of the aromatic compounds to be removed , a batch reaction vessel or plug flow reactor may be used as an adsorption vessel . in a batch reactor , the retention time is preferably 30 minutes . in a plug flow column , the retention time is preferably 15 minutes . these retention times typically result in a separation of up to 90 - weight % of the aromatics from the hydrolyzate 1 . longer retention times are desirable where the separation is carried out at a low ph . for example , the adsorption is slower in the ph range of 2 - 6 and occurs more rapidly when the ph is in the range of 7 - 10 . the process retains its efficiency and selectivity throughout a temperature in the range of 20 □ c .- 90 ° c . performing the selective adsorption under conditions of elevated temperature and ph does not affect adsorption selectivity relative to the carbohydrate fraction . however , above ph 6 , some carbohydrate degradation products , such as 5 -( hydroxymethyl ) furfural and furfural , are also adsorbed on the metal oxide surface . at combinations of higher ph and temperature some entrainment of soluble salts occurs on the metal oxide surface when the hydrolyzate 1 and metal oxide 2 mixture contains salts having a lower solubility at higher temperatures , such as calcium sulfate . raising both the temperature and the ph does not affect the adsorption selectivity of this process for lignin . after contacting the hydrolyzate and metal oxide , adsorption preferably includes agitating the mixture for a time sufficient to allow the colloidal particles to deposit on the tio 2 particulate surfaces , as indicated by a clearing of the suspension , and allowing the suspension to settle at room temperature for 1 hour . the adsorbed complex is then separated in separation step 8 . separation may by accomplished using a glass - fiber filter . the carbohydrate fraction of the hydrolysis liquor is contained in the sugars filtrate 10 . a unique aspect of the invention is its high separation selectivity for lignin in an aqueous hydrolysis liquor having an excess of monomer sugars . more than 90 % of the solubilized lignin can be removed from the hydrolyzate without any loss of glucose or xylose . when using tio 2 extruded pellets as an adsorbent , a slight concentration effect is observed during the adsorption process . this effect may be due to hydration of the metal oxide and the exclusion of sugars from the metal oxide = s surface . solid state nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of lignin model compounds , adsorbed on the tio 2 surface , has suggested that the lignin selectivity is due , at least in part , to an affinity of titanium for adjacent oxygen molecules which are located on the aromatic ring structure of the adsorbed substrates . it has been found that , through chemical shifts in 13 c nmr between lignin model compounds both before and after complexation with titanium alkoxides , these molecules bind preferentially through the phenolic oxygen and the oxygen of the adjacent methoxyl group . the biomass - derived aromatic substituents have two main substitution patterns , commonly known as guaiacyl and syringyl , which contain the functional groups necessary for the selective fractionation . although titanium , and many other transition metals , are known to be highly oxyphilic , the affinity of this functionality for these metal oxides is so strong that in the presence of these aromatic compounds , even highly oxygenated carbohydrate - derived compounds are excluded from the metal oxide surface . the process may also include a regeneration step 14 . in this step , the tio 2 adsorbents are easily regenerated using combustion of the complex at 400 ° c . for 15 minutes . an estimated 100 - 500 regeneration cycles may be utilized without a significant reduction in adsorption capacity or selectivity . it is preferred to regenerate the tio 2 at a temperature of less than 600 ° c . in order to avoid an anatase to rutile form conversion , which decreases the metal oxide = s capacity for adsorption . a simple regeneration wash step using dilute sulfuric acid may also be used to increase the lifetime of tio 2 adsorbents when the contacting step 4 is carried out at a high ph . when using a ph greater that 7 , an additional step of acid washing the adsorbent is desirable . regeneration of a manganese dioxide adsorbent has also been demonstrated at 575 ° c . for 15 minutes . this example illustrates the process of removing phenolic compounds from an aqueous biomass hydrolysis liquor using tio 2 as the metal oxide . the hydrolysis liquor was an acid hydrolyzate of hybrid yellow poplar . in this example the following three samples were prepared . sample no . 1 was prepared by mixing a 50 ml aliquot , of a well mixed hydrolysis liquor containing a larger amount of suspended solids , in contact with 10 grams of norton high - surface - area tio 2 , in a 100 ml beaker . the sample was agitated by hand for approximately 5 minutes . until the mixture became clear ( colloidal particulates deposited on the surface of the tio 2 ). the mixture was allowed to settle at room temperature for 1 hour . the tio 2 mixture was filtered through a glass watman gfc filter and the filtrate was stored in a glass container . samples nos . 2 and 3 were prepared by mixing a 50 ml aliquot , of a well - mixed hydrolysis liquor again containing a large amount of suspended solids , in contact with 10 grams of high surface area tio 2 in a 100 ml beaker . unlike sample no . 1 , the tio 2 in sample no . 2 was left in solution without stirring at room temperature for 8 hours ( sample no . 2 ) prior to the removal of the tio 2 phenolic - adsorption - complex , by gravity filtration . half of the liquid ( 20 ml ) was decanted and filtered for analysis , and the other half of the solution was retained in contact with the tio 2 overnight ( sample no . 3 ). the beaker was covered with aluminum foil to minimize evaporation . after 20 hours , the remaining liquid of sample no . 3 , was decanted from the tio 2 complex and filtered through a watman gfc glass filter . the filtrates for each sample were diluted in dilute h 2 so 4 and analyzed for their phenol concentrations by measuring uv absorbency at 204 nm . in addition , the glucose concentration of the filtrate was measured for each sample using a yellow springs instruments glucose analyzer . the results of this example are summarized in table 1 . in the table , most of the adsorption occurs within the first hour and very little change is observed in either adsorption or selectivity with prolonged exposure . the absorbance at 204 nm ( measured using a ultra - violet / visible spectrometer ) reflects the concentration of the phenolic compounds remaining in the treated liquor . the absorbance at 282 nm reflects the concentration of furfural and 5 -( hydroxymethyl ) furfural . the dilution factor ( d ) was the dilution used to bring the solution to a concentration where the absorbency is proportional to the concentration . while the present invention has been illustrated and described with reference to particular structures and methods , it will be apparent that other changes and modifications can be made therein with the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims .
| 1 |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.