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fig1 is a simplified plan view of the structure of one embodiment of this invention as embodied in and applied to a 1728 element linear imaging array . fairchild product ccd 121 is an example of such a product prior to application of the techniques of this invention . shown schematically in fig1 are the 1728 photosites which generate an electrical charge in response to electromagnetic radiation impinging upon them . in a well - known manner the charges accumulating within each photosite may be transferred simultaneously to one of two shift registers 10 or 11 . as shown in fig1 for example , charges accummulating within odd - numbered photosites are transferred into shift register 11 , while those accummulating within even - numbered photosites are transferred to shift register 10 . shift registers 10 and 11 each may be divided into two separate shift registers by isolation region 12 . the transfer of charge from the photosites 1 . . . 1728 to the shift registers 10 , 11 typically is accomplished by application of a signal φ x to an electrode 14 . this technique is well known in the ccd art ; however , it is explained in further detail in conjunction with fig2 a - 2d . the intermixing of signals in contiguous elements of the ccd shift registers is prevented by transferring the charge in odd - numbered photosites in one direction , i . e ., to register 11 , and transferring the charge in even - numbered photosites in the other direction , i . e ., to register 10 . in this manner charge packets are transferred into every other element of shift registers 10 and 11 . for example , the charge accummulated in photosite 1 is transferred to the region beneath electrode 21 , while the charge accummulating in photosite 3 is transferred to the region beneath electrode 23 . because no charge is transferred to the region beneath electrode 22 , it may be maintained at a different potential than electrodes 21 and 23 . therefore , the signals transferred to the regions beneath electrodes 21 and 23 are prevented from commingling . this prevents a loss of information . as shown in fig1 the signal from photosite number 2 is transferred to beneath electrode 32 . after the charges in the 1728 photosites are transferred into the shift registers 10 and 11 , the potential of signal φ x may be changed to allow a new set of signals to begin accumulating within the 1728 photosites . then by application of appropriate signals , for example , φ t and v t , to the shift register elements , the signals beneath the electrodes may be stepped out of the upper position of shift register 10 and the lower portion of shift register 11 to an output gate . the transfer of these signals to the output gate is designated by arrows marked 30 and 31 in fig1 . output gate structures are known in the art . see , e . g ., u . s . pat . no . 3 , 999 , 082 entitled &# 34 ; charge coupled amplifier &# 34 ; and isued to james early . in one embodiment of the invention shown in fig1 the signals from the 1728 photosites will not be transferred into the lower portion of shift register 10 or the upper portion of shift register 11 . transfer of charges into these portions of the shift registers is prevented by the region 12 , typically a region of oxide isolation , which effectively divides each of shift registers 10 and 11 into two separate shift registers . the transfer of charge from one electrode to the next within each of the shift registers is made possible by the channel region 15 extending beneath the electrodes and between the barrier implants 58 . the upper portion of shift register 11 and the lower portion of shift register 10 prevent stray charges within the substrate from wandering into the shift register elements and distorting the information stored therein . that is , the stray charges are collected by these isolated shift registers and disposed of harmlessly . arrows 33 and 40 designate the transfer of these stray charges to a sink region or voltage supply . as will be explained , however , in some embodiments the signals designated by arrow 40 may be supplied to an external circuit . black and white reference signals are generated by the ccd structure shown in fig1 in the manner described below . in one embodiment the black reference signals are generated by the addition of several optically and electrically isolated photosites b1 , b2 , b3 . of course any desired number of such photosites may be provided . photosite b1 ( and b2 and b3 ) are separated from active photosites 1 , 2 . . . 1728 by an isolating region i . it should be understood that these photosites may be disposed at any desired location within or along photosites 1 , 2 , . . . 1728 . in particular , such photosites may be interspersed with the ordinary active photosites 1 . . . 1728 , disposed at one end or the other of the photosites , or both , or some combination of the foregoing . in fig1 they are shown at the right end of the linear array . the black photosites b1 , b2 , b3 typically will be separated from the active photosites by an isolation cell i . this prevents electrical charges within any of the active cells from leaking into any of the black reference cells b1 , b2 , or b3 . it further provides a manufacturing tolerance for definition of a window 35 . the window 35 allows electromagnetic radiation , typically visible light , to impinge upon the photosites 1 , 2 . . . 1728 . surrounding window 35 is a light shield 35a which prevents light from impinging upon the black reference cells b1 , b2 and b3 , and the remainder of the surface of the structure of fig1 . in some embodiments of this invention , window 35 may be a material which is transparent to some and opaque to other selected wavelengths of visible electromagnetic radiation . for example , if a blue color signal is to be sensed , window 35 will be opaque to all other wavelengths . because the location of the light shield 35a prevents light from impinging upon the black reference photosites b1 , b2 or b3 , these photosites will not accummulate any charge , or will accummulate a charge indicative of all conditions in the substrate except for the effect of the visible light which is only sensed by the photosites 1 , 2 . . . 1728 . in this manner , the black reference photosites b1 , b2 , b3 provide an automatic correction for dark current or other errors caused by temperature , chemical composition , or other environmental conditions . one technique for generating the white reference signal is shown at the left end of shift register 10 . by application of signal v r to diode 38 , a signal charge will be supplied to the diode which , when the potential of φ x is suitably increased , will be transferred into shift register elements 39 and 42 . in a manner as explained in conjunction with fig4 a - 4e herein , this charge may be appropriately sized to indicate the level of brightness which causes saturation , or some other desired reference charge level , for example , a less bright condition or shade of gray . this charge is referred to herein as the white reference signal . that portion of the charge injected into shift register element 42 , upon application of signals v t and φ t , will be transferred out of shift register 10 following the transfer of the signal charges generated by the 1728 photosites . the white reference signal also may be injected at some other desired location along shift register 10 by suitable modification of the structure shown in fig1 . that portion of the white reference signal injected beneath electrode 39 may be utilized as an end - of - scan indicator . that is , by placing the white reference signal generator at the &# 34 ; far &# 34 ; end of the shift register 10 , as shown in fig1 the signal transferred beneath electrode 39 will emerge from shift register 10 after the signal which originated in photosite 1728 . the white reference signal therefore provides an electrical signal which indicates the completion of the transfer of signals out of shift register 10 . in contrast , prior - art structures required independent counting apparatus to ascertain the appropriate time for application of signal φ x . the white reference signal from diode 38 , when transferred out of the lower portion of shift register 10 , may be transferred to any well - known external logic circuit which then activates signal φ x . fig2 a is a cross - sectional view of part of the structure depicted in fig1 when fabricated using a buried channel . formed in substrate 50 , typically p conductivity type , are a series of isolation regions 51a and 51b , which typically comprise silicon dioxide . p + conductivity type regions 53a and 53b are sometimes formed beneath isolation regions 51 to prevent stray ions from forming a conductive path beneath insulation regions 51 . an n conductivity type region 55 formed in substrate 50 will accumulate electrical charge in response to ambient electromagnetic radiation . buried channel regions 56a and 56b , typically doped with phosphorus , arsenic or other n - type material , and regions 58a , 58b , and 58c , typically doped with boron or other p - type material , form barrier regions which change the potential profile of the structure in a manner which will be explained below . also shown schematically in fig2 a are electrodes overlying substrate 50 . electrode 59a is connected to receive signal φ t , while electrode 61a is connected to receive signal φ x . electrode 62 is connected to receive signal v pg . shown directly beneath the structure depicted in fig2 a are a series of potential profile diagrams designated fig2 b , 2c and 2d which depict how , upon application of signal φ x , an electrical charge 73 accumulated within region 55 may be transferred to the region beneath electrode 59a . once the charge is so transferred , it may be transferred out of the ccd by application of signals φ t and v t as will be described in conjunction with fig4 . the potential profile shown in fig2 b depicts the condition of the structure shown in fig2 a when signals φ x and φ t are each of zero potential . in this condition electrical charge accumulates in the potential well created by region 55 . the accumulated charge is depicted by the crosshatched region 73 in fig2 b . next , as shown in fig2 c , by increasing the potential of signal φ x , and thereby deepening the potential well beneath that electrode 61a , a portion of charge 76 is transferred from region 55 and temporarily stored beneath electrode 61a . next , as shown in fig2 d , the potential of signal φ t is increased to thereby allow the charge 76 stored beneath electrode 61a to be transferred to beneath electrode 59a and stored in region 56a . once the charge 78 is stored beneath electrode 59a in region 56a , the potential of signal φ x may be lowered to prevent any further charge from being transferred from region 55 to region 56a until appropriate signals φ t and v t are applied to transfer the charge 78 beneath electrode 59a in region 56a out of the ccd device into such other electronic circuitry as desired . fig3 is a simplified schematic view showing a cross - section of a series of four dark reference cells as they would appear if disposed at the opposite end of the active elements from the dark cells shown in fig1 that is , at the left end of a series of ccd photosensitive elements 1725 , 1726 , 1727 , and 1728 . the dark reference cells b4 , b5 , b6 , and b7 , are separated from adjoining active cells or other circuitry by isolation cells i1 and i2 . visible light is prevented from impinging upon dark cells b4 through b7 by cover 36 , which may be any suitable material , for example , aluminum . cover 36 is typically formed on an insulating layer 37 to prevent it from contacting the surface of substrate 50 or regions formed therein . dark cells b4 through b7 will generate a signal indicative only of conditions within substrate 50 , for example , temperature . the isolation cells i1 and i2 are reversed biased n + diffused diodes , and function to remove any stray charge carriers in that region . the isolation cells may be easily reversed biased by connecting them to aluminum light shield 36 as shown in fig3 and then applying the desired potential to shield 36 . fig4 a is a cross - sectional view taken through a portion of fig1 to show the operation of the white reference signal generator together with the operation of the end - of - scan indicator . the structure depicted in fig4 a is given the same numerical designations as the structure shown in fig1 . to generate the white reference signal two mos transistors 71 and 72 are used to generate a signal v r which is applied to region 38 . as shown in fig4 a the gate electrode of transistor 71 is connected to receive signal v t , while the drain electrode is connected to receive signal v dd . mos transistor 72 has a gate electrode connected to the source electrode which is connected to ground . transistor 72 in effect provides a constant current source to transistor 71 to create a signal v r which is substantially equal to v t minus a threshold voltage . by appropriate sizing of transistors 71 and 72 , signal v r may be chosen to inject any desired amount of charge . the maximum size of the injected packet of charge which a shift register may receive from the photosite , that is , the size of a saturation charge , will be determined by the barrier height v b caused by barriers 58 , and the physical dimensions of the region into which it is transferred , e . g ., region 80 . region 77 in fig4 d graphically depicts this amount . the amount of charge actually transferred from region 38 , however , can be a lesser amount , as determined by the potential barrier v b caused by barriers 58 , and the physical dimension of region 68 . this amount of charge is graphically depicted as region 75 in fig4 e . since the barrier heights are the same in both cases , the physical dimension 68 may be adjusted to restrict the white signal charge to a selected fraction of the saturation charge , for example corresponding to the upper limit of the linear range of sensitivity of the ccd photosites . one advantage of generating the white signal in the manner described above is that the magnitude of the signal may be altered by changing the dimensions of the structure rather than the parameters of the process . because dimensions typically may be more accurately controlled than the parameters of the process , this feature allows more accurate control of the white signal . in one embodiment the white signal charge is 80 percent of the saturation charge . in this manner a linear relationship will be created to thereby enable the signal generated by any particular photosensitive region 1 . . . 1728 to be precisely related to a linear range of grey tones between black and white . the charge accumulated within region 38 as a result of signal v r from transistor 71 and 72 may be transferred along the upper portion of the shift register 10 shown in fig1 and supplied to other circuitry to provide the white signal in the manner depicted in fig4 b through 4e . as shown in fig4 b , when signal φ x is low it creates a potential barrier trapping all charge 74 accumulated in region 38 as a result of signal v r . next , as shown in fig4 c , by maintaining signal φ t ( applied to electrode 39 ) at a low potential and increasing the potential of signal φ x 9 supplied to electrode 14 ), the charge 74 within region 38 will also accumulate beneath electrode 4 . signal φ t , held at a low potential , however , prevents the transfer of charge 74 from electrode 14 to electrode 39 . then , as shown in fig4 d , the potential of signal φ t applied to electrode 39 is increased while signal v t applied to electrode 65 is held at its previous level . this allows the charge 74 from beneath electrode 14 to be transferred to beneath electrode 39 . next , as shown in fig4 e , the potential of signal φ t applied to electrode 39 is decreased . this , in effect , separates a portion 75 of charge from the greater amount remaining beneath electrode 14 and in region 38 . this portion of charge 75 , as a result of potential φ t being lowered , is transferred to beneath electrode 65 . then , by continued pulsing of signal φ t the charge packet 75 may be transferred progressively from one electrode to the next , finally arriving at the right hand end of the upper portion of shift register 10 depicted in fig1 to thereby be supplied to such other circuitry as desired , depicted by arrow 30 . in the same manner as described above in conjunction with the upper portion of shift register 10 , the signal injected beneath electrode 39 also will be injected beneath electrode 42 . this signal will follow the 1728 signals generated by the 1728 photosites to provide an end - of - scan signal . the charge thereby injected may be utilized in a well known manner to activate some other electronic circuit to cause the ccd to be reset in preparation for transfer of a new set of charges from photosites 1 . . . 1728 to the shift registers . the structure of applicant &# 39 ; s invention provides numerous advantages over prior art structures . in particular , the black reference cells provide a black reference signal which is compensated for dark current signals , for temperature effects , for clock signal variation , for output amplifier variations , and , in general , for any errors introduced into all of the photosensitive regions . the white reference cell also provides substantial advantages by generating a signal indicative of white light or any desired shade of gray . additionally , the same white reference signal , when injected into a separate shift register , may be utilized to provide an end - of - scan indicator to reset the operation of the ccd device , thereby eliminating the need for prior art counting networks associated with large ccd devices .
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in fig1 the reference numeral 10 represents an ice making mechanism having a freezing portion which is refrigerated by an evaporator 14 of a freezing system 12 . to the freezing portion a desired amount of water is supplied from a water supply source 16 through an automatic valve 18 and then led into a water tank 20 which is communicated with the ice forming portion through a pump 22 to provide a water circulation system 24 . it is preferred to use an ice making mechanism in which the raw water is supplied in the form of a fountain or upwardly moving stream or a downwardly moving stream to grow the ice gradually . by the action of the pump , the water is circulated through the ice forming portion to grow the ice gradually as hereinbefore described while leaving impurities in the circulating raw water . after completion of freezing , the residual water with a high concentration of impurity is evacuated from the water tank 20 through a discharge pipe 26 while a hot gas of the freezing system 12 is supplied to the evaporator 14 to separate the ice mass from the freezing portion . the ice mass thus separate is harvested in an ice chamber 28 arranged under the ice making mechanism 10 where the ice mass is melted by means of an appropriate heating means 30 . in one embodiment of the invention , the heating means 30 comprises a condensing pipe 34 which is derived from an outlet of a compressor 32 arranged in the freezing system 12 and disposed in the bottom of the ice chamber 28 to achieve the melting of the ice mass as well as the condensation of the refrigerant passing through the condensing pipe 34 . the molten pure water with the partially or semi - molten ice mass drops through a cell 38 provided at the bottom of the ice chamber 28 into a water tank 36 where the pure water is stored at an appropriate temperature for the desired period , the cell 38 receiving the ice mass extending into the stored pure water . it will be appreciated that the water tank 36 is preferably coated with an appropriate heat insulating material . further , when the ice chamber 28 is vacant or the atmospheric temperature is extremely elevated to disturb the condensation of the refrigerant in the condensing pipe it is preferable to provide a second condensor 40 in the freezing system 12 for operation under the air cooling or the water cooling and also to provide a branch pipe 41 having at its branched connection a three way valve 43 for automatically charging the path for the refrigerant sensitive to the atmospheric temperature as best shown in fig1 . alternatively , before the condensing pipe 34 of the freezing system 12 arranged in the ice chamber 28 is provided a main condenser of the freezing system 12 to achieve the melting of the ice mass as well as the condensation of the refrigerant effectively . an outlet pipe 44 extends from one side of the water tank 36 through a valve means 42 which is manually or automatically operated to remove the pure water from the water tank 36 . the water tank 36 is preferably provided with a water level detector 46 which detects a predetermined upper water level of the pure water in the tank to suspend the operation of the freezing system 12 thereby stopping the ice making operation and also detects a predetermined lower water level of the pure water in the tank to reoperate the freezing system 12 for the ice making operation through a controlled circuit . further , in accordance with the present invention , in order to facilitate the melting of the ice mass , another convenient heating means such as an electric heater or a steam heater may be used alone or together with the condensing pipe as hereinbefore described . moreover , an ice supply means 29 , such as a pipe may be mounted on the ice tank 28 in addition to the outlet pipe 44 so that the ice mass may be supplied separately from the pure water if desired . the valve means 42 provided in the outlet pipe 44 may be associated with a coin controlled means ( not shown ) to provide a pure water supply dispensing machine . in accordance with the present invention , undesired impurities are eliminated from the raw water when circulated in the ice making mechanism and the ice mass or the cubic ice when removed from the freezing portion is subjected to melt - washing , i . e . the surface of the ice is washed by melting to eliminate all impurities deposited on the surface of the ice so that extremely pure water may be obtained . the ice making mechanism as illustrated in fig2 is comprised of a vertical freezing plate 48 , a water tank 50 disposed under the plate 48 for storing the raw water of a predetermined quantity and a water circulation system 56 through which the water in the raw water tank 50 is circulated through a pump 52 and supplied through a dispersion nozzle 54 onto the top of the freezing plate 48 . to remove the formed ice from the freezing plate 48 , a hot gas is passed through the evaporator 14 to drop the ice plate downwardly by its own gravity for fine division by means of an appropriate crusher 58 . the residual water in the raw water tank 50 is discharged in every ice making cycle . the ice making machine as illustrated in fig3 comprises a freezing chamber 48 having a number of ice making cells opened in the downward direction , and a water tank 50 for storing the raw water of a predetermined quantity . the raw water is supplied from the raw water tank 50 to the freezing chamber 48 through a water circulation system 56 including a pump 52 and an injection nozzle 54 . to remove the formed ice from the cells , a hot gas is passed through the evaporator 14 to drop the formed cubic ice onto a receptacle 60 positioned at an inclination under the freezing chamber 48 . the receptacle 60 is provided with slits 62 which permit passing of the water injected through the injection nozzle 54 . in another embodiment of the ice making mechanism as illustrated in fig4 the freezing plate 48 having a number of ice making cells opened in the downwardly tilting direction is vertically disposed and provided with a nozzle 54 for dispersing the raw water to the top of the freezing plate 48 and the raw water stored in the tank 50 disposed under the freezing plate 48 is supplied through a pump 52 to the dispersion nozzle 54 for the down streaming of the raw water over each of the cells of the freezing plate 48 with growth of the ice in the cell while the residual water being circulated into the water tank 50 thereby to provide a water circulation system 56 . to remove the formed ice from each cell , a hot gass is passed through the evaporator 14 to drop the cubic ice by its gravity in the downward direction . further , the ice making mechanism as illustrated in fig5 is comprised of a freezing chamber 48 , a water tank 50 and a water circulation system 56 as shown in fig3 and upon removal of the formed ice from the freezing plate , a hot gas is passed through the evaporator 14 to drop the cubic ice by tilting a bottom pan of the freezing chamber 48 while discharging the residual water in the water tank 50 through a drain pan 63 . analysis of pure water obtained in accordance with the present invention as compared with raw water is mentioned below . ______________________________________ rate ofobjectives raw water pure water elimination______________________________________nitric ion 46ppm less than 0 . 4ppm 99 % chloride ion 200ppm less than 3ppm 98 . 5 % potassiumpermangnate 9 . 5ppm 0 . 5ppm 94 . 7 % fluorine 0 . 7ppm less than 0 . 1ppm 85 . 7 % evaporatedresidue 410ppm 5ppm 98 . 7 % iron 3 . 83ppm 0 . 04ppm 98 . 9 % bacteria 14 / ml 0 / ml 100 % hardness 14 5 softened______________________________________ from fig6 it will be appreciated that a nutritious substance bed 65 containing grannular , fibrous , segmental or powder material may be disposed at the positions a , b , c , or d , i . e . in front of , in or behind the pure water storing tank 36 to have the pure water impregnated with nutritious substances such as calcium , magnesium , potassium and the like . otherwise , liquid nitritious material may be dripped into the pure water . from the explanation hereinbefore described , it will be appreciated that any kind of water such as rainwater , river water , pond water and lake water may be used in the apparatus according to the invention and the apparatus may be conveniently installed in every water supply system . while certain preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated by way of example in the drawings and particularly described , it will be understood that various modifications may be made in the methods and constructions and that the invention is no way limited to the embodiments shown .
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fig1 through 3 show a cassette 1 having a top part 2 and a bottom part 3 put together so that the joint is lighttight . the cassette 1 has a housing wall 4 , braced by reinforcing ribs 5 , and two end walls 6 , 7 connected by the housing wall 4 . the housing wall 4 encloses the periphery of a roll 8 of a web material 9 , particularly a light - sensitive film on a cardboard core 10 . the material 9 and the cardboard core 10 have the same width . the cardboard core 10 is inserted at both ends onto a bearing flange 11 joined to a flanged disk 12 . the flanged disk abuts the roll 8 and thus prevents the film 9 from telescoping . in addition , the flanged disk 12 connects the bearing flange 11 with a journal 13 supported by an inset of a bearing box 14 in a bearing formed from two bearing shells 15 , 16 . in this manner , the roll 8 can rotate freely , that is , with little friction , in the cassette 1 . fig2 shows how the material 9 is passed through a slot 17 formed between the top part 2 and the bottom part 3 ; the slot 17 extends approximately parallel to the axis of the roll 8 . both sides of the slot 17 are provided with a lining 18 , 19 of velvet , plush , or the like to seal the slot 17 against stray light and simultaneously to prevent damage to the film 9 by scratching or the like . fig2 shows the course of the film 9 for the maximum diameter d max , that is , for a full roll 8 , and for the minimum diameter d min , that is , a completely empty roll 8 . both ends 6 , 7 have two rails 21 , 22 extending approximately perpendicularly to the joint between the top part 2 and the bottom part 3 . the rails are provided only on the part of the ends 6 , 7 associated with top part 2 . a clamping element 23 is inserted into the rails 21 , 22 . the space between the inner side of the rails and the respective end wall increases with decreasing distance from the joint between the top part 2 and the bottom part 3 . the clamping element 23 has a handle 24 and an indicator mark 25 to show in which direction the clamping element is to be moved to release the locking action on the roll 8 . on the face of the clamping element 23 away from the handle 24 is a rounded protrusion 26 that slides on the outer side of the end wall 7 . when the clamping element 23 is moved downward , that is , in the direction of the joint between the top part 2 and the bottom part 3 , in the rails 21 , 22 , the protrusion 26 applies increasing pressure on the wall of the end element 7 , which has a thin wall sector 27 , and moves the wall inwards , that is , onto the end surface of the roll 8 . the clamping element can be slid in the top part 2 to the end of the rails 21 , 22 in the direction of the joint . in this position , the thin wall sector 27 in the end 7 is moved the farthest in the direction of the roll 8 into the interior of the cassette . fig4 shows that , at this position , the end wall 7 has a projection 28 . the flanged disk 12 has a peripheral flange 29 on a radius opposite this projection 28 . sliding the clamping element 23 in the rails 21 and 22 , thus generates a very firm friction lock of the end wall 7 with the roll 8 , or more accurately , its flanged disk 12 . in the position shown in fig3 the clamping element 23 thus reliably prevents the roll 8 from rotating . the stress caused by the clamping element 23 in the end wall is limited to the thin wall sector 27 . there is no risk of deforming the top part 2 or the bottom part 3 and thus opening the joint between the two parts . this assures that the cassette 1 is also lighttight in the locked position . for release from the locked position , the clamping element 23 is merely shifted outwards , for example , until the protrusion 26 is at the top of the housing wall 4 . the clamping element 23 can also be removed completely from the rails 21 , 22 . to relock the roll 8 , for example , if a partially emptied cassette 8 has to be removed from an exposure apparatus , the clamping element 23 has only to be reinserted into the rails 21 , 22 . the above - described clamping structure provides , on at least one end of the cassette 1 , an externally controllable brake device that , in a predetermined angle sector , effects an adjustable friction lock between the end wall and the associated end surface of the roll . before the cassette is used , the brake device is loosened so that the friction lock between the end wall of the housing and the end surface of the roll is released . the roll can then be unwound in a manner such that only the bearing friction of the roll has to be overcome . if the cassette has to be transported , for example , after being loaded , or if a film change is required in the exposure equipment , the brake device is actuated so that the end wall comes into friction contact with the end surface of the roll . this does not mean that the roll can no longer be rotated . the force or holding moment must only be great enough to oppose the internal tension of the roll that would result in twisting . as , in this manner , the brake device acts only in a predetermined angle segment on the end surface of the roll , stresses in the housing are largely avoided . it is no longer necessary to have , between the two end walls , a conventional tensioning device that can also deform the housing wall . the brake device on the end wall operates self - sufficiently for all practical purposes . it is advantageous for the brake device to generate the friction lock in a sector between a predetermined first and a predetermined second radius on the end surface . the braking moment can be determined easily by the selection of this sector . the farther away this sector is from the location of the friction lock , the lower must be the force applied by the friction lock in order to produce a predetermined moment of braking . furthermore , with this arrangement , it is necessary only to deform a relatively small sector of the end in the radial direction , so that stresses in the housing are readily avoided . a preferred embodiment is a two - piece housing having a top part and a bottom part , each comprising a part of the housing wall and both end surfaces . this embodiment really shows the advantage of the innovation . as the two end walls do not have to be moved toward each other , this eliminates the risk that possible stresses in the housing wall will produce a gap in the joint between the top and bottom parts , particularly in the film dispensing slot . on the other hand , such a cassette can be easily loaded in the sense that a roll can be placed in the prefabricated bottom part , and then the top part is put in place . after the brake device is actuated , the cassette is ready for transport . it is advantageous for the brake device to be positioned only on the top part or only on the bottom part . positioning the brake device on only one of the two parts simplifies production . the brake device can be prefabricated on the top part or on the bottom part . when the top and bottom parts are joined , a complex connection for the brake device is not needed . it is advantageous for the brake device to have a clamping element that is operated externally on rails on the end wall and , at a predetermined location , applies pressure on and bends inward a part of the end wall located between the rails . the area of the end wall under pressure yields inwardly under the pressure , so that it comes into contact with the end area of the roll and together they produce a friction lock . the area that has to yield is thus kept relatively small . therefore , stresses in the housing are largely avoided . in this embodiment , it is preferable to have the end wall between the rails slightly thinner , particularly at the point where the clamping element applies pressure . this facilitates the deformation by pressure . it is desirable for the end wall to have a slight protrusion on its inner surface at the point where the clamping element applies pressure . the protrusion , which has a relatively small surface contacting the end surface of the roll , makes it possible for the pressure applied by the clamping element to be converted into a much greater pressure that the protrusion applies against the end surface of the roll . the use of pliable material on the end surface of the roll permits in practice a transition from a friction lock to a fixed lock . to release the lock of the brake device , the clamping element can be removed completely from the cassette . however , it is also advantageous to be able to move it to a position in which it does not apply pressure on the end wall . this reduces the risk of losing the clamping element . in a preferred embodiment , the roll has at least one flanged disk at the end on which the brake device is located . a flanged disk is a disk that covers the end of the roll and prevents the roll from telescoping . in the innovation , the flanged disk is now also used to enable a friction locking action with the end wall . this has the advantage that the friction locking action can take place with a large and always constant radius without concern that braking the roll might not be possible as the diameter of the roll decreases . this also prevents damage to the web material from the roll touching the end wall . it is advantageous for the flanged disk to have a peripheral flange facing outwards in the axial direction , against which the brake device generates the friction lock . the flange reinforces the disk and resists the pressure applied through the end wall , thus improving the friction lock . on the other hand , the entire flanged disk does not have to be as thick as the flange , because this would increase the price and weight of the cassette . only in the flange area is there a relatively small space between the flanged disk and the end wall that must be bridged by the movement of the end wall due to the pressure applied by the brake device . it is also advantageous for the flange to be located in the region of the largest diameter of the flanged disk . this produces the greatest braking moment at constant brake pressure . it is especially advantageous for the flange surface facing the end wall to have a high friction structure , in particular , a radial corrugation . this requires considerably lower pressure for the same braking moment .
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fig1 shows different sectors of wood supply in the form of a chart , where the blocks of the chart illustrate data to be used in planning or to be produced by means of planning . the connections between the blocks illustrate the data used as a basis for generating other data , and the factors affecting them . the data used include , for example , geographical information or other information from a database , or information to be obtained elsewhere , for example forecast information . the data to be used are obtained , for example , from operators maintaining and / or predicting condition data . the processed data formed in the blocks may also be used as data material for other blocks . the data to be formed and the optimization are based on , for example , decisions , algorithms , models , or rules , which utilize various data material available . the system and the method according to the chart are implemented preferably in a data system utilizing various databases or other data storages located in a telecommunications network and its data systems based on computers , servers and networks , which the users of the system utilize and which are used for storing data collected either automatically or manually . block 1 illustrates the demand and need of various production plants ( en 1 ( energy ), en 2 , se 1 ( pulp ), se 2 , pa 1 ( paper ), pa 2 , sa 1 ( sawmill ), sa 2 , va 1 ( plywood ), va 2 , etc .) for a given planning period , and forms a basis for optimization 13 , which , on the basis of available data ( e . g . demand of production plants , situation at terminals , situation in storages , stands in reserve ), draws up a transportation plan 14 and a harvesting plan 14 for the reserve of stands marked for cutting . the transportation plan 15 defines the transportation from the different stands ( l 1 , l 2 , etc .) and storage points , such as roadside storages ( v 1 , v 2 , etc .) and terminals ( t 1 , t 2 , etc .) to the different production plants . in the harvesting plan 14 , it is also possible , according to one example , to select the forest machine according to the stand , or , if necessary , even according to the logging contractor , on the basis of the harvestability and transportability , particularly the bearing capacity index . in one example , the forest machines are allocated a bearing capacity classification 16 , on the basis of which the selection is made . in an alternative example , the harvesting plan merely contains data on the bearing capacity index , on the basis of which the person performing the harvesting makes the choice on the machine himself ; for example , harvesting contractor 21 is feasible , as shown in fig2 . a reserve 5 of stands has been provided according to the prior art by utilizing data on forest resources . the data can also be obtained automatically , for example by laser scanning , and the stands can also be formed automatically . stands can also be included in the reserve 5 of stands in other ways . road network data 3 and soil data 4 are available , for example , in the form of geographic information , and they are used to form e . g . a bearing capacity index . the assortment of wood products ( en , se , pa , sa , va , etc .) and the quantities of the different wood products to be obtained from the reserve of stands and from single stands is given , for example , in the form of a list or a table . at this stage , each wood product is allocated to a given purpose , such as energy , pulp , paper , sawmill , plywood . the use will be determined , for example , by the detected diameter of the trunk , so that wood raw material from the same stand will be transported to even several different production plants . the allocation will be guided by the demand . information on the harvestability and transportability of the road network is available in the bearing capacity classification 6 of the road network . the bearing capacity classification 6 and the condition data 7 , which describe primarily the present situation , such as the soil moisture content and the snow depth , are combined with the data on the reserve 5 of stands . each stand is located in a given locality , so the condition data are preferably specific to the locality . for example , county or province specific data on the conditions can also be used as condition data for the stands . limitations 18 on the use of the road network may also be applied , as shown in fig2 . the limitations relate particularly to limitations or prohibitions of use because of poor or impassable road conditions . algorithms , models or computations are used to determine the updated , real - time usability 8 of the stand , which in this example is indicated by a bearing capacity index . the updating can be performed sufficiently often , even several times a week . the usability is determined for the whole reserve or a subset of stands on the basis of e . g . a limited geographical area . the bearing capacity classification 6 and the condition data 7 are also combined with the data on the roadside storages , wherein the updated , real - time usability 9 of the roadside storages is obtained , which in this example is indicated by a bearing capacity index . the harvestability and transportability must be at a sufficient level so that the stand or roadside storage would be usable during the planning period . if the level is not sufficient , then suitable or sufficient harvesting and transport equipment is not available to perform the harvesting and transportation to achieve a supply that meets the demand . harvesting under difficult conditions may also require special equipment , or it is more difficult , which may unnecessarily increase the costs . in the case of a large reserve of stands , stands marked for cutting are always found for harvesting , but the data systern will now indicate the stands to be harvested or the storages available . from the list of stands , it is possible to select , for example , stands with a given bearing capacity index to be harvested , and these are used to satisfy the demand at each time . if more stands are needed , it is also possible to include stands with a higher bearing capacity index , according to the need . in an example , the presented system is also used for optimizing the costs . preferably , harvesting should also be carried out in such stands whose bearing capacity index is only rarely at a sufficient level . those stands whose bearing capacity index is almost always at a sufficient level can be utilized particularly at times when the bearing capacity indices are reduced in general , because of difficult conditions . the impact of different factors can be weighted by optimization , and the final outcome will comprise the stands 10 available for the planning period and the data on the quantity and assortment of timber in them . the optimization result can also be influenced by taking various cost factors into account . the situation varies according to the updates , but an accurate list of stands and data on the quantities and assortments of timber can be continuously maintained for all stands , and storages as well . the harvestability and transportability of roadside storages must also be at a sufficient level . the result of the optimization will be roadside storages 11 and data on the quantities and assortments of timber in them , usable for the planning period . data on the quantities and assortments of timber in the terminals 12 are available . the timber is available at almost any time . by combining the data from the blocks 10 , 11 and 12 in the data system , the necessary optimization 13 is performed , producing the harvesting plan 14 and the transportation plan 15 . the object is to provide a supply that meets the demand in different production plants within the planning period . the data of the blocks 10 , 11 and 12 are available for the present and in many cases also for a given period in the future , and even for the whole planning period , if the conditions are not drastically changed . changes in the harvestability and transportability , that is , the bearing capacity index , affect particularly the block 10 . provisions for changes in the conditions can be made e . g . by means of storages . the timber can be obtained from a storage , if it is not available from the selected stands , as planned . for producing the harvesting plan 14 , data of the block 8 on the harvestability and transportability of the stand are utilized . as shown in fig2 , for the formation of the harvesting plan , it is also possible to make a prediction which is primarily based on a forecast on the changes of conditions in the locality of the stand . the data available is , for example , a weather forecast , particularly relating to the temperature and the amount of rainfall . the data are obtained , as already mentioned above , from operators maintaining and / or predicting condition data . the condition prediction 19 is combined with the data of the block 8 , wherein the predicted availability 20 of the stand is obtained , relating to all the stands or only some specific stands . for producing the harvesting plan 14 , data of the block 20 on the harvestability and transportability of the stand are utilized , based on the prediction . the prediction can be used to schedule the measures of the harvesting plan more accurately or to secure the realization of the harvesting plan . the systems according to fig1 and 2 are implemented by means of a suitable data system , on the basis of e . g . computers . blocks 8 to 15 and block 20 can be implemented in the same data system which utilizes e . g . geographical information or other material , for example for the blocks 5 , 6 , 7 , and 16 , as well as for block 19 . in an example , the bearing capacity index is primarily determined according to the soil type . for determining the bearing capacity index , it is possible to use various models which may be even complex , but in some examples , e . g . tabulation and computation can be utilized . the basis may be , for example , a basic bearing capacity index given for the soil type , to be increased or decreased by the conditions according to certain terms . the bearing capacity index of the soil type may also be affected by said additional attributes of the soil type and also by other constant factors which may be used , if desired , for example stone content . a criterion for meeting the terms is , for example , various condition data . different soil types may differ in meeting the terms . when a desired number of conditions and other factors are taken into account , if they should be sufficiently taken into account according to the terms , the bearing capacity index is finally obtained . in addition to climatic conditions , the conditions may also include other variable factors , such as properties of the growing stock , for example the quantity of growing stock or the relations between tree species . in an example , the bearing capacity index may receive a value between 0 and 12 , and the value 6 gives a bearing capacity for soil on which most typical forest machines can be driven . for the soil types , the soil type with the best bearing capacity receives the value 6 , and the soil type with the poorest bearing capacity receives the value 0 . said value is a kind of a basic bearing capacity index . various factors , particularly conditions , affect the bearing capacity index either negatively or positively . for example , an increasing frost depth will have an adding effect by a value from + 0 to + 6 , an increasing snow depth will have an adding effect by a value from + 0 to + 4 , and an increasing rainfall amount for a given period will have a subtracting effect by a value from − 0 to − 2 . the felling method will have an effect on the bearing capacity index ; for example , thinning will have an effect by the value of − 1 . in thinning , the dominant tree species will have an effect on the bearing capacity index ; for example , spruce as the dominant species will have an effect by the value of − 1 . on peaty soils , the increasing quantity of growing stock will affect the bearing capacity value by a value from − 1 to + 3 . various terms and rules for the interactions of different factors can also be created on how they affect the computation of the bearing capacity index . if necessary , it is also possible to take other factors into account , increasing or reducing the bearing capacity index . the aim is to automate the computation of the bearing capacity index as far as possible in the data system , on the basis of the data collected and stored by the data system . when the behaviour of a soil type is examined for a given moment of time in the future , the basic bearing capacity is changed , depending on the conditions prevailing at said moment of time . thus , for example , the forecast rainfall for said moment of time , or forecast changes in amounts of rainfall in the time window between said moment of time and the present moment of time , will be utilized . instead of the present time , it is also possible to use another moment of time , at which the state of the stand is known sufficiently accurately , particularly with respect to the bearing capacity index . in an example , real time data are used as the data for the present moment of time , for example the real - time bearing capacity index , whose change is evaluated by means of said forecasts . by means of updating the condition data and the forecast data , also the predicted bearing capacity index is constantly changed . the bearing capacity classification of the forest machine can be determined to correspond to the above - presented bearing capacity index , or there is a clear interdependence between them . different machine types , such as harvesters and forwarders , are classified , for example , on the basis of the bearing capacity index needed by said forest machine to perform harvesting or transportation successfully . for example , a typical loaded forwarder receives the value of 6 , and a forwarder with special equipment and causing a low surface pressure will receive the value of 4 . a harvester will receive a value that is even lower than this . the bearing capacity classification is based on the more specific properties of the forest machine , which are also affected by the equipment . the bearing capacity classification can be determined primarily on the basis of the surface pressure caused by the forest machine on the soil . by means of the bearing capacity classification and the bearing capacity index , a clear picture is formed on which stands can be harvested and how the forest machinery meets the local conditions . fig3 illustrates the variation of the bearing capacity index of two different example stands in time , for example during the period between the signing of the timber sale contract and the harvesting of the stand . in the figure , the area between the broken lines also illustrates the bearing capacity class or classes , on which the harvesting is typically focused . the bearing capacity index for a given moment indicates either the real - time bearing capacity index or a predicted bearing capacity index . both bearing capacity indices can also be included in the same figure , wherein it is possible e . g . to follow up the outcome of the prediction of the bearing capacity index . by means of the follow up , it is possible to develop and adjust the computation , models or algorithms . the data on the change of the bearing capacity index can also be stored in a database , wherein the history data on the stand or range can also be utilized later on , if necessary , for example for compilation of statistics or planning of harvesting . the invention is not limited solely to the above - presented examples , but it can be applied within the scope of the appended claims .
| 8 |
the reason for limiting each component in the heat - resistant glass of the present invention will be explained hereinafter . sio 2 is a glass - forming component and essential in the present invention . when the content of sio 2 is less than 30 %, the liquidus temperature ( l . t .) of the glass increases . further , when the content of sio 2 exceeds 45 %, the expansion coefficient of the glass is small . the content of sio 2 is therefore limited to 30 - 45 %. the content of sio 2 is preferably 32 to 43 %. b 2 o 3 is has the effect of decreasing the liquidus temperature by adding it to silicate glass , and it is therefore essential in the present invention . when the content of b 2 o 3 is less than 1 %, the liquidus temperature of the glass increases . when the above content exceeds 10 %, the expansion coefficient of the glass is small . the content of b 2 o 3 is therefore limited to 1 - 10 %. the content of b 2 o 3 is preferably 3 - 8 %. al 2 o 3 has the effect of improving the chemical durability and the liquidus temperature ( l . t .) of the glass , and it is therefore essential in the present invention . when the content of al 2 o 3 is less than 1 %, the chemical durability deteriorates , and the liquidus temperature increases . when the above content exceeds 7 %, the expansion coefficient is small . the content of al 2 o 3 is therefore limited to 1 - 7 %. the content of al 2 o 3 is preferably 3 - 5 %. bao and sro have the effect of decreasing the liquidus temperature when added in a proper amount , and they are essential in the present invention . when the content of sro is less than 1 % or greater than 17 %, or when the content of bao is less than 22 %, or 35 % or more , the liquidus temperature increases . the content of sro is therefore limited to 1 - 17 %, and the content of bao is therefore limited to at least 22 %-- less than 35 %. the content of sro is preferably 3 - 15 %, and the content of bao is preferably 26 - 33 %. mgo and cao have the effect of decreasing the liquidus temperature and increasing the expansion coefficient of the glass when added in a proper amount . at least one of these two components is therefore essential in the present invention . when the content of mgo exceeds 5 %, or the content of cao exceeds 14 %, the liquidus temperature increases . the content of mgo is therefore limited to 0 - 5 %, and the content of cao is therefore limited to 0 - 14 %. the content of mgo is preferably 0 - 4 %, particularly preferably 0 to 3 % by weight . the content of cao is preferably 0 -- less than 10 %, particularly preferably 0 . 5 to 9 . 5 % by weight . further , when the total amount of mgo and cao is 4 % or less , the liquidus temperature ( l . t .) increases , and the expansion coefficient decreases . further , when the above total amount exceeds 16 %, the liquidus temperature also increases . the total amount of mgo and cao is therefore limited to over 4 % to 16 %. the total amount of mgo and cao is preferably 4 . 5 to 14 %. la 2 o 3 is an optional component , and the liquidus temperature can be decreased , or the glass sag temperature ( ts ) can be adjusted , by adding a proper amount of la 2 o 3 . however , when the content of la 2 o 3 exceeds 14 %, the liquidus temperature increases . the content of la 2 o 3 is therefore limited to 0 - 14 %. the content of la 2 o 3 is preferably 0 - 12 %. zro 2 , zno and tio 2 are optional components , which decrease the liquidus temperature , and improve the chemical durability , when added in a proper amount . however , when the content of zro 2 exceeds 8 %, or when the content of zno or tio 2 exceeds 5 %, the heat expansion coefficient ( α ) is small , and the intended heat expansion characteristic cannot be obtained . the content of zro 2 is therefore limited to 0 - 8 %, the content of zno is therefore limited to 0 - 5 %, and the content of tio 2 is therefore limited to 0 - 5 %. preferably , the content of zro 2 is 0 - 6 %, the content of zno is 0 - 4 %, and the content of tio 2 is 0 - 4 %. as 2 o 3 , sb 2 o 3 , sno 2 and so 3 are optional components , which are effective as a clarifier when added in a proper amount . however , any one of these degrades the devitrification resistance if added in an amount of over 2 %. the content of each of as 2 o 3 , sb 2 o 3 , sno 2 and so 3 is therefore limited to 0 - 2 %. further , components such as nb 2 o 5 , ta 2 o 5 , wo 3 , gd 2 o 3 , pbo , bi 2 o 3 , teo 2 and p 2 o 5 may be added to such an extent that the object of the present invention is not impaired . as raw materials for the heat - resistant glass of the present invention , any component may be used in the form of hydroxide , carbonate , nitrate , sulfate or oxide as required . these materials are weighed in a desired weight ratio and mixed to prepare a raw material blend , the blend is charged into a melting furnace heated to 1 , 200 ° c .- 1 , 500 ° c ., melted and clarified , and then stirred to prepare a homogeneous material , the homogeneous material is cast into a mold , and the cast material is gradually cooled , whereby the heat - resistant glass of the present invention can be obtained . the heat - resistant glass of the present invention preferably has a glass sag temperature ( ts ) of at least 670 ° c . and a heat expansion coefficient ( α ), measured between 100 ° c . and 300 ° c ., of 78 × 10 - 7 /° c . to 92 × 10 - 7 /° c . further , the heat - resistant glass of the present invention preferably has a liquidus temperature of 1 , 020 ° c . or lower , or shows no liquidus temperature , and it preferably has a volume resistivity of 40 . 0 - 300 . 0 × 10 14 ωcm . the above heat - resistant glass of the present invention is molded into the shape of a plate , whereby a substrate glass for an image display device such as plasma display can be obtained . molding to the shape of a plate can be carried out by any one of a known floating method and a known down draw method without divitrification of the glass . the use of the obtained plate - shaped glass is not limited to the above , and the plate - shaped glass can be used for other glass display method . the present invention will be explained with reference to examples hereinafter . raw materials for each glass were blended so as to obtain compositions shown in table 1 . the raw material blend was placed in a crucible formed of platinum and heated to 1 , 400 ° c . with an electric melting furnace to melt it . the melt is cast into a mold , and the casting was gradually cooled to give glass samples in examples 1 to 5 . the glass samples were measured for liquidus temperatures ( l . t . ), glass sag temperatures ( ts ), heat expansion coefficients ( α ) and volume resistivities ( ρv ). in the measurement for liquidus temperatures ( l . t . ), a glass sample was maintained in a devitrification test furnace having a temperature gradient of 600 ° c .- 1 , 100 ° c . for 1 hour , and then observed through a microscope at a magnification ratio of 100 times for a presence or an absence of a crystal . an boundary between a temperature at which a crystal was present and a temperature at which a crystal was absent was taken as a liquidus temperature . showing no liquidus temperature means that a crystal was absent in the entire temperature range of from 600 ° c . to 1 , 100 ° c . after the glass sample was maintained for 1 hour . in the measurements for glass sag temperatures ( ts ) and heat expansion coefficients ( α ), with a heat expansion measuring apparatus , a cylindrical glass sample having a diameter of 4 mm and a length of 15 - 20 mm was temperature - increased at a rate of 8 ° c ./ minute with a load of 10 g being exerted on the sample . and , a temperature at which the expansion of the glass sample was terminated by the load was taken as a glass sag temperature , and an average linear expansion coefficient in the range of from 100 ° c . to 300 ° c . was taken as a heat expansion coefficient of which the unit was 10 - 7 /° c . in the measurement for volume resistivities ( ρv ) ( ω · cm ), a glass sample both surfaces of which were polished and which had a diameter of 26 . 5 mm and a thickness of 1 mm was measured with r8340a supplied by &# 34 ; advantest &# 34 ; at a temperature of 20 ° c . at a humidity of 50 %. glass samples having high alkali contents were prepared according to examples of jp - a - 7 - 101748 , and measured for liquidus temperatures , glass sag temperatures , heat expansion coefficients and volume resistivities in the same manner as in examples 1 - 5 . table 2 shows the results . glass samples having a bao content of 35 wt % or more were prepared according to examples 1 and 6 of jp - a - 4 - 46035 , and measured for liquidus temperatures , glass sag temperatures , heat expansion coefficients and volume resistivities in the same manner as in examples 1 - 5 . table 3 shows the results . a glass sample in which the total amount of mgo and cao was 4 % or less ( 1 . 4 %) was prepared according to the specification of u . s . pat . no . 5 , 459 , 109 , and measured for liquidus temperatures , glass sag temperatures , heat expansion coefficients and volume resistivities in the same manner as in examples 1 - 5 . table 3 shows the results . table 1______________________________________ examples 1 2 3 4 5______________________________________sio . sub . 2 32 42 36 37 36b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 8 4 3 3 3al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 3 5 3 3 3mgo 3 3 3cao 4 . 5 5 . 8 6 1 . 5 9 . 5mgo + cao 4 . 5 5 . 8 9 4 . 5 12 . 5sro 3 . 3 10 13 12 3 . 5bao 30 33 26 30 . 5 32la . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 10 5 5 5zro . sub . 2 2 5 5 5li . sub . 2 ona . sub . 2 ok . sub . 2 ozno 4tio . sub . 2 3 sb . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 as . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 0 . 2 0 . 2liquidus * 980 1 , 020 940 990temperature ( l . t .) (° c . ) glass sag temperature 705 724 766 747 735 ( ts ) (° c . ) heat expansion co - 83 82 86 80 84efficient ( α ) (× 10 . sup .- 7 /° c . ) volume resistivity 61 . 92 148 . 1 273 . 1 149 . 6 128 . 8 ( ρv )(× 10 . sup . 14 ω · cm ) ______________________________________ * showing no liquidus temperature table 2______________________________________ comparative examples 1 2 3 4 5 6______________________________________sio . sub . 2 59 . 1 66 . 5 63 . 1 63 . 4 62 . 9 62 . 7b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 4 . 2 2 . 2 2 . 4 2 . 4 4 . 2 4 . 2mgo 3 . 5 3 . 9 3 . 5 3 . 5 3 . 5 3 . 5cao 6 . 2 6 . 4 8 . 4 8 . 2 6 . 9 6 . 9mgo + cao 9 . 7 10 . 3 11 . 9 11 . 7 10 . 4 10 . 4sro 2 . 5 3 . 3bao 12 . 5 5 . 5 9 . 0 5 . 5 9 . 5 9 . 5la . sub . 2 o . sub . 3zro . sub . 2 1 . 5li . sub . 2 o 0 . 6 0 . 6 0 . 6 1 . 8 0 . 6 0 . 6na . sub . 2 o 9 . 8 9 . 8 11 . 5 9 . 8 9 . 6 9 . 8k . sub . 2 o 2 . 6 2 . 6 1 . 5 2 . 6 2 . 6 2 . 6znotio . sub . 2 ceo . sub . 2 0 . 2liquidus -- -- -- -- -- temperature ( l . t .) (° c . ) glass sag 587 594 574 555 590 589temperature ( ts ) (° c . ) heat expansion 99 91 98 101 94 93coefficient ( α )(× 10 . sup .- 7 /° c . ) volume 25 . 88 14 . 72 4 . 10 54 . 46 19 . 62 2 . 30resistivity ( ρv )(× 10 . sup . 14 ω · cm ) ______________________________________ table 3______________________________________ comparative examples 7 8 9______________________________________sio . sub . 2 31 . 8 33 . 3 42 . 5b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 3 . 8 4 . 0 3 . 6al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 4 . 4 4 . 6 5 . 1mgo 0 . 1cao 4 . 3 4 . 6 0 . 7mgo + cao 4 . 3 4 . 6 0 . 7sro 2 . 3 2 . 4 19 . 3bao 41 . 6 43 . 7 28 . 5la . sub . 2 o . sub . 3zro . sub . 2li . sub . 2 ona . sub . 2 ok . sub . 2 ozno 4 . 4 7 . 4tio . sub . 2 y . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 as . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 7 . 4 1 . 1liquidus 1 , 100 1 , 040 1 , 040temperature ( l . t .) (° c . ) glass sag 734 701 709temperature ( ts ) (° c . ) heat expansion 87 88 79coefficient ( α ) (× 10 . sup .- 7 /° c . ) volume resistivity -- -- --( ρv )(× 10 . sup . 14 ω · cm ) ______________________________________ as shown in table 2 , the glass samples obtained in comparative examples 1 to 6 show a glass sag temperature of less than 600 ° c . since the alkali contents thereof are 9 to 16 %, and they are therefore not sufficient in heat resistance . further , these glass samples have small volume resistivities and are therefore poor in insulation properties . the glass samples obtained in comparative examples 7 and 8 have liquidus temperatures of 1 , 040 ° c . or higher , since the bao contents thereof are more than 35 wt %. when a sample having this glass composition is sheet - molded , the molding is possible only when the molding temperature is less than 1 , 040 ° c . regardless of a molding method , since the viscosity of the glass is too low . therefore , the glass samples in comparative examples 7 and 8 have high liquidus temperatures . the glass sample obtained in comparative example 9 has a small mgo + cao total content of less than 4 % ( 1 . 4 %). as a result , the glass sample has a high liquidus temperature , and clearly , it is liable to undergo devitrification and is not suitable for mass production . on the other hand , as shown in table 1 , all of the glass samples in examples 1 to 5 have glass sag temperatures of higher than 670 ° c . and liquidus temperatures of 1 , 020 ° c . or lower . as a result , the glass samples are free from devitrification during sheet molding , and these glass have heat resistance properties that their sheets are free of deformation even when they are temperature - increased up to 600 ° c . further , the heat expansion coefficient of these glass samples are in the range of from 78 × 10 - 7 /° c . to 92 × 10 - 7 /° c . so that conventional dielectric materials and sealing glass frit can be used together with these glass samples as they are . moreover , these glass samples have volume resistivities greater than those of the glass samples obtained in comparative examples 1 to 6 , and they are therefore excellent in electrical insulation properties . according to the present invention , there is provided a glass which is excellent in heat resistance , devitrification resistance , electrical insulation properties and heat expansion properties , and which can be used as a glass sheet - shaped article such as a substrate for plasma display .
| 2 |
fig2 shows the field emission ( electron ) gun assembly which includes a source assembly which holds the cathode ( emitter ). the cathode is the physical source of electrons and is the element that is to be held rigidly with respect to the lens module baseplate , thereby reducing the relative motion of the source with respect to the lens assembly , which is also rigidly attached to the baseplate . a compatible lens assembly is described in a copending and commonly owned patent application ( mark a . gesley , ser . no . 07 / 671 , 425 ; filed mar . 4 , 1991 &# 34 ; low aberration field emission electron gun &# 34 ;) now u . s . pat . no . 5 , 196 , 707 , issued mar . 23 , 1993 . the present invention is also compatible with other lens assemblies . the gun components as shown in fig2 are the baseplate 41 , the source motion ring 42 , the cylindrical source support 43 , the disk 44 on which is stacked the lens assembly , wires 45 , extractor cap 46 , aperture clamp 47 , high voltage collar 48 , source attachment disk 49 , high voltage connector covers 50 , filament connectors 51 , spring assembly connectors 52 , spring assembly 53 , mounting springs 54 , set screws 55 , aperture 56 , set screws 57 , high voltage skirt 58 , cap screws 59 , 60 , 61 , socket head screws 62 , cap screws 63 , emitter 64 , washers 65 , and column mount screws 66 , and 67 . fig2 is an exploded view with the assembly indicated by the dotted lines . the three cut - outs in the upper portion of cylindrical source support 43 are for electrical lead access and pyrometer viewing access . the cut - outs shown in the lower portion of the cylindrical source support 43 are for accommodation of the assembly screws as shown . the source assembly thus is rigidly attached to the macor ™ ( a commercially available machinable ceramic ) source - attachment disk 49 . this disk 49 is rigidly attached to the cylindrical source support 43 ( also of macor but which may be another mechanically rigid and electrically insulative material ) which has an annular cross - section having a thickness defined by the outer diameter of the source motion 42 ring and an inner diameter sized to accommodate the lens assembly outer diameter plus allow for the translation motion of the entire moveable source - motion assembly ( consisting of the source assembly , cathode 64 , source - support disk 44 , cylindrical source support 43 , and source - motion ring 42 ), which motion is typically 1 mm . the lens ( stacked on disk 44 ) is attached by screws 66 to baseplate 41 . fig3 a , 3b , 3c , and 3d are views of the cylindrical source support 43 of fig2 . fig3 a is a top view showing the angular locations of the cut - outs and the screw holes . fig3 b is a side view of the same structure with the screw holes shown in dotted lines . the dimensions are as follows : dimension a ( the height ) is 1 . 675 inches ; dimension b ( the depth of the screws holes ) is 0 . 325 inches ; dimension c ( the depth of the upper cutouts ) is 0 . 675 inches ; dimension d ( the total depth of the lower cutouts ) is 0 . 75 inches ; and dimension e ( the width of the lower cutouts and upper depth of the lower cutouts ) is 0 . 30 inches . fig3 c is an end view of the bottom of the cylindrical source support 43 . dimension f ( the overall outside diameter ) is 2 . 50 inches . dimension g ( the inner diameter ) is 1 . 65 inches . fig3 d is a section along line aa of fig3 c and shows detail of each of the lower cutouts which as shown are shaped so as to put an angle on the edge of the cutout , with the thickness of the material at the inner portion of the cutout being dimension h which is 0 . 06 inches . the various screw holes are threaded to accommodate the threads of the associated screws . cylindrical support assembly 43 is conventionally machined from macor material . a key advantage of this assembly is that it provides the most efficient structure for resisting bending . the cylindrical geometry of the source support has the largest possible section modulus , i . e . bending moment per applied bending stress , of any geometry . the annular cylinder geometry also easily accommodates the lens portion of the gun assembly which focuses the emitted particle beam . bending resistance translates into greater beam positional stability at the image plane because applied external forces produce smaller source positional displacements . the efficiency of the structure also means a lighter weight assembly results in higher natural frequencies , which typically have less of an effect in imaging , lithography , and metrology applications . thus the influence of rocking modes of vibration have a reduced effect in this structure . another advantage of using a rigid , annular , cylindrical geometry is that torsional modes of vibration are greatly reduced because of the constrained degree of freedom , compared to using the prior art separate rod - like supports . another key advantage of this structure is the increased contact area between the source - attachment disk 49 and the cylindrical source support 43 , and also between the source motion ring 42 and the cylindrical source support 43 afforded by the cylindrical geometry of the source support 43 . in this manner shear and rocking modes are further reduced . the number and area of the cutouts in source support 43 is kept to a minimum . the cylinder 43 is rigidly attached ( see fig2 ) to the source motion ring 42 , which is held under tension by the internal springs 54 and screws 59 , 62 as shown to the baseplate 41 . this disclosure is illustrative and not limiting ; further modifications will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in light of this disclosure and the appended claims . for instance , in another embodiment the cylindrical source support is rigidly attached to the baseplate , omitting the source - motion ring .
| 7 |
the circuit shown in fig1 to illustrate the prior art , has a voltage supply 10 , a load 12 and an active voltage and current limiter 14 upstream from the load . a pin 16 illustrates a short - circuit condition and a break in the wiring is indicated at 18 . the active limiter 14 shown in fig1 protects the load by limiting the voltage and current which is available to the circuit and keeping the values below a known incendive limit . however , this is not strictly necessary . what is required is to restrict the voltage and current which is available to a developing spark to levels below the incendive limit . [ 0021 ] fig2 illustrates the concept underlying the present invention . al is a voltage sensor , sensing the voltage developed across the break 18 in the circuit . a 2 is a current sensor , sensing the current flowing through it . the two sensors a 1 and a 2 are combined in a manner which will enable a switch 20 to open before the v / i characteristic exceeds the incendive limit . it is to be noted that the power available to the load 12 is not now constrained to be below the incendive limit . it is also to be noted that the circuit shown in fig2 merely illustrates the concept underlying the present invention . in particular , only the wiring between the inputs of voltage sensor a 1 is protected . [ 0023 ] fig3 shows a first embodiment in accordance with the invention in which all of the circuit to the left - hand side of the voltage sensor a 1 is now protected . voltage sensor a 1 now senses the voltage at the load end of the circuit , protecting all the wiring to its left . the voltage supply 10 is now added to the voltage sensed by voltage sensor a 1 , but is constant and allowance can be made for it . more importantly , the current sensor a 2 is omitted and the output of the voltage sensor a 1 is taken directly to the switch 20 . it is known that for hydrogen , the most incendive gas group , it is impossible to get ignition with a voltage which is less than about 8 volts at any current , provided that the current is insufficient to cause hot or molten metallic particles to be thrown off from the sparking contact . if the voltage which is allowed to develop across a breaking contact is restricted to less than 8 volts , then a precise current limit may not be required . in some apparatus , it may be possible to rely on the nature of the load 12 to determine the maximum current . the circuit shown in fig3 will only be effective if the voltage sensor a 1 and the switch 20 are sufficiently fast . experience in the use of active limiters suggests that the protection must operate within a few microseconds . research has been reported which suggests that the minimum spark duration capable of causing ignition is around 8 μs . a transistor operating in a common - base configuration can be much faster than this and can be configured in a simple circuit which combines both the sensing and switching functions . fig4 shows this in outline . in fig4 which shows a common - base transistor switch 20 , a zener diode z 1 is connected to the base of the transistor . the voltage of zener diode z 1 is selected so that , when the circuit is unbroken , the supply voltage is present at the emitter of the switch 20 and base current is drawn through the zener diode z 1 . the transistor switch 20 is turned hard on and current is fed to the load 12 . if a break occurs , as indicated at 18 , voltage is dropped across the break as a spark develops , resulting in the emitter voltage of the transistor 20 dropping . at a predetermined point , when the emitter voltage drops below the zener voltage , plus the emitter - base drop , the transistor 20 will turn off and disconnect the load 12 . [ 0026 ] fig5 shows a third embodiment of the invention which embodies these principles . for clarity , and to improve the understanding of the invention , the power supply , the wiring / power distribution , and the module which incorporates both the load and the disconnection switch are indicated separately by the broken vertical lines . plug connections 19 indicate that the parts of the system can be unplugged to cause a circuit break . a series diode d 1 is connected between the emitter of transistor tr 1 and the power supply 10 . a resistance r 1 is connected between the base of the transistor tr 1 and a zener diode d 2 . a second resistance may be connected between the emitter and base of the transistor tr 1 . the resistance r 1 limits the base current through transistor tr 1 to about 15 ma . if a break occurs to the left of tr 1 , d 2 and r 1 , due either to a fault or a deliberate unplugging , the voltage at the emitter drops as voltage is developed across the break . the voltage of zener diode d 2 is chosen so that transistor tr 1 turns off before the spark has developed sufficient energy to be incendive . this basic circuit has been tested at 24v , 0 . 9 a and found to be non - incendive in hydrogen / air with a zener diode voltage as low as 10v . in one practical test circuit to this design , a load of 26 ohms was used , giving a load current of about 850 ma , which is normally incendive in a constant current circuit down to around 12 volts or so . the circuit was spark ignition tested according to en 50020 , using the 21 % hydrogen in air explosive test mixture specified for group iic gases . during this test , the power supply voltage was held constant at 24v , while the voltage of the zener diode d 2 was progressively reduced until ignition occurred . at the same time , resistor r 1 was adjusted to maintain the current through zener diode d 2 to about 15 ma . the effect of reducing the zener diode voltage in this way was to increase the voltage across the spark before transistor tr 1 turns off . there were no ignitions until the spark voltage exceeded about 12v , demonstrating that the circuit does provide the expected protection . the construction of the wiring between the power supply and the module is controlled so that shunt faults cannot occur . series faults ( breaks ) are rendered non - incendive by the protection provided by the switch . the power supply connection is protected just as is the module connection , so both the power supply and the module can be safely disconnected under power . the circuitry to the right of transistor tr 1 is not protected and so will be designed to be non - incendive using other techniques . this protective circuit in accordance with the invention is very simple , inherently fast , and can be easily cascaded . [ 0035 ] fig6 shows a bussed power system where one or more power supplies 10 a , 10 b ( here two ) are feeding a number of modules ( here three ) fitted to a backplane or power bus 30 . the modules are shown with loads 12 a , 12 b , 12 c . the protection works equally well with multiple modules as with a single module . the effect of a break at a common point feeding several modules is equivalent to a break feeding a single module taking the same total current . a ) if a power supply 10 a , 10 b is disconnected , and the remaining power supply or supplies are able to maintain the bus voltage , then no spark will be developed at the break because no voltage will develop across it . this is so even without the switch protection of the present invention . b ) if a power supply 10 a , 10 b is disconnected and the bus voltage falls , a spark will develop at the break and the protection system of the invention will function to prevent it becoming incendive . the circuits described above are not tolerant of component faults , but are suitable for use in environments in which the flammable gas hazard is less severe . for zone 1 environments , additional requirements are imposed . these include : a ) the circuitry to the right of tr 1 , d 2 and r 1 is unprotected by the switch and so the construction must protect any potentially incendive currents in some other way . full encapsulation is one possibility , but is rather inelegant . alternatively , the current - carrying tracks could be made infallible up to the point where the circuitry branches and the current in each branch is limited by other means . b ) each component on which intrinsic safety depends , which is most of them , must be run at two - thirds of its manufacturer &# 39 ; s rating under all conditions of operation . ( unless a countable fault in a neighbouring component has occurred and the first component is no longer relied upon for intrinsic safety protection ). c ) protection must be maintained with one fault . two switching circuits will be needed in cascade to achieve this . [ 0043 ] fig7 shows a single - stage detection / switching circuit for use in accordance with the invention . being single - stage it has no fault tolerance , but it is easier to consider than a two - stage implementation . the following target specification assumes a 24v system , each module drawing up to 0 . 5 a . 24v is a convenient supply voltage in many systems and it allows lower currents to be used , allowing more modules per bus for a given available bus current , and reduced voltage drops . supply voltage range 23 v to 24 v supply voltage safety limit 26 v load voltage range 21 v to 24 v minimum available load power 10 w minimum available load current 0 . 5 a input cut - off voltage 20 v ‘ load ’ means the module circuitry which is fed by the protection circuit . the input cut - off voltage is the minimum voltage at which the protection is guaranteed to operate . transistor tr 1 and zener diode d 2 are the transistor and zener diode as in fig5 . the remainder of the circuit essentially protects transistor tr 1 from over - current and over - dissipation . transistors tr 3 and tr 4 act as a comparator , monitoring the sum of transistor tr 1 &# 39 ; s vce and the volt drop across a current sense resistor r 5 . a substantially constant reference voltage is generated across resistor r 2 by the current drawn through resistor r 2 , transistor tr 3 , and resistor r 3 . in normal operation the emitter voltage of transistor tr 4 is higher than that of transistor tr 3 so transistor tr 4 is switched on and the base voltage of transistor tr 2 is set by the divider action of resistors r 7 and r 8 from the output voltage vout . transistor tr 2 and resistor r 1 define the current through zener diode d 2 and the base of transistor tr 1 ; about 5 ma for example . the zener current in this circuit is more nearly constant compared to that in fig5 . each of resistor r 1 , transistor tr 2 , and diode d 2 can be rated to withstand a short - circuit fault in either transistor tr 2 or diode d 2 . if the total voltage developed across transistor tr 1 and current - limit sense resistor r 5 exceeds the reference voltage across resistor r 2 , then transistor tr 4 and transistor tr 2 turn off , turning off transistor tr 1 to protect it from over - current or over - dissipation . once transistor tr 4 is switched off , the circuit is latched with transistor tr 1 off and vout = 0 . resistor r 4 provides sufficient current to allow the circuit to restart , provided there is no significant load current until transistor tr 1 is switched on . input diode d 1 ensures that no backfeed is possible from energy stored in the load . it also unambiguously protects the base - emitter junction of transistor tr 1 from reverse bias , which could occur under transient conditions . diode d 3 protects the base - emitter junction of transistor tr 4 from reverse bias when vout is low . resistor r 6 restricts the current drawn from vin through resistor r 2 and diode d 3 . c 1 is a miller capacitor to slow down the operation of transistors tr 4 and tr 3 to afford some immunity to transients . the current limit defined by resistor r 5 is not to prevent sparking . it is primarily rating protection for transistor tr 1 and so need be no faster than a fuse . this current limit also defines the maximum load current that the module can demand . it is closer protection than would be afforded by a fuse and thus benefits the design of the module circuitry for thermal safety . an advantage of this circuit is that it protects transistor tr 1 both against over - current and against over - dissipation . when vin is healthy , transistor tr 1 is hard on and dissipating very little . when vin drops , transistor tr 1 rapidly switches off and dissipates zero power . the start - up of the system needs to be considered . resistor r 4 bleeds sufficient current into vout to ensure start - up of the protection circuit . this current is kept as low as possible by running transistor tr 3 and transistor tr 4 at a relatively low collector current , 0 . 2 ma , so that resistor r 4 is as large as possible . for the safety assessment , it is assumed that the load short - circuits vout to 0v , so resistor r 4 appears across vin to 0v and the current through it is not switched by transistor tr 1 . each module connected to a common bus would be assumed to draw that current and so the total current would depend on the number of modules . this total current has to be considerably less than the short - circuit current allowed by the resistive curves if it is not to compromise the spark protection of the system ; 143 ma is the limit at 26 v . however , resistor r 4 cannot provide enough current for start - up with the load connected , so the load must be switched in after start - up . fig8 shows one way of doing this . transistor tr 5 senses the voltage across resistor r 1 and provides an open - collector signal to an inhibit line on a power converter following . the threshold is set so that transistor tr 5 switches on when adequate base current is being drawn from transistor tr 1 to be certain that it is switched hard on . [ 0059 ] fig9 shows how the circuit of fig7 can be duplicated to provide one - fault safe protection for use in more severe environments . two fig7 circuits are essentially cascaded but there is a single current - sense resistor r 5 . the components in the “ second ” circuit which correspond to those in fig7 are indicated by the same references with an added dash . each of the two dissipation and over - current comparators senses the sum of the collector - emitter voltages of the two switching transistors tr 1 , tr 1 ′, and the ir drop in the current - sense resistor r 5 . hence over - dissipation in either switching transistor , or over - current , causes both tr 1 and tr 1 ′ to be turned off . the circuit is therefore safe with any single countable fault . the protection system of the present invention has a number of advantages over known forms of protection . i ) as compared to expensive power supply limiters , the present invention requires only the addition of inexpensive components to the modules . they dissipate little power , even under fault conditions , so there is no great demand for the use of heat sinks . ii ) the power supplies are simple . multiple modules can be fed through a bus system . no output current protection is necessary since the switching circuitry in the modules limits the total current that can be drawn . iii ) the protection system protects all the power systems upstream from the module against series breaks , both from faults and unplugging , including the power supply connections , so no special measures are required to protect the power bus against series breaks . v ) there is no disadvantage in using higher supply voltages . in fact , efficiency and available power increases at higher voltages . vi ) the only protection required in the power supplies is to limit the output voltage . while the present invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments , those skilled in the art will recognise that many changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention .
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claus feed gas typically has high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide , for example hydrogen sulfide concentrations of between 40 % and 85 % depending on plant and pretreatment processes . the pretreatment process may be an amine treater which provides a concentrated hydrogen sulfide output stream ( acid gas ). a schematic of a typical three - stage claus plant is shown in fig1 . the first step of the claus process involves a controlled combustion of a feed gas which contains hydrogen sulfide and the noncatalytic reaction of unburned hydrogen sulfide with sulfur dioxide as depicted in reactions ( 1 ) and ( 2 ) above . in the straight through process , a feed gas containing hydrogen sulfide is directed via line 10 to reaction furnace 12 which contains a burner 14 where the feed gas is combusted . oxygen is supplied to burner 14 by an air stream via line 16 . from the reaction furnace 12 , the products are cooled in a waste heat boiler 18 and the products condensed and separated in condenser 20 into a liquid sulfur stream 22 and gaseous product stream . gaseous products are reheated via line 24 in reheater 26 and passed through a series of catalytic reactors 28 , 30 , and 32 wherein the unreacted hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide react over a catalyst , typically alumina , to produce sulfur and water as depicted in reaction ( 2 ). subsequent to each reaction , the reaction products are condensed in respective condensers 29 , 31 and 33 wherein liquid sulfur is separated and removed via respective lines 23 , 25 and 27 and joined with liquid sulfur from line 22 to form a final sulfur stream 35 . precedent to the respective catalytic reactions in reactors 30 and 32 , the product gas directed from the preceding condensers 29 and 31 is reheated in respective reheaters 34 and 36 which receive the cooled gas stream via lines 37 and 39 , respectively . tail gas leaving condenser 33 via line 40 can be treated in accordance with this invention and as described below . an alternative to the straight - through process is the split - flow process . in this process , 40 - 60 % of the claus feed bypasses the burner and is fed directly to the first catalytic stage . this process is shown in fig1 wherein line 42 directs a portion of the h 2 s - containing feed from line 10 into line 24 containing product gas from condenser 20 . the mixed stream is heated in reheater 26 and passed to first stage catalytic reactor 28 . as shown in fig2 , the hydrogen sulfide - containing tail gas stream 40 from the elemental sulfur recovery unit or claus process shown in fig1 is processed in accordance with this invention to recover sulfur values which remain in the tail gas . while tail gas stream 40 can come directly from the claus process , it is contemplated that the tail gas stream 40 can be generated from a tail gas cleanup unit ( tgcu ) to increase overall sulfur recovery . tail gas stream 40 is fed to oxidation reactor 41 to completely convert hydrogen sulfide and other sulfur - containing compounds to sulfur oxides , e . g ., so 2 . a temperature range of about 300 to 500 ° c . is used for the oxidation in reactor 41 . a sulfur oxide enriched gas stream 44 from oxidation reactor 41 is cooled in heat exchanger 46 to within a range of from about 90 ° c . to about 250 ° c . and is fed via line 48 to a fixed - bed reactor 50 containing a solid adsorbent bed ( not shown ). the solid adsorbent bed in reactor 50 adsorbs substantially all of the sulfur oxide from the sulfur oxide enriched gas stream 44 , and provides a sulfur oxide depleted gas stream 52 . the sulfur oxide depleted stream 52 can be fed to an incinerator or to a stack ( not shown ). alternatively , a portion of gas stream 52 can be treated to remove oxygen and co 2 and used to regenerate the adsorbent as described below . while in an adsorbent mode , the reactor 50 is operated at a temperature of from about 90 ° c . to about 250 ° c . a temperature of from about 90 ° c . to about 150 ° c . is preferred , and from 90 ° c . to 125 ° c . more preferred . these relatively low temperatures are effective for adsorption of the sulfur oxides and , importantly , are not so high as to cause appreciable reaction between the sulfur oxides and some useful adsorbents such as carbon and result in the eventual consumption of the adsorbent . further , it is believed that by adsorbing the so 2 in the presence of water and oxygen a higher level of sulfur oxide can be adsorbed in the solid adsorbent bed . it is postulated that the so 2 is adsorbed as h 2 so 4 most likely via reaction ( 4 ): the tail gas from line 40 and oxidation tail gas from line 48 will often contain sufficient water for reaction ( 4 ) without the need for water addition . oxygen may , however , have to be added to stream 48 entering reactor 50 . the oxygen content of the stream 48 entering the adsorbent bed 50 should be in an amount ranging from about 0 . 9 to 10 times the stoichiometric molar amount required in equation ( 4 ). preferably , the oxygen content will range from about 1 to about 5 times the stoichiometric molar requirement . the amount of air or o 2 needed to meet the general requirements expressed above can be determined by measuring the sulfur content of the claus tail gas stream 40 . any analytical instrument known for measuring gas phase components can be used . for example , a model 880 - nsl tail gas analyzer from ametek western research , paoli , pa ., is one such instrument . air supplied by line 54 may be the source of the oxygen . typically , a water content of 10 - 50 vol . %, more typically , 20 - 30 vol . % is found in the tail gas stream from the third stage of a claus reactor . water vapor can be supplied , for example , from an external source of steam if needed . pressure within the reactor 50 should be maintained at approximately atmospheric pressure , up to 100 psia . the adsorbent is most usefully present as a fixed bed in reactor 50 and can be in the form of balls , pebbles , spheres , extrudates , channeled monoliths , microspheres or pellets . a fluidized bed system is also possible with this invention wherein temperature and pressure conditions would remain similar to the fixed bed system . it is particularly important that the low temperatures of the fixed bed be used to avoid consumption of the adsorbent . the adsorbent provides absorbers or acceptors which absorb , and collect or otherwise remove sulfur oxides from the influent gaseous stream . during regeneration of the adsorbent bed in reactor 50 , the temperature is maintained at least about the adsorption temperature or higher , preferably between 150 ° c . to about 550 ° c . to protect reactor metallurgy , temperatures of from 150 ° c . to 260 ° c . are preferred . the pressure in the reactor 50 is maintained at about atmospheric pressure . on regeneration of the adsorbent bed , it is important that so 3 / h 2 so 4 not be formed or released as these components can be deleterious to reactor metallurgy . accordingly , the regeneration gas stream 56 passed through the adsorbent bed should not contain o 2 . an inert gas or reducing gas stream is therefore used to regenerate the bed . preferably , a reducing gas is used , most preferably h 2 s since it is readily available . as further shown in fig2 , the regenerating gas stream 56 is directed into the reactor 50 to liberate the adsorbed so 2 . a regeneration gas stream flow provided at a volume of gas sufficient to heat the adsorbent bed is used and whereby the exit of the bed in reactor 50 is within 50 ° c . of the inlet . preferred gases for regeneration include nitrogen , hydrogen , c 3 + hydrocarbons , and hydrogen sulfide . the off - gas stream 52 stripped of any o 2 and containing n 2 and co can also be used for regeneration . combinations of inert gas and reducing gas can be used . regeneration with a portion of the claus plant feed 10 is also acceptable . regeneration with h 2 s or a reducing gas stream containing h 2 s is preferred . when regenerating with h 2 s , it has been found that only minimal , if any , amounts of so 3 / h 2 so 4 are released . formation of elemental sulfur is observed , most likely occurring by reaction ( 5 ): if carbon is used as the adsorbent and co 2 is present at the exit of the adsorber during adsorption or regeneration , this indicates that the carbon was acting as a reductant and , therefore , it is postulated that the carbon is being consumed most likely via reaction ( 6 ): the lower temperatures used during adsorption greatly minimize the formation of co 2 and distinguish the process of this invention over the processes of u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 764 , 665 and 5 , 514 , 351 described above . the invention contemplates that the regenerating gas 56 be back - flowed through the adsorbent bed in reactor 50 in a direction opposite the flow direction of the sulfur oxide enriched stream 48 through the bed . this would ensure that the last part of the bed that the sulfur oxide enriched stream sees is very active . regeneration of the adsorbent in reactor 50 provides sulfur and / or sulfur dioxide bearing stream through the outlet line 58 . the sulfur dioxide - containing stream 58 can be recycled to the claus plant and line 10 for further recovery of sulfur . the hydrogen sulfide and / or sulfur dioxide bearing stream may also contain water and unconverted reducing gas . the adsorbents useful in this invention can be characterized as being sulfation resistant . in other words , the adsorbents will not react with the so 2 to form sulfates on the adsorbent surface . therefore , alumina and alumina - containing adsorbents such as alumina - containing clays , spinels , and silica - alumina products are not useful in this invention . non - limiting examples of suitable sulfation resistant solid adsorbents for use in the present invention include the porous solids , silica , natural and synthetic zeolites , activated carbon , titania , zirconia , titania - silica , and zirconia - silica . the adsorbents can be impregnated or otherwise coated with at least one oxidizing catalyst or promoter that promotes the removal of nitrogen oxides , the oxidation of so 2 to so 3 in the presence of oxygen , and the regeneration of the sorbent . it is believed that so 3 is more readily adsorbed than so 2 . one useful catalyst is ceria ( cerium oxide ). another useful catalyst is platinum . other catalytic metals , both free and in combined form , preferably as an oxide form , can be used , either alone or in combination with each other or in combination with ceria , such as rare earth metals , metals from group 8 of the periodic table , chromium , vanadium , rhenium , tungsten , silver and combinations thereof . an even distribution of the promoter is preferred for best results and to minimize adsorbent erosion . the specific amounts of the promoters included in the solid sorbent , if present at all , may vary widely . preferably , the first promoter is present in an amount between about 0 . 001 % to about 20 % by weight , calculated as elemental metal , of the solid sorbent , and the second promoter is present in an amount between about 0 . 001 % to about 10 % by weight , calculated as elemental metal , of the solid sorbent . preferably , the solid sorbent includes about 0 . 1 % to about 20 %, more preferably about 0 . 2 % to about 20 %, and still more preferably about 0 . 5 % to about 15 %, by weight of rare earth metal , calculated as elemental metal . of course , if a platinum group metal is employed in the solid sorbent , very much reduced concentrations ( e . g ., in the parts per thousand to parts per million ( ppm ) range ) are employed . if vanadium is included as the second promoter , it is preferably present in an amount of about 0 . 01 % to about 7 %, more preferably about 0 . 1 % to about 5 %, and still more preferably about 0 . 5 % to about 2 % by weight of vanadium , calculated as elemental metal . the promoters may be associated with the solid sorbent using any suitable technique or combination of techniques ; for example , impregnation , coprecipitation , ion - exchange and the like , well known in the art . also , the promoters may be added during synthesis of the sorbent . thus , the promoters may be an integral part of the solid sorbent or may be in a phase separate from the solid sorbent ( e . g ., deposited on the solid sorbent ) or both . these metal components may be associated with the solid sorbent together or in any sequence or by the same or different association techniques . cost considerations favor the preferred procedure in which the metal components are associated together with the sorbent . impregnation may be carried out by contacting the sorbent with a solution , preferably an aqueous solution , of the metal salts . it may not be necessary to wash the sorbent after certain soluble metal salts ( such as nitrate , sulfate or acetate ) are added . after impregnation with the metal salts , the sorbent can be dried and calcined to decompose the salts , forming an oxide in the case of a nitrate , sulfate or acetate . the following examples are illustrative of adsorbents and process conditions useful to practice this invention . the scope of the invention , however , is to be determined from the appended claims . the proposed mechanism for the adsorption of so 2 on activated carbon in the presence of o 2 and h 2 o is the formation of an adsorbed sulfuric acid species , which is then thermally regenerated / reduced back to so 2 . to test this theory , two adsorbent samples were impregnated with sulfuric acid : ( 1 ) an activated carbon with 35 % h 2 so 4 and ( 2 ) 1 . 9 % pt / zsm - 5 having a sio 2 / al 2 o 3 ratio of 270 with 20 % h 2 so 4 . each acid loaded sample was placed in a column and then regenerated at 260 ° c . with wet n 2 . the so 2 / so 3 content of the off - gas was determined by wet analysis . the loading for the activated carbon was 7 . 76 g ( 0 . 079 mol ) of h 2 so 4 on 13 . 7 g of carbon . the so 2 / so 3 split upon regeneration was determined to be 4 . 91 g so 2 ( 0 . 077 mol ) and 0 . 21 g of so 3 ( 0 . 002 mol ). remarkably , 100 % recovery of so 2 / so 3 ( 0 . 079 mol ) was achieved with the formation of only 4 % of undesirable so 3 / h 2 so 4 , a very favorable situation . the loading for pt / zsm - 5 was 6 . 76 g ( 0 . 069 mol ) of h 2 so 4 on 25 . 6 g of adsorbent . the so 2 / so 3 split upon regeneration couldn &# 39 ; t be determined since the vent lines plugged up with a green solid . this negative result indicates that a significant amount of free sulfuric acid was liberated during regeneration and subsequently reacted with the metal lines . unlike with the carbon adsorbent , this formation of undesirable h 2 so 4 / so 3 seen is a very unfavorable situation . apparently , the structure / composition of activated carbon is more favorable for the reversible reactive adsorption of so 2 . it is also likely , that the carbon was sacrificed before the reactor metallurgy . this example compares the impact of the feed components during adsorption . so 2 adsorption was compared with and without o 2 or h 2 o present in the fuel . breakthrough times ( detection of so 2 in exit gas ) were normalized to 20 . 0 g : sample : 15 . 6 g ( dry basis ) of norit ® ro activated carbon ( 0 . 8 mm extrudates ) duplicate so 2 breakthrough tests on norit ® ro activated carbon using a feed stream containing 3 , 100 ppm so 2 , ˜ 22 % co 2 , ˜ 22 % h 2 o , balance n 2 resulted in an average breakthrough time of 219 minutes . results were significantly better with o 2 present as shown next . breakthrough tests were repeated using a feed stream containing 3 , 100 ppm so 2 , 22 % co 2 , 9 , 000 ppm o 2 , ˜ 22 % h 2 o , balance n 2 . in this case no breakthrough of so 2 was noted even after 2 , 880 minutes , the point at which the run was stopped . in the presence of o 2 , loading of so 2 was & gt ; 11 . 9 wt % so 2 ( g / g ads .) as compared to 0 . 9 % wt % so 2 ( g / g ads ) without o 2 present . the sample was regenerated at 260 ° c . overnight with dry n 2 between each breakthrough test . in order to determine the effect of water on the so 2 capacity of the activated carbon , a dry so 2 breakthrough test was then run on norit ® ro activated carbon using a feed stream containing 3 , 100 ppm so 2 , 22 % co 2 , 9 , 000 ppm o 2 , balance n 2 . a significantly reduced so 2 breakthrough time of 589 minutes resulted . thus , in the presence of o 2 but no h 2 o , so 2 loading was to 2 . 4 % wt % so 2 ( g / g ads .) to more easily quantify the amount of so 2 adsorbed on the norit ® ro activated carbon , a feed gas containing 5 % so 2 , 5 % o 2 , ˜ 22 % h 2 o , and balance n 2 was used . even with this 16 - fold increase in so 2 concentration , the breakthrough time for so 2 was still 1 , 042 min . this represents a ˜ 50 % wt . loading of so 2 . an analysis of the off - gas during subsequent regeneration indicated a reversible loss of so 2 only . a survey of the literature confirms this result , i . e ., activated carbons can pick up this amount of so 2 when h 2 o and o 2 are present . the mechanism is reported to involve the reversible oxidation of so 2 to so 3 forming an “ h 2 so 4 ” like complex with the h 2 o that releases only so 2 upon regeneration . it is important in the process of this invention that little or no free acid be released during regeneration . in this example , the impact of inert gas regeneration of the adsorbent was studied . sample : 14 . 6 g ( dry basis ) of norit ® ro activated carbon ( 0 . 8 mm extrudates ) so 2 adsorption steps were run with a feed containing 5 % so 2 , 5 % o 2 , 24 % h 2 o , balance n 2 at 90 ° c . the feed flow was adjusted to 73 sccm so as to achieve a less than four hour breakthrough time . regeneration steps were carried out at 260 ° c . with wet helium at 73 cc / min of he with 1 ml / min h 2 o for three hours . the final hour of the regeneration cycle was used for cooling the bed . significant co 2 was detected by the gc during regeneration . a gc scan of the regeneration off - gas from the 8 th cycle showed that the production of co 2 was directly associated with the release of so 2 . integration of the peaks indicated a ˜ 2 . 6 / 1 so 2 / co 2 molar ratio . this ratio is consistent with carbon oxidation by the adsorbed sulfuric acid , i . e ., 2h 2 so 4 + c → co 2 + 2so 2 + 2h 2 o , during thermal regeneration . it was also determined from peak integration that ˜ 0 . 30 wt % of the carbon was lost per the eight hour adsorption / regeneration cycle . this would add up to an intolerable 30 wt % loss of carbon adsorbent per month . the benefit of h 2 s regeneration is shown in this example . regeneration with_h 2 s was provided in a 17 cycle life test . sample : 14 . 7 g ( dry basis ) norit ® ro activated carbon ( 0 . 8 mm extrudates ) so 2 adsorption steps were run with 5 % so 2 , 5 % o2 , 24 % h 2 o , balance n 2 at 90 ° c . and 50 cc / min . regeneration steps were carried out at 400 ° c . with wet h 2 s at 50 cc / min of h 2 s with 1 ml / min h 2 o . no co 2 or so 2 was detected by the gc during regeneration . however the formation of sulfur was noted . based on the gc detection limit , no more than a 12 % annual loss of carbon would be expected . this result is consistent with the reaction of h 2 s with the adsorbed sulfuric acid , i . e ., 3h 2 s + h 2 so 4 → 4s + 4h 2 o , during thermal reaction . in addition , no loss in so 2 capacity was noted after the 17 cycles . in this example , the impact of adsorption temperature was measured using a 3 cycle test . sample wt : 13 . 8 g at 90 ° c ./ 14 . 3 g at 150 ° c ./ 15 . 8 g at 200 ° c . ( dry basis ) so 2 adsorption steps were run with 5 % so 2 , 5 % o 2 , 24 % h 2 o , balance n 2 , at the temperatures noted above and a gas flow of 73 cc / min . regeneration steps were carried out at 260 ° c . with wet he at 73 cc / min of he with 1 ml / min h 2 o . a significant and undesirable reduction in performance was noted when the adsorption temperature was raised from 90 ° c . to 200 ° c . (˜ 85 % loss after three cycles ) and even to 150 ° c . (˜ 50 % loss after 3 cycles ). the loss in performance is undoubtedly correlated with the undesirable combustion of the activated carbon at the elevated adsorption temperatures of 150 ° c . and 200 ° c ., as evidenced by co 2 detection using gc analytical methods .
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referring now to fig1 there is shown a schematic diagram of an example of a gaseous - fueled engine system wherein the present maf sensor calibration scheme may be used to advantage . the scheme disclosed herein applies to any pulsating , oscillating flow system . thus , while the present invention is described with respect to a gaseous - fueled engine system , the present maf sensor calibration scheme is equally applicable to any ic engine system including gasoline and diesel fueled engine systems . it is also applicable to rotary ( wankel ) engines , as well . as shown in fig1 the gaseous fueled engine system 10 includes a gaseous fueled internal combustion engine 12 and gaseous fuel system 16 which provides fuel to the engine 12 such as hydrogen by way of injection system 18 and intake manifold 20 . air is also conveyed to the engine cylinders by way of air intake 22 . after combustion , the spent fuel and air is exhausted by exhaust manifold 24 through the emissions system 26 out the tailpipe 28 . controller 30 is adapted to receive a plurality of signals from sensors 32 which monitor various engine parameters to maintain the engine 12 at desired operating set points as is known in the art based upon the engine operating conditions and the driver demand . these signals include such things as engine speed , intake air temperature and pressure , and driver demand . controller 30 is preferably a microprocessor based controller such as a computer having a central processing unit , memory in the form of ram and / or rom , associated inputs and outputs , and a communication bus . the sensor set 32 and the controller 30 are conventional . the control scheme , however incorporates mass airflow data as received from mass airflow sensor 34 which is calibrated in accordance with the present invention as described below . the maf sensor 34 is a hot - wire anemometer - type maf sensor with associated circuitry as is known in the art . thus , the maf sensor 34 outputs a voltage signal in relation to the heat transfer through the sensor wire which is within the intake airflow . referring now to fig2 there is shown a schematic diagram of the heat transfer characteristics for an ic engine with oscillatory airflow such as the gaseous - fueled part fuel injected ( pfi ) engine of fig1 . the hot - wire of the maf sensor 34 with current ( i ) flowing therethrough is represented in cross - sectional view as wire 40 . the wire 40 is within the intake manifold 42 of the ic engine . incoming air 44 is disturbed by maf sensor wire 40 to create a boundary layer characteristic shown as 46 about the wire 40 . the hot - wire surface boundary layer 46 is disturbed by pressure waves periodically reflecting back from the action of the closing valves and pistons downstream . the boundary layer 46 , however , determines the heat transferred from the wire 40 into the passing air 44 and , correspondingly the sensor output . therefore , how often the boundary layer is disturbed and the magnitude of the boundary layer disturbance must be considered in the heat transfer function . the frequency of the boundary layer disturbance , since it is related to engine valving , is a function of the engine speed ( rpm ). pressure waves are also reflected towards the hot - wire in the case of gaseous pfi fueled engines during the injection of the gaseous fuel which can represent a significant volume of the inducted flow into the cylinders as compared to liquid fueled engines . the gaseous injection event , like the valving action , is also related to the engine speed . the magnitude of the boundary layer disturbance is also be described as a ratio of the voltages resulting from the current fluctuations through the wire 40 as the airflows . during oscillatory airflow , an annular effect could be observed which is schematically represented as arrows 50 wherein the maximum flow velocity is near the walls of the intake manifold 42 at a certain moment . it is this annular effect 50 which contributes to large errors in unidirectional or dc flow - based maf sensor calibration schemes because the flow velocity profile is constantly changing . for constant unidirectional flow across a hot - wire , i . e . conventional maf sensor calibration , the hot - wire boundary layer remains unchanged . hence , the heat transfer on the hot - wire surface can be described according to equation ( 1 ): where re is the reynolds number , and pr represents mean velocity profile which is stable when temperature change is not significant . the resulting heat transfer flow rate for the conventional maf sensor is then a function of the wire voltage : referring now to fig3 there is shown a graph of airflow versus maf sensor voltage for a conventional maf sensor calibrated according to equation 2 when used in a reciprocating ic engine with oscillatory airflow near wide - open throttle . the grouped data points of fig3 represent airflow and voltage values for various engine speeds . as can be seen by data groups 60 , 62 and 64 which represent engine speeds of 800 rpm , 1100 rpm and 2000 rpm , respectively , significant errors can occur for maf sensor voltage outputs for significantly different airflow rates . at higher engine speeds of 3000 rpm ( data group 66 ), 4000 rpm ( data group 68 ), and 5000 rpm ( data group 70 ), the relationship between actual airflow and maf sensor voltage output is less effected by the oscillatory component . to overcome the error associated with conventional maf sensor calibration schemes when used in oscillatory airflow environments , the present invention defines the heat transfer function associated with oscillating airflow as follows : where re w is a dynamic reynolds number which represents a dimensionless frequency , and a w is a dimensionless amplitude . correspondingly , the heat transfer - based maf sensor has a similar expression for flow rate : in the case of an ic engine , re w is indicated by engine speed measured as rpm . similarly , the amplitude aw is defined as a ratio : where v max is the maf sensor cyclic peak voltage value and v mean is the mean voltage value for a given engine speed . the corresponding airflow equation is thus : that is , under oscillating airflow conditions , maf sensor calibration is a function of the maf sensor output voltage mean value , oscillation amplitude ( voltage ratio ), and frequency ( engine rpm ). referring now to fig4 there is shown a graph of measured airflow versus actual airflow for a maf sensor calibrated according to equation 7 . corresponding engine rpm data point groupings are indexed by 100 with respect to the engine data point groupings of fig3 . as can be seen in fig4 the measured accuracy for the oscillatory airflow is improved dramatically . thus , for gasoline throttled and unthrottled engine operating conditions , gaseous fueled engine systems , and diesel engine systems , the maf sensor accuracy for a given engine control scheme can be improved significantly . to calibrate the sensor , the linear relationship between actual airflow and sensor output is determined experimentally using equation ( 7 ) at various engine speeds . given the relationship between actual and measured airflow such as in fig4 the sensor can then be used to dynamically indicate the intake airflow rate . alternatively , these values can be stored in a lookup table of values accessible by the controller . thus , for a given maf sensor output voltage and engine speed , the engine controller would lookup , or directly calculate , the corresponding airflow rate as determined by equation ( 7 ). the maf signal processing can occur either at the sensor 32 , in the main controller 30 , or in a separate controller which may or may not be part of the main controller 30 . at the sensor , the maf sensor could be configured to output the voltage mean and the ratio for communication to the controller . alternatively , a signal conditioning processor can be implemented between the maf sensor and controller to determine the voltage mean and ratio and communicate the information to the controller . finally , the controller itself could read the maf sensor data and determine the voltage mean and ratio for use in the calibration scheme . from the foregoing , it can be seen that there has been brought to the art a new and improved maf sensor calibration scheme which overcomes the drawbacks associated with conventional maf sensor calibration schemes . while the invention has been described in connection with one or more embodiments , it should be understood that the invention is not limited to those embodiments . on the contrary , the invention covers all alternatives , modifications and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims .
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a first embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . the present embodiment particularly has an integrator and a dc feedback circuit which are different from those of the prior art example described in connection with fig2 and 3 and therefore the structurally differing components are illustrated here with the omission of the remaining components . thus , fig6 is a circuit diagram showing the essential part of an ultrasonic doppler blood - flow meter according to the first embodiment of the invention . referring to fig6 there are seen an analog switch 8a or 8b , an integrator 9a or 9b , a sample - and - hold circuit 10a or 10b , a dc feedback circuit 15a or 15b , a sequence control circuit 16 for b mode / doppler mode , a feedback amount adjuster circuit 17 and a resistor ( r1 ) 31 . the integrator 9a or 9b includes a capacitor ( co ) 32 , a capacitor ( co &# 39 ;) 33 , an operational amplifier ( op1 ) 34 and analog switches 35 and 36 . the dc feedback circuit 15a or 15b includes an amplifier 37 of - a times amplification , a resistor ( rf ) 38 , a resistor ( r2 ) 39 , a capacitor ( cf ) 40 an operational amplifier ( op2 ) 41 and analog switches 42 and 43 . the operation of the above construction will now be described in detail . firstly , the operation during the simultaneous doppler mode based on the chopper scheme will be described with reference to a timing chart of fig7 . during the b - mode sequence , the analog switch 43 of the dc feedback circuit 15a or 15b is turned on under the control of the sequence control circuit 16 to make null the charge on the capacitor ( cf ) 40 . when the sequence is switched from b mode to doppler mode at time to , the analog switch 43 is turned off under the direction of the sequence control circuit 16 . at time t1 , a gate signal g is applied to the analog switch 8a or 8b to render it on , so that a phase - detected output signal is integrated by the integrator 9a or 9b . at that time , because of the absence of the output signal of dc feedback circuit 15a or 15b which is effective to cancel out dc and extremely frequency components , only the phase - detected output signal , that is , a large signal containing a clutter signal representative of an echo signal of a living body tissue is inputted to the integrator 9a or 9b . therefore , to prevent the integrator 9a or 9b from being saturated under this condition , the analog switch 36 of integrator 9a or 9b is transferred , in advance under the control of the sequence control circuit 26 , to the capacitor ( co &# 39 ;) 33 which is larger in capacitance than the ordinary capacitor ( co ) 32 . the integrated value stored in the capacitor ( co &# 39 ;) 33 is a value not subjected to feedback and therefore this integrated value is not fetched into the sample - and - hold circuit 10a or 10b but it is - a times amplified by the amplifier 37 of the dc feedback circuit 15a or 15b and subsequently when the analog switch 42 is turned on at time t2 under the control of the sequence control circuit 16 by way of the feedback amount adjuster circuit 17 , it is inputted to the capacitor ( cf ) 40 and operational amplifier ( op2 ) 41 . an width of time tf &# 39 ; for turn - on of the analog switch 42 is given by the following equation ( 7 ): ## equ3 ## charge stored in the dc feedback circuit 15a or 15b has the same magnitude as that required for cancelling out the integrated value of the integrator 9a or 9b at time t1 . essentially , the doppler deviated signal is in most part an echo signal from living body tissue which is of dc or ultra - low frequency and therefore the integrated value at time t1 is nearly equal to an integrated value at time t3 at which the gate is subsequently turned on following time t1 . accordingly , the integrated value of the phase - detected output signal at time t3 is almost cancelled out by dc feedback based on the integrated value at time t2 . after time t2 , the feedback amount to the dc feedback circuit 15a or 15b recovers a value for ordinary doppler mode and the integrated value is fetched and held in the sample - and - hold circuit 10a or 10b . through the above operation , the jump of signal of large amplitude and high frequency components which results from the discontinuity of the doppler sequence in the serial doppler type based on the chopper scheme can be suppressed . now , an operation will be described in which the gate position is moved by indicating an area of interest in a b - mode image by means of a gate marker while displaying a doppler spectrum in real time . when the position of the gate marker is moved , the analog switch 8a or 8b for gating is actuated in the ordinary manner in the prior art but contrarily , in the present embodiment , the gating analog switch 8a or 8b is kept to be off under the control of the control circuit 16 to prevent passage of signal during movement of the gate . immediately after completion of movement of the gate , the gating analog switch 8a or 8b is turned on as usual under the control of the control circuit 16 , allowing the integrator 9a or 9b to integrate data of phase - detected output signal . since there is a time delay between the phase - detected signal immediately after gate movement and that immediately before gate movement , these two signals are mutually discontinuous . if the discontinuous data is inputted to the succeeding high - pass filter 11a or 11b , then unwanted frequency components will be generated . occurrence of such components must be prevented . the circuit shown in fig6 is not limited to the aforementioned suppression of the jump of signal due to the discontinuity of the doppler mode in the simultaneous doppler type but is also applicable to the movement of gate position also conditioned by the discontinuity of signal , whereby the b - mode period in fig7 can substitute directly for the gate moving period and a doppler deviated signal immediately after completion of the gate movement can be fed back negatively to the input of the integrator 9a or 9b to prevent the occurrence of unwanted frequency components when the gate movement is carried out . the frequency analyzer 12 is so controlled by the control circuit 16 as not to perform operations , thus preventing unwanted spectrum data from being displayed on the display unit 13 . a second embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing . fig8 is a circuit diagram showing the essential part of an ultrasonic doppler blood - flow meter according to the second embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig8 the present embodiment is so constructed that the integrated value of an integrator 9a or 9b is fetched and held in a sample - and - hold circuit 10a or 10b and thereafter inputted to a dc feedback circuit 15a or 15b . the sample - and - hold circuit 10a or 10b holds an integrated value of a signal not subjected to feedback at time t1 and therefore during delivery of the integrated value from the sample - and - hold circuit 10a or 10b , an analog switch 44 is turned off under the control of a sequence control circuit 16 to prevent the signal from being applied to the succeeding stage . the remaining components are the same as those of the first embodiment . a third embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing . fig9 is a circuit diagram showing the essential part of an ultrasonic doppler blood - flow meter according to the third embodiment of the invention . in the first embodiment , the feedback amount to the dc feedback circuit 15a or 15b is changed by changing the length of time interval tf during which the analog switch is turned on but the present embodiment is so constructed that the feedback amount is adjusted by changing the resistance of a variable input resistor ( rf ) 45 of a dc feedback circuit 15a or 15b . the remaining components are the same as those of the first embodiment . a fourth embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing . fig1 is a functional block diagram showing an ultrasonic doppler blood - flow meter according to the fourth embodiment of the invention . the present embodiment is directed to prevention of generation of unwanted frequency components when the gate position is changed . referring to fig1 , there are seen the same components as those of the foregoing embodiments including a probe 1 , a drive circuit 2 , a transmission timing circuit 3 , a receiving circuit 4 , a phase detector 5 , a reference signal generator 6 , a gate signal generation circuit 7 , analog switches 8a and 8b , integrators 9a and 9b , sample - and - hold circuits 10a and 10b , high - pass filters 11a and 11b , a frequency analyzer 12 , a display unit 13 , dc feedback circuits 15a and 15b and a doppler sequence controller 16 . the present embodiment further comprises a trackball 18 for inputting gate positions , a decoder 19 for the trackball and a main controller 20 . a pulse signal generated by the drive circuit 2 using a signal generated from the transmission timing circuit 3 as a trigger is converted by the probe 1 into an ultrasonic pulse signal which in turn is transmitted into a living body 14 . the ultrasonic pulse signal is then reflected at a portion of living body 14 at which the acoustic impedance changes . the reflected signal is converted by the probe 1 into an electrical signal which in turn is amplified by the receiving circuit 4 to a suitable extent and is then subjected to phase detection by the phase detector 5 . the above operation is the same as that of the first embodiment . further , provided that the gate position is not changed , the operation of the components following the analog switches 8a and 8b is the same as that of the first embodiment . when the gate position is changed during operation , the apparatus of the present embodiment operates as will be described below . a change in gate position is inputted by means of the trackball 18 and a rotation angle of the trackball is converted by the decoder 19 into data representative of gate position change . the main controller 209 receiving the gate position change data sends to the doppler sequence controller 16 information to the effect that the gate position is shifted , so that the doppler sequence controller 16 performs the same control as that carried out in the b mode in the serial doppler type to prevent display of unnecessary images . when movement of the trackball 18 ends and a new gate position is settled , the main controller 20 receiving gate position data from the decoder 19 causes the transmission timing circuit 3 and receiving circuit 4 to change the beam direction and at the same time sends new gate position data to the doppler sequence controller 16 . then , the doppler sequence controller 16 sends the gate position data to the gate signal generation circuit 7 which in turn permits the same sequence control as that carried out at the termination of the b mode in the previously - described first embodiment . in this manner , the generation of unwanted frequency components concomitant with gate movement can be prevented . a fifth embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing . fig1 is a functional block diagram showing an ultrasonic doppler blood - flow meter according to the fifth embodiment of the invention . the present embodiment is directed to prevention of the occurrence of unwanted frequency components when the gate width is changed . structurally , the present embodiment differs from the fourth embodiment shown in fig1 in that a gate width input switch 21 for setting gate widths is provided as shown in fig1 . the remaining components are the same as those of the fourth embodiment , which are designated by identifical reference numerals , and will not be described here . the present embodiment having the above construction operates in a different manner from the fourth embodiment as will be described below . when a change in gate width is inputted by means of the switch 21 , the gate width change is sent to a main controller 20 through a decoder 19 . the main controller 20 sends to a doppler sequence controller 16 information to the effect that the gate width is changed , so that the doppler sequence controller 16 prevents display of unnecessary images and at the same time controls integrators 9a and 9b , sample - and - hold circuits 10a and 10b and dc feedback circuits 15a and 15b similarly to control carried out at the termination of b mode in the serial doppler type . through the above operation , the generation of unwanted frequency components concomitant with change of gate width can be prevented . a sixth embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . 1 fig1 is a functional block diagram showing an ultrasonic blood - flow meter according to the sixth embodiment of the invention . the present embodiment is directed to prevention of generation of unwanted frequency components when the receiving gain is changed . structurally , the present embodiment differs from the fourth embodiment shown in fig1 in that a switch 22 for setting receiving gains is provided as shown in fig1 . the remaining components are the same as those of the fourth embodiment , which are designated by identical reference numerals , and will not be described herein . the present embodiment having the above construction operates in a different manner from the fourth embodiment as will be described below . generally , in the ultrasonic doppler blood - flow meter , the receiving gain can be changed by the receiving circuit 4 but the recent trend is such that an analog switch as shown in fig1 is used in a gain change section and is transferred remotely from the operator section . in fig1 , there are provided an operational amplifier 50 , an analog switch 51 and resistors 52a to 52e . the analog switch 51 controllable through a control line of 2 bits is responsive to a digital signal to discretely adjust the gain . in the ultrasonic doppler blood - flow meter having the above construction , the receiving gain is changed discretely and therefore discontinuity takes place in a doppler deviated signal at a timing that the receiving gain is switched over , resulting in display of unwanted spectra . thus , in accordance with the present embodiment , when a change in receiving gain is inputted by means of the receiving gain setting switch 22 , a gate signal generation circuit 7 receives receiving gain change data through decoder 19 , main controller 20 and doppler sequence controller 16 and causes analog switches 8a and b to be normally turned off in order that an output signal delivered out of a phase detector 5 during the gain change is cut , and the doppler sequence controller 6 stops a frequency analyzer 12 from producing an output signal so as to prevent unwanted display . immediately after completion of the receiving gain change , the present embodiment operates similarly to the foregoing first embodiment . a seventh embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing . fig1 is a functional block diagram showing an ultrasonic doppler blood - flow meter according to the seventh embodiment of the invention . the present embodiment contemplates prevention of the occurrence of unwanted frequency components when the transmission output is changed . structurally , the present embodiment differs from the fourth embodiment shown in fig1 in that a transmission output adjusting switch 23 for adjusting the transmission output is provided as shown in fig1 . the remaining components are the same as those of the fourth embodiment , which are designated by identical reference numerals , and will not be described here . the present embodiment having the above construction operates in a different manner from the fourth embodiment as will be described below . a pulse signal is generated by a drive circuit 2 which uses a signal from a transmission timing circuit 3 as a trigger , and the delivery of the pulse signal is controlled by a value inputted by means of the switch 23 . the operation when the transmission output is changed will now be described . when a change in transmission output is inputted by means of the transmission output adjusting switch 23 , a gate signal generation circuit 7 receives transmission output change data through decoder 19 , main controller 20 and doppler sequence controller 16 and normally turns off analog switches 8a and 8b in order to cut an output signal delivered out of a phase detector 5 during the change of transmission output and at the same time the doppler sequence controller 16 stops a frequency analyzer 12 from delivering an output signal to prevent unnecessary display . immediately after completion of the transmission output change , the present embodiment operates similarly to the foregoing first embodiment . an eighth embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing . fig1 is a functional block diagram showing an ultrasonic blood - flow meter according to the eighth embodiment of the invention . the present embodiment contemplates prevention of the occurrence of unwanted frequency components when a freeze of the apparatus is released . structurally , the present embodiment differs from the fourth embodiment shown in fig1 in that a freeze switch 24 for setting and release of freeze is provided as shown in fig1 . the remaining components are the same as those of the fourth embodiment , which are designated by identical reference numerals , and will not be described herein . the present embodiment having the above construction operates in a different manner from the fourth embodiment as will be described below . when the operation of the apparatus is desired to be stopped temporarily to freeze the image display , display of transmission / reception images can all be stopped by operating the switch 24 . when the freeze is released , the apparatus recovers the same operation as that carried out when the b mode is switched to the doppler mode in the first embodiment . the fourth to eighth embodiments have been described as using the circuit of the first embodiment but they may be realized with the circuits of the second and third embodiments .
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the embodiments of the present invention are described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings , which form a part hereof , and which show , by way of illustration , specific exemplary embodiments by which the invention may be practiced . this invention may , however , be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein ; rather , these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete , and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art . among other things , the present invention may be embodied as systems , or devices . moreover , the embodiments should not be interpreted as limited to bags or cases , such is merely provided for ease of understanding . the following detailed description is , therefore , not to be taken in a limiting sense . throughout the specification and claims , the following terms take the meanings explicitly associated herein , unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . the phrase “ in one embodiment ” as used herein does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment , though it may . furthermore , the phrase “ in another embodiment ” as used herein does not necessarily refer to a different embodiment , although it may . thus , as described below , various embodiments of the invention may be readily combined , without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention . in addition , as used herein , the term “ or ” is an inclusive “ or ” operator , and is equivalent to the term “ and / or ,” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . the term “ based on ” is not exclusive and allows for being based on additional factors not described , unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . in addition , throughout the specification , the meaning of “ a ,” “ an ,” and “ the ” include plural references . the meaning of “ in ” includes “ in ” and “ on .” the term “ coupled ” implies that the elements may be directly connected together or may be coupled through one or more intervening elements . further , throughout the specification the term bag may be used , however , this is not intended to be used in a limiting sense and bags include but are not limited to satchels , purses , softcases , backpacks , side packs , hip packs , fanny packs , messenger bags and bags in general for storing and or transporting items . aspects of embodiments of the present invention may be implemented with an infinite variety of bag or cases . embodiments of the straps described herein may be included as the original strap on a bag , or as a retrofit or replacement strap for a bag , or as an alternate strap for a bag having a shorter handle , or other strap . turning to the drawings , fig1 is an exploded view of a strap 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . the strap 100 includes a top cover 102 and a bottom cover 104 . the top cover 102 may be constructed out of any textile material that is flexible and has elasticity such that it stretches and deforms and then return to its original size and shape . it may also be constructed from synthetic or semi - synthetic polymerization products , or other pliable or malleable substances so long as such is flexible and elastic . preferably but not necessarily , the top cover 102 has perforations , for example preferably it has a mesh like structure ( shown ). more preferably the top cover 102 is constructed from a stretch mesh material . the bottom cover 104 may be constructed out of any textile material , that is flexible and has elasticity such that it stretches and deforms and then return to its original size and shape . it may also be constructed from synthetic or semi - synthetic polymerization products , or other pliable or malleable substances so long as such is flexible and elastic . the bottom cover 104 and / or the top cover 102 may optionally be constructed from a three dimensional mesh material as depicted . this mesh is not however intended to be a limitation on the embodiments of the present invention . between the top cover 102 and the bottom cover 104 lies an elongated member 106 . the elongated member 106 may be constructed from any textile material that is flexible and has sufficient strength to support the “ dead weight / hang weight ” of the bag or case to which the strap is attached . the elongated member may also be constructed from synthetic or semi - synthetic polymerization products , however such materials are less preferred . preferably , the elongated member 106 is constructed of a nylon webbing that may be deformed . more preferably , the elongated member is a tensile webbing . preferably the elongated member is 10 mm wide . while 10 mm may be the preferred width , this is not intended to be a limitation on the width of the elongated member and various widths are contemplated within the scope of the embodiments of the present invention . the width may be greater or less depending on the desired strength of the strap 100 and its intended use . preferably the width is between 5 mm and 20 mm . the elongated member 106 has a first end 108 and a second end 110 . attached to the first end 108 and the second end 110 of the elongated member 106 are narrow flat strips of a flexible material 112 , 114 that are used to create a loop . the flat strips of a flexible material 112 , 114 may be attached directly to the elongated member . alternatively , the flat strips of a flexible material 112 , 114 may be attached through the use of a connecting or coupling device or by coupling it with an alternate textile or material . preferably the narrow flat strips of a flexible material 112 , 114 are constructed of nylon webbing . preferably the nylon webbing is 50 mm wide . while 50 mm may be the preferred width , this is not intended to be a limitation on the width of the flat strips of flexible materials and various widths are contemplated within the scope of the embodiments of the present invention . the width may be greater or less depending on the desired strength of the strap 100 . preferably the width is between 25 mm and 75 mm . the loop is created by feeding the narrow flat strips of flexible material 112 , 114 through snap hooks or other coupling means members 116 , 118 . the coupling means 116 , 118 enable the strap 100 to be connected or coupled to a bag or case . the coupling means 116 , 118 may be constructed from a variety of materials including but not limited to fiberglass , metallic substances , synthetic or semi - synthetic polymerization products . the length of the loops created from the narrow flat strips of flexible material may be adjusted by sliding an adjusting loop 120 , 122 along the length of the narrow flat strips 120 , 122 . although the embodiment is described with loops created from the flat strips of flexible material , other coupling means are contemplated within the scope of the embodiments of the present invention including but not limited to buckles , clips , and metal loops . attached to the elongated member are multiple clips 128 ( a . . . n ). the clips 128 ( a . . . n ) are described in greater detail in conjunction with fig4 herein . secured to each clip 128 ( a . . . n ) is a shock absorbing pad 124 ( a . . . n ), as depicted the pads are segmented foam pads . the pads 124 ( a . . . n ) may be constructed from any material which provides cushioning , is flexible , deformable and may absorb energy . preferably the pads 124 ( a . . . n ) are made from ethylene vinyl acetate foam . preferably the ethylene vinyl acetate foam is 10 mm in thickness . while 10 mm may be the preferred thickness , this is not intended to be a limitation on the thickness of the cushioning material and various thicknesses are contemplated within the scope of the embodiments of the present invention . the thickness may be greater or less depending on the desired cushioning . furthermore , although depicted as having uniform thickness , the pads 124 ( a . . . n ) may have varying thickness , i . e ., may be contoured . although the pads 124 ( a . . . n ) are depicted as octagonal in shape , this shape is not intended to be a limitation on the scope of the embodiments of present invention . it is contemplated that the pads 124 ( a . . . n ) may be of any geometry and size as long as the pads 124 ( a . . . n ) are larger in size than the clips 128 ( a . . . n ) so that no clip 128 ( a . . . n ) extends beyond the surface of the pad 124 ( a . . . n ) on which it rests . the shape of the pad 124 ( a . . . n ) is ergonomically designed to compliment a user &# 39 ; s body . although the strap 100 is depicted as having seven clips 128 ( a . . . n ) and seven pads 124 ( a . . . n ), this is not intended to be a limitation on the number of clips or pads contemplated within the scope of the embodiments of the present invention and there may be less or more depending on the size of the strap . the pads 124 ( a . . . n ), clips 128 ( a . . . n ) and the elongated member 106 form a segmented tensile assembly 500 , fig5 . between the pads 124 ( a . . . n ) and the bottom cover 104 , is a length of soft cushioning material 126 . although a preferred embodiment comprises the cushioning material 126 , the cushioning material is optional . the cushioning material 126 is preferably a piece of open cell foam . preferably the open cell foam is 5 mm thick . while 5 mm may be the preferred thickness , this is not intended to be a limitation on the thickness of the cushioning material and various thicknesses are contemplated within the scope of the embodiments of the present invention . the thickness may be greater or less depending on the desired cushioning . the cushioning material 126 , provides further cushioning of the strap 100 when placed around a user &# 39 ; s neck or shoulder . fig2 is a top view 200 of the strap 100 of fig1 . as depicted in fig2 , the top cover 102 and the bottom cover 104 are bound together to create a pocket for holding the segmented tensile assembly 500 . preferably , the top cover 102 and the bottom cover 104 are bound together with an elastic webbing 202 or other elastic material using a stitch that is secure , for example a zigzag stitch 204 . alternate materials may be used to bind the top cover 102 and the bottom cover 104 provided such material is flexible and is capable of recovering its shape after it is deformed . further , while described as stitched , the top cover 102 and bottom cover 104 may be bound by other means , including flexible adhesives , mechanical connections ( hooks , snaps , etc ) or any other means . the encased segmented tensile assembly 500 ( as discussed below ) is coupled to the flat strips of a flexible material 112 , 114 by means of a bartack 206 or other reinforced sticking to a durable material 208 such as leather , vinyl , nylon , or reinforced textile material . alternatively ( not shown ), the segmented tensile assembly 500 may be coupled directly to the flat strips of a flexible material 112 , 114 by means of a mechanical connector such as a snap , buckle , clasp , button , or hook or by using such connectors to attach the segmented tensile assembly 500 to the durable material 206 . fig3 is a bottom view 300 of the strap 100 of fig1 . as depicted in fig3 , the top cover 102 and the bottom cover 104 are bound together to create a pocket for holding the segmented tensile assembly . preferably , the top cover 102 and the bottom cover 104 are bound together with an elastic webbing 202 or other elastic material using a stitch that is secure , for example a zigzag stitch 204 as described in conjunction with fig2 . the bottom cover 104 may be complimented with a nonslip material 308 such as polyurethane or rubber to prevent the assembly from slipping off the user &# 39 ; s neck , shoulder , etc ., while being carried by the user . fig4 is a perspective view of a clip 400 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . the clip 400 may be constructed from synthetic or semi - synthetic polymerization products , or other moldable , pliable or malleable substances . the clip 400 has a top side 402 and a bottom side 404 . the top side 402 is comprised of two elements 406 , 412 . although described as comprised of two elements , it is contemplated within the scope of the embodiments of the present invention that the two elements may be constructed as a single element having two parts . the two pieces 406 , 412 each have a first end 408 , 414 and a second end 410 , 416 . the top side pieces 406 , 412 may be a tapered shape such that the thickness at the second end 410 , 416 is thinner than the thickness at the first end 408 , 414 . preferably the difference in thickness is substantial . for example the second end 408 , 414 may be one third or less of the thickness at the second end 410 , 416 . the second ends 410 , 416 of the top side pieces connect with the bottom side 404 . the top side of the top side piece 406 , 412 at the second end 410 , 416 optionally has grooves 408 ( a . . . n ), 414 ( a . . . n ). grooves 408 ( a . . . n ) and 414 ( a . . . n ) assist in reinforcing the clip between needle strikes ( when the assembly is sewn together .) the joining of the fabric , helps to prevent the cover from slipping . still further the grooves 408 ( a . . . n ), 414 ( a . . . n ) may assist in preventing a fabric cover from slipping along the clip 400 . although the clip 400 is depicted generally as rectangular , this geometry is not intended to be a limitation on the shape of the clip 400 . the clip geometry may vary so long as it is configured to hold the elongated member . the second end 408 , 414 of the top side piece 406 , 412 has a tab 418 , 420 . although depicted as a rectangular shaped tab with rounded corners , the geometry of the tabs as shown is not intended to be a limitation on the scope of the embodiment of the present invention . the tab may be of varying geometry , it may be semi - circular , triangular , square or any other shape , it may also be irregular in shape . regardless of the shape , the tab must be of such a size , shape and proportion that the elongated member 106 inserted between the top side pieces 416 , 412 will be remain between and beneath the tabs 418 , 420 . in one embodiment , the two top side pieces 406 , 412 are of a constant thickness ( not shown ). if the top side pieces 406 , 412 are of a constant thickness , then a support structure is provided so that a ramp like structure is created sloping from a first end down to a second end . in this embodiment , a support structure ( not shown ) is provided for the elongated member while it lies between the top side pieces . in a preferred embodiment , the clip 400 is 6 cm in length and 1 . 5 cm in width . at the ends 410 and 416 , preferably the thickness is 0 . 20 cm . the distance between the tabs 418 , 420 is preferable 0 . 39 cm and the thickness of each tab 418 , 420 is preferably 0 . 15 cm . if grooves are provided for at the ends 410 , 416 , preferably each groove length is 0 . 7 cm and its depth is 0 . 06 cm . an embodiment depicting such preferred dimensions of a clip 600 is provided in fig6 . in fig6 , “ a ” depicts a top view of the clip 600 , “ b ” depicts a side view of the clip 600 , and “ c ” depicts an end view of the clip 600 . specific cross - section are depicted in d and e . the above dimensions are provided for exemplary purposes only and as such are not intended to be a limitation on the embodiments of the present invention . the dimension dimensions may be larger or smaller . in preferred embodiments such lengths / dimensions are proportionately scaled . fig5 a and 5b are top views of an internal contouring mechanism in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . fig5 a depicts the segmented tensile assembly 500 in a relaxed state while fig5 b depicted the segmented tensile assemble 502 in a deformed state , for example when the assembly is adjusting to the user &# 39 ; s body . as shown the segmented assembly may deform in multiple directions . conventional straps are either straight or have a preformed curve shape . straight straps do not conform to the wearer &# 39 ; s body . this results in uneven loading of the weight of the bag on the wearer &# 39 ; s body . preformed curve straps conform to the user &# 39 ; s shoulders well when worn with the pad on the shoulder opposite the bag , i . e ., when the strap crosses the wearer &# 39 ; s body diagonally . however , when a preformed curve strap is worn on the same side of the body as the bag , the curved strap tends to tilt so that one edge bears down on the wearer &# 39 ; s shoulder . as a result , the load of the bag is placed along a narrow line , which can create discomfort for a user . the embodiments of the present invention utilize a novel segmented tensile assembly and novel clip to create a self adjusting strap that contours to the shape of the wearer &# 39 ; s body . the strap is able to match the wearer &# 39 ; s body because of its novel segmented foam construction and the tensile webbing around which the segments may move freely . moreover , the clips which couple the webbing to the segmented foam spread the load over the full width of the foam padding . although described as a neck or shoulder strap , such uses are not intended to be a limitation on the present invention . the novel strap could also be implemented as a waist strap , back - pack strap , seatbelt , or any other strap or holding configuration . furthermore , while the embodiments of the present invention are intended for use by humans , alternative configurations of the device are contemplated within the scope of the present invention so that such device could be used by animals as noted previously the forgoing descriptions of the specific embodiments are presented for purposes of illustration and description . they are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings . the embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications , to thereby enable those skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments thereof as suited to the particular use contemplated . it is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims and their equivalents .
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referring now to the drawings , details of example embodiments of the present invention are schematically illustrated . like elements in the drawings will be represented by like numbers , and similar elements will be represented by like numbers with a different lower case letter suffix . referring to fig2 , depicted is a schematic diagram of a universal - voltage discrete input circuit , according to a specific example embodiment of this disclosure . the universal - voltage discrete input circuit , generally represented by the numeral 200 , comprises a depletion - mode field effect transistor ( fet ) 210 , an isolation circuit 108 ( optocoupler shown for illustrative purposes ), biasing resistors 212 , 214 and 216 , and a low - voltage , adjustable precision shunt regulator 218 . the depletion - mode fet 210 is designed to allow current to flow even when there is no gate voltage present , therefore , current will flow from the drain to the source without any voltage on the gate , but can be controlled with a negative voltage applied to the gate of the fet 210 referenced to the source thereof ( similar to a triode vacuum tube ). the isolation circuit 108 has an isolated input and an isolated output , and may be , for example but is not limited to , an optocoupler having a light emitting diode ( led ) for the isolated input and a phototransistor for the isolated output , ( e . g ., omron g3vm mos fet relay , an electromechanical relay having a coil for the isolated input and a contact for the isolated output , a transformer coupled digital isolator ( e . g ., analog devices adum1402 ), etc . when sufficient current flows through the isolated input ( e . g ., led portion ) of the isolation circuit 108 , e . g ., from about 1 ma . to about 50 ma ., the isolated output ( e . g ., transistor portion ) thereof turns on and can drive a digital logic input circuit or other load to be isolated from the switched input voltage source . isolation between the isolated input ( e . g ., led portion ) and the isolated output ( e . g ., transistor portion ) of the isolation circuit 108 is very high , e . g ., may be greater than 5000 volts dc . series connected resistors 214 and 216 are coupled between an input return of the isolation circuit 108 and a common node of the universal - voltage discrete input circuit 200 , and form a voltage divider having a junction therebetween coupled to a reference input 220 of the adjustable precision shunt regulator 218 . when current flows through the series connected resistors 214 and 216 , a voltage is applied to the reference input 220 of the adjustable precision shunt regulator 218 . this voltage may be adjusted by changing the value ( s ) of either or both of the series connected resistors 214 and 216 . the adjustable precision shunt regulator 218 tries to keep a constant voltage across the sense resistor 214 by adjusting the gate voltage of the fet 210 . as the gate voltage of the fet 210 is adjusted , the current through the fet 210 ( drain to source ) changes and the current through the sense resistor 214 changes as well . this action by the adjustable precision shunt regulator 218 provides a substantially constant current through the isolation circuit 108 , guaranteeing that sufficient current , but not too much current , is available to turn on the transistor portion of the isolation circuit 108 , regardless of input voltage or ambient temperature . in addition , and as an added benefit , input current required from the input voltage source remains at substantially the same current as that which flows through the isolation circuit 108 . resistor 212 is a high resistance value resistor used as a circuit return from the gate to the source of the fet 210 ( similar to a grid bias resistor between a grid and a cathode of a vacuum tube triode amplifier ). the adjustable precision shunt regulator 218 may be , for example but is not limited to , a national semiconductor lmv431 low - voltage ( 1 . 24 v ) adjustable precision shunt regulator , and the depletion - mode fet 210 may be , for example but is not limited to , an ixys high voltage mosfet ixtp 01n100d having a maximum vdss of 1000 volts dc and a maximum drain to source current of 100 ma . the input voltage range for operation of the universal - voltage discrete input circuit 200 may be from less than 7 volts to the maximum voltage rating of the depletion - mode fet 210 , e . g ., 1000 volts dc for the mosfet 1 × tp 01n100d device . the current drawn from the input voltage source remains at a constant low value ( substantially the same value as the current through the isolated input of the isolation circuit 108 ). resistance values may be , for example but are not limited to , resistor 212 = 10 , 000 ohms , resistor 214 = 1000 ohms and resistor 216 = 430 to 910 ohms . referring to fig3 , depicted is a schematic diagram of the universal - voltage discrete input circuit of fig2 with the addition of a input status indicator , according to another specific example embodiment of this disclosure . the universal - voltage discrete input circuit , generally represented by the numeral 200 a , functions substantially the same way as the universal - voltage discrete input circuit 200 of fig2 , discussed more fully hereinabove , with the addition of an input status indicator 319 , e . g ., an led , relay coil , audible alarm , etc . whenever a voltage input of at least , for example but not limited to , 7 volts is applied the input status indicator 319 will actuate ( e . g ., light ), indicating the presence of an input voltage . when there is substantially no input voltage present , the input status indicator 319 will be off ( e . g ., dark ) and the isolated output of the isolation circuit 108 will be off ( e . g ., open - high resistance between a transistor emitter and collector thereof or relay contact ). the input status indicator 319 is operational whether the logic circuit coupled to the isolated output side of the isolation circuit is active or not . this enables the apparatus shown in fig3 to be functional during installation and start - up activities regardless of whether the control / instrumentation side of the logic circuit is powered up or even yet installed . resistor 326 may optionally be used to bypass current around the status indicator 319 so that more current may flow through the isolated input of the isolation circuit 108 without exceeding the current rating of the status indicator 319 . referring to fig4 , depicted is a more detailed schematic diagram of the universal - voltage discrete input circuit of fig2 showing input and output auxiliary circuits , and bypass and signal smoothing capacitors , according to the specific example embodiments of this disclosure . the universal - voltage discrete input circuit , generally represented by the numeral 200 b , functions substantially the same way as the universal - voltage discrete input circuit 200 of fig2 , discussed more fully hereinabove , with the addition of a full wave bridge rectifier 420 that allows the voltage input to be ac or +/− dc , a surge / transient suppressor 422 , a pull - up resistor 426 and a current bypass ( shunt ) resistor 424 . capacitors , c , are shown throughout this circuit implementation and may be used for noise / transient suppression , switching stability and ac waveform smoothing . one having ordinary skill in analog electronic circuit design and the benefit of this disclosure would readily understand the purposes and appropriate values for the capacitors shown in fig4 . the pull - up resistor 426 on the isolated output of the isolation circuit 108 is used to generate a discrete digital logic signal ( on or off ). when current is flowing through the isolated input of the isolation circuit 108 , the isolated output thereof is conducting ( on ) and a logic low is generated . when no current is flowing through the isolated input of the isolation circuit 108 , the isolated output thereof is not conducting ( off ) and a logic high to vcc is generated through the pull - up resistor 426 . zero - crossing glitches of low - amplitude ac signals may be filtered out with a suitable capacitor across the isolated output of the isolation circuit 108 , as shown in fig4 . the digital logic circuit input is isolated from the input voltage signal up to the voltage isolation rating of the isolation circuit 108 , e . g ., 5000 volts dc . the shunt resistor 424 may be selected to allow more current to pass through the depletion - mode fet 210 then through the isolated input of the isolation circuit 108 . although specific example embodiments of the invention have been described above in detail , the description is merely for purposes of illustration . it should be appreciated , therefore , that many aspects of the invention were described above by way of example only and are not intended as required or essential elements of the invention unless explicitly stated otherwise . various modifications of , and equivalent steps corresponding to , the disclosed aspects of the exemplary embodiments , in addition to those described above , can be made by a person of ordinary skill in the art , having the benefit of this disclosure , without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention defined in the following claims , the scope of which is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass such modifications and equivalent structures .
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floating offshore oil platforms and drilling ships need to limit their motions as much as possible in order to conduct uninterrupted drilling and production operations . however , these vessels are subject to motion , particularly in the vertical direction ( heave ), due to the action of waves and swells passing the vessel &# 39 ; s location . accordingly , such vessels are often designed to have minimal waterplane area so that the vessel &# 39 ; s buoyancy is affected as little as possible by wave action . increasing the added mass is a technique that has been used for some time to improve the motion characteristics of floating offshore platforms . the more massive an object is , the more resistant it is to motion in reaction to an applied force ( e . g ., a passing wave ). semi - submersible drilling rigs are often very large and heavy to take advantage of this effect . whenever a floating object moves in a body of water , some of the water must move with the vessel . this “ attached ” water also has mass and thus “ adds ” to the apparent mass of the vessel . certain structures may be designed to maximize this effect . for example , heave plates may be added to offshore platforms and other vessels to increase their effective mass and thereby increase their resistance to acceleration in the vertical direction . heave plates are typically flat plates fixed in a horizontal position such that moving the plate in a vertical direction presents a large surface area to the surrounding water . this requires a relatively large mass of water to move with the heave plate thereby adding to the apparent mass ( and motion stability ) of the vessel . additionally , the heave plate provides increased drag in the vertical direction . drag is a retarding force exerted on a body as it moves through a fluid medium such as water . it is generally comprised of both viscous and pressure effects . one characteristic of drag forces is that the force is proportional to the square of the velocity and thus large drag forces result from large relative velocities . damping is a resistive force to velocity . in a system in an oscillating condition ( such as motion in waves ), damping is any effect , either deliberately engendered or inherent to a system , that tends to reduce the amplitude of oscillations of the oscillatory system . floating vessels exhibit a heave natural period ( oscillation ) when displaced vertically . to avoid potentially damaging resonance , it is desirable to design a floating vessel such that its heave period is outside the range of wave periods likely to be encountered . dampers act to suppress oscillation and generally provide an opposing force that varies in proportion to the system &# 39 ; s displacement from its neutral position or state and the velocity of the displacement . perforated heave plates exhibit another damping effect in addition to that associated with heave plates of the prior art . the addition of porosity to an added mass plate creates a phase shift in the added mass force so that the water pressure normally associated with added mass forces acts as a damping force . the porosity allows the water to lag behind the structure — i . e ., it continues to flow through the plate after the plate stops and reverses direction in oscillatory motion . this is very significant in that the effect allows the development of large damping forces without the need for the large displacements and velocities that would be necessary to develop large damping by drag forces . the invention may best be understood by reference to certain illustrative embodiments shown in the drawing figures . a battered - column , semi - submersible drilling rig 10 according to a first embodiment of the invention is shown in fig1 . deck 16 ( upon which drilling equipment 18 is mounted ) is supported on battered columns 12 projecting above the waterline . buoyancy is provided by columns 12 and pontoons 14 which connect columns 12 and form the perimeter of central opening 24 through which drill string 22 may pass . the invention may also be practiced with conventional semi - submersible rigs — i . e ., those having vertical columns . when drilling operations are being conducted , rig 10 is held in position by catenary anchor lines 20 which connect to anchors on the seafloor . the invention may also be practiced with dynamically positioned drilling rigs — floating platforms which maintain their position using vectored thrust rather than anchors . plate - type heave dampers 26 extend between columns 12 below the waterline and above pontoons 14 . semi - submersible 10 shown in fig1 comprises a pair of dampers 26 . other embodiments may have additional damper plates . those skilled in the art will appreciate that it is desirable to locate the damper plates symmetrically about the center of the vessel . in other embodiments of the invention ( not shown ), heave dampers 26 may be mounted to the vertical sides of pontoons 14 . dampers 26 may be mounted on the interior surface ( i . e ., within central opening 26 ), exterior surface or both . dampers 26 in this configuration may be cantilevered or braced as dictated by structural considerations . fig2 shows damper plate 26 in greater detail . damper 26 comprises slotted plate 28 connected to support member 32 . slots 30 provide openings through which water may flow from the upper surface of plate 28 to the lower surface of plate 28 and vice versa . damper 26 may be constructed of any suitable material or combination of materials . one particularly preferred material is steel which provides relatively high strength at relatively low cost and may be worked using readily - available tools and equipment . as shown in the exemplary embodiments of the drawing figures , support member 32 is a box beam . other structures including , but not limited to , tubular members and flanged or un - flanged beams may similarly be used . support members having a watertight internal cavity may also function as buoyancy members . it will be appreciated that damper plates according to the invention may be configured to present a relatively small frontal area to lateral movement of the vessel thereby minimizing the effects of currents and the station keeping forces necessary to hold the vessel in position . low frontal area also is advantageous in reducing drag when the vessel is being moved from one location to another . fig3 shows one alternative damper plate 26 ′ in detail . damper 26 ′ comprises perforated plate 34 connected to support member 32 . square apertures 30 provide openings through which water may flow from the upper surface of plate 34 to the lower surface of plate 34 and vice versa . damper 26 ′ may be constructed of any suitable material or combination of materials . one particularly preferred material is steel which provides relatively high strength at relatively low cost . fig4 shows yet another version of damper plate 26 ″ in detail . damper plate 26 ″ comprises perforated plate 38 connected to support member 32 . round apertures or holes 40 provide openings through which water may flow from the upper surface of plate 38 to the lower surface of plate 38 and vice versa . damper plate 26 ″ may be constructed of any suitable material or combination of materials . one particularly preferred material is steel which provides relatively high strength at relatively low cost . fig5 a is a cross - sectional view of a fourth embodiment of a damper according to the invention . paired - plate damper 42 comprises upper plate 44 and lower plate 46 both of which are connected to support member 32 . as shown in fig5 a , holes 40 in upper plate 44 may be axially offset distance “ o ” from corresponding holes 40 in lower plate 46 . alternatively , as illustrated in fig5 b , holes 40 in upper plate 44 ′ of damper 42 ′ may be axially aligned with corresponding holes 40 in lower plate 46 ′. by selecting the extent ( if any ) of the offset “ o ,” the resistance to the flow of water from the upper surface of damper 42 to the lower surface of damper 42 ( or vice versa ) which may occur upon vertical movement of damper 42 may be modified , which may influence the damping effect . a battered - column , semi - submersible drilling rig 48 according to another embodiment of the invention is shown in fig6 . deck 16 ( upon which drilling equipment 18 is mounted ) is supported on battered columns 12 projecting above the waterline . unlike the embodiment illustrated in fig1 , buoyancy is provided solely by columns 12 and there are no pontoons which connect columns 12 . rather , columns 12 ′ are connected by truss structure 52 . columns 12 ′ may have undersea section 50 of greater diameter to provide the buoyancy needed to support deck 16 without increasing the waterplane area of columns 12 ′. perforated heave dampers 26 connect adjacent pairs of battered columns 12 and form the perimeter of central opening 24 through which drill string 22 may pass . the invention according to the embodiment of fig6 may also be practiced with semi - submersible rigs having vertical columns . when drilling operations are being conducted , rig 48 is held in position by catenary anchor lines 20 which connect to anchors on or embedded in the seafloor . alternatively , rig 48 may be dynamically positioned . a truss spar platform according to the present invention is shown in fig7 . truss spar platform 54 comprises generally cylindrical hull 56 , truss structure 58 and ballast tank 60 , as shown . deck 16 ′ is mounted to the top of hull 56 . drilling equipment 18 may extend over the side of deck 16 ′ so that drill string 22 may be run to the seafloor . alternatively , a moon pool may be provided in hull 56 for the drill string with corresponding openings in the damper and ballast tank . ballast tank 60 ( which may contain solid ballast ) is sized and positioned so as to position the center of gravity of the vessel is below its center of buoyancy thereby ensuring its free - floating stability . the rig may be anchored in position by conventional catenary anchor lines ( not shown ). at one or more points within truss structure 58 intermediate the bottom of hull 56 and the top of ballast tank 60 is heave plate 26 . in the embodiment shown in fig7 , heave plate 26 comprises a slotted plate . fig8 shows an alternative embodiment wherein heave plate 26 ″ comprises a perforated plate with holes . fig9 shows yet another embodiment of truss structure 58 wherein heave plate 26 ′ comprises a plate having substantially square apertures . another embodiment of the invention is shown in fig1 . in this embodiment , ship - shaped offshore vessel 62 comprising hull 64 , deck 65 and derrick 66 is equipped with retractable motion dampers 68 which may be extended from the sides of hull 64 below the waterline of the vessel . motion dampers 68 may be retracted when the vessel is underway to reduce the drag acting on hull 64 or to permit the vessel to come alongside a dock or another vessel , such as a supply ship . motion dampers 68 , when extended , act to reduce both roll and heave of the vessel . depending on their position relative to the center of the vessel , dampers 68 may also act to reduce pitching motions of the vessel . fig1 is a top view of a portion of the drill ship 62 shown in fig1 . motion dampers 68 may swing into retracted position 74 ( shown in phantom ) by pivoting about pivots 72 . as shown in fig1 , braces 70 may be attached between hull 64 and motion damper 68 to increase the structural rigidity of the extended dampers . the motion dampers 68 shown in fig1 are of the slotted plate type . it will be understood that plates having other aperture shapes ( such as those illustrated in fig1 and 16 ) may also be used in the practice of the invention . another embodiment of the invention is shown in fig1 . in this embodiment , drill ship 62 ′ comprising hull 64 , deck 65 and derrick 66 is equipped with folding motion dampers 76 which may be extended from the sides of hull 64 below the waterline of the vessel . motion dampers 76 may be retracted when the vessel is underway to reduce the drag acting on hull 64 or to permit the vessel to come alongside a dock or another vessel , such as a supply ship . hinged motion dampers 76 , when extended , act to reduce both roll and heave of the vessel . depending on their position relative to the center of the vessel , they may also act to reduce pitching motions of the vessel . fig1 is a top view of a portion of the drill ship 62 ′ shown in fig1 . motion dampers 76 may be moved into retracted position 78 ( shown in phantom ) by swinging on hinges 80 . braces ( not shown ) may be attached between hull 64 and motion dampers 76 to increase the structural rigidity of the extended dampers . the motion dampers 76 shown in fig1 are of the slotted plate type . it will be understood that plates having other aperture shapes ( such as those illustrated in fig1 and 16 ) may also be used in the practice of the invention . damper plates according to the present invention preferably have between about 5 % to about 15 % porosity — i . e ., the openings comprise about 5 to 15 percent of the total plate area ( exclusive of support members ). particularly preferred is a damper plate having a porosity of about 10 %. fig1 is a plan view ( to scale ) of a slotted plate 28 having slots 30 which comprise 10 % of the plate area . fig1 is a plan view ( also to scale ) of a perforated plate 34 according to the invention which has substantially square apertures in a linear row - and - column configuration which comprise 10 % of the plate area . fig1 is a plan view ( to scale ) of a damper plate 40 according to the invention having holes ( round apertures ) 40 in a linear row - and - column configuration which comprise 10 % of the plate area . it will be understood that other aperture configurations are also possible and may be employed without departing from the scope of the invention . particularly preferred are aperture configurations which are “ screen - like ”— i . e ., those that have relatively smaller apertures spaced relatively close together as opposed to configurations having fewer and larger spaced - apart openings ( even though the total porosity may be equal ). although the invention has been described in detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments , variations and modifications exist within the scope and spirit of the invention as described and defined in the following claims .
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referring now to fig1 a general functional arrangement of a typical computerized postal meter system is shown . the heart of the system is the cpu and it performs two basic functions : performance of calculations based on input data and controlling the flow of data between various memory units . two basic memory units are employed with the cpu . the first is the permanent memory pm which is a non - alterable memory storing a specific sequence of operations for performing postal data calculations in accordance with certain predetermined inputs as well as performing other routines for operating the system . the second memory unit is a temporary memory tm which interacts with the cpu for forming a temporary storage , holding and forwarding working data in accordance with the calculations being performed by the cpu . an additional memory component nvm is also coupled to the cpu and performs a storage function which is very significant in the system operation of a postal data system . the nvm is a non - volatile memory which acts to store certain critical information employed in the postal system as part of a predetermined routine activated either upon shut - down or start - up . this routine may be located in the permanent memory and is accessed by appropriate sensing device sensing either of the two stated conditions , shut - down or start - up , for operating the cpu in accordance with that routine . the function of this routine is to take information stored in the temporary memory tm which represents crucial accounting functions such as descending balances or ascending credits and the like and store them in the nvm ( non - volatile memory ) wherein they may be held while the machine is deenergized and recalled upon a subsequent start - up . in this manner , the computer system may continually act upon these balances in the temporary memory without fear of loss of this information upon shut - down . further , the information may be recalled on reactivation by start - up by retrieving it from the non - volatile memory nvm and feeding it back into the tm via the cpu . the non - volatile memory is shown as coupled to the cpu and deriving an output therefrom in accordance with the transfer of information from the temporary storage tm under the control of the permanent memory pm through the cpu in accordance with the shut - down routine . the nvm unit is also shown as providing an output line coupled back into the cpu for transferring the data back into and through the cpu and into the temporary memory tm in accordance with the start - up routine under the control of the permanent memory pm . the system operates in accordance with data applied from an appropriate input means i . this data is fed into the cpu under control of the program in the permanent memory . at any time during the operation of the system , should the contents of the temporary memory storing the appropriate credit debit balances or other accumulations in accordance with the various features of the system be desired to be displayed , an appropriate instruction provided by the input means i causes the cpu to access the desired location tm storing the information requested . the information is provided through the cpu into the output display unit o . the input and output units may be multiplexed by a multiplex unit mp to and from the cpu . under control of the cpu when appropriate postal data information is provided from the input i , and all of the conditions such as limits and the like which may be preset in accordance with the entered data in storage in the temporary memory tm , are satisfied , a postage setting device sp will respond to an appropriate output signal from the cpu enabling a postal printing unit pp . at this point , the system has now accomplished its immediate function of setting the postage printer and enabling the printer to print postage . it is noted that in the above description of a typical postage meter is shown it is well known that typically there are two independent non - volatile memory ( nvm ) pairs . the reason for having redundant or dual non - volatile memory units being that it is important to make certain that the critical accounting data residing in the postage meter is secure . thus , by having dual memories , if one memory becomes defective the other memory will still retain the data . there , as before described , several postage meters that utilize the concept of dual redundant non - volatile memories . as before mentioned , a typical postage meter utilizing dual memories is described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 481 , 604 . for the purposes of this description unless indicated otherwise , a low signal indicates an active state and high signal indicates an inactive state . fig2 is a functional diagram of a postage meter utilizing a reset circuit of the present invention . as is indicated , there is a reset circuit 80 which embodies the inventive concepts in this application . the reset circuit 80 performs three major functions . the circuit 80 ( 1 ) monitors a system clock 90 and various power supply levels of the meter , ( 2 ) provides orderly system start up and shutdown operations and ( 3 ) provides secured access to critical system non - volatile memories ( nvms ) 50 and 60 and also secures system printer 70 . connected to the reset circuit 80 is a microprocessor 30 , an interface circuit 40 , non - volatile memories ( nvms ) 50 and 60 and a system printer 70 . the interface circuit 40 of this embodiment provides the proper address signals to the nvm security circuit 85 ( shown in fig3 ) after receiving input signals from the nvms 50 and 60 . an interface circuit that could be utilized for this purpose is disclosed in u . s . patent application ser no . 710 , 800 entitled electronic postage having a memory map decoder filed on mar 12 , 1985 and assigned to the assignee of the subject application . the circuit disclosed in this application provides the proper select signal only when the appropriate addresses are communicated from the microprocessor 30 so as to particularly ensure the reading and writing of the appropriate data into the appropriate location . as is also indicated , there is a system bus 100 which provides means for communication between the above - mentioned devices . as is also apparent , the microprocessor 30 is connected to the interface circuit 40 and is also connected via the line 31 to clock input 1 ( clk ) of the reset circuit 80 . as is also shown , the microprocessor 30 is connected to and in communication with the reset input 2 ( reset ) of the reset circuit 80 . finally microprocessor 30 is also connected to an input 3 of reset circuit 80 indicated by the v unr low for receiving an indication that the unregulated voltage is low or falling . the unlock enable unlock en input 19 of reset circuit 80 is connected to the interface circuit 40 via line 41 . the non - volatile memory nvm1 input 18 , the non - volatile memory write nvmwr input 17 , nvm2 input 16 are all connected to the circuit 40 via leads 42 , 43 and 44 , respectively . non - volatile memory output nvm1 e 15 of circuit 80 is connected to the non - volatile memory 50 via line 53 , non - volatile memory output nvm2 e 14 is connected to non - volatile memory 60 via line 55 . non - volatile memory write enable output nvmwr e 13 is connected to both nvm 50 and nvm 60 via line 54 . the print enable output 12 print en of circuit 80 is connected to the system printer through line 56 . as is also indicated on the figure , a mode select line is connected to mode / v unr output 11 for providing means to allow the reset circuit 80 to utilize an internal resistor network or to be connected to the optional external network as indicated by rc network 95 . this rc network 95 is used to determine the voltage thresholds utilized by reset circuits 80 voltage monitoring function . the voltage reference device 96 is utilized to provide a constant voltage to be used for comparison by the reset circuit &# 39 ; s 80 voltage monitoring functions . in this embodiment , the device 96 is represented as a zener diode , as is well recognized , however the device 96 could be a variety of electronic circuitry and still perform the above - mentioned function . fig3 is a block diagram of the internal circuitry of the reset circuit 80 shown in fig2 . output protection circuit 84 is coupled to the reset delay circuit 83 , nvm security circuit 85 and a mode selection circuit 86 . a typical output protection circuit is described in copending application ser . no . 710 , 798 filed mar 12 , 1985 , entitled low voltage control circuit , assigned to the assignee of this application . the output control circuit also provides protection to the system , particularly the non - volatile memories during system transitions . the system clock detection unit 81 is also coupled to the reset delay circuit 83 . as is seen , the reset delay circuit 83 is coupled to the regulated monitor 89 and the unregulated monitor 87 . the regulated and unregulated monitors 89 and 87 both utilize the reference voltage for comparison to the inputs provided from selection circuit 86 . the mode selection circuit 86 is connected to an internal resistor network 82 . the mode selection circuit 86 is coupled to and receives signals from the output protection circuit 84 . referring to fig4 mode selection circuit 86 is shown in circuit implementation . the circuit 86 detects which mode of operation is to be selected by the state of the mode input signal . when the external network mode is selected , the bi - directional inputs are configured as analog inputs , and connected to the voltage monitor inputs . when the internal network mode is selected , the bi - directional pins are configured as open drain digital outputs which can be connected to internal test signals . the inputs from the resistor network 84 ( fig3 ) are connected to the voltage monitor inputs in the internal mode . accordingly , the v unr l / intllk 190 bi - directional input is the analog input for the low unregulated voltage monitor output in the external mode 190a and is an open drain internal clock test output 195b in the internal mode . correspondingly , the v unr m / clk rdy 191 bi - directional input is connected to an unregulated mid - range voltage output 191a and an open drain output from an internal clock ready signal 191b for its respective modes , v unr h / v unr rdy 192 bi - directional input is connected to an unregulated high voltage output 192a and an open drain output from an internal v unr rdy signal 192b in its respective modes , v reg l / v reg rdy 193 is connected to a low regulated voltage output 193a and to an open drain output from an internal regulated voltage signal 193b in its respective modes , and v reg h / hold 194 is connected to a high regulated voltage output 194a and to an open drain output from an internal hold signal 194b in its respective modes . as is also seen in the internal network mode , resistor input r1 195 is connected to the v unr l output 190a via switch 200 , resistor input r2 196 is connected to the v unr m voltage medium output 191a via switch 201 , resistor input r3 197 is connected to the v unr h output 192a via switch 202 , 192a via switch 202 , resistor input r4 198 is connected to the v reg l output 193a via switch 202 , and resistor input r5 199 is connected to the v reg h output 194a via switch 203 . the bi - directional inputs 190 through 194 are each connected to an mand transistor circuit 204 . each circuit 204 contains a pair of transistors 205 and 206 which are coupled together . as is seen , each of the transistors 205 is connected to line 207 , the gate of each of their associated other transistors 206 is connected to the internal inputs 190b , 191b , 192b , 193b , and 194b , respectively of the reset circuit . referring to mode / v unr input 208 , the gate of transistor 209 is connected to the input 208 via resistor 212 . it is also seen that the supply voltage v dd is connected to the drain of the transistor 209 via resistor 211 and the source of the transistor 209 is connected to ground . the gate of transistor 209 is also connected to the source of transistor 211 via resistor 210 . the gate of transistor 211 is connected to the input of the inverter 213 . the output of the inverter 213 is connected to the inputs of switches 200 through 204 and 214 through 218 . the output of inverter 213 is also connected to the gates of each of the transistor 205 via line 207 . the operation of the mode selection circuit will be discussed in conjunction with the above mentioned circuit arrangement and the following description provided herein below . the circuit that provides the signal to detect the mode for the bi - directional input is indicated generally by 220 and is described in copending u . s . patent application ser . no . 710 , 793 filed mar . 12 , 1985 , entitled mode detection circuit for a dual purpose analog input and assigned to the assignee of the subject application . the circuit 220 detects whether the reset circuit 80 is in the internal or external mode . thus in this embodiment once the mode is detected by circuit 220 , then the remainder of the mode selection circuit 86 provides an indication via transmission devices as to which input is to be utilized . thus , the mode selection circuit 86 allows for utilization of either the internal or external resistor networks . in this embodiment , the bi - directional pin 190 will be described in detail to show the operation of the circuitry . as is indicated , the remaining bi - directional inputs 191 through 194 are connected in the same manner and their operation is exactly the same with the only difference being the input pins . thus , referring to bi - directional input v unr l / hold when there is a high signal provided from line 207 , transmission gate 214 is turned off , and transmission gate 200 is turned on . the transmission gate 200 provides an indication that connects the input of the internal resistor network to the output v unr l 190a . the signal via line 220 also turns on transistor 205 which in turn allows transistor 206 to operate as an open drain output which is the inverted signal being fed to it via input line 190b . on the other hand , when the signal on line 207 is low , transmission gate 214 is turned on , and transmission gate 200 is turned off . the signal also turns off transistor 205 which allows whatever voltage is on the bi - directional input pin 190 to be sent to the v unr l 190a and prevents the input 190b from affecting the voltage on 190 . referring back to fig3 a low voltage control circuit 88 is coupled to the output protection circuit 84 and the mode selection circuit 86 . a typical low voltage control circuit 88 and associated output protection circuit 84 is described in copending u . s . patent application ser . no . 710 , 798 entitled low voltage control circuit , assigned to the assignee of subject application . the application discloses a circuit which will hold the circuit output in a known state during the power - up and power - down cycles . security circuit 85 is connected to the system clock to receive clock pulses therefrom . circuit 85 is also coupled to and receives signals from the output protection circuit 84 and the external devices , particularly the interface circuit 40 ( fig2 ) via lines 96 , 97 and 98 . as before mentioned , the main purpose of the reset circuit 80 is to monitor different functions that are very critical to the proper operation of the microprocessor 30 and nvms is 50 and 60 ( fig2 ) of the postage meter . thus , for example , the system voltages and the system clock must be monitored continuously to ensure that the postage meter is protected . therefor , in this embodiment , a system clock detection circuit 81 is utilized which determines that a clock signal has come up to some range of frequencies . the system clock detection circuit 81 therefor provides an indication that the system clock is operating at a minimum frequency . referring to fig5 a system clock detection circuit is described which discloses apparatus for verifying that system clock is providing some predetermined minimum frequency . the clock input is connected to three d flip - flops 301 , 302 and 303 . as is indicated , the input of flip - flop 301 is connected to the vdd voltage power supply . the q output of flip - flop 301 is connected to the input of d flip - flop 302 . correspondingly , the q output of d flip - flop 302 is connected to the q output of flip - flop 303 . the reset inputs of flip - flops 301 , 302 and 303 are all connected together and are , in turn , connected to the input of oscillator 308 via an inverter 307 . as is also seen , an output from the oscillator 308 is connected to the clock input of d flip - flop 304 . the output from flip - flop 303 is connected to the d input of flip - flop 304 . the q output of flip - flop 304 is , in turn . connected to the d input of flip - flop 305 . as is also indicated , the q output of flip - flop 305 provides an output signal indicating that the clock is ready clk rdy . the q output of flip - flop 305 is connected to one of the inputs of and gate 306 . the other input of and gate 306 is connected to the output from d flip - flop 304 . the and gate output 306 is connected to the reset input of the flip - flop 304 . the operation of the system clock detection circuit will be discussed in conjunction with the above - mentioned circuit arrangement and the following description provided herein below . the purpose of the system clock detection circuit 81 is to detect whether a system clock connected to the reset circuit is above some predetermined minimum frequency . onboard oscillator 308 provides a proper initial frequency for the range that the system clock detection circuit 81 is to operate . in this embodiment , the frequency that is produced by the oscillator 308 would typically be one - sixth of the predetermined frequency provided by the clock normally , due to the actions of the flip - flops 301 , 302 and 303 . initially , when the reset circuit is first powered up , the oscillator will reset flip - flops 301 , 302 and 303 which will provide a low output on flip - flop 303 . within a clock cycle of power up the low signal provided by flip - flop 303 will be propagated to flip - flop 304 . accordingly , the q output from flip - flop 305 will provide a high signal indicating that the clock is not ready . and gate 306 is to provide protection during start - up of the system clock because it is not clear initially what states flip - flops 304 and 305 are in at that start - up condition . if flip - flop 304 is powered up with its q output active , when that state is clocked and gate 306 provides a reset into flip - flop 305 allowing an erroneous clock signal to flip - flop 304 ready indication for less than one oscillator cycle . the time frame for this possible erroneous output is much less than the time of the reset delay and thus the error would not be detected on a chip output . if there are three low to high transitions from the clock signal through flip - flops 301 through 303 before the output of the inverter 307 goes high one time , then an indication that the clock signal is ready will be provided at the output . accordingly , the clock input of d flip - flop 304 will change from low to high . thus , the high output from flip - flop 303 will be accepted by the input of flip - flop 304 . thus , the next high to low transition from inverter 307 will propagate a signal from 305 providing an indication that the clock is ready . in this embodiment , every time the clock ready signal is indicated at the output , flip - flop 304 will be reset via the action of and gate 306 to ensure that the high signal is being propagated through the flip - flops 301 , 302 and 303 during every cycle . thus , if the clock signal does not operate properly , there is rapid indication that the clock ready output is not at the proper state . accordingly , this circuit provides an indication of whether the clock signal is at or above a certain predetermined threshold frequency . thus , in this embodiment if the clk input is not operating above that predetermined threshold , there will be an indication that the clock ready clk rdy output is not enabled . if the system clock is working above that predetermined threshold , then the clock ready signal will give an indication that it is enabled . referring again back to fig3 regulated and unregulated voltage monitors 87 and 89 are utilized to provide an indication of the voltage level of the various power supplies . the output protection circuit 84 will receive signals from the monitors 87 and 89 via reset delay circuit 83 which , until the monitors are operating normally , will block all signals from being obtained at the output , thereby ensuring that the meter remains in a safe condition . referring back to fig2 in this embodiment voltage monitoring is accomplished by both monitoring the normal supply system voltage v cc and also monitoring an unregulated power supply v unr which is provided directly from the power supply which would be expected to fail before the regulated power supplies . because of these two different points of picking off the supply voltage , an opportunity is available to warn the microprocessor 30 that the power is falling . when the unregulated voltage , regulated voltage and system clock are all at the proper levels , the reset delay circuit 83 ( fig3 ) begins to count off a predetermined number of pulses from the system clock . once that predetermined number of pulses has been exceeded , the reset signal is released on the microprocessor 30 , and on the interface circuit 40 and normal operation of the meter can begin . whenever the reset signal is active or when one of the conditions has not been satisfied , the system printer 70 is locked thereby preventing the imprinting of postage by the meter . also provided from the interface circuit 40 is an unlock enable signal which gives an indication that is proper to release the printer . the final and most important function of the reset circuit 80 is to protect the critical accounting information of the nvms 50 and 60 . to accomplish this function , the reset circuit 80 accepts three signals from the interface circuit 40 . the first two signals are the nvm1 e and nvm2 e enable signals and the third signal is the nvmwr signal . the interface circuit 40 and the reset circuit 80 interact to ensure that there is no discrepancy between the outputs on the nvm 50 or 60 and the inputs . the reset circuit 80 also ensures both nvms 50 and 60 are not active at the same time . the reset circuit 80 also makes certain that the write line 54 of either non - volatile memory is not activated without activating an enable line first . furthermore , the reset circuit 80 prevents the nvms 50 and 60 from being enabled simultaneously . finally , if any of the nvm enable lines 53 , 54 and 55 enabled for more than a certain number of clock cycles , the reset circuit will bring the output signals to a safe condition thereby ensuring protection of the contents located within nvms 50 and 60 . essentially , the reset circuit is protecting the nvms 50 and 60 by detecting a short on the output of the reset circuit 80 and preventing further access to the remaining nvm lines . it is very important to maintain the security of the foregoing so that the critical accounting information of the non - volatile memories are protected . fig6 through 9 show circuit implementations for the non - volatile memory security circuit 85 , the unregulated power supply monitor 87 , the regulated power supply monitor 89 and the reset delay circuit 83 . these circuits cooperate with each other and the other portions of the reset circuit to protect the contents of the postage meter . the operation of the above - mentioned circuits along with their description will be described with reference to the above - mentioned figures in conjunction with the following discussion . fig6 is a circuit implementation of the security circuit 85 of fig3 . security circuit 85 receives signals from the system clock signals from the non - volatile memory inputs , and signals from the non - volatile memory outputs . referring to fig6 and gate 110 is connected via lead 111 to reset counter 112 . the and gate 110 receives the initial clock pulse from the system clock as indicated in fig1 . the output of and gate 113 which is connected to one of the outputs of and gate 114 . the other input of and gate 114 is connected to the output of and gate 115 . the three inputs of and gate 113 are connected to nvm1 e , nvm2 e and nvmwr e which are the outputs of the nvms 50 and 60 ( fig1 ). the three inputs of and gate 115 are connected to the nvm1 e , nvm2 e , and nvmwr e lines which are the inputs of the nvms 50 and 60 . it is also seen that there are three or gates 116 , 117 and 118 , each of which have one input connected to an inverter designated 119 , 120 and 121 , respectively . the outputs of the or gates 116 , 117 and 118 are connected to the three inputs of an and gate 122 . the output of the and gate 122 in turn is connected to one of the three inputs of nand gate 123 . a second input of nand gate 123 is connected to an input of and gate 110 . the two inputs of or gate 124 are connected to the nvm1 and nvm2 inputs from the nvms 50 and 60 . the output of or gate 124 is connected to a first input of and gate 125 . the output of and gate 125 in turn is connected to a third input of nand gate 123 . a second input of and gate 125 is connected to the output of the reset flip - flop 127 . the three inputs of and gate 128 are connected to the nvm1 , nvm2 and to the output of inverter 119 . the output of the and gate 128 is connected to an inverter 126 which in turn is connected to a third input of and gate 125 . also and gate 128 is connected to the clear input of flip - flop 127 . the set input of flip - flop 127 is connected to the output of and gate 120 . the operation of the security circuit will be explained in conjunction with fig6 and the following discussion . as shown in the nvm security circuit of fig6 the or gates 116 , 117 and 118 are comparing the one input to its respective output to ensure that there is never an output signal that is low when the input signal is high . thus , for example , if the nvm1 e output is low and the nvm1 input is high , then there will be a high output through the or gate 116 . accordingly , a zero will be provided to the input of and gate 12 will , in turn , provide a zero or a low output . thus , nand gate 123 will be given a signal that indicates disabling all of the outputs of the nvms 50 and 60 . this is accomplished through the action of the output protection circuit 84 ( fig3 ) which , in effect , as before mentioned , blocks all output signals when the disable signal is delivered to it . provided to the inputs of and gate 115 are the outputs of the nvms 50 and 60 . accordingly , when the inputs of and gates 113 and 115 are all high , then and gate 114 will provide a reset signal to counter 112 . thus when all inputs are high to the non - volatile memory simultaneously and the outputs are high to the non - volatile memory simultaneously , the counter can be reset . this is the only way to reset the counter 112 . the function of counter 112 is to ensure that the time limit is not being exceeded in holding the outputs of the non - volatile memories enabled . thus if reset input of the counter 112 is inactive ( indicating that one of the nvm lines is active ) for more than a predetermined number of cycles , a signal is received at nand gate 123 that the outputs should be disabled . once the counter 112 reaches that predetermined number , for example , 16 clock cycles , the output of counter 112 will go low thereby disabling the clock input to the counter 112 by the action of and gate 110 . this effectively latches the disable signal provided by nand gate 123 . as before mentioned , the disable signal will remain until all of the input and outputs have gone to a high state again . thus , for example , if there is a short at the input or output , the signals from the two and gates 113 and 115 will ensure that the memories in the postage meter will be locked out , and it will be impossible to read information from or write information to the nvms 50 and 60 . the or gate 124 , primarily ensures that nvm1 and nvm2 inputs are never active at the same time . this is necessary because under normal operating conditions of the postage meter both signals should not be active or enabled even if they are both being read at the same time . the and gate 128 is utilized to ensure that the nvm write input does not go active before one or the other nvm output lines . thus , in effect , the circuit is not enabled before the nvm write signal is enabled . the or gate 124 and and gate 128 provide protection to the circuit in the following manner . the nvm wr write input is provided to the and gate 128 in an inverted state via inverter 119 . thus , if nvm1 and nvm2 are both inactive ( both being high ), and the nvm write line is low . then the and gate 128 will be high which clears flip - flop 127 . the disable output will go high due to the action of and gate 125 and nand gate 123 . the only method for removing or clearing this latching of the d flip - flop 127 is for all of the inputs from and gate 115 to return to ones or inactive . once all of the nvm inputs return to one or the inactive state , the d flip - flop 127 will be set thereby removing the disable signal provided by and gate 125 . thus , the secuirty circuit 85 is ensuring that all the inputs to the nvms 50 and 60 and the outputs to the nvm are high or inactive before the flip - flop 127 is reset . the non - volatile memory security circuit 85 thereby performs the functions of limiting the amount of time the memories may be continuously enabled preventing the simultaneous enabling of both memories and also prevents the write enabling of the memory if the write enable signal is inactive before the circuit enable signal is inactive . the nvm security circuit also prevents memory access when a conflict is sensed across an output or an input related to the non - volatile memories . the security circuit provides additional protection to the non - volatile memories so that the valuable critical accounting information located therein cannot be modified or destroyed . fig7 is a circuit implementation of the unregulated voltage monitor 87 . the unregulated voltage v unr is connected to the negative inputs of comparators 134 , 140 and 146 via resistors 130 , 136 and 142 , respectively . as is also seen , resistors 131 , 137 and 143 are connected to resistors 130 , 136 and 142 . the opposite end of resistors 131 , 137 and 143 are connected to ground . the positive inputs of comparators 134 , 140 and 146 are connected to a reference voltage via resistors 132 , 138 and 144 , respectively . resistors 133 , 139 and 145 are also connected in feedback relationship with the positive inputs with comparators 134 , 140 and 145 , respectively . the resistors 133 , 139 and 145 in combination with resistors 132 , 138 and 144 provide hysterisis for their comparators switch point . inverter 148 is , in turn , connected to the set input of the flip - flop 150 . the output of the hysterisis device or schmitt trigger 141 is connected to the reset input for flip - flop 150 . the set input of flip - flop 150 is also connected to the set input flip - flop 149 . the output of hysterisis device or schmitt trigger 135 is connected to the reset input of flip - flop 149 . the q output of the flip - flop 149 provides an indication that the unregulated voltage is at the proper level . the q output of flip - flop 150 provides an indication of whether the voltage is low or falling . in this embodiment , comparators 134 , 140 and 146 are comparing a reference voltage v ref to the voltage of the unregulated power supply . the unregulated voltage is divided into three different threshold levels . the comparator 134 represents the lowest threshold voltage , 140 represents the middle range threshold voltage , and 146 represents the highest threshold voltage . initially , the comparators 134 , 140 and 146 will be inactive so that the input to the two flip - flops 149 and 150 can be reset . in addition , the set inputs will be low , thus the q output of each flip - flop will be low indicating that the unregulated voltage is low and the unregulated voltage is not at its appropriate level . as the voltage increases and the lowest threshold voltage v unr low is exceeded , the output of the comparator 134 changes from its inactive state ( one ) to an active state ( zero ). however , since the set input of flip - flop 149 is zero , the output of the flip - flop 149 will remain at zero . thus , the output of flip - flop 149 will still be providing an indication that the unregulated voltage supply is not high enough . when the middle range unregulated voltage v unr m is exceeded , the output of comparator 140 will provide a zero to the input of the reset of flip - flop 150 and there are two zero inputs at the flip - flop 150 . accordingly , flip - flop 150 the output will remain at zero . accordingly , there is no change on the output and thus the output of flip - flop 150 will still be indicating that voltage is low . finally , as the unregulated voltage exceeds the highest threshold voltage v unr h the output from comparator 146 will change from a one to a zero . the output of the comparator 146 is inverted via inverter 147 and will provide a one to both of the set inputs of the flip - flops 149 and 150 . thus , this is the first state transition of the flip - flop output 149 and 150 . thus , at this state , the q output of flip - flop 149 will be active giving an indication that the unregulated voltage is ready and the q output of flip - flop 150 will be active given an indication the voltage is no longer low . as the nominal level of the unregulated voltage supply goes down , the first threshold voltage that will be encountered is the highest threshold voltage v unr h . at this point , the output of comparator 146 will be changing from a zero to a one and therefore the output of the inverter 147 will change from a one to a zero . at this point there are two zeros on the input to flip - flop 149 and 150 . thus , there is no state change of either flip - flop . the next threshold that is reached is the unregulated mid - range threshold v unr m . accordingly , the output of the comparator 140 will change from zero to one , and the reset input on the flip - flop 150 will change to a high . the q output of flip - flop 150 will therefore change to a high . thus , there will be an indication at the output of flip - flop 150 that the voltage is low or declining . finally , as the voltage continues down to below the unregulated low threshold voltage v unr l , the output on the comparator 134 will change from a zero to a one . the input to the reset line of flip - flop 149 will change from a zero to a one thereby resetting flip - flop 149 . the output of flip - flop 149 changes back to a one , thus providing an indication that the unregulated voltage is no longer at an appropriate level . when the unregulated voltage is above a high range , the monitor 87 will provide a signal to the reset delay circuit 83 to allow for its activation . the voltage monitor 87 will provide a signal to the output protection circuit 84 that the voltage is falling below a certain level v low . the monitor 87 will also provide a signal to the reset delay circuit 83 to prevent activation of the circuit when the unregulated voltage is not at an appropriate level . fig8 is a circuit implementation of the regulated voltage monitor 89 . as indicated in the figure , a reference voltage v ref is provided to the positive inputs of comparators 162 and 170 via resistors 160 and 168 , respectively . resistors 160 and 169 are connected in feedback relationship with comparators 162 and 170 . at the negative inputs of comparators 170 and 171 there is provided a system voltage indicated by v dd via resistors 166 and 171 , respectively . also , one end of each of the resistors 167 and 172 are connected to resistors 166 and 171 while the other end of each of the resistors 167 and 172 is connected to ground . hysterisis devices or schmitt triggers 163 and 173 are connected at the outputs of comparators 162 and 170 , respectively . the output of hysterisis device or schmitt trigger 163 is connected to the input of the inverter 164 . the output of the inverter 164 is , in turn , connected to a first input of or gate 165 . the output of hysterisis device or schmitt trigger 173 is connected to a second input of the or gate 165 . the output of the or gate 165 provides an indication of whether the regulated power supply is at the proper level . at the initial condition , the supply voltage , v dd , will be at zero voltage and both of the outputs of the comparators will be high or inactive . the output v reg rdy will be high providing an inactive signal to the reset circuit . as the voltage starts exceeding threshold voltage v reg l , the output from comparator 162 will change from one to zero . accordingly , the or gate 165 will provide a zero to the output indicating that the regulated voltage is ready . as the voltage exceeds the higher threshold of voltage v reg h , the output of the comparator 170 will change from a one to a zero . thus , the output from inverter 164 will change from a zero to one and the output through the or gate 165 will be high indicating that the regulated voltage is not ready , it being too high . voltage monitor 89 in effect monitors for whether a voltage is too high or too low . when the regulated voltage is between the two threshold voltages , then the regulated voltage supply is ready . when , however , the voltage is below the first threshold voltage of comparator 162 or above the second threshold voltage of comparator 170 , the regulated voltage monitor will then provide a signal to the reset delay circuit 83 to prevent activation until the regulated voltage supply is at an acceptable level . fig9 is a circuit implementation of the reset delay circuit 83 . the reset delay circuit 83 comprises a three input or gate 250 and counter 251 . the or gate 250 receives a clk rdy signal , the v unr rdy signal and the v reg rdy signal . when all of the inputs are providing an active signal to the or gate 250 , the reset input of counter 251 becomes active . the counter 251 also receives a clock signal for timing and for counting . thus , the counter 251 is set to count a certain number of clock cycles when the reset signal on the or gate 250 becomes inactive . once a predetermined number of clock cycles ( for example 2 19 clock cycles ) have occurred , the output signal will change state indicating an inactive output . the set input of counter 251 will also become inactive which will in turn lock up the counter 251 . thus , the reset delay circuit 83 receives input signals from the clock detection circuit 81 , the unregulated voltage monitor 87 , and the regulated voltage monitor 89 . when all of these inputs are at the appropriate levels , the circuit 83 provides for a delay before commencing any postage meter operation . this reset delay circuit 83 eliminates the need for external capacitors to be used in the timing function of the meter . the reset circuit of this invention in conjunction with other portions of the postage meter provides protection for the sensitive accounting information located therein . it is well known to those skilled in the art that the different circuits contained within the reset circuit of this embodiment could be implemented utilizing integrated circuit technology that would allow for miniaturization thereof . it is also well known that this circuit can be utilized in various microprocessor based system . it is further known that this reset circuit could be utilized in circuitry where voltage levels are critical . finally , this circuit could be utilized in any type of system in which there is sensitive information in non - volatile or other core type memory . the above - described embodiment can be modified in a variety of ways and those modifications would still be within the spirit and scope of applicants &# 39 ; invention . thus , while this invention has been disclosed by means of a specific illustrative embodiment , the principles thereof are capable of a wide range of modification by those skilled in the art within the scope of the following claims .
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fig1 to 3 show the base 1 of the tire removal machine , from which there extends upwards in the usual manner a rotatable shaft 2 supporting the rotary platform 3 on which the wheel rim 4 is locked by self - centering jaws 5 . for completeness , it should be noted that the jaws 5 are made to undergo approach and withdrawal in the usual manner by a cylinder - piston unit . from the base 1 there extends upwards to the side of the platform 3 the column 7 , the first portion of which is vertical , after which it bends through 90 ° so that its end lies above the center of the platform 3 , and hence above the center of the wheel rim 4 . to the end of the column 7 there is fixed a tube / sliding and guiding seat 8 having a vertical axis , within the inner prismatic section of which there freely slides a rod 9 . to the lower end of the rod 9 there is fixed a nosepiece or frusto - conical member 10 able to engage the central hole of the wheel rim 4 . the nosepiece 10 is fixed to the rod 9 in such a manner as to be able to rotate about its axis . the vertical movements of the rod 9 are controlled by a cylinder - piston unit 11 , the body of which is rigid with the column 7 . in an intermediate position between the nosepiece 10 and the tube 8 the rod 9 carries a slidable member 12 provided with a seat 13 inclined to the horizontal plane . the seat 13 is polygonal in cross - section and slidingly carries an arm 14 , the axis of which is contained in a chordal plane of the wheel rim . the arm 14 is inclined such that its lower end is closer to the column 7 , to said end there being fixed the tool 15 intended to operate on the tire bead . said tool 15 is of the usual form and operates in the usual manner . the member 12 and rod 9 are locked together by a clamping plate 16 operated by a cylinder - piston unit 17 . the plate 16 is positioned below the member 12 such that its tightening results in automatic raising of the member 12 . the arm 14 and the member 12 are likewise locked together by a clamping plate 18 operated by a cylinder - piston unit 19 . the clamping plate 18 is positioned on the side of the member 12 facing the column 7 so that when the clamping plate is tightened the tool 15 is automatically made to approach the column 7 . the travel movements caused by tightening the clamping plates 16 and 18 are such as to withdraw the tool 15 a certain distance from the edge of the wheel rim 4 both vertically and horizontally . by resting on the center of the wheel rim , the structure comprising the column 7 and the rod 9 becomes sufficiently rigid so as not to deform under the action of the forces transmitted by the tool 15 when it interferes with the tire bead , hence ensuring the absence of undesirable contact between the tool 15 and the wheel rim 4 . finally , the reference numeral 888 indicates means for operating said clamping devices . fig4 to 6 show a second embodiment of the invention , suitable for application to already existing tire removal machines . said figures show the base 20 of a traditional tire removal machine from which the rotary shaft 21 extends upwards to support the rotary platform 22 . the wheel rim 23 is placed on the platform 22 and maintained locked and centered thereon by usual self - centering jaws 24 operated by the piston 25 . to the side of the platform 22 there extends upwards the vertical column 26 , which in the illustrated version can be inclined by rotation about the pivot 27 , and is maintained in the vertical position by a catch 271 . at the top of the column 26 there is positioned a tube 28 with its axis perpendicular to that of the column , and in which there slides a polygonal arm 29 . the arm 29 is locked by a clamping plate 30 , the operation of which automatically causes the arm 29 to travel towards the left in fig4 . at the end of the arm 29 there is positioned a tube 31 having vertical axis within which a rod of prismatic section slides freely . the rod 32 is locked to the tube 31 by a clamping device , not shown , which when tightened automatically causes the rod 32 to undergo a small upward movement . the usual tool 33 for interacting with the tire bead is fixed to the lower end of the rod 32 . according to the invention , above the tool 33 the rod 32 carries a first slidable member 34 supporting a horizontal arm 35 . on the horizontal arm 35 there slides a second member 36 carrying a conical member 37 to be securely inserted into the central hole in the wheel rim 23 . from fig5 and 6 it can be seen that the slidable member 34 is composed of two jaws 341 and 342 arranged to clamp the rod 32 . between the two jaws 341 and 342 there acts a bolt 343 maintained in position by the bracket 344 , and screwed into a nut 345 having an operating appendix / lever . the nut is positioned to the side of the horizontal arm 35 , and is in contact with the jaw 342 by virtue of the spacer 347 which is integral with said nut . the arm 35 is welded to the jaw 342 and carries said slidable member 36 as stated . the member 36 comprises two mutually perpendicular clamping seats , of which one 355 accommodates the arm 35 , and the other 38 accommodates a first pin 39 . to the first pin 39 there is fixed a second pin 40 , parallel to but non - aligned with the first pin , and coaxial to and rigid with the conical member 37 . by virtue of the non - alignment , the axis of the conical member 37 can be located exactly in the vertical plane passing through the axis of the rod 32 . the conical member 37 is clamped onto the arm 35 , and the rod 39 onto the member 36 , by a single bolt 41 which is inserted through a seat perpendicular to the axis of both said clamping seats , and is screwed into a nut 42 provided with an operating appendix / lever 43 . the operator manually brings the tool 33 into contact with the edge of the wheel rim 23 , and then locks it in position by operating clamping devices , which automatically results in separation from the wheel rim . the operator then inserts the conical member 37 into the central hole in the wheel rim , and locks it by means of the nuts 345 and 41 . in this manner , by virtue of the invention a very rigid support structure for the tool 33 is obtained , hence preventing deformation which could cause undesired contact between the tool and the wheel rim . the invention being thus described , it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways . such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention , and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims .
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in the pdp module of the embodiment of the present invention , the second electric current path is connected to the integration driving board and is connected to the sustain electrode line via a path between the pdp and the metal plate through the penetration hole . in the pdp module in the embodiment of the present invention , the penetration hole is formed adjacent to the integration driving board . in the pdp module in the embodiment of the present invention , the first and second electric current paths are respectively a first fpc and a second fpc . in the pdp module of the embodiment of the present invention , the first electric current path is connected to either the face or the back of a side of the integration driving board . in the pdp module of the embodiment of the present invention , the second electric current path is connected to either the face or the back of the other side of the integration driving board . in the pdp module of the embodiment of the present invention , the integration driving board has a scan driver board that generates a scan pulse provided with the scan electrode lines , an integration sustainer board that generates the first sustain pulse provided with the scan electrode line and a second sustain pulse provided with the sustain electrode lines , and a connector that connects the scan driver board to the integration sustainer board . the pdp module of the embodiment of the present invention further includes a data driver board that generates a data pulse provided with the data electrode line , a fpc that is connected between the data driver board and the data electrode line , a control board that provides a control signal with upper board 90 in parallel , and the data electrode lines x 1 through xn are formed on the lower board 92 . also , a pad region y 94 is formed on a side of the upper board 90 , and a pad y ( not shown in the diagram ) that is connected to the scan electrode lines is formed in this region . on the other hand , a pad region z 96 is formed on the other side of the upper board 90 , and a pad z ( not shown in the diagram ) that is connected to the sustain electrode lines ( not shown in the diagram ) is formed in this region . and , a pad region x is formed on a side of the lower board 92 , and a pad x ( not shown in the diagram ) that is connected to a data line is formed in this region . the upper board 90 and lower board 92 are attached so that the pad region y 94 , the pad region z 96 , and pad region x ( not shown in the diagram ) can be exposed . the heat sink 86 is installed in the place where whole the heat sink overlaps with the back of the pdp 70 , so that the heat sink can easily release heat generated in the pdp 70 . also , a penetrating hole 85 is formed in the heat sink 86 . a fpc z 84 can penetrate the heat sink 86 through the hole , and can electrically connect a sustain circuit z ( not shown in the diagram ) in a y - z sustainer board 74 and a pad region z 96 that is formed on the upper board 90 . the penetrating hole 85 is formed adjacent to the y - z sustainer board 74 . the control board 72 generates each of timing control signals x , y , and z . the control board 72 provides the timing control signals y and z with a y - z integration board 100 via a first fpc 76 , and provides the timing control signal x with the data driver board 80 via a second fpc 78 . the data driver board 80 generates the data pulse dp with the timing control signal x from the control board 72 , and provides the data pulse with the data electrode lines in the pdp 70 via a fpc x 88 , as is shown in fig3 . the fpc x 88 is connected to the pad region x ( not shown in the diagram ) that is installed in the data driver board 80 and the pdp 70 . the y - z integration board 100 is comprised of the scan driver board 73 , the y - z sustainer board 74 , and a connector 75 that connects the boards 73 and 74 . with the timing control signal y from the control board 72 , the scan driver board 73 generates the reset pulse rp that is provided with scan electrode lines in the reset period apd as is shown in fig3 , and generates the scan pulse sp that is provided in the address period apd . also , the scan driver board 73 provides the reset pulse rp and the scan pulse sp with the scan electrode lines in the pdp 70 via a fpc y 82 . as is shown in fig7 , the fpc y 82 is connected to the scan driver board 73 and the pad region y 94 in the pdp 70 , and is connected to the face or the back of a side of the scan driver board 73 . with timing control signals y and z from the control board 72 , the y - z sustainer board 74 generates the sustain pulse y suspy that is provided with the scan electrode lines in the sustain period spd , and generates sustain pulse z suspz that is provided with the sustain electrode lines in place of the sustain pulse y suspy . and , the y - z sustainer board 74 generates the bias pulse bp that is provided with the sustain electrode lines in the reset period rtpd and the address period apd , as is shown in fig3 . the y - z sustainer board 100 has a sustain circuit y ( not shown in the diagram ) that generates the sustain pulse y suspy and the sustain circuit z ( not shown in the diagram ) that generates the bias pulse bp and the sustain pulse z suspz . as is shown in fig8 , the y - z sustainer board 74 in this embodiment provides the sustain pulse y suspy with the scan electrode lines in the pdp 70 via the path whose direction is the connector 75 , the scan driver board 73 , and the fpc y 82 . also , as is shown in fig8 , the y - z sustainer board 74 provides the bias pulse bp and the sustain pulse z suspz with the sustain electrode lines in the pdp 70 through the penetration hole 85 formed in the heat sink 86 , via the fpc z 84 that is electrically connected to the sustain circuit z ( not shown in the diagram ) in the y - z sustainer board 74 and the pad region z 96 on the upper board 90 . as is shown in fig7 , the fpc z 84 has electrical connection to the y - z sustainer board 74 , and is connected to the pad region z 96 that is formed in the pdp 70 via a path between the pdp 70 and the heat sink 86 through the penetration hole 85 formed in the heat sink 86 . the fpc z 86 is connected to the face or back of a side of the y - z sustainer board 74 . in this case , the sustain circuits y and z are integrated into the y - z sustainer board 74 , and the heat sink 86 cannot play a part as an electrical current path . this makes it possible to decrease electromagnetic interference in the pdp 70 . in the concrete , when the y - z sustainer board 74 provides the sustain pulse y suspy with the scan electrode lines , the first electric current path follows the direction of : the y - z sustainer board 74 , the connector , the scan driver board 73 , the fpc y 82 , the scan electrode lines , the panel capacitor , the sustain electrode lines , the fpc z 84 , the y - z sustainer board 74 . on the other hand , the second electric current path , which the y - z sustainer board 74 provides the sustain pulse z suspz with the sustain electrode lines in the pdp 70 , follows the direction of : the y - z sustainer board 74 , the fpc z 84 , the sustain electrode lines , the panel capacitor , the scan electrode lines , the fpc y 82 , the scan driver board 73 , the connector 75 , and the y - z sustainer board 74 . in this case , the fpc z 84 is connected to the pad region z 96 via a path between the pdp 70 and the heat sink 86 through the penetration hale 85 formed in the heat sink 86 , and the heat sink 86 cannot play a role as a electric current path . this makes it possible to decrease the electromagnetic interference in the pdp 70 . as is described above , the sustain circuits y and z are integrated into one board in the pdp module related to the embodiment of the present invention . this makes it possible to simplify the structure of the circuit boards . especially , in the pdp module related to the embodiment of the present invention , the y - z sustainer board , which the sustain circuits y and z are integrated into , is located in one side of the heat sink , and the heat sink cannot play a part as a electric current path . therefore , this makes it possible to decrease the electromagnetic interference in the pdp . the invention being thus described , it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways . such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention , and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims .
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hereinafter , embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 is a partial exploded schematic perspective view showing a plasma display panel according to an embodiment , and fig2 is a sectional view showing the plasma display panel according to one embodiment , taken along a line a - a in fig1 . referring to fig1 and 2 , the plasma display panel according to one embodiment includes a first substrate 10 ( hereinafter , referred to as a back substrate ), a second substrate 20 ( hereinafter , referred to as a front substrate ), a back barrier layer 30 , first electrodes 40 , second electrodes 50 , address electrodes 60 , and fluorescent substance layers 70 . the front substrate 20 has a front barrier layer 36 provided to an upper surface thereof . the first electrodes 40 and the second electrodes 50 form scan electrodes which perform address discharge and display discharge as well as sustain electrodes which perform the display discharge along with the scan electrodes . therefore , the first electrodes 40 are referred to as the scan electrodes , and the second electrodes 50 are referred to as the sustain electrodes . of course , it is understood that the first electrodes 40 may form the sustain electrodes and the second electrodes 50 may be the scan electrodes . the first electrodes 40 have a width greater than that of the second electrodes 50 , while having their total impedance relatively reduced . the back substrate 10 faces the front substrate 20 at a predetermined distance . a plurality of discharge spaces 80 are defined by the back barrier layer 30 between the back substrate 10 and the front substrate 20 . each of the discharge spaces 80 is formed as a discharge cell , including the back discharge space 82 as defined by the back barrier layer 30 and a space defined by the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 . further , in the case of forming the front barrier layer 36 , the discharge space 80 includes a front discharge space 84 defined by the front barrier layer 36 . the discharge space 80 has a fluorescent substance layer 70 which is coated onto a predetermined region thereof and absorbs vacuum ultraviolet rays so as to emit visual - rays , while being filled with a discharge gas which creates the vacuum ultraviolet rays by plasma discharge . the fluorescent substance layer 70 includes a reflection type fluorescent substance layer 72 formed on the back substrate and a transmission type fluorescent substance layer 74 formed on the front substrate . the back substrate 10 can be made of material with a predetermined thickness such as glass , which forms a plasma display panel along with the front substrate 20 . the back substrate 10 has the address electrodes 60 which are arranged in one direction on an upper surface 10 a of the back substrate 10 facing the front substrate 20 , and a second dielectric layer 62 coated on the upper surface 10 a of the back substrate 10 to cover the address electrodes 60 . further , the back barrier layer 30 is formed on the second dielectric layer 62 . a surface of structural elements facing the front substrate 20 ( in a + z direction of fig1 ) is referred to as an upper surface , while a surface of structural elements facing the back substrate 10 ( in a − z direction of fig1 ) is referred to as a lower surface . the front substrate 20 is formed from a transparent material , such as soda glass , and faces the back substrate 10 . further , the front substrate 20 has the front barrier layer 36 at a lower surface thereof facing the back substrate 10 . the back barrier layer 30 includes first barriers 32 formed in one direction ( y direction in fig1 ) in parallel with each other , and second barriers 34 formed in a direction that intersects the first barriers 32 ( x direction in fig1 ). furthermore , the back barrier layer 30 may have auxiliary barriers 35 formed on the second barriers 34 . thus , the back barrier layer 30 can define the back discharge space 82 which is a part of the plural discharge spaces 80 which are capable of creating discharge between the back substrate 10 and the front substrate 20 . the back barrier layer 30 may be formed from glass materials including elements such as pb , b , si , al , o , etc . the auxiliary barriers 35 are formed at a desired height on the second barriers 34 so as to be parallel with the second barriers 34 , preferably they may be formed at the identical height of the first and second dielectric layers 47 and 57 . furthermore , the auxiliary barriers 35 intersect the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 and are connected to the first and second dielectric layers 47 and 57 which are formed outside the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 . therefore , the auxiliary barriers 35 define the discharge spaces 80 along with the back barrier layer 30 , the first dielectric layer 57 , and the second dielectric layer 57 , depending on their height , and prevent cross talk from occurring between neighboring discharge spaces . the auxiliary barriers 35 may be formed with the same material as that of the back barrier layer 30 . further , the auxiliary barriers 35 may be made of the same dielectric material as the first and second dielectric layers 47 and 57 . the front barrier layer 36 is formed to face the back barrier layer 30 formed on the back substrate 10 . that is , the front barrier layer 36 includes third barriers 37 corresponding to the first barriers 32 of the back barrier layer 30 and fourth barriers 38 corresponding to the second barriers 34 of the back barrier layer 30 . therefore , the front barrier layer 36 has the front discharge spaces 84 formed on a lower portion thereof , like the back barrier layer 30 . the discharge spaces 80 are defined by the back discharge spaces 82 and the front discharge space 84 . the front barrier layer 36 can be formed , for example , from a glass material . however , the front barrier layer 36 may also be preferably made of the same material as that of the back barrier layer 30 . the first and the second electrodes 40 and 50 are arranged on the first barriers 32 of the back barrier layer 30 to be parallel with the first barriers 32 . furthermore , the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 are alternately arranged beside the discharge spaces 80 . each of the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 has surfaces defining neighboring discharge spaces 80 . preferably , the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 have a width smaller than their height when cut in a longitudinal direction . the width means a length in a horizontal direction of the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 , while the height means a length in a vertical direction of the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 . therefore , the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 perform while facing discharge in a wider area , so as to create more intensive ultraviolet rays , which in turn collide against the fluorescent substance layer 70 of the discharge spaces 80 to increase the intensity of the light . furthermore , the first electrodes 40 can perform address discharge , along with the address electrodes 60 , in a wider area as described below , thereby causing the address discharge to be more efficiently performed . as described above , the first electrodes 40 have a width w 1 ( see fig2 ) greater than the width w 2 of the second electrodes 50 . as described above , since the electrodes used as the scan electrodes generally perform the reset discharge , the scan discharge , and the sustain discharge during a discharge procedure of the plasma display panel , switches for driving a necessary circuit portion , mosfets , and a driver are connected to a driving board ( not shown ) for the first electrodes . thus , the scan electrodes have a total increasing impedance because of the impedance of the driving board , which has an impedance larger than that of the sustain electrodes . therefore , the first electrodes 40 have a relative width greater than that of the second electrodes 50 ( see fig2 ) used as the sustain electrodes . when the second electrodes 50 are formed to have identical height , the first electrodes 40 , relatively , have wider sectional area and greater whole volume in proportion with the second electrodes 50 , so as to have reduced impedance . thus , the first electrodes 40 have reduced impedance and offset the increase of the impedance from the driving board , so as to have impedance similar to the impedance of the second electrodes 50 . as a result , it is possible to reduce the disparity that lies between the pulse of discharge voltage applied to the second electrodes 50 and the impedance of the first electrode . the first electrodes 40 are formed to have a predetermined width in view of the impedance of the second electrodes 50 . the impedance of the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 can be measured using a suitable measuring apparatus . the widths of the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 can be determined based on such a measured result . the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 are arranged on the first barriers 32 in such a way that the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 barely cover the whole surface of the discharge spaces , thereby not requiring transparency . the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 may be made from a general conductive metal which differs from the surface discharge type transparent electrodes . the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 are preferably formed from a metal which has excellent conductivity and a low resistance , such as , for example , ag , al , and cu , which have various advantages in that the response speed depends on the discharge , in that signals are not distorted , and power consumption for the sustain discharge can be reduced . it is understood that there are other suitable materials for the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 , and various metals which have excellent conductivity and a lower resistance can be used as the material for the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 . the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 have the first and second dielectric layers 47 and 57 which are respective insulation layers on an exterior surface thereof . the first and second dielectric layers 47 and 57 are formed with dielectric material . that is , the first and second dielectric layers 47 and 57 are formed from glass material including elements such as , for example , pb , b , si , al , and o , and are preferably formed from dielectric material including filler such as zro 2 , tio 2 , and al 2 o 3 , and pigment such as cr , cu , co , and fe . however , there is no limitation to the component of the back barrier layer 30 . the back barrier layer 30 may be formed from various dielectric materials . the back barrier layer 30 enables the electrodes arranged in the back barrier layer 30 to easily discharge electricity , and prevents the electrodes from being damaged due to collisions of charged particles which are accelerated during the discharge . it is understood that there is no limitation to the material of the first and second dielectric layers 47 and 57 , and the first and second dielectric layers 47 and 57 can be formed from various dielectric materials . furthermore , the first and second dielectric layers 47 and 57 have protective layers 49 and 59 formed on an exterior surface thereof , preferably mgo protective layers including mgo . the mgo protective layers 49 and 59 ( see fig2 ) prevent the first and second dielectric layers 47 and 57 from being damaged during the discharge . the address electrodes 60 intersect the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 with insulation , which is arranged in parallel to the first substrate 10 , preferably passing through a center of a lower portion of the discharge spaces 80 . further , the address electrodes 60 are arranged in parallel on the upper surface 10 a of the back substrate 10 at a distance from each other corresponding to the distance between the discharge spaces 80 . further , the address electrodes 60 are covered with third dielectric layer 62 . that is , the third dielectric layer 62 is entirely formed on the back substrate 10 to cover the address electrodes 60 . the third dielectric layer 62 allows the address electrodes 60 to perform discharge and prevents the address electrodes 60 from being damaged due to collisions of the discharged particles which are accelerated during the discharge . the fluorescent substance layer 70 includes a first fluorescent substance layer 72 formed in the interior of the back discharge spaces 82 of the discharge spaces 80 and a second fluorescent substance layer 74 formed in the interior of the front discharge spaces 84 of the discharge spaces 80 . however , it is understood that the fluorescent substance layer 70 may include the first fluorescent substance layer 72 formed in the interior of the back discharge spaces 82 . the first fluorescent substance layer 72 is preferably coated on the inner side surfaces of the back barrier layer 30 and the upper surface of the back substrate 10 in the back discharge spaces 80 . the reflection type fluorescent substance layer may be used instead of the first fluorescent substance layer 72 . thus , the first fluorescent substance layer 72 absorbs vacuum ultraviolet rays , so as to create visual rays , and reflects the visual rays toward the front substrate 20 . the second fluorescent substance layer 74 is coated on the inner side surfaces of the front barrier layer 36 and on the lower surface of the front substrate 20 . preferably , the transmission type fluorescent may be used instead of the second fluorescent substance layer 74 . such a second fluorescent substance layer can absorb vacuum ultraviolet rays and transmits visual rays toward the front substrate 20 . preferably , the fluorescent substance layer 70 is formed such that the transmission type second fluorescent substance layer 74 has a thickness smaller than that of the reflection type first fluorescent substance layer 72 , which is in order to increase the transmittance of the visual rays transmitted through the second fluorescent layer 74 toward the front substrate 20 . that is , the transmittance of the visual rays in the second fluorescent substance layer 74 is generally proportional to the thickness of the fluorescent substance layer . therefore , the second fluorescent substance layer 74 is formed to have a suitable thickness in view of the radiation efficiency of the discharge cells . however , since the first fluorescent substance layer 72 reflects visual rays , the first fluorescent substance layer 72 is formed to have a sufficient thickness in view of the radiation efficiency of the discharge cells . the fluorescent substance layer 70 has components to absorb ultraviolet radiation and to create light such that : a red fluorescent substance layer formed in the discharge cell emitting red light includes a fluorescent substance such as y ( v , p ) o 4 : eu : a green fluorescent substance layer formed in the discharge cell emitting green light includes a fluorescent substance such as zn 2 sio 4 : mn ; and a blue fluorescent substance layer formed in the discharge cell emitting blue light includes a fluorescent substance such as bam : eu . the fluorescent substance layer 70 is divided into the red fluorescent substance layer , the green fluorescent substance layer , and the blue fluorescent substance layer , which are formed in neighboring discharge spaces 80 , respectively . the neighboring discharge spaces 80 , in which the red fluorescent substance layer , the green fluorescent substance layer , and the blue fluorescent substance layer are respectively formed , are operationally coordinated with one another to achieve a unit pixel with the desired color . furthermore , the second fluorescent substance layer 74 is formed on the front barrier layer 36 and the front substrate 20 such that only any one of the red , green , and blue fluorescent substance layers is formed on the second barrier . thus , the first fluorescent substance layer is formed on the back barrier layer 30 to correspond to the color of the second fluorescent substance layer 74 . the discharge spaces 80 are defined by the back discharge spaces 82 , the first electrodes 40 which are coated on the first dielectric layer 47 , and the second electrodes 50 which are coated on the second dielectric layer 57 , respectively . further , in the case where the front barrier layer 36 is formed on a lower surface of the front substrate 20 , the front discharge spaces 84 also define the discharge spaces 80 , respectively . furthermore , in the case where the auxiliary barriers 35 are formed on the second barriers 34 , the auxiliary barriers 35 can define the discharge spaces . the discharge spaces 80 are filled with discharge gases , for example , mixed gases including xe , ne , etc ., so that the plasma discharge occurs in the discharge spaces 80 . furthermore , the discharge spaces 80 have a certain region in which the fluorescent substance layer 70 absorbs the ultraviolet radiation and emits light , as described above . the discharge spaces 80 respectively have a different width or length , depending on their radiation efficiencies . in addition , the discharge spaces 80 have the electrodes arranged on the lower portion thereof in order to perform the address discharge and the sustain discharge , while having the fluorescent substance layer formed thereon . thus , the radiation efficiency of the discharge spaces 80 is improved . even though the opposite discharge type of plasma display panel has been descried above , it is understood that the present embodiments can also be applied to the surface discharge type of plasma display panel . that is , in the surface discharge type of plasma display panel , the scan electrode and the sustain electrode , which generate a display discharge , include a transparent electrode and a bus electrode which respectively have a desired width and height . the bus electrode which forms the scan electrode may be formed to have a width greater than that of the bus electrode forming the sustain electrode . further , the transparent electrode forming the scan electrode may be formed to have a width greater than the transparent electrode forming the sustain electrode . according to the plasma display panel of the present embodiments , since the scan electrode has a width greater than the sustain electrode , the impedance of the scan electrode is reduced , so as to prevent the waveform of the voltage applied to the scan electrode during the sustain discharge from being distorted . further , in the plasma display panel of the present embodiments , the voltage applied to the scan electrode during the sustain discharge has nearly the same waveform as that of the discharge voltage applied to the sustain electrode , thereby improving the discharge efficiency of the plasma display panel . although various embodiments have been described for illustrative purposes , those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications , additions , and substitutions are possible , without departing from the scope and spirit of the embodiments as disclosed in the accompanying claims .
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referring to fig1 a time - space - time digital switching network along with the corresponding common control is shown . telephone subscribers such as subscribers 1 and 2 are shown connected to analog line facility interface unit 10 . analog line unit 10 is connected to both copies of the originating time switch and control unit 20 and 20 &# 39 ;. time switches 20 and 20 &# 39 ; are connected to duplex pair of space switch units 30 and 30 &# 39 ; which are in turn connected to the terminating time switch and control units 21 and 21 &# 39 ;. time switch and control units 21 and 21 &# 39 ; are connected to analog line facility interface unit 10 and ultimately to the telephone subscribers 1 and 2 . digital facility interface unit 11 connects the digital span to the switching network . similarly , analog trunk facility interface unit 12 connects trunk circuits to the digital switching network . a microprocessor complex 50 controls the digital switching network . duplicated pairs of microprocessor cpu &# 39 ; s tpc1 through tpc7 are connected to the switching network and control the operation of the basic telephone switching . the administrative processor complex comprising microprocessor pair 51 and 51 &# 39 ; operate the fault detection and recovery system of the digital switching network . referring to fig2 an expanded view of analog line facility interface unit 10 is shown . analog line unit 10 comprises an analog line unit 13 and a duplex pair of analog control units 14 and 14 &# 39 ;. a duplicate pair of digital control units 15 and 15 &# 39 ; control the incoming pcm data from the digital spans . similarly the analog trunk facility interface unit 12 of fig1 comprises an analog trunk unit 16 and a duplex pair of analog control units 17 and 17 &# 39 ;, shown in fig2 . the analog and digital control units are each duplicated for reliability purposes . fig3 is a block diagram depicting the simplex operation of the present invention . digital information may be input from analog line units , analog trunk units or from the digital spans . in fig3 pcm information is shown coming from a digital span . the pcm information is transmitted through multiplexer 301 and is converted from serial to parallel by converter 310 . the pcm data stream is 8 bits wide . in addition , 3 bits of supervisory information are added . the pcm data is then transmitted through multiplexer 312 and a parity bit is added by the parity generator 320 . the pcm information is then transmitted through multiplexer 322 to the time - space - time switching network . the network switches the information in incoming time slots to locations at the appropriate output time slots . as each pcm data sample emerges from the network , it is transmitted through multiplexer 332 and is compared with the corresponding pcm data sample from the duplex copy of this unit by comparator 333 . in addition , this sample is transmitted to the other network copy for similar comparison . subsequently , parity which was generated is checked by parity checker 330 . data then is transmitted through the multiplexer 313 and converted from parallel to serial and current transmitted to the digital span . when an error is detected by comparator 333 , the pcm data and time slot information are trapped by pcm receive trap 331 . an automatic retry is then indicated by inserting the data into the pcm input stream at the proper time slot . when , on the retry , a fault is detected , a message is transmitted to the administrative processor complex . the recovery software of the administrative processor complex with then test the network path by transmitting test pcm data samples . this test accomplished by loading maintenance register a 326 or maintenance register b 325 with the particular test pattern of bits pcm data . at the appropriate time slot , multiplexer 322 is switched to enable the contents of mainteance register a 326 to be transmitted to the network . as this test pcm sample emerges from the network through multiplexer 332 , it is trapped by pcm receive trap 331 . parity checking and comparison are provided as outlined above . the trapped data is then compared with the transmitted data to determine the nature and location of the fault . after a number of different bit patterns are transmitted , each bit in the data sample can be verified for accuracy . as a result the operation of the network is verified and faults isolated . it is required that the remainder of the equipment in the pcm data stream be checked . accordingly , maintenance registers c and d , 334 and 335 respectively , operate in a fashion similar to that set out above for maintenance registers a and b . under control of the administrative processor complex , pcm samples are injected via multiplexer 332 from one or both of the maintenance registers c and d into the output pcm stream . data is transmitted through the multiplexer 313 and conversion is performed by parallel to serial converter 311 . at the appropriate time slot , a connection is established from the outgoing pcm data path through multiplexer 301 , thereby the test pcm data is then transmitted through serial to parallel converter 310 , multiplexer 312 and is trapped by pcm transmit trap 321 . this pcm test data is then transmitted to the administrative processor complex , where it is analyzed as previously described . after a sufficient number of samples are transmitted in this manner the verification of the remaining portion of the network operation is accomplished . referring to fig4 a schematic view of the block diagram of fig3 is shown . fig4 shows the subscriber 401 connected to an analog line unit and the connection of the analog line unit to copy 0 of the duplex pair of analog control units . it is to be noted that copy 1 of the analog control unit operates synchronously with the operation given for copy 0 herein . incoming analog data from subscriber 401 is converted from analog to digital by converter 402 and transmitted through multiplex 403 where parity is added by parity generator 404 . the data is then transmitted through and gate 405 to multiplexer 420 . when a fault is detected as mentioned above , this pcm data stream is interrupted and the contents of maintenance word 1 422 corresponding to maintenance register a of fig3 is transmitted through multiplexer 420 instead of the incoming data . alternately maintenance word 2 423 corresponding to maintenance register b of circuit 3 may be employed to transmit a second test pcm data sample through the network . under the direction of the administrative processor complex , the test pcm samples are transmitted to maintenance word 1 422 via a peripheral processor located in the network . then , the administrative processor complex instructs the peripheral processor to write the channel select memory 430 with the time slot identity at which the contents of maintenance word 1 422 is to be transmitted . at the appropriate time slot , the address is converted by decoder 426 and the contents of maintenance word 1 422 is transmitted through and gate 424 to multiplexer 420 . the test pcm sample enters the pcm data stream and is switched through the digital switching network . as this test pcm sample emerges from the network , the parity is examined by parity check 431 and a comparison is made by comparator 440 with the data sample from the copy 1 of the analog control unit . the data itself is trapped by pcm receive trap 450 . the trapped pcm sample is then analyzed with the test pcm sample transmitted by maintenance word 1 422 and after a number of bit patterns have been similarly transmitted , a fault of a particular bit is detected and reconfiguration of network units initiated . referring to fig5 a status table kept in the common memory associated with the administrative processor complex is shown . the five basic reconfigurable units are shown along the left margin . they are : the originating peripheral control unit ( analog line , analog trunk or digital control unit ) originating time switch , space switch , terminating time switch and terminating peripheral control unit . the operating recovery program controls the analysis and marking of this table . since each of these units is duplex , the table is divided into two halves , copy 0 for the first of the duplex pair , and copy 1 of the second of the pair . when a parity error in the pcm sample is detected , the data parity error dpe field is marked accordingly . for the switching network including the originating time switch space switch and terminating time switch , data parity errors are further segregated into data parity error input dpi and data parity error output dpo and marked as a function of the particular copy exhibiting a fault . the flag field will be set for each reconfigurable unit for which an updated entry is made . as the data emerges from the switching network a comparison is made between the copies and any miscomparison error is marked in the field msc . for the originating and terminating peripheral control units , the identity of the particular facility interface unit involved is also recorded . this table is interpreted by the recovery software of the administrative processor complex in order to determine which configurable unit is at fault . although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated , and that form described in detail , it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made therein , without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims .
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a retractable tie out of the present invention is generally illustrated in fig1 at 10 . the retractable tie out 10 includes a stake 12 having a distal end 14 for forcing into a surface such as soil to secure the retractable tie out 10 in a selected position . referring to fig1 and 2 , a tether 22 includes a distal end 24 that attaches to an animal such as a dog 19 . the dog 19 is secured to the distal end 24 of the tether 22 , preferably by securing the distal end 24 of the tether 22 to a collar 21 positioned about a neck of the dog 19 . besides being capable of tethering a dog 19 , the tie out 10 of the present invention can also tether other animals , such as but not limited to , a cow , a horse , a goat and a sheep . a stop 26 is positioned about the tether 22 proximate the distal end 24 where the stop 26 engages a front surface 36 of a port 32 in a housing 30 to prevent the distal end 24 from retracting into the housing 30 . the port 32 includes an aperture 34 through which the tether 22 extends and retracts to adjust a length of the tether 22 . the housing 30 has a substantially circular sidewall 38 defined by an upper half 40 and a lower half 42 . the housing 30 is rotatably attached to the stake 12 proximate a proximal end 16 where the housing 30 rotates about an axis 13 of the stake 12 . as the dog 19 moves , the housing 30 rotates about the axis 13 of the stake 12 such that the tether 22 remains free of the stake 12 . referring to fig2 - 4 , the tether 22 is secured to a reel 20 that is positioned about the stake 12 and within a cavity 44 defined by the upper and lower halves 42 , 40 , respectively . the reel 20 rotates about the axis 13 of the stake 12 to uncoil and coil the tether 22 onto the reel 20 to adjust a length of the tether 22 . configurations of the housing other than circular are within the scope of the present invention provided that the reel 20 is permitted to rotate within the housing 30 . referring to fig2 , as the dog 19 exerts a force on the tether 22 , the tether 22 comes under tension and uncoils from the reel 20 . as the length of the tether 22 increases , the dog 19 has more area to freely move as indicated by perimeter 23 . however , when the dog 19 moves toward the stake 12 , tension lessens on the tether 22 , and a retracting mechanism applies a force upon the reel 20 to reverse the rotation of the reel 20 about the axis 13 of the stake 12 . as the reel 20 rotates in the reverse rotational direction , the tether 22 is wound about the reel 20 and the area where the dog 19 can move lessens as indicated by perimeter 25 which also lessens the likelihood of the tether 22 becoming entangled in the terrain . referring to fig3 and 4 , a preferred retracting mechanism includes a coil spring 50 positioned within the cavity 44 of the housing 30 where the coil spring 50 engages the reel 20 . as the dog 19 uncoils the tether 22 by applying tension to the tether 22 , the coil spring 40 constricts . as the dog 19 further uncoils the tether 22 , the coil spring 50 further constricts , requiring greater tension to overcome the bias of the coil spring 50 . when the dog 19 releases tension on the tether 22 by moving toward the stake 12 , the coil spring 50 overcomes the tension applied by the dog 19 on the tether 22 , and the coil spring 50 uncoils , thereby reversing the rotation of the reel 20 and rewinds the tether 22 onto the reel 20 . as the tether 22 rewinds onto the reel 20 , the length of the tether 22 decreases , and thereby reduces the likelihood of the tether 22 becoming tangled in the terrain . the housing 30 and the reel 20 are retained in a selected position on the stake 12 by slidably positioning the stake 12 through a through bore 36 that is substantially centrally located in the housing 30 and engages a bottom surface 39 of the housing 30 with a spacer 58 positioned about the stake 12 . while the spacer 52 is discussed , the spacer 52 is not necessary to practice the present invention . a support 52 is fixedly attached to the stake 12 , preferably with a weld , and supports the spacer 52 and the housing 30 in a selected elevated position on the stake 12 . the support 52 includes a substantially circular perimeter 56 and an upper surface 54 having a convex configuration . while the support 52 with a convex upper surface 56 is preferred , other configurations of the support 52 that allow gravity to slide the tether 22 off the support 52 are within the scope of the present invention including a conical configuration , a frusto - conical configuration and a pyramid . while a fixed attachment of the support 52 to the stake 12 is specifically discussed , other attachments of the support 52 to the stake 12 are within the scope of the present invention , including , but not limited to a threaded engagement and engaging the support with a shoulder on the stake . the housing 30 and the reel 20 are retained on the stake 12 with a nut 60 threadably engaging a threaded portion 15 of the stake 12 proximate the distal end 14 . the nut 60 threadably engaging the threaded portion 15 of the stake 12 along with the support 52 fixedly attached to the stake 12 , retains the reel 20 and the housing 30 at the selected elevation on the stake 12 . a washer 61 preferably is positioned between the housing 30 and the nut 60 to prevent the nut 60 from galling the housing 30 . while a threaded engagement for retaining the housing 30 and the reel 20 on the stake 12 is preferred , other retaining mechanisms are within the scope of the present invention including , but not limited to , a snap ring , a pin engaging a through bore in the stake and a frictional engagement of a cap on the distal end of the stake . referring to fig1 and 3 , the stake 12 includes a shaft portion 62 that is threadably attached to an anchor portion 64 . the retractable tie out 10 is compactly packaged and / or stored when the shaft portion 62 is detached from the anchor portion 64 . however a stake 12 of a unitary construction having a shaft section and an anchor section is within the scope of the present invention . an upper wing 68 and a lower wing 66 are fixedly attached to the anchor portion 64 where the upper and lower wings 68 , 66 , respectively , are preferably forced into the ground 18 . the upper and lower wings 68 , 66 are preferably positioned on the anchor portion 64 such that vertical planes that define the wings 68 , 66 intersect at substantially right angles . while wings 68 , 66 are shown positioned at substantially right angles , other configurations of the wings 68 , 66 are within the scope of the present invention . the wings 68 , 66 aid in preventing the anchor portion 64 from rotating in the ground 18 when the dog 19 applies tension to the tether 22 and thereby aid in retaining the stake 12 in the selected location . while a stake 12 with substantially perpendicular wings 66 , 68 is preferred , a stake having one wing or no wings is also within the scope of the present invention . the tether 22 provides adequate flexibility for the dog 19 to freely move within the area . however , the tether 22 should include enough rigidity such that the tether 22 does not sharply bend and thereby prevent the dog 19 from tangling the tether 22 on obstacles on the ground 18 . further , the tether 22 preferably has a diameter or thickness that positions within a gap 70 defined by the bottom surface 39 of the housing 30 and the upper surface 54 of the support 52 . when the tether 22 is positioned within the gap 70 , the downwardly sloped convex upper surface 54 allows gravitational force to slide the tether 22 off of the upper surface 54 of the support 52 and thereby prevents the tether 22 from becoming entangled between the housing 30 and the support 52 . if the dog 19 moves such that the tether 22 engages the stake 12 below the support 52 , the tether 22 engages the circular perimeter 56 of the support 52 that prevents the tether from becoming entangled with the stake 12 . the tether 22 preferably includes a metal cable having a plastic or polymeric coating . while a cable is specifically discussed , other types of tethers are within the scope of the present invention including , but not limited to , a chain , a rope and a strap . although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments , workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .
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the following is an explanation of an embodiment of the present invention given in reference to the attached drawings . fig1 is a block diagram of a digital camera equipped with a spectroscopic instrument in accordance with the present invention . the digital camera shown in fig1 includes a photographic lens 1 , an image sensor 2 , an analog to digital ( a / d ) converter 3 , a memory 4 , an image processing circuit 5 , an external recording medium 6 , a control circuit 7 , a cpu 8 , and a spectroscopic instrument 9 . the cpu 8 includes an awb calculation part 10 . the external recording medium 6 , such as a memory card , is detachably installed in the digital camera . the image sensor 2 is an imaging device of two - dimensional type , which includes various forms such as a ccd type one and a mos type one . the subject light that has passed a photographic lens 1 forms an image on an imaging side of the image sensor 2 . when the subject image is formed on the imaging side of the image sensor 2 , a signal charge of each pixel is accumulated according to the intensity of the light of the subject image . in the image sensor 2 , the storage time of charge accumulated in each pixel ( shutter speed ) is controlled by a shutter gate pulse from the control circuit 7 . this is a function called an electronic shutter . the signal charge accumulated in each pixel of image sensor 2 is read one by one as an image output signal , and converted into the digital signal with analog to digital converter 3 . the video signal converted into a digital signal is once stored in the memory 4 as an image data . the image processing circuit 5 includes signal processing circuits such as a ?- correcting circuit , a brightness signal generating circuit , a color difference signal generation circuit , and a data compression / decompression circuit , etc . the image processing circuit 5 reads the image data from the memory 4 , performs various signal processings , converts the processed data into an image data of a prescribed form ( for instance , jpeg format ), and stores the obtained image data in the memory 4 or the external recording medium 6 . the cpu 8 is connected with the control circuit 7 , the spectroscopic instruments 9 , the memory 4 , etc ., and the cpu 8 performs various calculations such as exposure amount and a state of focus according to a prescribed algorithm , and manages the control of as ( automatic exposure ) and af ( automatic focus ) and the control of the awb ( auto white balance ) operation parts 10 , etc ., as a whole . in the awb calculation part 10 , the lighting condition is calculated based on a result of the measurement with the spectroscopic instrument 9 , and r gain and b gain for the white balance adjustment according to the calculated lighting condition are set . the r gain and b gain for the white balance adjustment are stored beforehand in the cpu 8 according to the lighting condition ( sunlight , white lamp , and fluorescent lamp , etc .). colored filters ( for instance , r , g , and b filters ) are formed in a prescribed array in each photoelectric device of the image sensor 2 , and an r signal , a g signal , and a b signal are output from each photoelectric device . in the image processing circuit 5 , the r signal and the b signal out of the signals of r , g , and b are multiplied by the r gain and the b gain , respectively , for the white balance adjustment mentioned above . as a result , imaging signals of an optimal white balance ( r signal , g signal , and b signal ) are obtained . thereafter , the gamma correction processing is performed to the r signal , the g signal , and the b signal of which the white balance is adjusted . in addition , the r signal , the g signal , and the b signal to which the gamma correction is processed are converted into a brightness signal ( y signal ) and color - difference signals ( cr and cb signals ). fig2 shows a schematic construction of the spectroscopic instrument 9 . the spectroscopic instrument 9 is provided with a first lens array 91 , an aperture 92 , a second lens array 93 , a diffraction grating 94 , a third lens array 95 , and a light receiving section 96 sequentially from an incident side of the observed light ( from above in the figure ). in the following , the structure and function of these are sequentially described starting from the first lens array 91 . in the first lens array 91 , there are formed a plurality of microlenses 910 in a two - dimensional array ( see fig3 ). aback side of the first lens array 91 is planar , and the aperture 92 is integrally formed on the back side of the first lens array 91 . the aperture 92 includes a plurality of minute openings 920 formed in a shading member . each opening 920 of the aperture 92 is disposed corresponding to the respective microlens 910 of the first lens array 91 , and formed on a focal plane of the microlenses 910 , respectively . although not shown in fig2 , a spacer is disposed between the first lens array 91 with the aperture 92 and the second lens array 93 to keep a space therebetween at a predetermined extent . fig3 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the microlenses 910 and the openings 920 , when the first lens array 91 with the aperture 92 formed is seen from the direction of the incidence of light . the microlenses 910 and the openings 920 are arranged like a lattice . each opening 920 is disposed in a position in which it is deviated by a predetermined extent from an optical axis 911 of the corresponding microlens 910 in a predetermined direction on the focal plane of the microlens 910 except for the opening 920 c corresponding to the microlens 910 c formed at the center of the first lens array 91 . in the example shown in fig3 , each opening 920 is deviated in the direction toward the center of the first lens array 91 . the gap , referred to as “ eccentricity amount ” hereafter , is set greater when it is positioned farther from the center . three microlenses 910 shown in fig2 indicate the microlens 910 c in the center of fig4 and the microlenses 910 a and 910 d disposed right and left sides thereof . similarly to the case of the opening 920 c , the opening 920 corresponding to the microlenses 910 a and 910 b are referred to as 920 a and 920 c . because open each mouth 920 of squeezing 92 is formed on the focal plane of microlens 910 as mentioned above , the light that enters into each microlens 910 of the first lens array 91 is imaged formation on the plane of squeezing 91 . the opening 920 c of the center is disposed on an optical axis of the microlens 910 c . therefore , the light flux that enters into an optical axis of the microlens 910 c in parallel as shown by arrow c forms an image on the opening 920 c . therefore , the light flux that forms an image on the opening 920 c enters the lens in parallel to the optical axis of the microlens 910 c as shown by arrow c . on the other hand , the opening 920 a is disposed as deviated from an optical axis of the microlens 910 a rightward . therefore , the light flux on the opening 920 a from the direction of a that is inclined leftward by θa relative to the optical axis forms an image . oppositely , the opening 920 b is disposed as deviated leftward from the optical axis of the microlens 910 b . therefore , the light flux from the direction of b that is inclined rightward by θb relative to the optical axis forms an image . the amount of eccentricity of opening 920 is greater when the opening 920 is farther from the center as shown in fig3 . therefore , when the opening 920 is farther from the center , the light flux from the direction that is more greatly inclined from the optical axis forms an image . fig4 three - dimensionally indicates the directions of the light fluxes a , b , and c . the microlenses 910 a , 910 b , and 910 c in fig3 are disposed along the straight line l 1 on the first lens array 91 . points p show intersections of the light axes of the light fluxes a , b , and c with a hemisphere s . point s p are intersections between ( the axes of the light fluxes a , b , and c and hemispheres s . in the example shown in fig3 , forty nine ( 49 ) openings 920 with different amounts of eccentricity and different directions of deviation are formed . accordingly , 49 points p will be drawn on the hemisphere s of fig4 . that is , disposing the respective openings 920 so as to be deviated from the optical axes of the corresponding microlenses 910 enables the light fluxes with different angles of incidence to form respective images on separate openings 920 . the second lens array 93 , the diffraction grating 94 , and the third lens array 95 are disposed under the aperture 92 . that is , the back surfaces of the second lens array 93 and the third lens array 95 each having a planar surface are connected mutually with the diffraction grating 94 placed therebetween . a transmission grating is used as the diffraction grating 94 . fig6 is a plan view illustrating the disposition of the opening 920 , the microlens 930 , and the microlens 950 in which the aperture 92 , the second lens array 93 , and the third lens array 95 are seen from the side of the first lens array 91 . as shown in fig2 , respective microlenses 930 are disposed in the same array so as to correspond to the openings 920 to come in superposition in the vertical direction ). an optical axis of each microlens 930 ) agrees with an optical axis of each corresponding opening 920 . in addition , each opening 920 is disposed in the focus position of each corresponding microlens 930 . the light collimated to be a parallel pencil by microlens 930 enters into the diffraction grating 94 , and is diffracted by the diffraction grating 94 . the diffracted light is output under fig2 at a diffraction angle corresponding to the wavelength of the light . then , this output light enters into the microlens 950 of the third lens array 95 . in this embodiment , the first diffraction ray is used for the measurement . the light diffracted by the diffraction grating 94 forms an image on the light detecting element 960 of the light receiving part 96 by the microlens 950 . the light receiving surface of the light receiving part 96 is in an optically conjugate relation with the aperture 92 mentioned above . the image of the opening 920 will be formed on the light detecting element 960 . to achieve such a position , a spacer ( not shown ) is disposed between the third lens array 95 and light receiving is part 96 in order to keep the interval therebetween at a specific value . a heavy line sp in fig6 shows a spectrum of the first diffraction ray projected on the light receiving part 96 . thus , the spectrum sp is projected on a plurality of light detecting elements 960 . when the relation between the wavelength of light and the output of the light detecting element 960 is obtained , the spectrum curve of the light flux in the specific direction observed through one microlens 910 for one heavy line sp is obtained . spectra of light from 49 directions are obtained since there are 49 microlenses 910 as mentioned above . spectra of light from 49 directions are obtained since there are 49 microlenses 910 as mentioned above . fig7 shows one example of the spectrum curve obtained from the spectra of those microlenses in whole . fig7 shows two high peaks in the curve at a wavelength of ? 11 and a wavelength of ? 12 . from this spectrum curve , it is possible to recognize what an optical source is present , that is , what the lighting condition is like . fig8 shows a first modification of the spectroscopic instrument 9 mentioned above . in the spectroscopic instrument 9 shown in fig2 , a zeroth ( 0 - th ) light , which goes out as straight advancement from the diffraction grating 94 , enters into the light receiving part 96 through a non - lens unit 951 of the third lens array 95 . as a result , the output of the 0th light is included in the output of the light detecting element 960 . this influences the spectroscopic measurement . moreover , the light that enters into the non - lens unit 931 of the second lens array 93 also influences the spectroscopic measurement as unnecessary light . then , in the spectroscopic instrument shown in fig8 , light absorbing members 932 and 952 are disposed to the non - lens units 931 and 951 . black chrome , etc . are used for the photoabsorption members 932 and 952 . the black chrome may be deposited to the surfaces of the non - lens units 931 and 951 . by forming the photoabsorption members 932 and 952 , the influence of unnecessary light can be decreased to improve the accuracy of spectroscopy . the 0th light can be prevented from entering into the microlens 950 by providing the photoabsorption members 932 and 95 and setting the diffraction angle so that the microlens 930 will not come in superposition above the microlens 930 as shown in fig6 . moreover , fig9 a and 9b show a second modification of the spectroscopic instrument 9 . as mentioned above , in the spectroscopic instrument 9 shown in fig2 , a spacer is disposed that keeps the optical member with the first lens array 91 and the aperture 92 at predetermined intervals from the optical member with the second lens array 93 , the diffraction grating 94 , and the third lens array 95 , so that the opening 920 is in the focus position of the microlens 930 . similarly , a spacer is provided , which keeps the optical member with the third lens array 95 at a predetermined distance from the light receiving part 96 . then , in the spectroscopic instrument shown in fig9 a , partitions 100 and 101 are disposed instead of the above - mentioned spacers . the partitions 100 and 101 serve both as the spacer and as the member that prevents unnecessary light from entering . a cylinder space 100 a , in which the opening 920 and the microlens 930 in a pair are enclosed , is formed in the partition 100 disposed between the aperture 92 and the second lens array 93 , respectively . therefore , only light from the opening 920 enters into the microlens 930 to prevent unnecessary light from entering . moreover , for the partition 101 disposed between the third lens array 95 and the light receiving part 96 , the cylinder space 101 a is formed so as to enclose surroundings of microlens 950 and a plurality of light detecting elements into which light from the microlens 950 enters . on the other hand , for the spectroscopic instrument shown in fig9 b , a partition 102 is disposed instead of the partition 101 that has been mentioned above . on the other hand , in the spectroscopic instrument shown in fig9 b , a partition 102 is disposed instead of the partition 101 that has been mentioned above . the shape of the cylinder space 102 a of the partition 102 is different from that of the cylinder space 101 a of fig8 a . since the first diffraction ray goes out from the diffraction grating 94 obliquely toward bottom left , the cylinder space 102 a is configured to be a cylindrical space that is obliquely inclined so that the direction of the axis of the cylinder space 102 agrees with the direction of the spectrum spectroscopy . this prevents the cylinder space 102 a from disturbing a region in which the diffracted ray is projected . a straight line lattice - type diffracting grating , for instance , whose grating space is decided from an angle required for a primary ( or first order ) diffraction ray , a usual shading - type or phase - type diffracting grating can be used as one example of the diffraction grating 94 of the transmission type mentioned above . in this case , a diffracting grating of the type that efficiently diffracts a diffraction ray of a necessary order , such as one of the echelon type is preferred . as a result , the diffraction ray not used for the measurement can be prevented from entering into the light detecting element 960 to improve the spectrum accuracy . moreover , the spectroscopy may be performed by using hologram of the phase - change type that has a certain thickness in place of a usual diffraction grating . especially , the 0th light may be assumed to be theoretically 0 in the case of the hologram of the volume type , and unnecessary multi - order diffraction rays can be controlled . as a result , the utilization efficiency of light can be improved , and the is spectroscopy measurement becomes possible with darker light . in addition , when the hologram is used , the hologram may be adapted to have the functions of spectroscopy function and of the third lens array 95 . fig1 shows the construction of the spectroscopic instrument 9 when such hologram 110 is used . the diffraction ray forms an image on light detecting element 960 by hologram 110 . moreover , the prism array 97 instead of diffraction grating 94 may be used as shown in fig1 . a plurality of microprisms 970 formed in the prism array 97 is disposed on an optical axis of respective microlens 930 of the second lens array 93 . in the construction that includes the prism array 97 , the first lens array 91 , the aperture 92 , and the second lens array 93 are formed as an integrated optical member . besides , the prism array 97 and the third lens array 95 are formed as an integrated optical member . the optical member consisting of the first lens array 91 , the aperture 92 , and the second lens array 93 and the optical member consisting of the prism array 97 and the third lens array 95 are kept at a predetermined intervals with a spacer ( not shown ). light from respective microlens 930 is distributed respectively by microprisms 970 according to the wavelength . the distributed light forms an image on the light detecting element 960 by the microlens 950 of the third lens array 95 . in the embodiment mentioned above , the opening 920 of the aperture 92 has been described as a circle . the shape of the opening 920 may be set so as to match the shape of the light detecting element 960 on which the image of the opening 920 is formed . the opening 920 of the aperture 92 may be , for instance , of a long rectangle in a direction vertical to the direction of the spectroscopy , ( direction of right and left in the figure ), i . e ., the direction vertical to paper , or similarly , of an oval that is elongate in a vertical direction . for circular opening 920 , the cylinder or toric lens instead of the spherical lens may be used as the microlens 950 of the third lens array 95 to lengthen the aperture image in the direction vertical to the direction of spectroscopy . as mentioned above , in the spectroscopic instrument 9 according to this embodiment , light from various directions can be subjected to spectroscopic measurements separately and simultaneously . then , the photographic image of which lighting conditions have been appropriately taken into consideration can be obtained by performing white balance processing by the awb calculation part 10 using the results of spectrophotometric processing . moreover , conventional ccd sensors and cmos sensors etc . of the black and white photography can be used as the light receiving part 6 , and a low - cost , small spectroscopic instrument can be provided . therefore , the spectroscopic instrument according to the present invention can be easily installed in imaging devices that take still pictures and video pictures , such as cameras and video cameras , etc . as well as other optical measurement devices . as long as the features and functions of the present invention are realized , the present invention is not limited to the above - mentioned embodiments . the above - described embodiments are examples , and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention .
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the present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . however , the same numerals are applied to the similar elements in the drawings , and therefore , the detailed descriptions thereof are not repeated . hereinafter , there will be described an embodiment of an inkjet printer according to the present invention in reference to fig1 - 5 . in this embodiment , the printer is equipped with a so - called on - demand type inkjet head . fig1 is a diagrammatical view showing a principle structure of an inkjet printer 30 according to the present invention . fig2 is a perspective view of an inkjet head 1 installed in this inkjet printer 30 . a recording medium 3 is conveyed relatively to inkjet head 1 by a recording - medium conveying unit 6 , and ink droplets ejected from a nozzle 9 of inkjet head 1 are landed on recording medium 3 so that printing is performed . an ultrasound radiator 5 is mounted on the both sides of an end surface 20 in the longitudinal direction of inkjet head 1 where nozzles 9 are formed . ultrasound radiator 5 is formed in a state that a matching member 8 is laminated over a piezoelectric vibrator 7 . although this matching member 8 may be formed in a plane , one in this embodiment is formed in a shape of a lens so as to converge an ultrasound on a given point in the flying direction of an ink droplet that has been ejected . fig3 shows a cross section of an ink chamber 10 of inkjet head 1 . a piezoelectric element 4 a as a pressure generator is disposed on an external surface of a flexible member 10 a , which is provided on the surface that faces nozzles 9 . these flexible member 10 a and piezoelectric element 4 a constitute an ink - ejecting actuator 4 . when a drive signal for ejecting ink is applied to piezoelectric element 4 a , the volume of ink within ink chamber 10 is caused to change by deformation of flexible member 10 a so that an ink droplet is ejected from nozzle 9 . in ink chamber 10 in this embodiment , nozzles 9 are arranged in line on end surface 20 of inkjet head 1 . the number of nozzles and an interval between them are to be determined according to a printing mode , such as monochrome printing or color printing . ink - ejecting actuator 4 is shown as in the case of using piezoelectric element 4 a . however , a so - called bubble - jet type of a thermal inkjet method may be also applied thereto . next , a control block 40 , which causes inkjet printer 30 to operate to print , will be described in reference to fig4 . control block 40 comprises a process control unit 11 , ink - ejecting actuator 4 , piezoelectric vibrator 7 , recording - medium conveying unit 6 , and position - detecting unit 19 . recording - medium conveying unit 6 controls operations of conveying recording medium 3 and moving inkjet head 1 and recording medium 3 relatively to each other in time with the timing of ejecting ink . the recording medium may be a continuous form , a sheet paper , or a film . position - detecting unit 19 is used to detect or specify a printing position when a continuous form is used as recording medium 3 . for this unit , for example , a transmission type photo - sensor or a rotary encoder , both commercially available , may be used . process control unit 11 generates an ejection control signal for ejecting an ink droplet from a given nozzle 9 of inkjet head 1 . this process control unit 11 also generates a vibration control signal that controls the driving of ultrasound radiator 5 to superimpose a pressure by an ultrasound in the same direction as the ink ejection force on an ink droplet that has been ejected at the timing of the ink ejection . process control unit 11 comprises , as needed , control unit 13 , bus 22 , driver 12 , interface ( if ) 24 , memory 14 , recording - medium control unit 15 , actuator drive control unit 16 for driving piezoelectric element 4 a that ejects an ink droplet 2 , ultrasound - vibrator drive control unit 17 for driving piezoelectric vibrator 7 , and oscillating unit 18 . control unit 13 integrally controls inkjet printer 30 , and its control programs are stored in memory 14 . memory 14 also temporally stores print data that is input from , e . g . a host computer , and is used as a working area for control unit 13 or other units as needs arise . driver 12 controls piezoelectric vibrator 7 , ink - ejecting actuator 4 , and recording - medium conveying unit 6 , according to the respective units . if 24 interfaces with process control unit 11 when process control unit 11 receives print data from a host or other devices and signals from position - detecting unit 19 . recording - medium control unit 15 generates and sends drive control signals to recording - medium conveying unit 6 according to commands from control unit 13 based on print data . actuator drive control unit 16 generates and sends ink - ejection control signals to ink - ejecting actuator 4 according to commands from control unit 13 based on print data . ultrasound - vibrator drive control unit 17 generates and sends vibration control signals to piezoelectric vibrator 7 according to commands from control unit 13 . oscillating unit 18 generates a clock pulse according to frequency settings by external and internal circuits , which becomes the bases of signals generated by actuator drive control unit 16 and ultrasound - vibrator drive control unit 17 . in process control unit 11 , oscillating unit 18 generates , by the single oscillating unit , basic clock pulses , based on which actuator drive control unit 16 and ultrasound - vibrator drive control unit 17 produce the ink - ejection control signals and vibration control signals , respectively . if the ink - ejection control signal and vibration control signal are in the relation wherein the two signals can be mutually synchronized in a desirable fashion , oscillating unit 18 need not be of a single unit . an embodiment of ultrasound radiator 5 above - mentioned will be described below referring to fig5 and 6 . ultrasound radiator 5 is comprised of piezoelectric vibrator 7 and matching member 8 that is laminated on the surface of this piezoelectric vibrator 7 in the direction to which an ink droplet is ejected . piezoelectric vibrator 7 vibrates at a predetermined frequency that is based on the applied pulse of a frequency within the ultrasound bandwidth . matching member 8 is formed in a concave so as to focus the ultrasound radiated by piezoelectric vibrator 7 at a point on the trajectory of flying ink droplet 2 , composing a so - called an acoustic lens having a focus point of point o . the ultrasound radiated from piezoelectric vibrator 7 is focused at this point o on the trajectory of flying ink droplet 2 by matching member 8 , and thereby a pressure p is produced in the vicinity of point o . ink droplet 2 ejected from nozzle 9 flies by virtue of the ejection force toward focus point o of matching member 8 . the pressure increases as the ink droplet approaches point o because the radiated ultrasound increasingly converges . then , the ink droplet passes point o . at this time , as the ejection force of ink droplet 2 is boosted by received pressure p , its traveling speed is accelerated . by thus setting the focus point of matching member 8 composing an acoustic lens at an appropriate point on the trajectory of flying ink droplet 2 , the traveling speed of ink droplet 2 that has been ejected from nozzle 9 can be accelerated . focus point o is positioned at the center of a circle having a radius r , assuming that the curvature of the radiation surface of the matching member is r . the ultrasound radiated from piezoelectric vibrator 7 increases its propagation loss if the difference between the specific acoustical impedance of piezoelectric vibrator 7 and the specific impedance of the air layer is large . to reduce this propagation loss , such a material is selected as matching member 8 that its specific acoustical impedance lies in the middle between those of piezoelectric vibrator 7 and the air layer . as illustrated in fig7 , when arriving at the boundary between materials coming through one material and hitting a boundary between materials of the one and another having different specific acoustical impedances , the ultrasound in part transmits through the boundary while the other reflects on the boundary . a product of a density by an acoustic velocity of a material ( density ρ by acoustic velocity v of a material ) is generally termed as a “ specific acoustical impedance ” of the material . now , assuming that an ultrasound arrives vertically at a boundary surface between two materials having specific acoustical impedances of z 1 and z 2 , the amplitude reflectance re then is given by expression 1 below . in this embodiment , medium i applies to piezoelectric vibrator 7 ; medium ii applies to an acoustic lens 8 ; and medium iii applies to the air layer . a medium layer ii having thickness l is interposed between medium i and medium iii . letting the respective sound velocities and densities of medium i , ii , and iii be c 1 , c 2 , c 3 , ρ 1 , ρ 2 , and ρ 3 , and assume that a sound wave having an intensity ii has come in medium i , passes through medium layer ii , and transmits medium iii with a sound intensity it . by treating this case similarly to the case of incoming and transmitting of a sound wave on a plane boundary , the equation shown in fig7 can be obtained . referring to fig8 , if conditions of l = λ 2 / 4 and z 2 =( z 1 z 2 ) 1 / 2 are met , τi = it / it = 1 can be obtained and the incident wave transmits medium iii with no loss ( no reflection loss ). in this embodiment , medium i corresponds to piezoelectric vibrator 7 ; medium ii applies to matching member 8 ; and medium iii applies to an air layer . as in the above case , if the thickness of matching member 8 l = μ 2 / 4 , and its specific acoustical impedance z 2 =( z 1 z 2 ) 1 / 2 , an ultrasound in - coming from piezoelectric vibrator 7 to matching member 8 ideally propagates in the air layer without any loss . however , since a specific acoustical impedance is instinctive to a material , it is difficult to find a material as matching member 8 that can meet these conditions . as a material of matching member 8 , if , at least , one having a specific acoustical impedance of a value in the middle between the specific acoustical impedance of piezoelectric vibrator 7 and the specific acoustical impedance of the air layer is selected , the propagation loss of the ultrasound can be reduced . as a preferable material for matching member 8 , a resin , glass , ceramic , metal , etc . may be selected . the above description has been made as in the case using piezoelectric vibrator 7 for ultrasound radiator 5 . other materials such as an electrostriction element or magnetostrictive element may also be used instead of the piezoelectric vibrator . in embodiment 2 , a description will be made when use is made of a fresnel lens 8 b as matching member 8 that composes an acoustic lens . ultrasound radiator 5 comprises a laminated body formed of piezoelectric vibrator 7 and a lamination layer of fresnel lens 8 b . a top view of this fresnel lens 8 b is shown in fig9 , and a cross section taken on line a - a of fig9 is shown in fig1 . in fresnel lens 8 b , grooves 100 are formed in a predetermined interval so that the ultrasound radiated from piezoelectric vibrator 7 can be focused on a given position in the ejection direction of droplet 2 . fresnel lens 8 b is formed , for example , by machining an aluminum material . the groove of the fresnel lens is calculated by the expressions shown in fig1 . now , descriptions will be made of one specific embodiment in which inkjet head 1 having a thickness 4 mm is installed in the middle part of a fresnel lens . the middle part 40 of the fresnel lens 8 b was hollowed out . the end face 20 of inkjet head 1 was embedded in this hollowed - out part so that the end face 20 of inkjet head 1 was flatly aligned with the upper surface of fresnel lens 8 b . this fresnel lens 8 b was formed to a desired form by machining an aluminum material . grooves 100 were formed in a rectangular aluminum material having width of 10 mm according to the dimensions given in table 1 , as illustrated in fig9 to 11 . the depth of each groove 100 was made to be 4 . 5 mm and the total thickness of fresnel lens 8 b was made to be 6 mm . by adequately determining the depths of the grooves 100 and the total thickness and appropriately selecting the specific acoustical impedance of the material that composes the acoustic lens , fresnel lens 8 b thus formed can provide the function as the matching member . that is , by setting the thickness of a remainder of the machining after subtracting the groove 100 from the total thickness of the acoustic lens to λ 2 / 4 , the function as the matching layer can be accomplished . another embodiment of the present invention will be described below . in this embodiment , use was made of ultrasound radiator 5 comprising a laminated body consisting of a piezoelectric vibrator and matching member 8 in which an ultrasound is focused on a focus point of 1 mm apart from nozzle 9 . the respective widths of the piezoelectric vibrator and matching member 8 were made to be 10 mm . this inkjet head 1 was disposed at the center in the width direction . this inkjet head 1 was mounted to the inkjet printer 30 , and data spread of landing positions of ink droplets 2 on recording medium 3 was studied by varying the distance between nozzle 9 and recording medium 3 with or without operating ultrasound radiator 5 . as a result , when the distance between nozzle 9 and recording medium 3 exceeded 2 mm with ultrasound radiator 5 not operating , data of the landing positions appeared to spread . on the other hand , when ultrasound radiator 5 was operating , nearly the same data variation as in the distance between nozzle 9 and recording medium 3 of 1 mm was obtained . even when the distance between nozzle 9 and recording medium 3 was further extended to 3 mm , the variation of the landing positions of ink droplets 2 did not enlarge . in this way , even the distance between nozzle 9 and recording medium 3 was set relatively great , the variation of the landing positions of the ink droplets could be maintained low and degradation of the print quality could be prevented . in addition , since the distance between inkjet head 1 and recording medium 3 is allowed to be relatively large , the freedom degree of design of an inkjet printer can be enhanced . the above ultrasound radiator 5 was exemplified as in the case wherein it was mounted integrally with the main body of the inkjet . however , ultrasound radiator 5 and the main body of the inkjet head may be separately formed and mounted to the main body of the printer . the above embodiment has been described of an on - demand type inkjet printer . the invention can also be applied to a continuous type inkjet printer , which can perform the same effect . according to the present invention , by superimposing the pressure by the ultrasound radiated from the ultrasound radiator on the ink droplet ejection force generated by the ink - ejection unit of the inkjet head , the traveling speed of ink droplets can be accelerated and variability of landing positions of ink droplet can be reduced even if the distance between the nozzle and the recording medium is extended . thus , the degradation of print quality can be prevented . the present invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments . however , other embodiments based on the principles of the present invention should be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art . such embodiments are intended to be covered by the claims .
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referring to fig1 , tank 10 is designed to mix materials in oil base fluid 12 , using mixer 14 . the oil is preferably low in aromatics , such as a paraffinic mineral oil . water - soluble polymer may be slurried with the oil to form a dispersion of individual polymer particles . the concentration of polymer in the slurry may be in the range from about 2 to 10 pounds of polymer per gallon of slurry . such a process is described in , for example , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 828 , 034 , which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes . treating chemicals may be added in tank 10 , according to the method disclosed herein . surfactants or co - solvents may be incorporated into the oil phase to improve solubility or dispersability of treating chemicals . pump 15 transfers the slurry containing treating chemicals to tank 16 and provides additional mixing of the slurry . liquid 17 in tank 16 is water - or brine - based . mixing is provided by mixer 18 as hydration of the water - soluble polymer occurs . additional mixing tanks may be provided ( not shown ) to allow additional time for hydration of the polymer . polymer transfers from the oil phase into the water phase in tank 16 . treating chemical may be partially transferred to the water phase or may remain in the oil phase , which will usually be in the form of oil droplets formed by the mixing process . surfactants , well known in the art , may be added to the oil phase to facilitate emulsification of the oil phase into the water phase . alternatively , mixing of chemicals illustrated as occurring in tank 10 may occur in a remote location and the mixture may be transported to a well and added to the liquid in tank 16 . the treating chemical or chemicals to be added to oil phase 12 are selected based on conditions in the well to be treated . examples of treating chemicals are those capable of addressing the undesired effects caused by scale formations , salt formations , paraffin deposition , emulsification ( both water - in - oil and oil - in - water ), gas hydrate formation , corrosion , asphaltene precipitation and paraffin formation . further , other suitable treatment agents include foaming agents , oxygen scavengers , biocides and surfactants as well as other agents wherein slow release into a production well is desired . commercial products marketed for each application may be used , or such products may be modified to affect solubility in the oil phase or water phase . such modifications , such as addition of oleophilic groups to increase oil solubility , or addition of polar groups to increase water solubility , are well known in the art . for injection into a well producing oil , additional water solubility of treating chemicals , providing greater amount of treating chemical in the water phase , may be used to provide slower return of the treating chemical in produced fluid from the well . treating chemicals may also be selected to increase adsorption of the chemical on the surface of rock contacted by the treating fluid . this increased adsorption will also provide slower return of the treating chemical in produced fluid from the well . for example , if the treating chemical is to be used to inhibit scale formation in a well , a suitable chemical would be an oil - soluble dispersion of amino tris ( methylene phosphonic acid ). this material is commercially available as bs - 156 from syrgis performance chemicals of houston , tex . this material may be added to oil phase 12 of fig1 during mixing of a fluid to be pumped into a well . this material may be modified to change solubility in oil and water phases for application in specific wells . other materials that may be used for scale inhibition include organic phosphonates , aminophosphonates , phosphonates derived from alkyloxylated amines , polymers , and multi - polymers of acrylic acid , methacrylic acid , acrylamidomethylpropanesulfonic acid ( amps ), n - tert - butylacrylamide ( nba ), hydroxypropylacrylate , phosphinoacrylate , sulfonate styrene , ethylacrylate , maleic anhydride , phosphate esters , carboxymethylinulin , polyepoxysuccinic acid , polyaspartic acid and mixtures of the same . treating chemicals to be used to inhibit paraffin deposition or disperse paraffin or asphaltene include , but are not limited to : polymers and copolymers of olefin / maleic esters , olefin / imides , ethylene vinyl acetates , alkyl phenol resins , alkyl esters of acrylic acid , alkyl esters of methacrylic acid , vinyl pyridine , alkyl substituted phenol - formaldehyde resins , polyisobutylene succinic anhydride and sorbitan monoleate . treating chemicals to be used to inhibit corrosion include mixtures containing one or more of a group selected from fatty imidazolines and salts with alkyl amines and alcoholamines ; fatty amido imidazolines , dimer and trimer acids derived from tall oil fatty acid ( tofa ); quaternary amine compounds including alkyl pyridine benzyl quaternary amines ; cocodimethyl benzyl quaternary amines ; phosphate esters of triethanol amine ; acetylenic alcohols such as propargyl alcohol , butynol ; cinnamaldehye ; and alkyl imidoamide of tofa . treating chemicals to be used to inhibit gas hydrate formation include mixtures of polyoxypropylenediamine and other jeffamines available from huntsman corporation and triethylene glycol amine . demulsifiers may include polyols and polyol esters ; alkyloxylated resins of ; phenol formaldehyde ; resins of diepoxides ; resins of alkylaryl sulfonic acids ; resins of nonyl phenol ; amyl resins and butyl resins . hydrogen sulfide scavengers such as trihydroxyethyltriazine and trihydroxymethyltriazine . metal borate complexes , bisoxazolidines and reaction products of alkylenepolyamine with fomaldehyde may be added . salt inhibitors such as carboxymethylinulin , sodium ferrocyanide and nitriloacetic acid derivatives may be added . biocides such as quaternary alkyl amine compounds , glutaraldehyde , tetrakishydroxymethylphosphonium sulfate , isothiazoline , dibromonitrilopropionamide , alkylthiocarbamates , tributyltetradecylphosphonium chloride , tetrahydro - 3 , 5 , dimethyl - 2h - 1 , 3 , 5 - thiadiazine - 2 - thione and mixtures of the above may be added . oxygen scavengers such as erythorbates , hydroquinone , methyhydroquinone , sulfite salts , carbohydrazide , hydrazine , methylethylketoxime and diethylhydroxylamine with and without metal activators may be added . slurries of water - soluble polymer in oil may be sold and transported as a product for use by a pumping service company in well treatments . such products may be modified , according to this disclosure , by the addition of well treatment chemicals such as paraffin inhibitors , corrosion inhibitors and scale inhibitors or other chemicals disclosed herein . this product can allow the pumping service company to provide a treatment for an operator that is specifically adapted for the well treated . although the present invention has been described with respect to specific details , it is not intended that such details should be regarded as limitations on the scope of the invention , except to the extent that they are included in the accompanying claims .
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although the disclosure hereof is detailed and exact to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention , the physical embodiments herein disclosed merely exemplify the invention which may be embodied in other specific structures . while the preferred embodiment has been described , the details may be changed without departing from the invention , which is defined by the claims . as illustrated in the figures , a preferred embodiment of the harvester 10 is shown in connection with the harvesting of celery , but it is to be understood that the harvester 10 may be used to harvest other similar types of upstanding vegetables , such as cabbage and the like . as it may be observed particularly in fig1 - 4 , the harvester 10 may be provided with wheels , tracks 12 , or other earth - engaging members and driven by a prime mover , such as the diesel engine 14 shown . the harvester 10 further includes a forward end 24 and a trailing end 26 , with an operator &# 39 ; s station or cab 16 located at the forward end 24 to provide maximum visibility by the operator ( not shown ). in the figures , the harvester 10 is illustrated as generally including a track - laying , power - driven tractor 18 having tracks 12 for movement of the harvester 10 along crop rows 200 ( seen in fig1 ). a supporting structure 20 is mounted on the tracks 12 , which comprises a plurality of frame members 22 . as may be further seen in the figures , the forward end 24 of the harvester 10 is provided with an initial cutting station 30 . illustrated particularly in fig7 and 8 , the initial cutting station 30 may be provided with ground - engaging wheels 32 mounted on axle 34 . a housing , or protective shroud 36 , is further provided for the purpose of surrounding initial cutting elements 37 , 38 ( see particularly fig8 ). as seen , the shroud 36 includes at least one open end 35 which allows entry of the rooted and upstanding plant 100 to be harvested as the harvester moves along the crop rows 200 . as may be observed in the figures , cutting element 38 is preferably in the form of a horizontally rotatable blade 38 , which is rotated by auxiliary drive 39 . in operation , as the harvester 10 advances , blade 38 is arranged to remove the leafy portion of the plant 100 ( seen as celery in these views ). the initial cutting station 30 preferably further includes means for severing the plant 100 from the roots ( not shown ). for this purpose , and as shown particularly in fig8 , the initial cutting station 30 may include at least one root cutting blade , such as the butt knife 37 , shown for severing the plants 100 from the ground . as seen in fig1 , the harvester 10 further includes a forwardly extending elongated boom 40 defined by one or more oppositely disposed elevating conveyor supporting side frames 42 . the boom 40 supports the aforementioned initial cutting station 30 at its distal end 46 and is pivotally and slidably mounted at its elevated proximal end 41 for unique movement in both a vertical plane and a horizontal plane . elevating conveyor side frames 42 support a plurality of resiliently faced , endless elevator belts 44 , 44 a which are each supported at the distal and proximal ends 46 , 41 , respectively , of the boom 40 . as illustrated , the harvester 10 may include a pair of belts 44 , 44 a for each row 200 ( see fig1 ) of plants 100 ( see fig7 ). as the harvester 10 advances , each pair of belts 44 , 44 a grasps , in sequence , the topped plants 100 as the root cutting butt knife 37 ( see fig8 ), mounted below the belts 44 , 44 a severs the plant 100 from the ground . conveyor frames 42 , along with the cooperating belts 44 , 44 a , are located directly behind the cutting station 30 and serve to raise the severed plants 100 from ground level to elevated trans - slicing station 50 . individual spindle members 47 serve to rotatably support and drive the belts 44 , 44 a . intermediate drive members serving the spindles 47 are not specifically shown , but derive power from the hydraulic pump 15 via conventional power coupling means . as illustrated particularly in fig1 and 9 , as the belts 44 , 44 a , raise the severed plants 100 toward elevated trans - slicing station 50 , the plants 100 are deposited on intermediate belt pairs 48 , 48 a . as may be observed particularly in fig9 , intermediate belt pairs 48 , 48 a serve to move the severed plants 100 into the slicing station 50 and may include angularly disposed belt elements for optimal control and positioning of the plants 100 . it is to be noted that while not specifically shown , motive power for the cooperating elements is derived from the hydraulic pump 15 via conventional power coupling means . as is shown in phantom , the hydraulic pump 15 is powered by diesel or other internal combustion engine 14 ( see particularly fig9 ). further , it is to be understood that while hydraulic pump 15 is illustrated by way of example , other conventional power sources may be utilized . as seen particularly in fig1 and 9 , an elevated trans - slicing station 50 includes a cutting wheel 52 supporting a plurality of radially extending blades 54 . as may be observed , the blades 54 may be radially arranged around an axle 56 , such that as the plants 100 are moved toward the blades 54 in the direction of the arrow 58 , they are sliced into individual pieces 59 having a predetermined size . as mentioned previously , cutting wheel 52 , such as that shown , may be manufactured by urschel laboratories , inc . of valparaiso , ind ., for example . the cutting wheel 52 may be interchanged and positioned for maximum versatility according to the cut desired , such as , slicing , julienne , or the like , by way of example . the trans - slicing station 50 is conveniently adaptable for uniformly slicing the celery stalks or other elongated , harvested vegetable , with precision and at high capacities . turning specifically to fig7 and 9 , it may be observed that the harvester 10 may further include a debris - removal station 60 . as seen in these views , the sliced pieces 59 exit the trans - slicing station 50 to fall beneath a suction hood 66 of the debris - removal station 60 and onto auxiliary conveyor 64 . auxiliary conveyor 64 carries the pieces 59 in the direction of arrow 62 . as seen particularly in fig1 , the debris - removal station 60 of the present embodiment may include a fan 67 or other device to create a partial vacuum under the hood 66 to draw debris 68 , such as dirt and other particulate matter , away from the pieces 59 and through duct 69 . as illustrated particularly in fig9 , the debris 68 moves through the hood 66 and duct 69 in the direction of arrow 65 to be deposited at the trailing end 26 of the harvester 10 ( seen in fig7 ). with reference to fig9 and 10 in particular , it may be seen that auxiliary conveyor belt 64 moves the pieces 59 , now separated from the debris 68 , in the direction of arrow 62 and toward a grading station 70 . there the pieces 59 are graded according to desired final product size . illustrated particularly in the view of fig1 , the grading station 70 may include a grate 72 having a plurality of cross bars 74 which may be spaced to define transversely spaced interstices configured to permit passage of cross - sliced or julienne cut product , depending on the grading operation desired . for example , a wider spacing allows larger sized pieces 59 to fall through , while a smaller spacing allows only the smallest pieces 59 to fall through . with further reference to fig1 , pieces 59 which are permitted to fall through the grate 72 land on tray 76 . as illustrated , the grading station 70 may further include means for horizontal movement in the direction indicated by arrows 77 to thereby encourage the pieces 59 to fall through the grate 72 , as described . any pieces 59 which do not fall through to tray 76 , move in the direction of arrow 78 and ultimately fall to the ground ( not shown in this view ) as debris . pieces 59 which fall through the cross bars 74 are deposited on tray 76 and are encouraged in the direction of arrow 79 toward a perpendicularly disposed conveyor 80 . conveyor 80 moves the graded pieces 59 in the direction of arrow 82 to a laterally extending , off - loading conveyor 84 . the off - loading conveyor 84 serves to move the graded pieces 59 toward a transport container or vehicle 86 ( seen in phantom in fig1 ). the transport vehicle 86 travels across the field alongside the harvester 10 in a conventional manner . it may be observed in the view of fig2 that the off - loading conveyor 84 may be moveable between a laterally - extending functional position , and a stowed , retracted position , shown in phantom . a further feature of an embodiment of the present harvester 10 is exemplified in the views of fig3 - 6 , and 11 . as shown , the harvester 10 may be provided with means to laterally shift the cooperating components such as the cab assembly 16 , initial cutting station 30 , boom 40 , slicing station 50 , and debris - removal station 60 to alternative sides of the harvester 10 . as illustrated particularly in the views of fig5 and 6 , components 30 , 40 , 50 , and 60 may be shifted in the direction of arrow 88 to thereby align the components 30 , 40 , 50 , and 60 along an alternative side . the harvester 10 then operates in the manner previously described while utilizing an alternative laterally extending , offloading conveyor 84 . this feature allows the user of the harvester 10 to easily harvest adjacent crop rows 200 ( see particularly fig1 ). typically , when a harvester reaches the end of a row , the driver must turn the harvester to proceed down a parallel , but not adjacent crop row . this requires a subsequent trip down the adjacent row . the ability of the present harvester 10 to shift the components 30 , 40 , 50 , and 60 , to thereby align them on alternative sides of the harvester 10 , permits the harvester 10 to harvest adjacent crop rows 200 without the requirement of revisiting alternate rows later in the harvesting process . as may be seen in fig3 and 4 , shifting of components 30 , 40 , 50 , and 60 is accomplished by first lowering the operator cab assembly 16 in the direction of arrow 17 and raising the cutting station 30 and boom 40 in the direction of arrow 45 . as previously mentioned , the boom 40 may be pivotally mounted at its elevated proximal end 41 for unique movement in a vertical plane , with the operator cab 16 being mounted for vertical movement relative to the boom 40 . as seen in fig1 - 4 , the boom 40 is pivotally supported at 91 on framework 90 . as is further seen in fig3 , the boom 40 is rotated upward in the direction of arrow 45 to provide clearance between it and the cab assembly 16 . other pivotable means may also be utilized , such as a rotatably movable tubular shaft positioned circumjacent to a stationary supporting shaft ( not shown ). likewise , the cab assembly 16 may be adapted for vertical movement . as may be observed particularly in the views of fig1 - 4 , the cab assembly 16 may be attached to the tractor 18 by way of vertical support member 92 . vertical movement of the cab assembly 16 may be effected by use of the vertical support member 92 and tubular shaft 93 positioned circumjacent the support member 92 , as shown , or other conventional means . motive power for vertical movement of the cab assembly 16 may be derived from the hydraulic pump 15 shown , or other conventional means . the lowering of the cab assembly 16 and raising of the boom 40 provides clearance between the cab 16 and boom 40 to thereby allow the boom 40 , elevated trans - slicing station 50 , and debris removal station 60 to move horizontally , from a first side of the harvester 10 to an alternative side . as seen in the view of fig6 , once the boom 40 and cab assembly 16 have been moved vertically relative to one another as discussed to provide clearance , the boom 40 , trans - slicing station 50 and debris removal station 60 may be horizontally shifted in the direction of arrow 88 to an adjacent side . concurrently , the cab assembly 16 may be horizontally shifted in the direction of arrow 89 to an opposed , adjacent side . during horizontal movement of cooperating parts the trans - slicing station 50 rides on rails 94 a , 94 b along with the proximal end 41 of the boom 40 which rides on rails 94 c , 94 d . as may be observed particularly in fig1 , the trans - slicing station 50 further includes at least one extending gripping member 96 which engages a corresponding stationary rail 94 a , 94 b for relative longitudinal movement of the trans - slicing station 50 . likewise , support frame 90 may further include at least one extending gripping member 96 which is adapted to slidingly engage a corresponding stationary rail 94 c , 94 d for relative longitudinal movement of the boom 40 . in a similar manner , the cab assembly 16 rides on rails 94 e . as illustrated , the cab assembly 16 is supported on the forward end 24 of the harvester 10 by way of a frame 95 which preferably further includes means to slidingly engage rail 94 e . as illustrated , the frame 95 may include least one extending gripping member 96 which slidingly engages rail 94 e to thereby facilitate horizontal movement of the frame 95 and attached cab assembly 16 . horizontal movement of the cooperating parts may be effected by way of the chain 97 and sprocket 98 arrangement shown , or by other conventional means . power for the horizontal movement may be derived from the aforementioned hydraulic pump 15 . after the boom 40 , trans - slicing station 50 and debris removal station 60 have been horizontally shifted , as discussed , the boom 40 and cab 16 are then returned to their usual operating positions . as seen , the harvesting and processing procedures remain the same regardless of which harvester operating side is utilized , while using an alternative , corresponding conveyor 64 and off - loading conveyor 84 . although the trans - slicing station , 50 is illustrated as being mounted on rails 94 a , 94 b to facilitate sliding of the components , it is to be understood that other mounting mechanisms that enable similar shifting of components may be envisioned . fig1 depicts a harvester 10 of the present invention as it moves along a crop row 200 . the path of the harvester 10 , shown in solid line , illustrates the harvester turning at an end of a row , with a harvester 10 in phantom showing an un - shifted apparatus . fig1 illustrates the manner in which a harvester is unable to access the nearest adjacent row 200 and must skip a row and harvest an alternating row 200 unless the harvester is able to shift components as herein described . as shown , and as described hereinabove , the present harvester 10 is enabled to shift operating components 30 , 40 , 50 , and 60 to thereby gain access to the immediately adjacent crop row 200 . this capability saves harvest time and provides a cost savings . the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention . furthermore , since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art , it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described . while the preferred embodiment has been described , the details may be changed without departing from the invention , which is defined by the claims .
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aspects of the invention are more specifically set forth in the accompanying description with reference to the appended figures . fig1 is a general block diagram of an electrical system to which principles of the present invention can be applied according to an embodiment of the present invention . the electrical system 100 illustrated in fig1 includes the following components : input power systems 206 ; a modular and scalable power conversion system 250 ; individual loads / motors 200 ; and starter generators 210 . operation of the electrical system 100 in fig1 will become apparent from the following discussion . electrical system 100 may be associated with environments with electrical components such as a cabin air compressor system , a hydraulic system , a heating system , a traction system , etc ., in an aircraft , a ship , a train , a laboratory facility , etc . input power systems 206 provide electrical power to individual loads / motors 200 and starter generators 210 , through the modular and scalable power conversion system 250 . input power systems 206 handle wattage power that can be on the order of w , kw , hundreds of kw , mw , etc ., and voltages that can be on the order of volts , hundreds to thousands of volts , etc . the outputs of input power systems 206 may be dc voltages , ac voltages , etc . input power systems 206 may include motors , turbines , generators , transformers , filters , circuit breakers , etc . modular and scalable power conversion system 250 receives power from input power systems 206 , and provides electrical power to individual loads / motors 200 and starter generators 210 . modular and scalable power conversion system 250 includes power conversion modules . modular and scalable power conversion system 250 may also include other electrical circuits and components such as transformers , rectifiers , filters , battery banks , etc ., magnetic components such as coils and permanent magnets , etc . individual loads / motors 200 and starter generators 210 are systems that enable functioning of services onboard a vehicle , in an aircraft , in a lab , etc . individual loads / motors 200 and starter generators 210 may include an air conditioning system , a navigation system , an aircraft control system , a cabin air compressor , a starter generator , a braking system , etc . input power systems 206 and modular and scalable power conversion system 250 may provide , and individual loads / motors 200 and starter generators 210 may use various ac or dc voltages . for example , some electrical systems may utilize ac voltages of 115v or 230v or higher , with fixed frequencies ( such as , for example , 50 / 60 hz or 400 hz ), or variable frequencies ( such as , for example 360 - 800 hz for aerospace applications , 1000 - 2000 hz for high frequency ), or dc voltages such as , for example , 28v , 270v , or ± 270v . although the systems in electrical system 100 are shown as discrete units , it should be recognized that this illustration is for ease of explanation and that the associated functions of certain functional modules or systems can be performed by one or more physical elements . fig2 is a block diagram of a typical / conventional power system 204 for an aircraft . during the aircraft engine start , a motor controller 207 is used to supply power to the starter generator 210 m for main engine start . after the start , motor controller 207 is used to supply a motor 213 . the motor 213 may be included in the ecs , in the hydraulic aircraft system , etc . the typical / conventional aircraft power system 204 imposes design constraints on the generating and conversion equipment that includes motor controller 207 . design constraints are imposed on the motor controller 207 because its design is heavily dependent the power required to achieve the main engine start at starter generator 210 m . the output current required for main engine start is typically 2 to 5 times larger than the current required to drive the motor 213 . this results in a motor controller 207 designed with a large output rating , needed for the main engine start , but not for the subsequent control of an aircraft motor load . this large output rating imposes weight , volume and cost penalties on existing power systems , resulting in sub - optimal approaches to power conversion and distribution . another negative aspect of the typical / conventional aircraft power system 204 is that the availability of the starter generator 210 m is negatively affected , because a failure of the motor controller 207 removes at once the start capability for its associated starter generator . fig3 is a block diagram of a modular and scalable power conversion system 250 a for aircraft according to an embodiment of the present invention . as illustrated in fig3 , modular and scalable power conversion system 250 a includes n power conversion modules ( pcms ) 130 _ 1 , 130 _ 2 , . . . , 130 — n . the pcms are designed and optimized for continuous operation when they supply the loads / motors 200 _ 1 , 200 _ 2 , . . . , 200 — n used in aircraft systems , such as the ecs , the hydraulic system , etc . during main engine start , a certain number of pcms 130 _ 1 , 130 _ 2 , . . . , 130 — n are operated in parallel and used to supply the start power to a starter generator ( sg ) 210 _ 1 . the aircraft electrical architecture allows to connect each of the pcms 130 _ 1 , 130 _ 2 , . . . , 130 — n to any of the sgs in the electric system , such as sg 210 _ 1 , . . . 210 — m , as required for main engine start , auxiliary power unit ( apu ) start , etc . this approach allows for the pcms 130 _ 1 , 130 _ 2 , . . . , 130 — n to be designed for a much lower rating , hence realizing weight , volume and cost savings . the availability of the start system is increased over typical / conventional systems . in the system illustrated in fig3 , a failure of one of the pcm modules 130 _ 1 , 1302 , . . . , 130 — n used in parallel during start , will remove only partially the start capability of the system , as the other pcm modules which have not failed are still able to supply start power . after the start , some of the pcms 130 _ 1 , 130 _ 2 , . . . , 130 — n can be disconnected from the parallel configuration , and used individually for other functions , such as for supplying power to individual loads / motors 200 _ 1 , 200 _ 2 , . . . , 200 — n , etc . more weight and volume savings are hence realized , because of the multiple functionality of pcms 130 _ 1 , 1302 , . . . , 130 — n . each one of the power conversion modules ( pcms ) 130 _ 1 , 130 _ 2 , . . . , 130 — n can be designed to have independent power output and controls . the independent controls capability of the pcms is used during the continuous operation , when the pcm modules supply power to individual loads and motors , such as ecs motors , hydraulic system motors , other aircraft systems , etc . the pcms 130 _ 1 , 130 _ 2 , . . . , 130 — n also include the capability and the interfaces required to communicate with each other , to use common controls during the main engine start , when the outputs of the pcms are paralleled . during main engine start , when a certain number of pcms are operated in parallel and used to supply the start power to a starter generator among 210 _ 1 , 210 _ 2 , . . . , 210 — m , two or more pcms use the same controls supplied via a controls and communication interface 255 . one of the pcm is the master and the other pcm ( s ) is / are the slave ( s ). in case the master pcm has a failure , it will be turned off and one of the remaining pcm controllers will become master and continue the start . the controls and communication interface 255 manages the pcm hierarchy based on pcm functionality . the pcms 130 _ 1 , 130 _ 2 , . . . , 130 — n may control connections / switch arrangement for contactors 302 _ 1 a , 302 _ 1 b , 302 _ 2 a , 302 _ 2 b , . . . , 302 _na , 302 _nb to enable combinations of different pcms to be connected to a starter generator and at the same time to be disconnected from any individual loads . contactors 302 _ 1 a , 302 _ 1 b , 302 _ 2 a , 302 _ 2 b , . . . , 302 _na , 302 _nb may , alternatively or additionally , be controlled by the controls and communication interface 255 . for example , connections / switch arrangement for contactors 302 _ 1 a , 302 _ 1 b , 302 _ 2 a , 302 _ 2 b , . . . , 302 _na , 302 _nb may be controlled to establish an independent pcm configuration , or an interdependent pcm configuration such as , for example , a paralleled pcm configuration . the contactors 302 _ 1 a , 302 _ 1 b , 302 _ 2 a , 302 _ 2 b , . . . , 302 _na , 302 _nb may be separate units from pcms 130 _ 1 , 130 _ 2 , . . . , 130 — n , or may be included in the pcms 130 _ 1 , 130 _ 2 , . . . , 130 — n . fig4 a is a block diagram of a system including two power conversion modules connected in parallel to supply power to a starter generator according to an embodiment of the present invention illustrated in fig3 . in typical / conventional aircraft systems , a start converter may have dual use as a motor controller , by powering a starter generator and a cabin air compressor ( cac ) load sequentially . however , such a start converter used to power both a starter generator and a cac load uses a large amount of power and is inefficiently used , because the start function for a starter generator typically requires power on the order of 100 kw , while a cac load start function requires less power than the starter generator . hence , the excess power capacity corresponding to the starter generator is not used when the start converter powers a cac load , and the start converter is typically oversized for the use of powering a cac . as illustrated in fig4 a , two pcms 130 a and 130 b are operated in parallel to provide power to a starter generator 210 a for start . after providing power to starter generator 210 a , the pcms 130 a and 130 b are operated independently of each other , to provide power to cac 1 ( 213 b ) and cac 2 ( 213 a ). hence , the output of the two pcms 130 a and 130 b are combined during start of the system to obtain a larger start power ( for starter generator 210 a ), and are decoupled after start , to obtain smaller powers ( for loads 213 a and 213 b ). in an exemplary embodiment , instead of using a fixed 100 kw power controller to power a 100 kw starter generator and a 50 kw cac , pcms 130 a and 130 b , which provide 50 kw each , output 100 kw power for starter generator 210 a when the pcms 130 a and 130 b are operated together in parallel , and output 50 kw each for 2 separate loads , when the pcms 130 a and 130 b are operated independently . weight and volume system savings are hence achieved . fig4 b is a block diagram of an exemplary modular and scalable power conversion system for aircraft according to an embodiment of the present invention illustrated in fig3 . in fig4 b , pcms 130 a and 130 b are operated with their outputs in parallel during a main engine start with starter generator 210 _l 1 , with pcms 130 a and 130 b being controlled by a common control algorithm . the two contactors closer to the pcm at the output of each pcm module ( contactors 302 a and 302 b ), are closed . this contactor arrangement allows for start operation using one pcm module in the case of failure of the other module . after the start , these contactors ( contactors 302 a and 302 b ) are open and the contactor connection to cabin air compressor ( cac ) 1 ( contactor 302 d ) and cac 2 ( contactor 302 c ) are closed . pcms 130 a and 130 b are now operated independently , each supplying one cac of the ecs , cac 1 and 2 ( 213 a and 213 b ). pcms 130 a and 130 b are designed for continuous operation to drive the cac 1 and cac 2 ( 213 a and 213 b ) and therefore weight and volume savings are realized . similarly , pcms 130 c and 130 d are operated with their outputs in parallel during a main engine start using starter generator 210 _l 2 , or starter generator 210 _r 1 , or auxiliary starter generator 210 a , and are controlled by a common control algorithm . after the start , pcms 130 c and 130 d are operated independently , each supplying a motor driving the hydraulic system ( 215 a and 215 b ). pcms 130 e and 130 f are also operated with their outputs in parallel during a main engine start using starter generator 210 _r 2 and are controlled by a common control algorithm . after the start , pcms 130 e and 130 f are operated independently , each supplying a cac load ( 213 c and 213 d ). general motor controllers 207 a , 207 b , 207 c , and 207 d are also present . each general motor controller supplies only one load , such as : a condenser fan 213 e , a vapor cycle system ( vcs ) 213 g , a vcs 213 h , and a condenser fan 213 f . the availability of the start system illustrated in fig4 b is increased , since the left engine start capability is 200 % when both starter generators ( 210 _l 1 and 210 _l 2 ) and all four pcms 130 a , 130 b , 130 c , and 130 d are available . the left engine start capability will degrade from 200 % to 150 % when any one of the pcms 130 a , 130 b , 130 c , and 130 d fails . the left engine start capability will degrade to 100 % when two pcms among 130 a , 130 b , 130 c , and 130 d fail . in traditional / conventional aircraft start systems , the 150 % engine start capability and availability step is non - existent . also , since multiple pcms are available per starter generator and engine as illustrated in fig4 b , the aircraft system can withstand more failures than a typical system with 2 generators and 2 start converters ( one per generator ). using systems implemented in the current application , engine start can still be performed with a failed generator or any combination of 2 failed pcms . the pcms in fig3 , 4 a and 4 b may include multiple function power converters ( mfpcs ), described in the non - provisional application titled “ an architecture and a multiple function power converter for aircraft ”, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference . when the pcms include mfpcs , the pcms can perform multiple functions , including functions of motor controllers , functions of static inverters , and functions of start converters , as illustrated in fig4 c . in fig4 c , mfpcs 130 _ 1 a and 130 _ 1 b are used in parallel to starter generator 210 _l 1 , and are used afterwards to provide power to cac 213 a and 213 b . mfpcs 130 _ 2 a and 130 _ 2 b are used in parallel to starter generator 210 _r 2 , and are used afterwards to provide power to cac 213 c and 213 d . mfpcs 130 _ 3 a and 130 _ 3 b are used in parallel to provide power to starter generators 210 _l 2 and 210 _r 1 , and are used afterwards to provide power to hydraulic loads 215 a and 215 b , and to 400 hz loads 218 a and 218 b through left and right autotransformers ( oat ) 291 a and 291 b . 400 hz is one of the standard frequencies used in aircraft electrical systems . while 400 hz loads are shown in fig4 c , loads using other frequencies can also receive conditioned power from the mfpcs . mfpcs may provide power to loads using other constant or variable frequencies , such as loads associated with mea aircraft . hence , the mfpcs in fig4 c perform functions for electric engine start , for driving the ecs or cabin air compressors , and functions of static inverters . in one exemplary embodiment , the mfpcs provide 115vac or 230vac , 3 - phase , 400 hz ( or other standard frequencies used in aircraft electrical systems ) electrical power for aircraft systems and equipment that require such power . aircraft wiring saving may be achieved by using the generator main feeders during engine start , thus eliminating the need for dedicated feeders for start . since mfpcs can perform the functions of motor controllers , start converters , and inverters , a reduced number of mfpcs is sufficient to power a variety of loads . fig5 is a block diagram illustrating an implementation for a power conversion module ( pcm ) 130 a for a modular and scalable power conversion system for aircraft according to an embodiment of the present invention illustrated in fig3 . as illustrated in fig5 , a pcm 130 a includes : an input assembly 301 ; a 3 phase bridge 303 ; an output assembly 305 ; drivers 307 ; and power conversion module ( pcm ) controls 309 . input power passes through the input assembly 301 , the 3 phase bridge 303 , and the output assembly 305 , from which output power is obtained . input signals and control power are received at pcm controls 309 , and an output for the controls and communication interface 255 ( as illustrated in fig3 ) is obtained . pcm controls 309 control the input assembly 301 , the output assembly 305 , and the 3 phase bridge 303 . the input assembly 301 contains filter elements and isolation devices . the isolation devices may be , for example , contactors or relays . the output assembly 305 contains filter elements and isolation devices . pcm controls 309 control states of the isolation devices included in the input assembly 301 and output assembly 305 . pcm controls 309 also control the 3 phase bridge 303 via the drivers 307 . in one embodiment , pcm controls 309 control switching of devices inside 3 phase bridge 303 via gate devices included in drivers 307 . the pcm 130 a may be sized for main engine start ( mes ), or by other criteria . the size of the 3 phase bridge 303 , and the size of the electromagnetic interference ( emi ) filters and heat sink associated with the pcm 130 a may be reduced , to obtain a compact pcm 130 a . by controlling isolation devices in the input assembly 301 and the output assembly 306 , the 3 - phase bridges 303 of neighboring pcms can be coordinately driven for main engine start , for example in parallel for 3 - phase variable frequency starter generators ( vfsg ), or at 30 ° shift for 6 - phase vfsgs , etc . in one embodiment , the 3 - phase bridge 303 is compatible with high - power industrial equipment . the power output from the output assembly 305 is used for main engine start or to drive motors and loads . in an exemplary embodiment , the output power from independent pcm channels is used to drive permanent magnet ( pm ) cabin air compressor ( cac ) motors , and the 3 phase bridges 303 of the pcms are rated for cac at about 65a / phase . in another exemplary embodiment , the output power from one pcm channel is used for main engine start ( mes ), and the 3 phase bridge 303 is rated for mes at about 220a / phase for a limited start duration . embodiments of the current invention are not limited to the particular numbers of starter generators , or the particular number and types of loads illustrated , and can be used with any quantities and types of starter generators and loads . although some aspects of the present invention have been described in the context of aerospace applications , the principles of the present invention are applicable to any environments that use electrical power , such as industrial environments , vehicles , ships , etc ., to provide various amounts of power , at various frequencies .
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the present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying figures , 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 . like numbers refer to like elements throughout . dimensions may be exaggerated for clarity . as used herein , the term &# 34 ; printed circuit board &# 34 ; is meant to include any microelectronics packaging substrate . fig3 and 4 illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig4 the radiotelephone 20 includes a rear housing member 30 and a front housing member 40 . the front and rear housing members 30 , 40 are preferably sized and configured to matably connect together such that they form a channel or chamber 35 therebetween . a printed circuit board 50 is positioned in the channel 35 between the front and rear housing members 30 , 40 . the radiotelephone 20 also typically includes a battery 60 associated therewith . preferably , the battery 60 is mounted in a battery chamber 66 formed in an externally accessible and exposed surface of the rear housing 30 . also as shown , the radiotelephone 20 includes at least one edge interface connector 75 for electrically connecting the battery 60 to the printed circuit board 50 . the printed circuit board 50 comprises longitudinal and lateral surfaces and is positioned in the housing such that its longitudinal surfaces ( fig7 a , 100 ) extend parallel to a plane defined by lines which extend from the top to bottom and side to side of the radiotelephone when held in the hand of a user . as used herein , the lateral surfaces 110 of the printed circuit board are perpendicular to the longitudinal surfaces and can be defined by planes which extend across the width of a radiotelephone ( front to back when held in the hand of a user ). for example , a rectangular printed circuit board will have two external longitudinal surfaces ( top and bottom ) and four lateral surfaces ( sides ). the printed circuit is typically formed on one or more conductive layers of the board separated by insulating layers which comprise the longitudinal surfaces of the board . the lateral surfaces are typically the surfaces which form the edge perimeter walls of the board . additionally , as shown in fig5 an aperture such as an elongated or circular &# 34 ; via &# 34 ; can be formed normal to the longitudinal surface of the board . further , an intermediate via can be formed normal to the longitudinal surface and internal of the perimeter edges of the printed circuit board to define an intermediate lateral surface thereat ( not shown ). as shown in fig5 the printed circuit board 50 includes a pair of battery edge contact pads 55 positioned on a lateral surface 110 ( preferably an end lateral surface 110a ). the battery 60 also includes a corresponding pair of conductive end contacts 65 ( fig3 and 4 ) preferably positioned on an end portion of the battery in close proximity to the rear housing member 30 . the edge interface connector 75 includes upper and lower contact portions 77 , 78 which are in electrical communication . each of the upper contact portions 77 engage with one of the battery contacts 65 and the lower contact portions 78 engage with a corresponding printed circuit board battery edge contact pad 55 to complete a battery circuit path therebetween . advantageously , as shown in fig7 a , the edge interface connection allows 125 to be placed in close proximity to the edge contacts 55 without the need for keep - out zones as generally dictated by conventional designs . for example , conventional designs typically require a keep - out zone which includes not only the contact surface area , but mechanical attachment means of the contacts , and stack - up tolerances between the interconnected components such as between the printed circuit board and housing . unfortunately , the various stack - up tolerances can be relatively substantial causing a rather large keep - out zone on valuable board space . referring again to fig5 the connector 75 preferably includes a support body 76 , and is positioned to structurally hold an elongated contact spring 74 which defines the upper and lower contact portions 77 , 78 . the elongated spring contact 74 allows a natural geometry benefit arising from the length of the lower portion 78 which provides increased spring flexibility or resilience for a more secure connection at the printed circuit board pad 55 . the length or configuration of the spring contact 74 provides a smooth force over a longer distance with an associated improved spring constant or ( k ) value . in the past , the surface area of the elbow or bend of the lower spring was typically sized to obtain a desirable length necessary to provide a desired spring constant value ( k ). preferably , the support body 76 is constructed from a plastic , resin , or elastomer body and the upper and lower portions 77 , 78 are preferably formed from resilient spring metal legs such as heat treated copper tungsten or beryllium copper . also preferably , the spring contact upper and lower portions 77 , 78 are a continuous length of resilient conductive material which is formed into a desired shape and then inserted ( or molded ) into the support body 76 . the support body 76 can be assembled to the radiotelephone in any number of ways . examples of suitable mounting techniques include heat staking , adhesives , and sizing the connector to press or snap fit into one of the housing members . further , as will be recognized by one of skill in the art , the connector 75 can have many alternative configurations , such as , but not limited to , integrally forming the elongated spring contact 74 ( or the upper and lower contact portions 77 , 78 ) in one of the housing members 30 , 40 so that a separate support body 76 is not required ( not shown ). the upper portion of the spring contact 77 is preferably configured to extend a predetermined distance out of the housing so that it can electrically contact with a device such as a battery or other accessory . in one preferred embodiment , as shown in fig5 a , the upper portion 77 arcuately extends out of a first side of the support body 76a while the lower portion 78 extends out of a second side of the support body 76b which is adjacent the first side 76a . this configuration positions the upper portion of the connector below or substantially flush with the top of the support body . alternatively , as shown in fig8 and 10 , the upper portion 77 &# 39 ; can extend out of a third side of the support housing 76c such that it is above the support body 76 . the lower portion of the spring contact 78 includes a lower electrical edge contact 78b and a spring leg 78a . the lower portion of the spring contact an also be configured in numerous ways . exemplary configurations are illustrated in fig5 , and 10 . fig5 illustrates one support body 76 with two vertically extending spring contacts 74 . fig9 illustrates one support body 276 with two spring contact lower portions formed in an &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; shape 278 . the lower portions 278 include two segments a vertical segment 278a and a horizontal segment 278b which is angularly connected to the first segment ( shown as 90 degrees ). advantageously , this configuration can provide increased spring flexibility or resilience . fig1 shows an additional embodiment of a support body 376 with two horizontally extending elongated lower portions 378 . in one embodiment , the printed circuit board contact pad and lower spring contact 78b are configured with complementary curvatures ( fig6 ). the support body 76 can also be configured in numerous ways . exemplary support body configurations are shown in fig3 , 10 and 11 . fig3 illustrates a support body 76 with a side exiting upper portion 78 . fig5 illustrates a horizontally elongated support body 176 holding two side exiting elongated spring contacts 74 . fig1 illustrates a rectangular support body 376 with two top exiting upper portions 77 &# 39 ; and two horizontally extending lower portions 378 . fig1 shows two separate housings 476 , each with a single elongated spring contact 74 . this configuration advantageously allows the battery terminals to be separated a distance which will help prevent inadvertent short circuiting across same without sacrificing board space . for example , conventional models , when carried loosely in pockets and the like , can easily short circuit when metallic objects such as pens and car keys , contact the relatively closely spaced terminals either on the battery or phone systems connector . advantageously , the present invention allows the battery contacts or systems connector contacts to be spaced - apart from the other at a distance that can reduce the likelihood of such an event . for example , as shown in fig1 , the contacts 55 are positioned on opposing sides of the lateral contact surface 110 ( the battery terminals are correspondingly separated on the battery ). preferably , the battery contacts 55 and correspondingly , the battery terminals 65 are spaced apart 1 - 4 centimeters . more preferably , they are spaced 3 - 4 centimeters apart in order to protect and separate the positive and negative terminals . as shown in fig1 a - 11c , the edge interface contact 78b on the lower portion of the spring 78 is positioned and held adjacent the printed circuit board 50 such that it is free to move about or overshoot the printed circuit board . stated differently , it is free to extend and retract relative to the printed circuit board 50 . thus , during a mechanical shock , if the spring contact 74 should undergo an elevated force , the lower portion of the spring contact 78 is not trapped by the printed circuit board and is free to extend in response to the forces introduced thereon . advantageously , such a configuration minimizes the possibility for deformation of the edge contact 78b and , as such , is able to maintain proper electrical contact with the contact pads on the printed circuit board 55 both during and after a mechanical shock the edge contact on the printed circuit board 50 can be formed by a plated contact pad on the edge of the printed circuit board which is electrically connected to the desired circuit components on the printed circuit board . preferably , the contact pads are formed by plated &# 34 ; via &# 34 ; hole technology which is well known to those of skill in the art . generally described , a hole ( normal to one or more of the longitudinal surfaces ) is plated and certain layers ( inner , surface , or both ) of the printed circuit board ( normal to the contact pad or via opening ) are used to route the electrical connection to the appropriate location in the circuit path . alternatively , an added component such as a u - shaped snap on connector can be positioned around an edge of the printed circuit board such that it contacts the top and / or bottom traces and provides the electrical connect pad on the board for the spring contact 74 ( not shown ). this type of configuration can reduce printed circuit board edge plating costs . in a preferred embodiment , as shown in fig5 , and 7a , one or more insets ( or notches ) 90 , 91 , are formed in the edge contact area and the contact pads 55 are positioned therein . the insets allow the outer wall of the housing and printed circuit board to be positioned in closer proximity by adjusting the spring contact point 78b be positioned in a recessed area of the board . preferably , the contact pads 55 include serrated edges to minimize trapped dust and the like which may interfere or degrade the electrical connection . similarly , the spring contact portions 78b can be dimpled to provide similar benefits . although the present invention has been described herein with two elongated spring contacts 74 either in a single or separated connector body 76 , it will be appreciated by those of skill in the art , that the present invention is not limited thereto . indeed , a single edge interface connection , or more than two can easily be employed according to the present invention . similarly , if multiple edge contacts are desired they may be placed on more than one lateral wall ( different sides or edges of the printed circuit board ). it is also preferred that the battery be positioned on one end of the radiotelephone 20 , more preferably in the bottom to better access external battery rechargers such as base holders . although described throughout as used to connect a battery , other devices can also be connected to the radiotelephone printed circuit board such as data input components , hands - free kit , in - phone battery chargers , and the like . further , although primarily aimed at better contacts for cellular phone applications , the present invention is not limited thereto . indeed , this interconnection technique can also be employed with other electronic devices such as calculators , portable music players , cordless phones , laptop computers , hand held video games , camcorders , and the like . moreover , the edge interface contact or connection can be used for many applications such as , but not limited to , connections to speakers , microphones , displays , buzzers , systems , charging or ac ports , and the like . advantageously , the connection can be designed into any comer or space of the product where space is typically unused ( such as in extreme corners of telephones , adjacent to assembly screws and the like ). the foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting thereof . although a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described , those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention . accordingly , all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims . in the claims , means - plus - function clause are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures . therefore , it is to be understood that the foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limited to the specific embodiments disclosed , and that modifications to the disclosed embodiments , as well as other embodiments , are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims . the invention is defined by the following claims , with equivalents of the claims to be included therein .
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referring initially to fig1 and 2 , there is illustrated a reinforcing bar connection in accordance with the present invention shown generally at 20 joining end - to - end axially aligned deformed reinforcing bars 21 and 22 . the reinforcing bars are shown broken away so that only the ends gripped by the splice or connection are illustrated . it will be appreciated that the bars may extend to a substantial length and may either be vertical , horizontal , or even diagonal in the steel reinforced concrete construction taking place . the connection and bars are designed to be embedded in poured concrete . the connection comprises a jaw assembly shown generally at 24 , which includes three circumferentially interfitting three jaw elements shown at 25 , 26 and 27 . it will be appreciated that alternatively two jaw elements or more than three jaw elements may form the assembly 24 . as seen more clearly in fig2 the exterior of the jaw elements forms oppositely tapering shallow angle surfaces seen at 29 and 30 , on which are axially driven matching taper lock collars 32 and 33 , respectively . when the lock collars 32 and 33 are driven toward each other , the jaw assembly 24 contacts driving the interior teeth shown at 35 on each jaw element into the deformed , or projecting portions , of the bar such as the longitudinal projecting ribs 36 and the circumferential ribs 37 . the projecting rib formation on the exterior of the bars may vary widely , but most deformed bars have either a pattern like that shown or one similar to such pattern . the teeth 35 are designed to bite into such radial projections on the bar , but not into the core 38 , which forms the nominal diameter of the bar . it should be again noted that in fig2 the jaw element 26 has been removed as well as the lock collars 32 and 33 to illustrate the interior teeth 35 . referring now to fig3 through 7 , there is illustrated a single jaw 26 . each of the three jaws forming the jaw assembly 24 are identical in form . each jaw is a one - piece construction and is preferably formed of forged steel heat treated and stress relieved . as seen more clearly in fig5 since three jaw elements form the jaw assembly , each jaw element extends on an arc of approximately 120 °. as seen more clearly in fig3 and 5 , the 120 ° extends from one axial , or longitudinal , edge 40 to the other seen at 41 such edges or seams between the jaw elements are axially parallel and uninterrupted except for the circumferential recesses 42 in the longitudinal edge 40 and the interfitting projection 43 on the longitudinal edge 41 . each projection 43 is designed to fit into the notch 42 of the circumferentially adjacent jaw element . the interfitting projections and notches ensure that the jaw elements do not become axially misaligned as the connection is formed . the interfitting circumferential projections and notches also ensure that the jaw assembly remains an assembly as the splice is formed . the interfit of the circumferential projections with the notches of adjacent jaw elements is seen more clearly in fig1 . the interfitting projections and notches may extend approximately 20 ° into or beyond the longitudinal seams . as seen more clearly in fig4 and 6 , each jaw element tapers from its thinnest wall section at the opposite ends 45 and 46 to its thickest wall section shown in the middle at 47 . the taper surfaces formed by the exterior of the jaw elements are low angle , self - locking tapers of but a few degrees and , of course , the tapers match the interior taper of the taper collars 32 and 33 which are driven axially on the end of the splice . the taper is preferably a low angle taper on the order from about one to about five degrees . the taper exterior of the opposite ends of the jaw elements as well as the jaw assembly not only enables the matching lock collars to be driven on the splice , contracting the jaw elements with great force but locking them in contracted position . the configuration of the connection also enhances the dynamic and fatigue characteristics of the splice . this not only enhances the fatigue characteristics of the splice , but also enables the splice to qualify as a type 2 coupler which may be used anywhere in a structure in any of the four earthquake zones of the u . s . referring now to fig7 it will be seen that the interior of each jaw element is provided with a series of relatively sharp teeth 35 , which in the illustrated embodiment are shown as annular . however , it will be appreciated that a thread form of tooth may be employed . each tooth 35 includes a sloping flank 50 on the side of the tooth toward the end of the jaw element . however , toward the middle of the jaw element , the tooth has an almost right angular flank 51 which meets flank 50 at the relatively sharp crown 52 . the flank 50 may be approximately 60 ° with respect to the axis of the jaw element while the flank 51 that is almost 90 °. it will be appreciated that the teeth 35 may alternatively have other suitable configurations . as seen in comparing the left and right hand side of fig6 the teeth on the opposite end are again arranged with the angled flank on the exterior while the sharper almost perpendicular flank faces the mid - point 47 of the jaw element . as indicated , the inward projection of the teeth is designed to bite into the projecting deformations on the bar , but not into the core 38 . as the teeth 35 press into the deformation , they provide additional cold working of the bar , resulting in better performance of the connection . by not pressing the teeth 35 into the core 38 of the bar , fatigue cracks and / or stress concentrations may thereby be avoided . the three jaw elements are shown in fig8 closed with the teeth 35 of the jaw elements biting into the bar deformation projections 36 and 37 , but not into the bar core 38 . when closed , the three longitudinal seams between the jaw elements seen at 54 , 55 and 56 will be substantially closed preventing further contraction of the jaw assembly keeping the teeth from biting into the core . the total contraction of the splice is controlled both by the circumferential dimensions and the axial extent to which the lock collars are driven on each end of the splice . it will be appreciated that a transition splice may be formed with the present invention simply by reducing the interior diameter of one end of the splice so that the teeth on that end will bite into the projecting deformations on a smaller bar . the exterior configuration of the jaw elements may also change or remain the same with different size or identical locking collars driven on each end . it will be appreciated that alternatively other means may be utilized for contracting internally - toothed jaw elements to clamp ends of reinforcing bars , for example by use of a radially - contracting collar or band . referring now to fig9 and 10 , there is illustrated a splice assembly 59 where the jaw elements are held open and spaced from each other by a plastic spacer shown generally at 60 . the plastic spacer comprises three generally axial or longitudinal elements seen at 61 , 62 and 63 , each of which includes a center lateral projection 64 and an opposite notch 65 . the projection 64 snugly fits into the notch 42 of the jaw element while the notch 65 receives the projection 43 of the adjacent jaw element in a snug fit . the three axially extending or longitudinal elements are held in place with respect to each other by the center three - legged triangular connection shown generally at 68 , which also acts as a bar end stop . in this manner , the three jaw elements are held assembled and circumferentially spaced . each locking collar may be positioned on the end of the assembled jaw elements as seen at 32 and 33 and held in place by a shrink wrap , for example , as seen at 70 and 71 , in fig1 , respectively . in this manner , the jaw elements are held circumferentially spaced as seen by the gaps 72 . the assembly seen in fig1 may readily be slipped over the end of a reinforcing bar and the end of the bar will be positioned in the middle of the splice by contact of the bar end with the triangular leg center connection 68 . when the opposite bar end is inserted into the open and assembled splice , the jaw assembly may then be closed by driving the two lock collars 32 and 33 axially toward each other . the force of driving on the lock collars will disintegrate not only the shrink wrap 70 and 71 , but also the support 60 which is made preferably of a frangible or friable plastic material . this then permits the jaw assembly to close to the extent required to bite into the radial bar projections to form a proper high fatigue strength coupling joining the two bar ends . referring now to fig1 , there is illustrated a tool shown generally at 78 for completing the splice or connection of the present invention . although the tool is shown connecting the bars 21 and 22 vertically oriented , it will be appreciated that the bars and splice may be horizontally or even diagonally oriented . the tool is preferably made of high strength aluminum members to reduce its weight and includes generally parallel levers 79 and 80 connected by center link 81 pivoted to the approximate mid - point of such levers as indicated at 82 and 83 . connecting the outer or right hand end of the levers 79 and 80 is an adjustable link shown generally at 85 in the form of a piston - cylinder assembly actuator 86 . the adjustable link may also be a turnbuckle or air motor , for example . the rod 87 of the assembly is provided with a clevis 88 pivoted at 89 to the outer end of lever 79 . the cylinder of the assembly 91 is provided with a mounting bracket or clevis 92 pivoted at 93 to the outer end of lever 80 . the opposite end of the lever 79 is provided with a c - shape termination pivoted at 96 to a c - shape tubular member 97 having an open side 98 . a wedge driving collar shown generally at 100 is mounted on the lower end of the open tube 97 . the collar is formed of hinged semi - circular halves 101 and 102 . when closed and locked , the wedge collar has an interior taper matching that of the taper collars 32 or 33 . the lower arm 80 similarly is provided with a c - termination 105 pivoted at 106 to open tube 107 supporting wedge collar 108 formed of pivotally connected semicircular halves 109 and 110 . in order to make a splice , the coupler or splice assembly 59 seen more clearly in fig1 is aligned with a first bar 21 , for example . the coupler assembly is then slid onto the bar end . a second bar 22 is then positioned in line with a coupler and the second bar is slid into position such that the coupler is centered between both bars . the bar ends will contact the triangular spider connection in the center of the bar splice assembly to ensure that the bar ends are properly seated with respect to the coupler assembly . the tool with the wedge collars 100 or 108 open is then positioned over the bars . the wedge collars are closed and the actuator , or piston cylinder assembly 86 , is extended to drive the wedge collars toward each other , driving the taper lock collars 32 and 33 on the jaw assembly to the position seen in fig1 forming the splice 20 . the wedge collars 100 and 108 are then opened and the tool removed . the taper lock collars 32 and 33 remain in place . when the taper lock collars are driven on the ends of the splice or connection , the jaw elements contract and the teeth on the interior bite into the projecting deformations on the bar ends , but do not bite into the core diameter of the bar . it will be seen that the present invention provides a high strength coupler or splice which will qualify as a type 2 coupler and yet which is easy to assemble and join in the field and which does not require bar end preparation or torquing in the assembly process . although the invention has been shown and described with respect to certain preferred embodiments , it is obvious that equivalent alterations and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of this specification . it will be appreciated that suitable features in one of the embodiments may be incorporated in another of the embodiments , if desired . the present invention includes all such equivalent alterations and modifications , and is limited only be the scope of the claims .
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embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . a fixing unit 63 in first to ninth embodiments is of the same configuration as the fixing unit 63 in fig3 , and is detachably mounted . the fixing unit 63 is a consumable item that can be replaced by a user . that is , when the accumulated number of printed pages exceeds a predetermined value , the user is prompted to replace the fixing unit 63 for a new , unused one . fig1 a and fig1 b illustrate a contact type thermistor and a non - contact thermistor , respectively . two types of thermistor can be used in the first embodiment . the first is a contact type ( fig1 a ) where signal lines connected to a temperature - sensing element 79 are electrically continuous with base plates 80 a and 80 b that support the temperature - sensing element 79 . the base plate 80 a and 80 are made of a resilient material . the second is a non - contact type where signal lines connected to a temperature - sensing element 79 are electrically isolated from a base plate 76 that supports the temperature - sensing element 79 . the base plate 76 is made of a resilient material . here , by way of the contact type thermistor 70 a , a description will be given of an example where the surface temperature of a fixing roller 64 that serves as a heat roller is detected . for this type of thermistor , the electrically conductive base plates 80 a and 80 b are used as both signal lines and reinforcing or supporting plates . a protection sheet 77 is formed of an insulating material to protect the temperature - sensing element 79 . fig2 illustrates the configuration of the first embodiment . this configuration differs from the conventional art in that the base plates 80 a and 80 b that support the temperature - sensing element 79 are positioned midway between closely disposed conductors 75 a and 75 b . when the conductors 75 a and 75 b are connected to 0 v and no paper jam has occurred , the base plates 80 a and 80 b are not in contact with any one of the conductors 75 a and 75 b . fig3 is an electrically equivalent circuit of the first embodiment that employs the thermistor 70 a , illustrating the temperature - sensing element 79 , conductors 75 a and 75 b , base plates 80 a and 80 b , and voltage - dividing resistors 72 and 73 . the base plate 80 a and 80 b are used as both signal lines and reinforcing plates . switches 87 and 88 represent an electrically equivalent circuit of the contacts between the base plates 80 a and 80 b and the conductors 75 a and 75 b . when no paper jam has occurred , the switch 87 or 88 is open . when paper jam like an accordion as shown in fig4 occurs near an entrance of the fixing unit 63 during printing , the jammed paper pushes the temperature - sensing element 79 and the base plates 80 a and 80 b . this causes the temperature - sensing element 79 to move out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . then , the base plate 80 a or 80 b moves into contact with the conductor 75 a or 75 b to close the switch 87 or 88 . when the paper jam has not occurred , the switches 87 and 88 are open and the voltage ( vt ) detected by an a / d converter 69 in the controller is given by where r 72 is the resistance of the resistor 72 , r 73 is the resistance of the resistor 73 , r ( t ) is the resistance of the temperature - sensing element 79 that reflects the surface temperature of the fixing roller 64 , and the numeral 5 denotes the supply voltage in volts for temperature detection . fig5 illustrates analog waveforms before and after the occurrence of paper jam . a high voltage is input to the a / d converter 69 when no paper jam occurs . when the switch 87 or 88 is closed due to the occurrence of paper jam , the voltage v ( t ) falls to 0 v . experiment was conducted to determine an input voltage to the a / d converter 69 when the fixing unit 63 operates normally , and an input voltage when the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 a has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . then , if an input voltage to the a / d converter 69 is lower than the normal value by more than a predetermined value , then it is determined that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 a has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . the controller receives the output of the a / d converter 69 and generates an alarm signal . once it is detected that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 a has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not performed any further unless the jammed paper is removed and the thermistor 70 a returns to its normal position . if the base plate ( s ) of the thermistor 70 a has deformed permanently , at least one of the base plates 80 a and 80 b remains in contact with one of the conductors 75 a and 75 b . thus , the input voltage to the a / d converter is 0 v even after the jammed paper has been removed . fig6 illustrates a fixing unit 63 and a contact type thermistor 70 a that are employed in a second embodiment . the configuration of the second embodiment differs from the prior art in that base plates 80 a and 80 b that support a temperature - sensing element 79 are positioned midway between conductors 75 a and 75 b closely positioned . the base plate 80 a and 80 are made of a resilient material . the second embodiment may employ either of the contact type thermistor in fig1 a and the non - contact type thermistor in fig1 b . the second embodiment will be described with respect to a case in which the non - contact type thermistor in fig1 b is employed . two lines are electrically isolated from a base plate 76 by means of an insulator 78 , and are led out from the temperature - sensing element 79 . this type of thermistor has an electrically conductive base plate 76 that is used as both a signal line and a reinforcing plate . the base plate 76 is made of a resilient material . fig7 illustrates an electrically equivalent circuit that includes voltage - dividing resistors 72 and 73 , temperature - sensing element 79 , conductors 75 a and 75 b , and base plates 80 a and 80 b . a switch 89 represents the contacts between the base plates 80 a and 80 b of the thermistor 70 a and the conductors 75 a and 75 b . the resistor 74 has one end connected to an input port of an a / d converter 69 in the controller and the conductors 75 a and 75 b , another end connected to the 5 - v power supply for the controller . when no paper jam has occurred , there are a gap between the base plate 76 and the conductor 75 a and a gap between the base late 76 and the conductor 75 b , so that the switch 89 is not closed . therefore , the base plate 76 is not electrically continuous to the conductors 75 a and 75 b . in other words , when the switch 89 is not closed to the conductor 75 a or 75 b , the input port of the a / d converter 69 is at an “ h ” level , which is substantially equal to the supply voltage ( e . g ., 5 v ) of the controller . if paper jam like an accordion as shown in fig8 occurs near the entrance of the fixing unit 63 during printing , the jammed paper s pushes the thermistor 70 a and the base plate 76 . this causes the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 a to move out of contact with a fixing roller 64 and the base plate 76 moves into contact with the conductor 75 b to close the switch 89 . fig9 illustrates analog voltage waveforms before and after the occurrence of paper jam . the voltage at the input of the a / d converter 69 is at the “ h ” level before paper jam , and at an “ l ” level after the occurrence of paper jam . when no paper jam has occurred , the common terminal of the switch 89 is positioned midway between the conductors 75 a and 75 b and the input of the a / d converter is at nearly 5 v , so that the “ h ” level is detected . when the switch 89 is closed to the conductor 75 b , the voltage at the input of the a / d converter 69 falls to 0 v , so that the “ l ” level is detected . thus , the a / d converter 69 detects that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 a has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 , and generates an alarm signal . if an input voltage to the a / d converter 69 is lower than the normal value by more than a predetermined value , then it is determined that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 a has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . when it is detected that the temperature - sensing element 79 has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further unless the jammed paper s is removed and the thermistor 70 a returns to its normal position . that is , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further until the base plate 76 is positioned midway between the conductors 75 a and 75 b again . if the base plate 76 has deformed permanently , the detection signals of the controller or the a / d converter 69 continues to indicate that the thermistor 70 a has moved out of contact engagement with the fixing roller 64 . thus , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further . fig1 illustrates a fixing unit 63 according to a third embodiment . the third embodiment differs from the conventional art in that base plates 80 a and 80 b that support a temperature - sensing element 79 of a thermistor 70 a is positioned midway between conductor 75 a and 75 b . the base plate 80 a and 80 are made of a resilient material . the third embodiment can employ either of two types of thermistor as shown in fig1 a ( contact type ) and fig1 b ( non - contact type ). here , the third embodiment will be described with respect to the contact type in fig1 a . fig1 illustrates the thermistor 70 a according to the third embodiment . as shown in fig1 , the electrically conductive base plates 80 a and 80 b support the temperature - sensing element 79 and are used as both signal lines and a reinforcing plate . when the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 a moves out of contact with a fixing roller 64 , the base plates 80 a and 80 b move into contact with the conductors 75 a and 75 b at substantially the same time . as a result , there is electrical continuity between the base plates 80 a and 80 b . fig1 is an electrically equivalent circuit that includes voltage - dividing resistors 72 and 73 , temperature - sensing element 79 , base plates 80 a and 80 b , and conductors 75 a and 75 b . switches 91 a and 91 b represent the contacts between the base plates 80 a and 80 b of the thermistor 70 a and the conductors 75 a and 75 b , respectively . the conductors 75 a and 75 b have one ends connected to the resistors 72 and 73 , respectively . when no paper jam occurs , the base plates 80 a and 80 b are not in contact with the conductors 75 a and 75 b . when no paper jam occurs , the switch 91 is open . as shown in fig1 , if paper jam like an accordion occurs near the entrance of the fixing unit 63 during printing , the jammed paper pushes the thermistor 70 a and the base plates 80 a and 80 b . this causes the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 a to move out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . thus , the base plates 80 a and 80 b move into contact with the conductor 75 a or 75 b , closing the switches 91 a and 91 b in fig1 . fig1 illustrates analog voltage waveforms before and after the occurrence of paper jam . before paper jam occurs , the supply voltage is divided by the temperature - sensing element 79 and the voltage - dividing resistors 72 and 73 . thus , the analog voltage before the occurrence of paper jam is the voltage across the resistor 73 , the voltage being divided by the temperature sensing element 79 and the voltage dividing resistors 72 and 73 . the analog voltage after the occurrence of paper jam is the voltage across the resistor 73 , the voltage being divided by the voltage dividing resistors 72 and 73 . when no paper jam occurs , the switches 91 a and 91 b are open . the voltage ( vt ) detected in the a / d converter 69 in the controller is given by where r 72 is the resistance of the voltage - dividing resistor r 72 , r 73 is the resistance of the voltage - dividing resistor r 73 , r ( t ) is the resistance of the temperature - sensing element 79 that reflects the surface temperature of the fixing roller 64 , and the supply voltage for temperature detection is 5 v . when no paper jam occurs , the switches 91 a and 91 b are closed and the resistance r ( t ) of the temperature - sensing element 79 that reflects the surface temperature t of the fixing roller 64 is short - circuited . thus , the voltage ( vt ) detected in the a / d converter 69 in the controller is given by as described above , when the voltage v ( t ) changes , the controller determines that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 a has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 , and generates an alarm signal . fig1 illustrates analog voltage waveforms before and after the occurrence of paper jam . the voltage is at an “ l ” level before the occurrence paper jam , and at an “ h ” level after the occurrence of paper jam . as described above , when no paper jam occurs , the voltage detected by the a / d converter 69 reflects the surface temperature of the fixing roller 64 . when paper jam occurs , the voltage detected by the a / d converter 69 is a fixed voltage that is divided by the voltage - dividing resistors r 72 and r 73 . if an input voltage to the a / d converter 69 is lower than the normal value by more than a predetermined value , then it is determined that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 a has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . once paper jam occurs , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not performed any further unless the jammed paper s is removed and the thermistor 70 a has returned to its normal position . that is , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further until the base plates 8 a and 80 b are positioned midway between the conductors 75 a and 75 b and therefore the thermistor 70 a is again in contact with the fixing roller 64 . if the base plates 80 a and 80 b of the thermistor 70 a have deformed permanently , the base plates 80 a and 80 b remain in contact with either of the conductors 75 a and 75 b . thus , the detection signal of the a / d converter 69 continues to indicate that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 a has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 , and the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further . the first and second embodiments require the wiring materials that connect the switch ( fig3 ) to 0 v . the second embodiment requires the resistor 74 ( fig7 ) that detects a change in voltage . on the contrary , the third embodiment eliminates the need for the switch and wiring materials resistor 74 . the non - contact type thermistor may also be used in the third embodiment . fig1 illustrates a thermistor 70 c and a fixing unit 63 according to a fourth embodiment . fig1 a – 15d illustrate the details of the thermistor 70 c according to the fourth embodiment . fig1 a and 15b are side views as seen in a direction shown by arrow b in fig1 d . fig1 c is a front view as seen in a direction shown by arrow a in fig1 d . fig1 d is a perspective view of the thermistor 70 c . the fourth embodiment differs from the conventional art in that base plates 80 a and 80 b that support the thermistor 70 c are positioned midway between stoppers 90 a and 90 b that are closely positioned . the base plate 80 a and 80 are made of a resilient material . the fourth embodiment employs the thermistor in fig1 a – 15d . the thermistor according to the fourth embodiment is similar to that of fig1 a but differs in that projections 80 d and 80 e extend in parallel with each other from , for example , the base plate 80 c , and the base plate 80 a extends midway between the projections 80 d and 80 e . when no paper jam occurs , the projections 80 d and 80 e are not in contact with the base plate 80 a . for a case where the thermistor illustrated in fig1 a – 15d is used , a description will be given of the operation of detecting that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 c has moved out of contact a fixing roller 64 . when paper jam like an accordion as shown in fig1 occurs near an entrance of the fixing unit 63 during printing , the jammed paper s pushes the thermistor 70 c and the base plates 80 a and 80 c . this causes the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 c to move out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . further , the projection 80 d or 80 e abuts stopper 90 a or 90 b , so that the projection 80 d or 80 e will deform to move into contact with the base plate 80 a . when the jammed paper s pushes the base plates 80 a and 80 c , the base plates 80 a and 80 c deform as shown in fig1 a , so that the projection 80 e and the base plate 80 a abut the stopper 90 b to make good electrical contact between the 80 a and 80 e . fig1 illustrates an electrically equivalent circuit that includes voltage - dividing resistors 72 and 73 , the temperature - sensing element 79 , the base plates 80 a and 80 c , and the projections 80 e and 80 d . a switch 91 represents the contacts between the projections 80 e and 80 d and the base plate 80 a . when no paper jam occurs , the switch 91 is open . when paper jam like an accordion as shown in fig1 occurs near an entrance of the fixing unit 63 during printing , the jammed paper s pushes the thermistor 70 c and the base plates 80 a and 80 c . this causes the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 c to move out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . further , the base plate 80 a or the base plate 80 c moves into contact with the projections 80 e and 80 d , so that the switch 91 in fig1 is closed . when the paper jam s has not occurred , the switch 91 is open and the voltage ( vt ) detected by the a / d converter 69 of the controller is given by v ( t )= 5 * r 73 /( r 72 + r ( t ) + r 73 ) where r 72 is the resistance of the voltage - dividing resistor 72 , r 73 is the resistance of the voltage - dividing resistor r 73 , r ( t ) is the resistance of the thermistor 70 c that reflects the surface temperature of the fixing roller 64 , and numeral 5 denotes the supply voltage in volts for temperature detection . when paper jam has occurred , the switch 91 is closed and the voltage across the thermistor 70 c ( i . e ., temperature - sensing element 79 ) is zero volts . thus , the voltage v ( t ) is given by v ( t )= 5 * r 73 /( r 72 + r 73 ). fig1 illustrates analog voltage waveforms before and after the occurrence of paper jam . before paper jam occurs , the supply voltage is divided by the temperature - sensing element 79 and the voltage - dividing resistors 72 and 73 . thus , the analog voltage before the occurrence of paper jam is the voltage across the resistor 73 , the supply voltage being divided by the voltage dividing resistors 72 and 73 and the temperature sensing element 79 . the analog voltage after the occurrence of paper jam is the voltage across the resistor 72 , the supply voltage being divided by the voltage dividing resistors 72 and 73 . if an input voltage to the a / d converter 69 is lower than the normal value by more than a predetermined value , the controller determines that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 c has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 , and generates an alarm signal . once paper jam occurs , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not performed any further unless the jammed paper s is removed and the thermistor 70 c returns to its normal position where the thermistor 70 c is in contact with the fixing roller 64 . if the base plate of the thermistor 70 c has deformed permanently , the detection signal from the a / d converter 69 continues to indicate that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 c is out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . thus , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further . the first and second embodiments require the wiring materials that connect the switch to a potential of 0 v . the second embodiment requires the resistor 74 for detecting a change in voltage . on the contrary , the fourth embodiment eliminates the need for these wiring materials and the resistor . the non - contact type thermistor may also be used in the fourth embodiment . fig1 illustrates a fixing unit 63 and a contact type thermistor 70 d that are employed in a fifth embodiment . the configuration of the fifth embodiment has the feature that a base plate 84 is fixed to a temperature - sensing element 79 and a base plate 83 is movable into and out of contact with the base plate 84 . the base plate 83 and 84 are made of a resilient material . fig1 a – 19c illustrate the configuration of the thermistor 70 d . the thermistor 70 d includes the base plates 83 and 84 that are movable into and out of contact engagement with each other . the thermistor 70 d further includes a base plate 85 made of a resilient material . the base plates 84 and 85 are electrically connected to each other via a temperature - sensing element 79 . when paper jam does not occurred , the base plate 83 remains in electrical contact engagement with the base plate 84 . when paper jam occurs , the base plates 83 and 84 deform such that the base plate 83 abuts a stopper 90 b and the base plate 84 moves out of contact with the base plate 83 . with respect to a case where the thermistor illustrated in fig1 a – 19c is used , a description will be given of the operation of detecting that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 d has moved out of contact with a fixing roller 64 . when paper jam like an accordion as shown in fig1 occurs near an entrance of the fixing unit 63 during printing , the jammed paper s pushes the thermistor 70 d and the base plates 80 a and 80 b . this causes the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 d to move out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . the stopper 90 b interferes with the base plate 83 causing the base plate 84 to move out of contact with the base plate 83 . fig2 is an electrically equivalent circuit that includes the voltage - dividing resistors 72 and 73 , temperature - sensing element 79 , and base plates 83 and 84 . a switch 92 represents the contact between the base plate 83 and the base plate 84 . when no paper jam occurs , the switch 92 remains closed . when paper jam like an accordion as shown in fig1 occurs near an entrance of the fixing unit 63 during printing , the jammed paper s pushes the thermistor 70 d and the base plate 84 . this causes the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 d to move out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . moreover , the base plate 84 moves out of contact with the base plate 83 to open the switch 92 . when the switch 92 opens , the 5 - v power supply is shut off so that the voltage across the resistor 73 falls to 0 v . when no paper jam occurs , the switch 92 remains closed and the voltage ( vt ) detected by the a / d converter 69 of the controller is given by v ( t )= 5 * r 73 /( r 72 + r ( t )+ r 73 ) where r 72 is the resistance of the resistor 72 , r 73 is the resistance of the resistor r 73 , r ( t ) is the resistance of the temperature - sensing element 79 that reflects the surface temperature of the fixing roller 64 , and numeral 5 denotes the supply voltage in volts for temperature detection . when no paper jam has occurred , the switch 92 opens and the voltage v ( t ) is at 0 v . as described above , in response to the change in the voltage input to the a / d converter 69 , the controller detects that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 d has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 , and generates an alarm signal . fig2 illustrates analog voltage waveforms before and after the occurrence of paper jam . the voltage input to an a / d converter 69 reflects the surface temperature of the fixing roller 64 when no paper jam occurs , and falls to 0 v when paper jam occurs . if an input voltage to the a / d converter 69 is lower than the normal value by more than a predetermined value , the controller determines that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 d has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . when paper jam occurs , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further unless the jammed paper is removed and the thermistor 70 d returns to its normal position . when the base plate of the thermistor 70 d has deformed permanently , even though the jammed paper is removed , the detection signal of the controller or the a / d converter 69 continues to indicate that the temperature - sensing element 79 is out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . thus , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further . the fifth embodiment eliminates the need for the wiring materials that were required to connect the switch to 0 v in the first and second embodiments , and the resistor 74 for detecting the change in voltage , which were required in the second embodiment . because a part of the thermistor serves as an electrical switch , the number of parts required is reduced , providing a simplified configuration . the non - contact type thermistor may also be used in the fifth embodiment . fig2 illustrates a sixth embodiment . the sixth embodiment differs from the conventional art in that a base plate 76 that supports a non - contact type thermistor 70 b is positioned midway between conductors 75 a and 75 b . the base plate 76 is made of a resilient material . the sixth embodiment may employ either of a contact type thermistor in fig1 a and a non - contact type thermistor in fig1 b . here , the sixth embodiment will be described with respect to a case in which the thermistor in fig1 b is employed . two leads are electrically isolated from the base plate 76 by means of an insulator 78 , and are led out from the temperature - sensing element 79 . this type of thermistor has an electrically conductive base plate 76 that is used as both a signal line and a reinforcing plate . the base plate 76 is connected to a potential of 0 v . when no paper jam has occurred , the base plate 76 is midway between the conductors 75 a and 75 b such that the base plate 76 is not in contact with the conductors 75 a and 75 b . when paper jam occurs , the base plate 76 moves into contact with , for example , the conductor 75 b . with respect to a case where the thermistor illustrated in fig1 b is used , a description will be given of the operation of detecting that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 b has moved out of contact with a fixing roller 64 . when paper jam like an accordion as shown in fig2 occurs near an entrance of the fixing unit 63 during printing , the jammed paper s pushes the thermistor 70 b and the base plate 76 . this causes the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 b to move out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . the base plate 76 moves into contact with either the conductor 75 a or the conductor 75 b . fig2 is an electrically equivalent circuit that includes the voltage - dividing resistors 72 and 7 , temperature - sensing element 79 , conductors 75 a and 75 b , base plate 76 , and resistor 74 . a switch 89 represents the contacts between the base plate 76 and the conductors 75 a and 75 b . the resistor 74 has one end connected to the conductors 75 a and 75 b and the input port of the a / d converter 69 in the controller , and another end connected to a 5 - v power supply . when no paper jam occurs , the common electrode of the switch 89 is positioned midway between the conductors 75 a and 75 b , so that an “ h ” level appears at the input of the a / d converter 69 . when paper jam occurs , the base plate 76 of the thermistor 70 b goes into electrical contact with either the conductor 75 a or the conductor 75 a or the conductor 75 b . a description will be given of the operation of detecting that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the non - contact type thermistor 70 b has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . when paper jam like an accordion as shown in fig2 occurs near an entrance of the fixing unit 63 during printing , the jammed paper s pushes the thermistor 70 b and the base plate 76 . this causes the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 b to move out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . as shown in fig8 , the base plate 76 moves into contact with the conductor 75 b , causing the switch 89 in fig2 to switch to the conductor 75 b . fig2 illustrates analog voltage waveforms before and after the occurrence of paper jam . the analog voltage is an “ h ” level before paper jam occurs and an “ l ” level ( i . e ., substantially 0 v ) after paper jam occurs . thus , the voltage input to a / d converter 69 reflects the surface temperature of the fixing roller 64 when no paper jam occurs , and falls to 0 v when paper jam occurs . if an input voltage to the a / d converter 69 is lower than the normal value by more than a predetermined value , the controller determines that the thermistor 70 b has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . once paper jam occurs , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further unless the jammed paper s is removed and the thermistor 70 b returns to its normal position . if the base plate 76 of the thermistor 70 b has deformed permanently , the output of the a / d converter 69 continues to indicate that the thermistor 70 b is out of contact with the fixing roller 64 even though the jammed paper s is removed . thus , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further . the sixth embodiment has been described with respect to the same configuration as the second embodiment except that a non - contact type thermistor is used instead of the contact type thermistor . fig2 and 27 illustrate the configuration of a seventh embodiment . the seventh embodiment differs from the conventional art in that a switch 93 is employed . referring to fig2 , when a non - contact type thermistor 70 b moves a predetermined distance in such a direction as to be away from a fixing roller 64 , the switch 93 is driven by an electrically conductive base plate 76 of the thermistor 70 b to close as shown in fig2 . the base plate 76 is made of a resilient material . the seventh embodiment may employ either of the type in fig1 a and the type in fig1 b . here , the seventh embodiment will be described with respect to a case in which the non - contact type thermistor of the type in fig1 b . the thermistor of fig1 b includes two signal lines isolated by an insulator 78 from a base plate 76 that supports a temperature - sensing element 79 . fig2 is an electrically equivalent circuit that includes the voltage - dividing resistors 72 and 73 , temperature - sensing element 79 , base plate 76 , and resistor 74 . the resistor 74 has one end connected to the input port of a controller and another end connected to a 5 - v power supply for the controller . when no paper jam occurs , the switch 93 is open so that the voltage at the input port of the a / d converter 69 is at an “ h ” level . when paper jam occurs , the switch 93 is closed so that the voltage at the input pot of the a / d converter 69 is at an “ l ” level , which is substantially 0 v . as shown in fig2 , the switch 93 has one end connected to the resistor 74 and the a / d converter , and another end connected to a potential of 0 v . a description will be given of the operation of detecting that a non - contact type thermistor 70 b has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . when paper jam like an accordion as shown in fig2 occurs near an entrance of a fixing unit 63 during printing , the jammed paper s pushes the thermistor 70 b and the base plate 76 . this causes the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 b to move out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . the base plate 76 pushes the switch 93 in fig2 to close the switch 93 . as described above , when the input voltage to the controller falls to 0 v , the controller determines that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 b has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 , and generates an alarm signal . fig2 illustrates analog voltage waveforms before and after the occurrence of paper jam . the analog voltage is at an “ h ” level before paper jam occurs and at an “ l ” level ( substantially 0 v ) after paper jam has occurred . thus , once paper jam occurs , the voltage input to a / d converter 69 no longer reflects the surface temperature of the fixing roller 64 . once paper jam occurs , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further unless the jammed paper s is removed and the thermistor 70 b returns to its normal position . if the baseplate 76 of the thermistor 70 b has deformed permanently , the output of the a / d converter 69 in the controller continues to indicate that the thermistor 70 b is out of contact with the fixing roller 64 even though the jammed paper is removed . thus , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further . the seventh embodiment is of the same configuration as the second embodiment except that a non - contact type thermistor is used instead of the contact type thermistor . fig3 illustrates the configuration of an eighth embodiment . the eighth embodiment differs from the conventional art in that an electrically conductive base plate 76 is midway between conductors 94 a and 94 b . the base plate 76 is made of a resilient material . the eighth embodiment may employ either of the type in fig1 a and the type in fig1 b . here , the eighth embodiment will be described with respect to a case in which a thermistor of the type in fig1 b . the thermistor 70 b of fig1 b includes two signal lines isolated by an insulator 78 from the base plate 76 that supports a temperature - sensing element 79 . the base plate 76 is connected to a potential of 0 v . with respect to a case where the thermistor 70 b illustrated in fig1 b is used , a description will be given of the operation of detecting that the thermistor 70 b has moved out of contact with a pressure roller 65 . fig3 is an electrically equivalent circuit that includes the voltage - dividing resistors 72 and 73 , temperature - sensing element 79 , conductors 94 a and 94 b , base plate 76 , and resistor 74 . the resistor 74 has one end connected to the input port of a controller and another end connected to a 5 - v power supply for the controller . the base plate 76 and the conductors 94 a and 94 b form a switch 89 . when no paper jam occurs , the common electrode of the switch 89 is midway between the conductors 94 a and 94 b and the voltage at the input port of the a / d converter 69 in the controller is at an “ h ” level . when paper jam occurs , the switch 89 is closed so that the voltage at the input of the a / d converter 69 is at an “ l ” level . as shown in fig3 , the switch 89 has one end connected to the resistor 74 and the controller , and another end connected to a potential of 0 v . the resistor 74 has one end connected to a 5 - v power supply and another end connected to the conductors 94 a and 94 b and the input port of the a / d converter 69 in the controller . the resistor 74 has one end connected to a 5 - v power supply and another end connected to the conductors 94 a and 94 b and the input of the a / d converter 69 in the controller . when no paper jam occurs so that the switch 89 is switched to neither the conductor 94 a nor the conductor 94 b , the voltage at the input port of the a / d converter 69 is at an “ h ” level . a description will be given of the operation of detecting that the non - contact type thermistor 71 has moved out of contact with the pressure roller 65 by a predetermined distance . the thermistor 71 is the same type as the thermistor 70 b in fig1 b . when paper jam like an accordion as shown in fig3 occurs near an entrance of the fixing unit 63 during printing , the jammed paper s pushes the thermistor 71 and the base plate 76 . this causes the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 71 to move out of contact with the pressure roller 65 . thus , the base plate 76 moves into contact with the conductor 94 b in fig3 to switch the switch 89 to the conductor 94 b . as described above , when the input voltage to the a / d converter 69 changes , the controller determines that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 71 has moved out of contact with the pressure roller 65 , and generates an alarm signal . fig3 illustrates analog voltage waveforms before and after the occurrence of paper jam . when no paper jam occurs , the voltage at the input port of the controller is at an “ h ” level , which is substantially the same as 5 - v supply voltage for the controller . when paper jam occurs , the voltage at the input of the a / d converter 69 in the controller is at an “ l ” level , which is 0 v . when paper jam occurs , the voltage at the input of the a / d converter 69 does not reflect the correct surface temperature of the pressure roller 65 . once paper jam occurs , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further unless the jammed paper is removed and the thermistor 71 returns to its normal position . when the base plate of the thermistor 71 has deformed permanently , even though the jammed paper s is removed , the detection signal of the controller or the a / d converter 69 continues to indicate that temperature - sensing element 79 is out of contact with the pressure roller 65 . thus , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further . fig3 and 35 illustrate the configuration of a ninth embodiment . the ninth embodiment differs from the conventional art in that a base plate 76 that supports a non - contact type thermistor 70 b is positioned midway between conductors 75 a and 75 b . the base plate 76 is made of a resilient material . the ninth embodiment may employ either of the type in fig1 a and the type in fig1 b . here , the ninth embodiment will be described with respect to a case in which the thermistor of the type in fig1 b is used . the thermistor of fig1 b includes two signal lines isolated by an insulator 78 from the electrically conductive base plate 76 that supports a temperature - sensing element 79 . the base plate 76 is connected to a potential of 0 v . when no paper jam occurs , the base plate 76 is midway between the conductors 75 a and 75 b as shown in fig3 such that the base plate 76 is not in contact with the conductors 75 a and 75 b . when paper jam occurs , the base plate 76 moves into contact with , for example , the conductor 75 b as shown in fig3 . with respect to a case where the thermistor 70 b illustrated in fig1 b is used , a description will be given of the operation of detecting that the thermistor 70 b has moved out of contact with a fixing belt 97 that serves as a heating belt . when paper jam like an accordion as shown in fig3 occurs near an entrance of the fixing unit 63 during printing , the jammed paper s pushes the thermistor 70 b and the base plate 76 . this causes the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 b to move out of contact with the fixing belt 97 . the base plate 76 moves into contact with either the conductor 75 a or the conductor 75 b . fig3 is an electrically equivalent circuit including the voltage - dividing resistors 72 and 73 , temperature - sensing element 79 , conductors 75 a and 75 b , base plate 76 , and resistor 74 . a switch 89 represents the contacts between the base plate 76 and the conductors 75 a and 75 b . the resistor 74 has one end connected to a 5 - v power supply and another end connected to the input port of the controller . when no paper jam occurs , the common electrode of the switch 89 is positioned midway between the conductors 75 a and 75 b . therefore , the switch 89 is open , so that an “ h ” level appears at the input of the controller . when paper jam occurs , the base plate 76 of the thermistor 70 b moves into electrical contact with , for example , the conductor 75 b . the operation of detecting will be described in which the non - contact type thermistor 71 has moved out of contact with a pressure roller 65 by a predetermined distance . when paper jam like an accordion as shown in fig3 occurs near an entrance of the fixing unit 63 during printing , the jammed paper s pushes the thermistor 70 b and the base plate 76 , so that the thermistor 70 b moves out of contact with the pressure roller 65 . the base plate 76 moves into contact with the conductor 75 b . as described above , when the input to the a / d converter 69 of the controller changes , the controller detects that the thermistor 70 b has moved out of contact with the fixing belt 97 , and generates an alarm signal . fig3 illustrates analog voltage waveforms before and after the occurrence of paper jam . the controller detects these waveforms . when no paper jam occurs , the voltage at the input of the a / d converter 69 in the controller is at an “ h ” level , which is substantially the same as 5 - v supply voltage for the controller . when paper jam occurs , the voltage at the input pot of the a / d converter 69 in the controller is at an “ l ” level , which is 0 v . the voltage at the input of the a / d converter 69 reflects the correct surface temperature of the fixing belt 97 regardless of whether paper jam occurs . once paper jam occurs , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further unless the jammed paper s is removed and the thermistor 70 b returns to its normal position . if the base plate of the thermistor 70 b has deformed permanently , the detection signals of the controller or the a / d converter 69 continues to indicate that the thermistor 70 b is out of contact with the fixing belt 97 even though the jammed paper is removed . thus , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further . the ninth embodiment has been described with respect to the non - contact type thermistor . the embodiment may also be implemented by the use of a contact type thermistor . although the present invention has been described with respect to a color printer , the invention may be applied to other apparatus provided that a developer image is fused by heat into a permanent image . while most of the embodiments have been described with respect to a contact type thermistor , the constructions of these embodiments may be used in combination with a non - contact type thermistor instead of a non - contact type thermistor . although the embodiments have been described with respect to a case in which a thermistor is normally in contact with the fixing roller ( i . e ., heat roller ), the thermistor may also be provided in contact with the pressure roller .
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hereinafter , a network photograph service system of the present invention will be explained referring to the accompanying drawings . the form of a system in which equipment is concentrated in one wholesale lab , and its problems , will be explained first referring to fig8 . in the system shown in fig8 , a customer 1 asks for first prints from an agency 13 ( 121 ). the first prints may be generated by the agency 13 itself or by a wholesale lab 14 following a request from the agency 13 . in each case , a film ( 122 ) from the customer 1 is temporarily handed to the wholesale lab 14 ( 122 ). the wholesale lab 14 reads the film using a scanner 7 or the like , and stores pictures recorded on the film in an image server 15 as digital image data . if first prints have been ordered from the wholesale lab , the prints are generated by a printer 9 or the like , and delivered to the agency 13 ( 123 ), and then handed to the customer 1 via the agency 13 ( 124 ). after the image server 15 has stored digital image data , the customer 1 can access the image server 15 via the internet 5 ( 125 ), and order an extra print or the like looking at the stored picture image data on a display screen . in response to this order , the image server 15 generates a print using the printer 9 or the like , and hands the print to the customer 1 ( 127 ) by mail or via the agency ( 126 ). as is obvious from the flow described above , the wholesale lab 14 should collect all films from customers of all agencies in this system . therefore , it is possible that delivery of a print will be delayed due to a collection and / or delivery queue or a processing queue . since the collection and delivery of the films and prints are carried out by hand , the date of delivery of the finished print may be delayed a couple of days due to the collection and / or delivery queue , depending on the number of collections and deliveries per day . in other words , in this system , it becomes easier to order an extra print or the like , but prompt service is not necessarily guaranteed . furthermore , if an agency carries out first printing , input processing needs to be carried out by both the agency and the wholesale lab , for example . therefore , this system often causes inconvenience . in the network photograph service system of the present invention , as shown in fig1 , a customer 1 , a service center 2 which receives an order , and a minilab 3 or a special laboratory 4 with special equipment can all communicate via a network . on this occasion , since the service center 2 and the special laboratory 4 need to communicate frequently , they use high speed lines so that they can handle more orders promptly . in the embodiment shown in fig1 , digital image data input is carried out by the minilab 3 . when the customer orders first prints to the minilab 3 , the minilab 3 reads a film using a scanner 7 and generates first prints using a printer 9 . the digital image data read by the scanner 7 are stored in a laboratory server 8 after the generation of the first prints . on this occasion , low resolution image data which is the digital image data in a reduced resolution ( hereinafter called a thumbnail image ) are generated and transferred to a center server 12 in the service center 2 . the laboratory server 8 stores not only the digital image data of the customer but also a template thereof . the center server 12 in the service center 2 stores the thumbnail image transferred from each photo - finishing laboratory in correlation with the laboratory from which the image has been sent , while making the thumbnail image accessible on the network . on this occasion , the thumbnail image does not need a particularly high quality , since the customer uses the thumbnail image only to confirm the picture upon an order . in order to save disc space , it is more preferable if the thumbnail image has a smaller amount of data . in this embodiment , digital image data that the laboratory server 8 stores for outputting a print has 4 base pixels ( approximately 1024 ˜ 1792 pixels ) which are necessary for outputting an l size print at 300 dpi , while the digital image data that the center server 12 stores for an access via the network has ¼ base pixels ( approximately 368 ˜ 256 pixels ). the center server 12 also stores a thumbnail of the template that the laboratory server 8 stores so that the customer can access the template via the network . when the digital image data is made accessible , the customer only has to confirm their own pictures . in other words , they do not want others to see their pictures . therefore , by using a password , each customer has only a limited access to data he / she can see . the password is determined by a customer when he / she orders first prints . alternatively , the minilab determines the password by assigning an appropriate one . as for the access to the center server , the above service is provided in the form of a web page if on the internet , and the customer can access the center server using a browser — such as netscape navigator . alternatively , if the service is provided as another original communication service , dedicated software may be distributed to each customer . in each case , the customer 1 can request a printing service without going to the minilab 3 by carrying out a predetermined input on an order screen through confirmation of the thumbnail image of their picture stored in the center server or selection of a template via the network from their house or office , or through generation of order information in a predetermined format and transmission of the information via electronic mail . on this occasion , the order information transmitted from the customer to the center server 12 is like the example shown in fig2 . the order information contains information necessary for extra prints , such as the image number , the size , the number of extra prints , and how the finished prints are received . furthermore , in an order of a manipulated print , the template number or the like is also included in the order information . moreover , the content of the service which can be provided through the network includes not only the service accompanying the print output , but also all services related to the printing service . for example , when a storage period of digital image data in the laboratory 8 will expire in a few days but the customer has not decided the picture to order for an extra print , a request for an extended storage in this case can be considered as a part of the services related to printing . a variety of data structures of the order information are also possible . for example , microsoft corp . has proposed a structured storage technique by which several kinds of data are stored in a file in a hierarchy . the order information can be generated as an order file shown in fig3 by using this technique . the format of the order information may be defined depending on the service to be provided , and the format shown in fig2 and 3 are mere examples . when the center server 12 receives such order information , it assigns the laboratory for outputting the ordered print . for instance , fig4 shows an example of the processing to assign the laboratory for outputting the ordered print in the case where the order information in fig2 is used . in this example , it is judged whether or not the requested processing needs special equipment by referring to the data showing the processing number . if the processing requires the special equipment , the special laboratory 4 is selected as the laboratory to output the print , and instruction information in a predetermined format is generated and transferred to the laboratory server 8 in the special laboratory 4 . on this occasion , the special laboratory 4 does not have digital image data to be printed . therefore , the instruction information includes the information showing the laboratory which does have the digital image data . when processing of an ordinary extra print is requested , whether the customer wants to receive the print over the counter , by mail or by delivery can be verified by referring to order information data showing how the print is received . in the case of mailing or delivery , it does not matter to the customer which photo - finishing laboratory outputs the print he / she has ordered . therefore , the laboratory which is most effective for the system , that is , the laboratory which stores the high resolution image data for outputting the ordered print , is selected . when the customer wants to receive the print over the counter , the order information data showing the laboratory at which the print is received is referred to , and the laboratory is selected as the laboratory to output the print . when no laboratory is specified in the order information , the laboratory which stores the high resolution image data is selected . when the laboratory specified by the customer does not have the high resolution image data , the information showing where the high resolution image data is stored is included in the order information , as is the case where the special laboratory 4 is selected . when the center server 12 transmits the order information to the photo - finishing laboratory selected as described above , it records the content of the order and calculates a data storage fee , a communication charge and the like to be paid to each laboratory by periodically summing up the amount of data transferred . in this manner , transactions between the center server 12 and each laboratory , or between the laboratories , are managed . this management is carried out in this manner , because each laboratory can gain an appropriate profit by printing or by storing digital image data of its customers . such data are obviously used in a charge billing system to customers as well . the laboratory server 8 which received the order information carries out the processing such as outputting an extra print according to the content of the order included in the order information , and hands the print to the customer or arranges mailing or the like . on this occasion , the hand - over to the customer or a mailing arrangement should be carried out by hand , as has been carried out conventionally . however , the laboratory server 8 can carry out processing to help such operations , for example , to print a mailing label automatically by referring to the order information data showing the recipient , and to notify the recipient of the print output finish by automatically sending him / her an electronic mail . an example of such a service viewed from the flow of data is shown in fig5 . regarding the manipulated printing service using the template , data managed by a personal computer 6 of the customer , the center server 12 , and the laboratory server 8 , in addition to the flow of the data , are shown in fig5 . as described above , the laboratory server 8 stores high resolution image data 21 of the customer &# 39 ; s picture and high resolution template 23 thereof . the center server 12 stores a low resolution template 24 which corresponds to the high resolution template 23 , because whenever a new template is generated in the laboratory , a low resolution template corresponding to the new template is also registered in the center server . meanwhile , low resolution image data 22 corresponding to the high resolution image data 21 are also registered in the center server upon a request from the customer . the customer refers to ( and downloads upon necessity ) the low resolution image data 22 and the low resolution template 24 disclosed on the center server 12 and composes them using the personal computer 6 . however , the processing carried out at this stage , such as composition , aims to generate the order information , and the processed image obtained through the processing is used for confirmation only . the procedure of the processing carried out by the customer is recorded by the function of dedicated software installed in the personal computer 6 . the procedure is taken in as a portion of the order information 20 when the order information is generated . the order information 20 also includes information showing an image 22 a and a template 24 a specified and used by the customer . the order information 20 is received by the center server 12 , and the center server 12 transmits instruction information 25 to the laboratory selected by referring to the order information 20 . at this time , the instruction information 25 includes the information showing the image 22 a , the template 24 a , and the processing procedure . the laboratory server 8 , which receives the instruction information including such information , searches the hard disc for the high resolution template 23 a corresponding to the template 24 a and high resolution image data 21 a corresponding to the image 22 a , based on the information , and outputs the print after the processing following the processing procedure . such a service as described above can be implemented by the system configuration shown in fig6 , for example . the personal computer 6 of the customer who carries out the order generation processing will be explained first . a www browser 30 has been installed in the personal computer 6 . the program which carries out the order generation processing is provided as a plug - in of the browser . alternatively , the function which carries out only a portion of the order generation processing is provided as the plug - in , and the other functions may be installed as application software independent from the browser . the example in fig6 shows the case where functions for browsing and downloading the low resolution image data and template , as well as a function for uploading an order file are provided as the plug - in , while a processing application 31 for processing the image data and template which have been downloaded , and an order file generating module 32 , are provided as application software . in this example , in the processing application 31 , if the size and the number of a print are specified as in the case of ordinary printing ( the printing by a printer connected to a personal computer ), an order file is automatically generated by the function of the order file generating module 32 . if the low resolution image data and template are provided by a medium 17 , the www browser 30 is used for browsing the data stored in the medium 17 and also for copying data from the medium 17 to the hard disc of the personal computer 6 . the configuration of the center server 12 will be explained next . as described above , the center server 12 is a server computer comprising a large capacity hard disc and a variety of communication equipment . the server computer 12 is used for providing the order receiving service in the form of a web page . a www application server 36 which communicates with the www browser 30 of the personal computer 6 accesses low resolution image data base 33 and low resolution template data base 34 in response to the customer &# 39 ; s request , and obtains necessary data , then transfers the data to the personal computer 6 . the access to the data bases 33 and 34 may be carried out by an original protocol . however , by using a protocol 35 which is used by each company in common , it becomes possible to use a data base in another company &# 39 ; s system in the same manner as the data base in the center server of its own company . in other words , it is preferable that the access to the data base or the like is carried out by defining the common image accessing protocol 35 for a search , a transfer , and access right management of the templates and images . the www application server 36 receives the order file 20 uploaded by the user , selects the laboratory server 8 which is best - suited for processing the order , and transfers the order file 20 as it is or after adding necessary instruction information thereto . in other words , an order file transmitting receiving protocol 37 in fig6 is the protocol for assigning the photo - finishing laboratory for printing , in response to the order content . it is also preferable to use a common order file transmitting receiving protocol . a program 42 which analyzes the order file 20 transferred from the center server 12 and a program 41 which carries out the processing and printing based on the instruction in the order file 20 are installed in the laboratory server 8 . after analyzing the order file 20 , if the access right to the image specified in the order file is denied ( if the password necessary for the access is not included in the order file ), no processing and printing are carried out . if the access right is confirmed , the above program obtains necessary data from high resolution image data base 40 and high resolution template data base 38 , and outputs the manipulated print . the configuration and the function of the network photograph service system of the present invention has been described above . next , an example of how convenient the system is to use will be described with reference to fig7 . for example , assume the case where a customer records pictures with his / her friend who came from overseas , and first prints are then ordered from a minilab 3 a nearby ( 101 ). the first prints are immediately processed by the minilab 3 a , and the film is returned to the customer when the prints are finished ( 102 ). assume that the customer records other pictures with the same friend at the friend &# 39 ; s house overseas . conventionally , first prints of pictures recorded on a trip have been ordered after the trip . however , since every operation , except for printing a film , can be carried out via the network in the network photograph service system of the present invention , it is highly likely that this system has affiliated photo - finishing laboratories overseas . therefore , even when first prints are ordered from a minilab 3 b near the friend &# 39 ; s house ( 103 ), and the prints are received there ( 104 ), an extra print can be ordered after the customer returns to his / her country . after the customer returns , he / she accesses the center server 12 from the personal computer 6 at home and orders extra prints of these pictures ( 105 ). at this time , for example , among the pictures whose first prints were ordered from the minilab 3 a , an extra print of a picture a is ordered for the customer while a picture b is for the friend , and among the pictures whose first prints were ordered from the minilab 3 b , an extra print of a picture c is ordered for the customer . as for the pictures for the customer , the minilab 3 a is specified as the laboratory at which the prints are received . as for the picture for the friend , mailing may be specified as the method to receive the print . however , in the case of air mail , it takes more than one day for the print to reach the friend . on the other hand , if an order is carried out with the friend being specified as the recipient and the laboratory 3 b as the laboratory at which the print is received , the print can reach the friend on the day of the order at the earliest . when such an order is carried out , the center server 12 instructs the image server in the minilab 3 a to output the prints of the pictures a and c , while notifying the image server of the network address of the laboratory server in the minilab 3 b which stores the picture c ( 106 ). in this manner , the laboratory server in the minilab 3 a can obtain the digital image data of the picture c by a transfer of the data from the laboratory server in the minilab 3 b ( 107 ). likewise , the center server 12 instructs the printing of the picture b to the minilab 3 b and notifies the laboratory 3 b of the network address of the laboratory server in the minilab 3 a which stores the picture b ( 108 ). in this manner , the laboratory server in the minilab 3 a can obtain the digital image data of the picture b by a transfer of the data from the laboratory server in the minilab 3 a ( 109 ). by such transfer processing of the digital image data , the pictures a and c are printed at the minilab 3 a and provided to the customer ( 110 ), while the picture b is printed at the minilab 3 b and provided to the customer &# 39 ; s friend ( 111 ). in this system , if the customer notifies the friend of the customer &# 39 ; s password , the friend can order a picture he / she wants directly . as shown by the above examples , according to the network photograph service system of the present invention , the printing service can be received upon necessity , at a desired place , and in a shorter time than before , regardless of the location of the laboratory where the first prints have been ordered . this is extremely convenient not only for the example shown in fig5 but also for business , such as the case where a picture suddenly becomes necessary in a business activity going on from place to place . in the embodiment described above , the center server 12 stores the thumbnail images for the access via the network while the laboratory server 8 stores the high resolution image data for printing . however , it is needless to say that the center server may store the high resolution image data for printing which are also used as the image for access , while the laboratory server 8 carries out printing only , without storing the high resolution image data . these and other objects of the present application will become more readily apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter . however , it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples , while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention , are given by way of illustration only , since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description .
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reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention , an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings . wherever possible , the same reference numbers or characters will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts . referring to fig4 an embodiment of the antenna assembly according to the present invention includes a helical antenna 50 and a whip antenna 70 . the helical antenna 50 includes a helical element 52 wound on an insulator 51 , a metal plate 54 disposed beneath the helical element 52 , an insulating layer 56 disposed beneath the metal plate 54 , and a sleeve 58 disposed beneath the insulating layer 56 . in the present embodiment , a signal is transmitted between the metal plate 54 and the sleeve 58 by an electromagnetic coupling . thus , a flange 59 is formed on the upper end of the sleeve 58 so that a facing surface is wide enough to ensure the signal transmission through the electromagnetic coupling . meanwhile , an antenna cover 60 encloses the combined structure of the helical antenna 50 , the metal plate 54 , the insulating layer 56 , and the sleeve 58 . the whip antenna 70 includes an antenna rod 72 , a tube 76 , and a conductive stopper 82 . the antenna rod 72 is made of a nickel - titanium alloy and the top end thereof is forcibly fitted to the sleeve 58 . also , a spring 74 is attached at the bottom end of the antenna rod 72 so as to cause a friction when the bottom end of the antenna rod 72 slides inside the tube 76 . meanwhile , the tube 76 includes a sill 78 at its top end for preventing the antenna rod 72 from slipping out of the tube 76 by holding the spring 74 . further , a plate spring 80 is provided on the inner wall of the tube 80 from a location displaced by a certain distance from the top end thereof to the bottom end . in the present invention , the antenna rod 72 , the tube 76 , and the stopper 82 are electrically connected to one another . fig5 though 8 illustrates the installation and operation of the antenna assembly of fig4 . referring to the figures , the antenna assembly is installed onto the phone as follows . the upper portion of the housing 90 of the phone has a passing - through aperture , and a ring - shaped housing connector 92 is installed within the aperture for electrically connecting the antenna assembly to a signal processing circuit 94 . screw patterns are formed on the inner wall of the aperture of the housing and the outer circumferential surface of the connector 92 , and the connector 92 is installed by being screwed into the aperture . the antenna assembly is installed so as to be movable upward and downward inside an aperture through the center of the connecter 92 . the antenna assembly operates as follows . when the antenna assembly is in an extended position as shown in fig5 the stopper 82 is stuck in the aperture of the connector 92 and the spring 74 attached at the bottom end of the antenna rod 72 is held beneath the sill 78 of the tube 76 . in such a position , the contact between the connector 92 and the stopper 82 acts as a feed point to the antenna assembly . power from the signal processing circuit 94 is provided to the whip antenna 70 via the antenna clip 96 and the connector 92 , and some portion of the power received by the whip antenna 70 is transmitted to the helical element 52 by capacitive coupling . thus , the supplied power is radiated as a radio wave by both the helical antenna 50 and the whip antenna 70 . also , the rf signal received by the helical antenna 50 and the whip antenna 70 is provided to the signal processing circuit 94 via the connector 92 and the antenna clip 96 . in such a state , the antenna rod 72 and the tube 76 are combined to constitute a telescopic whip antenna having an electrical length of λ / 4 . further , since the whip antenna 70 is connected to the helical antenna 50 having an electrical length of λ / 4 , the antenna assembly operates equivalently to an antenna of λ / 2 - length . meanwhile , the antenna assembly has a shape in which a coil is top - loaded on the whip antenna of λ / 4 - length , and thus the radiation efficiency thereof is enhanced . when a user wishes to retract the whip antenna into the phone in a standby state , for example , the user pushes the helical antenna 50 downward so that the whip antenna 70 slides into the housing body of the phone . in an early stage of the insertion , the tube 76 does not translate but only the helical antenna 50 and the antenna rod 72 moves downward while the spring 74 is guided in the tube 76 . if the user continues to push the helical antenna 50 , the bottom end of the antenna rod 72 reaches the stopper 82 as shown in fig6 . after the arrangement of fig6 is established , the applied pushing pressure acts on the stopper 82 so that the tube 76 is translated downward . if the pushing operation is continued , the whip antenna is inserted into the phone and the sleeve 58 is stuck in the aperture of the connector 92 as shown in fig7 . when the antenna assembly is in a retracted position as shown in fig7 the helical antenna 50 is operative since the sleeve 58 is stuck in the aperture of the connector 92 and power is transferred between the sleeve 58 and the metal plate 54 by capacitive coupling . at this time , the capacitance component of the helical antenna is increased owing to the capacitive coupling , and thus the bandwidth of the helical antenna is enlarged and the antenna characteristics is stabilized compared with the conventional helical antenna in which power is fed directly . when the user wishes to extend the antenna assembly from the phone in order to attempt a call or receive an incoming call , the user pulls the helical antenna 50 so that the whip antenna 70 slides out of the housing of the phone . in an early stage of the extension , the tube 76 does not translate but only the helical antenna 50 and the antenna rod 72 moves upward while the spring 74 is guided in the tube 76 . if the user continues to pull the helical antenna 50 , the spring 74 is held beneath the sill 78 of the tube 76 as shown in fig8 . after the arrangement of fig8 is established , the applied pulling force acts on the tube 76 through the spring 74 so that the tube 76 is translated upward . if the pulling operation is continued , the whip antenna reaches the extended position as shown in fig5 . fig9 illustrates another embodiment of the antenna assembly according to the present invention , which includes a helical antenna and a whip antenna . in the present embodiment , the helical antenna has a configuration similar to that shown in fig4 and includes an helical element 102 wound on an insulator 101 , a metal plate 104 disposed beneath the helical element 102 , an insulating layer 106 disposed beneath the metal plate 104 , and a sleeve 108 disposed beneath the insulating layer 106 . the top surface of the sleeve 108 is wide enough to ensure the signal transmission between the metal plate 104 and the sleeve 108 through electromagnetic coupling . meanwhile , an antenna cover 110 encloses the combined structure of the helical antenna 100 , the metal plate 104 , the insulating layer 106 , and the sleeve 108 . a screw thread 112 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the sleeve 108 so that the helical antenna is installed on the housing of the phone by use of the screw thread 112 . also , an aperture having an inner diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the antenna rod is provided passing through the axis of the helical antenna structure , so that the whip antenna is installed through the aperture of the helical antenna structure . the whip antenna includes an antenna rod 122 , a tube 126 , and a conductive stopper 82 . the antenna rod 122 is made of a nickel - titanium alloy and provided with a knob 136 at the top end thereof for making it easy to extend or retract the whip antenna . also , a spring 124 is attached at the bottom end of the antenna rod 122 so as to cause friction when the bottom end of the antenna rod 122 slides inside the tube 126 . meanwhile , the tube 126 includes a sill 128 at its top end for preventing the antenna rod 122 from slipping out of the tube 126 by holding the spring 124 . further , a plate spring 130 is provided on the inner wall of the tube 126 extending from a location displaced from the top end thereof to the bottom end . in the present invention , the antenna rod 122 , the tube 126 , and the stopper 132 are electrically connected to one another . fig1 and 11 illustrate the antenna assembly of fig9 installed in the portable phone , in the extended position and the retracted position , respectively . referring to the figures , the antenna assembly is installed onto the portable phone as follows . the upper portion of the housing 90 of the phone has a pass - through aperture , and a ring - shaped housing connector 140 for electrically connecting the antenna assembly to a signal processing circuit 94 of the phone installed inside the aperture . screw patterns are formed on the inner wall of the aperture of the housing and the outer circumferential surface of the connector 140 , and the connector 140 is installed by being screwed into the aperture . meanwhile , the inner surface of the connector 140 also has a screw thread so that the helical antenna is installed at the connector 140 by use of the screw threads formed on the inner surface of the connector 140 and the outer circumferential surface of the sleeve 108 . the whip antenna is installed so as to be movable upward and downward inside the aperture through the center of the helical antenna . the antenna assembly operates as follows . when the antenna assembly is in the extended position as shown in fig1 , the stopper 132 is stuck in the aperture of the connector 140 and the spring 124 attached at the bottom end of the antenna rod 72 is held beneath the sill 78 of the tube 76 . in such a position , the contact between the connector 140 and the stopper 132 acts as a feed point to the antenna assembly . also , the antenna rod 122 and the tube 126 are combined to constitute a telescopic whip antenna having an electrical length of λ / 4 . also , the helical antenna is connected in parallel with the whip antenna . some portion of the power from a signal processing circuit 94 is provided to the whip antenna via the antenna clip 96 and the connector 140 , while the other portion of the power is provided to the helical antenna . here , power transfer between the sleeve 108 and the helical element 102 is performed by capacitive coupling . meanwhile , the antenna assembly has a shape in which a coil of λ / 4 - length is loaded at the bottom of the whip antenna , and thus the radiation efficiency thereof is enhanced . when the user wishes to retract the whip antenna into the phone in a standby state , for example , the user pushes the knob 136 downward so that the whip antenna slides into the housing body of the phone . in an early stage of the insertion , the tube 126 does not translate but only the antenna rod 122 moves downward while the spring 124 is guided in the tube 126 . when the bottom end of the antenna rod 122 reaches stopper 132 , the applied pushing pressure acts on the stopper 132 so that the tube 126 is translated downward . if the pushing operation is continued , the whip antenna is inserted into the phone and the bottom end of the knob 136 is stuck in the aperture of the helical antenna as shown in fig1 . when the antenna assembly is in the retracted position as shown in fig1 , the stopper 132 and the tube 126 are electrically isolated from the connector 140 so that no signal is transferred between the signal processing circuit 94 and the whip antenna . therefore , the whip antenna has no effect on the antenna characteristics in such a position . at this time , however , the helical antenna is operative and can exchange signals with the signal processing circuit 94 since the sleeve 108 is electrically connected to the connector 140 . also , the power transfer between the sleeve 108 and the metal plate 104 is performed by capacitive coupling . when the user wishes to extend the antenna assembly from the phone to attempt a call or receive an incoming call , the user pulls the knob 136 so that the whip antenna slides out of the housing body of the phone . in an early stage of the extension , the tube 126 does not translate but only the antenna rod 122 moves upward while the spring 124 is guided in the tube 126 . if the user continues to pull the helical antenna and the spring 124 is held beneath the sill 128 of the tube 126 , the applied pulling force acts to pull up the tube 76 . if the pulling operation is continued , the whip antenna reaches the extended position as shown in fig1 . fig1 shows a structure of the whip antenna in another embodiment of the antenna assembly . the whip antenna of fig1 has a configuration similar to that shown in fig9 except that the antenna rod 150 is formed by winding a thin conductor in a helical shape . in such an alternative , it is preferable to form the antenna cover 152 by a molding process in order that the antenna cover 152 fills the gaps between the pitches of the antenna rod 150 and encloses and protects the rod 150 sufficiently . according to this embodiment , the flexibility of the antenna rod 150 is enhanced , so that the whip antenna is pliable when an external impact is applied and can be restored to its original shape . thus , the mechanical reliability of the antenna apparatus is enhanced . although the present invention has been described in detail above , it should be understood that the foregoing description is illustrative and not restrictive . those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that many obvious modifications can be made to the invention without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics . accordingly , the scope of the invention should be interpreted in the light of the following appended claims .
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while the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms , specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail . it should be understood , however , that there is no intent to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed , but on the contrary , the invention is to cover all modifications , equivalents , and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims . like numbers refer to like elements throughout the description of the figures . in the figures , the dimensions of layers and regions are exaggerated for clarity . it will also be understood that when an element , such as a layer , region , or substrate , is referred to as being “ on ” another element , it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may be present . in contrast , when an element , such as a layer , region , or substrate , is referred to as being “ directly on ” another element , there are no intervening elements present . fig1 is a layout diagram that illustrates a dynamic random access memory ( dram ) device comprising a capacitor over bit line ( cob ) structure according to some embodiments of the present invention . the dram device comprises sources 95 a , drains 95 b , gates 105 , cell pads 115 a and 115 b , bit lines 125 , and storage node contact plugs 180 . specifically , according to some embodiments of the present invention , cylindrical capacitors are contact with the upper surfaces of the storage node contact plugs 180 . a cell region c includes the above elements and a peripheral circuit region p surrounds the cell region c . an exemplary method of fabricating or forming an integrated circuit device according to some embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings . fig2 a , 3 a , 4 a , 5 a , 6 a , 7 a , and 8 a illustrate the sectional structures of precursors of the integrated circuit device of fig1 cut along a line a – a ′ in various stages of manufacture or formation . fig2 b , 3 b , 4 b , 5 b , 6 b , 7 b , and 8 b illustrate the sectional structures of precursors of the integrated circuit device of fig1 cut along a line b - b ′ in various stages of manufacture or formation . fig3 c through 3e , 4 c , and 5 c illustrate plan views of precursors of the integrated circuit device of fig1 in various stages of manufacture or formation . referring to fig2 a and 2b , a shallow trench isolation region 100 is formed in a semiconductor substrate 90 to define an active region and an inactive region . gates 105 , which are formed by successively stacking a gate oxide layer 101 , a gate conductive layer 102 , and a mask nitride layer 103 , are formed on the active region . after depositing silicon nitride on the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate 90 , the silicon nitride is anisotropically etched to form dielectric spacers 106 on both sidewalls of the gates 105 . impurities are then implanted into the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate 90 to form a plurality of sources 95 a and drains 95 b . a first insulating layer 110 is formed on the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate 90 and then the upper surface of the first insulating layer 110 is planarized using chemical mechanical polishing ( cmp ). the first insulating layer 110 is then etched on both sidewalls of the gates 105 using a cell pad mask until the sources 95 a and drains 95 b are exposed to form contact holes for forming cell pads . after removing the cell pad mask , the contact holes are filled with a conductive material . the conductive material is planarized using cmp to make the upper surface of the conductive material approximately level with the first insulating layer 110 . thus , cell pads 115 a and 115 b , which are electrically connected to the sources 95 a and drains 95 b respectively , are formed . a second insulating layer 117 is formed on the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate 90 and then the second insulating layer 117 is etched to form bit line contact holes that expose the cell pads 115 b . the bit line contact holes are filled with a conductive material to form bit line contact plugs 120 ( see fig1 ), and the bit lines 125 are formed to pass over the bit line contact plugs 120 while crossing over the gates 105 . in particular , the bit lines 125 are formed by successively stacking bit line conductive layers 121 and cap layers 122 . after depositing a silicon nitride material on the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate 90 , the silicon nitride material is anisotropically etched to form bit line spacers 126 on the sidewalls of the bit lines 125 . a third insulating layer 140 is formed of the resultant structure having the bit line spacers 126 , and the third insulating layer 140 is etched to form storage node contact holes for exposing the cell pads 115 a . the storage node contact holes are filled with a conductive material and the upper surface of the conductive material is planarized to form storage node contact plugs 180 . an etch stopper 200 is formed on the entire surface of the third insulating layer 140 having the storage node contact plugs 180 . in some embodiments , the etch stopper 200 is formed by depositing silicon nitride material . a first mold oxide layer 210 , which is formed on the etch stopper 200 , may be a borophosphosilicate glass ( bpsg ) layer or a tetra ethyl ortho silicate ( teos ) layer , which may be formed by plasma enhanced - chemical vapor deposition ( pe - cvd ). then , a support layer 220 is formed on the entire surface of the first mold oxide layer 210 . it is preferable that the support layer 220 has an etch rate different from those of the first mold oxide layer 210 and a succeeding mold oxide layer when etched by a predetermined etch solution . for example , in some embodiments , the support layer 220 may be formed by depositing the silicon nitride material to a thickness of about 10 to 1000 å . referring to fig3 a , 3 b , and 3 c , the support layer 220 is patterned by a dry etch process to form line type patterns 220 a that elongate in the lengthwise direction of a gate 105 and a frame 220 b , which is integrally connected to each end of the line type patterns 220 a for forming supporters . the support layer 220 is patterned to eliminate portions of the support layer 220 through which the upper surface of the first mold oxide layer 210 is exposed . fig3 a and 3b correspond to sectional views formed by cutting fig3 c along lines a – a ′ and b – b ′, respectively . referring to fig3 c , portions s , which are illustrated by ellipses with dotted lines , represent the storage node holes where capacitors are to be subsequently formed . because the capacitors will be formed to be in contact with the upper surfaces of the storage node contact plugs 180 in fig1 , the portions s representing the storage node holes are defined after designing a layout as shown in fig1 . consequently , the locations of the line type patterns 220 a for forming supporters are determined based on the locations of the storage node holes . in some embodiments of the present invention , the line type patterns 220 a for forming supporters are formed such that the storage node holes cross over line type patterns 220 a as shown in fig3 c . in other embodiments , line type patterns 220 a for forming supporters are placed between adjacent storage node holes as shown in fig3 d . in still other embodiments , line type patterns 220 a for forming supporters are elongated in the lengthwise direction of a bit line 125 , but not in the lengthwise direction of a gate 105 as shown in fig3 e . operations for forming the line type patterns 220 a for forming supporters and the frame 220 b , which is integrally connected to the ends of the line type patterns 220 a , can be performed more than once . to achieve this , the operations for forming the mold oxide layer 210 , forming the support layer 220 , and patterning the support layer 220 are repeated . as a result , more than one layer of supporters may be formed to support the lower electrodes at the sides of the lower electrodes . as the number of supporters increases , the lower electrodes may be more firmly supported to prevent them from falling down . therefore , the number of supporters may be determined based on a tradeoff between an increase in the number of operations and a reduction in the effective area of the lower electrodes . referring to fig4 a , 4 b , and 4 c , a second mold oxide layer 230 is formed on the line type patterns 220 a for forming supporters , the frame 220 b , and the first mold oxide layer 210 . the second mold oxide layer 230 may be formed in the same maimer as the first mold oxide layer 210 . in other embodiments , the second mold oxide layer 230 may be formed using a different method from that used to form the first mold oxide layer 210 as long as the second mold oxide layer 230 comprises a material having an etch rate different from that of the support layer 220 when etched by a predetermined etch solution . portions of the second mold oxide layer 230 , the line type patterns 220 a for forming supporters , and the first mold oxide layer 210 corresponding to the regions s for the storage node holes 240 are etched to form a plurality of storage node holes 240 . in this case , a dry etch process without etching selectivity is performed to evenly etch the first and second mold oxide layers 210 and 230 and the line type patterns 220 a for forming supporters . in addition , the etch stopper 200 is also etched to expose the upper surfaces of the storage node contact plugs 180 . in particular , with reference to fig4 c , the storage node holes 240 are formed while etching the line type patterns 220 a for forming supporters to form supporters 220 c between the storage node holes 240 . fig4 a and 4b correspond to sectional views formed by cutting fig4 c along lines a – a ′ and b – b ′, respectively . referring to fig5 a , 5 b , and 5 c , the inner walls of the storage node holes 240 may be wet etched . accordingly , the storage node holes 240 become storage node holes 240 a with enlarged widths . consequently , the ends of the supporters 220 c formed between the storage node holes 240 a may be exposed inward from the inner walls of the storage node holes 240 a . the wet etch process is optional . referring to fig6 a and 6b , a conductive layer 250 for forming lower electrodes , such as a doped polysilicon layer is formed on the resultant structure comprising the storage node holes 240 a . in some embodiments , the supporters 220 c and the conductive layer 250 comprise materials having generally good mutual adhesion properties . in some embodiments , the supporters 220 c comprise a silicon nitride layer and the conductive layer 250 comprises a doped polysilicon layer so that they adhere to each other relatively well . it will be understood , however , that various materials can be used for the supporters 220 c and the conductive layer 250 . for example , in a case where platinum ( pt ), ruthenium ( ru ), or an oxide thereof is used for the conductive layer 250 for forming lower electrodes comprising metal or metal oxide lower electrodes , metal - insulator - metal ( mim ) capacitors or metal - insulator - semiconductor ( mis ) capacitors can be formed by using a material having excellent adhesion property to pt , ru , or an oxide thereof to form the supporters . the storage node holes 240 a are filled with an oxide layer 260 , such as a spin on glass ( sog ) layer , a bpsg layer , an undoped silicate glass ( usg ) layer , or a plasma - enhanced tetra ethyl ortho silicate ( pe - teos ) layer having an excellent filling characteristic . because the conductive layer 250 is formed on the ends of the supporters 220 c , which protrude inward from the walls of the storage node holes 240 a , the contact area between the conductive layer 250 and the supporters 220 c increases , which improves adhesion between the conductive layer 250 and the supporters 220 c . upper portions of the oxide layer 260 and the conductive layer 250 on the second mold oxide layer 230 are eliminated by cmp process or an etch back process to expose the upper surface of the second mold oxide layer 230 . accordingly , the portion above a line r – r ′ in fig6 a and 6b is removed . as a result , separate lower electrodes 250 a are formed in each cell . referring to fig7 a and 7b , the oxide layer 260 remaining in the lower electrodes 250 a and the second and first mold oxide layers 230 and 210 are removed by the wet etching process . in this case , the supporters 220 c are not etched because an etch solution having a greater etch rate on the first and second mold oxide layers 210 and 230 than on the support layer 220 is used . fig7 a illustrates the peripheral circuit region p as well as the cell region c . as shown in fig7 a , while the oxide layer 260 and the second and first mold oxide layers 230 and 210 are removed from the cell region c , only a portion of the first mold oxide layer 210 is removed at the boundary of the cell region c in the peripheral circuit region p . consequently , a larger portion of the first mold oxide layer 210 remains under the frame 220 b because the frame 220 b operates as an etch stopper and protects the first mold oxide layer 210 . referring to fig8 a and 8b , capacitors 300 are manufactured or formed by successively forming a dielectric layer 280 and an upper electrode 290 on the lower electrodes 250 a . fig8 a illustrates the peripheral circuit region p as well as the cell region c . as shown in fig8 a , a step difference between the cell region c and the peripheral circuit region p is determined by subtracting the thickness of the first mold oxide layer 210 under the frame 220 b from the height of the capacitors 300 . accordingly , in contrast to a conventional method of entirely removing a mold oxide layer , embodiments of the present invention compensate for the step difference by the thickness of the first mold oxide layer 210 . as shown in fig1 and 8a , an integrated circuit device according to some embodiments of the present invention comprises a semiconductor substrate 90 having a cell region c and a peripheral circuit region p that surrounds the cell region c . a plurality of capacitors 300 , comprising cylindrical lower electrodes 250 a , a dielectric layer 280 , and upper electrodes 290 , are connected to the conductive region of the semiconductor substrate 90 , namely , the storage node contact plugs 180 . in this case , the capacitors 300 are arranged in the rows and columns of the cell region c in the semiconductor substrate 90 . the frame 220 b , which is integrally connected to the outermost supporters 220 c while covering the peripheral circuit region p , protects the first mold oxide layer 210 under the frame 220 b . in the case where the line type patterns 220 a for forming supporters are formed as shown in fig3 c or 3 e , the supporters 220 c are located between the lower electrodes 250 a that are arranged on the same rows or the same columns . in the case where the line type patterns 220 a for forming supporters are formed as shown in fig3 d , the supporters 220 c are located between the lower electrodes 250 a that are arranged on two adjacent rows or columns . as the height of the supporters 220 c position relative to the lower electrodes 250 a increases , the supporters 220 c may provide firm support of the lower electrodes 250 a at sides thereof . a preferred height for positioning the supporters 220 c , e . g ., higher than half the height of the lower electrodes 250 a , has to be determined because if the height of the supporters 220 c is excessively high , then the supporters 220 c may be removed in the planarization process . in the case where more than two layers of the supporters 220 c are formed in a vertical direction of the lower electrodes 250 a , the uppermost supporters may be located higher than half the height of the lower electrodes 250 a . fig9 is a plan view of a dram device that illustrates methods of forming the dram device according to some embodiments of the present invention . after finishing forming a support layer 220 as shown in fig2 a and 2b , the support layer 220 is patterned to form line type patterns 220 a for forming supporters and a frame 220 b . in this case , the line type patterns 220 a for forming supporters are elongated in the lengthwise direction of a gate 105 and the lengthwise direction of a bit line 125 and cross over each other . the frame 220 b is integrally connected to the ends of the line type patterns 220 a for forming supporters . portions s in which storage node holes are formed are located at portions where the line type patterns 220 a cross . as a result , the mechanical strength of the supporters to support the lower electrodes may increase relative to embodiments in which the supporters are arranged along rows or columns of the frame 220 b . in the above - described invention , because the supporters support the lower electrodes at the sides of the lower electrodes , the lower electrodes are less likely to fall down even when the height of the lower electrodes increases . thus , generation of bridges between adjacent capacitors may be avoided . moreover , the lower electrodes are less likely to be displaced or to fall down in succeeding cleaning processes . in addition , the lower electrodes remain mechanically strong so as not to damage themselves and the capacitors , thereby allowing a relatively high cell capacitance to be obtained . advantageously , electrical failures in the semiconductor device may be reduced while improving yield of the semiconductor device . the frame , which is formed in the peripheral circuit region while being integrally connected to the supporters prevents the underlying mold oxide layer from being etched . therefore , the step difference between the cell region and the peripheral circuit region on the semiconductor device is determined by subtracting the thickness of the mold oxide layer under the frame from the height of the capacitors . consequently , the method according to the present invention reduces the step difference between the cell region and the peripheral circuit region compared to the conventional method in which the mold oxide layer is removed substantially in its entirety . in concluding the detailed description , it should be noted that many variations and modifications can be made to the preferred embodiments without substantially departing from the principles of the present invention . all such variations and modifications are intended to be included herein within the scope of the present invention , as set forth in the following claims .
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referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first , particularly , to fig1 and 2 thereof , there is shown a mounting device for a cooling air flap module 2 , which is held in a mounting frame 3 , is arranged in a front panel 1 of a motor vehicle . a reinforcing frame 4 , which can be fixed on the inside of the front panel 1 , is connected to the mounting frame 3 on a front side . the front panel 1 preferably contains a large - area component made of plastic , which has at least two air inlet openings 5 ( see fig5 ) situated laterally at the outside , which are each reinforced by the reinforcing frames 4 . the mounting frame 3 is placed on the reinforcing frame 4 from the rear with respect to a direction of driving f , and connected at the top , at the bottom and at the sides by a plurality of screwed joints 16 ( see fig7 ), the reinforcing frame 4 preferably being capable of being fixed on the front panel 1 by screwed and / or snap - in joints . to control the air flow through the two lateral air inlet openings 5 in the front panel 1 to radiators situated behind , three pivotable cooling air flaps 6 , 7 and 8 situated one above the other are in each case arranged in the region of these air inlet openings 5 , the air flaps being adjustable into an open position , into a closed position and into various intermediate positions by an actuating motor 38 via common actuating elements 9 , 10 , 11 of an actuating device s ( see fig3 ). the three pivotable cooling air flaps 6 , 7 and 8 are each provided at the outer edge and centrally with bearing journals 21 , 22 , 23 , which engage in bearings 24 , 25 and 26 consisting of holes in the mounting frame 3 ( see fig9 ). the bearing journals 21 , 22 and 23 and the bearings 24 , 25 , 26 of a cooling air flap are in each case arranged coaxially . the three bearing journals of a cooling air flap 6 , 7 , 8 and the associated bearing holes 24 , 25 , 26 in the mounting frame 3 are each provided with just one single reference number in the figures . the mounting frame 3 has a vertical support 28 for the central bearing holes , from which support there extend inward - projecting lugs n , in which the bearing holes 24 , 25 and 26 are arranged . corresponding projecting lugs n for the bearing holes 24 , 25 and 26 are also formed on the lateral edges of the mounting frame 3 . the three bearing journals 21 , 22 and 23 of the cooling air flap 6 , 7 and 8 are each preferably arranged in a horizontal longitudinal center plane l . however , it is also possible for them to be arranged at the upper edge of the cooling air flaps . fig3 shows that the reinforcing frame 4 has at least two fixed laminar transverse ribs 33 and 34 situated one above the other , which are positioned in front of the three cooling air flaps 6 , 7 and 8 in the air inlet openings 5 of the front panel 1 and are held centrally with respect to the reinforcing frame 4 by an approximately vertical support 35 . the transverse ribs 33 and 34 are arranged in alignment with the cooling air flaps 6 , 7 and 8 in such a way that , in the open position of the cooling air flaps 6 , 7 and 8 , a horizontal air guide surface f is obtained together with the transverse ribs 33 and 34 , this being illustrated in greater detail in fig4 . at its edge 36 a , the mounting frame 3 for the cooling air flap module 2 has a side wall 36 , which is preferably offset at a right angle from the frame 3 and on the outside of which a mounting 37 for an actuating motor 38 is fixed by riveting and on the inside of which the actuating elements 9 , 10 and 11 of the actuating device s are arranged . in one possible version of the illustrative embodiment , it would also be possible for the actuating motor 38 to be arranged on the inside of the side wall 36 and for the actuating device s to be arranged on the outside of the side wall . the actuating device s contains actuating elements 9 , which are each connected to a respective lateral bearing journal 21 , 22 , 23 of the cooling air flaps 6 , 7 and 8 and are connected pivotably at the free end to a common connecting lever 10 in such a way that there is a synchronous motion of the three actuating elements 9 and thus also of the cooling air flaps 6 , 7 and 8 by virtue of the connecting lever 10 . a drive lever 11 is pivotably connected to the connecting lever 10 , the drive lever in turn being drive - connected to the actuating motor 38 . the actuating elements 9 are connected to the bearing journals 21 , 22 , 23 of the cooling air flaps 6 , 7 and 8 by a square profile 40 ( see fig1 ), which can be inserted into a square opening 41 corresponding thereto in the actuating element 9 so that the two components interact . retention is provided by a retaining clip 42 , which fixes the actuating element 9 in the axial direction . the connecting lever 10 is snapped onto the drive lever 11 , which is , in turn , connected to a projecting square profile 44 on a drive shaft of the actuating motor 38 by a square opening 43 . when the drive lever 4 is pivoted by the actuating motor 38 , the connecting lever 10 is adjusted and pivots the three actuating levers 9 and hence also the cooling air flaps 6 , 7 and 8 in synchronism into an open position , a closed position or into intermediate positions . at its free end , the drive lever 11 has an angled offset 45 , which is arranged in a recess 46 in the offset side wall 36 of the mounting frame 3 , and this recess 46 has a lower stop 47 for the offset 45 of the drive lever 11 in the open position of the cooling air flaps 6 , 7 and 8 and an upper stop 48 in the closed position of the cooling air flaps 6 , 7 and 8 ( see fig3 ).
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fig1 is a perspective view of an apparatus 10 for inserting a glass rod 12 , such as an undercladded lightguide preform , that is , one having a larger than desired core - to - cladding mass ratio , into a glass tube 14 . the apparatus 10 includes a base 16 which mounts one end of each of a plurality of parallel , spaced - apart , upwardly extending poles 18 -- 18 . each of the poles 18 -- 18 has its upper end attached to a platform 19 which is in parallel , spaced - apart relationship above the base 16 . slidably mounted to the poles 18 -- 18 intermediate the platform 19 and the base 16 are four parallel , spaced - apart platforms 20 , 22 , 24 and 26 in vertical registration one above the other . a lead screw 30 has each of its ends mounted to the base 16 and to the platform 19 , respectively , so as to pass through an opening ( not shown ) in each of platforms 20 , 22 , 24 and 26 . a plurality of lead nuts 32 , 34 , 35 and 36 each threadadly engage the lead screw 30 above a separate one of platforms 20 , 22 , 24 and 26 . the lead nuts 32 , 34 , 35 and 36 are each rotatably driven by a separate one of a plurality of motors 38 , 40 , 41 and 42 , each typically a bodine model 908 dc gear motor manufactured by bodine corp ., chicago , ill . each of motors 38 , 40 , 41 and 42 is mounted on a separate one of the platforms 20 , 22 , 24 and 26 , respectively . to engage the lower end of the preform 12 , the platform 20 carries a gimbal 44 which includes a servo - controlled rotary table 46 which is mounted on the upper surface of the platform . the rotary table 46 , whose construction is well known in the art , has a servo - driven x - y stage 48 , such as those manufactured by aero tech corporation , pittsburgh , pa ., mounted thereon . the stage 48 supports a seat 50 ( described in greater detail with respect to fig2 ) which holds one end of the preform 12 . the preform 12 extends upwardly from the seat 50 through an opening 52 in the platform 22 in coaxial alignment with a chuck 53 rotatably journaled in the platform 24 . the chuck 53 serves to engage one end of the tube 14 . the tube 14 extends upwardly from the chuck 53 through an opening 54 in the platform 26 for engagement by a chuck 55 rotatably journaled in the platform 19 . the chuck 55 has a set of sprocket teeth ( not shown ) circumscribing its outer periphery , near the top thereof , for engaging a chain 56 driven by a motor 57 . the chain 56 also engages an idler sprocket 58 which is connected to a shaft 59 that extends vertically downwardly through the platforms 26 and 24 to drive the chuck 53 in a manner described hereinafter with respect to fig3 . a nest 60 ( described in greater detail with respect to fig3 ) is pivotally mounted to the undersurface of the platform 24 . the nest 60 is pivotable between a vertical position ( shown in fig1 ) and a horizontal position ( not shown ) at which the nest is parallel to , and directly beneath , the platform 24 . the portion of the preform 12 which extends above the opening 52 in platform 22 is illuminated by a light source 61 . typically , the light source 61 comprises a horizontally positioned , small wattage fluorescent lamp mounted on the platform 22 on one side of the opening 52 . a line scan camera 62 , such as manufactured by reticon corp ., sunnyvale , calif ., is mounted on the platform 22 on the opposite side of the opening 52 from the light source 61 so as to be in registration with the light passing through and around the preform 12 . the operation of the camera 62 will be further described hereinafter with respect to fig6 and 7 . a torch 64 is mounted on the platform 26 so as to partially circumscribe the opening 54 through which the tube 14 extends . in practice , the torch 64 is identical to that described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 477 , 244 , issued to j . r . nis and c . d . spainhour and assigned to the assignee of the present invention , which is incorporated by reference herein . the torch 64 is operated in the manner described in that patent to heat the tube 14 to accomplish firepolishing and collapse thereof as the platform 26 is reciprocated between the platforms 19 and 24 . during firepolishing of the tube 14 , oxygen from a suitable source ( not shown ) is admitted into the tube through a rotary coupling 65 journaled in the upper end of the chuck 55 . the oxygen serves to drive out any contaminants that may be present inside the tube 14 during firepolishing . the normal operation of the torch 64 , while suitable for firepolishing , collapsing and necking down the upper end of the tube 14 , is not useful for staking lower ends of the tube to capture the preform 12 therein . this is because the torch 64 , when operated in the manner described in the aforementioned patent , produces a wide heat zone . to stake the lower end of the tube 14 , a very narrow heat zone is required . in practice , the heat zone of the torch 64 can be reduced by blocking one or more of jets 66 of the torch through which combustible gases , such as hydrogen and oxygen , are expelled prior to ignition so that a very narrow , focused flame is produced . an exhaust tube 68 is mounted to the platform 22 on the side of the opening 54 opposite the torch 64 to draw any excess hydrogen gas before the torch is lit . fig2 is a cross - sectional view illustrating the details of the seat 50 . the seat 50 includes a housing 70 which is secured to a baseplate 71 by bolts 72 . the baseplate 71 is secured to the stage 48 ( see fig1 ). a second housing 74 is located within the housing 70 and is mounted thereto for pivotal movement by way of a pair of oppositely extending pins 76 and 78 . each of the pins 76 and 78 is journaled into a separate one of a pair of opposed walls 80 and 82 of the housing 70 by each of a pair of bearings 84 and 86 , respectively . each of walls 80 and 82 of the housing 70 mounts a separate one of a pair of opposed , single - acting , spring - return air cylinders 88 and 90 . each of the cylinders 88 and 90 has a shaft 92 which extends horizontally towards the housing 74 through an opening 94 in a separate one of the walls 80 and 82 . the housing 74 mounts a pair of single - acting , spring return air cylinders 96 ( only one of which is shown in cross section in fig2 ) on opposite sides thereof . each air cylinder 96 has a shaft 98 which extends horizontally therefrom into the housing 74 . the shaft 98 of each air cylinder 96 extends towards a support member 100 pivotally mounted within the housing 74 by a pair of pins 101 ( only one of which is shown ) each journaled into a separate one of the walls 102 , ( only one of which is shown ) of the housing . extending upwardly from the support member 100 is a socket 103 which is sized to receive the lower end of the preform 12 therein . a clamping mechanism ( not shown ) secures the lower end of the preform 12 within the socket 103 . an inverted cup - shaped bracket 104 is secured within the socket 103 for mounting a single - pole , single - throw momentary switch 106 . the switch 106 has an upwardly extending spring biased plunger 108 which has a head 110 at the upper end thereof for engaging the lower end of the preform 12 . fig3 illustrates the details of the nest 60 . the nest 60 comprises a u - shaped channel 111 fixedly fastened to the undersurface of the platform 24 adjacent to an edge 112 thereof . the channel 111 has a pair of parallel , spaced - apart , downwardly extending legs 113 -- 113 which engage a rotary air cylinder 114 therebetween . the air cylinder 114 has a pair of oppositely extending shafts 115 ( only one of which is shown ), each projecting through a separate one of the legs 113 -- 113 of the channel 111 . each shaft 115 of the air cylinder 114 engages a separate one of a pair of legs 116 -- 116 of a yoke 118 . a plate 119 is mounted to the yoke 118 so as to extend therebeyond in a direction opposite to the legs 116 -- 116 . the plate 119 has a through passage 120 sized to receive the upper end of the preform 12 . the exact location of passage 120 in the plate 119 is such that when the plate is positioned parallel to and underneath the platform 24 ( as shown in phantom ), the passage is coaxial with a hollow cylindrical member 121 , which is journaled into the platform coaxial with the chuck 53 ( not shown in the figure ) for coupling thereto . a disk 122 is spring biased from the plate 119 so as to face the cylindrical member 121 when the yoke 118 is pivoted to move the plate to a position parallel to and underneath the platform 24 . the disk 122 has a tapered aperture ( not shown ) therethrough in registration with the passage 120 in the plate 119 for seating the upper end of the preform 12 in coaxial registration with the cylindrical member 121 . the cylindrical member 121 has a set of sprocket teeth ( not shown ) about its periphery for engaging chain 123 . the chain 123 also engages an idler sprocket 124 journaled in the platform 24 and a drive sprocket 125 which is carried on that portion of the shaft 59 which extends below the platform . the shaft 59 is driven by the motor 57 of fig1 simultaneously with the chuck 55 of fig1 . fig4 is a schematic block diagram of a control circuit 127 for controlling the motor 42 which propels the platform 26 ( fig1 ). the control circuit 127 includes a power supply 128 which produces a substantially constant dc voltage across a first pair of outputs o 1 and o 2 which are coupled to each of a set of field terminals f 1 and f 2 , respectively , of the motor 42 . a twelve volt dc voltage is produced by the power supply 128 at terminals + 12 and g , which is connected to circuit ground . in addition to the two fixed dc voltages , the power supply 128 also produces an adjustable dc voltage across a pair of output terminals o 3 and o 4 , respectively . the magnitude of the adjustable voltage is determined by the ratio of a resistance across a pair of control terminals a 1 and a 2 of the power supply 128 to a resistance appearing across the control terminal a 1 and a control terminal a 3 . to establish the magnitude of the adjustable voltage , a potentiometer 129 has its fixed resistance portion coupled across the control terminals a 2 and a 3 of the power supply 128 . the potentiometer 129 has its wiper arm connected to a normally closed contact nc of a relay 130 having a coil c . the relay 130 has a movable contact mc and a normally open contact no each coupled to a separate one of the control terminals a 1 and a 2 , respectively , of the power supply 128 . the motor 42 has a pair of armature terminals ar 1 and ar 2 which are alternately supplied from the power supply 128 with a positive and negative voltage through one of a pair of double - pole , double - throw relays 131 and 132 , respectively . each of the relays 131 and 132 has a pair of normally open contacts no 1 and no 2 , a pair of normally closed contacts nc 1 and nc 2 , a set of movable contacts mc 1 and mc 2 and a coil c . the contacts no 1 and no 2 of relay 131 are connected to the terminals o 3 and o 4 , respectively , of the power supply 128 , whereas the movable contacts mc 1 and mc 2 of the relay are connected to the armature terminals ar 1 and ar 2 , respectively , of the motor 42 . the contacts no 1 and no 2 of the relay 132 are connected to a separate one of the terminals o 3 and o 4 , respectively , of the power supply 128 , whereas movable contacts mc 1 and mc 2 of that relay are connected to the armature terminals ar 2 and ar 1 , respectively , of the motor 42 . the relays 131 and 132 bear the designation &# 34 ; up &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; down &# 34 ; because when each is energized , the motor 42 is supplied at its armature terminals ar 1 and ar 2 with a positive voltage and negative voltage , respectively , to propel the platform 26 of fig1 upwardly and downwardly , respectively . the coil c of each of the relays 130 , 131 and 132 has one of its two terminals connected to the + 12 terminal of the power supply 128 . the remaining terminal of the coil c of each of relays 130 and 131 is coupled to the collector of a transistor 133 . the relay 132 has the remaining terminal of its coil c connected to the collector of a transistor 134 . the transistors 133 and 134 each have their respective emitter coupled to circuit ground . each of a pair of diodes 136 and 137 is coupled across a separate one of the coils c of relays 131 and 132 , respectively . each of the diodes 136 and 137 provides a return path to the + 12 terminal of the power supply 128 for any current remaining in the coil c of relays 130 and 131 and relay 132 , respectively , as each of the transistors 133 and 134 , respectively , becomes nonconductive . each of transistors 133 and 134 has its base connected to the output of a separate one of a pair of and gates 138 and 139 which comprise part of a logic circuit 140 . the logic circuit 140 also includes a pair of j - k flip flops 142 and 144 , each having its respective q output coupled to one of a pair of inputs of a separate one of the and gates 139 and 138 , respectively . each of flip flops 142 and 144 has its j input coupled to the q output of the other flip flop . the k input to each of flip flops 142 and 144 is coupled via a pull down resistor ( not shown ) to ground to clamp each input . a first and second momentary , single - pole , single - throw switches 146 and 148 are provided for coupling the j and k inputs , respectively , of the flip flop 142 to a bus 150 which is connected via a dropping resistor 152 to the + 12 terminal of the power supply 128 . a momentary single - pole , single - throw switch 154 couples the bus 150 to the k input of the flip flop 144 . each of the flip flops 142 and 144 has its respective k input coupled to the bus 150 by a momentary double - pole , single - throw switch 156 . the switches 148 and 154 bear the designation &# 34 ; low limit &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; high limit &# 34 ;, respectively , because each switch is mounted to one of the poles 18 of fig1 ( in a manner not shown ) so as to be actuated when the platform 26 of fig1 is at the bottom and top of its travel , respectively . the switches 146 and 156 bear the designation &# 34 ; start &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; stop &# 34 ; since the actuation of each switch causes the motor 42 to be started and stopped , respectively , in a manner described hereinafter . each of the and gates 138 and 139 has its second input supplied from a comparator 160 with the signal produced at its output c . a resistor 162 is coupled between the output c of the comparator 160 and the + 12 terminal of the power supply 128 to maintain the second input to each of the and gates 138 and 139 at a logic &# 34 ; low &# 34 ; level for so long as the signal at the output c of the comparator remains at a logic &# 34 ; low &# 34 ; level . the comparator 160 has a first input y 1 coupled to a reference voltage supply ( not shown ). the second input y 2 of the comparator 160 is coupled to a first input w 1 of an opto - isolator 164 . the opto - isolator has its second input w 2 connected to circuit ground . a pair of serially coupled resistances 166 and 168 couple the + 12 input of the power supply 128 to the second input w 2 of the opto - isolator 164 , with the junction between the resistors coupled to the first input w 1 of the opto - isolator . a full wave rectifier bridge 170 has each of a pair of inputs connected to a separate one of a pair of terminals of a dynamic braking resistor 171 which is coupled between the terminal nc 2 of relay 131 and the terminal nc 1 of relay 132 . the rectifier bridge 170 has a negative (-) output terminal coupled directly to a first input x 1 of the opto - isolator 164 and has a positive (+) output terminal coupled to one terminal of a limiting resistor 172 . the limiting resistor 172 has its remaining terminal connected to a second input x 2 of the opto - isolator 164 . a pair of diodes 174 and 175 is coupled in series aiding fashion between the second input x 2 of the opto - isolator 164 and the negative input (-) of the rectifier bridge 170 to limit the voltage supplied to the opto - isolator . fig5 shows a block diagram of a control apparatus 180 which controls the operation of the stage 48 of fig1 and the air cylinders 88 , 90 and 96 of fig2 in response to the output signal of the camera 62 of fig1 . the control apparatus 180 includes a computer 182 which typically takes the form of a model 85 computer manufactured by hewlett packard company , palo alto , ca . the computer 182 is coupled by way of an interface circuit 184 to the stage 48 , to the motor 40 , to the camera 62 and to a solenoid valve 185 which controls the flow of air from a source of compressed air ( not shown ) to the air cylinders 88 , 90 and 96 . the interface circuit 184 typically comprises a model 6940b multiprogrammer manufactured by hewlett packard company and contains a breadboard circuit card 186 and a digital input circuit card 188 for interfacing the camera 62 to the computer 182 . the interface circuit 184 also includes a digital output circuit card 190 to couple the output signals of the computer 182 to the stage 48 , to the motor 40 and to the solenoid value 185 . the circuit cards 186 , 188 and 190 are all available from hewlett packard company . referring to fig6 there is a block schematic diagram of the camera 62 which will prove helpful in understanding the operation thereof . the camera 62 includes an imaging lens 192 which focuses light received from the light source 61 onto a linear detector array 194 . in practice , there are one thousand twenty - four ( 1 , 024 ) individual detector elements ( not shown ) within the array 194 , each element producing an electrical signal in response to light impinging thereon . the preform 12 will , when positioned between the light source 61 and the lens 192 of the camera 62 , only pass light through its central portion 196 ( represented in fig6 as a dashed cylindrical outline ) towards the lens 192 . the light passing through the central portion 196 of the preform 12 is refracted by the lens 192 and strikes those detector elements within the region m on the array 194 . any light entering the preform 12 on either side of the central region 196 is refracted away from the lens 192 , and therefore does not strike the array 194 , causing those elements closest to the sides of the region m to appear dark . the light from the light source 61 which passes around the outer edges of the preform 12 is refracted by the lens 192 and strikes those detector elements on the array 194 on either side of those made dark by the light passing through the preform 12 outside of the central region 196 thereof . this may be better understood by reference to fig7 which illustrates the output signal amplitude of each of the individual detector elements of the array 194 in response to the light impinging thereon . the peaks p 1 and p 2 shown in the graph of fig7 correspond to the light passing through the central region 196 ( fig6 ) of the preform 12 . the presence of a valley v 1 between the peaks p 1 and p 2 is not fully understood but is believed to be due to the refraction of the light passing directly through the center c of the preform 12 away from the lens 192 . on each side of the peaks p 1 and p 2 of the graph of fig7 is a separate one of a pair of valleys v 2 and v 3 which correspond to the detectors of the array 194 of fig6 made dark by light entering the preform 12 on either side of the central region 196 which is refracted away from the lens 192 . outside of the valleys v 2 and v 3 are each of a pair of peaks p 3 and p 4 , respectively , which correspond to the light which passes around the outer edges of the preform 12 and into the lens 192 . the peaks p 3 and p 4 are of a width a and b , respectively , as measured by the number of individual elements of the array 194 which are illuminated by the light passing around the outer edges of the preform 12 . referring back to fig6 when the preform 12 is initially seated in the socket 103 of fig2 the center c of the preform is likely to be offset a distance x off and - y off along the x and y axes , respectively , from a point c lying along the central axis of the tube 14 ( not shown ) which is spaced a distance f o from the center of the lens 192 along the x axis . such an offset may be due to the preform 12 being misshaped ( doglegged ). the amount of offset can , however , be determined from the output signal amplitude of the detector array 194 graphically depicted in fig7 . upon rotation of the rotary table 46 ( not shown in fig6 or 7 ), the preform 12 of fig6 rotates through angle θ . the position of the preform 12 after rotation is indicated in phantom . the equation of motion of the center c of preform 12 upon rotation can be mathematically given by a function f ( θ ) ## equ1 ## the function f ( θ ) can be expressed in terms of a radial distance r o from the point c to the center c of the preform 12 c as follows where 0 represents the initial offset angle of the preform 12 with respect to x axis . the distances x off and y off are given by in practice , the preform 12 is rotated by the rotary table 46 through an arc of 180 °. at each 10 ° interval , the camera 62 of fig6 detects the intensity of the light from the light source 61 which is received through and around the preform and transmits the data to the computer 182 of fig5 . in response to the data received from the camera 62 , the computer 182 determines values for a and b and then computes the value of the function f ( θ ) at each 10 ° increment in accordance with the equation ( 1 ). from the computed values of f ( θ ), the computer 182 then performs a least square fit to determine f 0 , r 0 and θ 0 in accordance with equation ( 2 ). once a complete 180 ° rotation of the table 46 of fig1 has been accomplished and the intensity of the light passing through and around the preform 12 has been measured at each 10 ° interval , the platform 22 of fig1 is driven upwardly a short distance , typically 5 cm by appropriately energizing motor 32 of fig1 . the steps of : ( a ) rotating preform 12 through an arc of 180 °, ( b ) measuring the intensity of the light passing through and around the preform , ( c ) calculating the value of f ( θ ) at each 10 ° interval and ( d ) computing values for f o , r o and θo are repeated . upon completion of these steps , platform 22 is again driven upwardly and the steps are again repeated until the entire length of the preform has been traversed by the camera 62 . once the computer 182 of fig5 has determined values for f o , r o and θ o at each 5 cm increment , then this data is fit to a model of a standard preform ( not shown ) to determine the necessary movement of the stage 48 in the x and y directions to compensate for any radial misalignment between the tube 14 and the preform 12 . in practice , the model of the standard preform is typically obtained by measuring the intensity of light passing through and around the edges of a straight preform , that is one having no curvature or diameter variation . using a straight preform as the model is advantageous as it allows the computer 182 to perform a linear least square fit of the radial offset distance r 0 versus the height of the preform 12 to obtain the necessary x and y offset corrections . in practice , the internal diameter of the tube 14 is entered into the memory location in the computer 182 at the outset of operation of the apparatus 10 . from a knowledge of the internal diameter of the tube 14 and from a knowledge of the location of each of a pair of opposed edges of the preform 12 ( as determined by the values of a and b ), the computer 182 , using the model of the standard preform to determine the offset distances , can determine if the preform can in fact be inserted into the tube without contacting the walls thereof . such a determination is accomplished by comparing the offset distance between each of the edges of the preform to center c of the tube 14 to one half of the internal diameter of the tube . determining the actuation of the stage 48 by fitting the measured values of r o , θ o and f o to a model of a straight preform compensates for any variations in the shape of the actual preform 12 . however , if the preform 12 is substantially straight , then a much simpler procedure can be used . if the preform 12 is substantially straight , then the tip of the preform can be assumed to be in alignment with the axis of the tube 14 . only one measurement of the radial offset of the preform 12 from the axis tube 14 need be made . the stage 48 is then actuated to move the preform 12 in accordance with the single measured offset distance . the overall operation of the apparatus 10 of fig1 may best be understood by reference to fig8 which illustrates , in sequence , each step of a method for inserting the preform 12 into the tube 14 . initially , the tube 14 is clamped ( step 200 ) by inserting the tube through the opening 54 and securing one end in the chuck 55 . the other end of the tube is then secured in the chuck 53 . depending on the length of the tube 14 , it may be necessary to move the platform 24 by engaging the motor 41 of fig1 to accommodate the tube . the preform 12 is then mounted ( step 202 ) in the following manner . the cylinder 114 ( fig3 ) is actuated to pivot the plate 119 ( fig3 ) parallel to the platform 24 ( fig1 ). the preform 12 is received through the opening 52 ( fig1 ) in the platform 22 ( fig1 ) and the upper end thereof is inserted into the opening 120 ( fig3 ) in the plate 119 against the spring - biased disk 122 ( fig3 ). as the upper end of the preform 12 is held against the disc 122 , the lower end thereof is seated into the socket 103 ( fig2 ) and is then clamped . once the preform 12 has been mounted , the radial misalignment , if any , between the preform and the tube 14 is determined ( step 204 ) in the manner described previously with respect to fig7 . if the measured amount of misalignment is too great to permit insertion of the preform 12 without contacting the inside surface of the tube 14 , then the operator is alerted ( step 205 ) and operation of the apparatus 10 ceases . otherwise , the x - y stage 48 is then actuated in accordance with the amount of radial offset determined by computer 182 to achieve precise alignment of the preform 12 with the tube 14 ( step 206 ). thereafter , the solenoid valve 185 of fig5 is actuated , causing the air cylinders 88 , 90 and 96 of fig2 to clamp the support member 100 and the housing 74 of fig2 to prevent movement thereof ( step 207 ). by clamping the support member 100 and the housing 74 , the alignment of the preform 12 with the tube 14 is maintained substantially fixed . thereafter , the platform 20 of fig1 is driven downwardly by energizing motor 38 of fig1 ( step 208 ) so that the plate 119 can be pivoted away from the end of the preform 12 upon actuation of the air cylinder 114 of fig3 . as the steps 204 , 206 , 207 and 208 are being executed , the tube 14 is firepolished ( step 209 ). firepolishing is accomplished by energizing the motor 57 to rotate the tube 14 and reciprocating the platform 26 between platforms 24 and 19 to move the torch 64 along the tube . referring back to fig4 reciprocation of the platform 26 is initiated by closing the start switch 146 which sets the flip flop 142 , thereby causing a logic &# 34 ; high &# 34 ; level signal to appear at the q output thereof . if the motor 42 is at rest , then a null level voltage appears across the braking resistor 171 , causing a null level voltage to appear across to inputs y 1 and y 2 of the comparator 162 . as the result of such a condition , the comparator 162 produces a logic &# 34 ; high &# 34 ; level voltage at its output , which causes the and gate 139 to be enabled and render transistor 134 conductive , which in turn , energizes the relay 132 . once relay 132 is energized , the motor 42 is supplied with a positive voltage across its armature terminals ar 1 and ar 2 and in response , drives the platform 26 of fig1 downwardly . the motor 42 continues to drive the platform 26 ( fig1 ) downwardly to its lowermost position of travel whereupon the low limit switch 148 is actuated to reset the flip flop 142 . when reset , the flip flop 142 drives the output of the and gate 139 to a logic &# 34 ; low &# 34 ; level voltage thereby rendering transistor 134 nonconductive . the relay 132 now becomes deenergized and interrupts the supply of armature current to the motor 42 , causing downward travel of the platform 26 to come to a halt . the resetting of the flip flop 142 causes flip flop 144 to be set . however , even though flip flop 144 is now set , the and gate 138 remains disabled because the motor 42 does not decelerate to zero immediately after the relay 132 is deenergized . as the motor 42 slows to a stop , the back emf thereof dissipates into the resistor 171 to achieve regenerative breaking of the motor . while a voltage is present across resistor 171 , the full wave rectifier bridge 170 produces a dc voltage which appears across the inputs x 1 and x 2 of the opto - isolator 164 . the presence of a voltage across the inputs x 1 and x 2 of the opto - isolator 164 causes a short circuit to appear across its output terminals w 1 and w 2 . with a short circuit present across the outputs w 1 and w 2 of the opto - isolator 164 , a voltage difference appears across the inputs y 1 and y 2 of the comparator 160 , causing the signal at the output c of the comparator to remain at a logic &# 34 ; low &# 34 ; level , thus disabling the and gate 138 . only after motor 42 has reached nearly a dead stop does the voltage difference across the inputs x 1 and x 2 of the opto - isolator 164 become negligible , causing the comparator to enable the and gate 138 , thereby rendering transistor 133 conductive . once transistor 133 becomes conductive , relay 131 is energized , causing motor 42 to be supplied with a negative armature voltage . in response to the negative armature voltage , the motor 42 drives the platform 26 upwardly . the conduction of transistor 133 also causes the relay 130 to become energized , thereby placing a short circuit between the control terminals a 1 and a 2 of the power supply 128 . in response to the short circuit between the control terminals a 1 and a 2 , the magnitude of the negative voltage supplied across the armature terminals ar 1 and ar 2 of motor 42 increases significantly as compared to the magnitude of the armature voltage supplied while the relay 130 remains deenergized . as a result , speed at which platform 26 is driven upwardly is greater than the speed of its downward movement . once the platform 26 reaches its upwardmost limit of travel , the high limit switch 154 becomes actuated , thereby resetting the flip flop 144 , which causes flip flop 142 to be set . however , even though flip flop 142 now is set , the and gate 139 remains disabled until the motor 42 reaches nearly a dead stop . once the motor 42 has decelerated almost to rest , the comparator 160 then enables the and gate 139 , causing transistor 134 to become conductive . with the transistor 134 now conductive , the relay 132 is energized thereby to supply the motor 42 with a positive armature voltage , causing the motor to drive platform 26 downwardly . however , the speed of downward travel of the platform 26 is less than the speed of the previous upward movement of the platform because the relay 130 becomes deenergized once transistor 134 is nonconductive , thereby causing a finite resistance to appear across the terminals a 1 and a 2 of the power supply 128 . this causes the magnitude of the voltage appearing across the terminals o 3 and o 4 of the power supply 128 to decrease . reciprocation of the platform 26 continues in the manner described above until the stop switch 156 is actuated . upon actuation of the switch 156 , both of the flip flops 142 and 144 become reset so that both of the transistors 133 and 134 become nonconductive deenergizing both of the relays 131 and 132 so that the motor 42 is starved of armature current . referring back to fig8 once the tube 14 of fig2 has been firepolished , the upper end of the tube is crimped upon heating by the torch 64 ( step 210 ). following both steps 208 and 210 , the motor 38 of fig1 is energized to drive the platform 20 of fig1 upwardly ( step 212 ) to insert the preform 12 into the tube 14 . once the end of the preform 12 abuts the necked - down end of the tube 14 , continued upward movement of the platform 20 causes the plunger 108 ( fig2 ) of switch 106 ( fig1 ) to be depressed thereby actuating the switch . the actuation of the switch 106 signals the completion of the insertion of the preform 12 into the tube 14 so that motor 38 is then deenergized , causing upward movement of the platform 20 to cease . once the preform 12 has been inserted into the rod 14 , the lower end of the tube 14 is staked ( step 214 ) to capture substantially all of the preform in the tube . next , the end of the preform 12 which had been tightly clamped in the socket 103 , is now released , and the platform 20 is lowered to allow the end of the preform to clear the socket ( step 215 ). once the preform 12 is released and the platform 20 is lowered , tube 14 is rotated while being heated by the torch 64 ( now adjusted to produce a wide heat zone ) to collapse the tube about the preform ( step 216 ). finally , the platform 26 is driven upwardly to return the torch 64 to the necked - down upper end of the tube 14 . the necked - down upper end of the tube 14 is then heated to achieve complete pinch - off and separation of the remaining portion of the collapsed tube which has the preform 12 therein ( step 218 ). the portion of the collapsed tube 14 , having the preform 12 therein , yields a preform having the desired core - to - cladding mass ratio . it is to be understood that the various embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention . various modifications may be made thereto by persons skilled in the art which may embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof .
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the improved stackable basket disclosed solves the aforementioned drawbacks in an effective manner , allowing on one hand its convenient handling by all types of users and on the other maintaining their hygiene , which is not affected by stacking them . to this end , the basket of the invention is provided on one hand with a telescopic handle that is perfectly collected and integrated in the basket structure in the resting position , so that it does not prevent stacking the baskets , and on the other hand is provided with internal walls or turrets placed on the base of each basket that are located on the vertical projection of the wheels of the basket placed above it in the stack , preventing the dirt in the latter from being deposited on the base of the baskets . more specifically , the basket of the invention is provided on one hand with a conventional hinged handle that has not been shown , of the type which in a resting position lies on the basket &# 39 ; s top frame and is integrated in it to facilitate stacking . as described above , this handle allows the user to carry the basket by lifting it , supporting its full weight . in addition to this conventional handle is also provided a new telescopic handle which in the resting position is perfectly integrated in the basket body , facilitating its stacking . this telescopic handle is also provided with means allowing it to be fixed at its maximum length without retraction , this is , when it is fully extended , remaining fixed until a new user or the same one decides to retract it until it returns to its resting position . the telescopic handle is preferably integrated on one of the side faces of the basket , abutting it inner or outer wall or even inside it , so that it does not interfere with the other conventional hinged handle . it is also possible for the telescopic handle to have a folding segment , specifically on its free end , in which case the end bearing the grip will either rest on the notch or recess of the baskets upper frame or on the conventional handle , thereby allowing stacking . the face bearing the telescopic handle also holds the wheels , more specifically on the bottom corners of this face , the other two bottom corners having legs or supports that form part of a peripheral rib that adds stability to the basket when it is set vertically on the ground , this is , in a resting position . these wheels are preferably constructed without a common shaft connecting them , thereby eliminating the possibility of this shaft accumulating dirt collected while the basket rolls on the ground with the aid of the wheels , which would then fall on the basket below it when it is stacked . on another hand , to preserve the hygiene of the baskets these are provided internally , at least at two of their corners and more specifically at those under which the wheels are located , with l - shaped internal walls or turrets that form a sort of cubicle with the walls of the basket meant to be located above the vertical projection of the wheels of the basket placed above it in the stack , so that the dirt deposited in this basket &# 39 ; s wheels does not fall on the base of the basket below it but instead falls thorough said orifices or turrets towards a through orifice that is framed by the aforementioned walls and the basket sides . these through orifices may be placed only on the vertices at which there is a wall or turret , or in all the vertices or the basket , in order to maintain hygiene when a user stacks a basket in an inverse position with respect to the other , so that if the wheels of the upper basket are not vertically aligned with the walls or turret of the lower basket the dirt from the wheels does not fall to the base of the lower basket but instead falls to the floor through said orifices . the facts described above provide a stackable basket that is easily handled and comfortable for the user and guarantees the required hygiene . to complete the description being made and in order to aid a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention , according to an example of a preferred embodiment , a set of drawings is accompanied as an integral part of the description where for purposes of illustration and in a non - limiting manner the following is shown : fig1 shows an upper perspective view of the improved stackable basket showing the telescopic handle in two possible positions , as well as one of the wheels allowing to transport the basket . fig2 shows a bottom perspective view of the improved stackable basket showing both the rear part of the telescopic handle and one of the wheels allowing to transport the basket . fig3 shows an upper perspective view of the improved stackable basket showing both the internal walls or turrets and the orifices placed on the bottom of said basket . fig4 shows an enlarged perspective view of the bottom part of the basket , showing both the orifices of the basket base and its legs and wheels . fig5 shows a perspective view of one of the guides of the telescopic handle and a detail of this handle . fig6 shows a side view of the improved stackable basket showing one basket stacked on another , as well as the position of the wheels on the interior walls or turrets . in view of the described figures , it can be seen that the improved stackable basket ( 1 ) of the invention is basically constructed from a prism - shaped single body made of a strong material , such as plastic or the like , with a number of orifices or incuts ( 2 ) in all or some of its faces and with generally rounded edges . as conventional baskets , although this is not shown in the figures for sake of simplicity , the improved stackable basket ( 1 ) of the invention is provided on its top part with a hinged handle which in the resting position rests on the basket &# 39 ; s upper frame or edge ( 3 ) and is integrated in it by a notch or incut ( 4 ) made in said edge ( 3 ) to facilitate stacking one tray on the other . in addition to this conventional hinged handle , the basket ( 1 ) of the invention has a telescopic handle ( 5 ) with a corresponding handle ( 6 ). this handle ( 5 ) is place on one of the side faces of the basket ( 1 ), abutting its inner or outer wall or even inside it , and in general in the wall where it does not interfere with the conventional hinged handle . the telescopic handle ( 5 ) can also have a folding segment , specifically its free end , in which case this end which includes the grip ( 6 ) will rest on either the notch or incut ( 4 ) of the top edge ( 3 ) or on the conventional handle , in order to allow stacking . specifically , in this example of embodiment as can be seen in fig1 , 5 and 6 , the lateral telescopic segments ( 7 ) of the handle ( 5 ) run along the outer wall of the aforementioned face , this is , they travel along it by virtue of corresponding guide rails ( 8 ) along which run sliders ( 9 ) acting as stops provided in the bottom end of the corresponding telescopic segments ( 7 ), limiting the vertical displacement of the first portion of said telescopic segments ( 7 ) and preventing possible swivelling or lateral movement of the segments . both the guide rail ( 8 ) and the sliders ( 9 ) acting as a stop are protected by two longitudinal protrusions ( 10 ) placed on either side of each rail ( 8 ) to prevent , in the case that the handle ( 5 ) is placed externally and therefore the sliders ( 9 ) jut out on the inside of the basket ( 1 ) as in the example of embodiment shown in the figures , that t items or packages introduced in the basket obstruct said rails ( 8 ), interfere with the aforementioned sliders ( 9 ) or damage them . furthermore , these protrusions will prevent any object , such as the user &# 39 ; s clothes , from obstructing said rails ( 8 ) when the handle ( 5 ) is placed internally and the sliders ( 9 ) jut outwards from the basket ( 1 ). the telescopic handle ( 5 ) also has means that allow it to be fixed at a maximum height without retracting , i . e . when it is fully extended , remaining fixed until a user decides to fold said handle ( 5 ) to return it to its resting position , at which time it is fully integrated in the body of the basket ( 1 ), the grip ( 6 ) of said handle ( 5 ) being housed in the frame or edge ( 3 ) of the basket to facilitate stacking one basket on the other . the improved stackable basket ( 1 ) of the invention is completed by wheels ( 11 ) placed in correspondence with the lower vertices of the side face housing the telescopic handle ( 5 ), independent of each other so that they are not connected by an axle , the axle of each wheel instead being housed in a small protective cubicle ( 12 ) that forms part of a peripheral rib ( 13 ) placed on the bottom of the basket ( 1 ). on its other two vertices the basket has a widening that gives rise to corresponding legs or supports ( 14 ) that stabilise the basket ( 1 ) when it is placed vertically on the floor , this is , in its resting position . lastly , it should be remarked that as can be seen in this example of embodiment , in correspondence with the vertices under which the wheels ( 11 ) are fitted the basket ( 1 ) is internally provided , on its base , with vertical l - shaped walls or turrets ( 15 ) that define a small cubicle together with the basket walls . in addition , the example represented in the figures shows a possible embodiment in which each of the four bottom vertices of the basket has a through orifice ( 16 ) which will be framed by the vertical turrets or walls ( 15 ) in the vertices that are provided with such . in this way when the dirt of the wheels ( 11 ) of the basket ( 1 ) placed on top falls , it will not be deposited on the base of the basket below it but instead will fall to the ground through the orifices defined by the walls ( 15 ) and the orifices ( 16 ). as described above , the characteristics of the improved stackable basket ( 1 ) of this invention provide great improvements in the comfort and handling of this type of baskets , while allowing to stack them and guaranteeing the required hygiene .
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referring now to the drawings , in fig1 - 3 , the present invention is embodied in a directional hearing aid device 10 including a pair of reflector members , a right reflector 12 and a left reflector 14 , which are of similar but symmetrically opposite construction . the reflectors 12 and 14 are supported by a headband 16 , horizontally encircling the head of a person using the device 10 , as shown in fig1 with the right reflector 12 located rearwardly adjacent the right ear 18 , and the left reflector 14 located rearwardly adjacent the left ear 20 . an upper portion 22 of each reflector extends upwardly above the top of the respective ear , and a lower portion 24 extends downwardly below the bottom of the respective ear . an outer portion 26 extends diagonally outward and forward beyond the respective ear , as may be seen best in fig1 so that each of the reflectors 12 and 14 defines an acute angle with the respective nearest side of the wearer &# 39 ; s head , the outer ear 18 or 20 thus being located within the acute angle defined between the wearer &# 39 ; s head and the respective reflector 12 or 14 . each of the reflectors 12 and 14 is preferably formed of a sheet of material , for example an abs plastic material which does not resonate acoustically to any significant degree , and which is thick enough and rigid enough to be self - supporting and hold a curved shape defining a concave front surface 28 and a convex back surface 30 of each reflector . the headband 16 may be of a flexible woven webbing material having a width , for example , of about one and one - half inches ( 3 . 8 cm ), and the opposite ends of the headband 16 are provided with elongate pieces of the mating opposite types of material forming a hook - and - loop fastening combination , such as the well - known material commonly known by the trade name velcro . for example a patch 32 of hook - bearing material may be attached to the headband 16 near one end , while a patch 34 of loop pile material is attached proximate the opposite end of the head band on the opposite side of the webbing material , permitting the mating interconnection of the hooks and loops to hold the ends of the headband together to provide an adjustable circumference . each of the reflectors 12 and 14 is attached to the headband 16 by a base plate 36 , which may be of similar plastic sheet material , and which is adjustable along the headband 16 . the headband 16 extends through a pair of parallel vertical slots 38 , 40 defined in each base plate 36 , so that the base plate 36 is adjustable along the headband 16 to place the respective reflector in the desired position behind a user &# 39 ; s ear , irrespective of the size of the user &# 39 ; s head . when the head band 16 is in place on a user &# 39 ; s head , tension in the headband 16 will ordinarly prevent the base plates 36 from slipping along the webbing material of the headband 16 . a support arm 42 , also of similar plastic sheet material , is relatively elongate and somewhat narrower than the base plate 36 . it extends generally horizontally and includes a bend 44 defining an obtuse angle between one end of the support art 42 and the other end of the support arm 42 , which is fastened to and extends parallel with and along a portion of the base plate 36 . the other end of the base plate 42 extends parallel with and is fastened to the respective reflector 12 or 14 to support it at the desired acute angle 46 between the front surface 28 and the base plate 36 . preferably , each end of the support arm 42 is attached respectively to a base plate 36 or reflector 12 or 14 by a fastener such as a rivet 48 . this permits the support arm 42 to be pivoted through an angle of at least a few degrees about an axis 50 extending substantially perpendicular to the base plate 36 , as indicated by the arrows 52 . similarly , each of the reflectors 12 and 14 is pivotable about an axis 54 , defined by one of the fasteners 48 , extending substantially perpendicularly through the reflector 12 or 14 at the point of attachment to the support arm 42 , as indicated by the arrows 56 . as a result of the ability to pivot the support arms 42 and reflectors 12 , 14 about the rivets 48 as indicated by the arrows 52 and 56 , the lower portions 24 of the reflectors 12 and 14 may be adjusted in position to fit closely against the user &# 39 ; s throat or jaw below the respective ear 18 or 20 so as to maximize the amount of sound reflected toward the user &# 39 ; s ears . the rivets 48 or other fasteners are preferably tight enough to require some force to move the pivoted connections of the support arm , so that the reflectors 12 , 14 will normally remain in their adjusted locations . the concavity of the front surface 28 helps to reflect the sound toward the ear , as will be appreciated . referring to fig4 in another embodiment of the invention , otherwise conventional headwear such as a cap 62 is provided with a pair of sidebands 64 and 66 located , respectively , on the right and left sides of the cap 62 and extending horizontally rearward from respective front ends 68 and 70 of the sidebands 64 and 66 . the sidebands 64 and 66 may be of flexible webbing material similar to that of the headband 16 , and end portions of each sideband are attached to the cap 62 as by stitching or the equivalent . the front ends 68 and 70 are located far enough forward with respect to the cap and the sidebands 64 and 66 extend generally horizontally rearward far enough to provide a desired amount of front - to - rear adjustability of the position of respective base plates 36 . the construction of the right and left reflectors 12 and 14 is otherwise substantially similar to that shown in fig1 - 3 above . for best results , the directional hearing aid device 10 is adjusted to place the right and left reflectors 12 and 14 behind the respective right and left ears 18 and 20 of the user and in close contact with the user &# 39 ; s outer ears to extend their size effectively and reflect additional sound energy into the ears to be heard . the lower portions 24 of the right and left reflectors 12 and 14 will be placed as close as possible behind the ears 18 and 20 , so as to maximize the effect of funneling sound into the ears 18 and 20 . sound originating in front of the user &# 39 ; s head will naturally be heard best , and it will be possible to determine the direction from which sound is originating by turning one &# 39 ; s head until a continuing or repeated sound is heard most clearly . preferably , when the directional hearing aid device 10 of the invention is to be used in hunting , it will be preferred to provide a surface finish which is not glossy , but dull and non - reflective of light , so that light will not be reflected from the reflector portions 12 and 14 as the user of the device 10 attempts to determine the direction from which sounds of an animal &# 39 ; s voice or movement originate . the terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation , and there is no intention , in the use of such terms and expressions , of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof , it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow .
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disclosure document no . 452 , 228 filed by humberto leniek with the u . s . patent and trademark office under the disclosure document program relates to the pumping system described herein , and is accordingly incorporated by reference . referring now to fig2 a preferred method for deploying a subterranean pump is shown . a small - diameter well is drilled and fitted with a single well casing 4 and a well head 3 . the well casing 4 is perforated near a producing formation ( not shown ). a reel 1 of coiled tubing 5 is positioned at the surface . a subsurface hollow rod pump 6 with attached retrievable pump anchor 7 is coupled to the end of the coiled tubing 5 by a roll - on or slip - type tubing connector 8 and lowered into casing 4 . the retrievable pump anchor 7 may be of various types , but a preferred type is a harbison fisher , giberson , or other similar retrievable pump anchor type . a roll - on connector is a hollow cylinder that has circumferential grooves on its exterior . this connector fits inside the bore of the tubing , and a tool is used to crimp the tubing to the connector , thereby making the connection . connectors of this type typically also include “ o - rings ” which seal the connection against leaks . roll - on connectors advantageously do not increase the outer diameter of the coiled tubing , and thus do no require any clearance allowances downhole . a slip - type connector is a hollow cylinder that has circumferential ridges on its interior . the ridges are designed to allow the tubing to be inserted into this connector , and to grip the exterior of the tubing to prevent it from subsequently being removed . “ o - rings ” are also provided in this case to seal the connector against leakage . tubing connector 8 is preferably connected to the pump 6 by a shear - pin arrangement ( not shown ) which detaches the tubing from the bottom hole assembly ( pump 6 and anchor 7 ) when sufficient force is applied . a circulating hydraulic valve 9 may be provided near connector 8 . circulating hydraulic valve 9 may be a spring - loaded one way valve . valve 9 opens under high pressure to allow fluids from the surface to be conveyed downhole through the coiled tubing 5 and circulated upwards through the annulus around the tubing 5 . a coiled tubing injection head 2 is fitted onto the coiled tubing 5 and used to inject the coiled tubing 5 into the well . the coiled tubing 5 is injected into the well until the pump 6 reaches the appropriate depth . at this point , the pump 6 can be “ spaced ”, i . e . the coiled tubing 5 is suspended by clamps and mechanical slips on the well head 3 , and the tubing is cut between the well head 3 and the reel 1 . the reel 1 and injection head 2 may then be removed from the well , if desired . referring momentarily to fig3 after the coiled tubing 5 is cut on the surface , an upper connector 10 of the roll - on or slip type is attached to the free end of the coiled tubing 5 . the threaded upper end of connector 10 is then connected to the lower end of a hollow polished rod 12 , while the upper end of the hollow polished rod 12 is held in position by a winch line or crane ( not shown ). the connector 10 is then lowered into the well . the hollow polished rod will form a low - friction seal with packing material in the well head , whereby the coiled tubing can be lifted and lowered without breaking the seal . it is noted that in an alternate embodiment , upper connector 10 is eliminated and the hollow polished rod 12 is replaced by a polished sleeve placed over a portion of the coiled tubing 5 . the polished sleeve may comprise chrome - plated steel , stainless steel , or some other suitable material that forms a durable , low friction seal with the well head . the sleeve may be mounted using adhesive or a mechanical seal . next , the pump anchor 7 is set . this may be accomplished by maneuvering the coiled tubing string 5 according to established techniques for setting downhole anchors . for example , slips on the anchor may be extended electrically , hydraulically , or frictionally ( e . g . by rotating the coiled tubing ). the extended slips are then set by allowing some weight to rest on the bottom hole assembly . referring now to fig4 the upper end of polished rod 12 is equipped with a safety valve 16 and preferably connected to an inverted “ u ” shaped tube 18 by a quick hydraulic connector 17 . the “ u ” shaped tube i 8 is preferably connected in turn to a hydraulic high pressure hose 20 by a second quick hydraulic connector 19 . the “ u ” shaped tube 18 is expected to minimize flexural fatigue of the high pressure hose 20 . the tube 18 may be eliminated or replaced with an elbow in some embodiments . the high pressure hose 20 may be connected to a production manifold ( not shown ). the safety valve 16 is preferably a ball valve . the well head installation can then be completed by installing all the packing elements ( not shown ), and connecting the upper end of hollow polished rod 12 to the horse head 25 ( fig3 ) of the surface pumping unit by a bridle head 22 and cables 24 . the winch line or crane may then be removed from the polished rod 12 . referring now to fig5 once the installation is complete , the pumping system works in the following manner . up and down motion of the horse head 24 raises and lowers tubing 5 , causing the plunger 15 to move up and down inside the anchored pump housing 26 . during the upstroke , the traveling valve 13 is closed by the weight of the fluid in tubing 5 . with the traveling valve 13 closed , the upward motion of plunger 15 increases the volume of the chamber beneath valve 13 , thereby reducing the pressure and drawing more fluid into the chamber through standing valve 14 . at the end of the upstroke , the pump chamber is substantially filled with fluid . during the down - stroke , the standing valve 14 closes . the downward motion of plunger 15 decreases the volume of the pump chamber , thereby increasing the pressure and forcing fluid through traveling valve 13 into tubing 5 . at the end of the down - stroke , substantially all the fluid from the pump chamber has been forced into tubing 5 . successive strokes each transfer fluid from the well into the tubing 5 until the fluid level reaches the surface and the well enters the production phase . both travelling valve 13 and standing valve 14 are preferably ball and seat valves . the valves open alternately in response to differential pressure in the upward direction , and close in response to differential pressure in the downward direction . note that it may be desirable to open the annulus between casing 4 and tubing 5 to the ambient air during the initial “ priming ” of the well ( i . e . the initial fluid fill of the tubing ) to prevent an excessive pressure differential from being built up across the pump 6 , as this could prevent the “ prime ” from being established . once the well has entered the production phase , various parameters such as strokes per minute and stoke length may be adjusted according to bottom hole pressure and dynamic fluid level . to reduce wear and extend the useful life of the coiled tubing 5 , centralizers 30 may be provided at regular intervals as shown in fig3 . alternatively ( or additionally ) coiled tubing rotators similar to existing rod rotators may be used to distribute wear evenly and thereby extend the useful life of the coiled tubing in this manner . although the disclosed pumping system is directed primarily to reduced diameter wells , the use of coiled tubing centralizers and coiled tubing rotators provide one method for adapting the disclosed pumping system to wells having larger casing diameters . such an adaptation would provide an inexpensive method for putting old wells back into production . numerous advantages may be obtained by using the disclosed pumping system . for example , a well using the disclosed pumping system may be drilled with a small cross - sectional diameter , i . e . a “ slim ” or “ slender ” hole . this allows the use of smaller and less expensive drilling rigs and smaller , lighter , and less expensive pipe . the use of lighter pipe to case a hole requires less hook load capacity in the drilling rig , thus allowing for the reduction of its size and power . the use of smaller drilling rigs advantageously reduce the size of the well location and consequently also reduce environmental impact . drilling slimmer holes in turn may provide for reduced drilling time and a reduced number of piping strings lowered into the well , and consequently reduced drilling and lifting costs . when coiled tubing is used , the disclosed pumping system may also be used to obtain reduced thread failures due to the elimination of threaded tubing and sucker rods , as well as reduced thread leakage due to the elimination of threaded tubing . coiled tubing also provides for a diminished possibility of handling - induced since coiled tubing is transported in a reel and used directly from the reel . the reduced number of thread joints also may advantageously provide for reduced “ trip ” time since workers no longer need to make and break threaded connections as the string is lowered or raised from the well head . reduced injuries may also be observed since the potential for accidents is significantly reduced when workers are not continually making and breaking threaded joints , and are not repeatedly securing the downhole tubing using elevators , slips , and manual tongs . additionally , no “ workover ” rig or derrick man is required , reducing the potential for a fatal fall . in essence , a major advantage of the disclosed pumping system is that it provides for the use of coiled tubing , and accordingly eliminates much of the risk and much of the potential for potential downhole problems . the scarcity of couplings normally associated with threaded tubing also provides for a unique ability to install the disclosed pumping system under “ live well conditions ”. the continuous cross - section of the coiled tubing allows for better stripping and packing elements at the well head . accordingly , the disclosed pumping system may provide for the ability to keep the well under control at all times , i . e . eruptions or blow outs may be prevented even when tripping into or out of the hole . before installing or removing a tubing string in a typical well design , particularly for pressurized wells , it may be necessary to “ kill ” the well . in other words production is stopped , often by pumping fluids downhole which could potentially damage the producing geological formations . another unique ability which may be obtained from the disclosed pumping system is the ability to pump fluid from a multilayered reservoir with a single submerged pump in a monobore well without losing the opportunity to avoid gas lock by unloading or venting undesired gas through the annular space . fluids from the multiple layers are allowed to flow down the annulus between the casing and the tubing string and to submerge the pump . gasses flow up the annulus and may be removed from the wellhead at the surface . advantageously , the disclosed pumping system is compatible with existing surface installations and equipment including well heads , production manifolds , prime movers and flow lines . the inclusion of the added hydraulic hose assembly is considered to be a minor adaptation to any existing surface installation . the availability of coiled tubing in different diameters , wall thickness and grades of steel , allows the disclosed pumping system to be adapted for various pump depths , various well fluids , and various pumping volumes . numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated . for example , threaded tubing may be used in place of coiled tubing . the tubing may be made of steel or composite materials ( composite tubing ). in fact , for highly corrosive environments , composite tubing may be preferred . additionally , this pumping system may be powered by means other than a beam pumping unit . for example , a hydraulic pumping unit may replace the beam pumping unit . one suitable hydraulic pumping unit is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 785 , 500 entitled “ well pump having a plunger in contact with well and pump fluid ” and filed may 2 , 1996 , by inventor humberto leniek . this patent is incorporated herein by reference . it is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications .
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the following description is of the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention . this description is not to be taken in a limiting sense , but is made merely for the purpose of describing one or more preferred embodiments of the invention . the scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the claims . a rear view of a prior art golf club 10 is shown in fig1 . the golf club 10 includes a head 18 having a face 18 a ( see fig3 ) for striking a golf ball , a grip 12 for grasping the club 30 , a short hosel 16 attached to the head 18 , and a shaft 14 connecting the grip 12 to the hosel 16 . at the point of the swing when the face 18 a of the head 18 strikes the golf ball , the face is substantially vertical but may slope back from the vertical on some clubs to provide some lift to the golf ball , and the base 18 b of the head is preferably approximately horizontal . the shaft 14 is generally required to be straight for competitive play , and the hosel 16 may be curved but is short and preferably not more than five inches long . a golfer 20 is shown holding the prior art golf club 10 in fig2 , and forces f 1 and f 2 present in a swing of the golf club 10 when the club 10 is at a point of making contact with the golf ball 24 are shown in fig3 with the face 18 a facing up . the golfer 20 exerts a force f 2 required for the swing and impact of the face 18 a of the head 18 with the golf ball 24 , but an additional force f 1 is required to hold the head 18 of the club away from the golfer 20 . although small , the required force f 1 may slightly bias the swing resulting in a slight angling of the face 18 a of the head 18 and a small variation in the intended trajectory of the golf ball 24 . because the force f 1 is not a natural part of the swing , it is difficult for some golfers to learn to properly and consistently swing the prior art golf club 10 . a rear view ( i . e ., the face of the head of the club into the paper ) of the golf club 30 according to the present invention is shown in fig4 . the head 18 of the golf club 30 includes a vertical centerline cl horizontally centered on the base 18 and a vertical line v parallel to the centerline cl . the golf club 30 preferably includes a bent ( or curved ) hosel 36 . the shaft 34 extends from the hosel 36 as with the golf club 10 , on the left side ( or heel 17 ) of the head 18 when viewed from the rear of the head 18 . the hosel 36 includes a lower portion 36 a and upper portion 36 b . the lower portion 32 a is attached to the head 18 near the heel 17 , i . e ., towards the golfer 20 . the lower portion 36 a preferably is vertical or slopes up and away from the vertical line v and towards the golfer 20 , and more preferably slopes away from the vertical line v at an angle a 2 from vertical , when the base 18 b of the head 18 is horizontal . the upper portion 36 b preferably is vertical or slopes slightly towards the vertical centerline cl , and more preferably slopes slightly towards the vertical centerline cl at a small angle a 1 from vertical , when the base 18 b of the head 18 is approximately horizontal . the angle a 1 is preferably approximately three degrees and the angle a 2 is preferably approximately 21 degrees . the head 18 further includes a toe 19 opposite the head 17 . in use , the heel 17 is the end of the head 18 closest to the golfer 20 and the toe 19 is the end of the head 18 farthest from the golfer 20 . the hosel 36 is preferably connected to the heel 17 of the club head 18 and the lower portion 36 a points towards the golfer 20 as the golfer 20 normally stands as the golfer addresses the ball 24 . the lower portion 36 a had a length l 1 which is preferably between two to three inches and more preferably approximately 2 . 5 inches . the upper portion 36 b had a length l 2 which is preferably between two to three inches and more preferably approximately 2 . 5 inches . the overall length l 3 of the hosel 36 is preferably not more than five inches and is more preferably five inches . the shaft 34 is attached to the upper portion 36 b and is aligned with the upper portion 36 b and resides nearly vertically at the point of impact of the club head 18 with the golf ball 24 during a swing , at which point of impact the base 18 b of the head 18 is nearly horizontal . the golfer 20 is shown holding the golf club 30 in fig5 . the golfer 20 now holds the grip 12 with the grip 12 and shaft 30 nearly vertical when the base 18 b of the head 18 is horizontal and the grip 12 at the top of the shaft 12 nearly directly above ( i . e ., the head 18 of the club 30 is not displaced towards or away from the golfer 20 sufficiently to require any noticeable lateral force f 1 ( see fig3 ) to hold the club ) on the head 18 at the point of impact and when the base 18 b of the head 18 of the golf club 30 is nearly horizontal . the grip 12 preferable is at least directly above some portion of the head 18 . the golf club 30 provides a vertical or upright shaft at the point of impact with the ball 24 allowing more accuracy than the golf club 10 having a shaft slanted away from the body as shown in fig2 . since leverage and the freedom to create a great arc swing are not essential when using the golf club 30 for making shots that are close to the putting green , the vertical or upright shaft allows the golfer 20 to utilize a more natural and thus more accurate swing . the force f 2 present in a swing of the golf club 30 is shown in fig6 . because the shaft 30 is now nearly vertical at the point of impact with the ball 24 , the head 18 is nearly directly below the grip 12 , and the force f 1 of fig3 is drastically reduced or eliminated . the golfer 20 is now free to swing the golf club 30 in a more natural manner with improved accuracy . the golfer 20 holding a reverse golf club 30 ′ according to the present invention is shown in fig7 and forces present in a swing of the reverse golf club 30 ′ are shown in fig8 . the reverse golf club 30 ′ provides the same advantage as the golf club 30 because head of the club 30 ′ is nearly directly below the grip 12 of the club 30 ′ at the point of impact with the ball 24 , thus minimizing or eliminating the lateral force f 1 of fig3 freeing the golfer 20 to swing the golf club 30 ′ in a more natural manner with improved accuracy . four typical prior art golf clubs 10 a - 10 d are shown in fig9 a - 9d . the golf clubs 10 a - 10 d all include shafts 14 angled away from vertical upwards and towards the golfer to allow room for a “ great arc ” type swing . as a result of the angle of the shafts 14 , the golfer must compensate for the resulting torque at the grip 12 , and errors may be introduced into the flight of the golf ball . four golf clubs 30 a - 30 d according to the present invention corresponding to the prior art golf clubs 10 a - 10 d are shown in fig1 a - 10d . the golf clubs 30 a - 30 d have nearly vertical shafts reducing or eliminating the torque around the grips 12 of the prior art golf clubs 10 a - 10 d thereby reducing or eliminating the errors introduced into the flight of the golf ball . for the putting shot , a right - handed golfer would address the ball in the normal manner with perhaps a couple of exceptions . first , he would place his left leg so that the left shoe is as close to the ball as possible without it being in the way for a putter striking the ball during the performance of his shot . it is important that the golfer pushes the left hand back into his right hand without “ breaking ” ( or bending ) his wrists , and maintaining , without “ breaking ”, his wrists to make a solid contact during his return swing and follow through . the golfer should mentally “ see ” his vertical / upright shaft going directly to the target during its vertical / upright follow - through . in regards to the “ chipper ” iron , and the other “ irons ,” it is suggested that until a golfer accustoms himself to this new system , that he should adjust his stance to an “ open stance ” as follows : assuming he is a right - handed golfer , the golfer puts his right foot toe at or near the place where the ball lies on the fairway grass and opens his stance by placing his left foot to partially spread away toward his left flank , thus creating the “ open stance .” the open stance may help to prevent “ shanking ” the ball . the golfer preferably takes his club back with a good pivot and returns the club in his normal manner , but making certain that the vertical / upright shaft is pointing at the target as it is moving through the ball . at about the instant when the two hands are brought down into the ball in the usual manner , the golfer should have in his mind that approximately when the club head makes contact with the ball , that he turns his right hand slightly under his left hand in such a manner that the right forearm feels as if it is coming under the vertical / upright shaft during its movement toward the target . when the follow - through part of the swing is completed , that is to say when the golfer &# 39 ; s hands have been extended to almost shoulder level elevation , the golfer might feel that his right forearm is underneath the shaft guiding it as it is finishes its movement aimed at the target . this final maneuver with this new type of hosel / shaft combination may help the golfer to achieve accuracy when the golfer makes his approach shots to the putting green . while the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments and applications thereof , numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims .
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a first phase of the invention consists in creating a database containing scent or smell prints of different products . according to a first embodiment , such smell prints are constituted by the smell prints of a set of perfumes for which the system has to give a prediction . according to another embodiment , the smell prints correspond not only to perfumes but also to some basic products ( for example , coffee , chocolate , a particular flower , a spice , etc .). fig1 illustrates very schematically the first phase of the present invention according to a particular embodiment . in this example , the smell prints used by the system are perfume smell prints . therefore , the respective digital smell prints of a set of m perfumes p 1 , . . . p k , . . . p m have to fill a database 1 . according to the invention , an electronic nose 2 is used to analyze successively a sample 3 of each perfume p k disposed in an analysis chamber 5 . electronic noses are known devices based on an array of n chemical sensors s 1 , . . . s j , . . . s n . each sensor s j in the sensor array responds differently to a given chemical compound . in that way , it is possible to get a “ smell print ” for a given chemical compound or mixture ( in this example , a perfume ). this signature or print is a set of digital reading or measurements corresponding to the reading from the set of sensors . the number of sensors is usually comprised between 10 and 100 , for example 32 or 64 depending on the desired accuracy . the scores given by the sensors are collected by a processing unit 4 of the electronic nose and stored in the database 1 . at the end of the acquisition phase of the invention , the database 1 contains , for each perfume p k , an ordered set of n measurements corresponding to the smell signature or smell print of that perfume . preferably , the data acquisition made by the electronic nose 2 is not performed only once but , for a given product , several acquisitions ( for example , between 5 and 40 ) are made . these data acquisitions serve to compute the smell signature taking into account the eventual dispersion of the sensed values for each sensor under varied acquisition conditions . any conventional method used to take into account experimental dispersion of data acquisition ( for example , a mean value ) can be used for obtaining the n values comprising the smell print of each perfume p k . according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention , an electronic nose known under the commercial name “ cyranose 320 ”, with 32 sensors , is used to obtain a set of perfume smell prints . according to this exemplary embodiment , each measurement comprising the smell print is a decimal value with seven significative figures . the set of smell prints in the database can be updated by adding additional perfumes or other basic smell prints ( coffee , chocolate , spice , etc .). according to the present invention , the smell print &# 39 ; s database is used to build a user &# 39 ; s smell profile as it will be described hereafter . such a smell or scent profile is , according to the present invention , to be used for predicting products ( in this example , perfumes ) that might be liked and / or disliked by the user . fig2 schematically illustrates an embodiment of the present invention to establish a user profile for smell preferences . the first step is to ask the user u to rate a subset of perfumes or , more generally , of products , according to their smell . in the disclosed embodiment , the user is asked to rate q perfumes among the set of m perfumes p k . the rated perfumes are designated by np h ( h being comprised between 1 and q ). according to the present invention , a small number of rated perfumes ( less than 10 ) is enough to establish a user profile . preferably , the system asks the user to rate between 3 and 8 perfumes . the ratings given by the user have to be very selective , i . e . ranging from 1 to 5 or less . according to a preferred embodiment , the ratings given by the user range from 1 to 3 : “ like ”, “ medium or indifferent ” and “ dislike ”. eventually , a supplemental scale with two additional notes can be provided . then , the possible notes are “ like very much ”, “ like ”, “ medium ”, “ dislike ”, “ detest ”. the codes ( digital values ) that are attributed to each rating depend on the programmation of the system . preferably , ratings are coded as 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 or 1 , 2 , 3 . the set of ratings ( table 10 , fig2 ) is stored in a computerized system used to implement the invention . in fig2 , this system is symbolized as a personal computer 11 with a central unit 12 , a screen 13 , a keyboard 14 and a mouse 15 . the central unit 12 is linked to the database 1 through a wired 16 or wireless link . for example , the database is contained in a web server ( not shown ) to be shared by several distant personal computers or systems implementing the method of the present invention . having collected the table 10 of q satisfaction notes from the user , the system computes a user profile , which is a set of weighting coefficients to be applied to each measurement of the smell prints of the m perfumes in a linear regression . the determination of the user profile will be better understood in connection with the description of fig4 . according to a preferred embodiment of the invention , after having collected the ratings for q perfumes , the system automatically determines an additional perfume for which the rating given by the user will be significant for improving the determination of the list of weighting coefficients and asks the user to give an additional rating for this np q + 1 perfume . once the user profile is established , the system according to the present invention is able to predict , among the set of all the m perfumes p k of the database 1 , one or more perfumes about which the user is more likely to express positive ratings . alternatively , the system can also predict the most disliked perfumes . fig3 illustrates , very schematically , an implementation of the method for predicting preferred perfumes according to the present invention . this method is preferably also implemented by the personal computer 11 , which calculates , on the basis of the user profile , the satisfaction notes he would have given for the n perfumes p k . for example , the system delivers three preferred perfumes pp 1 , pp 2 , pp 3 in a list 20 to the user u . the list of preferred perfumes can be in this embodiment displayed on the screen 13 or printed out . fig4 represents a flowchart of an embodiment of the present invention showing the main steps of the method for establishing a user profile and predicting some preferred perfumes . in fig4 , the steps requiring the intervention of the user ( user ) has been shown on the right side of the drawing , the steps automatically performed by the system ( system ) have been shown on the left side of the drawing . the first step ( block 31 ) consists in selecting q perfumes np h ( h comprised between 1 and q ) to be rated by the user . the performed notation can be a real notation , that is results from asking the user to smell a sample of perfume , or can be a virtual one , that is results from asking the user to quote some boxes displayed on the screen and representing satisfaction levels to the q perfumes , for example in an internet - based implementation of the invention . the set of selected perfumes to be noted can be chosen in different ways . a first solution consists , in a real mode evaluation , to leave the user choosing between 3 and 8 perfumes that he wants to note . a second solution is to randomizely select the q perfumes among those of the database 1 . this solution more particularly applies to the internet - based implementation . a third solution is to predetermine , among the list of m perfumes , q perfumes which are very different from the others on the basis of their respective smell prints . alternatively , the ratings can be automatically estimated on the basis of previous acquisitions of the user . for example , studying the more frequent perfumes acquired by a given user , it may be reasonably supposed that these perfumes have to be given the best notes . on the contrary , a perfume acquired only once by the user and no more for a long time can be assumed to be disliked . the second step ( block 32 ) is performed by the user when he gives a satisfaction note sn h ( h comprised between 1 and q ) to each of the q perfumes np h . these satisfaction notes sn h are stored ( block 33 ) in the system . then ( block 34 ), the system computes n weighting coefficients α j ( j being comprised between 1 and n ), where n corresponds to the number of sensors of the electronic nose ( fig1 ), that is of the readings taken into account for the smell prints . according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention for which the scores are less than 0 . 1 and the number of scores is 32 per print , the weighting coefficients are numbers comprised between − 10000 and + 10000 . the order of magnitude of the weighting coefficient is chosen in function of the number and order of magnitude of the scores to obtain notes in the desired range . according to a preferred embodiment , the weighting coefficients are determined using an error minimization method , for example a method for minimizing the sum of the quadratic errors over the set of notes given by the user . this technique is known as x - square fitting . according to that example , the system proceeds by successive approximation of set of weighting coefficients α j for minimizing the following formula : ∑ h = 1 q ( sn h - ∑ j = 1 n ( α j · mv j , h ) ) 2 , where mv j , h designates the scores of rank j ( sensor s j ) of the smell print of perfume of rank h . as disclosed above , mv j , h is preferably a mean value of several measurements . according to a first embodiment , the user profile ( block 35 ) is obtained after completion of the former step and corresponds to the set of coefficients α j for which the above formula gives the minimal result . according to a second preferred embodiment ( illustrated in dotted lines in fig4 ), step 34 is followed by a step ( block 36 ) of selection of an additional perfume p q + 1 to be noted by the user in order to optimize his profile . according to this embodiment , the additional perfume np q + 1 is chosen among the set of perfumes for which the user did not give any satisfaction note and as being the most relevant perfume for optimizing the user profile . for example , the system takes successively each of the m - q remaining perfumes and computes an expected value of the user profile by successively supposing the 3 or 5 notes for that perfume . then , the system computes the means value of the 3 or 5 expected set of weighting coefficients for each perfume . finally , the system chooses the one of the remaining perfume for which the notation will have the most influence on the set of weighting coefficients for the user . alternatively , in order to ask the user information about the perfume that will most likely improve the performance of the system , the system computes the following formula : ∑ j = 1 n ( ∑ l = 1 n l f ( l ) · α j , s - α j , s ′ , l α j , s ) , nl is the total number of options ( preferably 3 or 5 ) for the opinion l of the user ; α j , s is the set of coefficients α j already calculated on the basis of the q perfumes already noted by the user ; α j , s ′, l is the set of coefficients α j calculated for the set of q + 1 perfumes under the hypothesis of a note l for the perfume of rank q + 1 ; and f ( l ) is an optional function of weighting of the different coefficients α j . by maximizing the former formula over all the perfumes , it is possible to select the perfume that could potentially lead to the biggest change in the weighting coefficients α j . such a perfume is the perfume np q + 1 that the user will be asked ( block 37 ) to rate in order to maximize the performance of the system . this is a reasonable assumption , as the coefficients α j completely specify the user profile . in the example to perfumes , it is more desirable to find perfumes that will change the knowledge of the characteristics of perfumes that are ranked relatively high , rather than those that are ranked relatively low . therefore , the above function f ( l ) will bias the search towards perfumes that will change the knowledge of perfumes ranked relatively high . for example , the respective weighting coefficient attributed to each satisfaction note could be f ( l )= l if the satisfaction notes l are coded with numerical values ( 1 , 2 , 3 or 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ), 1 representing the lowest rating . having the note of the user for the perfume of rank q + 1 , the system computes again ( block 38 ) the weighting coefficients α j , taking into account the additional satisfaction note . as in the first simplified embodiment , the user profile is obtained after this step . the following steps illustrated in fig4 correspond to an exemplary implementation of the method for predicting some preferred ( pp 1 , pp 2 , pp 3 ) perfumes on the basis of the user &# 39 ; s profile . a first step ( bloc 39 ) consists in estimating the satisfaction notes that the user would have given for all the perfumes not yet rated by the user on the basis of the weighting coefficients determined for that user . preferably , the estimation step computes also the rated perfumes . this preferred embodiment allows the determination of non - integer notes for all the perfumes , which leads to a more accurate estimation . the estimating step corresponds to applying the following formula to all the m perfumes : ip i = ∑ j = 1 n α j · mv i , j , where ip i designates the note estimated for the perfume p i of the database , where α j designates the weighting coefficient of rank j affected to the sensor of rank j of the smell print according to the user &# 39 ; s profile , and where mv i , j designates the digital ( mean ) value of rank j ( sensor s j ) of the smell print of perfume p i of rank i . the next step ( block 40 ) corresponds to select a limited number ( at least one ) of perfumes that have , for example , the highest ratings , and to deliver ( for example , display ) the results to the user . according to a first embodiment , a subset of products close to the highest ( or lowest ) note with a predetermined margin is then outputted . for example , the margin is fixed at 10 %. that means that the products for which the estimated note are higher than 2 . 7 ( in a system with notes from 1 to 3 ) or 4 . 5 ( in a system with notes from 1 to 5 ) are outputted as being the most enjoyable products for the user . according to another embodiment , the number of the outputted products is predetermined . for example , the system proposes the three products { pp 1 , pp 2 , pp 3 } having the highest estimated notes ( preferably sorted ) as being the most enjoyable products for the user . an advantage of the present invention is that the weighting coefficients used to establish the user profile can be determined with just a small number ( less than 10 ) of satisfaction notes really given by the user . another advantage of the present invention is that the determination of the profile of the user is consistent with an optimization of that profile by proposing an additional notation to the user . another advantage of the present invention is that the predicting implementation does not depend upon other users as in conventional systems . therefore , the method and system of the present invention are particularly efficient . another advantage of the present invention is that the method does not depend on the kind of sensors ( for example , the groups of chemical compounds for which the sensors are responsive ) provided that all the smell or taste prints of the products are obtained with the same set of sensors ( responsive to the same groups of chemical compounds ). further , according to a preferred embodiment in which the same electronic nose or tongue is used ( i . e . exactly the same sensors ) for all the products , the sensors do not need to be calibrated . it should be noted that the user could also rate basic smells . for example , the set of ratings asked to the user for the perfumes can be completed by ratings for basic smells like coffee , chocolate , spices , flowers , etc . another example of application of the present invention concerns predicting the wine preferences of a user . for example , the user is asked to rate some basic smells of wines in order to establish his wine &# 39 ; s user profile . then , the system can work as described above in connection to the perfume application to determine , among a set of wine &# 39 ; s characteristics or wines &# 39 ; list , those that would be adapted to the user . the invention may also apply to taste prediction . for example , asking the user for ratings concerning tastes of several foods , the system can be able to estimate the satisfaction level of that user for other foods contained in a database and for which a taste print has been determined using an electronic tongue . of course , smell and taste feelings can be combined ( for example for wines ). having thus described at least one illustrative embodiment of the invention , various alterations modifications and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art . such alteration , modification , and improvements are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the foregoing description is by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting . the invention is limited only as defined in the following claims and the equivalent thereto .
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in the description the induction motor model and the speed - adaptive flux observer are first defined . then , steady - state analysis is used to clarify the problem underlying the invention and its solution according to the invention . the stability is also studied by using root loci of the linearized system . finally , after describing a control system based on the rotor flux orientation , simulation and experimental results are presented . the parameters of the dynamic γ - equivalent circuit of an induction motor are the stator resistance r s , the rotor resistance r r , the stator transient inductance l ′ s , and the magnetizing inductance l m . the angular speed of the rotor is denoted by ω m , the angular speed of the reference frame ω k , the stator current space vector is i s , and the stator voltage u s . when the stator flux ψ s and the rotor flux ψ r are chosen as state variables , the state - space representation of the induction motor becomes x . _ = [ - 1 τ s ′ - j ω k 1 τ s ′ 1 - σ τ r ′ - 1 τ r ′ - j ( ω k - ω m ) ] ︸ a _ x _ + [ 1 0 ] ︸ b u _ s ( 1 a ) i _ s = [ 1 l s ′ - 1 l s ′ ] ︸ c x _ ( 1 b ) where the state vector is x =[ ψ s ψ r ] t , and the parameters expressed in terms of the γ - equivalent circuit parameters are σ = l ′ s /( l m + l ′ s ), τ ′ s = l ′ s / r s , and τ ′ r = σl m / r r . the electromagnetic torque is t e = 3 2 p im { i _ s ψ _ r * } = 3 2 p 1 l s ′ im { ψ _ s ψ _ r * } ( 2 ) where p is the number of pole pairs and the complex conjugates are marked by the symbol *. in the specification , the parameters of a 2 . 2 - kw four - pole induction motor given in table i are used . it should also be understood that these parameters are used only for explaining the invention . the method according to the invention comprises determining the current vector of the induction motor and determining the stator voltage vector of the induction motor . the current vector is obtained , for example , by measuring the currents . in a three - phase system it is usually necessary to measure only two currents . the voltage vector is obtained , for example , by measuring the voltage in the apparatus feeding the motor . the apparatus is usually a frequency converter with a direct voltage intermediate circuit . by measuring this voltage and combining it with state information of the output switches , the output voltage vector is achieved . conventionally , the stator current and the rotor flux are used as state variables in full - order flux observers . however , choosing the stator and rotor fluxes as state variables is preferred since this allows the observer to be used with stator - flux - oriented control or direct torque control [ 8 ] as well as with rotor - flux - oriented control . consequently , the full - order flux observer is defined by { dot over ({ circumflex over ( x )})} = â { circumflex over ( x )}+ b u s + l ( i s − î s ) ( 3a ) where the observer state vector is x =[ { circumflex over ( χ )} s { circumflex over ( χ )} r ] t , and the system matrix and the observer gain are a ^ _ = [ - 1 τ s ′ - j ω k 1 τ s ′ 1 - σ τ r ′ - 1 τ r ′ - j ( ω k - ω ^ m ) ] , l _ = [ l _ s l _ r ] ( 3 c ) respectively , where the estimates are marked by the symbol { circumflex over ( )}. l s = λ [ 1 + jsgn ({ circumflex over ( ω )} m )], l r = λ [− 1 + jsgn ({ circumflex over ( ω )} m )] ( 4a ) λ = { λ ′ ω ^ m ω λ if ω ^ m & lt ; ω λ λ ′ if ω ^ m ≥ ω λ gives satisfactory behavior from zero speed to very high speeds [ 11 ]. parameters λ ′ and ω λ are positive constants . the parameter λ ′ can be considered as an impedance , which may be helpful when choosing λ ′ for different motor sizes . in the specification , the observer gain is determined by λ ′= 10 ω and ω λ 1 p . u . { circumflex over ( ω )} m =− γ p im {( i s − î s ) { circumflex over ( ψ )} * r }− γ i ∫ im {( i s − î s ){ circumflex over ( ψ )}* r } dt ( 6 ) where γ p and γ i are the adaptation gains . only the current estimation error perpendicular to the estimated rotor flux is used to estimate the speed . the adaptation law works well except in the regenerating mode at low speeds . the gains γ p = 10 ( nm · s ) 1 and γ i = 10000 ( nm · s 2 ) − 1 are used in this specification . { circumflex over ( ω )} m =− γ p im {( i s − î s ) { circumflex over ( ψ )} * r e − jφ }− γ i ∫ im {( i s − î s ) { circumflex over ( ψ )} * r e − jφ } dt ( 6 ) where the angle φ changes the direction of the error projection . in other words , the component of the current estimation error parallel to the estimated rotor flux is also exploited when φ ≠ 0 . the change in the direction of the error projection is needed to stabilize the regenerating - mode operation at low speeds . equation ( 6 ) is simple to calculate since im { a b *} can be interpreted as the cross product of the vectors . in the case of ( 6 ) the cross product is calculated between stator current estimation error and estimated rotor flux . in the speed adaptation the estimated rotor flux linkage is used . the method is also applicable for estimating stator flux linkage . this allows the method to be used in a wide variety of vector control methods . based on ( 1 ) and ( 3 ), the estimation error e = x − { circumflex over ( x )} of the state vector and the stator current error are e . _ = ( a _ - l _ c ) e _ + [ 0 j ψ ^ _ r ] ( ω m - ω ^ m ) ( 7 a ) i _ s - i ^ _ s = c e _ ( 7 b ) in the following , the estimation error e is considered in the steady state and the estimated rotor flux reference frame is used , i . e ., { dot over ( e )}= 0 . ω k = ω s ( where ω s is the angular stator frequency ), and { circumflex over ( ψ )} r ={ circumflex over ( ψ )} r + j0 . for a given error ω m −{ circumflex over ( ω )} m , and an operating point determined by the angular stator frequency ω s , the angular slip frequency ω r = ω s − ω m , and the rotor flux estimate { circumflex over ( ψ )} r , a steady - state solution for ( 7 ) can be easily found . fig1 depicts the loci of current estimation error for two different speed estimation errors when the angular slip frequency ω r varies from the negative rated slip to the positive rated slip . the angular stator frequency is ω s = 0 . 1 p . u . and the base value of the angular frequency is 2π50 s − 1 . it can be seen that the larger the speed error , the larger the current estimation error . fig1 shows the loci of the current estimation error when the angular slip frequency ω r varies from the negative rated slip to the positive rated slip ( the rated slip being 0 . 05 p . u .). the angular stator frequency is ω s = 0 . 1 p . u . and two different speed estimation errors ( 0 . 002 p . u . and 0 . 004 p . u .) are shown . the estimated rotor flux reference frame is used in fig1 . in fig1 , ω s & gt ; 0 and { circumflex over ( ω )} m & gt ; ω m . if ω s & lt ; 0 , the loci lie in the right half - plane . if { circumflex over ( ω )} m & lt ; ω m , the loci are located in the lower half - plane . in the estimated rotor flux reference frame , the prior art adaptation law ( 5 ) reduces to { circumflex over ( ω )} m =− γ p ( i sq − i sq ){ circumflex over ( ψ )} r − γ i ∫( i sq − i sq ){ circumflex over ( ψ )} r dt ( 8 ) the speed estimate thus depends on the error i sq − î sq . if { circumflex over ( ω )} m & gt ; ω m , the condition i sq − î sq & gt ; 0 should hold in order the speed estimate to converge . in fig1 , this condition holds for all slip frequencies including the regenerating - mode operation ( where ω s ω r & lt ; 0 ). fig2 shows loci of the current estimation error for a lower angular stator frequency ω s = 0 . 01 p . u . the locus consisting of the solid curve and the dashed curve shows the current estimation error . the condition i sq − î sq & gt ; 0 holds in the motoring - mode operation , but in the regenerating - mode operation at higher slips , it does not hold . hence , the observer using the prior art adaptation law becomes unstable . fig2 shows loci of the current estimation error when the angular slip frequency ω r varies from the negative rated slip to the positive rated slip . the angular stator frequency is ω s = 0 . 01 p . u . and the speed estimation error is { circumflex over ( ω )} m − ω m = 0 . 002 p . u . the dashed / solid curve shows the locus corresponding to the prior art adaptation law . the locus consisting of the solid curve and the dash - dotted curve corresponds to the adaptation law as used in connection with the present invention . in fig2 the estimated rotor flux reference frame is used . based on fig2 , it can be noticed that the regenerating mode can be stabilized by changing the direction of the error projection . consequently , the adaptation law ( 6 ) according to the method of the invention in the estimated rotor flux reference frame is considered . the current estimation error is rotated by factor exp (− jφ ) in the estimated flux reference frame . since the prior art adaptation law works well in the motoring mode , the angle φ is selected as ϕ = { ϕ max sgn ( ω s ) ( 1 - ω s ω ϕ ) if ω s & lt ; ω ϕ and ω s ω ^ r & lt ; 0 0 otherwise ( 9 ) for the given motor , φ max = 0 . 44π ( i . e ., 80 °) and ω φ = 0 . 4 p . u . were chosen . in fig2 , the current error locus resulting from ( 9 ) consists of the solid curve and the dash - dotted curve , i . e ., the dashed curve was rotated 78 ° around the origin in order to obtain the dash - dotted curve . now , the condition i sq − î sq & gt ; 0 is valid for all slip frequencies . actually , the selection ( 9 ) stabilizes the whole regenerating region . the parameters φ max and ω φ can be substantially varied without losing the stability . the adaptation law according to the inventive method is not restricted to the observer gain ( 4 ). several observer gains were studied using the steady - state analysis and the linearized model . even the same values of φ max and ω φ as with the observer gain ( 4 ) can be used in some cases , e . g ., when using the observer gain proposed in [ 8 ] or the zero observer gain . the nonlinear and complicated dynamics of the speed - adaptive observer can be studied via linearization . the key factor in the linearization is to use a synchronous reference frame in order to obtain a dc equilibrium point . in the following , the dynamics of both the motor and the observer are taken into account . even though the stator dynamics are included in the model , the linearized model is independent of the stator voltage and , consequently , of the current controller . in the rotor flux reference frame , the linearized model of ( 7a ) becomes [ 11 ] e . _ = ( a _ 0 - l _ 0 c ) e _ + [ 0 j ψ r0 ] ( ω m - ω ^ m ) ( 10 a ) here , the equilibrium point quantities are marked by the subscript 0 , and the system matrix and the observer gain are a _ 0 = [ - 1 τ s ′ - j ω s0 1 τ s ′ 1 - σ τ r ′ - 1 τ r ′ - j ω r0 ] , l _ 0 = [ l _ s0 l _ r0 ] ( 10 b ) the transfer function from the estimation error of the speed ω m −{ circumflex over ( ω )} m to the estimation error of the current i s − î s is g _ ( s ) = c ( si - a _ 0 + l _ 0 c ) - 1 [ 0 j ψ r0 ] = - - j ψ r0 l s ′ s + j ω s0 a ( s ) + j b ( s ) ( 11 a ) is the identity matrix . the polynomials in ( 11a ) are defined as a ( s ) = s 2 + s ( 1 τ s ′ + 1 τ r ′ + l sd 0 - l r d 0 l s ′ ) - ω s0 ω r0 + σ τ s ′ τ r ′ + ω s 0 l rq 0 - ω r 0 l sq 0 l s ′ + σ lsd 0 τ r ′ l s ′ ( 11 b ) b ( s ) = s ( ω s0 + ω r0 + l sq 0 - l r q 0 l s ′ ) + ω s0 τ s ′ + ω r0 τ r ′ τ s ′ τ r ′ + ω r 0 l sd 0 - ω s 0 l rd 0 l s ′ + σ l sq 0 τ r ′ l s ′ ( 11 c ) where the entries of the observer gain are divided into real and imaginary components : l s0 = l sd0 + jl sq0 and l r0 = l rd0 + jl rq0 . since the observer gain is allowed to be a function of the estimated rotor speed , the subscript 0 is used . it is to be noted that g ( s ) is independent of the speed - adaptation law . based on the conventional adaptation law ( 8 ), the linearized transfer function from the current error i sq − i sq to the speed estimate { circumflex over ( ω )} m is k ( s ) = - ( γ p0 + γ i0 s ) ψ r0 ( 12 ) where the gains can be functions of the speed estimate . only the imaginary component i sq − î sq of the estimation error of the current is of interest . thus only the imaginary component of ( 11a ) is used , g q ( s ) = im { g _ ( s ) } = - ψ r0 l s ′ sa ( s ) + ω s0 b ( s ) a 2 ( s ) + b 2 ( s ) ( 13 ) using ( 12 ) and ( 13 ), the closed - loop system shown in fig3 ( a ) is formed . the closed - loop transfer function corresponding to any operating point can be easily calculated using suitable computer software ( e . g ., matlab control system toolbox ). fig4 ( a ) shows the root loci of the linearized closed - loop system corresponding to the regenerating - mode operation . the slip frequency is rated and negative . only the dominant poles are shown . as assumed , the system is unstable at low stator frequencies ( a real pole is located in the right half - plane ). in the estimated rotor flux reference frame , the inventive adaptation law ( 6 ) becomes { circumflex over ( ω )} m =− γ p └( i sq − î sq ) cos ( φ )−( i sd î sd ) sin ( φ )┘{ circumflex over ( ψ )} r − γ i ∫[ i sq − î sq ) cos ( φ )−( i sd − î sd ) sin ( φ )]{ circumflex over ( ψ )} r dt ( 14 ) the linearized system is shown in fig3 ( b ), where the transfer function from the estimation error of the speed , ω m −{ circumflex over ( ω )} m to the estimation error of the current i sd −{ circumflex over ( i )} sd is g d ( s ) = re { g _ ( s ) } = - ψ r0 l s ′ sb ( s ) - ω s0 a ( s ) a 2 ( s ) + b 2 ( s ) ( 15 ) fig4 ( b ) shows the root loci of the linearized closed - loop system corresponding to the regenerating - mode operation . in this case , the system is stable also at low stator frequencies ( marginally stable when the stator frequency is zero ). fig4 ( a ) and 4 ( b ) show part of the root loci showing the dominant poles in the regenerating mode . the slip frequency is rated and negative . due to symmetry , only the upper half - plane is shown in the fig4 ( a ) and 4 ( b ). the regenerating - mode low - speed operation of the speed - adaptive observer was investigated by means of simulations and experiments . the matlab / simulink environment was used for the simulations . the experimental setup is shown in fig5 . the 2 . 2 - kw four - pole induction motor ( table i ) was fed by a frequency converter controlled by a dspace ds1103 ppc / dsp board . the pm servo motor was used as the loading machine . the control system was based on the rotor flux orientation . the simplified overall block diagram of the system is shown in fig6 , where the electrical variables on the left - hand side of the coordinate transformations are in the estimated flux reference frame and the variables on the right - hand side are in the stator reference frame . the digital implementation of the observer proposed in [ 10 ] was used . the flux reference was 0 . 9 wb . a pi - type synchronous - frame current controller was used [ 12 ]. the bandwidth of the current controller was 8 p . u . the speed estimate was filtered using a first - order low - pass filter having the bandwidth of 0 . 8 p . u , and the speed controller was a conventional pi - controller having the bandwidth of 0 . 16 p . u . the flux controller was a pi - type controller having the bandwidth of 0 . 016 p . u . the sampling was synchronized to the modulation and both the switching frequency and the sampling frequency were 5 khz . the dc - link voltage was measured , and the reference voltage obtained from the current controller was used for the flux observer . a simple current feedforward compensation for dead times and power device voltage drops was applied [ 13 ]. it is also understood that the experimental setup is illustrated here only for an example . the control system using the method of the invention can be any known system and is not limited to the mentioned rotor - flux - oriented system . the base values used in the following figures are : current { square root }{ square root over ( 2 )}· 5 . 0 a and flux 1 . 0 wb . experimental results obtained using the prior art adaptation law are shown in fig7 ( a ). the speed reference was set to 0 . 08 p . u . and a negative rated - load torque step was applied at t = 1 s . after applying the negative load , the drive should operate in the regenerating mode . however , the system becomes unstable soon after the torque step . according to the root loci of fig4 ( a ), the operating point is unstable since the stator frequency is approximately 0 . 05 p . u . fig7 ( b ) depicts experimental results obtained using the adaptation law according to the invention . as expected based on the root loci of fig4 ( b ), the system behaves stably . the first subplot of fig7 ( a ) and 7 ( b ) shows the measured speed ( solid ) and the estimated speed ( dotted ). the second subplot shows the q component of the stator current in the estimated flux reference frame . the third subplot presents the real and imaginary components of the estimated rotor flux in the stator reference frame . fig8 shows experiment results obtained using the adaptation law according to the invention . the speed reference was now set to 0 . 04 p . u . and the negative rated - load torque step was applied at t = 5 s . even though the stator frequency is only about 0 . 0085 p . u ., both the flux and speed are correctly observed . the explanation of curves are as in fig7 . simulation results showing slow speed reversals are shown in fig9 ( a ). the adaptation law according to the invention was used . a rated - load torque step was applied at t = 1 s . the speed reference was slowly ramped from 0 . 06 p . u . ( t = 5 s ) to − 0 . 06 p . u . ( t = 20 s ) and then back to 0 . 06 p . u . ( t = 35 s ). the drive operates first in the motoring mode , then in the regenerating mode , and finally again in the motoring mode . corresponding experimental results are shown in fig9 ( b ). the noise in the current and the speed estimate originates mainly from the incomplete dead - time compensation . at a given speed , the proportional effect of the dead - time compensation is more significant in the regenerating mode than in the motoring mode since the amplitude of the stator voltage is smaller . this kind of speed reversals require a very accurate stator resistance estimate since the stator frequency remains in the vicinity of zero for a long time . if desired , the observer could be augmented with a stator resistance adaptation scheme , e . g . [ 1 ]. experimental results in the motoring - mode operation ( demonstrating e . g . zero - speed operation ) of the same speed - adaptive observer can be found in [ 11 ]. the explanations of the curves are as in fig7 . it will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that , as technology advances , the inventive concept can be implemented in various ways . the invention and its embodiments are not limited to the examples described above but may vary within the scope of the claims . h . kubota , k . matsuse , and t . nakano , “ dsp - based speed adaptive flux observer of induction motor ,” ieee transactions on industry applications , vol . 29 , no . 2 , pp . 344 - 348 , march / april 1993 . g . yang and t . h . chin , “ adaptive - speed identification scheme for a vector - controlled speed sensorless inverter - induction motor drive ,” ieee transactions on industry applications , vol . 29 , no . 4 , pp . 820 - 825 , july / august 1993 . s . suwankawin and s . sangwongwanich , “ a speed - sensorless im drive with decoupling control and stability analysis of speed estimation ,” ieee transactions on industrial electronics , vol . 49 , no . 2 , pp . 444 - 455 , april 2002 . h . tajima , g . guidi , and h . umida , “ consideration about problems and solutions of speed estimation method and parameter tuning for speed sensorless vector control of induction motor drives ,” in conference record of the ieee industry applications conference , thirty - fifth ias annual meeting , rome , italy , october 2000 , vol . 3 , pp . 1787 - 1793 . h . kubota , i . sato , y tamura , k . matsuse , h . ohta , and y . hori , “ regenerating - mode low - speed operation of sensorless induction motor drive with adaptive observer ,” ieee transactions on industry applications , vol . 38 , no . 4 , pp . 1081 - 1086 , 2002 . r . ottersten and l . harnefors , “ design and analysis of inherently sensorless rotor - flux - oriented vector control system ,” in nordic workshop on power and industrial electronics ( norpie / 2002 ), stockholm , sweden , august 2002 . c . nitayotan and s . sangwongwanich , “ a filtered back emf based speed - sensorless induction motor drive ,” in conference record of the ieee industry applications conference , thirty - sixth ias annual meeting , chicago , il , september / october 2001 , vol . 2 , pp . 1224 - 1231 . j . maes and j . a . melkebeek , “ speed - sensorless direct torque control of induction motors using an adaptive flux observer ,” ieee transactions on industry applications , vol . 36 , no . 3 , pp . 778 - 785 , may / june 2000 . b . peterson , induction machine speed estimation — observations on observers , ph . d . thesis , department of industrial electrical engineering and automation , lund university , lund , sweden , february 1996 . m . hinkkanen and j . luomi , “ digital implementation of full - order flux observers for induction motors ,” in 10 th international power electronics and motion control conference ( epe - pemc &# 39 ; 02 ), cavtat & amp ; dubrovnik , croatia , september 2002 . m . hinkkanen , “ analysis and design of full - order flux observers for sensorless induction motors ,” in the 28 th annual conference of the ieee industrial electronics society ( iecon &# 39 ; 02 ), sevilla , spain , november 2002 , in press . f . briz , m . w . degner , and r . d . lorenz , “ analysis and design of current regulators using complex vectors ,” ieee transactions on industry applications , vol . 36 , no . 3 , pp . 817 - 825 , may / june 2000 . [ 13 ] j . k . pedersen , f . blaabjerg , j . w . jensen , and p thogersen , “ an ideal pwm - vsi inverter with feedforward and feedback compensation ,” in fifth european conference on power electronics and applications ( epe &# 39 ; 93 ), brighton , u . k ., september 1993 , vol . 4 , pp . 312 - 318 . table i parameters of the 2 . 2 - kw four - pole 400 - v 50 - hz motor . stator resistance r s 3 . 67 ω rotor resistance r r 2 . 10 ω magnetizing inductance l m 0 . 224 h stator transient inductance l &# 39 ; s 0 . 0209 h moment of inertia jtot 0 . 0155 kgm 2 rated speed 1430 rpm rated current 5 . 0 a rated torque 14 . 6 nm
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referring now to fig1 there is shown in cross section a transistor constructed according to the invention . a conventional substrate 10 with an insulator layer 20 , illustratively a buried oxide ( box ) layer formed by implantation of oxygen into substrate 10 supports silicon device layer 100 . device layer 100 contains an nfet including source 112 , drain 114 on either side of body 116 , the body being below gate 110 . a p - n source junction 115 is formed between the n + source 112 and p - type body 116 . the transistor is formed by conventional processes . the transistor is surrounded by dielectric isolation 40 . a non - critical blocking mask 50 has been put down and patterned , illustratively forming an aperture having one edge on the gate and the other over the isolation . an ion implant is shown as being implanted at an angle , so that a higher concentration of ions reaches junction 115 than would be the case if the implant were vertical . illustratively , the ion species may be indium , germanium , carbon or other implanted species . the term “ leakage implant ” will be used herein to mean an implant the primary effect of which is to increase the leakage current across the p - n junction . boron or phosphorous , for example , would not normally be leakage implants because they primarily change the characteristics of the p - n junction . a typical dose would be in the range of 1 × 10 12 / cm 2 to 1 × 10 15 / cm 2 . the voltage will be set according to the thickness of the device layer and the implant species , typically in the range from about 5 to 80 kev . it is an advantageous feature of the invention that the body tie extends along the full length of the source , thus providing low resistance without any area penalty . for convenience , fig1 will be referred to as looking north , so the implant is coming in from the east . the leakage implant is preferably not annealed for long periods of time or at high temperatures . referring to fig2 there is shown a case where the implant comes from the other side of the transistor ( the west , where the same north - looking orientation is assumed ). in that case , the resist and / or gate blocks the ions , so that the area close to the gate edge does not receive a direct implant . those skilled in the art will appreciate that , when the implant dose is set to apply an optimum ion concentration to sources exposed as in fig1 the embodiment of fig2 will not receive an adequate dose . referring to fig4 there is shown a plan view of a portion of a circuit . in an area denoted with the numeral 200 , there are six transistors oriented in three different directions . transistor 110 , referred to as being disposed along a first axis , is oriented along the e - w direction , with source 112 on the east . transistor 120 , referred to as being disposed along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis , is oriented along the n - s direction , with source 112 on the north . transistor 130 , referred to as being disposed along a third axis at an acute angle with respect to the first axis , is oriented along a ne - sw direction , with source 132 on the north - east end . transistors 110 ′, 120 ′ and 130 ′ are the complementary set , aligned along the same axes , but in the opposite sense . if the circuit designer has chosen to have some e - w transistors with the source on the east and also some with the source on the west , then implants from both directions will be required to cover both the set and the complementary set . referring now to fig3 there is shown a transistor and implant as in fig2 but with a gap 36 between the mask and the gate . with the implant orientation shown , the area within gap 36 will not be significantly implanted because of the shadowing effect of mask 50 . the same applies if the implant is oriented as in fig1 because of shadowing by the gate . if the implant comes from the north or south , however , then a significant number of ions may be implanted , depending on the width of the gap , the magnitude of the dose and the ease of diffusion of the ions . thus , the mask alignment of fig1 or 2 is preferable . in the most general case , there will be six implant orientations for the cases illustrated in fig4 . there need be only one mask , since the total dose is the sum of all the angled implants . the invention applies as well to pfets . in that case , the drain receives the leakage implant . the ions used are typically the same species for both nfets and pfets , but this does not have to be the case . if different ions are used for nfets and pfets , then there will be appropriate changes in the number and locations of masks . a cmos circuit will have both nfets and pfets with this leakage implant . the invention may be practiced with bonded soi wafers and with sige substrates , as well as with implanted wafers and silicon substrates . while the invention has been described in terms of a single preferred embodiment , those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced in various versions within the spirit and scope of the following claims .
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the cleanroom garment , generally depicted by the numeral 10 in fig1 is constructed as shown in fig2 - 4 . in accordance with the present invention , the garment comprises a plurality of shaped panels , each having an outer layer 12 of polyester , electrostatic dissipative ( esd ) fabric and an inner layer 14 of polyester , esd fabric . the outer layer 12 of fabric is preferably a material called &# 34 ; selguard iv &# 34 ; and the inner layer 14 of fabric is preferably a material called &# 34 ; selguard 110 .&# 34 ; both materials are manufactured by teijin , ltd . of osaka , japan . however , other , similar materials may be used instead . selguard iv is a fabric made of 100 % polyester . the twill style weaving of the electro - conductive yarn utilized has a warp spacing of 0 . 5 mm and a weft spacing of 0 . 5 mm . the twill weaving produces a warp density of 159 threads / in and a weft density of 120 threads / in . selguard iv prevents filtration of particles larger than 0 . 3 microns . selguard iv is light weight , weighing 120 g / m 2 . selguard 110 is also 100 % polyester . the weaving structure is plain . the warp spacing and weft spacing are the same as the selguard iv , namely , 0 . 5 mm and 0 . 5 mm , respectively . the plain weaving of the selguard 110 produces a warp density of 91 threads / in and a weft density of 83 threads / in . selguard 110 prevents filtration of particles larger than 0 . 3 microns . selguard 110 has a weight of 58 gr / m 2 . selguard iv is the trade name of teijin , ltd ., osaka japan , for its ultra high performance fabric designed specifically for class 10 ; and class 1 cleanrooms -- when used as an outer garment with selguard 110 as an undergarment . smaller , more densely spaced pores in this fabric block sub - micron particles but - pass adequate air and moisture to allow the operator comfort . selguard iv fabric is composed of polyester filament yarns -- 75 denier warp threads / 100 denier filling threads ( weft ) woven in a twill pattern with a density of 159 warp threads / inch and 120 filling ( weft ) threads / inch , incorporating electro conductive carbon yarn of 0 . 5 mm , both warpwise and fillingwise in a 5 mm grid pattern woven into the fabric . this results in surface resistivity ( ohm / sq ) of the warp 5 . 8 × 10 5 , filling ( weft ) 9 . 2 × 10 5 and particle filtration efficiency of 85 @ 0 . 3μ , 88 @ 0 . 5μ . selguard 110 is the trade name of teijin , ltd ., for its unique plain wave undergarment fabric of electro conductive carbon yarns and 75 denier filament polyester warp threads and 75 denier filament polyester filling ( weft ) threads with a density of 91 warp threads and 83 filling ( weft ) threads to reduce the particle density within the outer garment shell . the integral joining of the selguard iv and the selguard 110 as one apparel unit to form a bilayered cleanroom garment ensures a nonporous construction . when these two fabrics are sewn together the unit more effectively blocks particulate contamination of the cleanroom environment than a single layer or two separate garments . thus , according to the present invention , the outer and inner layers 12 and 14 of fabric are each cut into separate pieces ( i . e . sleeves , fronts , backs , etc . ), which make up a defined shaped and structured part 16 , of a finished garment 10 . these parts 16 are then sewn together along the appropriate seams 18 to form separate patterned panels of integrated parts having an outer layer 12 of selguard iv and an inner layer 14 of selguard 110 . the selguard iv and selguard 110 panels are merrowed together , as seen in fig3 and 4 , to provide an overlapping closure 20 . when the selguard iv and the selguard 110 are merrowed together the particle filtration drops to particles as small as 0 . 2 microns . after the panels are completed the panels are sewn together at seams as the finished coverall 10 shown in the figures . the seams sewn by merrowing are also especially designed to decrease the particle filtration . the finished garment will be provided with snaps or elastic necks and cuffs to snugly fit the cleanroom personnel . it shall be noted that all of the above description and accompanying drawings of the invention are to be considered illustrative and are not to be considered in the limiting sense . it is also understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific embodiments and features of the invention herein described .
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several preferred embodiments of the present invention are described for illustrative purposes , it being understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms not specifically shown in the drawings . the figures will be described with respect to the structure and functions that achieve one or more of the objects of the invention and / or receive the benefits derived from the advantages of the invention as set forth above . turning first to fig1 , shown therein is a perspective schematic drawing of a reinforcing device 102 according to the present invention . the reinforcing device 102 is made substantially in accordance with the device disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 596 , 002 , i . e ., a knit which satisfies the requirements of the knits mentioned in the background section of the present description . thus , the knit may be three - dimensional and open - worked , with two porous faces connected by connecting yarns . the reinforcing device 102 has an upper face 104 and a lower face 106 and is formed with a cut - out 108 approximately in the center of the reinforcing device 102 as shown . the cut - out 108 has a diameter of about 3 to 7 millimeters . the knit may be made of a monofilament yarn such as polyester , including pet or similar materials . the knit is flexible , as depicted in fig1 , but it could also be made semi - rigid by coating or reacting the yarn with a suitable polymer , plasticizer , or other material . turning now to fig2 , shown therein is a plan view of the reinforcing device 102 of the previous figure . as further disclosed in the aforementioned patent , which is incorporated herein by reference , the reinforcing device 102 is generally in the shape of an ellipse . this ellipse includes a large radius of curvature on the upper and lower edges , and a smaller radius of curvature on the left and right edges , respectively . the reinforcing device 102 may be made to other shapes and sizes as needed . it is preferable that the specific edge shape correspond to one or more edges formed by the practitioner in a patient undergoing a procedure to place the reinforcing device 102 . this will allow the device to be positioned in the best anatomical position in which it will remain after the procedure . the reinforcing device 102 includes , about halfway along the length of the upper edge and extending from the cut - out 108 to the upper edge , an end portion 206 , which is covered by a flap portion 202 . the combination of the flap portion 202 and the end portion 206 forms a slit or opening that is generally perpendicular to the upper edge and parallel to the end portion 206 . near one edge of the reinforcing device 102 is a cord 204 made from a biocompatible yarn material that is generally stronger than the rest of the material of the reinforcing device 102 , and provides a suitable anchor for fixing a conventional suture or staple , if needed . additional cords 104 could also be added to the reinforcing device 102 . the flap portion 202 has may have the shape shown , i . e ., rectilinear polygon , or the shape of a sector of a circular annulus , or some other suitable shape . it may also be a separate piece that is attached to the reinforcing device 102 at one of its linear or arcuate edges . the flap portion 202 extends over a portion of the upper face 104 of the reinforcing device 102 such that when it is joined to the reinforcing device 102 the lower edge is lined up with an edge of the cut - out 108 . as noted in the referenced patent , the flap portion 202 is composed of an open - worked , run - proof knit made , for example , of multifilament synthetic yarns of polyester . in the case where the flap portion 202 is a separate piece , it may be joined or attached to the reinforcing device 102 by a longitudinal stitch or seam that runs parallel to one of the edge of the end portion 206 . the knit used to make the flap portion 202 includes one or more monofilament yarns forming spiked naps projecting from the flap portion 202 or the lower face 106 of the reinforcing device 102 ( and / or also projecting from the upper face 104 ). depending on the specific medical application , the yarn for these spiked naps may be made of a biocompatible polymer . suitable polymers include , but are not limited to , polypropylene , or a bioabsorbable material . the bioabsorbable material may include , but is not limited to , polymers of p - dioxanone , polyglycolides , polyorthoesters , polymers of trimethylene carbonate , stereocopolymers of l - lactic acid and d - lactic acid , homopolymers of l - lactic acid , copolymers of lactic acid and a compatible comonomer , such as derivatives of alpha - hydroxy acids . turning now to fig3 , shown therein is a partial cross - sectional elevation view of the reinforcing device 102 according to one aspect of the present invention . shown therein are several spiked naps 304 , similar to those described above in connection with the flap portion 202 , projecting from the lower face 106 of the reinforcing device 102 . each of the spiked naps 304 has a length sufficient to penetrate into the knit of the reinforcing device 102 ( i . e ., between the filaments of the yarns of the knitted structure of the reinforcing device 102 ). if the knit making up the reinforcing device 102 has a thickness of between 1 . 5 and 2 . 2 millimeters , as taught in the referenced patent , the length of the spiked naps 304 measured from their base , projecting from the lower face 106 to the summit of the spike could be between 1 and 2 millimeters , as also taught in the referenced patent . the spiked naps 304 do not have to be linear , and in fact may all have arcuate shaped elongated members terminating with an excess of the pla material generally in the shape of a flattened ball at the distal end of the spiked naps 304 . the terminating end of the spiked naps 304 may also have other shapes , including , but not limited to , a tapered point or j - hook shape . the density of the spiked naps 304 depends on several factors , but is based on the degree of adhesion required or desired for a particular application . between 50 and 90 spiked naps 304 per square centimeter of the reinforcing device 102 is disclosed in the referenced patent and is suitable for most parietal reconstruction done from an anterior route . a lower or higher density may be suitable for other types of tissue and procedures . covering substantially all of the spiked naps 304 is a dissolvable matrix layer 302 shown in the figure as a thin layer having approximately the same thickness as the reinforcing device 102 , i . e ., about 1 . 5 to 2 . 2 millimeters , though other thicknesses may be used . the dissolvable matrix layer 302 allows the reinforcing device 102 to float as it is being positioned over an area of tissue so that the spiked naps 304 do not immediately adhere to the underlying tissue . as the dissolvable matrix layer 302 dissolves , more of the spiked naps 304 are exposed allowing them to contact the tissue and begin to “ adhere ” by physical and / or chemical means . the dissolvable matrix layer 302 may extend across the entire lower face 106 ( and / or the upper face 104 ) of the reinforcing device 102 , or only a portion of the lower face 106 ( or upper face 104 ). the dissolvable matrix layer 302 may include one or more of a biodegradable component , an antibacterial component , an excipient , a therapeutic drug , a plasticizer , and a binder component . other ingredients may also be included . a variety of polymers are available for the biodegradable component . suitable polymers include , but are not limited to , methyl cellulose ( mc ), hydoxy propyl methyl cellulose ( hpmc ) ( commercially : hypromellose ), hydroxyl propyl cellulose ( hpc ), starch and modified starch , pullulan , pectin , gelatin , and carboxy methyl cellulose ( cmc ). the polymer should account for about 45 - percent to 85 - percent w / w of the total weight of the dissolvable matrix layer 302 . the polymers identified above may be used alone or in combination to obtain the desired rate of mass transfer from the layer to the surrounding . the polymers provide strength and resist damage while handling or during transportation in conventional packaging materials . the strength depends on the type of the polymer ( s ) and their relative amounts in the dissolvable matrix layer 302 . the polymers are non - toxic , non - irritating , and lack leachable impurities . they have good wetting and spreadability properties , making them relatively easy to use in various unit chemical operations such as spray coating , fluidized reactors , pumping , etc . when in use ( i . e ., in a room temperature aqueous environment ), they exhibit gel - like properties since most of the polymers are hydrophilic , and so they exhibit generally low peel strengths making them relatively easy to “ float ” over a substrate . in solid form , they exhibit good shear and tensile strengths and therefore resist damage from medical instruments . methyl cellulose in particular can be used as a mild glue which can be washed away with water . an antibacterial component may optionally be included in the dissolvable matrix layer 302 . a suitable non - toxic antibacterial agent includes , but is not limited to , silver ion powder ( silver ions in an inert crystalline material ). the antibacterial component should account for about 0 to about 5 % w / w of the dissolvable matrix layer 302 , though higher percentages may be used . the antibacterial component in the dissolvable matrix layer 302 provides a germicidal effect that kills microbial organisms . a therapeutic drug component may optionally be included in the dissolvable matrix layer 302 . the amount of such component may be determined based on the desired dosage , i . e ., a mass of drug to a body mass ratio . the therapeutic drug component may be layered deep within the dissolvable matrix layer 302 to reduce loss after the reinforcing device 102 is placed in its final position and is washed ( with a saline or water lavage ), which can wash away the drug component . it may also be uniformly distributed within the dissolvable matrix layer 302 . the drug component can be added to the dissolvable matrix layer 302 as a milled , micronized , nanocrystal , or macro particle , depending upon the release profile desired . a plasticizer may optionally be included in the dissolvable matrix layer 302 . suitable plasticizers include glycerol , propylene glycol , low molecular weight polyethylene glycols , phthalate derivatives like dimethyl , diethyl and dibutyl phthalate , citrate derivatives such as tributyl , triethyl , acetyl citrate , triacetin and castor oil are some of the commonly used plasticizers used in dissolvable matrices like oral dissolvable strips . the plasticizers account for about 0 to about 20 - percent w / w of the dry polymer weight , though a higher percentage may be used . the plasticizers improve the handling properties of the polymer and provide flexibility and reduce the brittleness of the dissolvable matrix layer 302 . other advantages of plasticizers for use in dissolvable layers are discussed in dixit et al ., “ oral strip technology : overview and future potential ,” j . controlled release , 139 : 94 - 107 ( 2009 ), the content of which is incorporated herein in its entirety . an optional binder may also be included in the dissolvable matrix layer 302 . suitable non - toxic binders are well known in the controlled release arts . the amount of binder will depend upon the desired rate of dissolution . turning now to fig4 , shown therein is a partial cross - sectional elevation view of the reinforcing device 102 according to another aspect of the present invention . in the embodiment shown , a bioadhesive layer 402 may added between the knitted mesh of the reinforcing device 102 and the dissolvable matrix layer 302 such that when the dissolvable matrix layer 302 is removed , the bioadhesive layer is exposed and attaches or adheres to the underlying tissue . the bioadhesive layer 402 may have a variable thickness across the width of the reinforcing device 102 , and in another embodiment , only a portion of the knitted mesh is layered with the bioadhesive layer 402 . as shown in the figure , it has a thickness of about half or two - thirds of the thickness of the dissolvable matrix layer 302 , but the actual layer can be determined based on the specific application in which the reinforcing device 102 is used . the bioadhesive layer 402 is a natural polymeric materials that act as an adhesive , and may be dissolvable or resistant to dissolving ( fixed thickness ), and , as noted above , is used to supplement the adhesive function of the spiked naps 304 of the reinforcing device 102 . suitable bioadhesives include gelatin , starch , modified starch , certain proteins , carbohydrates , glycoproteins , and mucopolysaccharides , and hydrogels , which can simulate natural tissue . one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other layers , or combinations of layers , and their position on the reinforcing device 102 , may be used for a particular application . for example , in fig5 the dissolvable matrix layer 302 is shown applied to discrete locations on the reinforcing device 102 . two of the locations are the left and right ends of the device , and the other location is concentric with the cut - out 108 . fig6 is a partial cross - sectional view of section a - a ( fig5 ), showing the partial coverage of the reinforcing device 102 with the dissolvable matrix layer 302 , and a bioadhesive layer 402 , which may be slowly or rapidly dissolvable . the dissolvable matrix layer 302 could be interchanged with the bioadhesive layer 402 in the embodiment shown , such that the dissolvable matrix layer 302 covers the bioadhesive layer 402 . the dissolvable matrix layer 302 is dissolvable according to a pre - determined , controlled rate , which may be adjusted by using different ingredients or different concentrations of the same ingredients , or by using different solvents or combinations of solvents . well known mass transfer principles may be used to describe the rate at which the layer dissolves ( i . e ., convective and diffusive degradation at the solid - liquid interface ). fig7 shows the change in the thickness , d ( millimeters ), of the dissolvable matrix layer 302 over time . each of the lines shown has a different first - or higher - order dissolution rate over time . line 702 , for example , represents a constant or first - order mass transfer rate at the surface of the dissolvable matrix layer 302 ( transfer of solid to a surrounding convective fluid layer at the surface , i . e ., the fluid provided by the practitioner as a water lavage when the device is positioned , and / or provided by natural bodily fluids at the site of the reinforcing device 102 ). line 704 includes two different rates , 704 a and 704 b , each with a different rate of mass transfer . line 706 represents a variable rate of mass transfer , which is rapid initially . line 708 represents a low rate of mass transfer , whereby the thickness , d , changes slowly over time . once the dissolvable matrix layer 304 is reduced by about 50 - percent , most of the terminal ends of the spiked naps 304 will be exposed . fig8 is a partial cross - sectional view of a single spiked nap 304 having an elongated member 804 and terminating end 802 . the spiked nap 304 is shown coated with the dissolvable matrix layer 302 having a thickness , d ( millimeters ). since the spiked nap 304 thus coated with the dissolvable matrix layer 302 may extend farther into a bulk fluid ( e . g ., solvent , such as water ), the rate at which the thickness , d , changes over time may be greater than the layer 302 covering the knit of the reinforcing device 102 because of the increased prominence of convective mass transfer compared to diffusive mass transfer closer to the surface of the reinforcing device 102 . in use , the reinforcing device 102 with the dissolvable matrix layer 302 is removed from its packaging material . in the case where a thin film covers the dissolvable matrix layer 302 , it is removed by the practitioner prior to use . in a conventional procedure to treat an inguinal hernia , the device is positioned in the anterior inguinal region of a patient and then the area is wetted with a water lavage ( or some other solvent is used ), which maintains a constant moisture source and helps dissolve the dissolvable matrix layer 302 . dissolution occurs from both sides of the dissolvable matrix layer 302 . the anterior surface closest to the knitted mesh of the reinforcing device 102 is dissolved by the solvent as it penetrates the mess . the opposite surface is dissolved by the solvent as it penetrates from the sides of the reinforcing device 102 , between the space between the dissolvable matrix layer 302 and the underlying tissue , and by bodily fluids present at the site . depending on the thickness of the dissolvable matrix layer 302 or its composition , the spiked naps 304 will begin to be exposed and contact the underlying tissue , at which time they will begin to adhere to the tissue . without the dissolvable matrix layer 302 , the reinforcing device 102 attaches almost immediately , but at least within about 30 seconds . thus , the time until substantial attachment or adherence is in the range of about 0 to 30 seconds , which is increased with the dissolvable matrix layer 302 , such that substantial attachment occurs in a range from about 30 seconds to several minutes , depending , again , on the thickness and composition of the dissolvable matrix layer , and the amount and flow rate of the solvent . substantial attachment or adherence is measured in terms of peel strength , i . e ., the force , measure in pounds or newtons per area , required to remove the reinforcing device 102 after its placement on tissue after a pre - determined time period . this parameter is measurable ; for example , the peel strength of two objects ( one flexible , one rigid ) joined together is the average load per unit width of bond line required to part the bonded materials from each other where the angle of separation is 180 degrees and separation rate is 6 in / min ( astm d - 903 ). preferably , the “ float ” period ( i . e ., the period before substantial adhesion ) according to the present invention is from about 1 to 2 minutes at a peel strength of about 1 to about 3 n / cm , but a much lower peel strength may be desired . that is , when wetted , the dissolvable matrix layer 302 may form a gel that reduces the ability of the spiked naps 304 to adhere and become resorbable . this provides the practitioner sufficient time to assess the initial placement of the reinforcing device 102 and reposition the device as needed before adhesion begins . a faster adhesion would create a higher peel strength and would likely cause trauma to the underlying tissue and damage the reinforcing device 102 if attempts to remove it at that point were to occur . although certain presently preferred embodiments of the disclosed invention have been specifically described herein , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains that variations and modifications of the various embodiments shown and described herein may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , it is intended that the invention be limited only to the extent required by the appended claims and the applicable rules of law .
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referring now to fig1 - 3 , there appears an exemplary embodiment of a cooling module assembly 100 including a vapor compression cooling device 102 for circulating a cooling fluid and an optional electrically operated hydration system 104 for delivering water or other potable liquid to a user under pressure . in the preferred embodiment , the cooling module 100 is adapted to mount in the place of an air / breathing gas tank 108 of a breathing apparatus 106 such as a self - contained breathing apparatus ( scba ). in a particularly preferred embodiment , the cooling module 100 is adapted to replace a breathing cylinder of a combined scba and powered air - purifying respirator ( papr ) as disclosed in commonly assigned u . s . application ser . no . 10 / 924 , 281 filed aug . 23 , 2004 , the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference . the cooling device 102 includes a housing 110 encasing a motor 112 . the motor 112 is driven by a power supply , which may be a battery , battery pack , or the like , preferably a rechargeable battery or battery pack . the unit may be electrically coupled to an external power source for operation and / or charging of an internal power supply , such as the power supply of the breathing apparatus 106 , a vehicle power supply , ac mains , or the like . the motor 112 drives a compressor 116 which is fluidically coupled to a condenser 118 and an evaporator 120 . the compressor 116 , condenser 118 , and evaporator 120 define a refrigeration loop , through which a refrigerant is circulated , to provide cooling to water or other cooling fluid circulated through a cooling garment to be worn by the user . exemplary refrigerants include , but are not limited to chlorocarbons ( e . g ., ethyl or methyl chloride ), chlorofluorocarbons ( e . g ., freon , ucon , genetron , or the like ), ammonia , sulfur dioxide , or other known refrigerants . the water or other cooling fluid circulated through the cooling garment is delivered through conduits 122 , which attach to the cooling unit 102 via a connection 124 , which may be a quick connect / disconnect coupler . cooled fluid is passed through a tube - lined cooling suit , thereby absorbing heat from the user &# 39 ; s body and providing a cooling effect . the warmed cooling fluid is returned to the cooling unit 102 wherein it passes in heat exchange relation to the evaporator 120 , thereby cooling the cooling fluid . the cooled fluid is then returned to the cooling garment , and so forth . the water or other cooling fluid is circulated via a pump 126 , which has an inlet and outlet fluidically coupled to a respective outlet and inlet of the conduits 122 . the pump 126 , in turn , receives rotational power or torque from the motor 112 via a central shaft assembly 128 , as described in detail below . as best seen in fig7 , the motor 112 includes a stator 130 supported within a housing 132 . the compressor 116 is secured to the housing 132 . the motor 112 electrodynamically drives a rotor 134 and drive shaft 136 . the shaft 136 is coupled at a first end to a drive shaft 138 of the compressor 116 . the shaft 136 is coupled at the opposite end to an internally sealed drive magnet 140 . one or more anti - rotation pins or dowels 142 secure the drive magnet 140 to the rotor 134 . the drive magnet 140 is contained within a non - rotating housing cap 144 , which is formed of a non - magnetically attractable material , such as stainless steel , aluminum , polymer material , or the like . a first end 146 of the housing cap 144 includes an opening or cavity which is secured about the motor housing 132 . a second end 148 of the housing cap 144 opposite the first end 146 defines a tapered , threaded opening 150 . an internal bearing 152 rotatably supports the end of the drive shaft 136 . one or more sealing rings 145 may be provided to prevent entry of moisture or other environmental contamination into the motor 112 and compressor 116 . an external , driven magnet 154 is coaxially received about the housing cap 144 in axial alignment with the drive magnet 140 . the driven magnet 154 is magnetically coupled to the drive magnet 140 and rotates therewith . the driven magnet 154 is contained within an enlarged bell end 157 of a magnet housing 156 . a fan 158 is carried on the magnet housing 156 and rotates with the magnet 154 and magnet housing 156 . in operation , the fan 158 rotates to draw ambient air in through a set of top openings 164 formed in the housing 110 and force it over condenser coil fins 162 and out through a set of lower openings 160 . in operation , the refrigerant gas is liquefied by the increased pressure of the gas created by the compressor 116 . the heat of condensation given up by the refrigerant in its conversion into liquid form is removed by the fan 158 . the liquid refrigerant from the condenser 118 is delivered the evaporator section 120 , e . g ., through a pressure restricting device ( not shown ) for refrigerant vaporization . the cooling fluid carrying heat absorbed from the user is delivered to the evaporator , e . g ., via a heat exchanger ( not shown ), resulting in an increase in temperature of the refrigerant sufficient to cause it to vaporize , thereby cooling the cooling fluid prior to recirculation through the cooling garment . the magnet housing 156 is , in turn , rotatably supported on an external bearing 166 carried on the exterior of the housing cap 144 . the magnet housing 156 includes an axially extending member 168 comprising an internal axial bore 170 and a tapered exterior surface 172 . the internally tapered member 148 of the housing cap 144 is coaxially received within the axial bore 170 of the axially extending member 168 . the rotating magnet housing 156 is rigidly coupled to a second magnet housing 174 having an enlarged bell end 176 and an axially extending member 178 . the axially extending portion 178 includes a tapered and threaded internal surface 180 which is complimentary with the external tapered surface 172 of the first magnet housing 156 to provide a rigid coupling therebetween . the second magnet housing 174 is rotatably supported on a second external bearing 183 which , in turn , is supported on a fixed shaft member 183 . the fixed shaft member includes a tapered and threaded exterior surface 184 which is complimentary and mating with the interior surface of the opening 150 to provide a rigid interconnection therebetween . the bell end 176 of the second magnet housing receives an external water pump drive magnet 186 , which is secured therein rotated by the rotation of the magnet 154 and the rigid coupling between the first and second magnet housings 156 and 174 , respectively . the external drive magnet 186 drives an internal water pump magnet 188 . the internal water pump magnet is sealed within a magnet housing 190 defining an enlarged opening receiving the magnet 188 . in the depicted embodiment , a flange 194 formed on the magnet housing 190 is secured to the water pump 126 via a flange clamp 196 and threaded fasteners or other mechanical fasteners . the internal magnet 188 is rigidly secured to an axial shaft 198 which rotates with the magnet 188 to drive the water or other cooling fluid circulation pump 126 . the rotating housings 156 and 174 may be formed of aluminum , stainless steel , plastic , or the like , and may be formed of the same material as the rotationally immobilized housing members 144 and 182 . the magnets 154 and 186 may be rigidly secured within the sleeve portions of the housing members 156 and 174 , respectively , via a number of methods , including , mechanical fasteners , or more preferably , an adhesive . with reference now to fig5 and 6 , the hydration unit 104 includes an external housing 200 lined with a chemically hardened bladder 202 . in the depicted preferred embodiment wherein the unit 100 approximates the size and shape of an air cylinder for connection to a breathing apparatus , the base of the housing 200 includes a connection shoe 204 for receiving within a complimentary connector located on the breathing apparatus 106 . openings 206 on the connection shoe 204 align with openings in the breathing unit 106 for receiving retaining pins 208 ( see fig4 ) to prevent inadvertent ejection of the cooling unit 100 . connection to other types of harnesses , packs , or garments is also contemplated . a fill port 210 is provided to fill the internal bladder 202 with water or other potable liquid . in the depicted embodiment , the fill port 210 includes an extendable tube 212 which is stored within the interior of the hydration unit 212 when the fill port is closed , e . g ., via a threaded cover or cap 214 , and which can be slidingly extended therefrom to assist in filling the container . a water pump 216 may be provided within the interior compartment to deliver water / fluid to the user under pressure . the pump includes a pickup tube 218 attached to an inlet of the pump 216 and a conduit 220 coupled to an outlet of the pump 216 . a power supply 222 , such as a battery or battery pack , may be provided to supply electrical power to the pump 216 . alternatively , the pump may be electrically coupled to a power supply of a powered breathing system or other external power source . in the depicted preferred embodiment , a water pump activation switch 224 is connected to the conduit 220 , preferably within easy reach of the operator . the switch 224 is electrically coupled to the pump 216 via electrical conductors 226 , e . g ., passing within the conduit 220 . the conduit 220 includes a drink tube 228 of a type adapted for connection to a standard drink tube fitting on a breathing mask . with reference now to fig2 and 3 , the cooling module 102 is connected to the hydration module 104 in the depicted preferred embodiment via a bayonet type mounting system . a plurality of keyhole shaped openings 201 on the hydration module 102 are aligned with a plurality of protrusions 203 on the cooling module . the protrusions 203 are inserted into the openings 201 and the cooling module is rotated relative to the hydration module . other fastening members or locking devices are also contemplated to prevent the cooling module from becoming disengaged from the hydration unit . it will be recognized that the hydration unit is an optional component . in certain embodiments , the hydration unit may be replaced with a blank member which occupies the same amount of space occupied by the hydration unit and provide a connection foot for securing the unit in place of a breathing gas tank on a breathing apparatus . in other embodiments , the hydration unit may be omitted and the connection foot may be provided directly on the cooling module 102 . with reference now to fig8 , a penetrator system appears for use with a garment system of a type including an outer protective garment and an inner cooling garment , which is worn under the outer garment . the outer protective garment may be , for example , a heat resistant garment , chemical resistant garment , or a garment otherwise providing a barrier to external contaminants , such as chemical agents or other hazardous materials , extreme environmental conditions , and so forth . such garments and materials that may be used therefore are generally known to those skilled in the art . the outer garment may be , for example , a coat , parka , one - piece coverall , or the like . likewise , the depicted embodiment is adapted for a system employing two garment layers . it will be recognized that the penetrator system herein may be readily adapted to garment systems having three or more garment layers by employing additional connector units as necessary . the inner cooling garment is of a type having tubing therein carrying a cooling fluid circulated by the cooling fluid pump 126 . as is generally understood in the art , the tubing carrying the fluid is in close body contact ( typically on or in an interior surface of the garment ) with the wearer so as to effect the transfer of heat from the wearer . the penetrator system includes an outer connector 230 which provides a flow connection between the cooling fluid conduit 122 with connector 123 and an inner connector assembly 232 . the inner and outer connector assemblies 230 and 232 are positioned on the inner and outer garments so as to come into a generally aligned relationship when both suits are worn as a layered set by the user . in the depicted preferred embodiment , the fluid passageways in the connectors 230 and 232 form right angles , thereby defining a low profile as compared to linear connectors . the outer connector assembly 230 includes an outer block connector 234 which is intended to be located on an exterior surface of the outer protective garment . an outer garment retaining plate 236 is located on an interior surface of the outer garment and is secured to the inward facing surface of the outer block connector 234 , e . g ., via one or more fasteners 238 , thereby clamping the outer garment ( not shown ) therebetween . the garment may be reinforced with additional layers of fabric or other reinforcing material at the location of the connector assembly 230 . the outer block connector 234 includes a fluid inlet valve 240 and a fluid outlet valve 242 for connection to the cooling unit 102 , e . g ., via a mating connector 123 attached to the conduits 122 . the conduits 122 terminate at the opposite end at connector 124 on the unit 102 . the outer block connector 234 and retaining plate 236 may be positioned at any desired location on the garment , and is preferably within easy reach of the wearer . in one embodiment , e . g ., for military use , the outer block connector 236 may be positioned on or near the shoulder opposite the user &# 39 ; s shooting shoulder , and the invention may be adapted for left or right handed marksmen . placement of the connector 236 toward the rear of the shoulder is particularly advantageous for use with the breathing apparatus 106 or other portable cooling units of a type adapted to be worn on the user &# 39 ; s back . other positions of the fluid connectors relative to the body of the wearer are also contemplated . the inner block assembly 232 includes an inner block connector 244 having a fluid inlet 246 and outlet 248 , which may be barbed hose connectors , e . g ., for connection to the tubing of a tube lined suit worn beneath a protective outer garment as described above . the inner block connector 244 may be secured about an opening in the cooling suit at a position so that it is generally aligned with the position of the outer block connector 234 when the inner and outer garments are donned by the user . an inner retaining plate 250 is located on an exterior facing surface of the cooling suit and is secured to the inner block connector 244 in clamping fashion , e . g ., with one or more threaded connectors 253 . the cooling garment may be reinforced with additional layers of fabric or other reinforcing material at the location of the connector assembly 232 . a chemical or other protective outer garment layer 235 is disposed between the outer block 234 and the plate 236 . a cooling garment layer 245 is disposed between the inner block 244 and the plate 250 . fig9 and 10 illustrate an alternative embodiment substantially as shown in fig8 , but wherein the connector block 234 includes male and female dripless connectors 240 and 242 so as to ensure proper orientation when connected . other manners of ensuring consistent orientation include providing a keyed connection , e . g ., via the shape or features on the connector housings , markings on the connectors , or the like . the outer block connector 234 includes a dripless outlet valve subassembly 252 which cooperates with an inlet valve subassembly 254 on the inner block connector 244 . likewise , a dripless outlet valve subassembly 256 on the outer block connector 234 cooperates with a dripless inlet valve subassembly 258 on the inner block connector 244 . by dripless valve is meant self - sealing connectors including a valve movable between an open position when the connectors are in a coupled state and which are self sealing to obstruct flow when the connectors are in an uncoupled or disconnected state . the dripless connectors may be a valve coupling as shown in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 302 , 147 , which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety . however , other fluid connection types , including but not limited to quick connect / disconnect systems and dripless or self - sealing systems as generally known in the art pertaining to the connection of fluid - carrying hoses or tubing , are also contemplated . a threaded fastener 260 is provided on the outer block connector 234 and includes a rod 262 passing through an opening 264 in the block connector 234 . the rod 262 includes helical threads 266 which are complementary with internal helical threads 268 formed in an opening 270 in the inner block connector 244 . optionally , in a preferred embodiment , the rod 262 additionally includes an unthreaded portion 272 and a portion of the connector block 234 contains internal threads so that the threaded end 266 of the threaded fastener 260 must be threaded through an opening in the outer block portion 234 prior to being threaded into the opening 270 , thereby capturing the threaded fastener 260 and preventing inadvertent removal of the threaded fastener 260 from the outer block connector 234 when disconnected from the inner connector 244 . referring now to fig1 , and with continued reference to fig8 , there is illustrated an exemplary connector 123 of the cooling module 102 which is adapted for connection with the outer connector 230 . the inlet valve 240 of the outer connector 230 connects with an outlet valve 274 of the cooling module connector 123 . likewise , the outlet valve 242 of the outer connector 230 connects with the inlet valve 276 of the cooling module connector 123 . it will be recognized that other arrangements of male and female connectors may also be employed . it will be recognized that the designations of inlet and outlet valves described herein are exemplary only and are preferably selected to provide the most efficient cooling of the wearer . for example , body heat tends to be greatest toward the geometric center of the body to be cooled . thus , it is generally desirable for the cooling fluid to pass over more central regions , such as the spine area , prior to passing over more peripheral areas . in preferred embodiments , the connectors are configured to fit only in the orientation that provides the desired flow direction , e . g ., by providing adjacent male and female connectors ( see fig9 and 10 ), by keying the connectors , by providing markings or indicia of flow direction , and so forth . in the depicted preferred embodiment , a quick release mechanism includes a latch member 278 having a tapered end which protrudes from the connector block 234 housing and which , in operation , extends into an aligned opening 280 on the connector 123 to provide a latching connection therewith . once connected , the connectors 230 and 123 may be disconnected via a number of methods . in one method , an optional release button 282 may be provided . for example , a depressible button 282 may be provided on the housing shell 284 of the connector 123 wherein an internal pin 286 or other mechanical coupling or engagement between the button and the tapered latch member 278 may be provided for moving the latch from a latched position to an unlatched position when the button 282 is depressed by a user . a spring member 288 may also be provided to bias the button 282 toward the undepressed position . in an especially preferred embodiment , the button 282 is positioned on an inward facing surface of the connector 123 housing , which is opposite an outward facing surface 290 thereof . such placement provides easy manipulation of the button 282 with a user &# 39 ; s thumb when the connector unit is located at the user &# 39 ; s shoulder region as described above . however , button placement elsewhere on the unit is also contemplated . in certain embodiments , a lip 292 of the opening 280 and the latching surface of the latch member 278 are configured to disconnect upon the application of some predetermined or preselected degree of force , without the need to depress the release button 282 ( if so provided ). this would allow the user to readily shed the cooling module , e . g ., under emergency conditions , without the need to first locate and manipulate the release button or other mechanism . the inlet and outlet 294 and 296 , respectively , of the connector 123 may be barbed hose connectors for connection to the conduits 122 . the invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment . modifications and alterations will occur to others upon a reading and understanding of the preceding detailed description . it is intended that the invention be construed as including these and other modifications and alterations .
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in the present invention , dicarboxylic acids , acid anhydrides or other derivatives are reacted with mono hydroxyl functional polyethers to produce a reaction product containing the half - ester and some diester of the dicarboxylic acid . this reaction product is then reacted with a polyamino alkyl or alkenyl succinimide to produce the product of the invention . the mono - functional polyethers used in the present invention contain one free hydroxyl group per polyether molecule to form the half - ester reaction product . the overall reaction is shown below using phthalic anhydride as a non - limiting example of a dicarboxylic acid derivative useful in the invention : ## str3 ## in the foregoing examples ( i ) through ( iv ), x and y are integers , y is at least 1 , x + y is from 1 to 10 . r is an alkyl or alkenyl group containing from 8 to about 10 , 000 carbon atoms , and r &# 39 ; is h or c 1 to c 6 alkyl . r &# 34 ; is an alkyl , aryl , alkaryl , or arylalkyl containing 1 to 100 carbon atoms and r &# 34 ;&# 39 ; is hydrogen or an alkyl , aryl , alkaryl , or arylalkyl containing 1 to 100 carbon atoms . the intermediate ( i ) in the preceeding example comprises poly ( oxyalkylene ) alkyl hydrogen phthalate where the alkylene moiety is preferably ethylene , propylene or isobutylene . some diester ( iv ) is formed which carries over as a reaction product of the invention . the products of the reaction of the invention are represented more generally by the structural formulae ( v ) and ( vi ) presented below where r , r &# 39 ;, r &# 34 ; and r &# 34 ;&# 39 ; are as described for ( i ) through ( iv ) above and z is the arylidene , alkylidene , arylalkylidene or alkylarylidene moiety of a dicarboxylic acid containing at least three carbon atoms : ## str4 ## the reaction of a polyamine with alkenyl or alkyl succinic anhydride to produce the polyamino alkenyl or alkyl succinimides ( ii ) employed in the present invention is well known in the art and is disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 2 , 992 , 708 ; 3 , 018 , 291 ; 3 , 024 , 237 ; 3 , 100 , 673 ; 3 , 219 , 666 ; 3 , 172 , 892 , and 3 , 272 , 746 . these patents are incorporated herein by reference for their disclosures on preparing alkenyl or alkyl succinimides . the preparation of the alkenyl - substituted succinic anhydride by reaction with a polyolefin and maleic anhydride has been described , e . g ., u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 018 , 250 and 3 , 024 , 195 . the methods include the thermal reaction of the polyolefin with maleic anhydride . reduction of the alkenyl - substituted succinic anhydride yields the corresponding alkyl derivative . the polyolefin polymers for reaction with the maleic anhydride are polymers comprising a major amount of c 2 to c 5 mono - olefin , e . g ., ethylene , propylene , butylene , isobutylene and pentene . the polymers can be homopolymers such as polyisobutylene as well as copolymers of 2 or more such olefins . the polyolefin polymer usually contains from about 8 to 10 , 000 carbon atoms , although preferably 20 to 300 carbon atoms . a preferred class of olefin polymers comprises the polybutenes , which are prepared by polymerization of one or more of 1 - butene , 2 - butene . polymers of isobutene are particularly preferred . usually , isobutene units constitute at least 80 % of the units in the polymer . methods for the preparation of these materials are found in u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 215 , 707 ; 3 , 231 , 587 ; 3 , 515 , 669 ; and 3 , 579 , 450 , as well as u . s . pat . no . 3 , 912 , 764 . polyamines , or polyalkylenepolyamines , used to prepare the foregoing succinimides ( ii ) have the formula h 2 n ( c m h 2m nh ) x h , where m is from 2 to 6 and x is from 1 to 10 . preferred polyamines include the ethylene polyamine ( m = 2 ), where x is 1 ( ethylenediamine ), x is 2 ( diethylenetriamine ), x is 3 ( triethylenetetramine ), x is 4 ( tetraethylenepentamine ), and the like . the polyamine employed to prepare the polyamino alkenyl or alkyl succinimides used in the process of this invention is preferably a polyamine having from 2 to about 12 amine nitrogen atoms . the polyamine is reacted with an alkenyl or alkyl succinic anhydride to produce the polyamino alkenyl or alkyl succinimide , employed in this invention . the polyamine is so selected so as to provide at least one basic amine per succinimide . in many instances the polyamine used as a reactant in the production of succinimides of the present invention is not a single compound but a mixture of several amines . for example , tetraethylene pentamine prepared by the polymerization of aziridine will have both lower and higher amine members , e . g ., triethylene tetramine , substituted piperazines and pentaethylene hexamine , but the composition will be largely tetraethylene pentamine and the empirical formula of the total amine composition will closely approximate that of tetraethylene pentamine . methods of preparation of polyamines and their reactions are detailed in sidgewick &# 39 ; s &# 34 ; the organic chemistry of nitrogen &# 34 ;, clarendon press , oxford , 1966 ; noller &# 39 ; s &# 34 ; chemistry of organic compounds &# 34 ;, saunders , philadelphia , 2nd ed ., 1957 ; and kirk - othmer &# 39 ; s &# 34 ; encyclopedia of chemical technology &# 34 ;, 2nd ed ., especially volumes 2 , pp . 99 - 116 . the dicarboxylic acids or acid anhydrides employed in the present invention include preferably phthalic acid , isophthalic acid , terephthalic acid , the isomers of naphthalene dicarboxylic acid , malonic acid , maleic acid , succinic acid , glutaric acid , fumaric acid , adipic acid , pimelic acid , suberic acid , azelaic acid , sebacic acid and the like . however , aromatic or aliphatic dicarboxylic acids containing from three to twenty carbon atoms can be used . these acids may contain substituent groups such as halogen , hydroxyl , alkoxy , aryloxy , alkyl or aryl to provide useful dicarboxylic acids such as tartronic acid , phenyl malonic acid , chlorophthalic acid and the like . dicarboxylic acid anhydrides are prefered in the present invention . particularly useful carboxylic acid anhydrides include orthophthalic anhydride , 1 , 8 - naphthalic anhydride , succinic anhydride and maleic anhydride . in the process of the invention the dicarboxyic acids can be reacted with the mono - functional polyether to form a half - ester or a derivative of the dicarboxylic acid may be so employed . while useful derivatives include preferably dicarboxylic acid anhydrides , acyl halides may be used as well . the acylation of alcohols by acyl halides is a process well known in synthetic organic chemistry and can be employed without substantive modification to prepare halfesters of dicarboxylic acids as prepared in the present invention without departing from the intent or scope of the invention . mono esters of dicarboxylic acids derived from lower alcohols , such as methanol or ethanol , can also be used in the process whereby the reaction with the mono - functional polyether proceeds by way of transesterification by methods well known in the organic chemical arts . the alcohols employed in the invention in the reaction with dicarboxylic acids to prepare ( i ) are monohydroxy polyalkylene ethers have the formula ## str5 ## where n is an integer from 1 to 100 , r &# 34 ; is an aromatic or aliphatic hydrocarbon having from 1 to 100 carbon atoms , and r &# 34 ;&# 39 ; is hydrogen or an aromatic or aliphatic hydrocarbon having from 1 to 100 carbon atoms . these mono - functional , or capped or mono - hydroxy alcohols , are commercially available or may be prepared by known processes as described in kirk - othmer &# 39 ; s encyclopedia of chemical technology , vol . 19 , p 507 . they are generally prepared by the addition of a lower alkylene oxide such as ethylene oxide or propylene oxide to an alcohol , typically an aliphatic primary alcohol . they may be prepared as homo or copolymers and typically contain molecules of various molecular weight . the following examples serve to illustrate the process of the present invention to prepare the novel fuel and lubricant additives . phthalic anhydride ( 1 . 0 mole , 148 . 1 g ), mono - capped polybutylene oxide ( 1 . 0 mole , 487 g ), p - toluenesulfonic acid ( 0 . 05 mole , 9 . 5 g ) and 500 ml of xylenes are charged to a 2 l 4 - necked reactor equipped with an overhead stirrer , thermometer , dean stark trap , and n 2 purge . the reaction mixture is heated to reflux and was kept at this temperature ( 150 ° c .) for six hours . during this time , 6 . 0 ml of water collects in the dean stark trap . upon cooling , a small amount of phthalic anhydride precipitated out of solution . this is filtered off through a pad of celite . the resulting clear solution is stripped using rotary evaporation , ( 0 . 5 mm hg ). upon cooling , another small portion of phthalic anhydride precipitates out . this is again removed by suction filtration through a pad of celite . the resulting clear , brown liquid is titrated withn 0 . 1n koh and is found to have a combining weight of 1098 , where combining weight is : sample wt . ( gms )× 10 , 000 / ml 0 . 1n koh , and indicates the molecular weight associated with each carbonyl group . only a trace of unreacted anhydride is evident by ir spectroscopy . infrared analysis indicates the reaction product comprises polybutylene oxide hydrogen phthalate containing some dipolybutylene oxide phthalate . the product from , example 1 ( 0 . 03 mole , 33 . 2 g ), a polyisobutenyl succinimide ( 0 . 03 mole , 87 . 8 g , made by reacting 920 mw polyisobutylene and maleic anhydride , followed by one half equivalent of tetraethylene pentamine ), and 100 ml xylenes are charged to a 500 ml 4 - necked round bottom flask equipped withn an overhead stirrer , thermometer , dean stark trap , and n 2 purge . the reaction is heated to reflux and is refluxed for seventeen hours . during this time most of the solvent evaporates . the resulting product is filtered through a bed of celite . amide , ester , and succinimide bands are detected by ir spectroscopy . the method of this invention is preferably carried out as exemplified in example 2 wherein the half - ester reaction product and succinimide are reacted in a mole ratio of about 1 : 1 , where the half - ester molecular weight is estimated by determination of the combining weight with 0 . 1n koh . however , the rection ratios of the esterification reation product to asi can increase up to 10 : 1 , particularly when polyamines containing multiple secondary amine groups are used to prepare the asi for reaction with the esterification reaction product . the detergency properties of the products of the invention were evaluated in the following test . the results indicated the superior performance of the product . the product from example 2 is evaluated by the crc carburetor cleanliness procedure at a dosage of 100 lb / mb in phillips j unleaded fuel . ______________________________________additive deposit wt . ( mg ) % clean - up______________________________________none 16 -- example 2 3 81______________________________________ the acylated succinimides of the instant invention are particularly useful as detergent and dispersant additives to fuels and lubricants . these novel succinimides may be added to mineral oil based lubricants or to synthetic lubricants . in either case , other additives typically found in lubricants such as viscosity index improvers , rust inhibitors , pour point depressants , antioxidants and other additives well known in the art may be incorporated into the formulation . the products of this invention can be added to a fuel at about 25 lbs to about 500 lbs of additive per 1000 barrels of fuel . it can be added to a lubricant at about 0 . 1 % to about 10 % by weight . while the invention has been described by specific examples and embodiments , there is no intent to limit the inventive concept except as set forth in the following claims .
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hereinafter , exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . since the present invention may be variously modified and have several exemplary embodiments , specific exemplary embodiments will be shown in the accompanying drawings and be described in detail . however , it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific exemplary embodiments , but includes all modifications , equivalents , and substitutions included in the spirit and the scope of the present invention . it is understood that the term “ vehicle ” or “ vehicular ” or other similar term as used herein is inclusive of motor vehicles in general such as passenger automobiles including sports utility vehicles ( suv ), buses , trucks , various commercial vehicles , watercraft including a variety of boats and ships , aircraft , and the like , and includes hybrid vehicles , electric vehicles , plug - in hybrid electric vehicles , hydrogen - powered vehicles and other alternative fuel vehicles ( e . g . fuels derived from resources other than petroleum ). as referred to herein , a hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that has two or more sources of power , for example both gasoline - powered and electric - powered vehicles . the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention . as used herein , the singular forms “ a ,” “ an ” and “ the ” are intended to include the plural forms as well , unless the context clearly indicates otherwise . it will be further understood that the terms “ comprises ” and / or “ comprising ,” when used in this specification , specify the presence of stated features , integers , steps , operations , elements , and / or components , but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features , integers , steps , operations , elements , components , and / or groups thereof . as used herein , the term “ and / or ” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items . as used herein , the term “ lin ” ( local interconnect network ) communication is a serial network protocol used for communication between components in a vehicle . in particular , lin communication is a method for performing communication by previously defining transmission and reception of frames each time , and transmitting and receiving the defined frames in the defined time . further , lin communication is largely configured of a master request frame and a slave response frame . in the method and apparatus for driving an ultrasonic sensor ( e . g ., each ultrasonic sensor of a plurality of ultrasonic sensors provided in a vehicle ) according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention , the ultrasonic sensor and an upper controller are connected to each other by lin communication . since the ultrasonic sensor and the upper controller , that is , a body control module 10 , are connected to each other by a lin bus , the method and apparatus for driving the ultrasonic sensor according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may save the number and weight of wires ; however , since only one bus is used , the method and apparatus for driving the ultrasonic sensor preferably are required to use scheduling defined for transmission and reception . fig3 is a diagram illustrating a comparison result between a process of performing lin communication and an operation of the ultrasonic sensor 20 . as can be appreciated from fig3 , a transmission time of each command is approximately 10 milliseconds ( ms ). further , since lin communication is operated depending on the defined scheduling , there is spare time when any work is not done in the lin communication line for about 70 milliseconds ( ms ) within which the ultrasonic sensor 20 receives a master command from the upper controller and then processes the received master command . therefore , in the case in which the ultrasonic sensors 20 are sequentially driven , after the ultrasonic sensor first receiving an ultrasonic wave measurement command measures a distance , a temporal error may occur when the next and subsequent ultrasonic sensors measure a distance . further , the larger the error range of an oscillator , the larger the error becomes . therefore , the method and apparatus for driving an ultrasonic sensor according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention propose a protocol to measure a distance using the ultrasonic sensor the moment that a lin communication message is received and to transmit the measured value to the upper controller again . fig4 is a diagram illustrating a lin protocol according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . the method for driving an ultrasonic sensor according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may receive the lin message and directly sense an object when a command of a pid field of a header field is an object sensing command , even though data within all frames are not received . therefore , the existing method requires time to receive a data field , while the method and apparatus for driving an ultrasonic sensor according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may measure a distance from an object while shortening time corresponding to the time to receive the data field . fig5 and 6 are diagrams illustrating a comparison result of errors at the time of measuring a distance by the existing parking assist apparatus and a parking assist apparatus to which the method for driving an ultrasonic sensor according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is applied . it may be confirmed from fig5 that in the existing parking assist apparatus , errors are continuously accumulated in a continuous measurement between sensor 1 having a + error and sensor 2 having a − error and thus an error as much as about 4 . 2 milliseconds occurs between the two sensors in the final measurement . however , since the parking assist apparatus to which the method for driving an ultrasonic sensor according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention of fig6 is applied performs a synchronization process simultaneously with receiving an id through the lin communication , even though one sensor has the (+) error and the other sensor has the (−) error , it may be confirmed that the error between both sensors is not accumulated and finally , only an error of about 1 . 8 milliseconds is present . therefore , even though the existing hardware system is used in the long distance parking assist apparatus , the possibility of accident caused by a delayed alarm due to the measurement of the distance from the targeted object may be reduced by lin communication . the invention has been described in detail with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof . however , it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention , the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents .
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the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the views of the accompanying drawing . consider a clinical case wherein an anomalous region is identified by diagnosing the flow of blood into the liver parenchyma or cardiac muscle by the contrast echo method . fig3 shows the arrangement of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to the first embodiment . an ultrasound probe 1 is connected to an apparatus body 20 . the apparatus body 20 scans the inside of an object to be examined by using an ultrasound beam through the ultrasound probe 1 , creates tomographic image data by processing the obtained reception signal , and displays the image . an operating panel 9 having a trackball 10 a , keyboard 10 b , and the like is connected to the apparatus body 20 . various operator instructions such as an instruction to set a region of interest ( roi ) are input to the apparatus body 20 through the operating panel 9 . a plurality of electroacoustic conversion elements ( transducers ) are arrayed on the distal end portion of the ultrasound probe 1 . one or a few adjacent transducers constitute one channel . rf voltage pulses are applied from a transmitting unit 2 of the apparatus body 20 to the transducers . the transducers convert the electrical vibrations of the rf voltage pulse into mechanical vibrations . with this operation , the transducers generate ultrasound waves . time differences in the application timing of high - frequency voltage pulses are provided between channels . these time differences , delay times in general , are set such that ultrasound waves generated by the transducers are combined into one narrow beam , and the beam is deflected as needed . by changing the delay times , the focal length and deflection angle can be arbitrarily changed . a transmission / reception control circuit ( t / r ) 13 controls these delay times . ultrasound waves propagate through the object and are reflected by an acoustic - impedance discontinuous surface located at some point in the object . the reflected waves return as echoes to the probe 1 . the echoes mechanically vibrate the transducers of the probe 1 . as a consequence , weak current signals are generated . a receiving unit 3 amplifies the current signals in units of channels , converts them into voltage signals , and converts them into digital signals . in addition , the receiving unit 3 adds the signals while giving them delay times that differ between the channels . this addition is processing called digital beam forming , by which a reception signal is given a directivity . the receiving unit 3 has a plurality of digital beam forming systems . the transmission / reception control circuit ( t / r ) 13 simultaneously generates a plurality of reception signals having different directivities by parallel processing and differently controlling delay times between the digital beam forming systems . the transmission / reception control circuit 13 implements scan operation ( to be described later ) according to the present invention by controlling delay times in transmission and reception . note that scan operation is defined as operation to acquire a plurality of reception signals required for the creation of a 1 - frame image . more specifically , scan operation is operation of repeating a series of ultrasound beam transmitting / receiving operations with respect to a plurality of ultrasound scanning lines constituting a scan plane . this new scan sequence makes it possible to obtain both the effect of improving the time resolution and the effect of making the contrast enhance effect of microbubbles relatively uniform within a scan plane . in addition to the transmission / reception delay control function , the transmission / reception control circuit 13 has basic control functions such as the function of setting a transmission frequency and the function of shaping the waveform of a transmission pulse . as described above , by changing the delay times in transmission / reception , the transmission direction , reception direction , focal length , and ultrasound scanning line density of ultrasound beams can be arbitrarily changed . in general , parameters such as delay time and transmission frequency differ between modes such as the b - mode and color doppler mode . b - mode and color mode data can be simultaneously obtained by alternately transmitting these waves . a receiver 4 and subsequent components will be described next . the receiver 4 is comprised of a logarithmic amplifier , an envelope detection circuit , a band - pass filter for extracting harmonic components from a reception signal , and the like . an output from the receiver 4 is converted by a b - mode dsc 5 from a fan array of ultrasound scanning lines into an orthogonal array of scanning lines corresponding to a standard video format . the resultant data is sent as a bit stream to a combination circuit 6 . the combination circuit 6 combines image data and additional information such as an electrocardiographic waveform and various set values into one frame , thereby forming a frame to be finally displayed on a display 7 . a memory control circuit 14 sends array conversion information to the b - mode dsc 5 and combination circuit 6 . an image memory 8 temporarily stores the signal train after the array conversion by the b - mode dsc 5 ( or the signal train before the array conversion ). this information is read out by an operator after a diagnosis or the like . in this case , the information is output to the display 7 through the b - mode dsc 5 and combination circuit 6 . an ecg analyzer 12 analyzes the electrocardiograph ( ecg ) data of the object measured by an ecg 11 , extracts , for example , r waves , and generates a trigger signal to the transmission / reception control circuit 13 . the ecg analyzer 12 converts the electrocardiograph data into display data and sends it to the combination circuit 6 . this electrocardiograph data and tomographic image data are combined into a single frame to be displayed together on the display 7 . a clock 15 is used to control intermittent transmission intervals in a diagnosis using on ecg signal , e . g ., a diagnosis of an abdominal organ . note that the operator can control the intermittent transmission intervals and timing on the operating panel , and the control operation is reflected in the transmission / reception control circuit 13 . the scan operation in this embodiment will be briefly described by exemplifying the parallel signal processing of simultaneously generating a plurality of reception signals having different directivities for one transmitting operation . consider a case wherein two reception signals having different directivities are obtained for one scanning operation . fig4 is a view for explaining the principle of parallel signal processing . referring to fig4 , “ r ” represents an ultrasound scanning line ; and “ t ”, the transmission direction . ultrasound pulses are transmitted under delay control corresponding to the direction of an ultrasound scanning line t 1 . from the resultant echo signals , digital beam formers of two systems generate two types of reception signals that are given directivities in the directions of ultrasound scanning lines r 1 and r 2 under two types of delay control . a reception scanning line density twice a transmission scanning line density is realized by this parallel signal processing . obviously , four or more reception signals with different directivities can be theoretically generated for one transmitting operation . the scan operation in this embodiment will be described in detail next with reference to fig5 a and 5b . assume that one scan plane consists of 160 ultrasound scanning - lines . the angle difference between adjacent ultrasound scanning lines is represented by θ . scan operation for acquiring reception signals required to generate a 1 - frame image is constituted by a plurality of , two in this case , partial scan operations . more specifically , in the first partial scan operation , the first portion in the scan region is scanned , and in the second partial scan operation , the remaining , second portion in the scan region is scanned . a partial image of the first portion obtained by the first partial scan operation and a partial image of the second portion obtained by the second partial scan operation are combined into one frame , thereby completing a 1 - frame image of the entire scan plane . in the first and second partial scan operations , the focus point is fixed to a long distance . fig5 a shows the first partial scan operation . fig5 b shows the second partial operation . as shown in fig5 a , ultrasound transmission / reception is repeated in predetermined cycles . a transmission beam is sequentially moved from the right end to the left end of a scan plane in each transmission / reception . the intervals at which a transmission beam is moved are set to an integer multiple equal to or more than two of the angle difference θ between ultrasound scanning lines , 4 · θ in this case . in digital beam forming , a plurality of , four in this case , reception signals having different directivities are generated in every transmission by parallel signal processing . more specifically , four reception signals having directivities corresponding to fourth ultrasound scanning lines which are symmetrical about a transmission beam are generated . these four reception signals are subjected to detection and luminance conversion in the receiver 4 and written in the b - mode dsc 5 . different write sequences for these signals are used in a short - distance region a and long - distance region b . in the short - distance region a , all the four reception signals are written . in the long - distance region b , only the two reception signal corresponding to the two ultrasound scanning line located in the center are written . this first partial scan operation will be described in detail below with reference to fig6 . fig6 shows a microbubble collapse range 100 in which a high contrast enhance effect is obtained when the focus point is formed at a relatively long distance . the long - distance focal point is formed under a typical transmission condition , i . e ., a wide aperture and high driving voltage . in this condition , the width of the microbubble collapse range 100 is wide at the short - distance region a and narrow at the long - distance region b , as described with reference to fig1 b . the contrast enhance effect is high within the microbubble collapse range 100 . in accordance with this region exhibiting a high contrast enhance effect , in the short - distance region a , all four reception signals ( luminance signals ) corresponding to four ultrasound scanning lines r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , and r 4 which are symmetrical about a transmission beam t 11 are written in the b - mode dsc 5 . in the long - distance region b , only the two reception signal corresponding to the two ultrasound scanning lines located in the center are written in the b - mode dsc 5 . the transmission beam is them moved to tl 2 , and all four reception signals ( luminance signals ) corresponding to four ultrasound scanning lines r 5 , r 6 , r 7 , and r 8 which are symmetrical about the transmission beam tl 2 are written in the b - mode dsc 5 . in the long - distance region b , only the two reception signals corresponding to the two ultrasound scanning lines located in the center are written in the b - mode dsc 5 . when the first partial scan operation is completed upon repeating this sequence , on the memory of the b - mode dsc 5 , the entire short - distance region a is filled with the luminance data , and the long - distance region b partially has luminance data blank portions . these blank portions are filled with the luminance data obtained by the second partial scan operation . disregarding averaging , the number of times of transmission / reception required for the first partial scan operation is 160 / 4 = 40 . as is obvious , since only the reception signals within the microbubble collapse range 100 need be finally used for an image , unnecessary reception signals need not be generated in the first partial scan operation , i . e ., the reception signals corresponding to the two outside ultrasound scanning lines in the long - distance region b need not be generated by digital beam forming . the second partial scan operation will be described next . in the first partial scan operation , data blank portions are present at two adjacent ultrasound scanning lines in the long - distance region b . referring to fig5 a , for example , ultrasound scanning lines r 4 and r 5 correspond to blank portions . in the second partial scan operation , transmission , digital beam forming , and dsc write operation are performed to fill these blanks with data , as shown in fig5 b . ultrasound transmission / reception is repeated in predetermined cycles like the first partial scan operation . a transmission beam is sequentially moved from the right end to the left end of a scan plane in every transmitting / receiving operation . the intervals at which the transmission beam is moved are set to 4 · θ as in the first partial scan operation . however , the transmission beam in the second partial scan operation is shifted from the transmission beam in the first partial scan operation by half the moving intervals of the transmission beam , i . e ., 2 · θ . with this operation , an ultrasound beam is transmitted in the direction of the center axis of each ultrasound scanning line corresponding to a blank portion formed in the first partial scan operation . the first transmission beam in the second partial scan operation is transmitted to a direction t 21 between blank scanning lines r 4 and r 5 . the next transmission beam is transmitted in a direction t 22 between blank scanning lines r 8 and r 9 . in this manner , transmission is repeated at intervals of 4 · θ . in digital beam forming , a plurality of , two in this case , reception signals having different directivities are generated by parallel signal processing for each transmitting operation . more specifically , two reception signals having directivities corresponding to left and right ultrasound scanning lines on the two sides of a transmission beam are generated . these two reception signals are subjected to detection and luminance conversion in the receiver 4 , and only the data corresponding to the data blank portions in the long - distance region b formed in the first partial scan operation are written in the b - mode dsc 5 . as described above , in the second partial scan operation , image portions are assembled such that they do not overlap the image portions generated in the first partial scan operation in fig5 a , and no blank portions are formed . the number of times of transmission / reception in fig5 b is set to 40 ( 39 , to be exact ) as in the case shown in fig5 a . that is , transmission / reception is performed a total of 80 times , which is equal to the number of times of transmission / reception in 2 - direction parallel signal processing . that is , the frame rate does not decrease . the merits of this scan operation will be described below . at a long - distance focus point , the beam width increases in the short - distance region a . in this short - distance region a , microbubbles collapse in a wide range . in other words , in the short - distance region a , a contrast enhance effect owing to microbubbles can be obtained in a wide range . this makes it possible to effectively generate reception signals at once from a wide range corresponding to as many as four scanning lines for one transmitting operation by 4 - direction parallel signal processing . on the other hand , in the long - distance region b , the intervals between ultrasound scanning lines become larger than those between ultrasound scanning lines in the short - distance region a , and the distance from the center of a transmission beam increases , resulting in a decrease in the intensity of ultrasound waves . if 4 - direction parallel signal processing is performed in this state , sensitivity deteriorates . for this reason , in the first partial scan operation , 2 - direction parallel signal processing is performed . in the second partial scan operation , then , only the blank regions in the first partial scan operation are filled with data . that is , the blank regions in the first partial scan operation correspond to data on scanning line pairs in the long - distance region . at a long - distance focus point , the scanning lines in these blank regions are included in the microbubble collapse range exhibiting a high contrast enhance effect . in this manner , high contrast enhance effects can be ensured in both the long - and short - distance regions . in this case , for the sake of simplicity , the short - distance region a and long - distance region b are separated from each other by a clear boundary . to obtain a smoother image , these regions may overlap . in this case , for example , the luminance image on the overlapping portion is averaged to make the boundary less noticeable . this scan operation is especially effective for sector scan operation in which ultrasound scanning line intervals differ in a short - distance region and long - distance region . however , effects similar to those described above can also be obtained when this operation is applied to linear scan operation in which ultrasound scanning line intervals remain unchanged in a short - distance region and long - distance region . in addition , this technique may be used in combination with the intermittent transmission method of performing transmission in synchronism with an ecg signal . in this case , since the application of ultrasound waves is stopped during periods other than synchronous periods , more microbubbles flow into a slice of a region of interest and are stored without collapse . obviously , if ultrasound waves are applied in this state , more microbubbles can be detected . in addition , if the scanning method of this embodiment is used , the contrast enhance effect can be relatively improved . a multifocus method is available as a conventional method similar to the scanning method to be described below . the multifocus method is currently implemented in many apparatuses . this method will be described first with reference to fig7 a and 7b . according to the multifocus method , as shown in fig7 a , ( a ) the respective ultrasound scanning lines are scanned to perform transmission / reception at a short - distance focus point so as to generate a signal component corresponding to a short - distance region a , and ( b ) a signal component corresponding to a long - distance region b is generated at a long - distance focus point . these two images are then combined into a 1 - frame tomographic image . each ultrasound scanning line has two focus points ( represented by the heads of the arrows in fig7 a ), and hence the resolution increases . however , since the number of times of transmission / reception increases twice , the frame rate decreases to half . in addition , a multifocus method using three or more focus points is also available . in the above method , if the position of the focus point is sequentially changed from the short - distance region , microbubble echoes may be detected up to a deep portion while microbubbles collapse from the short - distance region . however , microbubbles on adjacent ultrasounds collapse . the second example of the scanning method of this embodiment , which aims at solving the above problem , will be described below with reference to fig7 b . note that the bullets on the ultrasound scanning lines represent focus points , and the numbers on the lower portion of the drawing represent a scan sequence . as is obvious from fig7 b , a characteristic feature of this scanning method is that an ultrasound scanning line r 2 is scanned first at a short - distance focus point , an ultrasound scanning line r 1 immediately preceding the ultrasound scanning line r 2 is then scanned at a long - distance focus point , and scanning is performed in the order of r 4 , r 3 , r 6 , r 5 , . . . . in this manner , while the scanning beam moves forward from one set of a plurality of , two in this case , adjacent ultrasound scanning lines to another set , the beam moves backward in the transmission direction at each set . in addition , focus points are alternately switched in the short - distance region and long - distance region in each transmission , thereby obtaining the following effects . assume that the ultrasound scanning lines are sequentially scanned from the ultrasound scanning line r 1 as in a conventional method . in this case , when an ultrasound pulse is transmitted to the ultrasound scanning line r 1 , microbubbles on the ultrasound scanning line r 2 are affected , e . g ., collapse . however , since the ultrasound scanning line r 2 is scanned first , this adverse effect can be avoided . in addition , since the ultrasound scanning line r 2 is scanned at a short - distance focus point , the influence of this scanning on the next ultrasound scanning line r 1 is small . that is , microbubbles on the ultrasound scanning line r 1 do not collapse much . as described above , this method can minimize the collapse of microbubbles on adjacent ultrasound scanning lines due to the application of ultrasound waves . note that if different focus points are set on the respective ultrasound scanning lines as in this case , since different sound fields are formed , echo signals on adjacent ultrasound scanning lines may be made uneven . smoothing by , for example , averaging on adjacent ultrasound scanning line to reduce such unevenness is effective for an improvement in image quality . although the scanning method of the above embodiment is a scanning method represented by a sector probe , the present invention can also be applied to a linear type scanning method . as shown in fig8 , in the linear type scanning method , the intervals between ultrasound scanning lines do not depend on depth . however , the profile of the sound field formed by one beam is the same as that in the above method , and the influences on microbubbles on adjacent ultrasound scanning lines in a short - distance region still remain . when the present invention is to be applied to the linear type scanning method , ultrasound scanning lines are formed to be spaced from each other by a distance 4d , and the ultrasound scanning lines are shifted by a distance 2d to form ultrasound scanning lines spaced part from each other by the distance 4d . in this case , the time required to generate one frame becomes equal to that in the scanning method in which the transmission ultrasound scanning line density is 2d . this embodiment presents a scanning procedure by which signals derived from microbubbles can be efficiently received , and the unevenness of contrast enhance effect within a slice can be corrected when one tomographic image is to be generated by the contrast echo method performed by administering a contrast agent . with this procedure , even if an ultrasound contrast agent exhibiting the same performance as that of a conventional contrast agent is administered , the contrast enhance effect can be relatively improved . therefore , an improvement in blood flow diagnosis ability , especially an improvement in fine blood flow diagnosis ability , is expected . the second embodiment provides a partial imaging method . the partial imaging method is a method of segmenting a scan plane into a plurality of local portions and scanning each local portion in an optimal scan operation sequence , instead of sequentially moving over scanning lines within the scan plane , thereby obtaining optimal ( maximum ) contrast on the entire scan plane and combining the resultant data into a one frame . fig9 is a block diagram showing an ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of this embodiment . the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment denote the same parts in the first embodiment , and a detailed description thereof will be omitted . a template memory 21 stores pieces of information about a plurality of models for segmenting a scan slice into a plurality of local regions ( partial regions ). one optimal pattern for a sliceal shape of a portion to be diagnosed is read out from the template memory 21 in accordance with an instruction input by the operator on an operating panel 9 . this template is sent to a memory control circuit 14 first , and then displayed on a display 7 in a form in which the template is superimposed on an ultrasound diagnosis image . a signal processing unit 22 performs numeric operation such as averaging echo signals from a local region or obtaining a representative value . a graphic unit 23 performs graphic signal processing , e . g ., synthesizing an image on the basis of data sent from the signal processing unit 22 and coloring a simplified graphic pattern . the image data created by this processing is output to the display 7 through a combination circuit 6 . this data is also transferred to an external computer , printer , or the like through a network board 24 . this partial imaging method is roughly constituted by three steps , i . e ., ( a ) the step of setting a diagnosis region of interest and a local region of interest , ( b ) the scanning step , and ( c ) the display step . first of all , it is important to set a specific local portion toward which the diagnostic apparatus is to perform optimal scanning . the settings vary depending on an organ to be diagnosed and its slice . for example , the cardiac muscle in a cardiac minor axis image has an almost circular shape . a circular template 50 representing a local region like the one shown in fig1 a is selected in advance . the size of the template 50 is then adjusted by using the zoom function of the operating panel 9 or the like to almost overlap the outer ring of the template 50 on the minor axis image , as shown in fig1 b . if the size of a template is fixed in accordance with a routine , the template need not be displayed in some case . as shown in fig1 c , the operator then designates desired local regions with points or regions . obviously , a plurality of regions can be designated . in this case , regions can be set at uneven intervals along the cardiac muscle . as shown in fig1 d , the operator designates representative points of those set above . with this operation , the apparatus performs automatic segmentation . in this example , diametrically located four points are designated to obtain a segmented region like the one shown in fig1 b . obviously , the size of a template , the number of local regions segmented , and the like can be changed . in the above case , the cardiac minor axis image is exemplified . however , a template suited for the shape or the like of another slice , such as a 2 - cavity cross section or major axis image , may be selectively used . in addition , the setting method shown in fig1 c and 10d can also be used . in diagnosing the liver , since the liver is included in an overall slice , relatively simple local region segmentation like the one shown in fig1 can be performed . the set local regions are sequentially scanned . in general , this scanning is started when the operator presses a start button on the operating panel 9 . in the case shown in fig1 , for example , when a local region a is to be irradiated , a focus point is set at the central portion of the region a . a transmission / reception control circuit 13 changes the ultrasound transmission conditions in accordance with the position of each local position ( transmission focus point ) so as to almost equalize the degrees of dynamic influences on the respective local regions , i . e ., sound pressures on the respective local regions and the degrees of collapse of microbubbles in the respective local regions . typical transmission conditions that can be adjusted include the driving voltage for each transducer , the aperture width ( the number of transducers to be simultaneously driven ), the driving frequency , and the scanning line density . in this case , the respective parameters are changed to almost equalize the degrees of collapse of microbubbles in consideration of biological damping ( mainly determined by the transmission distance of ultrasound waves ) and the irradiation angle with respect to each transducer . when the parameters associated with the driving voltage for each transducer and the number of transducers to be simultaneously driven are changed , the degrees of collapse of microbubbles can be made almost uniform by almost equalizing the sound pressures at the positions of the respective focus points . more specifically , when the driving voltage for each transducer is to be changed , the driving voltage is lowered if the focus point is located near , and vice versa . when the number of transducers to be driven is to be changed , the number of transducers to be driven is decreased if the focus point is located near , and vice versa . when the frequency is to be changed , the frequency is increased if the focus point is located near , and vice versa . note that only one of the above parameters may be changed or a plurality of parameters may be simultaneously changed . strictly speaking , the value of damping varies among objects to be examined . however , a rough value can be presented to the operator on the basis of data obtained in advance by measurement . with reference to a region e exhibiting the maximum damping , relative transmission sound pressures for the respective regions are set such that − 1 . 5 db is set for regions d and f ; − 2 db , for regions c and g , − 4 . 5 db , for shallow regions b and h , and − 6 db , for a shallowest region a . if an effective echo signal is to be obtained by irradiating the local region e with ultrasound waves , the region a on the same ultrasound scanning lines is affected by the collapse of microbubbles . it is therefore useless to scan the region a immediately after the region e . this problem can be effectively solved by using an intermittent transmission method . as shown in fig1 , for a circulatory organ region , transmission is performed once for every heartbeat or for a few heartbeats by using triggers synchronous with an electrocardiogram . in the interval between triggers , no transmission is performed , and hence new microbubbles flow into a region of interest upon collapse of microbubbles . this makes it possible to acquire a sufficient contrast enhance effect again . in the case shown in fig1 , at the same trigger timing , echo signals are generated from the pairs of local regions b and h , c and g , and d and f at the same heartbeat timing by using the parallel signal processing method . this is because each pair of regions are located at the same depth and same focal length , and do not affect each other , i . e ., do not collapse microbubbles each other , since they are spaced apart from each other . in addition , in the case shown in fig1 , scanning from the region a to the region h is repeated a plurality of number of times . fig1 a and 14b show another operation procedure . assume that scanning is started from the right end of the screen . in this case , at the first trigger , as shown in fig1 a , the local regions a , b and c are simultaneously scanned by using 3 - direction parallel signal processing . in each region , however , the focal length and output sound pressure can be changed , and the changed values are set as optimal values in each region . at the second trigger , as shown in fig1 b , similar scanning is performed for regions on which the ultrasound scanning lines at the first trigger overlap . in this method , the segmentation forms of local regions are not uniform unlike those in fig1 . a merit of the method is that microbubble echoes can be obtained relatively effectively with a smaller number of times of transmission / reception . fig1 shows an advanced method . at the first trigger , the focal length changes for each ultrasound scanning line ( an illustration of ultrasound scanning lines is omitted ), as indicated by “ a ” in fig1 . the output sound pressure is also controlled in accordance with a change in focal length such that output pressures on other ultrasound scanning line in this focus point portion are made uniform . at the second trigger , the focal length changes for each ultrasound scanning line as indicated by “ b ” in fig1 . as a result , at the second trigger , good echoes can be received from the entire circumferential portion of the cardiac muscle , and echoes can be acquired under a uniform sound pressure intensity along the circumferential portion of the cardiac muscle . the following technique can also be used to extract clearer microbubble echoes . according to this technique , as shown in fig1 , immediately after an echo signal is obtained by performing a scan t 1 for a given region , a similar scan t 2 is performed for the same region at the above trigger timing . if the scan t 2 is performed at this timing , microbubbles collapse by the immediately preceding scan t 1 , and only an echo signal representing a tissue remains in the echoes obtained by the immediately succeeding san t 2 . if the receiver calculates the difference between the echo signals obtained by these two scans , only the signal derived from the collapsed microbubbles is extracted as a difference signal . as a consequence , the echoes derived from the contrast agent which are free from the influences of luminance of the living tissue can be visualized ( this method will be referred to as a subtraction method hereinafter ). according to the data acquisition method of the present invention described above , since data ( signal intensity ) presenting a contrast enhance effect on the entire region of interest can be obtained by executing at least two scan procedures , the technique of combining the data and displaying the resultant image is used . in the case shown in fig1 or 14 , since the boundaries between the respective local regions are clear , a simple image ( simple signal intensity distribution ) is reconstructed by the combination circuit 6 using only data from a corresponding region , and the image is displayed on the display 7 . this image combining and displaying method can be applied as follows . in diagnosing a myocardial blood flow , attention is often paid to find an ischemic region of the cardiac muscle . in this case , the operator need only know fine blood flow perfusion due to a contrast agent without paying any attention to the fine form of speckle pattern of the cardiac muscle ( as in the case of a scintigram in nuclear medicine ). to meet such needs in diagnosis , for example , a display method of calculating the average contrast degree of each local region and displaying the calculated value as the representative value of each local region is used . painting each region by using color information based on a color bar or the like makes the displayed information easier to discern ( fig1 a ). alternatively , simplified display may be performed as shown in fig1 b . furthermore , as shown in fig1 c , blood flow rates may be numerically expressed and displayed . although the luminances and numerical values in display represent relative information , such a display method allows the operator to quickly detect an ischemic region of the cardiac muscle if it exists . these images may be displayed side by side as well as being overlaid on an original diagnostic image . more simplified display images can be added to a patient &# 39 ; s chart or electronic patient &# 39 ; s chart through a means such as a network as well as being output from a printer . fig1 shows the arrangement of the third embodiment . a transmission / reception control circuit 13 controls the timing of pulses from a transmitting unit . this embodiment performs intermittent transmission using a timing signal from an ecg analyzer 12 or clock 15 in accordance with a mode switching instruction sent from an operating panel 9 . intermittent transmission is transmission in which frame generation intervals are sufficiently larger than those in normal continuous transmission ( 20 to 100 frames / sec ). for example , time intervals corresponding to four or five heartbeats are input . the transmission / reception control circuit 13 instructs a transmitting unit 2 to perform transmission of a plurality of frames per trigger ( in other words , continuous scanning in a short period of time ). fig1 shows a conceptual rendering of this transmission . referring to fig1 , five frames are continuously transmitted / received at predetermined time intervals ( sufficiently longer than the frame rate ). an image processing unit 31 combines a plurality of frames obtained per trigger by the above method and sends the resultant images to the combination circuit , and the images are displayed on the display . prior to a description of an image processing method , diagnostic images expected from the transmission method in fig1 will be described . if the contrast agent concentration is relatively low or a contrast agent is made of microbubbles that easily collapse , most microbubbles on a slice collapse by a transmission pulse in the first frame . in the second and subsequent frames , therefore , diagnostic images are formed without any microbubbles , i . e ., made of only tissue echoes . it is , however , empirically known that there are cases other the above case . if , for example , the contrast agent concentration is high or a recently developed contrast agent containing microbubbles that are relatively resistant to ultrasounds is used , the following phenomenon occurs . as in fig2 a , in transmission of the first frame ( a ), a contrast enhance effect is seen at a relatively short - distant portion . however , the collapsing effect of high - concentration microbubbles at the short - distance portion increases , and hence ultrasound pulses can hardly propagate to a deeper portion . as a consequence , no image is seen at a portion deeper than the short - distance portion , and the portion becomes dark . in some case , such a portion becomes darker after administration of the contrast agent than before ( called shadowing ). as shown in fig2 b , in the second frame ( b ), since the microbubbles at the short - distance portion have collapsed , the contrast enhance effect decreases . however , since damping of sound waves due to microbubbles is reduced , a relatively deep portion is irradiated with a relatively high sound pressure . the contrast enhance effect at this portion increases . subsequently , a similar phenomenon is transferred to deeper portions . when microbubbles collapse in all regions as shown in fig2 c , the displayed image is formed by tissue echoes ( fig2 d and 20e ). if this phenomenon is seen with a moving picture , the movement of the luminance based on contrast from a shallow portion to a deep portion like a curtain that drops is recognized . this phenomenon will be referred to as a “ curtain phenomenon ” hereinafter . obviously , when the above phenomenon occurs , the operator cannot examine a contrast enhance effect on an entire slice by only seeing one of a plurality of images . all the images must be joined to each other . the image processing unit 31 described above performs optimal image combining processing when the above curtain phenomenon occurs . more specifically , images obtained at one trigger timing are stored in the image memory 8 . the luminance signals of these images at the same coordinates in the respective frames are compared with each other to detect maximum values . arithmetic processing for determining a luminance i ( x , y ) at coordinates ( x , y ) is given by where i i ( x , y ) is the luminance at the coordinates ( x , y ) in the ith frame , and n is the number of images to be compared with each other . as a result of this processing , images like those shown in fig2 a , 20b , 20 c , 20 d , and 20 e having high - luminance contrast portions joined together are combined , and the combined image is displayed on the display . as is obvious from the result , since this image displays the luminance corresponding to the highest contrast among all the regions , the operator can examine the overall contrast degree with this one diagnostic image . note that this technique is similar to an mip ( maximum intensity projection ) method used to project three - dimensional space information on a two - dimensional plane . however , the general mip method is used for spatial points , whereas the technique of the present invention is used for temporal points . note that the above arithmetic processing is relatively simple , and a combined image is preferably displayed almost in real time immediately after transmission at the trigger timing . as described above , this embodiment cannot exhibit a sufficient effect when no curtain phenomenon occurs , but has no adverse effect . therefore , this technique is not used in any specified condition . fig2 a and 21b show examples of a display form . fig2 a shows a method based on two - window display . while intermittent transmission is observed in real time on one window , the above combined image is sequentially displayed on the other window . referring to fig2 b , images obtained at one trigger timing are displayed side by side , and a combined image is simultaneously displayed . note that all image need not have the same size . in general , since a combined image is most important for diagnosis , the image is preferably displayed in a relatively large size , as shown in fig2 b . additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art . therefore , the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described herein . accordingly , various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents .
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the invention is directed towards cement wallboards , and methods for their preparation . the wallboards of the instant invention are useful in residential and commercial construction . the wallboards are particularly useful for use in areas of high humidity such as bathrooms , kitchens , saunas , and showers . tiles can be readily adhered to the exterior surface of the wallboards of the instant invention . one embodiment of the invention is directed towards a wallboard having a cement core . the wallboard preferably comprises a first scrim sheet 1 , a cement core layer 2 facially contacting the first scrim sheet , a second scrim sheet 3 facially contacting the cement core layer on the opposite face of the cement core layer from the first scrim sheet , and a mat 4 facially contacting the second scrim sheet . the first scrim sheet can generally be made of any commercially acceptable material . such materials include pvc coated fiberglass , basalt fibers , and alkali resistant glass . the mesh size can generally be any mesh size . mesh sizes are typically measured by yarns per square inch , and are given as a number × number value . the first scrim sheet can be 8 × 8 , 7 . 5 × 7 . 5 , 10 × 8 , or 5 × 5 . smaller numbers of yarns per square inch correspond to larger mesh sizes , and larger openings in the mesh . it is presently preferred that the first scrim sheet be a 8 × 8 pvc coated fiberglass scrim . scrim sheets are commercially available from a number of suppliers such as st . gobain technical fabrics ( albion , n . y . ), fab - tech ( colchester , vt . ), and phifer wire products ( tuscaloosa , ala .). the cement core comprises generally any type of portland based cement . the core can further comprise lower density particles 2 a such as expanded polystyrene , expanded clay , fillite ( a registered trademark of trelleborg fillite inc ., norcross , ga . ), ceramic microspheres , or glass bubbles . the particles reduce the overall density of the core . once the wallboard is prepared , it can be heated to partially or fully remove any water present in the core . it is presently preferred that the core comprise polystyrene c - beads from nova chemicals ( pittsburgh , pa .) having an unexpanded particle size of 0 . 4 – 0 . 8 mm and a density of 1 pound per square foot . expanded polystyrene beads are also available from huntsman chemicals ( houston , tex .) and from basf ( ludwigshafen , germany ). the second scrim sheet can be prepared from the same or different materials as was the first scrim sheet . the mesh size of the second scrim sheet can be the same or different from that of the first scrim sheet . it is presently preferred that the second scrim sheet be a 5 × 5 mesh to allow more cement penetration through the scrim to bond to the mat . the mat can generally be made of any commercially acceptable material . the mat is typically made of a polymer ( e . g . a homopolymer , a co - polymer , or a mixture of polymers ). it is presently preferred that the mat be polyester . the mat can generally be about a 10 pound / ft 2 mat to about a 40 pound / ft 2 mat . specific examples include about a 14 pound / ft 2 mat , about a 20 pound / ft 2 mat , and about a 39 pound / ft 2 mat . a polyester mat suitable for use in the present invention is commercially available from a number of suppliers such as lydall manning ( manchester , conn .) and elk corporation ( dallas , tex .). the thickness of the mat can generally be any thickness . for example , the thickness can be about 0 . 1 mm , about 0 . 25 mm , about 0 . 5 mm , about 0 . 75 mm , about 1 mm , about 2 mm , about 3 mm , about 4 mm , or about 5 mm . polyester mats are also commonly characterized in ounce per square yard . for example , a mat can have about 0 . 8 ounce per square yard to about 5 ounces per square yard . specific examples include about 1 , about 2 , about 3 , about 4 , and about 5 ounces per square yard . the overall thickness of the wallboard can generally be any thickness commonly used in the construction industry . generally , the wallboard can be about ¼ inch ( 0 . 64 cm ) or greater in thickness . for example , the wallboard can have a thickness of about ¼ inch ( 0 . 64 cm ), about 5 / 16 inch ( 0 . 79 cm ), about ½ inch ( 1 . 27 cm ), about ¾ inch ( 1 . 90 cm ), or about 1 inch ( 2 . 54 cm ). the width of the wallboard can generally be any width commonly used in the construction industry . for example , the width can be about 32 inches ( 81 cm ), about 36 inches ( 91 cm ), or about 48 inches ( 122 cm ). the length of the wallboard can generally be any length commonly used in the construction industry . for example , the length can be about 48 inches ( 122 cm ), about 60 inches ( 152 cm ), about 72 inches ( 183 cm ), or about 96 inches ( 244 cm ). the wallboard can further comprise a second mat 5 facially contacting the first scrim sheet . the second mat can be the same or different from the first mat . the wallboard can further comprise one or more u - shaped mats 6 wrapping the edges of the wallboard . the wallboard can comprise two u - shaped mats , one on each side of the wallboard . the flexural strength of the wallboard is preferably at least about 750 psi ( 53 kg / cm 2 ). examples of flexural strengths include at least about 800 psi ( 56 kg / cm 2 ), at least about 900 psi ( 63 kg / cm 2 ), at least about 1000 psi ( 70 kg / cm 2 ), at least about 1100 psi ( 77 kg / cm 2 ), at least about 1200 psi ( 84 kg / cm 2 ), at least about 1300 psi ( 91 kg / cm 2 ), at least about 1400 psi ( 98 kg / cm 2 ), at least about 1500 psi ( 105 kg / cm 2 ), and at least about 1600 psi ( 112 kg / cm 2 ), and ranges between any two of these values . the compression indentation strength of the wallboard is preferably at least about 1250 psi ( 88 kg / cm 2 ) measured at a 0 . 05 inch ( 0 . 13 cm ) displacement . examples of compression indentation strength include at least about 1300 psi ( kg / cm 2 ), at least about 1400 psi ( 98 kg / cm 2 ), at least about 1500 psi ( 105 kg / cm 2 ), at least about 1600 psi ( 112 kg / cm 2 ), and at least about 1700 psi ( 120 kg / cm 2 ), and ranges between any two of these values . the above described wallboards can be prepared by several different methods . a first method comprises obtaining a first scrim layer , depositing a cement core layer on the first scrim sheet , contacting the cement core layer with a second scrim sheet , and contacting a mat with the second scrim sheet . the cement core layer comprises a first face and second face . the first scrim sheet facially contacts the first face of the cement core layer , and the second scrim sheet facially contacts the second face of the cement core layer . the mat facially contacts the second scrim sheet on the opposite side from the cement core layer . a second method comprises obtaining a mat , contacting the mat with a second scrim sheet , depositing a cement core layer on the second scrim sheet , and contacting a first scrim sheet with the cement core layer . the cement core layer comprises a first face and second face . the first scrim sheet facially contacts the first face of the cement core layer , and the second scrim sheet facially contacts the second face of the cement core layer . the mat facially contacts the second scrim sheet on the opposite side from the cement core layer . methods of preparing the above described wallboards can further comprise heating the wallboards after assembly to remove water . the methods can further comprise wrapping one or two edges with an edge mat . the methods can further comprise adding one or more low density materials to the cement core layer material prior to or concurrently with the depositing step . the methods can be performed in a batchwise manner or in a continuous manner . the methods can further comprise cutting the wallboard into any desired shape . the cutting step can be performed prior to or after the heating step . the above described wallboards can be used in a variety of commercial and residential applications . for example , the wallboards can be used as backerboards for tiles . the wallboards can be used in shower enclosures , tub surrounds , garden tubs , interior and exterior countertops , swimming pool decks , whirlpool decks , exterior soffit panels , floor underlayment , exterior sheathing panels , and other residential and commercial construction environments . the following examples are included to demonstrate preferred embodiments of the invention . it should be appreciated by those of skill in the art that the techniques disclosed in the examples which follow represent techniques discovered by the inventors to function well in the practice of the invention , and thus can be considered to constitute preferred modes for its practice . however , those of skill in the art should , in light of the present disclosure , appreciate that many changes can be made in the specific embodiments which are disclosed and still obtain a like or similar result without departing from the scope of the invention . a wallboard was produced as shown in fig3 . the board contained a 1 ounce 20 pound polyester mat , a 5 × 5 g75 scrim , a portland cement core containing expanded polystyrene c - beads ( novachemical ), and an 8 × 8 g75 scrim . the wallboard of example 1 was examined . a board of 11 13 / 16 inches ( 30 . 0 cm ) length and 11¾ inches ( 29 . 8 cm ) width had a weight of 2 . 013 pounds ( 0 . 91 kg ). the average caliper measurement was 0 . 290 inches ( 0 . 74 cm ). the density was 84 . 6 pounds per cubic foot ( 1355 kg / m 3 ), and the weight / msf was 1 . 9654 . wallboards of example 1 were prepared using three different mat weights : 14 . 5 pounds per square foot , 20 pounds per square foot , and 39 pounds per square foot . dried samples were tested for their flexural strength ( mor ) using the astm c - 947 3 point load standard . the results obtained are shown in the following table . md refers to machine direction , while xmd refers to cross machine direction . a mor value of 750 psi ( 53 kg / cm 2 ) is required for a commercial wallboard product . all values obtained were significantly higher than this threshold . the dried wallboards of example 3 were tested for their compression indentation strength using the astm d - 2394 using 1 inch ( 2 . 54 cm ) diameter discs . the results obtained are shown in the following table . the ansi requirements for a commercial product is a minimum of 1250 psi ( 88 kg / cm 2 ) at 0 . 05 inch displacement . all three samples tested exceed this requirement . permabase ( r ) portland cement boards are commercially available from national gypsum company ( charlotte , n . c .). details of the product are provided in the construction guide and approval ( july 2001 ). the boards contain fiberglass reinforcing mesh on the front and back faces , and have edgetech wrapping on the edges . the following table lists the physical properties of the ½ inch ( 1 . 27 cm ) and 5 / 16 ( 0 . 79 cm ) inch thick product . the wallboard compositions disclosed herein have a lighter weight and higher flexural strength than the permabase ( r ) commercial product . the compressive strength is lower than that of the commercial product , but still well above the ansi minimum requirement . all of the compositions and / or methods disclosed and claimed herein can be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure . while the compositions and methods of this invention have been described in terms of preferred embodiments , it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that variations may be applied to the compositions and / or methods and / or and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the methods described herein without departing from the concept and scope of the invention . more specifically , it will be apparent that certain agents which are chemically related may be substituted for the agents described herein while the same or similar results would be achieved . all such similar substitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the scope and concept of the invention .
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for purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention , reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same . it will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended , such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device , and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates . the general field of ceramic stereolithography is believed known to those of ordinary skill in the art . more specifically , ceramic stereolithography utilizes a photo - polymerizable resin containing ceramic particles that solidifies when exposed to an appropriate energy dose . the present invention contemplates that the photo - polymerizable material including ceramic particles can be described in many ways including , but not limited to filled and loaded . in one form of the present invention the photo - polymerizable material includes ceramic particles within a range of 35 % to 65 % by volume ; however other relationships are contemplated herein . the photo - polymerizable ceramic resin after being dosed with energy forms a green state ceramic item . the green state ceramic item is subjected to a burning off act to remove the photo - polymer and then a sintering act is applied to the ceramic material . during the sintering of the ceramic material there is a volumetric change in the item . further , the inventors have recognized that there is generally very little volumetric change occurring during the burning off act of the photo - polymer . in one form ceramic stereolithography is accomplished in a machine adapted for stereolithography operations and available from 3d systems of valencia , calif . however , the present inventions are applicable with virtually any type of apparatus or techniques for producing an item by stereolithography . further , information related to selective laser activation and / or stereolithography is disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 256 , 340 , 5 , 556 , 590 , 5 , 571 , 471 and in pending u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 462 , 168 , which are all incorporated herein by reference . with reference to fig1 , there is illustrated one embodiment of an item 45 being formed by a ceramic stereolithography process . ceramic stereolithography as utilized herein should be broadly construed and includes the utilization of ceramic material within a photo - polymerizabele resin . the term item is intended to be read broadly and includes , but is not limited to , molds , parts , components and / or subcomponents . item 45 is merely illustrative and is shown being formed by the photo - polymerization of the ceramic filled resin into layers ( e . g . 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 ) of ceramic particles that are held together by a polymer binder . the reader should understand that there is no intention herein to limit the present application to any particular number of layers unless specifically provided to the contrary . stereolithography apparatus 500 is illustrated in a simplified manner to facilitate the explanation of one method of making ceramic item 45 . in one form the formation of the layers ( e . g . 50 - 53 ) utilizes a leveling technique to level each of the layers of photo - polymerizable ceramic filled resin prior to receiving a dose of energy . the present application contemplates the following techniques to level the resin : ultrasonic processing ; time delay ; and / or mechanically assisted sweep such a wiper blade . however , the present application also contemplates an embodiment that does not utilize express techniques for leveling each of the layers prior to receiving a dose of energy . a three dimensional coordinate system including a first axis , a second axis and a third axis is utilized as a reference for the item being fabricated . in one form the three dimensional coordinate system is a cartesian coordinate system . more preferably , the cartesian coordinate system includes an x , y and z axis utilized as a reference for the item being fabricated correspond to the axis of the stereolithography apparatus . however , other three dimensional coordinate systems are contemplated herein , including but not limited to polar , cylindrical , spherical . the text will generally describe the present invention in terms of a cartesian coordinate system , however it is understood that it is equally applicable to other three dimensional coordinate systems . in one form stereolithography apparatus 500 includes a fluid / resin containment reservoir 501 , an elevation - changing member 502 , and a laser 46 . the reservoir 501 is filled with a quantity of the photocurable ceramic filled resin from which the item 45 is fabricated . item 45 is illustrated being fabricated in layer by layer fashion in the stereolithography apparatus 500 in the direction of axis z ; which is referred to as the build direction . the item 45 is built at a build orientation angle as measured from the axis z . the build orientation angle illustrated is zero °; however there is no limitation intended herein regarding the build orientation angle as other build orientation angles are fully contemplated herein . the three dimensional coordinate system is aligned with the build orientation angle . more specifically , in a preferred form the three dimensional coordinate system of the item being fabricated and the stereolithography apparatus &# 39 ; coordinate system are coextensive . with reference to fig2 , there is illustrated an enlarged view of a portion of the item 45 . the item 45 includes a plurality of cured layers 50 , 51 , 52 which define a portion of the item . the present application contemplates that the term cured includes partially or totally cured layers . the layers are contemplated as having the same or different shapes , may be solid or contain voids or holes , may have the same or differing thickness as required by the design parameters . in one form the cured layers have a thickness within a range of about 0 . 001 to about 0 . 008 inches . in another form each of the layers has a thickness of about 0 . 002 inches . however , other cured layer thickness are contemplated herein . with reference to fig3 , there is set forth a purely illustrative plan view of a portion of a layer 53 . layer 53 represents a portion of a layer formed in a stereolithography apparatus 500 that utilized a wiper blade moved in the direction of axis y to level the photo - polymerizable ceramic filled resin prior to receiving a dose of energy . the wiper blade interacts with the photo - polymerizable ceramic filled material and affects the homogeneity in at least two dimensions . the inventors have discovered that the shrinkage in the item associated with a subsequent sintering act is anisotropic in the three directions ; for example the x , y and z directions . anisotropic shrinkage can be considered to occur when isotropic shrinkage is not sufficient to keep the sintered item within a predetermined geometric tolerance . in the discussion of the anisotropic shrinkage relative to the x , y and z axis the z axis represents the build direction and the y axis represents the direction of the movement of the wiper blade . the inventors have determined that shrinkage in the z direction ( build direction ) is greater than in the x and y directions . factors to consider when evaluating the shrinkage are the solid loading in the photo - polymerizable resin , the resin formulation , the build style and orientation and how the item is sintered . with reference to fig4 , there is illustrated one embodiment of a shrinkage measurement test model 300 . in one form the shrinkage measurement test model 300 is created as a solid body model and then generated as an stl file . in one form the item is oriented such that the back corner represents the origin of a cartesian coordinate system x , y , z . the vertical direction of the stl being aligned with the z axis and the two sides 301 and 302 being aligned with the x and y axis respectively . the item is than built in a stereolithography apparatus with the cartesian coordinate system of the item aligned with the coordinate system of the stereolithography apparatus . the present invention can be utilized with any suitable file format and / or hardware . the shrinkage measurement test model 300 in the green state is then subjected to a comprehensive inspection to quantify dimensions of the item . the measurements taken during inspection can be obtained with known equipment such as , but not limited to calipers and / or coordinate measuring machines . in one form the shrinkage measurement test model has been designed so that all of the inspection dimensions line up along the x , y and / or z axis . the item is then subjected to a firing act to burn off the photo - polymer and sinter the ceramic material . the comprehensive inspection is repeated to quantify the dimensions of the item after being sintered . the measured values from the comprehensive inspection after firing are than compared with the inspection values from the green state item . in one form the comparison is done by plotting the measured values of the fired item against the measured values from the green state item . a least squares analysis is performed to obtain a linear equation . the resulting slope of the equations is the shrinkage factors for each of the x , y and z direction / dimensions . the shrinkage for each of the x , y and z directions / dimensions are applied to one of the stl file or the solid body model to expand the dimensions in the respective directions of the coordinate system . the process will modify one of the stl file or the solid body model in the directions of the coordinate system to account for the anisotropic shrinkage of the item . in one non - limiting example the shrinkage factors to account for shrinkage are 118 %, 115 % and 120 % in the x , y , z direction respectively for an item having a length of about two inches . the present application contemplates a wide variety of shrinkage factors and is not limited in any manner to these factors unless specifically provided o the contrary . the application of the present invention enables the production of sintered ceramic items having substantially conformity with the item &# 39 ; s design parameters . in one form the dimensional accuracy of the sintered ceramic item to the design parameters is within a range of 0 . 0 % to 1 . 5 % and in another form the dimensional accuracy is within a range of 0 . 0 % to 0 . 5 %. further , the present invention is also applicable to form sintered ceramic items in either near net shape or net shape . additionally , other degrees of dimensional accuracy are contemplated herein . in an alternate form the comparison utilized to calculate the shrinkage factors of the shrinkage measurement test model is between the inspection values of the fired test model and the dimensional design values from the solid body model . the process as described above is then continued to find the shrinkage factors for the x , y and z dimensions / directions . with reference to fig5 , there is illustrated one non - limiting embodiment of a system for creating a build file 1005 that determines how the item 45 is created in the stereolithography apparatus . this process is representative of a technique that can be utilized to produce the build file , but the present application is not intended to be limited to the one embodiment in fig5 unless specifically stated to the contrary . in act 1000 data defining parameters of the item are collected and processed to define a specification for the item design . the data from act 1000 is utilized in act 1001 to construct an item model using , for example , a computer modeling system . in one embodiment the computer modeling system creates an electronic model such as but not limited to a solid body model . however , other modeling systems are contemplated herein . the item model from act 1001 is then processed in a modified item model act 1002 to create a model of the item taking into account the anisotropic shrinkage . while the present application discusses the process in terms of modification of the item model it is understood that the same type of modification is applicable to the stl / stc files to create a modified item file . the modified item act 1002 utilizes an x shrinkage factor , a y shrinkage factor and a z shrinkage factor . the shrinkage factors are used to increase the respective underlaying dimensions to a modified dimension . the x , y and z shrinkage factors will be applied so that they correspond to the coordinate system of the stereolithography apparatus . in one form a conversion act 1003 is utilized to convert the modified item model , produced in act 1002 to a file format , such as stl or slc . next , the file from act 1003 is processed in act 1004 to create discrete two - dimensional slices appropriate for drawing the layers of the item and any required supports . in act 1005 the build file is completed , which will be utilized to drive the energy source of the stereolithography apparatus and produce the green ceramic item . in one form the ceramic filled resin comprises a sinterable ceramic material , a photocurable monomer , a photoinitiator and a dispersant . the ceramic filled resin is adapted for use in stereolithography to produce a green ceramic item . in one form the filled resin is prepared by admixing the components to provide a filled resin having viscosity within a range of about 300 centipoise to about 3 , 500 centipoise at a shear rate of about 0 . 4 per second ; in another form the filled resin has a viscosity of about 2 , 500 centipoise at a shear rate of about 0 . 4 per second . however , the present application contemplates filled resins having other viscosity values . the loading of ceramic material within the resin is contemplated within a range of 35 % to 65 % by volume . another form of the ceramic loading within the resin is contemplated as being about 50 . 3 % by volume . in one preferred resin the ceramic loading has the volume percent of ceramic material substantially equal to the weight percent of ceramic material within the resin . however , resins having other ceramic loadings are fully contemplated herein . more specifically , the present application contemplates that the volume percent of the ceramic material in the resin may be equal to the weight percent of the ceramic material in the resin or that the volume percent of the ceramic material in the resin may be unequal to the weight percent of the ceramic material in the resin . the sinterable ceramic material can be selected from a wide variety of ceramic materials . specific examples include , but are not limited to , alumina , yttria , magnesia , silicon nitride , silica and mixtures thereof . in one example alumina is selected as the sinterable ceramic material . alumina can be provided as a dry powder having an average particle size suitable for sintering to provide an item having the desired characteristics . in one form the powdered alumina has an average particle size within a range of 0 . 1 microns to 5 . 0 microns . in another form the powdered alumina is selected to have an average particle size within a range of 0 . 5 microns to 1 . 0 microns . however , other particle sizes for the alumina material are contemplated herein . the monomer is selected from any suitable monomer that can be induced to polymerize when irradiated in the presence of a photoinitiator . examples of monomers include acrylate esters and substituted acrylate esters . a combination of two or more monomers may be used . preferably at least one of the monomers is a multifunctional monomer . by multifunctional monomer it is understood that the monomer includes more than two functional moieties capable of forming bonds with a growing polymer chain . specific examples of monomers that can be used with this invention include 1 , 6 - hexanediol diacrylate ( hdda ) and 2 - phenoxyethyl acrylate ( poea ). in one form the photocurable monomers are present in an amount between about 10 wt % to about 40 wt %, and in another form about 10 wt % to about 35 wt %, and in yet another form about 20 wt % to 35 wt % based upon the total weight of the filled resin . however , the present application contemplates other amounts of monomers . the dispersant is provided in an amount suitable to maintain a substantially uniform colloidal suspension of the alumina in the filled resin . the dispersant can be selected from a wide variety of known surfactants . dispersants contemplated herein include , but are not limited to , ammonium salts , more preferably tetraalkyl ammonium salts . examples of dispersants for use in this invention include , but are not limited to : polyoxypropylene diethyl - 2 - hydroxyethyl ammonium acetate , and ammonium chloride . in one form the amount of dispersant is between about 1 . 0 wt % and about 10 wt % based upon the total weight of the ceramic within the filled resin . however , the present application contemplates other amounts of dispersants . the initiator is selected from a number of commercially available photoinitiators believed known to those skilled in the art . the photoinitiator is selected to be suitable to induce polymerization of the desired monomer when irradiated . typically the selection of a photoinitiator will be dictated by the wavelength of radiation used to induce polymerization . photoinitiators contemplated herein include , but are not limited to benzophenone , trimethyl benzophenone , 1 - hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone , isopropylthioxanthone , 2 - methyl - 1 -[ 4 ( methylthio ) phenyl ]- 2 - morpholinoprophanone and mixtures thereof . the photoinitiator is added in an amount sufficient to polymerize the monomers when the filled resin is irradiated with radiation of appropriate wavelength . in one form the amount of photoinitiator is between about 0 . 05 wt % and about 5 wt % based upon the total weight of the monomer within the filled resin . however , other amounts of photoiniators are contemplated herein . in an alternate form of the ceramic filled resin a quantity of a nonreactive diluent is substituted for a quantity of the monomer . in one form the amount of substituted nonreactive diluent is equal to between about 5 % and about 20 % ( by weight ) of the monomer in the resin . however , the present application contemplates that other amounts of non - reactive diluents are considered herein . an illustration of a given ceramic resin composition requires 100 grams of a monomer that in the alternate form will replace about 5 - 20 wt % of the monomer with a nonreactive diluent ( i . e . 95 - 80 grams of monomer + 5 - 20 grams of nonreactive diluent ). the nonreactive diluent includes but is not limited to a dibasic ester or a decahydronaphthalene . examples of dibasic esters include dimethyl succinate , dimethyl glutarate , and dimethyl adipate , which are available in a pure form or a mixture . the filled resin is prepared by combining the monomer , the dispersant and the sinterable ceramic to form a homogeneous mixture . although the order of addition is not critical to this invention typically , the monomer and the dispersant are combined first and then the sinterable ceramic is added . in one form the sinterable ceramic material is added to the monomer / dispersant combination in increments of about 5 to about 20 vol . %. between each incremental addition of the ceramic material , the resulting mixture is thoroughly mixed by any suitable method , for example , ball milling for about 5 to about 120 minutes . when all of the sinterable ceramic material has been added , the resulting mixture is mixed for an additional amount of time up to 10 hours or more . the photoinitiator is added and blended into the mixture . with reference to table i there is set forth one example of an alumina filled resin . however , the present application is not intended to be limited to the specific composition set forth below unless specifically stated to the contrary . in one form the green ceramic item is sintered to a temperature within a range of 1100 ° c . to 1700 ° c . the present invention contemplates other sintering parameters . further , the present invention contemplates sintering to a variety of theoretical densities , including but not limited to about 60 % of theoretical density . the density of the sintered material is preferably greater than sixty percent of the theoretical density , and densities equal to or greater than about ninety - four percent of the theoretical density are more preferred . however , the present invention contemplates other densities . the present application contemplates the utilization of a three dimensional coordinate system as a reference for an item being fabricated from the photo - polymerizable ceramic filled resin . as discussed above the inventors have discovered that the shrinkage of the item in a subsequent sintering act is anisotropic in the three directions . therefore , in one form of the present invention there are utilized three unequal scaling factors to take into consideration the respective shrinkage in the dimensions of the item in all three directions . in another form of the present invention there are utilized only two unequal scaling factors to account for the respective shrinkage in the dimensions of the item in all three directions ; that is the dimensions in two of the three directions are adjusted by scaling factors having the same value . while the inventions have been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description , the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character , it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected . it should be understood that while the use of the word preferable , preferably or preferred in the description above indicates that the feature so described may be more desirable , it nonetheless may not be necessary and embodiments lacking the same may be contemplated as within the scope of the invention , that scope being defined by the claims that follow . in reading the claims it is intended that when words such as “ a ,” “ an ,” “ at least one ,” “ at least a portion ” are used there is no intention to limit the claim to only one item unless specifically stated to the contrary in the claim . further , when the language “ at least a portion ” and / or “ a portion ” is used the item may include a portion and / or the entire item unless specifically stated to the contrary .
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the system as shown in fig1 includes all functions of the present invention and is shown in block diagram form , as used to maintain fluid within desired high and low levels while pumping from and pumping into a reservoir or other receptacle . referring to fig1 a reservoir 11 , for example , is shown filled with a fluid 12 , which is pumped from a supply ( not shown ) into the reservoir 11 through a pipe 13 by a pump 14 , driven by a motor 15 . power from a source 30 to the motor 15 is conducted through output terminals 62 and 63 of a normally closed solid state relay 29 , which opens the circuit between the terminals 62 and 63 when actuated at an input terminal 39 by a digital &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; signal from the output terminal 26 of a digital signal processing circuit 22 . the reservoir 11 can be emptied through a check valve 17 and a pipe 16 by a pump 18 , driven by a motor 19 . power from a source 30 to the motor 19 is conducted through output terminals 60 and 61 of a normally open solid state relay 28 , when the relay 28 is actuated at its input terminal 38 by a digital &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; signal at the output terminal 26 of the digital processing circuit 22 . inside the reservoir 11 , at a suitable level above the inlet to the check valve 17 , a low - level sensor 21 is placed , connected by wires to a &# 34 ; low &# 34 ; input terminal 24 and to an or gate output terminal 25 of the digital signal processing circuit 22 . also inside the reservoir 11 , at a suitable level below the top of the reservoir 11 to prevent overflow , a high - level sensor 20 is placed , connected by wires to &# 34 ; high &# 34 ; input terminal 23 of the digital signal processing circuit 22 and to the positive supply terminal 34 of the digital logic signal processing circuit 22 . power supply output terminals 32 and 33 are respectively connected to power input terminals 34 and 35 of the digital signal processing circuit 22 to supply operational power to this circuit . negative power supply output terminal 33 is grounded and connected to ground terminals 36 and 37 of respective relays 28 and 29 . the output terminal 26 of the circuit 22 is connected to input terminals 38 and 39 of respective relays 28 and 29 . power supply 31 has its input terminals 40 and 41 connected to the power source 30 . the operation of the system of fig1 will be described later . referring to fig2 a suitable sensor for water or similar noncorrosive conducting fluids is shown , and consists of the metallic bare ends of copper wires 42 and 43 extending approximately half an inch beyond the insulation 44 of a pair of wires used for connection to the circuit 22 . this parallel type of wire pair is a product commonly known as zip cord , used for electrical wiring , or loud speaker wiring in audio installations , in # 16 to # 20 gauge , and is supplied with various suitable types of plastic insulation . the wire ends 42 and 43 serve as electrodes to contact the conducting fluid , and are not electrolized or harmed by the microampere range current passed between them . referring to fig3 a suitable sensor for corrosive fluids is shown , and consists of platinum wires 45 and 46 welded or brazed to copper wires 42 and 43 , and extending beyond a suitable plastic protective casting 47 which encloses and protects the copper wires . referring to fig4 a suitable sensor for conductive granular material such as earth is shown , and consists of a plastic insulating sheet 48 coated with a copper coating 49 on both sides , with copper wires 42 and 43 soldered to the copper coating 49 . the area of the copper coating is made large enough to make a suitable contact with the earth , when buried . two sensors of this type may be employed to control soil moisture in an automatic irrigation control system for agriculture . referring to fig5 the invention is shown in an application to prevent dry pumping . a shallow resevoir 11 in the earth supplies water 12 through the check valve 17 and the pipe 16 by means of the pump 18 , which is driven by the motor 19 . the motor 19 is supplied from the power source 30 and is controlled by a prsssure switch 64 and by the normally open solid state relay 28 . the low - level sensor 21 , of the type described in fig2 is connected to the terminals 24 and 25 of the digital signal processing circuit 22 , and is located a short distance above the inlet of the check valve 17 . the high - level sensor 20 , of the type described in fig2 is connected to terminals 23 and 34 of the digital signal processing circuit 22 , and is located a few feet above the low sensor 21 . the sensors may be suspended in the water and sufficiently weighted to definitely locate them . the digital signal processing circuit 22 is shown as a dotted line enclosure in fig5 with its interior digital logic circuit elements shown by conventional logic symbols , and with the interconnections of these logic circuit elements shown . referring to fig5 and its dotted line enclosure of the circuit 22 , a first input gate 50 has its two input terminals 53 and 54 connected together and to the high sensor 20 signal input terminal 23 , and has its output terminal 55 connected to an input terminal 56 of an or gate 52 , while a second input gate 51 has its two inputs 57 and 58 connected together and to the low sensor 21 signal input terminal 24 and has its output 59 connected to the input 60 of the or gate 52 and output terminal 26 of the signal processing circuit 22 . output 61 of the or gate 52 is connected to the first output terminal 25 of the signal processing circuit 22 . the normally open solid state relay 28 is a conventional type and is shown in block form with its relay input terminals 38 and 36 connected respectively to the second output terminal 26 of the circuit 22 and ground as shown . input terminals 23 and 24 of the circuit 22 are connected to ground through high resistances 62 and 63 which serve to prevent erratic operation of the gates 50 and 51 when the sensors 20 and 21 are open circuits . the power supply 31 has its output terminals 32 and 33 connected to terminals 34 and 35 of the signal processing circuit 22 , and terminals 34 and 35 are connected internally to the power supply terminals of all the digital logic circuit elements , exemplified by the connections to the input gate 50 . input gates 50 and 51 are symbolically shown in fig5 as dual input or gates with their two inputs connected together thus making them into buffers with outputs in phase with inputs . the gate 52 is a dual input or gate as shown . the digital logic of the circuit 22 is preferably implemented , for example , by suitable interconnections of logic elements contained in a quadruple dual input or gate cmos integrated circuit package commercially known as cd 4071 . in the operation of the device of fig5 water is assumed to be flowing into the reservoir 11 , which is the reservoir of a home water pressure system , from the surrounding earth strata , and has filled the reservoir to a level above the high sensor 20 , thus making a conducting path between electrodes 42 and 43 of sensors 20 and 21 . this conducting path has a resistance of 30 , 000 to 100 , 000 ohms in ordinary fresh well water . the input resistances 62 and 63 are preferably in the 0 . 5 megohm range , so that over 90 % of the logic circuit supply voltage is present at the input terminal 23 and inputs 53 and 54 of input gate 50 driving the input gate 50 to a digital &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; output at its output 55 and connected input 56 of or gate 52 driving gate 52 to a digital &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; voltage output at its output 61 and connected first output terminal 25 of circuit 22 . the voltage at terminal 25 of circuit 22 is conducted through low sensor 21 by electrodes 42 and 43 and the water and is present at the input terminal 24 of circuit 22 and connected inputs 57 and 58 of gate 51 driving the input gate 51 to a digital &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; at its output 59 , connected to second output terminal 26 of circuit 22 and also connected to input 60 of or gate 52 . the digital &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; output at terminal 26 , connected to input terminal 38 of the relay 28 , actuates the relay 28 closing the circuit between relay output terminals 60 and 61 and allowing the pump motor 19 to be turned on by closure of the controlling pressure switch 64 when output water from the pump 18 is demanded by the water system . assuming that switch 64 is closed and that pump motor 19 is driving pump 18 , water is pumped from the well and the water level drops below high sensor 20 , thus making a digital &# 34 ; zero &# 34 ;, or zero voltage at input terminal 23 and inputs 53 and 54 of input gate 50 as the electrodes 42 and 43 of sensor 20 are insulated by air . output 55 of gate 50 will then be zero , together with connected or gate input 56 , but this does not affect output of or gate 52 which still delivers a &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; at its output terminal 61 as a result of the positive feedback loop of connected first output terminal 25 , the immersed conducting electrodes 42 and 43 of low sensor 21 , input terminal 24 , inputs 57 and 58 of gate 51 , output of gate 51 , input 60 of or gate 52 and still delivers a &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; at second output terminal 26 to drive relay 28 . as water continues to be pumped , the level drops below the electrodes 42 and 43 of low sensor 21 removing the fluid conducting path and making a &# 34 ; zero &# 34 ; at terminal 24 and a &# 34 ; zero &# 34 ; at inputs 57 and 58 of input gate 51 , its output 59 and input 60 of or gate 52 , turning off or gate 52 and resulting in a &# 34 ; zero &# 34 ; at first output terminal 25 , thus breaking the feedback loop and making a digital &# 34 ; zero &# 34 ; at output terminal 26 and connected input terminal 38 of relay 28 . the &# 34 ; zero &# 34 ; at input terminal 38 of the relay 28 opens the circuit between relay output terminals 60 and 61 stopping the motor 19 . the pump has thus been stopped before the water level has dropped below the intake of the valve 17 , so that dry pumping has been avoided . as water flows into the well to re - fill it , and the level rises above the electrodes 42 and 43 of low sensor 21 , zero voltage is still present at first output terminal 25 , disabling sensor 21 , and gate 51 still delivers a &# 34 ; zero &# 34 ; at its output 59 and terminal 26 of circuit 22 and input terminal 38 of relay 28 so that relay 28 output circuit terminals 60 and 61 remain open and pump 18 remains stopped . as the water level rises further and the electrodes 42 and 43 of high sensor 20 are immersed , a digital &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; is delivered to second output terminal 23 driving gate 50 to a digital &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; at its output 55 and connected or gate input terminal 56 , driving or gate 52 to a &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; at or gate 52 output 61 and first output terminal 25 . the digital &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; voltage at first output terminal 25 is conducted through the electrodes 42 and 43 of the low sensor 21 by the water to input terminal 24 of circuit 22 and the inputs 57 and 58 of gate 51 , driving gate 51 to a &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; at its output 50 and connected input 60 of or gate 52 thus again closing the feedback loop through or gate 52 and transmitting a &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; from second output terminal 26 of circuit 22 to the input terminal 38 of the relay 28 , actuating relay 28 and closing the circuit through the relay output terminals 60 and 61 to deliver power to the motor 19 again for pumping the water which is now available . it can be understood from the preceding paragraph that the present invention by means of the digital logic of the digital signal processing circuit 22 and the digital signals from the sensors 20 and 21 has provided automatic maintenance of a desired low level , control of pumping flow preventing dry pumping , and a delayed resumption of pumping which provides a desirable dead band or hysteresis . in another application of the present invention , overflow of a reservoir or tank may be prevented . the sensors 20 and 21 are placed at desired levels , with high level sensor 20 just below the overflow level . referring to fig6 the reservoir 11 is being filled with fluid 12 through the pipe 13 by the pump 14 which is driven by the motor 15 . a pipe 65 drains fluid from the reservoir 11 when a valve 66 is opened . power from the source 30 to the motor 15 is controlled by serially connected output terminals 62 and 63 of normally closed solid state relay 29 . the input terminal 39 of the relay 29 is connected to the output terminal 26 of the signal processing circuit 22 , which operates together with sensors 20 and 21 in the same manner as previously described in the device of fig5 a digital output &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; appearing at the terminal 26 of the circuit 22 when the high sensor electrodes are immersed . in the system of fig6 the pump motor 15 is energized by the normally closed circuit between output terminals 62 and 63 of the solid state relay 29 to pump fluid into the reservoir 11 , filling it to the level of the high sensor 20 , making a &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; at the input terminal 23 of the circuit 22 , a &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; at the output terminal 26 of the circuit 22 , and a &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; at the input terminal 39 of the relay 29 opening the normally closed circuit between the output terminals 62 and 63 of relay 29 thus stopping the pump motor 15 and preventing overflow of the tank . as fluid is withdrawn from the tank through the pipe 65 by opening the valve 66 , and the fluid level drops below the low sensor 21 making a &# 34 ; zero &# 34 ; at the input terminal 24 of the circuit 22 , resulting in a &# 34 ; zero &# 34 ; at the output terminal 26 and the input terminal 39 of the relay 29 returning the relay 29 to its normally closed state and closing the circuit between the relay output terminals 62 and 63 thus starting the pump motor to refill the reservoir . if the fluid supply is under pressure in the system of fig6 closing of the circuit between the relay output terminals 62 and 63 can actuate the connected solenoid 15a of a normally spring closed conventional electrically actuated valve 14a placed in pipe 13 instead of pump 14 . the solenoid takes the place of the motor 15 shown in the circuit of fig6 and when actuated by normally closed relay 29 , opens the valve to permit flow of fluid into reservoir 11 from the pressurized fluid supply . opening of the circuit between output terminals 62 and 63 de - activates the solenoid and allows the spring to return the valve 14a to its normally closed position and stop the flow through pipe 13 and prevent overflow of the reservoir 11 . the invention as shown in block diagram form in fig1 operates in similar manner as described in fig5 and 6 to maintain both high and low fluid level in a reservoir while filling and emptying the reservoir , by using the digital signals sent by high and low sensors 20 and 21 to the digital logic signal processing circuit 22 to control the relays 28 and 29 simultaneously by the digital output signal from the terminal 26 of the circuit 22 and operate flow control means maintaining the desired level in the manner previously described for the systems of fig5 and 6 . the present invention also can be applied to the level control of fluent material that is granular , opaque , or nonconducting by use of suitable transducers used as the level sensors , as shown in the block diagram of fig1 . these transducers , acting to sense levels of material , must be capable of transmitting a digital &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; signal to the signal processing circuit 22 when immersed in the fluent material to be controlled , and a digital &# 34 ; zero &# 34 ; when out of the fluent material . these digital signals are processed in the circuit 22 as previously described , and the output of the circuit 22 can operate solid state relays and flow control means for the level control of the fluent materials . while the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described , the form of the invention described should be considered as illustrative and not as limiting the scope of the following claims .
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fig1 illustrates diagrammatically a multichamber dishwasher 110 , fig1 showing a section through a washing zone 112 of the multichamber dishwasher 110 in a sectional plane perpendicular to a conveying direction of a transport device 114 . various types of transport devices 114 may be envisaged , for example transport devices 114 for belt transport or for basket transport . the multichamber dishwasher 110 , in this exemplary embodiment , is designed as a belt transport machine in which a wash batch 116 is transported through the multichamber dishwasher 110 on the transport device 114 designed as a conveyor belt . the multichamber dishwasher 110 has a washing chamber 113 with a housing 118 which can opened laterally by means of an access door 120 . a washing water storage tank 122 and a filter housing 124 are introduced in the bottom of the housing 118 . a washing water circulating pump 126 sucks in washing water 128 via a circulation pipeline system 130 from the washing water storage tank 122 and conveys it via the circulation pipeline system 130 to washing nozzles 132 . the washing water 128 is sprayed over the wash batch 116 there , with the result that the wash batch 116 is cleaned . the washing water 128 , together with dirt which has been released from the wash batch 116 , subsequently drops to the bottom of the housing 118 . this bottom has , above the washing water storage tank 122 , a tank cover sieve 134 which is pierced for the most part with sieve holes . sieve holes with a diameter of approximately 1 mm to 4 mm , preferably 1 . 5 mm to 2 . 5 mm , particularly preferably 2 . 0 mm are preferably used in this case . part of the washing water 128 flows through these holes directly to the washing water storage tank 122 ( illustrated symbolically in fig1 by the arrow 136 ). an ( optional ) supply of fresh water and / or rinsing - clear water from a rinsing - clear zone into the washing water storage tank 122 is not illustrated in fig1 . the tank cover sieve 134 has a descending gradient in the direction of a coarse sieve 138 . this coarse sieve 138 is inserted into the filter housing 124 . a second part of the washing water 128 ( indicated symbolically in fig1 by the arrow 140 ) therefore flows via the coarse sieve 138 into the filter housing 124 . inside the filter housing 124 is mounted a fine filter 142 . this fine filter 142 , in this exemplary embodiment , is designed as a filter insert 142 which has a sealing extension 144 , a filter wall 146 and a sewage connection piece 148 and which can be inserted into the filter housing 124 from above . according to the invention , instead of a fine filter 142 , a fine sieve , preferably with sieve holes having a diameter of less than 1 . 5 mm , particularly preferably of less than 1 . 0 mm , can also be employed . the fine filter 142 therefore subdivides the inner space of the filter housing 124 into a clean water space 150 and a dirty water space 152 . the sealing extension 144 prevents the situation where washing water 128 , during backwashing , may pass directly from the clean water space 150 into the dirty water space 152 , so that the washing water 128 has to penetrate through the filter wall 146 during backwashing . for this purpose , the sealing extension 144 seals off the fine filter 142 with respect to the filter housing 124 . furthermore , the sealing extension 144 is configured as a funnel extension which prevents the situation where washing water 128 can pass through the coarse sieve 138 directly into the clean water space 150 . in the fine filter 142 , the washing water 128 flows through the filter wall 146 from the dirty water space 152 into the clean water space 150 ( normal operation ). in this case , fine dirt particles are filtered out on the inside of the filter wall 146 . the filtered washing water 128 subsequently flows out of the clean water space 150 through an outflow connection piece 154 in the lower region of the filter housing 124 to the washing water storage tank 122 again . depending on the quantity of dirt particles filtered out on the inside of the filter wall 146 , the through flow capacity of the washing water 128 through the fine filter 142 decreases with time . as a result of this , the level of the washing water 128 in the dirty water space 152 rises with time . this rise can be detected by suitable sensors . thus , in the exemplary embodiment according to fig1 , for example , a pressure sensor 156 is used which detects the washing water pressure in the fine filter 142 . alternatively , the pressure sensor 156 may also be arranged , for example , in a sewage line 168 ( upstream of a valve 164 ). an output signal from this pressure sensor 156 is fed to an electronic control unit 158 . this electronic control unit 158 can ( optionally ) initiate a backwashing operation by a corresponding control of a sewage pump 160 , a backwash pump 162 and various valves 164 , for example when a certain pressure level or a certain dirt content in the dirty water space 152 is reached . in normal operation , therefore , washing water 128 flows through the filter wall 146 in the direction from the dirty water space 152 to the clean water space 150 . for the backwashing and self - cleaning of the fine filter 142 , the flow direction of the washing water 128 through the filter wall 146 is reversed . for this purpose , the sewage pump 160 sucks away washing water 128 from the dirty water space 152 of the fine filter 142 via the sewage connection piece 148 and conveys it via a sewage line 168 into a sewage outflow 166 . at the same time , by means of the backwash pump 162 , washing water 128 is sucked out of the washing water storage tank 122 via a backwash line 170 and pumped via a backwash connection piece 172 into the outflow connection piece 154 in such a way that the through flow of the washing water 128 through the outflow connection piece 154 is disturbed . in this advantageous exemplary embodiment , the backwash connection piece 172 is arranged at an angle of approximately 40 ° to the outflow connection piece 154 . consequently , during backwashing , the washing liquid 128 which is pumped through the backwash connection piece 172 into the outflow connection piece 154 has a flow direction opposite the flow direction of the washing water 128 in normal operation ( identified symbolically in fig1 by the arrow 174 ). as a result of the so disturbed outflow of the washing liquid 128 through the outflow connection piece 154 in backwash operation and of the washing liquid 128 supplied to the clean water space 150 via the backwash connection piece 172 , the pressure of the washing liquid in the filter housing 124 , in particular in the clean water space 150 , rises , while at the same time the pressure in the dirty water space 152 falls as a result of pumping away by the sewage pump 160 . the flow direction of the flow through the filter wall 146 is thereby reversed in backwash operation in spite of the running washing water circulating pump 126 and the associated inflow of washing water 128 into the fine filter 142 . owing to this reversed flow , dirt particles adhering to the inside of the filter wall 146 are released and can be pumped into the sewage outflow 166 by means of the sewage pump 160 . in this exemplary embodiment , the sewage pump 160 and the backwash pump 162 may be operated , for example , by means of a common pump motor ( not illustrated in fig1 ). this is due particularly to the fact that , in backwash operation , the sewage pump 160 and the backwash pump 162 are required simultaneously and are operated simultaneously . overall operation , that is to say , in particular , the changeover from normal operation to backwash operation , can be controlled by means of the electronic control unit 158 which , for example , may be an integral part of a comprehensive control unit for the overall multi - tank dishwasher 110 . in particular , a washing operation of the multi - tank dishwasher 110 does not have to be interrupted for backwashing . fig2 illustrates a detail of an embodiment , alternative to the version according to fig1 , of a washing water storage tank 122 . in this exemplary embodiment , the sewage connection piece 154 bent at right angles and the backwash connection piece 172 are arranged on the left outer wall , pointing away from the washing water stock 128 , of the filter housing 124 . in this exemplary embodiment , the outflow device 154 is not designed as a tubular extension , as in the exemplary embodiment according to fig1 , but has essentially a simple orifice to the washing water storage tank 122 . furthermore , in this exemplary embodiment , the backwash device has a baffle surface 210 as a deflection device which extends downward beyond the lower edge of the backwash connection piece 172 . this deflection device 210 has the effect that , in normal operation , washing water 128 emerges from the filter housing 124 at an angle to the vertical in a flow direction 174 . when washing water 128 is pumped through the backwash connection piece 172 into the clean water space 150 in backwash operation , this deflection device has the effect that the washing water 128 pumped through the backwash connection piece 172 impinges at an angle of & lt ; 90 ° onto the washing water 128 emerging from the clean water space 150 through the outflow device 154 . the backwashed washing water 128 therefore has a velocity component opposite to the flow direction in normal operation 174 and therefore disturbs the outflow of the washing water 128 through the outflow device 154 . thus , in backwash operation , a higher pressure can build up in the clean water space 150 than in the dirty water space 152 , with the backwash pump 162 running and with the sewage pump 160 running , so that the filter wall 146 is backwashed optimally . furthermore , it can be seen in fig2 how the funnel - shaped sealing extension 144 seals off the fine filter 142 with respect to the filter housing 124 , so that the greatest possible pressure difference can build up in backwash operation between the clean water space 150 and dirty water space 152 . fig3 illustrates an exemplary embodiment which is modified slightly , as compared with the version according to fig2 . the essential difference in this version is that the outflow device 154 is designed here as a simple orifice in the bottom of the filter housing 124 . the baffle surface 210 in this case does not extend beyond the bottom of the filter housing 124 . this version is therefore simpler than the version in fig2 , but does not have the same backwash action , since the above - described “ disturbing effect ” of the outflow of the washing water 128 from the clean water space 150 into the washing water storage tank 122 due to action by washing water 128 with an opposite velocity component through the backwash connection piece 172 does not occur to the same extent as in fig2 . however , in this exemplary embodiment too , there is a backwash effect according to the invention . fig4 illustrates a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention which is alternative to fig2 and 3 and in which backwashing takes place via the same connection pieces 154 , 172 as the outflow of washing water 128 out of the clean water space 150 into the washing water storage tank 122 . in normal operation , the outflow of washing water 128 from the clean water space 150 into the washing water storage tank 122 takes place in the flow direction 174 through the backwash line 170 . during backwashing , washing water 128 is pumped out of the washing water tank 122 through the same backwash line 170 into the clean water space 150 , the backwashed washing water 128 having an exactly reversed velocity , as compared with the flow direction 174 in normal operation . in this exemplary embodiment , the baffle surface 210 has been dispensed with , although such a baffle surface 210 may be used additionally . the filter housing 124 is opened outward to a pumping connection piece 410 which extends at right angles to the filter housing 124 and which is widened in cross section , as compared with the backwash line 170 which again branches off at right angles from the pumping connection piece 410 . for example , a pumping connection piece having a cross section of 80 mm may be used . admittedly , basically different types of pumps , for example centrifugal pumps , etc ., may be used as the backwash pump 162 . in the exemplary embodiment according to fig4 , however , an axial pump 162 is used as a backwash pump 162 . a pump motor 412 is placed onto the pumping connection piece 410 on the outside and drives a pump shaft 414 , with a rotor 416 placed on it , in the pumping connection piece 410 . for example , a rotor 416 may be used which still leaves free an orifice of approximately 70 % of the pumping connection piece 410 . thus , in normal operation , in which washing water 128 flows in the flow direction 174 through the pumping connection piece 410 , with the backwash pump 162 switched off , a low flow resistance for the outflowing washing water 128 is ensured . by contrast , in backwash operation , in this exemplary embodiment the axial pump 162 ensures a high volume flow of the backwashed washing water 128 , without too high a pressure being built up in the clean water space 150 which could damage the fine filter 142 or press it out of the filter housing 124 . in particular , it is advantageous if a backwash pump 162 is used which , during backwashing , causes between the suction side and the pumping side a pressure rise of no more than 0 . 5 bar , preferably of no more than 0 . 2 bar and particularly preferably of no more than 0 . 1 bar . the exemplary embodiment illustrated in fig4 can be implemented in a technically simple way and makes it possible , for the reasons mentioned , to have a particularly efficient and fault - free backwash operation of the multichamber dishwasher 110 . the invention being thus described , it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways . such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention , and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims .
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referring therefore to fig1 , a data communication system generally indicated at 10 includes a pair of correspondents 12 , 14 interconnected by a data communication link 16 . each of the correspondents 12 , 14 includes a computing device 18 to implement a set of programmed instructions and an encryption module 20 to interface between the computing device 18 and communication link 16 . it will be appreciated that the correspondents 12 , 14 may be general purpose computers or dedicated equipment in a client server relationship , such as a point of sale device , pda or cell phone interfacing through the link 16 with a financial institution . in operation , the computing device 18 prepares a message which is processed by the encryption unit 20 and transmitted as a data stream 26 through the communication link 16 . the encryption unit 20 at the correspondent 14 process the data stream to recover and authenticate the message received before passing it to the computing device 18 . the correspondent 14 includes a database 22 that contains lists 24 of bit patterns of selected portions of signatures received by the processor 20 . the database 22 is accessible by the computing device 18 and the lists 24 are conveniently organised to conduct a comparison for a particular initiating correspondent 12 between the bit patterns in a message received and those that are contained in the database . the encryption device 20 may implement a number of different protocols , such as a key generation , encryption / decryption or signature and verification . it will be assumed for the purpose of illustrating a preferred embodiment that the correspondent 12 prepares an information package in the computing device 18 which is signed by the encryption device 20 . upon receipt at the correspondent 14 , the cryptographic processor 20 verifies the signature and passes the information to the computing device 18 . in operation , the correspondent 12 generates the information i in the computing device 18 and forwards it to the cryptographic processor 20 . the processor 20 signs the information i , utilising a protocol that generates a random component r . the bits representing the information i and signature components including the random component are assembled in to a data stream 26 to represent a signed message 28 . the signed message 28 is transmitted over the link 16 as a data stream and is received by the cryptographic unit 20 at the correspondent 14 . the signature is verified according to the signature scheme in the normal manner . if the verification is authenticated , the portion of the signed message corresponding to the random component r is located . the bit stream representing the portion is then compared with the bit streams contained in the database 22 to ensure that the same random component has not been utilised in previous signed messages . if the bit stream has not been previously utilised , that is if no match is found in the database 22 , then the signature is considered to be an original message , in that it has not been received before , and is accepted . if a match is found then the signed message is not accepted . an example of an established signature protocol that may be utilised to implement the above technique is described below with respect to fig4 utilising the ecdsa signature protocol . information i is to be signed by a long term private key d of the correspondent 12 in an elliptic curve cryptosystem ( ecc ) with know parameters including a generating point p of order n . the correspondent 12 randomly generates a ephemeral private key k and computes a corresponding ephemeral public kp which represents a point with coordinates ( x , y ). to compute a first component r of the signature , the first co - ordinate of the ephemeral public key kp is converted into an integer . the first component is itself random as it is determined from the random private key k . a second component s , of the signature is generated by solving the signing equation ks = h ( i )+ dr ( mod n ) for the second component s of the signature , where h is an appropriate cryptographic hash function such as sha1 . the information and signature is assembled as a data stream 26 containing : ( i , r , s ) in defined locations and is then transmitted as the signed message 28 through the link 16 . upon reception of the signed message 28 , at the correspondent 14 , the cryptographic processor 20 proceeds to authenticate the signature . the authentication normally proceeds as follows . initially the ephemeral public key kp is computed by calculating s − 1 ( h ( i ) p + ra ), where a is the long term public key of the correspondent 12 . after recovery of kp , the first co - ordinate of kp is converted into an integer following the same procedure as used by the correspondent 12 . the integer obtained should correspond to the number r contained in the transmission and if so the signature is accepted . if it does not , the signature is not verified and so is rejected . to inhibit a replay attack , a subject f ( r ) of the number r is extracted or derived from the signed message 28 . the subset f ( r ) is compared with a previously stored list 24 of subsets in the database 22 for the correspondent 12 . the database 22 is conveniently organised by the correspondent for comparison . well - known masking and shifting techniques may be used to extract and compare the bit streams efficiently . if only a replay attack is of concern , then it may be sufficient to compare the subsets received from the same correspondent but for greater security all previous subsets may be compared . the authentication is rejected if the subset f ( r ) is in the list , indicating it had previously been used . if the subset is not on the list 24 , the process continues and the subset f ( r ) is added to the database 22 using well - known storage - and - retrieval techniques to store the data in such a manner as to allow subsequent efficient retrieval . it will be appreciated that the signature verification may be performed after the comparison of the subsets if preferred . it will also be noted that the subset used to detect potential replay is part of the signature component r used for verification of the signature and as such already exists in the signed message . accordingly , neither the bandwidth nor protocol are affected by the additional authentication and redundancy is avoided . the number of bits chosen from the random component depends on the security level required for the application and the storage available . the number of bits chosen from the random component should also be large enough to give assurance against the birthday surprise , where the expected number of events that will occur before a match is calculated to be √{ square root over ( 2 m )} π asymptotically , where m + 1 bits are stored . for example , in storing 40 bits , one would not expect a match short of 1 . 3 million signatures ; in storing 60 bits , one would not expect a match short of 1 . 3 billion signatures . in a second preferred embodiment shown in fig5 , the signature scheme is the well - known integer - factorisation scheme of rsa with appendix , rsa - pss , as specified in pkcs # 1 , ver . 2 . 1 . i ) the information i is hashed , the hash is bracketed by prepending padding bytes and appending random bytes r , resulting in a bracketed hash e . ii ) the bracketed hash e is further hashed , resulting in the bit string h . iii ) the bit string h is used in a mask generation function , and the output of the function employed to mask the random bytes appended to the hash of the information i . iv ) the encoded message is assembled comprising the concatenation of the masked output from step ( iii ), the further hash from step ( ii ) i . e . the bit string h , and a padding byte . the encoded message is then converted into a number . the rsa operation is performed on the number with the private exponent of the correspondent 12 , and the result converted to a bit string s which is used as a signature , s for the information i . the message with signature ( i , s ) is then transmitted over the link 16 as a data stream 28 to the correspondent 14 . upon reception of the data stream ( i , s ), by the correspondent 14 , the verification and authentication proceeds as follows . at the cryptographic processor of correspondent 14 , the signature s is converted into a number . the rsa operation is then performed on the number with the public exponent of correspondent 12 , resulting in another number which is converted into the alleged bracketed hash e ′. the alleged bracketed hash e ′ is hashed and split into the alleged masked output and the alleged hash of the original message . using the alleged masked output and the alleged hash , the alleged random bytes are extracted . the concatenation of the appropriate padding , the hash of the alleged bracketed hash and the alleged random bytes is hashed and compared with the alleged hash of the original message . if the two agree , the signature is considered verified and accepted . to inhibit a replay attack , either before or after verification , a subject f ( s ) of the number s , is extracted , where f is a predetermined function . the subset f ( s ), is selected from the portion of the signature s that corresponds to the appended random bytes and compared with a previously stored list 24 of subsets for the correspondent 12 in the database 22 . the authentication is rejected if the subset is in the list . if it is not in the list , the signature is accepted and the subset to the list is added . again therefore the reply attack is inhibited by use of the portion of the signature components that are random and used by the protocol in the signature verification . the above examples have been described in the context of a signature verification but may also be used in other protocols where a random bit pattern is generated . for example , the mqv protocols may be used a key agreement protocol as well as signature protocols . in the key agreement protocols , the ephemeral public key of each correspondent is exchanged and forms part of the message . the ephemeral public key is random and is used to authenticate the respective party . accordingly , a subset of the data representing the key may be extracted and compared with the existing database to verify the originality of the exchanged message . it will be appreciated that although in the above description the data base 22 is shown associated with the correspondent 14 , a similar database may be associated with each correspondent in the system where protection from such attacks is required .
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first , the relationship between a wireless lan and an electrodeless lighting system and the characteristics according to a filament current will now be described . as shown in fig1 , a wireless lan uses a wireless lan use frequency band of 2 . 4 ghz to 2 . 5 ghz of an ism band ( industrial scientific and medical radio band ). microwave generated from an electrodeless lighting system ranges from 2 . 1 ghz to 2 . 8 ghz . thus , the wireless lan use frequency band and the microwave generated from the electrodeless lighting system causes communication interference over about 7 ch . meanwhile , as shown in fig2 , such communication interference is affected by a filament current of a magnetron in the electrodeless lighting system . with reference to fig2 , compared with a filament current of 6 a , a filament current of 9 a has a larger bandwidth in a region b , and much noise is generated in regions a and c . the electrodeless lighting system and its control method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will now be described . with reference to fig4 , the electrodeless lighting system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a magnetron 500 including a filament therein and generating microwave , a resonator 710 including an electrodeless light bulb 700 and resonating microwave generated from the to magnetron 500 , a wave guide 600 guiding the microwave generated by the magnetron to the resonator 710 , and a control unit 800 applying a filament current of a pre - set first current or larger to the filament during an initial starting stage and changing the filament current such that the filament current is the same or smaller than a second current which is smaller than the first current and applying the changed filament current to the filament . the electrodeless lighting system further includes a casing ( c ) and a high voltage generating unit installed in the internal space of the casing ( c ) and generating a high voltage . the magnetron 500 is installed in the internal space of the casing ( c ) and generates microwave having a high frequency as a high voltage generated from the high voltage generating unit is applied thereto . the wave guide 600 is installed in the internal space of the casing ( c ) and coupled to the magnetron 500 to guide microwave having a high frequency which has been oscillated from the magnetron 500 . the wave guide 600 includes a first wave guide part having a rectangular wave guide space , to which the magnetron 500 is coupled , and a second wave guide part having a continuous wave guide space formed as the second wave guide part is bent from the first wave guide part and communicating with the resonance space of the resonator 710 . of course , the wave guide 600 is formed linearly . the magnetron 500 may be coupled to one side of the wave guide 600 and the wave guide space of the wave guide 600 may be connected with the resonance space of the resonator 700 . the resonator 710 is installed at an outer side of the casing ( c ) and coupled to an outlet of the wave guide 600 to shield an external discharge of to microwave to form a resonance mode . the electrodeless light bulb 700 is disposed at an inner side of the resonator 710 at an outer side of the casing ( c ) and contains a luminous material to be excited by microwave to emit light . the resonator 710 resonates microwave supplied from the magnetron 500 and has a mesh form to discharge to its maximum level light which has been converted is from microwave energy by the electrodeless light bulb 700 . the electrodeless lighting system includes a reflection shade 720 installed at the outer side of the casing ( c ), accommodating the resonator 710 , and concentrating light emitted from the electrodeless light bulb 700 to a front side . as shown in fig4 , when the wave guide 600 includes the first and second wave guide parts , the magnetron 500 is coupled such that a lengthwise direction of an antenna part is perpendicular to a lengthwise direction of the first guide part , and the resonator 710 is coupled such that its axial center is perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the second wave guide part . thus , the installation direction of the magnetron 500 and that of the resonator 710 are substantially perpendicular . the electrodeless lighting system further includes a driving unit 400 generating a filament current and a driving voltage . the driving unit 400 , installed at the inner side of the casing ( c ), includes the high voltage generating unit . the control unit 800 is electrically connected with the driving unit 400 , and as shown in fig4 , the control unit 800 may have a form of a board or configured to be hermetically closed and installed at the inner side or outer side of the casing ( c ). as shown in fig8 , during an initial starting stage , the control unit 800 applies a first current , e . g ., a current of 9 a or larger , to the filament disposed within the magnetron ( 0 ˜ t1 ) and determines whether or not the electrodeless lighting system has reached a normal state ( t1 ˜ t2 ). when the electrodeless lighting system is in a normal state , the control unit 800 reduces the filament current to a second current , e . g ., 6 a , or smaller , and applies the same ( t2 ˜ t3 ). the control unit compares the number of pulses of light from the electrodeless light bulb and a pre - set reference number of pulses . when the number of pulses of light from the electrodeless light bulb is greater than the reference number of pulses according to the comparison result , the control unit determines that the electrodeless lighting system is in a normal state . also , when the duration in which the current of the first current or larger is applied exceeds a pre - set reference duration , the control unit 800 applies a high voltage to the magnetron 500 , and determines whether or not the electrodeless lighting system is in a normal state by comparing the number of pulses . the electrodeless lighting system may further include a cooling unit ( not shown ) for preventing overheating due to heat generated from the magnetron 500 and the high voltage generating unit , and in this case , the control unit controls the high voltage generating unit applying a high voltage to the magnetron 500 and the cooling unit . with reference to fig5 , the electrodeless lighting system includes a rectifying unit 200 generating a dc voltage by converting commercial ac power 100 , a driving unit 400 generating a filament current and driving voltage by converting the dc voltage , a magnetron 500 oscillated by the filament current and the driving voltage outputted from the driving unit 400 to output microwave to the wave guide , and a control unit 800 outputting a first control signal for converting the dc voltage into the filament current and a second control signal for converting the dc voltage into the driving voltage . here , the filament is provided in the magnetron 500 . the rectifying unit 200 receives the commercial ac power 100 by using a bridge circuit or the like and converts it into a dc voltage . in this case , the converted dc voltage is a pulsating wave . the rectifying unit 200 includes a smoothing unit , and the smoothing unit is configured as a semiconductor device such as a capacitor to smooth the pulsating wave into a dc voltage . also , the driving unit 400 receives the smoothed dc voltage . the driving unit 400 converts the dc voltage inputted from the rectifying unit 200 into the filament current of the magnetron and the driving voltage for driving the magnetron based on control signals outputted from the control unit 800 . in this case , the control signal is a frequency control signal or a duty control signal . the driving unit 400 receives a first control signal from the control unit 800 , converts the dc voltage which has been received from the rectifying unit 200 based on the first control signal , and supplies the converted dc voltage to the filament of the magnetron . also , the driving unit 400 receives the second control signal from the control unit 800 , converts the dc voltage which has been received from the rectifying unit 200 based on the second control signal , and supplies a driving voltage for driving the magnetron . the control unit 800 applies the filament current of the pre - set current or larger to the filament during the initial starting stage and maintains it , and changes the filament current to the second current , which is smaller than the first current , or smaller in a pre - set normal state . in this case , 9 to 11 a is used as the first current , and 4 to 7 a is used as the second current . namely , the maneuverability of the electrodeless lighting system is secured during the initial starting stage , and a slightly higher current of 9 to 11 a is applied to the filament within the magnetron 500 in consideration of diurnal variations such as a change according to temperature characteristics of the magnetron . as shown in fig8 , the control unit applies a first current , e . g ., a current of 9 a or larger , to the filament present within the magnetron during the initial starting stage ( 0 ˜ t1 ) and determines whether or not the electrodeless lighting system has reached a normal state ( t1 ˜ t2 ). when the electrodeless lighting system is in a normal state , the control unit reduces the filament current such that it is the same or smaller than the second current , e . g ., 6 a , and applies the same ( t2 ˜ t3 ). the driving unit 400 includes a first inverter unit 410 for varying the frequency of the dc voltage and converting it into a first ac voltage based on the first control , a second inverter unit 420 for varying the frequency of the dc voltage into a second ac voltage and converting it into a second ac voltage based on the second control signal , a first conversion unit 430 for converting the first ac voltage to generate the filament current , and a second conversion unit 440 for converting the second ac voltage to generate the driving voltage . of course , the first inverter unit 410 and the second inverter unit 420 may be configured as a single inverter unit . also , the first conversion unit 430 and the second conversion unit 440 may be configured as a single conversion unit , namely , through a transformer . the driving unit 400 may further includes a high voltage generating unit 450 for increasing the driving voltage outputted from the second conversion unit 440 into a high voltage and applying the same to the to magnetron . the first inverter unit 410 includes switching elements such as insulated gate bipolar transistors ( igbts ). the first inverter unit 410 receives a first control signal , a switching control signal , such as a frequency control signal , a duty control signal , or the like , from the control unit 800 and converts the dc voltage inputted from the rectifying unit 200 or from the power factor compensating unit 300 into a first ac voltage based on the first control signal . the first conversion unit 430 is a general transformer which converts the first ac voltage and supplies current to the filament of the magnetron according to the first inverter unit 410 . the second inverter unit 420 are also configured to include switching elements such as igbts . the second inverter unit 420 receives a second control signal , a switching control signal , such as the frequency control signal , the duty control signal , or the like , and converts the dc voltage inputted from the rectifying unit 200 or the power factor compensating unit 300 based on the second control signal . subsequently , the second conversion unit 440 is a general transformer which converts the second ac voltage according to the second inverter unit 420 to supply a driving voltage for driving the magnetron . the high voltage generating unit 450 increases the magnetron driving voltage which has been converted by the second conversion unit 550 and applies the increased high voltage to the magnetron 500 . the electrodeless lighting system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may further include the power factor compensating unit 300 connected between the rectifying unit 200 and the driving unit 400 and r compensating for a power factor of the dc voltage outputted from to the rectifying unit 200 . in this case , the control unit 800 may store power factor compensation data in advance . namely , the control unit 800 receives the commercial ac power 100 , detects a variation of the commercial ac power 100 and applies corresponding power factor compensation data to the power factor compensating unit 300 . then , the power factor compensating unit 300 compensates for a power factor of the dc voltage outputted from the rectifying unit 200 by using the power factor compensation data . also , the driving unit 400 receives the power factor - compensated dc voltage from the power factor compensating unit 300 . also , the electrodeless lighting system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may further include an input voltage detection unit 910 for detecting an input voltage inputted to the rectifying unit 200 and an input current detection unit 920 for detecting an input current inputted to the rectifying unit 200 . the control unit 800 controls the power factor compensation unit 300 and the driving unit 400 including the first inverter unit 410 and the second inverter unit 420 based on the detected input voltage and input current . the electrodeless lighting system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may further include a light detection unit 930 for detecting light of the electrodeless light bulb according to microwave outputted to the wave guide . the light detection unit 930 may be a photo transistor . the photo transistor may be installed at a bulb stage generating light through the electrodeless light bulb and counts the number of pulses of the light according to a rotation . in this case , the control unit 800 previously sets a reference number of pulses and compares the number of pulses of the detected light with the pre - set reference number of pulses . upon comparison , when the number of pulses of the detected light is greater than the reference number of pulses , the control unit 800 determines that the electrodeless lighting system is in a normal state . here , the reference number of pulses may be set to vary depending on the characteristics of the electrodeless lighting system . the control unit 800 previously sets a reference duration . when a duration in which the current of the first current or larger is applied exceeds the pre - set reference duration , the control unit 800 applies a high driving voltage to the magnetron and determines whether or not the electrodeless lighting system is in a normal state by comparing the number of pulses . namely , for example , the control unit 800 may set the reference duration as 4 seconds , and when four seconds has passed by , the control unit 800 outputs the second control signal to the second inverter unit 420 to apply a high voltage to the magnetron 500 . and then , the control unit 800 determines whether or not the electrodeless lighting system has reached a stable lighting state by using the light detection unit 930 . when it is determined that the electrodeless lighting system has reached a stable lighting state , the control unit 800 reduces the filament current of the magnetron through the first control signal and supplies the current of the second current or smaller . namely , the control unit 800 changes the filament current of the magnetron from a range of 9 to 11 a to a range of 4 to 7 a . accordingly , the frequency band of microwave outputted from the magnetron can be reduced and noise can be also reduced . namely , as shown in fig2 , when the filament current is reduced from 9 a to 6 a , nose in the regions a and c can be attenuated , the frequency band in the region b can be reduced , and a frequency interference with a wireless lan can be avoided . with reference to fig6 , a method for controlling an electrodeless lighting system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes an initial starting step ( s 100 ) of applying a filament current of a pre - set first current or larger of a magnetron ; a normal state determining step ( s 110 ) of determining whether or not the electrodeless lighting system has reached a normal state ; and a filament current changing step ( s 120 ) of changing the filament current such that it is a second current , which is smaller than the first current , or smaller when the electrodeless lighting system has reached the normal state . the configuration of the device is referred to fig4 and 5 . here , the normal state determining step ( s 110 ) may include : an initial start time determining step ( not shown ) of applying the filament current of the pre - set first current or larger to a filament and determining whether or not a pre - set reference duration has passed by ; a driving voltage application step ( not shown ) of applying a high driving voltage to the magnetron when the duration in which the current of the first current or larger than the first current is applied exceeds the pre - set reference duration ; a light detection step ( not shown ) of detecting light of the electrodeless light bulb according to microwave outputted from the magnetron to the wave guide ; and a pulse number comparing step ( not shown ) of comparing the number of pulses of the detected light and a pre - set reference number of pulses , wherein when the number of pulses of the detected light is larger than the reference number of pulses , it is determined that the electrodeless lighting system is in a normal state . the method for controlling an electrodeless lighting system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may further include : an input power maintaining step ( s 130 ) of uniformly maintaining entire power applied to the magnetron , and in the input power maintaining step ( s 130 ), the driving voltage of the magnetron is increased as high as the reduced filament current and supplied . during the initial starting stage , the filament current of the pre - set first current or larger is applied to a filament and the filament current is maintained ( s 100 ). in this case , as the first current , 9 to 11 a may be used . namely , the maneuverability of the electrodeless lighting system is secured during the initial starting stage , and the slightly higher current of 9 to 11 a is applied to the filament within the magnetron 500 in consideration of diurnal variations such as a change according to temperature characteristics of the magnetron . in the normal state determining step ( s 110 ), light according to microwave outputted from the magnetron is detected , and the number of pulses of the detected light and the pre - set reference number of pulses are compared . upon comparison , when the number of pulses of the detected light is larger than the reference number of pulses , it is determined that the electrodeless lighting system is in a normal state . here , the reference number of pulses may be set to vary depending on the characteristics of the electrodeless lighting system . in the normal state determining step ( s 110 ), when the duration in which the current of the first current or larger is applied exceeds the pre - set reference duration , a high voltage is applied to the magnetron , and whether or not the electrodeless lighting system is in a normal state by comparing the number of pulses . for example , when the reference duration is set to 4 seconds , and after four seconds has passed by , a high voltage is applied to the magnetron according to the second control signal . and then , the light is detected to determine whether or not the electrodeless lighting system is in a normal state or has reached a stable lighting state . when it is determined that the electrodeless lighting system has reached a stable lighting state , the filament current of the magnetron is reduced through the first control signal and a current of the second current or smaller is supplied ( s 120 ). here , as the second current , 4 to 7 a may be used . namely , the filament current of the magnetron is changed from a range of 9 to 11 a to a range of 4 to 7 a . accordingly , the frequency band of microwave outputted from the magnetron can be reduced and noise can be also reduced . namely , as shown in fig2 , when the filament current is reduced from 9 a to 6 a , nose in the regions a and c can be attenuated , the frequency band in the region b can be reduced , and a frequency interference with a wireless lan can be avoided . and then , the entire power applied to the magnetron is uniformly maintained ( s 130 ). the driving voltage of the magnetron is increased to as high as the reduced filament current and supplied . accordingly , a life span of the magnetron can be lengthened , noise can be reduced , and the operation efficiency of the electrodeless lighting system can be improved . with reference to fig7 , a method for controlling an electrodeless lighting system according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes : a first step ( s 200 ) of applying a filament current of a pre - set first current or larger of a magnetron to a filament to start the electrodeless lighting system ; a second step ( s 200 ) of determining whether or not a pre - set reference duration has passed by after the first step ; a third step ( s 300 ) of applying a high driving voltage to the magnetron when the pre - set reference duration has passed by according to the determination result of second step ; a fourth step ( s 400 ) of detecting light of an electrodeless light bulb according to microwave outputted to a wave guide from the magnetron ; a fifth step ( s 500 ) of comparing the number of pulses of the detected light and a pre - set reference number of pulses ; a sixth step ( s 600 ) of determining that the electrodeless lighting system is in a normal state when the number of pulses of the detected light is larger than the reference number of pulses according to a comparison result of the fifth step ; and a seventh step ( s 700 ) of changing the filament current such that the filament current is the same or smaller than a second current which is smaller than the first current . also , the method for controlling the electrodeless lighting system may further include : an eighth step ( s 260 ) of increasing a driving voltage of the magnetron such that it is as high as the reduced filament current and supplying the same . during the initial starting stage , the filament current of the pre - set first current or larger is applied to the filament and maintained ( s 200 ), and in the pre - set normal state , the filament current is changed to the second current , which is smaller than the first current , or smaller ( s 120 ). in this case , as the first current , 9 to 11 a may be used . namely , the maneuverability of the electrodeless lighting system is secured during the initial starting stage , and the slightly higher current of 9 to 11 a is applied to the filament within the magnetron 500 in consideration of diurnal variations such as a change according to temperature characteristics of the magnetron . and then , it is determined whether or not the duration in which the current of the first current or larger is applied exceeds the pre - set reference duration ( s 210 ). when the duration in which the current of the first current or larger is applied exceeds the pre - set reference duration , a high voltage is applied to the magnetron ( s 220 , and whether or not the electrodeless lighting system is in a normal state by comparing the number of pulses . for example , when the reference duration is set to 4 seconds , and after four seconds has passed by , a high voltage is applied to the magnetron according to the second control signal . and then , the light is detected to determine whether or not the electrodeless lighting system is in a normal state or has reached a stable lighting state . in other words , light according to microwave outputted from the magnetron is detected ( s 230 ), and the number of pulses of the detected light is compared with the pre - set reference number of pulses ( s 240 ). upon comparison , when the number of pulses of the detected light is greater than the reference number of pulses , it is determined that the electrodeless lighting system is in a normal state . here , the reference number of pulses may be set to vary depending on the characteristics of the electrodeless lighting system . when it is determined that the electrodeless lighting system has reached a stable lighting state , the filament current of the magnetron is reduced through the first control signal and a current of the second current or smaller is supplied ( s 250 ). here , as the second current , 4 to 7 a may be used . namely , the filament current of the magnetron is changed from a range of 9 to 11 a to a range of 4 to 7 a . accordingly , the frequency band of microwave outputted from the magnetron can be reduced and noise can be also reduced . namely , as shown in fig2 , when the filament current is reduced from 9 a to 6 a , nose in the regions a and c can be attenuated , the frequency band in the region b can be reduced , and a frequency interference with a wireless lan can be avoided . and then , the entire power applied to the magnetron is uniformly maintained . the driving voltage of the magnetron is increased to as high as the reduced filament current and supplied ( s 260 ). accordingly , a life span of the magnetron can be lengthened , noise can be reduced , and the operation efficiency of the electrodeless lighting system can be improved . as so far described , in the electrodeless lighting system and its control method according to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention , during the initial starting stage , a large filament current of the magnetron is applied to stably drive the magnetron , and during a normal state operation , a reduced filament current is applied , thus avoiding communication interference with a wireless lan . also , because the filament current is changed to be smaller , the life span of the magnetron can be lengthened and noise can be reduced . in addition , instead of reducing the filament current of the magnetron , the high driving voltage applied to the magnetron is increased and supplied , thus improving the operation efficiency of the electrodeless lighting system . as the present invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the characteristics thereof , it should also be understood that the above - described embodiments are not limited by any of the details of the foregoing description , unless otherwise specified , but rather should be construed broadly within its scope as defined in the appended claims , and therefore all changes and modifications that fall within the metes and bounds of the claims , or equivalents of such metes and bounds are therefore intended to be embraced by the appended claims .
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referring to fig1 , in one aspect of the invention , the diagram illustrates the basic implementation of the analog transmit and receive channels . a digital signal processor ( dsp ) used to close the scan , lock and track loops and analyze the data is shown . the dsp is particularly beneficial in this application as it provides a superior signal - to - noise ratio and enhanced fidelity or image clarity , provides very accurate crystal - based timing and is independent of temperature variations as compared to prior art analog circuitry . more specifically , with respect to the transmitter component of the invention , a square wave pulse from about 1 to about 3 mhz is generated by a clock in the dsp and is buffered by passing through amplifier 12 . the transmission pulse is delayed by delay 14 to synchronize the transmitter and receiver . delay 14 may be analog or digital and fixes the leading edge of the transmit signal with respect to the receiver being gated . the output of delay 14 is inverted at a high speed digital logic gate ( inverting amplifier ) 16 , the output of which is buffered by high speed transistor 17 . transistor 17 acts as a switch that turns on when a positive or relatively high voltage , e . g ., 3 . 3 volts , is received and turns off when the voltage is low or ground . in one embodiment , inverter 14 puts out either ground or 3 + volts . the output of transistor 17 is converted to a pulse by a capacitor 18 that functions as an open circuit for the slow speed signal or rising edge of the pulse wave , and as a short circuit for the high speed signal or falling edge . in this manner , capacitor 18 prevents passage of the low speed signal . capacitor 18 drives the shielded probe which forms a transmission line driven from the source impedance r 7 . the high speed edge continues along the transmit line into a probe 22 , which in one embodiment is shielded , where the source , characteristic and load impedances are optimized to produce large , clearly delineated reflections of various points in a fuel container such as the container bottom ( a ) and container top ( b ). the propagation time of the wave forms or reflections are directly dependent on the dielectric constant of the material being traversed . for example , the propagation time through air will be faster than through fuel because of the differences between the dielectric constants of air and fuel . additionally , the propagation time will be affected by the amount of fuel or other fluid in the container . a higher fuel content will lead to a slower return pulse . the depth and type of liquid and size of the container dictate the minimum propagation time and what frequency should be used for the transmitter and receiver rates . the frequency must allow time for the propagation of the transmit signal to the bottom of the container and return to the receiver . in one embodiment , the maximum frequency is used thus allowing integration of the maximum number of returns for good signal to noise ratio . the 1 - 3 mhz transmit cycle is constantly repeated in a substantially constant manner . turning to the receiver , the clock output is low pass filtered via resistor 30 and added to the dc signal from amplifier 42 so that the combined signal sets the threshold for comparator 28 . the amplifier output is inverted similar to the inversion performed by inverter 16 except without the preceding delay . the output is buffered by high speed transistor 29 and converted to a pulse by capacitor 26 that couples the high speed falling edge of the waveform to turn a switch 24 on and off . switch 24 may be implemented by either a fet switch 68 or a diode switch 70 . the result is a receiver gate signal synchronized to the transmit pulse but shifted in time depending on the dc signal from amplifier 42 . once switch 24 is closed , voltage sampling begins at probe 22 . a charge pump 23 is incorporated into the system to follow the transmitted and reflected signals . the sampling switch is closed for relatively short periods of time (& lt ; 1 nanosecond ) and shifted in picoseconds over about a 200 to about a 500 ms cycle depending on the length of the tube and reflection times . multiple samples are measured at almost the same time spot to insure a high signal to noise ratio . the charge pump includes a capacitor 60 and a resistor 62 . whether the charge pump is charged is dependent on the voltage of the received reflections . if positive voltages are received , the pump is charged . by sampling multiple times at the same spot , the relatively high frequency reflection is converted to a low frequency dc voltage signal that accommodates the limitations of the dsp . by reducing the frequency , rather than having to take measurements in nanoseconds or picoseconds , measurements can be made in milliseconds . with this configuration , sampling can be conducted in the same spot relative to the transmit pulse for a relatively long period of time by being shifted ( at a picoseconds rate ) each time the switch is turned on over this incrementally increasing time differential . sampling at other spots is accomplished by incrementally increasing the time gap between adjacent switch operation events . dsp 72 initiates the process of setting the time gaps . an initial command is sent by receiver gate 75 to an amplifier 42 via an integrate and limit algorithm 90 and a 12 bit pulse width modulator ( pwm ) 94 . the dc voltage passes to resistor 36 and a 2 pole low pass filter 37 that includes capacitors 34 and 40 and resistor 38 . the voltage is then buffered by amplifier 42 . the output voltage of amplifier 42 passes to a resistor 32 and is summed with the output of resistor 30 , the sum of which passes to comparator 28 . the first command sent results in the initial voltage into resistor 32 being 0 so that there is no time delay effect on the initial signal to switch 24 . the output of comparator 28 , which is inverted , passes to switch 44 and resistor 46 . simultaneously with the exception of the delay produced by delay 14 , the transmit line pulse travels to switch 48 and resistor 50 . the outputs from resistors 46 and 48 are summed and pass through a 2 pole low pass filter 55 that includes capacitors 52 and 56 and resistor 54 . the filtered dc signal is amplified by amplifier 58 and enters dsp 72 via a 12 bit a / d converter . the digitized signal is summed with the command from receiver gate control 75 and processed by the integrate and limit algorithm 90 . referring now to fig2 , with respect to the dsp operation and algorithms , the amplifier 58 dc output represents the time between when the transmit pulse begins and the receiver gate is started . this time is compared to the time commanded by receiver gate control 75 . the difference forms the error signal for the scan , lock and track loops . the error is input into the loop compensation ( sets the loop bandwidth ) shown in fig2 . the signal processing begins at start 110 . a timer 112 controls the operation . if the timer is ready , the a / d conversion begins at 114 . if not , the system loops back and tries again until timer 112 is ready . once the a / d conversion is complete , the signal from amplifier 58 ( represented as v p ) is put through a summation step 116 with the voltage command signal from receiver gate control 75 ( represented as v r ). the result v in is multiplied by a constant at step 118 and added at step 120 to the immediately preceding voltage output vout - 1 to produce vout . the magnitude of the resulting vout is checked at step 122 to determine its magnitude . if the magnitude is greater than a preselected limit , the vout is set to the selected limit at step 126 . if the vout is less than the selected limit , is passes to the pwm 94 . vout also loops back and is delayed at step 124 to be added to the next v in . the output of algorithm 90 is used to set the width of the pwm 94 dsp output and controls the time the receiver gate is started ( opened ) and ended ( closed ). the loop will drive the error to zero and thus track any or all return propagation times from the transmit time to the bottom of the container . in one illustrative embodiment , in scan mode , the receiver gate controller 75 output begins at zero time ( transmit ) and increases until the fluid level and the bottom of the tank / container are detected . once these times are known , the mode can be commanded to change to lock and track the propagation time ( distance ) with respect to a ) the top of the fuel level , b ) through the fluid between the top of the fluid and the bottom of the tank , and c ) the bottom of the container only . referring again to fig1 , the low frequency signals are buffered by amplifier 66 and input to the dsp 72 and into a 12 bit a / d converter 73 . the amount of filtering and amplification can be varied as is known in the art to optimize the tracking analysis . once the signal is digitized , it is processed through a low pass / high pass filter to shape the signal and remove any noise . referring to fig3 , the filter process begins at start 160 . a timer 162 controls the operation . if the timer is ready , the a / d conversion begins at 164 . if not , the system loops back and tries again until timer 162 is ready . after the conversion , a check is made as to whether the a / d conversion is complete at step 166 . if not , the system loops back and continues the conversion . once the conversion is complete , the digitized signal represented as vin is multiplied by a constant k 3 at step 170 . the result is put through a unit delay at 174 to produce k 3 vin - 1 . initially vin is put through a magnitude check at step 172 . if the magnitude is greater than a preselected maximum value , the vin is set to the vmax and exists to pulse shapers 76 and 78 as vout . if not , if passes to the pulse shapers 76 and 78 as vout . vout also loops back and is multiplied by constant k 2 at step 176 and put through a unit delay at 178 to become vout - 1 . k 3 vin is then added to vout - 1 and subtracted from k 3 vin - 1 . the result is again checked for magnitude at step 172 and passed out as vout . filters 76 and 78 ( shown in fig1 ) are used for gain adjustments to keep the returns in a linear region for analysis . the filters shape the pulses and pass the shaped pulses to comparators 86 and 88 , respectively . hi and low references 80 are put into the comparators . a transmit pulse is obtained (+) signal when the transmit pulse is larger than the high reference . a bottom tank pulse is obtained when the signal is lower than the low reference . the time between the two values is proportional to the amount of fuel in the tank . the more fuel , the larger the time separation will be . algorithm filter 92 ( also shown in fig1 ) is used to calculate the propagation time and determine the dielectric constant , the temperature and height and weight of the fluid , which is a function of the fluid . the range of these parameters is then used to determine if any harmful contaminates are present . fig4 a shows the calculations necessary to convert the signals into measurements of the height , weight and temperature of the fluid being monitored . measured receiver data and the results calculated thereof are shown in fig4 b . referring to fig5 , a series of tdr fuel probes can be used to monitor fuel levels in one or more fuel tanks found in a conventional aircraft wing . in one embodiment as shown , two independent systems having a plurality of probes connected to independent power sources and independent fuel quantity indicators are used to monitor fuel levels in separate fuel tanks such as left and right fuel tanks positioned in left and right wings , respectively , of a conventional aircraft . referring now to fig6 and 7 , plots are shown of readings taken from tanks with the novel coaxial probe system . fig6 shows readings taken from a tank half full with fuel . the points on the plot representing the air component and fuel or fluid component of the tank are labeled for clarity . for illustrative purposes , fig7 is provided to show readings taken from the same tank when essentially empty . while the present invention has been described in connection with several embodiments thereof , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention . accordingly , it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of the invention .
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examples of useful non - aqueous solvents having an electric resistance of higher than 10 9 ω · cm and a dielectric constant of less than 3 include such solvents as straight chain or branched aliphatic hydrocarbons , alicyclic hydrocarbons , aromatic hydrocarbons , and halogenated hydrocarbons . however , from the viewpoints of volatility , stability , toxicity , and odor , isoparafiinic petroleum solvents are suitable . preferable examples of such isoparaffinic petroleum solvents are isopar g , isoper h , isoper l , etc . ( trade names , made by esso chemical co .,). isopar g , isopar h and isopar l contain saturated hydrocarbons in an amount of 99 . 8 %, 99 . 3 %, and 99 . 5 % by weight , respectively , and aromatic hydrocarbons in an amount of 0 . 2 %, 0 . 2 %, and 0 . 2 % by weight , respectively . however , isopar h contains less than 0 . 5 % by weight of olefin . the boiling points of these liquids are 158 ° to 177 ° c . 174 ° to 189 ° c ., and 188 ° to 210 ° c . in general , any organic solvent can be used in the preparation of the resin particle dispersion used in this invention , provided that the solvent is miscible with the carrier liquid for the liquid developer . however , it is preferred to use the same solvent as the carrier liquid for the liquid developer and an aliphatic hydrocarbon solvent such as hexane , octadecane , etc ., or the foregoing isoparaffinic petroleum solvent such as isopar g , isopar h , and isopar l . the polymer substantially soluble in these solvents ( hereinafter , such a polymer is referred to as the soluble polymer ) acts as a dispersion stabilizer when preparing resin particles by polymerizing the monomer represented by the general formula ( i ) in the aforesaid organic solvent to deposit a polymer which is insoluble with respect to these solvents ( hereinafter , such a polymer is referred to as the insoluble polymer ). when the aforesaid solvent is an aliphatic hydrocarbon solvent , a polymer containing the alkyl ester having 4 to 18 carbon atoms of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid described in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 232 , 903 or the graft copolymer described in japanese patent publication no . 23350 / 65 can be used as the soluble polymer . practical examples of the soluble polymer include a polymer of a long chain alkyl ester such as the stearyl , lauryl , octyl , or 2 - ethylhexyl ester of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid ; a copolymer of the foregoing long chain alkyl ester and a lower alkyl ester such as the methyl , ethyl , or propyl ester of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid ; a copolymer of the foregoing long chain alkyl ester and a styrene derivative such as styrene , vinyltoluene , and α - methylstyrene ; a copolymer of the foregoing long chain alkyl ester and a vinyl monomer such as acrylic acid , methacrylic acid , ( diethylaminoethyl ) methacrylate , hydroxyethyl methacrylate , vinylpyrrolidone , vinylpyridine , diacetoneacrylamide , etc . ; and a graft copolymer preparing by grafting the aforesaid vinyl monomer to the long chain alkyl ester of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid as the skeleton polymer . examples of useful monomers constituting the resin particles used in this invention include monomers represented by general formula ( i ) described above ( homopolymers ) and monomers represented by general formula ( i ) and a 2nd monomer which is insoluble in the foregoing organic solvent before polymerization but becomes soluble in the organic solvent when the monomer is polymerized . when an aliphatic hydrocarbon or an isoparaffinic petroleum solvent is used as the foregoing organic solvent , it is preferred that the resin particles are composed of a copolymer of the monomer of general formula ( i ) containing the 2nd monomer . in particular , when in the monomer represented by general formula ( i ), r 1 and / or r 2 is an alkyl group having , for example , 3 to 18 carbon atoms , it is frequently necessary for the resin particles to be copolymers containing the 2nd monomer . examples of the 2nd monomer are a lower alkyl ester such as the methyl , ethyl , or propyl ester of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid ; a styrene derivative such as styrene , vinyltoluene , and α - methylstyrene ; and vinyl acetate . resin particles may be prepared by polymerizing the monomer of general formula ( i ) solely if the polymer formed is insoluble in the polymerization solvent . however , in order to impart a good positively charging property to the resin particles , which is one of the objects of this invention , the resin particles having a sufficient positively charging property can be obtained if the resin particles contain the 2nd monomer as the copolymer component and at least 0 . 1 mole %, preferably at least 1 . 0 mole % of the monomer shown by general formula ( i ). practical examples of the monomer shown by general formula ( i ) are ( dimethylaminomethyl ) styrene , ( diethylaminomethyl ) styrene , ( dipropylaminomethyl ) styrene , ( dibutylaminomethyl ) styrene , ( dihexylaminomethyl ) styrene , ( dioctylaminomethyl ) styrene , ( dilaurylaminomethyl ) styrene , ( distearylaminomethyl ) styrene , ( dimethylaminoethyl ) styrene , ( diethylaminoethyl ) styrene , ( dipropylaminoethyl ) styrene , ( dibutylaminoethyl ) styrene , ( dihexylaminoethyl ) styrene , ( dioctylaminoethyl ) styrene , ( dilaurylaminoethyl ) styrene , ( ethylaminomethyl ) styrene , ( propylaminoethyl ) styrene , ( butylaminomethyl ) styrene , ( octylaminoethyl ) styrene , ( laurylaminomethyl ) styrene , ( n - methyl - n - phenylaminomethyl ) styrene , ( n - ethyl - n - phenylaminomethyl ) styrene , ( n - methyl - n - benzylaminomethyl ) styrene , ( n - ethyl - n - benzylaminomethyl ) styrene , ( morpholinomethyl ) styrene , ( morpholinoethyl ) styrene , ( piperidinomethyl ) styrene , ( piperidinoethyl ) styrene , and the like . the resin particles used in this invention are prepared by completely dissolving the soluble polymer which acts as a dispersing agent , the monomer represented by general formula ( i ), and , if necessary , the 2nd monomer which becomes insoluble in an aliphatic hydrocarbon solvent by being polymerized and performing the polymerization with a known radical polymerization initiator such as benzoyl peroxide , azobisisobutyronitrile , etc . as the polymerization progresses , a polymer insoluble in the aliphatic hydrocarbon solvent ( the insoluble polymer ) precipitates to form fine resin particles by the dispersing action of the soluble polymer existing in the polymerization system . accordingly , there is formed a stable dispersion of the resin particles containing the structural recurring unit originated in the monomer represented by general formula ( i ). the ratio of the soluble polymer to the monomer is 1 to 1 / 100 by weight . there are no particular restrictions relating to the pigments and dyes used in this invention and generally known pigments or dyes such as carbon black , nigrosine , phthalocyanine blue , alkali blue , hansa yellow , benzidine yellow , quinacrine red , etc ., can be used . the liquid developer of this invention may further contain , if necessary , a known dielectric agent such as a metal salt of di - 2 - ethylhexylsulfosuccinic acid , a metal salt of naphthenic acid , a metal salt of a higher fatty acid , etc ., as well as other additives . the monomer of general formula ( i ) used in this invention can be prepared , for example , by the methods illustrated in the following synthesis examples . in 300 ml of toluene were dissolved 175 . 4 g of diethylamine and 152 . 5 g of chloromethylstyrene and the solution was heated to 60 °- 70 ° c . for 13 hours . as the reaction progressed , diethylamine hydrochloride precipitated . after filtering off the hydrochloride , the filtrate was washed with water , dried the layer containing toluene with sodium sulfate anhydride , concentrated , and after the addition of 1 g of di - tert - butylcatechol , the mixture was distilled under reduced pressure to provide 120 . 2 g of diethylaminomethylstyrene as a colorless liquid having a boiling point of 60 ° c ./ 2 mm hg . by following the procedures as in synthesis example 1 , the monomers shown by the following general formula were prepared by the reaction of chloromethylstyrene and each secondary amine : ______________________________________ ## str3 ## synthesisexample x______________________________________2 dibutylamino group3 dioctylamino group4 piperidino group5 morpholino group______________________________________ the foregoing monomer was prepared according to the method described in tsuruta et al ., makromol . chem ., 177 , 3255 ( 1976 ). in 100 ml of cyclohexane was dissolved 65 . 0 g of divinylbenzene ( a 55 % ethylbenzene solution of a mixture of m - divinylbenzene and p - divinylbenzene ) and after adding dropwise thereto an amine - amide complex composed of 64 . 5 g of di - n - butylamine and 25 mmoles of n - butyl lithium , the mixture was heated to 50 ° c . for 3 hours . to the reaction mixture was added 1 ml of methanol . after concentrating the mixture , 1 g of di - tert - butylcatechol was added to the residue , and then the resultant mixture was distilled under reduced pressure to provide 53 . 5 g of ( di - n - butylaminoethyl ) styrene ( a colorless liquid having a boiling point of 100 . 0 °- 101 . 0 ° c ./ 1 mm hg ). in a 500 ml glass vessel equipped with a stirrer , a reflux condenser , and a nitrogen inlet pipe were placed 400 g of isopar h , 200 g of lauryl methacrylate monomer , and 0 . 5 g of azobisisobutyronitrile and then the polymerization was performed at 80 ° c . for 6 hours with stirring under a nitrogen stream to provide polylauryl methacrylate at a polymerization rate of 95 %. in the vessel as used above were placed 200 g of isopar h , 40 g of methyl methacrylate monomer , 10 g of ( diethylamino ) styrene monomer , i . e ., the monomer prepared in synthesis example 1 , 0 . 25 g of azobisisobutyronitrile , and 30 g of an isopar h solution of aforesaid polylauryl methacrylate and the polymerization was performed at 70 ° c . for 6 hours with stirring under nitrogen stream to provide a white latex . the resin particles thus obtained showed good positively charging property . a liquid developer was prepared by diluting 3 g of the dispersion of the resin particles with 1 l of isopar h . a commercially available zinc oxide - coated paper was electrophotographically image - exposed , developed using the liquid developer thus prepared , fixed by heating , and then subjected to a hydrophilic treatment . when offset printing was performed using the electrophotographic printing sheet thus obtained , good prints were obtained . a dispersion of fine nigrosine particles was prepared by dispersing 10 g of the isopar h solution of polylauryl methacrylate used in example 1 and 10 g of nigrosine ( color index no . 50415 ) together with glass beads by means of a paint shaker for 90 minutes . a liquid developer was prepared by diluting 0 . 8 g of the nigrosine dispersion thus obtained and 3 g of the dispersion of the resin particles prepared in example 1 with 1 l of isopar h . a commercially available zinc oxide - coated paper was developed using the liquid developer thus prepared , fixed by heating , and then subjected to a hydrophilic treatment . when offset printing was performed using the electrophotographic printing sheet thus obtained , good prints were obtained . by following the same procedure as example 1 except that each of the monomers , ( dibutylaminomethyl ) styrene , piperidinomethylstyrene , and ( di - n - butylaminoethyl ) styrene prepared in synthesis examples 2 , 4 and 6 , respectively was used in place of the monomer prepared in synthesis example 1 , liquid developers were prepared . in a 500 ml glass vessel equipped with a stirrer , a reflux condenser , and a nitrogen inlet pipe were placed 400 g of isopar h , 160 g of lauryl methacrylate , 40 g of styrene , and 4 g of azobisisobutyronitrile and the polymerization was performed at 80 ° c . for 6 hours with stirring under a nitrogen stream to provide copoly ( lauryl methacrylate - styrene ) at a polymerization rate of 80 %. in the vessel as used above were placed 200 g of isopar h , 45 g of methyl methacrylate , 5 g of ( dioctylaminomethyl ) styrene , i . e ., the monomer prepared in synthesis example 3 , 0 . 25 g of azobisisobutyronitrile , and 30 g of an isopar h solution of foregoing copoly ( lauryl methacrylate - styrene ) and the polymerization was performed at 70 ° c . for 6 hours with stirring under nitrogen stream to provide a white latex . the resin particles obtained showed good positively charging property . 10 g of phthalocyanine blue ( color index no . 74160 ), 20 g of an isopar h solution of polylauryl methacrylate used in example 1 , and 10 g of isopar h were then dispersed together with glass beads by means of a paint shaker for 90 minutes to provide a phthalocyanine blue dispersion . a liquid developer was prepared by diluting 3 g of the foregoing latex and 0 . 8 g of the phthalocyanine blue dispersion with 1 l of isopar h . a commercially available zinc oxide - coated paper was developed using the liquid developer thus prepared , fixed by heating , and subjected to a hydrophilic treatment . when offset printing was performed using the electrophotographic printing sheet , good prints were obtained . by following the same procedure as example 5 except that ( dibutylaminomethyl ) styrene , the monomer prepared in synthesis example 2 was used as a monomer for preparing a white latex in place of the monomer prepared in synthesis example 3 , a liquid developer was prepared . by following the same procedure as in example 5 except that 45 g of styrene and 5 g of ( dibutylaminomethyl ) styrene monomer , the monomer prepared in synthesis example 2 were used as the monomers for preparing a white latex in place of methyl methacrylate and the monomer prepared in synthesis example 3 , a liquid developer was prepared . by following the same procedure as in example 5 except that 45 g of styrene and 5 g of ( di - n - butylaminoethyl ) styrene monomer , the monomer prepared in synthesis example 6 were used as the monomers for preparing a white latex in place of methyl methacrylate and the monomer prepared in synthesis example 3 , a liquid developer was prepared . while the invention has been described in detail and with reference to specific embodiments thereof , it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof .
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then , the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings . fig1 a to 1c to fig3 a to 3b illustrate a female screw member according to the present invention . the female screw member ( valve shaft holder ) 1 has approximately similar configuration and function to the female screw member 61 illustrated in fig7 a to 7e . the female screw member 1 includes a female screw part 1 b provided with a female screw 1 a , and a fully closing stopper part ( fully closing fixing stopper for restricting the movement of valve body to a fully closing position of the valve ) 1 d projected on an upper face part of the female screw part 1 b . the female screw member 1 further includes a cylindrical part 1 c having a cylindrical space 1 j with a larger diameter than a screw diameter of the female screw 1 a coaxially formed with the female screw part 1 b at one end of the female screw part 1 b . the female screw member 1 yet further includes a fully opening stopper part ( fully opening fixing stopper for restricting the movement of valve body to a fully opening position of the valve ) 1 f projected downward from a lower face of the female screw part 1 b in the cylindrical space 1 j . a joint ring 2 is integrally provided with a lower end part 1 g via a projection 1 h . in other words , the fully opening stopper part 1 f is formed at a bottom part of the cylindrical part 1 c . the fully opening stopper part 1 f includes a contact face ( working face ) 1 k , which is formed in the rotating direction centering on a center shaft of the female screw 1 a , and is in contact with the fully opening lower stopper part 67 illustrated in fig7 a to 7b . the fully opening stopper part 1 f further includes a spiral inclination face ( a part of a ceiling face or bottom part of the cylindrical part 1 c ) 1 e , which gradually approaches the female screw 1 a side from a lower edge part of the contact face 1 k as clearly illustrated in fig3 b . the fully opening stopper part 1 f yet further includes a circumferential inner face 1 m positioned on the axial line side of the female screw part 1 a . the spiral inclination face 1 e can be represented as a line in this embodiment if the spiral inclination face is developed centering on the center shaft of the female screw 1 a . the spiral inclination face 1 e is continuously formed , until going in the rotating direction of the female screw from the lower edge part of the contact face 1 k and reaching again an upper end of the contact face 1 k ( a contacting face with the bottom part of the cylindrical part 1 c ) ( more specifically , until going by one round ). a height t of the contact face 1 k ( a length in the center shaft direction of the contact face 1 k ) is set to be equal to or smaller than a pitch p of the female screw 1 a . when the fully opening lower stopper part 67 is in contact with the fully opening stopper part 1 f , a rotation of the rotor 57 is forcibly stopped . the female screw member 1 is different from the female screw member 61 in the following respect . since an inner wall surface of the female screw member 1 is molded with one core , the fully opening stopper part 1 f includes the spiral inclination face 1 e and the circumferential inner face 1 m . in the other than this respect , the female screw member 1 has a similar configuration to the female screw member 61 . fig4 a to 4b and fig5 illustrate metal molds for molding the female screw member 1 . fig4 b is a cut - away perspective view taken by cutting the core 13 , molds 11 and 12 etc . along the centerline of the core 13 by a predetermined angle . in fig4 b , an area on the right side of the centerline and an area on the left side are illustrated with hatchings having different inclination angels even though these areas are within same parts , for easily understanding of the assembled state . furthermore , fig4 b illustrates a state that a resin is injected into gaps 11 a and 12 a from an injection port 11 b as described below . the mold is configured with an upper mold 11 , a lower mold 12 , and one core 13 . the upper mold 11 includes a gap 11 a for molding the female screw part 1 b side of the female screw member 1 and an upper part of the cylindrical part 1 c between the upper mold 11 and the core 13 . the upper mold 11 further includes an injection port 11 b of a resin r . the lower mold 12 includes a gap 12 a for molding the lower end part 1 g side ( a lower part of the cylindrical part 1 c ) of the female screw member 1 between the lower end 12 and the core 13 . the lower mold 12 further includes a ring - like housing part 12 b for insert - molding the joint ring 2 on an upper face . the core 13 includes the following parts so that the inner wall surface of the female screw member 1 can be formed by one core 13 . that is , the core 13 includes a male screw part 13 a for molding the female screw 1 a of the female screw member 1 at an upper part thereof , and a plane part 13 c for molding the contact face 1 k of the female screw member 1 . the core 13 further includes a spiral part 13 b for molding the spiral inclination face 1 e , which inclines continuously from a top end of the contact face 1 k and goes by one round , so that the fully opening stopper part 1 f of the female screw member 1 does not come to be an undercut . the core 13 yet further includes a cylindrical part 13 e for molding the cylindrical space 1 j of the female screw member 1 , and a projection 13 f extended at a lower end part . the projection 13 f is provided to rotate and pull out the core 13 after molding the female screw member 1 . after the joint ring 2 is housed in the housing part 12 b of the lower mold 12 by using the mold as illustrated in fig4 a to 4b , the upper mold 11 , the lower mold 12 , and the core 13 are assembled , and the resin r is injected from the injection port 11 b and is cured . then , the lower mold 12 is removed at first , and then the core 13 is removed from the female screw member 1 by rotating using the projection 13 f . as mentioned above , the height t of the contact face 1 k is set to be equal or smaller than the pitch p . thus , when the core 13 is pulled out , the spiral part 13 b of the core 13 is moved smoothly along the spiral inclination face 1 e of the female screw member 1 , or is moved gradually separating from the spiral inclination face 1 e according to the rotation of the core 13 . therefore , the fully opening stopper part 1 f does not come to be an undercut , and the core 13 can be pulled out easily . more specifically , when a portion on the downstream side in the rotating direction of the core 13 is set to be , for example , a vertical face ( a face vertical to the rotating direction ) in the fully opening stopper part 1 f as illustrated in fig1 a to 10b , the fully opening stopper part 1 f comes to be an undercut as mentioned above . however , the portion on the downstream side in the rotating direction of the core 13 in the fully opening stopper part 1 f is formed spirally in the same way of the movement when taking out the core 13 ( the movement of rotating and moving in the axial direction of the female screw ). thus , the undercut is not generated . in addition , the upper mold 11 can be removed anytime after the resin is cured . in the female screw member 1 produced by the aforementioned method , the fully opening stopper 1 f has the contact face 1 k and the spiral inclination face 1 e as illustrated in fig1 a to 1c . when the fully opening lower stopper part 67 illustrated in fig7 a to 7b is in contact with the fully opening stopper part 1 f , the rotation of the rotor 57 is forcibly stopped , and the motor operated valve 51 comes to be in a fully opening state . meanwhile , in the above description , the spiral inclination face 1 e is formed so that it goes around the center shaft of the female screw by one round from the lower edge part ( top end ) of the contact face 1 k and reaches again the upper end ( end part on the opposite side to the top end ) of the contact face . however , the present invention is not limited to this shape of the spiral inclination face 1 e . as described below regarding fig6 a to 6c , a flat part ( a plane face vertical to the center shaft of the female screw ) can be formed at a top end and / or a rear end of the spiral inclination face 1 e . fig6 a to 6c are explanatory diagrams illustrating a modified example of the spiral inclination face 1 e , explaining a state that the spiral inclination face 1 e is pulled out by using a development elevation of the spiral inclination face 1 e centering on the center shaft of the female screw 1 a . ( in fig6 a to 6c , a horizontal axis indicates a rotation angle of the female screw 1 a , and a vertical axis indicates the direction of the center shaft of the female screw 1 a . an inclination angle of the inclination face 1 e is illustrated with a little exaggeration .) fig6 a illustrates a modified example of the present invention . a flat part 1 x is provided at the top end of the spiral inclination face 1 e ( a contact part with the top end of the contact face 1 k ). in this case , as illustrated in fig6 a , when it is assumed that the female screw member 1 rotates according to a thread of the female screw 1 a ( a fully opening stopper before rotation is illustrated with a numerical symbol 1 f and a fully opening stopper after rotation is illustrated with a numerical symbol 1 f ′), the inclination angle of the spiral inclination face 1 e , the height of the contact face 1 k , the distance of the flat part 1 x , and the like can be suitably set so that the rotating spiral inclination face 1 e does not interfere with a spiral inclination face which is not rotating . in other word , if the core 13 is configured so as to obtain the inclination angle of the spiral inclination face 1 e , the height of the contact face 1 k , the distance of the flat part 1 x , and the like which are set as mentioned above , the core 13 can be taken out without interfering of the spiral part 13 b of the core 13 with the spiral inclination face 1 e of the female screw member when taking out the core 13 . fig6 c illustrates another modified example of the present invention . the flat part 1 x is provided at the top end of the spiral inclination face 1 e ( the contact part with the top end of the contact face 1 k ). in addition , a flat part 1 y is provided at a rear end of the spiral inclination face 1 e ( a contact with the lower end of the contact face 1 k ). in this example , when it is assumed that the female screw member 1 rotates according to the thread of the female screw 1 a , the fully opening stopper part 1 f is formed so that the rotating spiral inclination face 1 e does not interfere with a spiral inclination face which is not rotating . accordingly , the core 13 can be pulled out . fig6 b illustrates an example in which the flat parts 1 x and 1 y are provided at the top and rear ends of the spiral inclination face 1 e as shown in fig6 c . in this example , when it assumed that the female screw member 1 rotates according to the thread of the female screw 1 a , the rotating spiral inclination face 1 e interferes with a spiral inclination face which is not rotating . in this example , the core 13 interferes with the spiral inclination face 1 e when pulling out the core 13 , so that the core 13 cannot be pulling out . furthermore , the present invention is not limited to the aforementioned example in which the flat parts 1 x and 1 y are formed at the top end and / or the rear end of the spiral inclination face 1 e . the flat part can be formed at a middle part of the spiral inclination face 1 e . further , the spiral inclination face 1 e can have a plurality of inclination angles , or the development elevation can be formed so as not to be linear like the above examples but to be curved . in any example , when it is assumed that the female screw member 1 rotates in line with the thread of the female screw 1 a , the inclination angle of the spiral inclination face 1 e , the height of the contact face 1 k , and the like can be suitably set so that the rotating spiral inclination face 1 e does not interfere with a spiral inclination face which is not rotating . accordingly , the core 13 can be pulled out . when the spiral inclination face 1 e has a plurality of inclination angles or a continuous inclination angle , the core 13 can be pulled out by an angle equal to or larger than the maximum inclination angle . furthermore , the present invention is not applied to only the female screw member of the motor operated valve . if a female screw member includes a projection projecting in the direction of a center shaft of a female screw and having a working face in the rotating direction centering on the center shaft of the female screw , the present invention can be applied to any parts and products . in other words , the female screw member of the present invention is not limited to the screw member illustrated in fig1 a to 10 , and the female screw member can be a female screw member not having the cylindrical part 1 c configuring the cylindrical space 1 j .
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embodiments of the invention are generally directed towards a system for mounting a pv panel to a support structure such as a roof surface . the system can include a base portion assembly and a foot assembly for supporting a pv panel . the foot assembly may include a spring clip unit that when actuated from a first position to a second position with the base portion assembly , provides a boltless system for rigidly fixing the foot assembly to the base portion assembly in a sufficient manner to support the weight of one or more pv panels . advantageously , such a system requires little to no tools for installation , and hence installation time is greatly reduced over prior systems that require additional tools and bolting . the following description details some examples of such a system . fig1 a shows a system 100 for mounting a photovoltaic ( pv ) panel to a structure , such as a roof . the system 100 includes a base portion 102 having a plurality of raised portions , depicted here as rails 104 . here , three rails 104 are shown , although more or less may be provided . base portion 102 also includes passage 105 for mounting base portion 102 to a roof with a mechanical fastener , such as a lag bolt . base portion 102 is generally planer in shape with lateral edges 106 that raise base portion 102 above a mounting surface to help with drainage and clear obstacles . base portion 102 may be formed from an extrusion and as shown , include a plurality of passages to mitigate excess weight . the specific passages shown in the figures are exemplary only . more , fewer or different passage may incorporated into base portion 102 in various embodiments of the invention . each rail 104 generally has channels 108 formed within an a - shaped cross - section to provide a generally male interlocking shape for spring clip unit 110 , which is shown in detail at fig1 b . spring clip unit 110 includes foot 112 , which here is configured as an elongated body with a generally female cross - section that is complimentary with respect to rails 104 of base portion 102 , to enable the spring clip unit 110 to slide over rails 104 . foot 112 supports a pv module coupling device 114 adapted to engage the frames of at least two pv modules while maintaining a space in between them . elongated beam 124 leads to pv module mounting platform 126 that supports pv module coupling device 128 configured to couple together the frames of at least two photovoltaic modules . pv module coupling device 128 in fig1 a and 1b is a “ rock - it ” style connector manufactured by solarcity corp ., which is arranged to connect to respective frames of two adjacent pv modules . such a coupling device is described and illustrated , for example , in commonly assigned u . s . patent application ser . no . 14 / 615 , 320 , publication no . 2015 / 0155823 - a1 , the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety . however , system 100 is not limited to use of such a coupling device . a multitude of different styles of coupling devices are compatible with the system , for example , such as the coupling device 132 illustrated at fig4 , which depicts a clamping - style coupling device 132 with an upper and lower clamp arranged to clamp the top and bottom portions of a pv module . continuing with fig1 a and 1b , spring clip unit 110 includes first spring clip 116 having a wire - form structure forming lever portion 118 that extends laterally away from foot 112 . the wire - form structure also extends to first tab 120 and second tab 122 that extend through passages within the foot 112 . spring clip unit 110 also includes second spring clip 124 having a pair of bodies extending in cantilever from foot 112 and having sets of teeth angled downwardly towards the top of rail 104 , however , only one body can be used . the wire - form structure of first spring clip 116 also includes corner portions 126 that lay between lever portion 118 and first tab 120 and second tab 122 . the wire - form structure is formed such that corner portions 126 place compressive force against tapered sides 128 of foot 112 . hence , travel along tapered sides 128 causes corner portions 126 to narrow and widen with respect to each other , which causes first tab 120 and second tab 122 to narrow and widen in the same manner . in use , spring clip unit 110 is placed over rail 104 with lever portion 118 in a raised position , as shown at fig2 a and 2b . in this position , first tab 120 and second tab 122 are withdrawn within foot 112 , due to the corner portions 126 of the first spring clip 116 interacting with the tapered sides 128 of the foot 112 . the relative positioning of corner portions 126 with respect to the varying width of foot 112 causes first tab 120 and second tab 122 to spread relatively wide , and hence forcibly away from one another . as seen in fig2 c and 2d , moving lever portion 118 downward causes first tab 120 and second tab 122 to move inward due to the relative thinning of the width of foot 112 with respect to the corner portions 126 , as corner portions 126 move upward along the tapered walls 128 of the foot 112 . this causes first tab 120 and second tab 122 to simultaneously narrow and rotate , and thereby frictionally interlock with channels 108 of rail 104 , and thus prevent relative movement between spring clip unit 110 and base portion 102 . advantageously , locking spring clip unit 110 may be performed manually without the use of tools . in various embodiments , the ends of first tab 120 and second tab 122 may be shaped ( e . g ., tapered , cammed , and / or beveled ) to assist in this motion . here , first tab 120 and second tab 122 are tapered and beveled , although that is not required . in addition , second spring clip 124 is preloaded against the rail 104 to help prevent relative vertical movement between spring clip unit 110 and base portion 102 , as well as to provide an electrical ground path between pv module coupling device 114 and base portion 102 . fig3 shows double spring clip unit 130 , which is structurally similar to spring clip unit 110 shown at fig1 b . the difference between spring clip unit 130 of fig3 and spring clip unit 110 of fig1 a , 1b , and 2 is that the foot 112 b is longer and provisioned for an additional levered first spring clip 116 to allow for spanning over the passage 105 in base portion 102 , and thus over a lag bolt penetrating through the base portion 102 . also , because foot 112 b is longer than foot 112 and has two clamps that engage channels 108 , foot 112 b may provide a relatively stronger connection to base portion 102 . fig4 shows a plurality of systems 100 mounted to a roof and supporting a plurality of pv panels . as shown , base portion 102 may advantageously be utilized to support more than one spring clip unit , although supporting more than one is not necessary . while system 100 is shown mounted to a sloped composite shingle roof , system 100 may be used on a variety of other structures . the use of the terms “ a ” and “ an ” and “ the ” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention ( especially in the context of the following claims ) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural , unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context . the terms “ comprising ,” “ having ,” “ including ,” and “ containing ” are to be construed as open - ended terms ( i . e ., meaning “ including , but not limited to ,”) unless otherwise noted . the term “ connected ” is to be construed as partly or wholly contained within , attached to , or joined together , even if there is something intervening . recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range , unless otherwise indicated herein , and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein . all methods described herein may be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context . the use of any and all examples , or exemplary language ( e . g ., “ such as ”) provided herein , is intended merely to better illuminate embodiments of the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed . no language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non - claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention . preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein , including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention . variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description . the inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate , and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein . accordingly , this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law . moreover , any combination of the above - described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context .
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the polymers of this invention have a backbone to which are attached pendant modified nicotinamide residues which are covalently bonded to a carbon of the backbone through the ring nitrogen of such nicotinamide . quite diagramatically , the polymers may be represented as ## str2 ## where represents a polymer backbone . in one sense , any polymeric backbone providing a covalent source of attachment to the ring nitrogen of the modified nicotinamides used in this invention are suitable . however , we have found it advantageous to use homopolymers and copolymers of styrene containing functionalized methyl group at its 3 or 4 position , i . e ., styrenes of the structure ## str3 ## the functionalized methyl group of the styrenes react with the ring nitrogen of the nicotinamides used herein , thus serving as one terminus of the covalent attachment . the group y is most often a halogen , excluding fluorine , but may be any other group which can be replaced in a nucleophilic substitution by the ring nitrogen of nicotinamides . thus , y also may be a sulfonate ester , such as the mesylate or p - toluene sulfonate ester , activated carboxylate esters , such as p - nitrobenzoate , 2 , 4 - dinitrobenzoate , and other leaving groups too well known in nucleophilic displacement reactions to require extensive description . the homopolymers may arise from a functionalized 3 - or 4 - methylstyrene itself or from a substituted 3 - or 4 - methylstyrene . such substituents may appear at the alpha - position , i . e ., r 1 is different from h , or the substituents may be on the ring . where an alpha - substituent , r 1 , is present it is usually an alkyl group , especially a lower alkyl group containing up to about 5 carbon atoms . where a ring substituent , x , is present the only requirement is that it be inert both in the context of polymerization and in the context of the chemical properties of the resulting polymer . examples of such substituents include alkyl groups , halogens , alkyl ethers , aryl ethers , tertiary amines , and quaternary amines . where the polymeric backbone of this invention is a copolymer of styrene , the styrene conforms to the description given above and the copolymer may be any vinyl monomer , r 2 r 3 c ═ ch 2 . the exact nature of the vinyl monomer is unimportant except to the extent that it be capable of forming a copolymer with the styrene used . examples of suitable copolymers include ethylene , propylene , 1 , 1 - dichloroethylene , acrylonitrile , the acrylates , vinyl toluene , vinyl chloride , and so forth . the materials which form the polymeric backbone of this invention may be crosslinked where it is desired that the final polymeric product of this invention be insoluble . the resulting copolymers , i , without regard to extent of crosslinking , are ## str4 ## where , for reasons to be elaborated upon within , a is an integer from 1 to 4 , preferably 1 or 2 , and b is an integer from 2 to 8 , better from 3 to 7 , and best from 4 to 6 where a is preferably 2 and at least 4 where a is preferably 1 , and r 2 , r 3 are independently selected from the group of r 1 and halogen . other materials suitable as the polymeric backbone of this invention are copolymers of a vinyl monomer , as described above , and stilbene or acenaphthylene containing a functionalized methyl group at an appropriate position . the resulting structures of these materials are iia and iib , respectively . ## str5 ## where a is an integer up to 3 , but most preferably 1 , and b is an integer from 3 to 7 , and preferably from 4 to 6 . ## str6 ## attached to the polymer backbone is a heterocycle which is a nicotinamide residue , or an aromatic ring system incorporating the pyridine nucleus and bearing mono - or disubstituted carboxamido groups at the 3 - or 3 , 5 - positions relative to the pyridine ring nitrogen , with the attachment being by a covalent bond between an atom of the polymer backbone and the nitrogen atom of the pyridine ring system . the purpose of the functionalized methyl group on the aromatic residues of the polymeric backbones described above is to provide a reactive center which engages in the aforementioned bonding . in the simplest case the heterocycle is nicotinamide itself , 3 - pyridylcarboxamide , where the amide is either monosubstituted or disubstituted , ## str7 ## r 5 is not equal to h if r 4 is equal to h . another heterocycle which may be used in this invention is the diamide of 3 , 5 - pyridinedicarboxylic acid where each amide is at least monosubstituted , ## str8 ## r 5 ≠ h if r 4 = h . fused ring systems incorporating the pyridine nucleus also may be used in the practice of this invention . examples include the mono - or disubstituted amides of 3 - quinolinecarboxylic acid , 4 - isoquinolinecarboxylic acid and 4 , 6 - isoquinolinedicarboxylic acid . in the carboxamide groups present at the 3 - or 3 , 5 - positions , relative to the ring nitrogen , of the aromatic heterocycles of this invention r 4 , r 5 are selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and alkyl or substituted alkyl groups subject to the constraint that not more than one of r 4 , r 5 is hydrogen and at least one of the alkyl or substituted alkyl groups has a chiral center adjacent to the nitrogen , i . e ., it is bonded to the amide nitrogen via a chirotopic carbon atom . examples which are to be emphasized are illustrative only , of suitable r 4 , r 5 groups which may be alkyl , cycloalkyl , aralkyl , and substituted derivatives thereof , include 1 - phenylethyl , 1 -( 1 - phenyl ) propyl , 1 -( 1 - naphthyl ) ethyl , 1 -( 2 - naphthyl ) ethyl , menthyl , 1 - carbamoylethyl , 1 -( 1 - carbamoyl ) propyl , 1 -( 1 - carbamoyl - 2 - methyl ) propyl , 1 -( 1 - carbamoyl - 2 - phenyl ) ethyl , 1 -( 1 - carbamoyl - 3 - methyl ) butyl , 1 -( 1 - carbomethoxy - 3 - methyl )- butyl , 1 -( 1 - carbamoyl - 2 - p - methoxyphenyl ) ethyl , and so on . the groups r 4 and r 5 also may be part of a cyclic system which incorporates the amide nitrogen . examples of such systems include pyrrolidines and piperidines generally , especially ## str9 ## where n is 1 or 2 and r &# 39 ; is an alkyl group , especially a lower alkyl containing up to about six carbon atoms , or an aralkyl moiety , and such diverse ring systems as 1 , 3 - diazacyclopentane , 1 , 3 - diazacyclohexane , 1 , 4 - diazacyclohexane , 1 - oxa - 4 - azacyclohexane , 1 - thia - 3 - azacyclopentane , 1 - thia - 3 - azacyclohexane , and so forth . particularly favored are those materials where at least one of r 4 , r 5 is a residue of an alpha - amino acid ester , especially those of naturally occurring amino acids . that is , h 2 nr 4 or h 2 nr 5 is an ester of an alpha - amino acid where h 2 n is the amino group of the acid . for example , where alanine is the alpha - amino acid r 4 =-- ch ( ch 3 ) co 2 ch 3 ; using the methyl ester to illustrate this case . the use of alpha - amino acids is especially favored in the case of monosubstituted amides , i . e ., r 4 is hydrogen , so that -- nhr 5 is an alpha - amino acid ester minus a hydrogen of the amino group . in the usual case the alpha - amino acid ester will be that of a naturally occurring d - or l - amino acid , because of their greater availability . however , it should be apparent that our invention is not restricted to such alpha - amino acids , and that in fact it encompasses all alpha - amino whose amino carbon is chirotopic . examples of suitable amino acids include alanine , arginine , asparagine , aspartic acid , cysteine , cystine , 3 , 5 - dibromotyrosine , 3 , 5 - diiodotyrosine , glutamic acid , glutamine , histidine , hydroxylysine , hydroxyproline , isoleucine , leucine , lysine , methionine , phenylalanine , proline , serine , threonine , thyroxine , tryptophane , tyrosine , phenylglycine , and valine . where the heterocycle has two carboxamido groups at the 3 , 5 - positions relative to the ring nitrogen atom , a cyclic structure incorporating the amino groups is preferred . this is exemplified in the structure below which uses pyridine as the ring system for convenience only . ## str10 ## the residue -- nh -- w -- co 2 -- is that of an alpha - amino acid as described above , preferably a naturally occurring one , where h (-- nhwco 2 --) h is said amino acid . therefore , these materials are cyclic esters of 3 , 5 - dicarboxylic acid amides where each amide arises , at least conceptually , from an alpha - amino acid . lysine , phenylalanine , and valine are especially favored amino acids in this branch of the invention . the group designated as u is a spacer ; i . e ., it functions only to maintain a desired spatial relationship in the resulting macrocyclic ring system . among suitable groups which may function as the spacer may be mentioned polymethylene , ( ch 2 ) p , where p is an integer from about 4 to about 10 ; a polyoxyethylene , -- ch 2 ch 2 ( och 2 ch 2 ) q --, where q is 2 or 3 ; and the entities ## str11 ## where r and s are integers such that r + s is from 2 to about 6 . where the amide functionality is not part of a macrocyclic system , the heterocyclic rings ideally occur in pairs with the minimum spacing possible between them , each pair being separated by approximately 5 vinyl monomeric units . where the amide functionality is part of a macrocyclic ring system , it is best that the heterocyclic ring system of the polymer be separated by at least about 4 vinyl monomeric units . to summarize , using homopolymers and copolymers i as the polymeric backbone and nicotinamide to exemplify a monoamide of a heterocyclic ring system , the polymers of this invention would have the structure , ## str12 ## where a = 2 , b = 4 - 6 in the preferred case , with a being an integer from 1 to 4 , and b being either zero ( homopolymers ) or an integer from 2 to 8 in the general case . where the polymeric backbone is i and the heterocyclic aromatic amide is a dicarboxylic acid amide incorporated into a macrocyclic structure , the polymers of this invention would have the structure , ## str13 ## where a = 1 and b is an integer at least 4 , where the polymeric backbone is iia , and the heterocyclic amide is exemplified by a nicotinamide , the polymers of this invention have the structure ## str14 ## where in the preferred case a is 1 and b is an integer from 4 - 6 . where the polymeric backbone is iib , and the heterocyclic amide is exemplified by a nicotinamide , the polymers of this invention have the structure ## str15 ## where in the preferred case a is 1 and b is an integer from 4 - 6 the reduced form of the polymer is the hydrogen transfer agent in the process of this invention . the reduced form of the polymer is the 1 , 4 - addition product of hydrogen and is exemplified by the following reaction , where ○ p represents the polymer backbone used in this invention . ## str16 ## any reagent affording the desired 1 , 4 - addition product may be used in the formation of the reduced form of the polymers of this invention . perhaps the best reagents are the dithionite salts , especially sodium dithionite . preparation of the reduced form is relatively straightforward and can be effected by reacting a solution of the polymer with an aqueous solution of a suitable dithionate salt . in the presence of certain metal cations the reduced form of the polymer will reduce the carbonyl group of ketones , aldehydes , and α - ketoesters , the thiocarbonyl group of thioketones , thioaldehydes , and α - thioketoesters , and the imino group of imines and α - iminoesters to alcohols , α - hydroxyesters , thiols , α - thiolesters , amines , and α - aminoesters , respectively . because the polymer in its reduced form has a chiral center near the active site , the reduction is asymmetric , i . e ., the products are optically active where introduction of a chiral center accompanies reduction . where r 4 or r 5 is from an l - amino acid derivative , which has the s configuration , the product will have the s configuration . the cations which may be used in the practice of this invention include the divalent cations of magnesium and zinc for the reduction of the carbonyl or thiocarbonyl groups , and the monovalent cation of lithium for the reduction of imines . the purpose of the metal is to complex with the nitrogen of the amide groups of the polymer and the oxygen , sulfur , or nitrogen of the carbonyl , thiocarbonyl , or imino group to be reduced . in the absence of the metal cations reduction occurs quite slowly . where the polymers have an acyclic amide system about two molar proportions of monovalent cation and one molar proportion of divalent cation is needed for complete or near complete complexation . where the amide is incorporated in a macrocyclic ring system , about one molar proportion of the monovalent dication and 0 . 5 molar proportion of the divalent cation are needed . in all cases molar proportions are relative to the heterocyclic aromatic amide units in the polymer . although complete complexation is not necessary , usually it is desirable to have enough metal ion present to complex with a substantial portion of the amide , a substantial portion generally being at least about 30 % of the maximum . complexation usually results by merely contacting an aqueous or partly aqueous solution of the cation with the reduced form of the polymer . the substrates of this invention are organic materials having reducible carbonyl , thiocarbonyl , or imino groups associated with aldehydes , ketones , α - ketoesters , thioaldehydes , thioketones , α - thioketoesters , imines , and α - iminoesters , respectively . such functional groups are reduced to alcohols , thioalcohols , and amines . the sole limitation is that the redox potential of the functional group being reduced and its counterpart be less than the redox potential of the polymer and its reduced form . on occasion this limitation can be used advantageously in the selective reduction of a mixture of organic materials having reducible functional groups , where the redox potential of the polymer - reduced polymer couple is such as to reduce only one , or some small number , of substrates in the mixture having reducible groups , leaving the remaining organic substrates unchanged . the process of this invention may be effected by contacting the reduced form of the polymer complexed with an appropriate divalent metal cation with a solution of the organic substrate containing the reducible functional group in a nonaqueous but water - miscible organic solvent otherwise inert under the reaction conditions . examples of such organic solvents include alcohols , nitriles , dimethylsulfoxide , hexamethylphosphoramide , dimethylformamide , dimethylacetamide , n - methylacetamide , tetrahydrofuran , tetrahydropyran , and dioxane , to cite but a few . the reduced form of the polymer always will be insoluble in the organic solvents of this invention . however , the polymer itself may be either soluble or insoluble , a distinction which may influence the details of the reduction process . for example , if the polymer is soluble it is first converted to the reduced form by contact with a solution of a suitable dithionate salt , such as sodium dithionite . the reduced form then is collected and complexed with an appropriate metal cation by contacting the reduced form with a sufficient amount of an aqueous solution of a metal cation to complex a substantial portion of the amide functions in the polymer . after any excess of solution containing the metal cation is removed , the reduced and complexed form of the polymer is contacted with a solution of the organic substrate in a nonaqueous but water - miscible organic solvent . as the reaction proceeds the mixture tends to become homogeneous by conversion of the insoluble , reduced form of the polymer to the soluble polymer itself . the reduction products are then separated from the polymer by conventional means , which normally entails insolubilizing the polymer . often this is done by the addition of small amounts of water to precipitate polymer while leaving the reduced organic substrate in solution . solids are then removed , and from the filtrate there is recovered the reduced organic material by suitable means as by distillation , fractionation , and so forth . where the polymer itself is insoluble reductions may be performed using the polymer in its reduced form as a bed in a semicontinuous regenerative process . for example , a bed of the polymer may be transformed to its reduced form by passing through the bed sufficient quantity of a solution of , for example , sodium dithionite to effect more or less complete 1 , 4 - addition . after excess dithionite solution is drained , the bed may be contacted with a solution of metal cation to complex at least a substantial portion of the amide groups present . thereafter , a solution of the organic substrate in a nonaqueous but water - miscible organic solvent may be passed through the column at a rate to effect complete or near complete reduction of the reducible functional groups born by the organic substrate . the solution of organic material also may contain sufficient divalent metal cation to replace that which may otherwise be leached from the column during reduction . the effluent is then collected and the reduced organic substrate separated therefrom by conventional means , as by distillation , solvent fractionation , and so forth . the examples given below are intended to be illustrative only and are not to be construed as limiting the invention in any way . n -(( s )- α - methylbenzyl ) nicotinamide : 14 . 2 g ( 0 . 10 mols ) of nicotyl chloride in 200 ml of methylene chloride was charged into a 500 ml round bottom flask equipped with condenser , addition funnel , thermometer , drying tube , n 2 - purge and magnetic stirrer , and to the cooled ( 5 ° c .) stirred reaction mixture was added dropwise over a 3 hour period a 100 ml methylene chloride solution of 15 . 0 g ( 0 . 124 mols ) of ( s )- α - methylbenzylamine and 35 ml of triethylamine . the stirred reaction mixture was warmed to 25 ° c . over a 16 hour period . the solvent was stripped from the reaction mixture under vacuum and the resulting white solid was digested with 660 ml of 1 . 1m hcl . the aqueous solution was treated with norit and filtered , then neutralized to ph 7 . 0 with sodium carbonate . this solution was washed twice with methylene chloride , the washings were combined and then washed three times with a sodium bicarbonate solution and twice with water . the organic solution was dried over sodium sulfate , filtered and concentrated under vacuum to yield a yellow oil . the product was crystallized from benzene to yield 12 . 1 g ( 0 . 054 mols ), m . p . 88 °- 89 ° c . bis ( s - phenylalanine )- 3 , 5 - pyridine - dicarboxamide : 150 ml of a 2n sodium hydroxide solution was charged into a 500 ml round bottom flask equipped with condenser , addition funnel , thermometer , and magnetic stirrer . to the stirred cooled ( 15 ° c .) solution was added 14 . 52 g ( 8 . 80 × 10 - 2 mols ) of l - phenylalanine , and the solution was then cooled to 5 ° c . to the stirred reaction mixture was added , dropwise over a 1 . 5 hour period at 5 ° c ., 200 ml methylene chloride containing 7 . 60 g ( 4 . 0 × 10 - 2 mols ) of 3 , 5 - pyridine dicarboxylic acid chloride . after the reaction mixture was stirred for 1 hour at 5 °- 10 ° c ., it was transferred to a separatory funnel and the organic phase was separated . the aqueous phase was washed with methylene chloride and then acidified to ph 4 . 0 with formic acid with formation of a white crystalline solid . after isolation and purification , the product yield was 16 . 78 g ( 3 . 64 × 10 - 2 mols ). [ 4s -( 4s *, 15s *)]- 4 , 15 - bis ( phenylmethyl )- 2 , 5 , 14 , 17 - tetraoxo - 6 , 13 - dioxa - 3 , 16 , 20 - triazabicyclo -[ 16 . 3 . 1 ] docosa - 1 ( 22 ), 18 , 20 - triene : a mixture of 4 . 62 g ( 1 . 00 × 10 - 2 mols ) of bis ( s - phenylalanine )- 3 , 5 - pyridinedicarboxamide and 3 . 60 ( 1 . 10 × 10 - 2 mols ) of cesium carbonate were suspended in 400 ml of dmf ( freshly distilled ) in a 1 liter 4 - neck round bottom flask equipped with condenser , addition funnel , thermometer , drying tube , nitrogen purge and magnetic stirrer . the stirred reaction mixture was gently heated to 50 ° c . and then a 125 ml dmf solution of 2 . 55 g ( 1 . 05 × 10 - 2 mols ) of 1 , 6 - dibromohexane was added dropwise over a 4 hour period . the reaction mixture was maintained at 50 ° c . with stirring for 64 hours . the cooled reaction mixture was concentrated under vacuum . the yellowish oil was dissolved into 300 ml of water and 300 ml of methylene chloride . the organic phase was separated , dried over sodium sulfate and concentrated under vacuum . after recrystallization from methylene chloride ether the product yield was 0 . 90 g ( 1 . 66 × 10 - 3 mols ). 1 -( vinylbenzyl )- 3 -(( s )- α - methylbenzylcarbamoyl )- pyridinium chloride : a 100 ml methanol solution containing 2 . 26 g ( 1 . 00 × 10 - 2 mols ) of n -(( s )- α - methylbenzyl ) nicotinamide was charged into a 250 ml round bottom flask equipped with condenser , addition funnel , drying tube , nitrogen purge and magnetic stirrer . to this stirred reaction mixture was added , dropwise over a 10 minute interval , 50 ml of a methanol solution containing 1 . 53 g ( 1 . 00 × 10 - 2 mols ) of chloromethylstyrene . the solution was stirred for 24 hours at 25 ° c ., then was concentrated under vacuum to afford solid which was recrystallized from methanol to yield 3 . 40 g ( 8 . 98 × 10 - 3 mols ) of product . poly [ 1 -( vinylbenzyl )- 3 -(( s )- α - methylbenzylcarbamoyl )- pyridinium chloride - styrene ]: 3 . 40 g ( 8 . 98 × 10 - 3 mols ) of 1 -( vinylbenzyl )- 3 -(( s )- α - methylbenzylcarbamoyl )- pyridinium chloride , 10 . 4 g ( 5 . 00 × 10 - 2 mols ) of styrene and 0 . 05 g of aibn in 200 ml of ethanol were charged into a 500 ml round bottom flask equipped with condenser , drying tube , and magnetic stirrer . the reaction mixture was refluxed for 24 hours . the polymer was coagulated from solution by addition to water . the polymer was washed and then dried overnight in vacuum desiccator to afford 7 . 0 g of polymer . the activity of the polymer , i . e ., nad content , was examined by its ability to reduce methylene blue after treatment with sodium dithionite . to 0 . 50 g of polymer suspended in 50 ml of water in a 250 ml round bottom flask equipped with nitrogen purge and magnetic stirrer was added 40 ml of a 4 . 08 × 10 - 1 m sodium dithionite , 3 . 69 × 10 - 1 m potassium carbonate solution ( co 2 saturated ). the polymer took on a yellow color immediately and was stirred for 10 minutes at ambient temperature . the reduced polymer was collected by filtration and washed repeatedly with water until washings failed to reduce methylene blue indicator solution . the polymer was suspended in a solution of 25 ml water , and 10 ml ethanol in a 250 ml round bottom flask equipped with nitrogen purge and magnetic stirrer . this reaction mixture was titrated with a 7 . 81 × 10 - 3 m methylene blue solution . the nadh 2 activity was 0 . 9 mequiv / g polymer . poly [ 20 -( vinylbenzyl )-([ 4s -( 4s *, 15s *)]- 4 , 15 - bis ( phenylmethyl )- 2 , 5 , 14 , 17 - tetraoxo - 6 , 13 - dioxa - 3 , 16 , 20 - triazabicyclo [ 16 . 3 . 1 ] docosa - 1 ( 22 ), 18 , 20 - triene )- styrene ] resin : 50 . 0 g of poly ( styrylmethylene chloride ) resin , 2 . 0 % crosslinked , 1 meq cl / g was cleaned by washing with 2 - butanone and then twice with 200 ml of a 5 % hcl solution in 2 - butanone . the resin was washed with 2 - butanone until washings were nonacidic ( ph 6 . 0 ). the resin was dried overnight in a vacuum oven at 60 ° c . the above resin , 3 . 0 g , was suspended in 50 ml of dry dioxane in a 500 ml round bottom flask equipped with condenser and drying tube . to the above solvent swollen polymer was added 0 . 9 g ( 1 . 66 × 10 - 3 mols ) [ 4s -( 4s *, 15s *)]- 4 , 15 - bis ( phenylmethyl )- 2 , 5 , 14 , 17 - tetraoxo - 6 , 13 - dioxa - 3 , 16 , 20 - triazabicyclo [ 16 . 3 . 1 ] docosa - 1 ( 22 ), 18 , 20 - triene . the reaction mixture was heated under reflux for four days . the cooled reaction mixture was filtered and the resin washed with p - dioxane and then dried overnight . the activity of the polymer was assayed with methylene blue as in above example ; nadh 2 activity 0 . 4 mequiv / g of polymer . generation and use of nadh 2 mimic : the nadh 2 mimic polymer can be utilized in either a batch or continuous ( bed ) process . the generation of the active nadh 2 moiety from the nad species and its subsequent use are identical , differing only in how the coenzyme mimic is implemented in use . the reduction of the nad moiety of the polymer to the nad 2 moiety can be effected by treating the polymer as follows in an inert atmosphere ( i . e . n 2 , co 2 , etc .). nad - containing polymer , 3 . 00 g , was treated first with 50 ml of water containing 0 . 50 g of benzyltrimethylammonium chloride at 25 ° c . for 0 . 5 hours . to this reaction mixture was added a 40 ml aliquot of aqueous 4 . 08 × 10 - 1 m sodium dithionite , 3 . 69 × 10 - 1 m potassium carbonate . after 10 minutes of treatment the aqueous solution was removed and the polymer washed with water until washings fail to reduce methylene blue indicator . the polymer was then washed with acetonitrile to remove water . to the acetonitrile treated nadh 2 containing polymer may be added 50 ml of acetonitrile containing 0 . 5 or 1 . 0 equivalent of magnesium perchlorate for the acyclic and cyclic nadh 2 mimics , respectively . after 45 minutes 0 . 50 g of methyl benzoylformate may be added to the reaction mixture and either stirred with the polymer or pumped over the polymeric resin bed . after approximately 24 hours the nad containing polymer may be washed with acetonitrile , the nadh 2 moiety may be regenerated , and the reaction medium reintroduced . this process may be repeated until substrate ( i . e . methyl benzoylformate ) is completely reduced , based on nadh 2 activity of polymer . acetonitrile solution may be concentrated under vacuum to yield product after workup .
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fig1 shows an exemplary cross - sectional side view of a multiphase flow meter 100 having eis sensors 160 within a pipe 200 in one embodiment of the invention . pipe 200 can be , for example , any type of hollow conduit . in one exemplary embodiment , multiphase flow meter 100 can comprise a centrally located plug 150 that can comprise a nose 152 , a body 155 and a tail 158 . the nose 152 is oriented to face the oncoming flow and can be conical in shape such that the narrowest portion of the nose 152 extends outwardly from the multiphase flow meter 100 to a forward end 105 , while the widest portion of the nose 152 is connected to the body 155 . the body 155 can be cylindrically shaped and can extend from the nose 152 to the tail 158 . the tail 158 can also be cylindrically shaped and can extend out into the direction of the flow to a rearward end 110 . the shapes of nose 152 , body 155 and tail 158 can be chosen to create desired flow characteristics within the pipe 200 . additionally , the nose 152 , body 155 and tail 158 can all be integrally connected . plug 150 can be made of , for example , stainless steel , inconel , other exotic metals , ceramic , or plastic . the material used can be chosen based on various considerations , including its resistance to corrosion and its electrical insulative properties . located proximate the forward end 105 of the plug 150 can be two or more forward struts 130 . forward strut 130 can be a supportive structure , for example a cylindrical rod , that can be fixably attached to the outer surface of the plug 150 . forward strut 130 can extend radially with respect to the outer surface of the plug 150 a distance as required by the diameter of the pipe within which the multiphase flow meter 100 is intended to operate . in one embodiment , as shown in fig1 , forward strut 130 can extend at an acute angle α towards the rearward end 110 with respect to the outer surface of the plug 150 . the end of forward strut 130 opposite the end attached to the plug 150 can be fixably attached to a forward skid end 142 of skid 140 . skid 140 can be made of for example , stainless steel , inconel , other exotic metals , ceramic , or plastic that is shaped to fit within the inner diameter of the pipe within which the multiphase flow meter 100 is intended to operate . the material used can be chosen based on various considerations , including its resistance to corrosion and its electrical insulative properties . skid 140 can be of the same diameter and thickness as that of the forward strut 130 , or it can be bigger or smaller depending on a given application . opposite the forward skid end 142 of skid 140 is a rearward skid end 145 , such that the skid 140 connects the forward strut 130 to a corresponding rearward strut 135 . the rearward skid end 145 is fixably attached to the rearward strut 135 , which extends towards the plug 150 and is fixably attached to the outer surface of plug 150 proximate the rearward end 110 . in one embodiment , as shown in fig1 , rearward strut 135 can extend from the surface of plug 150 towards the forward end 105 at an acute angle β with respect to the outer surface of the plug 150 . the rearward strut 135 can be the same design and structure as that of the forward strut 130 , such that the forward strut 130 and rearward strut 135 act to support the skid 140 a distance from plug 150 that is determined by the diameter of the pipe 200 within which it is placed . forward strut 130 and rearward strut 135 can be made of , for example , stainless steel , inconel , other exotic metals , ceramic , or plastic . the material used can be chosen based on various considerations , including its resistance to corrosion and its electrical insulative properties . together , forward strut 130 , skid 140 and rearward strut 135 comprise a strut assembly 120 . two or more strut assemblies 120 can be attached to the surface of plug 150 such that the strut assemblies 120 work to center the plug 150 within pipe 200 . both forward strut 130 and rearward strut 135 can be made flexible such that the strut assembly 120 is allowed to flex between a maximum radial distance from the surface of the plug 150 defined by the fully extended length of the forward strut 130 and rearward strut 135 , and a radial distance closer to the surface of the plug 150 , made possible by the flexure of the forward strut 130 and rearward strut 135 . the maximum radial distance of the strut assembly 120 is determined by the largest size diameter pipe within which the multiphase flow meter 100 is designed to operate . the flexibility of the strut assemblies 120 allows the multiphase flow meter 100 to be moved through a pipe of one diameter into a pipe having a smaller diameter , as is often necessary in downhole applications . fig2 is an exemplary cross - sectional side view of a multiphase downhole meter after it has been moved from a pipe of one diameter into a pipe of narrower diameter in one embodiment of the invention . as the pipe 200 diameter decreases , the strut assemblies 120 flex inwardly towards to surface of the pipe to accommodate the narrower diameter , as required in many downhole applications . with reference again to fig1 , an inner surface 147 of skid 140 is located on the surface of the skid 140 facing the plug 150 . on inner surface 147 can be one or more electrical impedance spectroscopy ( eis ) sensors 160 , which can allow the multiphase flow meter to perform multiphase flow measurements that not only determine the flow rate , but the states of matter comprising that flow . eis sensors 160 can be placed on the inner surface 147 of multiple strut assemblies 120 such that the eis sensors 160 have a substantially equidistant spacing around the circumference of the pipe 200 . in other embodiments , the eis sensors can be spaced apart in only a portion of the inner pipe 200 circumference . in still further embodiments , eis sensors can be placed on the plug 150 , forward struts 130 or rearward struts 135 or combinations thereof . fig3 is an exemplary cross - sectional view of a flow facing end of a multiphase flow meter 100 in a pipe 200 in one embodiment of the invention . with reference to fig1 and 3 , two or more strut assemblies 120 can be attached to the outer surface of the plug 150 in any chosen radial pattern such that the skids 140 of the strut assemblies 120 are pressed against the inner wall of the pipe 200 to position the plug 150 in the center of the pipe 200 . flexibility of the strut assemblies 120 further allows the plug 150 to maintain a central location within a given pipe diameter as the diameter of the pipe changes . fig4 is an exemplary cross - sectional side view of a multiphase flow meter 100 having eis sensors 160 , ultrasonic transmitter 170 , ultrasonic receiver 180 , and pressure sensors 190 in a pipe 200 in one embodiment of the invention . additional sensing instrumentation can be optionally installed on multiphase flow meter 100 to provide measurement and analysis of additional environmental parameters in the downhole environment . for example , ultrasonic transmitters , receivers and / or transducers can be installed on multiphase flow meter 100 to determine flow rate using ultrasonic transit time or doppler frequency shift techniques . as shown in fig4 , an ultrasonic transmitter 170 can be located on the plug 150 , along with a corresponding ultrasonic receiver 180 in order to obtain ultrasonic transit time measurements from which the flow rate can be determined . in other embodiments , an ultrasonic transducer can be located on plug 150 instead of an individual transmitter or receiver . in still further embodiments , ultrasonic instrumentation can be located on any of the forward struts 130 , the rearward struts 135 , or the skid 140 . as shown in fig4 , one or more pressure sensors 190 can be located along the plug 150 in order to determine flow rate using differential pressure techniques . in other embodiments , pressure sensors 190 can be located on any of the forward struts 130 , the rearward struts 135 , or the skid 140 . other instrumentation that can be located on any of the forward struts 130 , the rearward struts 135 , or the skid 140 can include thermal sensors and torsional densitometers . fig5 shows an exemplary cross - sectional view of a flow facing end of a multiphase flow meter 100 having multiple sensors in a pipe 200 in one embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig4 and 5 , the shape of plug 150 can be chosen to accommodate various design needs . in one exemplary embodiment , the shape of plug 150 can form a venturi , such that the forward end 105 of nose 152 can gradually increase in diameter in the direction of the rearward end 110 , reach a maximum diameter , and then gradually decrease in diameter until it fixably attaches to the end of the body 155 closest to the forward end 105 . the body 155 of plug 150 can extend towards the rearward end 110 and have a constant diameter less than the average diameter of the nose 152 . the end of the body 155 facing the rearward end 110 can be fixably attached to the forward end 105 facing end of tail 158 . tail 158 can gradually increase in diameter in the direction of the rearward end 110 , reach a maximum diameter , and then gradually decrease in diameter until it reaches the rearward end 110 . the diameters and geometries of the nose 152 , body 155 and tail 158 can be chosen to accommodate particular design needs and to produce chosen characteristics in the flow . the nose 152 , body 155 and tail 158 of plug 150 can be constructed out of a single , continuous piece of material , and together they can form a venturi such that the plug 150 creates two narrowings of the cross sectional surface area of the pipe 200 , separated by an expansion area having a greater cross sectional surface area . additional narrowings and expansions can be added to plug 150 to produce additional flow characteristics , for example through the use of a dual venturi shape . the gradual narrowing and expanding diameters of the nose 152 and tail 158 form sloped surfaces on plug 150 . instrumentation , for example , eis sensors , ultrasonic emitters , transmitters and / or transducers , pressure sensors , and thermal sensors , can be located on the sloped surfaces of plug 150 such that the instrumentation can be angled relative to the flow direction without creating a large flow disturbance . additionally , the instruments can be angled in such a way as to minimize particle impact and buildup from the flow , thereby enhancing the longevity and accuracy of the instruments . this written description uses examples to disclose the invention , including the best mode , and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention , including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods . the patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims , and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art . such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims , or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims .
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fig1 illustrates a computer system 100 which is a simplified example of a computer system capable of restoring wakeup events after an invalid shutdown event computer system 100 includes processor 110 which is coupled to host bus 120 . a level two ( l2 ) cache memory 130 is also coupled to the host bus 120 . host - to - pci bridge 140 is coupled to main memory 150 , includes cache memory and main memory control functions , and provides bus control to handle transfers among pci bus 160 , processor 110 , l2 cache 130 , main memory 150 , and host bus 120 . pci bus 160 provides an interface for a variety of devices including , for example , lan card 165 . pci - to - isa bridge 170 provides bus control to handle transfers between pci bus 160 and isa bus 180 , ide and universal serial bus ( usb ) functionality 175 , power management functionality 172 , and can include other functional elements not shown , such as a real - time clock ( rtc ), dma control , interrupt support , and system management bus support . an example of pci - to - isa bridge 170 is the aforementioned piix4 . peripheral devices and input / output ( i / o ) devices can be attached to various interfaces 185 coupled to isa bus 180 . alternatively , many i / o devices can be accommodated by a super i / o controller ( not shown ) attached to isa bus 180 . i / o devices such as modem 187 are coupled to the appropriate i / o interface , for example a serial interface as shown in fig1 . the bios 190 is coupled to isa bus 180 , and incorporates the necessary processor executable code for a variety of low - level system functions and system boot functions , including the capability to restore wakeup events after an invalid shutdown event . bios 190 can be stored in any computer readable medium , including magnetic storage media , optical storage media , flash memory , random access memory , read only memory , and communications media conveying signals encoding the instructions ( e . g . signals from a network ). in order to implement wakeup on lan capability , lan card 165 is coupled to pci - to - isa bridge 170 and the power management functionality 172 through wake indicator 168 . similarly , to implement wakeup on ring indicated , the ring indicate line 188 couples to pci - to - isa bridge 170 and the power management functionality 172 . power management functionality 172 can include the logic and registers necessary to implement a power management standard such as acpi , and sleep states and wakeup events such as those described above . additionally , a nonvolatile memory , such as a battery backed sram ( not shown ) is used to store bios parameters , wakeup event information , and power state information . such a nonvolatile memory can be a separate component , or integrated within another component such as pci - to - isa bridge 170 . fig2 illustrates the operation the bios to restore wakeup event enablement after an invalid event such as a power loss . the process begins when a power on reset 210 occurs . the power on reset can be caused by valid events such as the occurrence of an enabled wakeup event ( e . g . a user pressing the computer system &# 39 ; s power button ), or invalid events such as the restoration of power to the computer system after a power failure . in either case , the bios is loaded and its execution begins as shown by item 220 . early in the bios code , the computer system is tested to determine if the power on reset was caused by an invalid event this can be accomplished , for example , by polling the power management functionality 172 to determine if the reset was caused by any one of the possible valid events . if not , then the bios concludes that the reset was caused by an invalid event . alternative methods of determining the validity of a power on reset event will be readily apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art . if the reset is due to an invalid event , the bios then determines if the pre - reset power state was the fully on power state , as shown in step 240 . information in nonvolatile memory , such as a power state flag , is examined by the bios in order to determine the appropriate power state for the computer system . if the power state flag indicates that the computer system was not in the fully on state prior to the invalid event , the appropriate wakeup event register or registers are restored as indicated in 250 . for example , if the wakeup on lan wakeup event was previously enabled , this information will be indicated in the nonvolatile memory . using this information , the bios resets the necessary bit or bits in the power management circuit &# 39 ; s register or registers . the bios then returns the system to the soft - off state , 275 , without having to continue execution of the bios code . if the reset is not due to an invalid event ( 230 ), or the pre - reset power state was the fully on power state ( 240 ), step 260 indicates that the remainder of the bios is executed in order to take the computer system to the fully on working state 270 . execution of the remainder of the bios can also include wakeup event enablement it should also be noted that restoration of other pre - reset power states ( e . g . intermediate sleep states ) is possible if sufficient pre - reset power state information was stored in a nonvolatile memory . accordingly , execution of bios code that includes wakeup event restoration such as 250 and some additional bios routines can be implemented without requiring all of the remaining bios code to be executed as in 260 . those having ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize suitable software implementations for the wakeup event and power state restoration described above , and the particular structures depicted in fig1 and 2 are merely illustrative of an exemplary set of suitable implementations . in addition to the various possible software implementations for the reset validity , wakeup event restoration , and power state selection routines , the same routines can be equivalently implemented in logic circuitry . the description of the invention set forth herein is illustrative and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims . variations and modifications of the embodiments disclosed herein may be made based on the description set forth herein , without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as set forth in the following claims .
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the instant invention is novel in that it provides for a collection of physical charm designs 12 that can be easily attached to bracelets , necklaces 10 , 20 , and other personal adornments in combinations of charm designs and the means for monitoring changes in the physical condition of the user . in particular , the instant invention provides for the user / wearer to display as a charm or linked bracelet a cartoon character in a high gloss paint finish in the center of the bracelet , or necklace with the user / wearer personal identification printed on the back of the charm or linked bracelet cartoon character . in the instant invention , the user / wearer postal address , telephone / cell phone numbers of next of kin , etc ., can be readily displayed . further in the instant invention , specific sports team logos of participating sports organizations ) which will provide additional detail information that can be attached to the child &# 39 ; s / user &# 39 ; s / wearer &# 39 ; s personal back - pack , purse , kit - pack etc . the invention is comprised essentially of a variety of bracelet , necklace 10 , 12 , 20 , and other personal wear adornments in a range of designs that incorporate both attractive 16 and useful medical information 18 about the user that is readily accessible to members of the public in the event of a change in the medical condition of the user . in the instant invention , the cartoon characters 16 can for example , be derived from the disney , nickolodeon or similar children &# 39 ; s media corporations cast of characters , can be changed with added links during the child &# 39 ; s developmental stages and provide the child / user / wearer some measure of self identification , independence and self expression . in the instant invention , specific sports team logos of participating sports organizations ) will provide additional detail information that can be attached to the child &# 39 ; s / user &# 39 ; s / wearer &# 39 ; s personal 48 back - pack , purse , kit - pack etc . similarly , in the instant invention , specific sports team logos of participating sports organizations ) which will provide additional detail information that can be attached to the child &# 39 ; s / user &# 39 ; s / wearer &# 39 ; s personal back - pack , purse , or kit - pack 48 . for each purchase of the said charms the organization owning the cartoon character will provide a card / certificate of authentication 50 providing additional personal information of the child / user / wearer . in yet a further embodiment of the instant invention , the necklace and bracelet designs , 10 , 20 , and children &# 39 ; s back packs , purses or kit - packs 48 , can be provided with any additional attachments such as those described above in items 16 , 18 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 32 , 34 , 36 , 38 , 40 , 42 , 44 , and 46 as disclosed in the following : 1 . a pictorial representation of the user &# 39 ; s preference for a cartoon character or sports logo in a variety of formats including but not limited to enamel or fluorescent paint , etching , or hologram on the front side 16 , and with user specific medical information on the reverse side 18 . 2 . a water tight bracelet or necklace closure clasp 14 with accommodation for a usb portal 29 . 3 . an embodiment 22 disclosing for example , the user &# 39 ; s specific allergy information . 4 . embodiments in the form of dc . battery power 21 and solar cell power 23 supplies for powering items including 24 , 26 , 28 , 30 , 32 , 34 , 36 , 38 , 40 , 42 , 44 and 46 . 5 . an embodiment 24 with an electronic chip attachment feature for digitally transferring information relating to the user &# 39 ; s medical information . 6 . an embodiment 25 providing an usb computer terminal capability . 7 . an embodiment 26 with an rfid , antennae or infra red tag attachment feature for transferring the user &# 39 ; s medical information . 8 . an embodiment 28 with a gps attachment feature with the user &# 39 ; s position information 9 . an embodiment 30 with a biomedical monitoring device attachment feature . 10 . an embodiment 32 with an audible device attachment feature . 11 . an embodiment 34 with a device attachment feature with visual alarm means . 12 . an embodiment with a biomedical monitoring device attachment feature 36 with audible alarm means . 13 . an embodiment 38 with an electronic chip embedded in an attachment feature . 14 . an embodiment 40 with a bar code data scan able for downloading user medical information in an attachment feature . 15 . an embodiment providing a two dimensional quick response ( qr ) bar code data scan 42 able for downloading user medical information in an attachment feature . 16 . an embodiment 44 with a biomedical monitoring device attachment feature with visual indications . 17 . an embodiment 46 wherein a combined visual and audible alarm is actuated in the event that the user exhibits abnormal medical conditions . for each purchase of the said charms from participating organizations with distinctive logos including but not limited to , sports teams in the nba , wnba , nfl , nhl , mls , the individual sports organization / team administrative contacts will provide a card / certificate of authentication providing additional personal information of the child / user / wearer ; providing additional personal information of the child / user / wearer . the invention provides a vast variety of charm designs in a variety of shapes and sizes and a broad range of medical information means specifically relating to the user &# 39 ; s medical conditions . the prime feature of the instant invention can be described in that for every purchase of bracelet , necklace , charm attachment , each child / user / wearer will be in receipt of an authenticated corporation card from a cartoon character ( from disney , nickolodeon or equal child media corporation ) and specific sports team logos of participating sports organizations ) which will provide additional detail information that can be attached to the child &# 39 ; s / user &# 39 ; s / wearer &# 39 ; s personal back - pack , purse , kit - pack etc . the instant invention discloses a medical information bracelet comprising : a one piece continuous member in material in for example , elastic , comprises hypoallergenic elastomer and the elastomer is coated with a hypoallergenic material ; wherein said bracelet further includes an individual &# 39 ; s medical information affixed to said bracelet wherein said medical information comprises one of said individual &# 39 ; s illnesses , medical history , condition , required medications , allergies , a personal physician or doctor , emergency contact information , or insurance information and wherein said information is affixed by stitching , embroidery , iron - on , coloring , screen printing , sewing on a badge , or a combination thereof . the instant invention provides for a bracelet or necklace closure water tight seal clasp 14 selected from a range of designs including but not limited to spring clasps , hinge clasps , hooks , spiral rings , jump rings , or toggle clasps . the instant invention further discloses that the closure clasp 14 or link 25 , can incorporate a usb portal 29 capable of storing digital data and accessing from the user &# 39 ; s internet account relating to the user &# 39 ; s medical history information . in addition , the instant invention provides the user to exhibit medical information in a readily retrievable manner by the use of attractive and decorative means in the form of a variety of other personal adornments such as wrist , ankle charm bracelets , headbands , neckbands , ankle - bands , leg - bands , and garment accessories such as neckties , belts , and garters . the instant invention disclose a computer - implemented method for providing a medical alert system , providing a database for storing medical information for an individual user and associating the stored medical information with a barcode of the individual user and sending to a computing device over an internet network . the instant invention discloses a system for identifying a person by means of attaching an identification apparatus to a person , the attachment means comprising a circuit configured to receive and store biometric information about the person when the circuit is in an active state , such that the circuit is configured to store new biometric information received from an external device after returning to the active state . the invention provides a novel arrangement for combining an ornamental adornment in the form of a bracelet , necklace , broach , that provides life saving information about the wearer to enable any bystander , or member of the public to alert medical authorities , medical first responders in the event that the user / wearer is involved in an accident , or a medical emergency rendering the user / wearer incapacitated . the instant invention provides an easy to use , versatile , simple array of designs of medical information that is readily accessible , audibly 32 and visually 34 and apparent and simple for the user to wear without in any way drawing attention to the presentation of the medical information means and avoiding causing any embarrassment to the user . the invention can readily incorporate a number of features that enhance the wearer &# 39 ; s capacity to relay important medical information to the public at large in an attractive , informative manner connecting with a variety of cognitive senses . the invention is capable of incorporating reusable or non - reusable identification device incorporating tamper resistant fastening for necklaces , bracelets . the materials used in making these items include the form of sterling silver 14 k and other similar types of metals . the instant invention is capable of providing identification information incorporated in children &# 39 ; s and youth accoutrements such as back packs and purses , denoting disney , nickelodeon and sports team logos . the invention is capable of incorporating medical identification information providing encoded biometric data such as fingerprints , retina scans , iris , blood , dna , in the form of electronic chip 38 data storage devices . the invention in a further embodiment can provide medical identification devices with bar - code information that would contain additional medical and personal information about the user and wherein the bar - codes 40 , 42 , are scanable to obtain additional health and personal information . the invention in yet a further embodiment can provide biomedical monitoring functions using devices in contact with the user &# 39 ; s skin whereby the user &# 39 ; s state of health can be detected using electronic control circuits 28 and data transmitting apparatus in the form of flexible electronic chips embedded in necklace or bracelet charms . the invention in yet a further embodiment can incorporate the use of rfid ( radio frequency identification ) circuits 26 embedded in necklace or bracelets charms whereby by means of a transponder can emit a wireless signal representative of medical information stored in the said transponder and responsive to changes in the user &# 39 ; s medical condition . the individual components of the instant invention are capable of being constructed in a variety of materials , in the form of rare and valuable metals including gold , silver , sterling silver , platinum and various alloys thereof . further the individual components of the instant invention are also capable of being constructed in a variety of other materials , in the form of corrosion resistant metals including stainless steel , nickel and chromium alloys , titanium , copper , bronze , and alloys thereof . further the individual components of the instant invention are also capable of being constructed in a variety of other non metallic materials , in the form of for example , plastics , hardened plastic , fiberglass , and combinations thereof . in yet a further invention design embodiment , the individual components of the bracelet , or necklace can be provided in a variety of metallic and non - metallic materials comprising elastomer hypoallergenic coatings . it will be evident that the plurality of embodiments of the instant invention disclosed herewith have a multiplicity of applications including but not limited to combining a vast range of physically attractive charms with a broad range of means for relaying medical information relevant to the user &# 39 ; s stable medical condition and importantly providing means for indicating important changes in the user &# 39 ; s medical condition . it will be evident that the instant invention medical id bracelets are different from other medical id bracelets because they have designed them with medical professionals / patients in mind based on experience from a registered nurse with er experience . specifically when working in the emergency room , the patients are received both conscious and unconscious and it is necessary to work expeditiously to save lives , and when patients are transported to the hospital by ambulance , and arrive before their loved ones and relatives , pertinent information such as allergies to medications remain unknown . it is evident from insights by contacts with numerous patients with health issues / allergies , that not wearing medical id bracelets results from the fact that visually medical id bracelets are ugly and unfashionable . recognizing these visual factors , the instant invention has created medical id bracelets where medical needs information meets current fashion trends , resulting in medical id bracelets that will be informative to medical staff and provide acceptable trendy fashion styles for both children , adolescents and adults . it is well known medically , that nurses , and doctors can be visually informed by being able to assess medical conditions / allergies on unconscious patients , and with a quick glance at the lifesaving information in the form of a medical id bracelet , or necklace , proper treatment can be rendered accurately and promptly . it is well understood that fashion visual trends have a significant influence on children , adolescents , and adults in their lives , and an opportunity to select images , such as , nickelodeon / disney characters and other media or sports team logos characters that they admire , in the form of medical id will be attractive and enhance self - esteem . it is also well known that children with chronic illnesses and allergies acquire self - esteem issues resulting from being the subject of bullying and feeling isolated and embarrassed about their condition . therefore , children with such medical conditions and allergies can be perceived inferior and different by their peers . in the instant invention therefore , a medical id charm bracelet would allow children and adolescents to display hanging embodiments from the bracelet displaying , for example , their favorite nickelodeon / disney character , and at the same time disclosing preexisting medical conditions . in this manner , children and adolescents would no longer feel ashamed to wear a medical id bracelet and instead would have a sense of pride in showing their preference for favorite media or sports team logos and specific characters or players . in addition , the instant invention by devising medical id link bracelets , or bracelets that are designed both for children , adolescents and also adults , can afford adults the same opportunity to wear their favorite sports teams while at the same time disclosing pertinent medical information and thereby provide practically universal application benefits . it will further be understood from the foregoing description that various modifications and changes can be readily incorporated in the preferred embodiments of the instant invention without departing from the essential inventive concept and from its true spirit . this specification description and the accompanying drawings are intended for the purposes of illustration only and should not be construed in a limiting sense .
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fig1 shows an illustrative embodiment of the present invention . a contact center comprises a central server 10 ( such as a modified version of the crm central 2000 server ™ of lucent technologies , inc . ), a set of data stores or databases 12 containing contact or customer related information and other information that can enhance the value and efficiency of the contact , and a plurality of servers , namely a fax server 24 , a web server 20 , an email server 16 , and other servers 13 , a private branch exchange pbx 28 ( or private automatic exchange pax ), a plurality of working agents 14 operating computer work stations , such as personal computers , and / or telephones or other type of voice communications equipment , all interconnected by a local area network lan ( or wide area network wan ) 36 . the fax server 24 , web server 20 and email server 16 are connected via communication connections 40 to an internet and / or intranet 44 . the other servers 13 can be connected via optional communication lines 22 , 32 to the pbx 28 and / or internet or intranet 44 . as will appreciated , other servers 13 could include a scanner ( which is normally not connected to the pbx 28 or internet or intranet 44 ), interactive voice recognition ivr software , voip software , video call software , voice messaging software , an ip voice server , and the like . the pbx 28 is connected via a plurality of trunks 18 to the public switch telecommunication network pstn 48 and to the fax server 24 and telephones of the agents 14 . as will be appreciated , faxes can be received via the pstn 48 or via the internet or intranet 44 by means of a suitably equipped personal computer . the pbx 28 , fax server 24 , email server 16 , web server 20 , and database 12 are conventional . in the architecture of fig1 when the central server 10 forwards a voice contact to an agent , the central server 10 also forwards information from databases 12 to the agent &# 39 ; s computer work station for viewing ( such as by a pop - up display ) to permit the agent to better serve the customer . as will be appreciated , the central server 10 is notified via lan 36 of an incoming real - time or non - real - time contact by the telecommunications component ( e . g ., pbx 28 , fax server 24 , email server 16 , web server 20 , and / or other server 13 ) receiving the incoming contact . the incoming contact is held by the receiving telecommunications component until the central server 10 forwards instructions to the component to forward the contact to a specific station or agent 14 . the server 10 distributes and connects these contacts to stations 14 of available agents based on set of predetermined criteria . the agents 14 process the contacts sent to them by the central server 10 . the memory 30 includes a plurality of sets 38 of call queues 42 and 46 . each set 38 of call queues 42 and 46 conventionally serves and holds contacts for a different work type and / or for real - versus non - real - time contacts . in the depicted embodiment , queues 42 serve non - real - time contacts while queues 46 serve real - time contacts . this embodiment is particularly suited for a customer relationship management ( crm ) environment in which customers are permitted to use any media to contact a business . in a crm environment , both real - time and non - real - time contacts must be handled and distributed with equal efficiency and effectiveness . within each set 38 of queues 42 and 46 , each queue holds contacts of a different priority and / or different type ( e . g ., e - mail , fax , electronic or paper documents , webform submissions , voice messages , voice calls , voip calls , text chat , video calls , and the like ). the priority of a contact is determined according to well known predefined criteria . depending upon the type of contact ( e . g ., voice , e - mail , fax , electronic or paper documents , etc . ), the priority of a contact is determined according to well known predefined criteria , as set forth in copending u . s . application ser . no . 09 / 669 , 257 “ an arrangement for controlling the volume and type of contacts in an internet call center ”, filed concurrently herewith , which is incorporated herein by this reference , and / or as set forth below . each queue 42 and 46 normally functions as a first - in , first - out ( fifo ) buffer memory , and includes a plurality of entries , or positions 50 , each for identifying a corresponding one enqueued contact . the position 50 at the head of the queue is considered to be position 1 , the next subsequent position 50 to be position number 2 , and so forth . memory 30 further includes an estimated wait time ( ewt ) function , ( or waiting time predictor ) 54 . as its name implies , this function determines an estimate of how long a contact that is placed in a queue 42 or 46 will have to wait before being delivered to an agent 14 for servicing . the estimate is derived separately by ewt function 54 for each queue 42 or 46 of each set 38 . for real - time contacts , the estimate is based on the average rate of advance of calls through positions 50 of the contacts &# 39 ; corresponding queue 46 . an illustrative implementation of ewt function 54 for real - time contacts is disclosed by u . s . pat . no . 5 , 506 , 898 . for non - real - time contacts , the estimate is determined differently than for real - time contacts . the technique ( s ) for estimating the ewt is set forth in copending u . s . provisional application entitled “ wait time prediction arrangement for non - real - time customer contacts ” having ser . no . 60 / 200 , 520 and a filing date of apr . 27 , 2000 , and in copending u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 641 , 403 , filed concurrently herewith and having the same title , and which are incorporated herein by this reference . the system records the time at which each item is serviced from its respective queue . the advance time is then calculated by measuring the time interval between the time of servicing of a first item in the first position 50 at the head of the queue and the time of servicing of a second , later item in the second position . stated another way , the advance time is determined by the following equation : the weighted average advance time wat can then be determined using the advance time , the estimated wait time ewt using the wat . to guard against substantial fluctuations in the advance time from certain types of events , a filter 58 is provided . the processor 34 sets an indicator 62 when a predetermined type of event occurs and the filter 58 discards the advance time associated with the marked item . predetermined types of events are as follows : ( a ) the respective queue has no working agents available for servicing items from the queue . this event occurs , for example , after normal working hours when the contact center is unstaffed . non - real - time contacts will remain in the queue during the unstaffed period . ( b ) the respective queue is empty . this event occurs , for example , during quiet periods in which there are no items in the queue . ( c ) the system clock is changed . this event occurs , for example , when the system clock is changed to or from daylight savings time . non - real - time contacts may remain in the queue during the clock change . ( d ) the system is nonoperational . this event occurs , for example , when the system is down for a time and then rebooted . non - real - time contacts may persist in the queue during the period the system is shut down . memory 30 can further include a contact - selection ( sel ) function 26 . function 26 is conventional in that , for each contact at the head of a queue , it determines , for real - time a current or oldest wait time or cwt , the weighted average advance time wat , the expected wait time ewt , and / or the predicted wait time pwt ( which is the sum of the cwt and wat ), and , for each available agent , it selects a contact from queues 42 and / or 46 for connection to and handling by that agent . this feature is further described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 905 , 793 , which is incorporated herein by this reference . in fig1 , the center 10 is shown as being connected via communication lines 40 to a plurality of interfaces 51 a - d ( e . g ., graphical user interfaces , etc .) between a customer and the contact center . as will be appreciated , communication lines 40 can alternatively conduct voice energy from a contacting entity . the center 10 can be connected to a web server 20 to provide collections ( or files ) of information stored in the memory ( not shown ) of the web server 20 for viewing by a contacting entity via trunks 40 and interfaces 51 . as will be appreciated , the files of information , such as web pages , can include features such as contact icons or informational messages to facilitate service of the contacting entity by the contact center 10 , and / or information regarding merchandise and / or services for sale to the contacting entity . to prioritize contacts , particularly contacts related to potential business sales , the memory 30 includes a router 80 for routing contacts to the appropriate queue 42 or 46 and a comparer 84 for providing input to the router 80 relating to the relative priority of each such contact . each interface 51 a - d is typically a computer , such as a personal computer , that includes a memory 70 and attached processor 74 . the memory 70 includes a web browser 76 , one or more web pages 78 , a data structure 82 , such as a shopping cart , for recording items ( goods or services ) selected by the customer for possible purchase , an identifier 86 , such as a cookie , that is unique to the customer and is referenced in some manner by the data structure 82 , and an evaluator 90 , such as an applet , for examining or evaluating the contents of the data structure 82 in response to a signal from the contact center 10 . as will be appreciated , a “ cookie ” is information that is stored on a user &# 39 ; s computer by a browser , typically at the request of software at a web - site . web - sites typically use cookies to recognize users who have previously visited them . the operation of the router 80 and comparer 84 will now be described with reference to fig1 and 2 . after a customer has viewed one or more web pages 78 and selected one or more items that have been recorded in the data structure 82 , the customer in box 100 sends a message to the contact center 10 , such as by clicking on an icon on a web page . the signal may itself be a contact for handling by a working agent 14 or initiate a contact with a working agent 14 . for example , the signal may contain the data structure 82 and attached cookie 86 and seek processing or completion of an order . alternatively , the signal could be a request for assistance via a voice or electronic contact . examples include an ip call from the customer &# 39 ; s computer to the agent &# 39 ; s computer , a voice call through a voice network that operates in collaboration with a datalink , escorted browsing of the customer by the agent over an ip link , a direct voice contact with an agent , and the like . in that event , the working agent or the customer could initiate the contact . for example , the customer can call the contact center or click a contact icon to cause the working agent to initiate a call to the customer . in box 104 , the evaluator 90 determines the value of one or more items in the data structure 82 . the evaluator 90 could , for example , determine the total value of the items in the data structure 82 . alternatively or at the same time , the evaluator 90 could determine the value of the highest value item in the data structure 82 . other permutations are possible , such as determining the average value of items in the data structure 82 . the evaluator 90 can perform this step in response to the clicking of the button in box 100 and / or continuously or periodically during the customer &# 39 ; s viewing of web pages 78 . in any event , the evaluator 90 forwards a signal to the comparer 84 via trunk 40 containing the results of the examination of the data structure 82 . in decision diamond 108 , the comparer 84 compares the value of the item ( s ) in the data structure 82 with a first predetermined value . in this case , the predetermined value is shown as being $ 200 , though any value can be used depending upon the application . if the value of the item ( s ) in the data structure 82 equals or exceeds the first predetermined value , the router 80 in box 112 assigns a high priority to the contact or signal and directs the contact to a high priority route point or queue . as will be appreciated , the route point is referred to as a vector directory number or vdn in the definity ® architecture of lucent technologies , inc . if the value of the item ( s ) in the data structure 82 is less than the first predetermined value , the processor 34 proceeds to decision diamond 116 in which the comparer 84 compares the value of the item ( s ) in the data structure to a second , lower predetermined value . in this case , the predetermined value is shown as being $ 50 , though any value can be used depending upon the application . if the value of the item ( s ) in the data structure 82 equals or exceeds the first predetermined value , the router 80 in box 120 assigns a medium priority to the contact or signal and directs the contact to a medium priority route point or queue . if the value of the item ( s ) in the data structure 82 is less than the first predetermined value , the router 80 in box 124 assigns a low priority to the contact or signal and directs the contact to a low priority route point or queue . fig3 depicts another mode of operation for the architecture of fig1 . in this architecture , the evaluator 90 examines the nature or type of items in the data structure 82 to pair the customer with a working agent having the skills to deal with the items and / or complete the order and / or to determine a priority to be assigned to the customer . in box 150 , the evaluator 90 examines the data structure 82 to identify the type or nature of items therein . in decision diamond 154 , the comparer 84 determines if the items include a first type of item . although the flowchart uses books as the first type of item , any type of item can be used . if the items include a first type of item , the router 80 in box 158 directs the contact to a queue or route point having agents skilled to service that type of item . in decision diamond 162 , the comparer 84 determines if the items include a second type of item . although the flowchart uses cd &# 39 ; s as the second type of item , any type of item can be used . if the items include a second type of item , the router 80 in box 166 directs the contact to a second queue or route point having agents skilled to service that type of item . in decision diamond 170 , the comparer 84 determines if the items include a third type of item . although the flowchart uses toys as the third type of item , any type of item can be used . if the items include a third type of item , the router in box 174 directs the contact to a third queue or route point having agents skilled to service that type of item . in the event that the data structure 82 does not contain any of the first , second , and third items , the router 80 in box 178 directs the contact to a generic ( fourth ) queue or route point for which no special skills of an agent are required . as will be appreciated , the architecture of fig3 can be used to identify item types having a high priority or desirability for servicing . for example , certain types of items can have a high success rate for completing sales , a high success rate for cross - selling other items and / or inventory is over - stocked . alternatively , the architecture can be used to identify low priority items or items that are less desirable for servicing . for example , certain types of items can have a low success rate for completing sales , a low success rate for cross - selling other items and / or a low availability in inventory . a number of variations and modifications of the invention can be used . it would be possible to provide for some features of the invention without providing others . for example in one alternative embodiment , the router can use information other than or in addition to that set forth above in prioritizing or directing the contact to a pertinent queue . such information includes one or more of the identification of a customer , a file address associated with the customer ( e . g ., a cookie ), the historical business relationship ( or prior business volume ) with the customer , and / or an estimated business value of the customer . for example , the latter factor could include the type of entity , wealth or financial resources of the entity and / or geographical location of the entity . in another alternative embodiment , the evaluator analyzes an electronic message , such as a webform , or an e - mail message and determines a value associated with an actual or potential ( nonelectronic ) order and / or items in the order to permit the router to rout the contact accordingly . in another embodiment , the evaluator input determines the type of request for contact . for example , the router may for high priority contacts cause the agent to contact the customer and for low priority contacts request the customer to call the agent . the present invention , in various embodiments , includes components , methods , processes , systems and / or apparatus substantially as depicted and described herein , including various embodiments , subcombinations , and subsets thereof . those of skill in the art will understand how to make and use the present invention after understanding the present disclosure . the present invention , in various embodiments , includes providing devices and processes in the absence of items not depicted and / or described herein or in various embodiments hereof , including in the absence of such items as may have been used in previous devices or processes , e . g . for improving performance , achieving ease and \ or reducing cost of implementation . the foregoing discussion of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description . the foregoing is not intended to limit the invention to the form or forms disclosed herein . although the description of the invention has included description of one or more embodiments and certain variations and modifications , other variations and modifications are within the scope of the invention , e . g . as may be within the skill and knowledge of those in the art , after understanding the present disclosure . it is intended to obtain rights which include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted , including alternate , interchangeable and / or equivalent structures , functions , ranges or steps to those claimed , whether or not such alternate , interchangeable and / or equivalent structures , functions , ranges or steps are disclosed herein , and without intending to publicly dedicate any patentable subject matter .
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before the present embodiments are described , it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular systems , methodologies or protocols described , as these may vary . also , the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure , which will be limited only by the appended claims . as used in this description and in the appended claims , the singular forms “ a ,” “ an ,” and “ the ” include the plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . unless defined otherwise , all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art . as used herein , the term “ comprising ” means “ including , but not limited to .”“ document production device ” is an electronic device that is capable of receiving commands and printing text and / or images on a substrate . document production devices may include , but are not limited to , network printers , production printers , copiers and other devices that apply text and images using ink or toner . printing devices may also perform a combination of functions such as printing and scanning , in which case such devices may be considered to be multifunctional devices . printing devices may create two - dimensional documents , or they may create a graphical flat that can be converted to yield a three - dimensional item such as a package . fig1 illustrates a system for producing a printed substrate having structural features . such substrates may include , for example , a three - dimensional package , a pop - up document , a greeting card , or another item . as shown in fig1 , the system includes a memory containing recipient data 10 , and a data iterator 20 , a document instance generator 30 , and a structural design producer 40 that accesses and / or receives recipient records from the memory 10 . each recipient record in the memory 10 includes data corresponding to one or more objects to be printed on a customized substrate , such as a document , package flat , card , or other substrate . the term “ customized substrate ,” when used in this patent document , refers to a substrate that contains printed material and / or structural features that are customized based on a received record such as a recipient data record . each object represents an image or text , such as graphics , words , numbers , designs , colors , or other indicia that may be printed onto the substrate . the recipient records also may include data corresponding to at least one structural feature and / or data that can facilitate the creation of a structural feature . the data iterator 20 is a processor and / or a program instruction set running on a processor that selects a recipient record from the memory 10 and sends the object data from the record to the document instance generator 30 and the structural design producer 40 . optionally , a content buffer 22 may hold the data before delivery to the document instance generator 30 . if so , the data iterator 20 may operate as a producer , the document instance generator 30 may operate as a consumer , and the data iterator 20 and document producer 30 may operate together in a producer - consumer relationship . if so , the data iterator 20 may determine the layouts and content objects for the output sequence 32 . the document instance generator 30 is a processor and / or a program instruction set running on a processor that generates an output sequence 32 for rendering the customized substrate as a printed document . the output sequence 32 is generated in an object - oriented code , such as the variable print specification ( vps ) language , personalized print markup language ( ppml ), or portable document format ( pdf ). optionally , the document instance generator 30 may access a definitions dictionary 38 which contains reusable object names and definitions for the names , and the document instance generator 30 may use this information to generate the output sequence 32 . the definitions database may include the code formal or an image format specifying the object appearance . the output sequence is used by a rendering system 34 to print one or more objects from the output sequence onto a substrate to produce a customized flat substrate 50 . the rendering system 34 includes a computing device and a document production device , such as a processor and printer . referring to fig2 , an exemplary object printed on a substrate 60 may include any printed material , including but not limited to text 105 ( such as a mailing address , a customized message , other text ), custom graphics 110 ( such as an image of an item to be placed inside a custom package or a corporate logo ), a background 115 , or other material such as a unique identifier 120 such as a bar code , hash sequence , serial number , or other material . the printed objects also may include one or more reference marks 130 that other devices can use to identify known positions on the substrate and print additional material or apply structural features on the substrate . referring back to fig1 , the printed , flat substrate 50 exits the rendering system 34 and is received by a converting system 44 . a structural design producer 40 also receives the recipient record and uses the generator to generate a customized die line output code sequence 42 . the customized die line output code sequence also may be in an object - oriented code such as vps , vrml , ppml , adobe illustrator ( ai ), or pdf . the structural design producer 40 is a processor and / or a program instruction set running on a processor that be either common with and part of , or separate from , the processor and / or instruction set used as the document instance generator 30 . optionally , the structural design producer 40 may access a dies database 48 which contains layout information for pages of dynamic document instances , and the structural design producer 40 may use this information to generate the die line sequence 42 . the converting system 44 is an electromechanical device that applies cuts , creases , perforations , folds , and / or other structural features along the die lines . the converting system 44 receives the die line output code sequence 42 and uses the die line code sequence to identify positions to apply cuts , perforations , punches , folds , slits , inserts , adhesive coatings , indentations , and / or other structural features , thus yielding a customized , finished substrate 72 . the converting system may perform this using any now or hereafter known methods , such as by using the reference objects to locate positions on the substrate and applying die lines based on specific data found in a recipient data file and / or the die line output code sequence , edge detection techniques to apply a cut or perforation around an image edge , die line files selected based on a unique identifier printed on the substrate , or other methods . referring to fig2 , the structural features applied to the customized substrate may include cut or perforation lines such as a document border cut line 152 and an image cut line 154 , a crease or fold line 162 , 164 , 166 , or other lines that apply structure to the substrate . for the substrate 60 in fig2 , after the border cut line 152 and image cut line 154 are applied , the converting system may cut the substrate along the border cut line 152 and image cut line 154 . the converting system may then apply folds along the fold lines 162 and 164 , as well as fold line 166 , so that when the document is folded , the image 110 dimensionally separates from the background 115 to exhibit a three - dimensional structure . the system described above can thus produce multiple , customized printed three - dimensional documents , packages or other substrates for each recipient record in the recipients database . in some embodiments , the system can concurrently launch multiple production paths to concurrently generate individual parts of a three - dimensional object . fig3 is a process how illustrating an exemplary method of generating a customized , printed , three - dimensional substrate using a system such as that described above . referring to fig3 , a method of printing a customized printed substrate includes receiving a structural design template ( step 301 ) for a substrate to be printed ; receiving a recipient record ( step 303 ) from a recipients database or list ; using the recipient record to render one or more printed objects ( step 305 ) on the printed substrate ; and generating a die line code sequence ( step 307 ) based on the structural design template and the recipient record . the die line code sequence may include instructions for creating a first die line , such that the die line corresponds to data from the recipient record and a position on the substrate to which a structural feature will be applied . the method also may include appending the first code sequence to a first output code sequence in an object - oriented language ( step 313 ), and using a converting system to apply ( step 315 ) the structural features to the substrate along the die line or lines based on the code sequence . the application of structural features ( step 315 ) may include applying a crease , fold , cut , insert , slit , adhesive , perforation or other structural feature to the first substrate along the first die line . optionally , the method also may include identifying ( step 309 ) a computer - aided manufacturing definition for the converting system and ensuring ( step 311 ) that the instructions for creating the first die line are compatible with the computer - aided manufacturing definition . generating each die line code sequence ( step 307 ) may include generating a customized set of instructions for the die line based on the data from the corresponding recipient record . in some embodiments of the method , the rendering ( step 305 ) may include printing a unique identifier , such as a bar code , on the first substrate . if so , generating the code sequence may include using the unique identifier to identify and select the first die line . the method may be repeated for a second recipient record and corresponding second printed substrate , as well as additional records and substrates . if so , the code sequences for each substrate may be included in a single code sequence or in separate code sequences . optionally , before repeating the document creation for a new recipient , the method may include determining whether the additional document ( s ) should use the same structural design template or a new structural design template ( step 319 ). it will be appreciated that various of the above - disclosed and other features and functions , or alternatives thereof , may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications . various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives , modifications , variations or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims .
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exemplary embodiments are discussed in detail below . while specific exemplary embodiments are discussed , it should be understood that this is done for illustration purposes only . in describing and illustrating the exemplary embodiments , specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity . however , the embodiments are not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected . persons of ordinary skill in the relevant art will recognize that other components and configurations may be used without departing from the true spirit and scope of the embodiments . it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose . therefore , the examples and embodiments described herein are non - limiting examples . referring now to the drawings , wherein like reference numbers generally indicate identical , functionally similar , and / or structurally similar elements , there is shown in fig1 an aiming device 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention . aiming device 10 may , as shown in fig1 , comprise a laser gun sight for installation on a firearm 12 , typically a handgun . however , it may also comprise a sight for use on a shotgun , rifle , or archery bow . it generally comprises a module capable of projecting a spatial laser light pattern , means for mounting the laser module in substantial axial alignment with the barrel of the firearm 12 , a power source , and a switch to actuate the module . in this embodiment , the laser module is adapted to be attached to a mounting means such as a picatinny rail 19 that is affixed to the barrel 18 . the picatinny rail 19 ( also known as a mil - std - 1913 rail or stanag 2324 rail or a “ tactical rail ”) is a bracket used on some firearms in order to provide a standardized mounting platform . it facilitates quick mounting of the laser module without requiring realignment . use of a picatinny rail facilitates moving the device to different firearms , though any suitable method of attaching the module in substantial axial alignment to the firearm barrel is acceptable . a similar system is the weaver rail , which uses a pair of parallel rails and several slots perpendicular to such rails . one difference between the picatinny rail and the weaver rail is the size of these slots , although many rail - grabber - mounted accessories can be used on either type of rail . weaver rails have a slot width of 0 . 180 in ( 4 . 572 mm ), but are not necessarily consistent in the spacing of slot centers . the picatinny locking slot width is 0 . 206 in . ( 5 . 232 mm ) and the spacing of slot centers is 0 . 394 in . ( 10 . 008 mm ). because of this , with devices that use only one locking slot , weaver devices will fit on picatinny rails , but picatinny devices will not always fit on weaver rails . the other difference is that weaver rails are continuous , while picatinny rails are cut by the slots ( i . e ., like a dotted line ) to neutralize expansion caused by barrel heating . an actuation means or switch 14 is mounted on the side of the hand grip 16 so that the laser can be actuated by side pressure of the trigger finger . this is a common setup used with conventional single beam laser gun sights . switch 14 can be mounted on either side to accommodate left or right handed users . other means of actuation , such as tilt sensors or trigger mounted switches could also be used . the power source or battery 20 may be mounted in the rear of the laser module 10 , although it could easily be placed elsewhere on the firearm 12 . when the laser is actuated using switch 14 , a spatial laser light pattern is projected . the projection 24 can be seen on the target 26 . in this embodiment , the projected pattern is a series of concentric circles with a center dot . if the target is further away , as depicted by 28 , then only a portion of the pattern 25 is seen on the target indicating to the user that the target is further away and accuracy of the resultant shot would be greatly reduced . the large size of the projection ensures that it is easy to quickly locate the aiming point in a combat or law enforcement situation . the large projected image onto the target is also is a deterrent to violence as the target can see that he / she is well within lethal range of the firearm and should surrender peacefully . fig2 shows a detail of the laser gun sight . laser pattern generator 30 suitably comprises a lasiris ™ snf , model 507c , which projects 7 concentric circles and is manufactured by coherent inc . of montreal , canada . it contains a laser diode 32 , a diffraction grating 34 , and a focusing lens 36 to generate a focused projected laser pattern . the laser diode 32 has a power output of about 10 mw , which has been found to be satisfactory for a desired projection distance of up to 50 feet in both indoor and low light conditions . modules with higher output power ( up to 200 mw ) are available if more range is needed , or if the device is intended for use in broad daylight . the diffraction grating 34 generates the desired spatial light pattern . many patterns are possible as shown in fig3 , including rectangular grids and dot matrices . other custom designs can be produced by simply changing the diffraction grating . in the preferred embodiment , diffraction grating 34 was selected to generate a pattern of 7 concentric circles plus a center dot . this has been found to be a presently preferred embodiment of the invention . the concentric circle pattern provides instant feedback of depth perception and with a few hours of training users can judge the distance to the target by just flashing the concentric circle projection . the concentric circles are also intuitive as they superficially resemble a bull &# 39 ; s eye target that is familiar to all shooters . the center dot provides an aim point consistent with existing single dot laser gun sights , thus facilitating the transition from conventional single dot laser point type gun sights . lens 36 can be adjusted to focus a sharp image of the concentric circles at the desired range . in one embodiment , this was set to be in focus from 10 to 30 feet . in the preferred embodiment , a red laser ( i . e ., 635 nm wavelength ) was used . a green laser ( i . e ., 532 nm wavelength ) would be even better as the human eye perceives higher brightness at the lower wavelength for the same laser power output . fig4 shows how the beam diverges with distance from the laser gun sight . in the preferred embodiment , the fan angle 40 was 1 degree . with this fan angle , the innermost circle appears to be about 2 inches wide at position 42 ( i . e ., a distance of about 10 feet ) and the spacing between the concentric circles or “ intercircle spacing ” is about 1 . 5 inches . again , with a 1 degree fan angle , the innermost circle appears to be about 5 . 5 inches wide at position 44 ( i . e ., a distance of about 20 feet ) with an intercircle spacing 41 of about 2 inches . finally , with a 1 degree fan angle , the innermost circle appears to be about 8 . 3 inches wide at position 46 ( i . e ., a distance of about 30 feet ) with an intercircle spacing of about 4 . 3 inches . so , with this selected fan angle of 1 degree , the visual range of the sight is from about 5 to 30 feet . this roughly corresponds to the practical useful range of a handgun under real world conditions . other fan angles ( e . g ., from about 0 . 1 to about 2 degrees ) can be selected to adjust the sight to longer ranges . it is , thus , possible for the user to estimate the distance to the target from the apparent size and intercircle spacing of the projected spatial laser light pattern onto the target . with minimal training this perception of distance becomes intuitive and is performed subconsciously . this distance estimation technique based on the apparent size and intercircle spacing of the projected pattern works exceptionally well in poor lighting conditions where the human eye is not capable of significant depth perception due to lack of visual cues . in the preferred embodiment , the interbeam angle between circles was 0 . 77 degrees . this affects the spread of the concentric circles around the innermost circle . this coupled with the fan angle can be used to adjust the projected pattern of circles for different overall size of the projected circles as well as the intercircle spacing . while the disclosure has been described with reference to several embodiments , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the disclosure . in addition , many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the disclosure without departing from the essential scope thereof . therefore , it is intended that the disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed as the best mode contemplated for caring out this disclosure .
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fig1 is a schematic illustration of a side view of one embodiment of a semiconductor wafer processing system 100 that establishes a representative environment of the present invention . it should be understood that the present invention is in no way limited to use with or in any particular wafer processing system . as shown in fig1 , processing system 100 includes a loading station 102 which has multiple platforms 104 for supporting and moving a wafer cassette 106 up and into a loadlock 108 . wafer cassette 106 may be a removable cassette which is loaded into a platform 104 , either manually or with automated guided vehicles ( agv ). wafer cassette 106 may also be a fixed cassette , in which case wafers are loaded onto cassette 106 using conventional atmospheric robots or loaders ( not shown ). once wafer cassette 106 is inside loadlock 108 , loadlock 108 and transfer chamber 110 are maintained at atmospheric pressure or else are pumped down to a vacuum pressure using a pump 112 . a robot 114 within transfer chamber 110 rotates toward loadlock 108 and picks up a wafer 116 from cassette 106 . a furnace 120 , which may also be at atmospheric pressure or under vacuum pressure , accepts wafer 116 from robot 114 through a gate valve 118 . robot 114 then retracts and , subsequently , gate valve 118 closes to begin the processing of wafer 116 . after wafer 116 is processed , gate valve 118 opens to allow robot 114 to pick - up and remove wafer 116 . optionally , additional furnaces may be added to processing system 100 , for example furnace 122 . in accordance with the present invention , furnaces 120 and 122 are rtp reactors , such as those used in thermal anneals . in other embodiments , reactors 120 and 122 may also be other types of reactors , such as those used for dopant diffusion , thermal oxidation , nitridation , chemical vapor deposition , and similar processes . reactors 120 and 122 are generally horizontally displaced , however in one embodiment , reactors 120 and 122 are vertically displaced ( i . e . stacked one over another ) to minimize floor space occupied by system 100 . reactors 120 and 122 are bolted onto transfer chamber 110 and are further supported by a support frame 124 . process gases , coolant , and electrical connections may be provided through the rear end of the reactors using interfaces 126 . as shown in fig2 , furnace 200 may generally include a closed - end processing chamber 208 , which defines an interior cavity 210 . disposed within interior cavity 210 is a processing tube 212 . externally , furnace 200 may be a metallic shell 202 made of aluminum or similar metal , having an opening provided on a face of shell 202 , configured to receive wafer 116 for processing . furnace 200 may enclose a thermal insulation material , such as thermal insulation 204 , which substantially surrounds processing chamber 208 so as to minimize or eliminate the escape of heat energy through shell 202 . insulation material 204 may include any suitable insulation material , such as ceramic fiber . optionally , to protect users and / or equipment near furnace 200 , the furnace may include a detachable water cooled jacket ( not shown ) or similar device , which may be used to externally surround furnace 200 . the water cooled jacket ensures that furnace 200 does not become too hot , so as to be a hazard to nearby equipment or personnel . in one embodiment , a plurality of heating elements 220 are used to surround a top and a bottom portion of processing tube 212 . in this embodiment , resistive heating elements 220 may be disposed in parallel across and external to process chamber 208 . each heating element 220 is in relative close proximity to each other element . for example , each resistive heating element 220 may be spaced between about 5 mm and about 50 mm , for example , between about 10 mm and about 20 mm . accordingly , the close spacing of heating elements 220 provides for an even heating temperature distribution in processing tube 212 . resistive heating elements 220 may include a resistive heating element core surrounded by a filament wire . the core can be made of a ceramic material , but may be made of any high temperature rated , non - conductive material . the filament wire is conventionally wrapped around the core to allow for an optimal amount of radiated heat energy to emanate from the element . the filament wire may be any suitable resistively heatable wire , which is made from a high mass material for increased thermal response and high temperature stability , such as sic , sic coated graphite , graphite , nicr , alni and other alloys . in one embodiment , resistive heating filament wire is made of a combination al — ni — fe material , known commonly as kantal a - 1 or af , available from omega corp . of stamford , conn . optionally , resistive heating elements 220 may be positioned in various configurations which may include , for example , circular , zigzag , cross - hatched patterns and the like . the variable patterns may be able to provide more optimal temperature distribution and further reduce the possibility of temperature fluctuations across the surface of the wafer . in yet another embodiment , furnace 200 includes heat diffusing members 222 , which are positioned proximate to and between heating elements 220 and processing chamber 208 . heat diffusing members 222 absorb the thermal energy output from heating elements 220 and dissipate the heat evenly across process chamber 208 and tube 212 . heat diffusing members 222 may be any suitable heat diffusing material that has a sufficiently high thermal conductivity , preferably silicon carbide , al 2 o 3 , or graphite . in one embodiment , furnace 200 may include up to any number of heating zones . in the embodiment shown in fig2 , furnace 200 includes three parallel heating zones , which include a central zone , referenced as zone 2 , and two adjacent outer zones , referenced as zones 1 and 3 . each heating element 220 can be apportioned to a specific heating zone . as described in more detail below , each heating zone has at least one temperature sensor 224 , which provides feedback to a controller 226 . as fluctuations in temperature within a heating zone are sensed by the temperature sensors , real - time controller 226 can cause the power from power supply 232 to increase or decrease , as necessary , to increase or decrease the energy output ( heat ) from each of resistive elements 220 . for example , if a drop in temperature is sensed in zone 1 , the thermal energy output from resistive heating elements 220 apportioned to zone 1 , increases until the temperature in zone 1 is returned to the desired level . in this manner , the temperature from zone - to - zone across the surface of wafer 116 may be kept substantially isothermal . the number of zones and the number of resistive elements 220 apportioned to each zone may vary based on the energy output desired . the size of each zone ( i . e . the heating volume ) is also variable . advantageously , the size of each zone can be scaled up or down as desired . for example , zone 2 can be scaled up for processing of larger wafers by re - apportioning heating elements 220 from zones 1 and zone 3 to zone 2 . this means that the number of heating elements 220 assigned to zone 2 is increased , while the number of heating elements assigned to zones 1 and 3 is decreased . the heating elements added to zone 2 are controlled by controller 226 to respond in the same manner as the heating elements already assigned to zone 2 . in one embodiment , temperature sensors , such as thermocouples , are embedded within heat diffusing members 222 . for example , thermocouples 224 a , 224 b and 224 c can be strategically placed such that they can provide feedback via lines 230 as to the temperature conditions of heat diffusing members 222 . for example , a first and a second thermocouple 224 a and 224 c are placed at each end of heat diffusing member 222 . a third thermocouple , thermocouple 224 b , is placed in the center of heat diffusing member 222 . in this configuration , the temperature of a zone ( e . g . zone 1 , zone 2 and zone 3 ) can be monitored with feedback provided to controller 226 . by positioning the thermocouples 224 a - 224 c at known positions on the heat diffusing members 222 , the temperature gradient can be determined with reference to a position within process chamber 208 . this data is used by controller 226 to control the temperature within each zone more precisely . thermocouples 224 a , 224 b and 224 c can be conventional r - type or k - type thermocouples available from omega corporation of stamford , conn . a microprocessor or process control computer 228 , generally controls the processing of a semiconductor wafer placed in the rtp reactor and may be used to monitor the status of the system for diagnostic purposes . in one embodiment , process computer 228 provides control signals to controller 226 in response to temperature data received from temperature sensors 224 . process computer 228 may also direct pressure setpoints to pump assembly 112 ( fig1 ) as well as gas and plasma inlet flow signals to mass - flow controllers in a gas network ( not shown ). in one embodiment , controller 226 is a real - time proportional integral derivative ( pid ), multi - zone controller , available from omega corporation . controller 226 provides control signals to a scr - based phase controlled power supply 232 , which provides power to the resistive heating elements 220 . advantageously , a direct line voltage of between about 100 volts and about 500 volts may be used to power resistive heating elements 220 . thus , no complex power transformer is needed in the present invention for controlling the output of resistive heating elements 220 . in operation , the multi - zone controller 226 receives temperature sensor outputs via sensing lines 230 , as well as the desired wafer temperature setpoint from computer 228 and delivers controlled power setpoints to the heating element power supply 232 . heating elements 220 increase or decrease their energy output in response to the increase or decrease in power supplied from power supply 232 . fig3 is a simplified illustration of process chamber 208 including processing tube 212 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . in one embodiment , processing tube 212 may be constructed with a substantially rectangular cross - section , having a minimal internal volume surrounding wafer 116 . in one embodiment , the volume of processing tube 212 is usually no greater than about 5000 cm 3 ; preferably the volume is less than about 3000 cm 3 . one result of the small volume is that uniformity in temperature is more easily maintained . additionally , the small tube volume allows furnace 200 ( fig2 ) to be made smaller , and as a result , system 100 may be made smaller , requiring less clean room floor space . the smaller furnace size , in conjunction with the use of the robot loader , allows multiple furnaces to be used in system 100 by vertically stacking the reactors as shown in fig1 . to conduct a process , processing tube 212 should be capable of being pressurized . typically , processing tube 212 should be able to withstand internal pressures of about 0 . 001 torr to 1000 torr , preferably between about 0 . 1 torr and about 760 torr . in one embodiment , processing tube 212 can be made of quartz , but may also be made of silicon carbide , al 2 o 3 , or other similarly suitable material . a wafer support device 302 may be used to support a single wafer within processing tube 212 . support device 302 may be made of any high temperature resistant material , such as quartz . support device 302 can have any height necessary , for example , a height of between about 50 μm and about 20 mm . in one embodiment , support device 302 includes standoffs positioned within processing tube 212 . the standoffs will generally have a height of between about 50 μm and about 20 mm . the total contact area between the standoffs and wafer 116 can be less than about 350 mm 2 , preferably less than about 300 mm 2 . standoffs 302 may be made of quartz or similar material . an opening 304 is defined at one end of processing tube 212 , which provides access to processing area 310 for the loading and unloading of wafer 116 before and after processing . opening 304 may be a relatively small opening , but with a height and width large enough to accommodate a wafer of between about 0 . 5 mm to about 2 mm thick and up to about 300 mm (˜ 12 in .) in diameter , and a robot arm of robot 114 ( fig1 ) passing therethrough . the height of opening 304 is no greater than between about 18 mm and about 50 mm , and preferably , no greater than about 30 mm . the relatively small opening helps to reduce radiation heat loss from processing tube 212 . also , the small opening keeps down the number of particles entering processing area 310 of processing tube 212 and allows for easier maintenance of the isothermal temperature environment . fig4 illustrates a magnified portion of processing tube 212 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . as shown , processing tube 212 can be formed having a hollow wall . for example , processing tube 212 can be formed having an outer wall 402 and an inner wall 404 which enclose an internal hollow cavity or passage way 406 . the thickness of outer wall 402 and inner wall 404 can be any thickness suitable to allow for high temperature processing of wafers in various pressure conditions . for example , the wall thickness can be between about 1 mm and about 5 mm . hollow cavity 406 can also be defined with any volume necessary to facilitate wafer processing . for example , hollow cavity 406 can have a thickness d of between about 0 . 5 mm and about 5 mm . hollow cavity 406 has an inlet 311 ( fig3 ), which allows a gas to be fed from a gas reservoir ( not shown ) into hollow cavity 406 . the gas may include , for example , any suitable carrier gas , such as he , h 2 , o 2 , ar , n 2 and the like and any processing gas , such as nh 3 , o 3 , sih 4 , si 2 h 6 , b 2 h 6 and other gases suitable for cvd applications , or a combination of both gases . hereinafter , the carrier gas , the process gas and the combination of both shall be referred to generally as “ the gas .” in one embodiment , a plurality of holes or outlets 408 are formed through inner wall 404 to allow for environmental communication between hollow cavity 406 and processing area 310 ( fig3 ). each outlet 408 can be sized to allow the various types of gases to move between hollow cavity 406 and processing area 310 . in one example , outlets 408 may be between about 0 . 1 mm to about 2 mm in diameter . outlets 408 can extend from substantially end 301 of processing tube 212 at opening 304 to a point 303 a fixed distance 305 from the gas entering end of processing tube 212 . distance 305 is designed to allow the flowing gases to reach a minimum temperature at a given flow rate before exiting out from outlets 408 . processing tube 212 can be fabricated using many well known fabrication techniques . for example , processing tube 212 may be welded , braised , assembled or cast . heat transferred to the flowing gas is a function of the thermal mass of the heater , the flow rate of the gas and the diameter of the outlets , as well as the type of gas , the residence time of the gas in hollow cavity 406 and the nominal temperature of hollow cavity 406 . each of these parameters can be adjusted until the exiting gas temperature is appropriate for a specific process . generally , the thermal mass and thermal energy output and capacity of the heating elements will be known . accordingly , for a given thermal energy output the gas can be made to flow through hollow cavity 406 at any desired rate , for example , between about 10 sccm to about 100 slm . the flow rate of gases is selected to ensure that the wafer remains stable upon the standoffs and that the pressure difference between the ambient environment outside of the processing tube and inside the processing tube is relatively small . hollow cavity 406 provides for heat exchange , such that the gas can be heated as it travels from inlet 311 through to the exit points of outlets 408 . the gas entering inlet 311 can be at ambient temperature or may be pre - heated prior to entering hollow cavity 406 . before the gas exits outlets 408 , the gas is made to flow through a distance 305 of hollow cavity 406 . the length of distance 305 is variable , but is at least long enough to provide the residence time for the gas to reach a desired minimum temperature before exiting outlets 408 into processing area 310 . in one embodiment , the gas is made to move through hollow cavity 406 at a flow rate which allows the gas to be heated at a rate of between about 1 ° c ./ s and about 1000 ° c ./ s . to between approximately 100 ° c . and 1400 ° c . as shown in fig3 , in one operational embodiment , wafer 116 is placed within processing tube 212 on standoffs 302 . a gas , such as a carrier gas combined with process gases , is allowed to flow through hollow cavity 406 . in one embodiment , the gas entering hollow cavity 406 can be pre - heated or , alternatively , can be at ambient temperature . in this example , the gas enters hollow cavity 406 as indicted by arrows 312 at approximately room temperature (˜ 25 ° c .). however , in either embodiment , the gas is heated to a processing temperature from heat transferred from heating elements 220 into heat diffusion material 222 and into process chamber 208 and finally , through outer wall 402 and inner wall 404 . initially , the gas flows a distance 305 within hollow cavity 406 to reach a minimum desired processing temperature . the flowing gas then reaches outlets 408 to enter processing area 310 . the flowing gas contacts wafer 116 in processing area 310 to heat wafer 116 using the effect of forced convection . the heated gas flows into hollow cavity 406 at a controlled rate . thus , the ramp rate control for heating wafer 116 can be correlated to gas flow rate control . as described in detail below , the gas flow can be continuous through the processing of wafer 116 , pulsed , flown during temperature ramp up only , or flown during cool down , or a combination of both . as illustrated in graph 500 of fig5 , wafers placed in furnace 200 and heated have different heating profiles and heating rates between a center portion and an edge portion of the wafer . for example , without gas flow through hollow cavity 406 of processing tube 212 , the wafer center 502 requires approximately 3 . 5 time units to reach a processing temperature of about 1000 ° c . the edge of the wafer requires about 2 . 5 time units to reach the same temperature . a wafer heated using forced convection assistance in accordance with the present invention , created by flowing gas through hollow cavity 406 and into processing area 310 , is heated at a center portion and an edge portion of the wafer with almost identical heating profiles . for example , the wafer center 506 and the wafer edge 508 reach the processing temperature of about 1000 ° c . at about the same time , in less than 1 time unit . a primary advantage of the present invention is the ability to conduct substantially slip - free rtp of a silicon wafer with lesser emissivity dependence and lesser pattern induced local heating effect . further , by controlling ramp rate control using gas flow rate control , the wafer can be heated rapidly and uniformly as illustrated in fig5 . fig6 illustrates the effect of another embodiment of the present invention in which forced convection enables forced cooling of the wafer while the wafer is within processing tube 212 . as shown in graph 600 , as the flow rate of gas through hollow cavity 406 ( fig4 ) is increased , the wafer temperature ramp rate is increased . however , at a given thermal output and with a particular gas flow rate , as indicated at 602 , the wafer temperature ramp rate begins to decrease . at this juncture , the effect of the forced convection is to remove energy from the wafer causing the wafer to cool . the forced cooling reduces the post - processed wafer to a temperature below the critical slip formation temperature without requiring the cooling of the entire process chamber 208 or requiring a separate cooling chamber . it should be understood that the wafer described above may be made of conventional materials commonly used in the industry , such as silicon , gallium arsenide , or other similar compound or the wafer may be a semiconductor wafer , made from quartz or glass . having thus described the preferred embodiments , persons skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . thus the invention is limited only by the following claims .
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[ 0043 ] fig2 a and 2b depict an electro - kinetic air transporter - conditioner system 100 whose housing 102 includes preferably rear - located intake vents or louvers 104 and preferably front and side - located exhaust vents 106 , and a base pedestal 108 . internal to the transporter housing is an ion generating unit 160 , preferably powered by an ac : dc power supply that is energizable or excitable using switch s 1 . ion generating unit 160 is self - contained in that other than ambient air , nothing is required from beyond the transporter housing , save external operating potential , for operation of the present invention . the upper surface of housing 102 includes a user - liftable handle member 112 to which is affixed a second array 240 of electrodes 242 within an electrode assembly 220 . electrode assembly 220 also comprises a first array of electrodes 230 , shown here as a single wire or wire - like electrode 232 . in the embodiment shown , lifting member 112 upward lifts second array electrodes 240 up and , if desired , out of unit 100 , while the first electrode array 230 remains within unit 100 . in fig2 b , the bottom ends of second array electrode 242 are connected to a member 113 , to which is attached a mechanism 500 for cleaning the first electrode array electrodes , here electrode 232 , whenever handle member 112 is moved upward or downward by a user . fig5 a - 7e , described later herein , provide further details as to various mechanisms 500 for cleaning wire or wire - like electrodes 232 in the first electrode array 230 , and for maintaining high resistance between the first and second electrode arrays 220 , 230 even if some moisture is allowed to pool within the bottom interior of unit 100 . the first and second arrays of electrodes are coupled in series between the output terminals of ion generating unit 160 , as best seen in fig3 . the ability to lift handle 112 provides ready access to the electrodes comprising the electrode assembly , for purposes of cleaning and , if necessary , replacement . the general shape of the invention shown in fig2 a and 2b is not critical . the top - to - bottom height of the preferred embodiment is perhaps 1 m , with a left - to - right width of perhaps 15 cm , and a front - to - back depth of perhaps 10 cm , although other dimensions and shapes may of course be used . a louvered construction provides ample inlet and outlet venting in an economical housing configuration . there need be no real distinction between vents 104 and 106 , except their location relative to the second array electrodes , and indeed a common vent could be used . these vents serve to ensure that an adequate flow of ambient air may be drawn into or made available to the unit 100 , and that an adequate flow of ionized air that includes safe amounts of o 3 flows out from unit 130 . as will be described , when unit 100 is energized with s 1 , high voltage output by ion generator 160 produces ions at the first electrode array , which ions are attracted to the second electrode array . the movement of the ions in an “ in ” to “ out ” direction carries with them air molecules , thus electro kinetically producing an outflow of ionized air . the “ in ” notion in fig2 a and 2b denote the intake of ambient air with particulate matter 60 . the “ out ” notation in the figures denotes the outflow of cleaned air substantially devoid of the particulate matter , which adheres electrostatically to the surface of the second array electrodes . in the process of generating the ionized air flow , safe amounts of ozone ( o 3 ) are beneficially produced . it may be desired to provide the inner surface of housing 102 with an electrostatic shield to reduces detectable electromagnetic radiation . for example , a metal shield could be disposed within the housing , or portions of the interior of the housing could be coated with a metallic paint to reduce such radiation . as best seen in fig3 ion generating unit 160 includes a high voltage generator unit 170 and circuitry 180 for converting raw alternating voltage ( e . g ., 117 vac ) into direct current (“ dc ”) voltage . circuitry 180 preferably includes circuitry controlling the shape and / or duty cycle of the generator unit output voltage ( which control is altered with user switch s 2 ). circuitry 180 preferably also includes a pulse mode component , coupled to switch s 3 , to temporarily provide a burst of increased output ozone . circuitry 180 can also include a timer circuit and a visual indicator such as a light emitting diode (“ led ”). the led or other indicator ( including , if desired , audible indicator ) signals when ion generation is occurring . the timer can automatically halt generation of ions and / or ozone after some predetermined time , e . g ., 30 minutes . indicator ( s ), and / or audible indicator ( s ). as shown in fig3 high voltage generator unit 170 preferably comprises a low voltage oscillator circuit 190 of perhaps 20 khz frequency , that outputs low voltage pulses to an electronic switch 200 , e . g ., a thyristor or the like . switch 200 switchably couples the low voltage pulses to the input winding of a step - up transformer t 1 . the secondary winding of ti is coupled to a high voltage multiplier circuit 210 that outputs high voltage pulses . preferably the circuitry and components comprising high voltage pulse generator 170 and circuit 180 are fabricated on a printed circuit board that is mounted within housing 102 . if desired , external audio input ( e . g ., from a stereo tuner ) could be suitably coupled to oscillator 190 to acoustically modulate the kinetic airflow produced by unit 160 . the result would be an electrostatic loudspeaker , whose output air flow is audible to the human ear in accordance with the audio input signal . further , the output air stream would still include ions and ozone . output pulses from high voltage generator 170 preferably are at least 10 kv peak - to - peak with an effective dc offset of perhaps half the peak - to - peak voltage , and have a frequency of perhaps 20 khz . the pulse train output preferably has a duty cycle of perhaps 10 %, which will promote battery lifetime . of course , different peak - peak amplitudes , dc offsets , pulse train waveshapes , duty cycle , and / or repetition frequencies may instead be used . indeed , a 100 % pulse train ( e . g ., an essentially dc high voltage ) may be used , albeit with shorter battery lifetime . thus , generator unit 170 may ( but need not ) be referred to as a high voltage pulse generator . frequency of oscillation is not especially critical but frequency of at least about 20 khz is preferred as being inaudible to humans . if pets will be in the same room as the unit 100 , it may be desired to utilize an even higher operating frequency , to prevent pet discomfort and / or howling by the pet . as noted with respect to fig5 a - 6e , to reduce likelihood of audible oscillations , it is desired to include at least one mechanism to clean the first electrode array 230 elements 232 . the output from high voltage pulse generator unit 170 is coupled to an electrode assembly 220 that comprises a first electrode array 230 and a second electrode array 240 . unit 170 functions as a dc : dc high voltage generator , and could be implemented using other circuitry and / or techniques to output high voltage pulses that are input to electrode assembly 220 . in the embodiment of fig3 the positive output terminal of unit 170 is coupled to first electrode array 230 , and the negative output terminal is coupled to second electrode array 240 . this coupling polarity has been found to work well , including minimizing unwanted audible electrode vibration or hum . an electrostatic flow of air is created , going from the first electrode array towards the second electrode array . ( this flow is denoted “ out ” in the figures .) accordingly electrode assembly 220 is mounted within transporter system 100 such that second electrode array 240 is closer to the out vents and first electrode array 230 is closer to the in vents . when voltage or pulses from high voltage pulse generator 170 are coupled across first and second electrode arrays 230 and 240 , it is believed that a plasma - like field is created surrounding electrodes 232 in first array 230 . this electric field ionizes the ambient air between the first and second electrode arrays and establishes an “ out ” airflow that moves towards the second array . it is understood that the in flow enters via vent ( s ) 104 , and that the out flow exits via vent ( s ) 106 . it is believed that ozone and ions are generated simultaneously by the first array electrode ( s ) 232 , essentially as a function of the potential from generator 170 coupled to the first array . ozone generation may be increased or decreased by increasing or decreasing the potential at the first array . coupling an opposite polarity potential to the second array electrode ( s ) 242 essentially accelerates the motion of ions generated at the first array , producing the air flow denoted as “ out ” in the figures . as the ions move toward the second array , it is believed that they push or move air molecules toward the second array . the relative velocity of this motion may be increased by decreasing the potential at the second array relative to the potential at the first array . for example , if + 10 kv were applied to the first array electrode ( s ), and no potential were applied to the second array electrode ( s ), a cloud of ions ( whose net charge is positive ) would form adjacent the first electrode array . further , the relatively high 10 kv potential would generate substantial ozone . by coupling a relatively negative potential to the second array electrode ( s ), the velocity of the air mass moved by the net emitted ions increases , as momentum of the moving ions is conserved . on the other hand , if it were desired to maintain the same effective outflow ( out ) velocity but to generate less ozone , the exemplary 10 kv potential could be divided between the electrode arrays . for example , generator 170 could provide + 4 kv ( or some other fraction ) to the first array electrode ( s ) and − 6 kv ( or some other fraction ) to the second array electrode ( s ). in this example , it is understood that the + 4 kv and the − 6 kv are measured relative to ground . understandably it is desired that the unit 100 operate to output safe amounts of ozone . accordingly , the high voltage is preferably fractionalized with about + 4 kv applied to the first array electrode ( s ) and about − 6 kv applied to the second array electrodes . as noted , outflow ( out ) preferably includes safe amounts of o 3 that can destroy or at least substantially alter bacteria , germs , and other living ( or quasi - living ) matter subjected to the outflow . thus , when switch s 1 is closed and 131 has sufficient operating potential , pulses from high voltage pulse generator unit 170 create an outflow ( out ) of ionized air and o 3 . when s 1 is closed , led will visually signal when ionization is occurring . preferably operating parameters of unit 100 are set during manufacture and are not user - adjustable . for example , increasing the peak - to - peak output voltage and / or duty cycle in the high voltage pulses generated by unit 170 can increase air flowrate , ion content , and ozone content . in the preferred embodiment , output flowrate is about 200 feet / minute , ion content is about 2 , 000 , 000 / cc and ozone content is about 40 ppb ( over ambient ) to perhaps 2 , 000 ppb ( over ambient ). decreasing the r2 / r1 ratio below about 20 : 1 will decrease flow rate , as will decreasing the peak - to - peak voltage and / or duty cycle of the high voltage pulses coupled between the first and second electrode arrays . in practice , unit 100 is placed in a room and connected to an appropriate source of operating potential , typically 117 vac . with s 1 energized , ionization unit 160 emits ionized air and preferably some ozone ( o 3 ) via outlet vents 150 . the air flow , coupled with the ions and ozone freshens the air in the room , and the ozone can beneficially destroy or at least diminish the undesired effects of certain odors , bacteria , germs , and the like . the air flow is indeed electro - kinetically produced , in that there are no intentionally moving parts within unit 100 . ( as noted , some mechanical vibration may occur within the electrodes .) as will be described with respect to fig4 a , it is desirable that unit 100 actually output a net surplus of negative ions , as these ions are deemed more beneficial to health than are positive ions . having described various aspects of the invention in general , preferred embodiments of electrode assembly 220 will now be described . in the various embodiments , electrode assembly 220 will comprise a first array 230 of at least one electrode 232 , and will further comprise a second array 240 of preferably at least one electrode 242 . understandably material ( s ) for electrodes 232 and 242 should conduct electricity , be resilient to corrosive effects from the application of high voltage , yet be strong enough to be cleaned . in the various electrode assemblies to be described herein , electrode ( s ) 232 in the first electrode array 230 are preferably fabricated from tungsten . tungsten is sufficiently robust to withstand cleaning , has a high melting point to retard breakdown due to ionization , and has a rough exterior surface that seems to promote efficient ionization . on the other hand , electrodes 242 preferably will have a highly polished exterior surface to minimize unwanted point - to - point radiation . as such , electrodes 242 preferably are fabricated from stainless steel , brass , among other materials . the polished surface of electrodes 232 also promotes ease of electrode cleaning . in contrast to the prior art electrodes disclosed by lee , electrodes 232 and 242 , electrodes used in unit 100 are light weight , easy to fabricate , and lend themselves to mass production . further , electrodes 232 and 242 described herein promote more efficient generation of ionized air , and production of safe amounts of ozone , o 3 . in unit 100 , a high voltage pulse generator 170 is coupled between the first electrode array 230 and the second electrode array 240 . the high voltage pulses produce a flow of ionized air that travels in the direction from the first array towards the second array ( indicated herein by hollow arrows denoted “ out ”). as such , electrode ( s ) 232 may be referred to as an emitting electrode , and electrodes 242 may be referred to as collector electrodes . this outflow advantageously contains safe amounts of o 3 , and exits unit 100 from vent ( s ) 106 . it is preferred that the positive output terminal or port of the high voltage pulse generator be coupled to electrodes 232 , and that the negative output terminal or port be coupled to electrodes 242 . it is believed that the net polarity of the emitted ions is positive , e . g ., more positive ions than negative ions are emitted . in any event , the preferred electrode assembly electrical coupling minimizes audible hum from electrodes 232 contrasted with reverse polarity ( e . g ., interchanging the positive and negative output port connections ). however , while generation of positive ions is conducive to a relatively silent air flow , from a health standpoint , it is desired that the output air flow be richer in negative ions , not positive ions . it is noted that in some embodiments , however , one port ( preferably the negative port ) of the high voltage pulse generator may in fact be the ambient air . thus , electrodes in the second array need not be connected to the high voltage pulse generator using wire . nonetheless , there will be an “ effective connection ” between the second array electrodes and one output port of the high voltage pulse generator , in this instance , via ambient air . turning now to the embodiments of fig4 a and 4b , electrode assembly 220 comprises a first array 230 of wire electrodes 232 , and a second array 240 of generally “ u ”- shaped electrodes 242 . in preferred embodiments , the number n1 of electrodes comprising the first array will preferably differ by one relative to the number n2 of electrodes comprising the second array . in many of the embodiments shown , n2 & gt ; n1 . however , if desired , in fig4 a , addition first electrodes 232 could be added at the out ends of array 230 such that n1 & gt ; n2 , e . g ., five electrodes 232 compared to four electrodes 242 . electrodes 232 are preferably lengths of tungsten wire , whereas electrodes 242 are formed from sheet metal , preferably stainless steel , although brass or other sheet metal could be used . the sheet metal is readily formed to define side regions 244 and bulbous nose region 246 for hollow elongated “ u ” shaped electrodes 242 . while fig4 a depicts four electrodes 242 in second array 240 and three electrodes 232 in first array 230 , as noted , other numbers of electrodes in each array could be used , preferably retaining a symmetrically staggered configuration as shown . it is seen in fig4 a that while particulate matter 60 is present in the incoming ( in ) air , the outflow ( out ) air is substantially devoid of particulate matter , which adheres to the preferably large surface area provided by the second array electrodes ( see fig4 b ). as best seen in fig4 b , the spaced - apart configuration between the arrays is staggered such that each first array electrode 232 is substantially equidistant from two second array electrodes 242 . this symmetrical staggering has been found to be an especially efficient electrode placement . preferably the staggering geometry is symmetrical in that adjacent electrodes 232 or adjacent electrodes 242 are spaced - apart a constant distance , y1 and y2 respectively . however , a non - symmetrical configuration could also be used , although ion emission and air flow would likely be diminished . also , it is understood that the number of electrodes 232 and 242 may differ from what is shown . in fig4 a , typically dimensions are as follows : diameter of electrodes 232 is about 0 . 08 mm , distances y1 and y2 are each about 16 mm , distance x1 is about 16 mm , distance l is about 20 mm , and electrode heights z1 and z2 are each about 1 m . the width w of electrodes 242 is preferably about 4 mm , and the thickness of the material from which electrodes 242 are formed is about 0 . 5 mm . of course other dimensions and shapes could be used . it is preferred that electrodes 232 be small in diameter to help establish a desired high voltage field . on the other hand , it is desired that electrodes 232 ( as well as electrodes 242 ) be sufficiently robust to withstand occasional cleaning . electrodes 232 in first array 230 are coupled by a conductor 234 to a first ( preferably positive ) output port of high voltage pulse generator 170 , and electrodes 242 in second array 240 are coupled by a conductor 244 to a second ( preferably negative ) output port of generator 170 . it is relatively unimportant where on the various electrodes electrical connection is made to conductors 234 or 244 . thus , by way of example fig4 b depicts conductor 244 making connection with some electrodes 242 internal to bulbous end 246 , while other electrodes 242 make electrical connection to conductor 244 elsewhere on the electrode . electrical connection to the various electrodes 242 could also be made on the electrode external surface providing no substantial impairment of the outflow airstream results . to facilitate removing the electrode assembly from unit 100 ( as shown in fig2 b ), it is preferred that the lower end of the various electrodes fit against mating portions of wire or other conductors 234 or 244 . for example , “ cup - like ” members can be affixed to wires 234 and 244 into which the free ends of the various electrodes fit when electrode array 220 is inserted completely into housing 102 of unit 100 . the ratio of the effective electric field emanating area of electrode 232 to the nearest effective area of electrodes 242 is at least about 15 : 1 , and preferably is at least 20 : 1 . thus , in the embodiment of fig4 a and fig4 b , the ratio r2 / r1 ≈ 2 mm / 0 . 04 mm = 50 : 1 . in this and the other embodiments to be described herein , ionization appears to occur at the smaller electrode ( s ) 232 in the first electrode array 230 , with ozone production occurring as a function of high voltage arcing . for example , increasing the peak - to - peak voltage amplitude and / or duty cycle of the pulses from the high voltage pulse generator 170 can increase ozone content in the output flow of ionized air . if desired , user - control s 2 can be used to somewhat vary ozone content by varying ( in a safe manner ) amplitude and / or duty . cycle . specific circuitry for achieving such control is known in the art and need not be described in detail herein . note the inclusion in fig4 a and 4b of at least one output controlling electrode 243 , preferably electrically coupled to the same potential as the second array electrodes . electrode 243 preferably defines a pointed shape in side profile , e . g ., a triangle . the sharp point on electrode ( s ) 243 causes generation of substantial negative ions ( since the electrode is coupled to relatively negative high potential ). these negative ions neutralize excess positive ions otherwise present in the output air flow , such that the out flow has a net negative charge . electrode ( s ) 243 preferably are stainless steel , copper , or other conductor , and are perhaps 20 mm high and about 12 mm wide at the base . another advantage of including pointed electrodes 243 is that they maybe stationarily mounted within the housing of unit 100 , and thus are not readily reached by human hands when cleaning the unit . were it otherwise , the sharp point on electrode ( s ) 243 could easily cause cuts . the inclusion of one electrode 243 has been found sufficient to provide a sufficient number of output negative ions , but more such electrodes may be included . in the embodiment of fig4 a and 4c , each “ u ”- shaped electrode 242 has two trailing edges that promote efficient kinetic transport of the outflow of ionized air and o 3 . note the inclusion on at least one portion of a trailing edge of a pointed electrode region 243 ′. electrode region 243 ′ helps promote output of negative ions , in the same fashion as was described with respect to fig4 a and 4b . note , however , the higher likelihood of a user cutting himself or herself when wiping electrodes 242 with a cloth or the like to remove particulate matter deposited thereon . in fig4 c and the figures to follow , the particulate matter is omitted for ease of illustration . however , from what was shown in fig2 a - 4b , particulate matter will be present in the incoming air , and will be substantially absent from the outgoing air . as has been described , particulate matter 60 typically will be electrostatically precipitated upon the surface area of electrodes 242 . as indicated by fig4 c , it is relatively unimportant where on an electrode array electrical connection is made . thus , first array electrodes 232 are shown connected together at their bottom regions , whereas second array electrodes 242 are shown connected together in their middle regions . both arrays may be connected together in more than one region , e . g ., at the top and at the bottom . it is preferred that the wire or strips or other inter - connecting mechanisms be at the top or bottom or periphery of the second array electrodes 242 , so as to minimize obstructing stream air movement . note that the embodiments of fig4 c and 4d depict somewhat truncated versions of electrodes 242 . whereas dimension l in the embodiment of fig4 a and 4b was about 20 mm , in fig4 c and 4d , l has been shortened to about 8 mm . other dimensions in fig4 c preferably are similar to those stated for fig4 a and 4b . in fig4 c and 4d , the inclusion of point - like regions 246 on the trailing edge of electrodes 242 seems to promote more efficient generation of ionized air flow . it will be appreciated that the configuration of second electrode array 240 in fig4 c can be more robust than the configuration of fig4 a and 4b , by virtue of the shorter trailing edge geometry . as noted earlier , a symmetrical staggered geometry for the first and second electrode arrays is preferred for the configuration of fig4 c . in the embodiment of fig4 d , the outermost second electrodes , denoted 242 - 1 and 242 - 2 , have substantially no outermost trailing edges . dimension l in fig4 d is preferably about 3 mm , and other dimensions maybe as stated for the configuration of fig4 a and 4b . again , the r2 / r1 ratio for the embodiment of fig4 d preferably exceeds about 20 : 1 . [ 0080 ] fig4 e and 4f depict another embodiment of electrode assembly 220 , in which the first electrode array comprises a single wire electrode 232 , and the second electrode array comprises a single pair of curved “ l ”- shaped electrodes 242 , in cross - section . typical dimensions , where different than what has been stated for earlier - described embodiments , are x1 ≈ 12 mm , y1 ≈ 6 mm , y2 ≈ 5 mm , and l1 ≈ 3 mm . the effective r2 / r1 ratio is again greater than about 20 : 1 . the fewer electrodes comprising assembly 220 in fig4 e and 4f promote economy of construction , and ease of cleaning , although more than one electrode 232 , and more than two electrodes 242 could of course be employed . this embodiment again incorporates the staggered symmetry described earlier , in which electrode 232 is equidistant from two electrodes 242 . turning now to fig5 a , a first embodiment of an electrode cleaning mechanism 500 is depicted . in the embodiment shown , mechanism 500 comprises a flexible sheet of insulating material such as mylar or other high voltage , high temperature breakdown resistant material , having sheet thickness of perhaps 0 . 1 mm or so . sheet 500 is attached at one end to the base or other mechanism 113 secured to the lower end of second electrode array 240 . sheet 500 extends or projects out from base 113 towards and beyond the location of first electrode array 230 electrodes 232 . the overall projection length of sheet 500 in fig5 a will be sufficiently long to span the distance between base 113 of the second array 240 and the location of electrodes 232 in the first array 230 . this span distance will depend upon the electrode array configuration but typically will be a few inches or so . preferably the distal edge of sheet 500 will extend slightly beyond the location of electrodes 232 , perhaps 0 . 5 ″ beyond . as shown in fig5 a and 5c , the distal edge , e . g ., edge closest to electrodes 232 , of material 500 is formed with a slot 510 corresponding to the location of an electrode 232 . preferably the inward end of the slot forms a small circle 520 , which can promote flexibility . the configuration of material 500 and slots 510 is such that each wire or wire - like electrode 232 in the first electrode array 230 fits snugly and friction ally within a corresponding slot 510 . as indicated by fig5 a and shown in fig5 c , instead of a single sheet 500 that includes a plurality of slots 510 , instead one can provide individual strips 515 of material 500 , the distal end of each strip having a slot 510 that will surround an associated wire electrode 232 . note in fig5 b and 5c that sheet 500 or sheets 515 may be formed with holes 119 that can attach to pegs 117 that project from the base portion 113 of the second electrode array 240 . of course other attachment mechanisms could be used including glue , double - sided tape , inserting the array 240 — facing edge of the sheet into a horizontal slot or ledge in base member 113 , and so forth . [ 0083 ] fig5 a shows second electrode array 240 in the process of being moved upward , perhaps by a user intending to remove array 240 to remove particulate matter from the surfaces of its electrodes 242 . note that as array 240 moves up ( or down ), sheet 510 ( or sheets 515 ) also move up ( or down ). this vertical movement of array 240 produces a vertical movement in sheet 510 or 515 , which causes the outer surface of electrodes 232 to scrape against the inner surfaces of an associated slot 510 . fig5 a , for example , shows debris and other deposits 612 ( indicated by x &# 39 ; s ) on wires 232 above sheet 500 . as array 240 and sheet 500 move upward , debris 612 is scraped off the wire electrodes , and falls downward ( to be vaporized or collected as particulate matter when unit 100 is again reassembled and turned - on ). thus , the outer surface of electrodes 232 below sheet 500 in fig5 a is shown as being cleaner than the surface of the same electrodes above sheet 500 , where scraping action has yet to occur . a user hearing that excess noise or humming emanates from unit 100 might simply turn the unit off , and slide array 240 ( and thus sheet 500 or sheets 515 ) up and down ( as indicated by the up / down arrows in fig5 a ) to scrape the wire electrodes in the first electrode array . this technique does not damage the wire electrodes , and allows the user to clean as required . as noted earlier , a user may remove second electrode array 240 for cleaning ( thus also removing sheet 500 , which will have scraped electrodes 232 on its upward vertical path ). if the user cleans electrodes 242 with water and returns array 240 to unit 100 without first completely drying 240 , moisture might form on the upper surface of a horizontally disposed member 550 within unit 100 . thus , as shown in fig5 n , it is preferred that an upwardly projecting vane 560 be disposed near the base of each electrode 232 such that when array 240 is fully inserted into unit 100 , the distal portion of sheet 500 or preferably sheet strips 515 deflect upward . while sheet 500 or sheets 515 nominally will define an angle θ of about 90 °, as base 113 becomes fully inserted into unit 100 , the angle θ will increase , approaching 0 °, e . g ., the sheet is extending almost vertically upward . if desired , a portion of sheet 500 or sheet strips 515 can be made stiffer by laminating two or more layers of mylar or other material . for example the distal tip of strip 515 in fig5 b might be one layer thick , whereas the half or so of the strip length nearest electrode 242 might be stiffened with an extra layer or two of mylar or similar material . the inclusion of a projecting vane 560 in the configuration of fig5 b advantageously disrupted physical contact between sheet 500 or sheet strips 515 and electrodes 232 , thus tending to preserve a high ohmic impedance between the first and second electrode arrays 230 , 240 . the embodiment of fig6 a - 6d advantageously serves to pivot sheet 500 or sheet strips 515 upward , essentially parallel to electrodes 232 , to help maintain a high impedance between the first and second electrode arrays . note the creation of an air gap 513 resulting from the upward deflection of the slit distal tip of strip 515 in fig5 b . in fig6 a , the lower edges of second array electrodes 242 are retained by a base member 113 from which project arms 677 , which can pivot about pivot axle 687 . preferably axle 687 biases arms 677 into a horizontal disposition , e . g ., such that θ ≈ 90 °. arms 645 project from the longitudinal axis of base member 113 to help member 113 align itself within an opening 655 formed in member 550 , described below . preferably base member 113 and arms 677 are formed from a material that exhibits high voltage breakdown and can withstand high temperature . ceramic is a preferred material ( if cost and weight were not considered ), but certain plastics could also be used . the unattached tip of each arm 677 terminates in a sheet strip 515 of mylar , kapton , or a similar material , whose distal tip terminates in a slot 510 . it is seen that the pivotable arms 677 and sheet strips 515 are disposed such that each slot 510 will self - align with a wire or wire - like electrode 232 in first array 230 . electrodes 232 preferably extend from pylons 627 on a base member 550 that extends from legs 565 from the internal bottom of the housing of the transporter - conditioner unit . to further help maintain high impedance between the first and second electrode arrays , base member 550 preferably includes a barrier wall 665 and upwardly extending vanes 675 . vanes 675 , pylons 627 , and barrier wall 665 extend upward perhaps an inch or so , depending upon the configuration of the two electrode be formed integrally , e . g ., by casting , from a material that exhibits high voltage breakdown and can withstand high temperature , ceramic , or certain plastics for example . as best seen in fig6 a , base member 550 includes an opening 655 sized to receive the lower portion of second electrode array base member 113 . in fig6 a and 6b , arms 677 and sheet material 515 are shown pivoting from base member 113 about axis 687 at an angle θ = 90 °. in this disposition , an electrode 232 will be within the slot 510 formed at the distal tip of each sheet material member 515 . assume that a user had removed second electrode array 240 completely from the transporter - conditioner unit for cleaning , and that fig6 a and 6b depict array 240 being reinserted into the unit . the coiled spring or other bias mechanism associated with pivot axle 687 will urge arms 677 into an approximate θ ≈ 90 ° orientation as the user inserts array 240 into unit 100 . side projections 645 help base member 113 align properly such that each wire or wire - like electrode 232 is caught within the slot 510 of a member 515 on an arm 677 . as the user slides array 240 down into unit 100 , there will be a scraping action between the portions of sheet member 515 on either side of a slot 510 , and the outer surface of an electrode 232 that is essentially captured within the slot . this friction will help remove debris or deposits that may have formed on the surface of electrodes 232 . the user may slide array 240 up and down the further promote the removal of debris or deposits from elements 232 . in fig6 c the user has slid array 240 down almost entirely into unit 100 . in the embodiment shown , when the lowest portion of base member 232 is perhaps an inch or so above the planar surface of member 550 , the upward edge of a vane 675 will strike the a lower surface region of a projection arm 677 . the result will be to pivot arm 677 and the attached slit - member 515 about axle 687 such that the angle θ decreases . in the disposition shown in fig6 c , θ ≈ 45 ° and slitcontact with an associated electrode 232 is no longer made . in fig6 d , the user has firmly urged array 240 fully downward into transporterconditioner unit 100 . in this disposition , as the projecting bottommost portion of member 113 begins to enter opening 655 in member 550 ( see fig6 a ), contact between the inner wall 657 portion of member 550 urges each arm 677 to pivot fully upward , e . g ., θ ≈ 0 °. thus in the fully inserted disposition shown in fig6 d , each slit electrode cleaning member 515 is rotated upward parallel to its associated electrode 232 . as such , neither arm 677 nor member 515 will decrease impedance between first and second electrode arrays 230 , 240 . further , the presence of vanes 675 and barrier wall 665 further promote high impedance . thus , the embodiments shown in fig5 a - 6d depict alternative configurations for a cleaning mechanism for a wire or wire - like electrode in a transporterconditioner unit . turning now to fig7 a - 7e , various bead - like mechanisms are shown for cleaning deposits from the outer surface of wire electrodes 232 in a first electrode array 230 in a transporter - converter unit . in fig7 a a symmetrical bead 600 is shown surrounding wire element 232 , which is passed through bead channel 610 at the time the first electrode array is fabricated . bead 600 is fabricated from a material that can withstand high temperature and high voltage , and is not likely to char , ceramic or glass , for example . while a metal bead would also work , an electrically conductive bead material would tend slightly to decrease the resistance path separating the first and second electrode arrays , e . g ., by approximately the radius of the metal bead . in fig7 a , debris and deposits 612 on electrode 232 are depicted as “ x &# 39 ; s ”. in fig7 a , bead 600 is moving in the direction shown by the arrow relative to wire 232 . such movement can result from the user inverting unit 100 , e . g ., turning the unit upside down . as bead 600 slides in the direction of the arrow , debris and deposits 612 scrape against the interior walls of channel 610 and are removed . the removed debris can eventually collect at the bottom interior of the transporter - conditioner unit . such debris will be broken down and vaporized as the unit is used , or will accumulate as particulate matter on the surface of electrodes 242 . if wire 232 has a nominal diameter of say 0 . 1 mm , the diameter of bead channel 610 will be several times larger , perhaps 0 . 8 mm or so , although greater or lesser size tolerances may be used . bead 600 need not be circular and may instead be cylindrical as shown by bead 600 ′ in fig7 a . a circular bead may have a diameter in the range of perhaps 0 . 3 ″ to perhaps 0 . 5 ″. a cylindrical bead might have a diameter of say 0 . 3 ″ and be about 0 . 5 ″ tall , although different sizes could of course be used . as indicated by fig7 a , an electrode 232 may be strung through more than one bead 600 , 600 ′. further , as shown by fig7 b - 7d , beads having different channel symmetries and orientations may be used as well . it is to be noted that while it may be most convenient to form channels 610 with circular cross - sections , the cross - sections could in fact be non - circular , e . g ., triangular , square , irregular shape , etc . [ 0095 ] fig7 b shows a bead 600 similar to that of fig7 a , but wherein channel 610 is formed off - center to give asymmetry to the bead . an off - center channel will have a mechanical moment and will tend to slightly tension wire electrode 232 as the bead slides up or down , and can improve cleaning characteristics . for ease of illustration , fig7 b - 7e do not depict debris or deposits on or removed from wire or wire - like electrode 232 . in the embodiment of fig7 c , bead channel 610 is substantially in the center of bead 600 but is inclined slightly , again to impart a different frictional cleaning action . in the embodiment of fig7 d , beam 600 has a channel 610 that is both off center and inclined , again to impart a different frictional cleaning action . in general , asymmetrical bead channel or through - opening orientations are preferred . [ 0096 ] fig7 e depicts an embodiment in which a bell - shaped walled bead 620 is shaped and sized to fit over a pillar 550 connected to a horizontal portion 560 of an interior bottom portion of unit 100 . pillar 550 retains the lower end of wire or wire - like electrode 232 , which passes through a channel 630 in bead 620 , and if desired , also through a channel 610 in another bead 600 . bead 600 is shown in phantom in fig7 e to indicate that it is optional . friction between debris 612 on electrode 232 and the mouth of channel 630 will tend to remove the debris from the electrode as bead 620 slides up and down the length of the electrode , e . g ., when a user inverts transporter - conditioner unit 100 , to clean electrodes 232 . it is understood that each electrode 232 will include its own bead or beads , and some of the beads may have symmetrically disposed channels , while other beads may have asymmetrically disposed channels . an advantage of the configuration shown in fig7 e is that when unit 100 is in use , e . g ., when bead 620 surrounds pillar 550 , with an air gap therebetween , improved breakdown resistance is provided , especially when bead 620 is fabricated from glass or ceramic or other high voltage , high temperature breakdown material that will not readily char . the presence of an air gap between the outer surface of pillar 550 and the inner surface of the bellshaped bead 620 helps increase this resistance to high voltage breakdown or arcing , and to charring . modifications and variations may be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the subject and spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims .
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with reference to fig1 , which illustrates a schematic view of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention . wherein a rotating member is a mirror 1 with a radius r and a height h . the mirror 1 having double reflecting surfaces is disposed on a platform 2 and driven by a driving device 3 as a motor in the platform 2 . further that , an angle encoder 4 is disposed in the driving device 3 . the preferred embodiments disclosed by the present invention may adopt a plane mirror as the principle of the present invention but not limit to ; others as convex mirror , concave mirror can be applied for different effects as well . an emitting module 5 is firmly disposed on the circumference , the distance of l , of the platform 2 and around the rotating path of the plane mirror 1 . the emitting module 5 is distributed a plurality of leds 51 , which quantity is defined as m and can be monochromatic or polychromic . the emitting module 5 receives the image - control signal of a control unit 6 for controlling images in order to emit light . the image - control signal from the control unit 6 is processed by an input video signal and a signal from the angle encoder 4 . if the angular resolution is 2k , the control unit 6 obtains a present angle value of the plane mirror 1 from the signal of the angle decoder 4 so as to acquire the mapped mirror image signal of a current mirror position , and send the signal to the emitting module 5 for producing the image in the plane mirror 1 . continuously to output the image signal of the mirroring position to the emitting module 5 can output the image via the input video signal . with reference to fig2 , which illustrates a schematic view of a relationship of the rotating angle and the mirror image of the present invention . as shown in fig2 , while the plane mirror 1 is at a position 1 ′, a mirror image of the emitting module 5 is i 1 , and the mirror image angle θi ( 1 ) is 90 °; while the plane mirror 1 moving to a position 2 ′ with a moving angle θ , another mirror image of the emitting module 5 is 12 . by the mirror theory , δaob = δi2ob , so that : according to equation ( 1 - 1 ), the mirror images of the mirror positions i 1 and i 2 are at the same circumference according to the radius l , and the rotating angle of the mirror images is defined as θi ( 2 )− θi ( 1 )= 2θ . then , the position of the mirror image of the emitting module is defined by that of 2 multiplied by the angle θ from the angle decoder . assuming that the resolution of the angle decoder is 2k , then the resolution of the mirror image is k . hence , a 2 - dimensional mirror image with the resolution of k * m can be shown on the circumference , which is defined by the center o , the radius l , and the height h . according to equation ( 1 - 2 ), while the plane mirror is rotated 180 °, the mirror image is rotated an angle , which is 360 ° defined by 2 θ . it is then that a 360 ° mirror image is twice appeared while the plane mirror is rotated a circle . as an example , the plane mirror is rotated 15 circles per second , a 360 ° image is appeared for 30 times per second . this frequency is within the scope of persistence of view of human beings , and therefore a static 2 - dimensional mirror image can be seen . with reference to fig3 , which illustrates a schematic view of position relationships of the mirror images produced by the plane mirror and the emitting module of the present invention . as shown in fig3 , the plane mirror 1 is rotated to six positions , which are m 1 , m 2 , m 3 , m 4 , m 5 , and m 6 in sequence , and the positions of the mirror images are i 1 , i 2 , i 3 , i 4 , i 5 , and i 6 in sequence . therefore , while the plane mirror 1 is rotated 180 °, the mirror image is then rotated 360 ° accordingly . as aforesaid equation ( 1 - 2 ), if the plane mirror is turned the angle θ , the mirror image is then turned the angle 2θ . if the rotating angle is between 180 ° to 360 °, the mirror image is restarted from another 360 ° image due to the plane mirror 1 with two reflecting surfaces . hence , if the resolution of the angle decoder is 2k in a circle , such as the angle of 360 °, that is , only the resolution k is mapped while at the angle of 180 °; but the mirror position of 180 ° is mapped to the mirror image of 360 °, so that the resolution of a generated image is only k . the control unit 6 in fig1 transforms the input image signals to the image with the resolution of k * m . wherein the resolution m is mapped to the m positions of plural leds 51 in the emitting module 5 . the control unit 6 uses the m image - control signals of the mapped kth column to control that the emitting module 5 emits light with corresponding brightness via a θk input by the angle decoder 4 . continuously , the resolution and height of the column of a mirror image are m and h . so that a 2 - dimensional image with a radius l and the height h is displayed . the refresh rate , as image refresh rate per second , of the image is 2f , wherein f is the rotating speed of the plane mirror . and the rotating angle of the plane mirror can be acquired by the angle encoder 4 . the angle encoder can be replaced by another way , which uses a switch as a light sensor or magnetic sensor , ex . hall - sensor , to be a start point , then a time tc for turning a circle is divided into 2k divisions averagely , therefore each division δt is equal to tc / 2k , and δt is corresponding to a time gap between each two columns of the emitting modules . the circumference of the mirror image is mapped an image with k columns , and the mapped image starts from the start point , defined as the angle of zero , an angle between each pair of columns is 360 °/ k . with reference to fig4 , which illustrates a schematic view of a second preferred embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig4 , the plane mirror 1 is a disc mirror and turned around a z - axis by the driving device 3 , such as a motor . the emitting module 5 is around the disc mirror 1 as well and shaped as an arc member . by way of the theory applied to the first preferred embodiment , the mirror image of the emitting module 5 is a spheral image with a radius l . the embodiment can construct a spheral display . with reference to fig5 , which illustrates a schematic view of a third preferred embodiment of the present invention . wherein there are n columns of emitting modules 5 disposed around the plane mirror 1 at different locations , where are defined by different angles θ . the emitting modules are named as ledm 1 , ledm 2 , . . . , and ledm n . each column of emitting module 5 has m pieces of leds 51 , which can be monochromatic or polychromic and mounted on different positions with different distances , such as several radii . if the resolution of rotating the plane mirror 1 a circle is 2k , and then the mirror images of the n columns of emitting modules 5 are displayed as n cylindrical images i 1 , i 2 , . . . , and i n with different radii , such as d 1 , d 2 , . . . , and d n . each cylindrical image is a 2 - dimensional image with the resolution m * k . therefore , the n cylindrical images forms i 1 , i 2 , . . . , and i n a 3 - dimensional mirror image with resolution n * m * k , which can be visible to the eyes . with reference to fig6 , which illustrates a schematic view of a fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention . plural columns of the emitting modules ledm 1 , ledm 2 , . . . , and ledm n are averagely disposed around the plane mirror 1 and with the same radius in order to generate the mirror images through that the control unit controls each column of emitting module , and the mirror images are the same as each other . so that the image refresh rate per second can be increased and the image brightness is enhanced as well . the image refresh rate is 2fn , and the image brightness is then n times . as an example in fig6 , the three columns of emitting modules 5 are averagely disposed around the plane mirror 1 , the rotating speed f of the plane mirror 1 is equal to 10 circles / sec ., and therefore the image refresh rate r is 60 time / sec ., that is , r = 2 * 10 * 3 . detail description is as below : while turning the plane mirror 1 to the position angle θ ( t ), the relationships for the positions of the mirror images of the three columns of emitting modules 5 are as the three equations listed below : hence , for any mirror image angle θ i , three mirror position angles θ ( t1 ) , θ ( t2 ) , and θ ( t3 ) can be determined by equations ( 5 - 1 ), ( 5 - 2 ), and ( 5 - 3 ) as below : since the plane mirror 1 is turned 180 °, there are three mirror images generated . as a result , the refresh rate of the mirror image is 6f time / sec . with reference to fig7 , which illustrates a schematic view of a fifth preferred embodiment of the present invention . the embodiment adopts a polyhedral member to reflect , and it is assembled by n pieces of mirrors so as to become a polyhedral mirror set . if the polyhedral mirror set is turned around the central axis and the rotating speed is f circle / sec ., the refresh rate of the mirror image will be as r = nf time / sec . as an example in fig7 , the polyhedral mirror set 11 is shaped as a prism and assembled by three plane mirrors m 1 , m 2 , and m 3 . the point z is an origin for the coordinate x - y , and there is a column of emitting module 5 disposed at the coordinate (− l , 0 ). while the polyhedral mirror set 11 is at a first position and appeared by dotted lines , the mirror image of the column of emitting module 5 in the plane mirror m 3 is i 1 ; while the polyhedral mirror set 11 is at a second position and appeared by active lines , that is , the plane mirror m 3 is turned an angle θ , and the coordinate of the mirror image of the plane mirror m 3 can be determined by following equations : therefore the moving path of the mirror image is plotted and shown as an arc dotted line in fig7 . with reference to fig8 and fig9 , which illustrate two schematic views of the imaging theory of the present invention . in fig8 , while under the condition of l = 5d , the moving path of the mirror image of the column of emitting module 5 in the plane mirror m 3 is from i 1 to i 7 . as shown in fig9 , while the column of emitting module 5 is just located at the turning path , as a circumference , of the polyhedral mirror set 11 , that is , the condition of l = 2d , the moving path of the mirror image is from i 1 to i 7 , and the width of the mirror image is about 1 . 4d and smaller than the width of the polyhedral mirror set 11 . further that , the width of the polyhedral mirror set 11 is 2 √{ square root over ( 3 )} d . according to equations ( 7 - 1 ) and ( 7 - 2 ), the moving path of the mirror image is not a roundness curve ; on the other hand , while l & gt ;& gt ; d , equations ( 7 - 1 ) and ( 7 - 2 ) derive the equation of xi 2 + yi 2 = l 2 so as to make the moving path of the mirror image approach a roundness curve . the angle θi of the mirror image of the column of emitting module 5 can be determined from equations ( 7 - 1 ) and ( 7 - 2 ), and the angle θi is then equal to | tan − 1 ( yi / xi )|, but not equal to 2θ . so that this is not a linear relationship with the angle θ of the mirror position . by way of numeric operations , the non - linear relationship can be stored in a memory in order to let the control unit output the mapped image signal of the mirror image to produce a 2 - dimensional image . please refer to fig1 , which illustrates a schematic view of a dead space for observation in fig7 . as shown in fig1 , there is an observer p 1 , who can watch the mirror image of the column of emitting module 5 ; but another observer p 2 right in front of the column of emitting module 5 cannot watch the mirror image . to compensate the problem , more columns of emitting modules 5 can be disposed around the polyhedral mirror set 11 for different directions of observers . in fig1 , which illustrates a schematic view of a solution to solve the dead space for observation in fig1 , and there are three columns of emitting modules ledm 1 , ledm 2 , and ledm 3 averagely disposed . the moving path i 1 ′ of the mirror image of the emitting module ledm 1 can be watched by the observer p 1 ; the moving path i 2 ′ of the mirror image of the emitting module ledm 2 can be watched by the observer p 2 ; and the moving path i 3 ′ of the mirror image of the emitting module ledm 3 can be watched by the observer p 3 . as a result , a full - range image is displayed . referring to fig1 , which illustrates a schematic view of a sixth preferred embodiment of the present invention . that is another application to an irregular member . the column of emitting module 5 is irregularly shaped so as to form a special 3 - dimensional image while turning the plane mirror 1 . referring to fig1 , which illustrates a schematic view of a mirror image for fig1 . the mirror image is like a vase , since the shape of the column of emitting module 5 is designed as a half figure of a symmetric vase . as a conclusion , the shape of the emitting module 5 can be designed for any figure to meet any 3 - dimensional image . although this invention has been disclosed and illustrated with reference to particular embodiments , the principles involved are susceptible for use in numerous other embodiments that will be apparent to persons skilled in the art . this invention is , therefore , to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the appended claims .
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in each of the following figures , the same reference numerals are used to refer to the same components . while the present invention is described primarily with respect to a mold half alignment technique as applied to an injection / compression molding process , the present invention may be adapted to various processes including injection molding , compression molding , die casting , and other molding and casting processes that utilize multiple mold elements to form one or more mold cavities . the present invention may be applied to molds used to form complex shaped and deep contoured components , such as instrument panels , bumpers , door panels , interior trim panels , and other components known in the art . the present invention may apply to automotive , aeronautical , nautical , railway , commercial , and residential industries , as well as to other industries that utilize similar molding processes . in the following description , various operating parameters and components are described for one constructed embodiment . these specific parameters and components are included as examples and are not meant to be limiting . referring now to fig1 , a side sectional view of an injection / compression molding system 10 incorporating a compression wear plate lock adjustment system 12 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is shown . the adjustment system 12 has a mold 14 with adjustable compression wear plate locks 16 and angled mold locks 18 . the mold 14 has a cavity mold half 20 and a core mold half 22 . the cavity mold half 20 is mounted on a stationary platen 24 . the core mold half 22 is mounted on a moveable platen 26 that is translated along a mold closing line 28 . the core mating surface 30 of the core mold half 22 remains parallel to the cavity mating surface 32 of the cavity mold half 20 during actuation thereof . the mold closing line 28 extends perpendicular to the mating surfaces 30 and 32 . the cavity mold half 20 and the core mold half 22 may be mounted on either of the platens 24 and 26 . in operation , as the mold 14 is closed the wear plate locks 16 and the angled mold locks 18 assure proper alignment of the mold halves 20 and 22 . the wear plate locks 16 are integrally formed and are attached to one of the halves 20 and 22 and are in contact with the other half when the mold 14 is closed . for example , the wear plate locks 16 may be attached to the core mold half 22 and be in contact with the cavity mold half 20 when the mold 14 is closed or vice versa . the wear plate locks 16 include wear plates that are attached to one of the halves 20 and 22 , which is referred to as the lock mounting half , and are in contact with and adjacent to the other half or adjacent half . as the mold 14 is closed wear surfaces of the wear plates rub against the adjacent mold half and overtime form wear gaps therebetween . adjustability of the wear plate locks compensates for the wear gaps . sample wear plates are best seen in fig2 - 7 and example wear gaps g 2 are shown in fig6 . the angled mold locks 18 are coupled to the mold halves 20 and 22 . the wear plate locks 16 , the angled locks 18 , and the use thereof is described below in detail with respect to fig2 - 8 . the injection compression molding system 10 is shown for example purposes only . the injection compression molding system 10 includes an injection side 30 and a die / part actuation side 32 , which are controlled by a controller 33 . the injection side 30 includes a rotation servo motor 34 and an injection servo motor 36 , which are coupled to and are used to rotate and translate a screw 38 . the rotation and translation of the screw 38 causes the resin material 40 from within a hopper 42 to be injected into the mold 14 . the injected resin 40 , through applied heat and pressure , cures to form a part . the die / part actuation side 32 includes a die actuation motor 44 , which is used to open and close the mold 14 . the die actuation motor 44 is coupled to the moveable die 26 via a drive shaft 46 . the die actuation motor 44 rotates the drive shaft 46 to translate the core mold half 22 , thus , opening or closing the mold 14 . the die / part actuation side 32 may also include a part separation motor 48 and a part removal motor 50 . the part separation motor 48 is coupled to an ejection member 52 , which is used to separate the part from the core mold half 22 upon forming and cooling of the part . the part removal motor 50 is coupled to a part removing arm 54 and a pad 56 . the pad 56 is used to grab the part and remove it from the mold 14 upon curing thereof . during operation of the injection compression molding system 10 , the mold 14 is closed by translating the core mold half 22 towards the cavity mold half 20 . before the mold 14 is completely closed , the material 40 , which may be in the form of a thermoplastic or thermosetting resin , is injected into the mold cavity 58 . the further closing of the mold 14 compresses and thus spreads out the injected material within the mold cavity 58 . the wear plate locks 16 maintain alignment of the mold halves 20 and 22 during this injection / compression process . heat and pressure may be continuously applied until the injected material is cured to form the part . referring now to fig2 , a top and block diagrammatic view of the compression wear plate lock adjustment system 12 is shown . the lock adjustment system 12 includes the guide pins 60 , the wear plate locks 16 , and the angled mold locks 18 . as the mold 14 is closed , the guide pins 60 provide an initial rough alignment of the core mold half 22 with the cavity core half 20 . the wear plate locks 16 provide an intermediate fine alignment of the core mold half 22 with the cavity core half 20 . the angled mold locks 18 provide a final precise alignment of the core mold half 22 with the cavity mold half 20 when the mold is in a fully closed state . although the following is described with respect to the wear plate locks 16 being mounted on the core mold half 22 , they may be mounted on the cavity mold half 20 , as shown in fig7 . although a particular number of each of the locks 16 and 18 is shown and the locks 16 and 18 are shown at certain locations on the mold 14 , any number of each lock may be used and the locks 16 and 18 may be located in various other locations on the mold 14 . the wear plate locks 16 may be located on or at the corners 62 of the mold 14 , as shown , or may be located on the sides 64 of the mold 14 . the angled mold locks 18 may be located along the sides 64 , as shown , or may be located on the corners 62 . the angled mold locks 18 may also be located within the mold 14 such that all of the edges 66 of the angle mold locks 18 are within the outer periphery 68 of the mold 14 . referring now to fig3 - 5 , a side cross - sectional view of the mold 14 and a top close - up view and a side close - up view of one of the adjustable compression wear plate locks 16 are shown . the guide pins 60 , as shown , extend from lock towers 70 , which are integral portions of the core mold half 22 . the guide pins 60 extend within pin reception holes 72 in the cavity mold half 20 . the guide pins 60 and the pin reception holes 72 may be in various locations on the halves 20 and 22 . the guide pins 60 may be located on or off of the lock towers 70 and also or alternatively on the cavity mold half 20 and have respective pin reception holes 72 in the core mold half 22 . the guide pins 60 may be of various types , styles , and formed of various materials . the wear plate locks 16 are in the form of locking assemblies and include one or more wear plates 80 that provide contact rubbing surfaces 82 between the mold halves 20 and 22 . two wear plates in perpendicular relationship are shown per each corner wear plate lock . as the mold 14 is closed the mold contact surfaces 83 of the cavity mold half 22 rub on the contact rubbing surfaces 82 . the wear plates 80 are locked in position relative to the core mold half 22 via locking fasteners 84 . the position of the wear plates 80 is adjustable via adjustment blocks or elements 86 and wedge adjustment fasteners 88 . the adjustment elements 86 are coupled between the wear plates 80 and the lock towers 70 and / or the core mold half 22 . in the embodiment shown , the adjustment elements 86 are in the form of wedges . the adjustment fasteners 88 extend through associated recessed holes 90 in the adjustment elements 86 and into the wedge adjustment towers 92 . the wedge adjustment towers 92 are an integral portion of the core mold half 22 . the wear plates 80 are , in general , formed of a material that is softer than that of the mold halves 20 and 22 to prevent wear on the mold halves 20 and 22 . the surfaces 82 and 83 are formed of dissimilar materials to prevent galling . although the wear plates 80 are shown in rectangular form , they may be of various shapes . the wear plates 80 , the mold halves 20 and 22 , and the guide pins 60 may be formed of various materials , such as steel , aluminum , brass , or other suitable materials . in one embodiment , the guide pins 60 are formed of a hardened steel , which is slid into bushings 85 ( only one is shown ) formed of brass that are located within the cavity mold halve 20 , as shown in fig3 . the adjustment elements 86 are tapered to cause the wear plates 80 to shift in a direction approximately lateral or perpendicular to the shift direction of the adjustment elements 86 . arrows 94 show shift directions of the adjustment elements 86 . arrows 96 show shift directions of the wear plates 80 . each adjustment element 86 has a single tapered side 100 adjacent the lock towers 70 . this allows for unidirectional shifting of the wear plates 80 . in shifting the adjustment elements 86 , the adjustment gaps g 1 between the wedge adjustment towers 92 and the adjustment elements 86 are increased or decreased in size . the adjustment fasteners 88 are rotated to shift the adjustment elements 86 toward or away from the wedge adjustment towers 92 . the shifting of the adjustment elements 86 causes the wear plates 80 to shift toward or away from the lock towers 70 and the cavity mold half 20 as desired . the adjustment fasteners 88 are externally accessible and visible with respect to and when the mold 14 is closed . the locking fasteners 84 extend through associated slotted holes 102 in the wear plates 80 , through the adjustment elements 86 , and into the lock towers 70 . the locking fasteners 84 lock the wear plates 80 on and in position relative to the lock towers 70 . the locking fasteners 84 also lock the adjustment elements 86 into a selected position . the slotted holes 102 allow for unidirectional positioning of the wear plates 80 and the adjustment elements 86 with respect to the lock towers 70 . the fasteners 84 and 88 may be in the form of threaded bolts , as shown , or may be in some other form known in the art . the angled mold locks 18 may be integrally formed as part of the mold halves 20 and 22 , as shown . the angled mold locks 18 include a receiving half 110 and a projecting half 112 that engages therewith . the projecting half 112 , in effect , is keyed to match the receiving half 110 . the projecting half 112 fits within the receiving half 110 . in one embodiment , the halves 110 and 112 include angled locking surfaces 114 and 116 that are approximately 15 ° from the mold closing line 28 and extend along a displacement closing direction of the mold halves 20 and 22 . angles α and β are shown and represent the locking surface angles for the receiving surface 114 and the projecting surface 116 , respectively . of course , angles α and β may be different than that shown depending upon the application . in an alternative embodiment , the receiving half 110 is an integral part of the core mold half 22 and the projecting half 112 is an integral part of the cavity mold half 20 . referring now to fig6 , a top close - up view of a compression wear plate lock adjustment system 120 illustrating wear gaps g 2 and adjustment thereof in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is shown . during repeated use of the mold 122 , the wear plate surfaces 124 wear overtime creating the wear gaps g 2 between the wear plates 126 and the adjacent mold half 128 . the wear gaps g 2 may be compensated for through manual or systematic adjustment of the fasteners 130 and 132 in the adjustment system 120 . the adjustment system 120 may include one or more gap sensors 134 , a controller 136 , and a gap adjustment actuating mechanism 138 . the gap sensors 134 are used to detect the size of the wear gaps g 2 . the controller 136 in response to the wear gap size shifts the wear plates 126 by shifting the adjustment elements 140 via the actuating mechanism 138 . the gap sensor 134 may be coupled within one of the mold halves , as shown , or within the wear plates 126 , the adjustment elements 140 , and the lock towers 142 . the gap sensor 134 may be in the form of an infrared sensor , a contact sensor , a radar sensor , an ultrasonic sensor , or other gap or contact sensor known in the art . the gap sensor 134 may also be replaced with a pressure sensor . the position of the wear plates 126 may be adjusted in response to the applied pressure of the wear plates 126 on the adjacent mold half . although the adjustment mechanism 138 may be coupled to the adjustment fasteners 132 and to the locking fasteners 130 . the adjustment mechanism 138 may have linkages , robotic members , motors , and coupling members ( all of which are not shown ), as well as other devices known in the art for moving , rotating , loosening , tightening , or altering the state and position of the fasteners 130 and 132 . the controller 136 may be microprocessor based such as a computer having a central processing unit , memory ( ram and / or rom ), and associated input and output buses . the controller 136 may be an application - specific integrated circuit or may be formed of other logic devices known in the art . the controller 136 may be a portion of a central main control unit , a control circuit having a power supply , or may be a stand - alone controller as shown . referring now to fig7 , a side cross - sectional view of a mold 150 incorporating adjustable compression wear plate locks 152 and angled mold locks 154 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention is shown . the wear plate locks 152 are similar to the wear plate locks 16 and are fastened to the cavity mold half 158 as opposed to the core mold half 160 . the lock fasteners 162 extend through the wear plates 164 ( only one is shown ), through the adjustment elements 166 ( only one is shown ), and into the cavity mold half 158 . referring now to fig8 , a logic flow diagram illustrating a method of maintaining alignment of mold halves in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is shown . this method may be utilized during a high - volume manufacturing or production process . in step 200 , a mold , such as the mold 14 , is opened . the opening of the mold provides access to locking fasteners , such as the locking fasteners 84 , of adjustable compression wear plate locks , such as the wear plate locks 16 . in step 202 , wear plates , such as wear plates 80 , of the wear plate locks are unlocked . the locking fasteners are loosened or backed - off to allow for the wear plates to be repositioned . in step 204 , adjustment elements , such as the adjustment elements 86 , are backed - off to assure that the wear plates are not in contact with the adjacent mold half or mold contact surfaces , such as surfaces 83 . in step 206 , the mold is closed and the angled mold locks , such as the angled mold locks 18 , are engaged . in step 208 , the wear plates are brought into contact with the mold contact surfaces . in one embodiment , the adjustment fasteners are tightened , thereby , shifting the adjustment elements toward the wedge adjustment towers . the shift in the adjustment elements causes the wear plates to be shifted against the adjacent mold half . this position of the wear plates is referred to as the contact position . in step 210 , the mold is opened , thus separating the mold halves . in step 212 , the wear plates are locked in the contact position . the locking fasteners are tightened to prevent movement of the adjustment elements and the wear plates . the above - described steps are meant to be illustrative examples ; the steps may be performed sequentially , synchronously , simultaneously , or in a different order depending upon the application . the present invention provides a quick , easy , and consistent compression lock adjustment system . the present invention eliminates the need for shims as are often utilized between lock towers and wear plates . the present invention maintains accurate alignment between a core mold half and a cavity mold half including during wear plate position adjustment . the present invention allows for the position of the wear plates to be adjusted while the associated mold is in a closed state . this allows one to precisely determine the appropriate position of the wear plates . while the invention has been described in connection with one or more embodiments , it is to be understood that the specific mechanisms and techniques which have been described are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention , numerous modifications may be made to the methods and apparatus described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims .
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this invention is in a tuned oscillator which comprises an active element 9 ( e . g ., gaas fet 1 ). a ferrimagnetic thin film resonator ( e . g ., yig thin film resonator 2 ) is connected in the feedback path of the active element . a d . c . magnetic field application means includes a permanent magnet which is used for applying a d . c . magnetic field to the ferrimagnetic thin film resonator and for producing a fixed magnetic field component . a coil for producing a variable magnetic field component ( e . g ., permanent magnet 4c and main coil 4b ), are provided with the coil providing feedback in a phl . a preferable form of this invention is an yig thin film resonator for the ferrimagnetic thin film resonator , with the iron ions of the yig thin film being replaced with nonmagnetic ions so as to compensate the thermal characteristics of the permanent magnet and the oscillating active element . according to the above - mentioned means , partof the magnetic field necessary for frequency tuning is provided by the permanent magnet , and the coil can have a reduced number of turns in proportion to the fixed magnetic field produced by the permanent magnet . the coil has its inductance accordingly reduced , and consequently the response of the frequency tuning is enhanced . the reduced number of the turns of coil results in a compact turned oscillator . a reduced coil current which results from the fixed magnetic field provided by the permanent magnet produces a tuned oscillator of low power consumption . the ferrimagnetic thin film resonator is readily manufactured with a thin film forming technology and mic ( microwave integrated circuit ), which results in the tuned oscillator being suited for large scale production , and makes it inexpensive . the feedback to the coil using a pll simplifies the circuit arrangement for channel selection . the yig thin film tuned oscillator can be used in a communication equipment as the local oscillator for converting if to the communication frequency . the yig thin film tuned oscillator ( will be termed &# 34 ; thin film yto &# 34 ; hereinafter ) enables the direct signal selection in the rf stage , and the if stage can be simplified . because the yig thin film tuning oscillator uses a thin film yig resonator of high q it has low phase noise and performs high quality communication . for example , low ber in data communication and high s / n ratio in video signal communication are possible . the present invention will be described in the following oder of the items . b . compensation of the thermal characteritics of the permanent magnet and the active element . c . microwave communication equipment using the thin film yto as a local oscillator . fig1 is a block diagram showing the thin fil yto embodying the present invention . as shown in fig1 the thin film yto of this embodiment consists mainly of a gaas fet 1 as an active element for oscillation , an yig thin film resonator 2 as a feedback element , an impedance matching circuit 3 , a d . c . magnetic field application means 4 for applying a d . c . magnetic field to the yig thin film resonator 2 , and a pll ( phase locked loop ) circuit 5 . a load impedance connected at the output of the thin film yto is indicated by z l . the condition of steady - state oscillation of this thin film yto is expressed in terms of the reflective yig seen from terminal a to the γ yig thin film resonator 2 and the reflectivity γ in seen from terminal a to the gaas fet 1 as an active element , as follows . the yig thin film resonator 2 has the structure similar to that described in detail in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 626 , 800 , and it comprises a ferrimagnetic yig thin film disk 2a formed on one main surface of a nonmagnetic ggg ( gadorinium gallium garnet ) substrate , for example , by liquid phase epitaxial growth and a microstrip line . actually , the yig thin film resonator 2 is formed together with the gaas fet 1 on one surface of a dielectric substrate such as alumina . the yig thin film disk is placed on a microstrip line formed on the surface of the dielectric substrate , while on another surface of the dielectric substrate there is formed a ground conductor . symbol m indicates the microstrip line . the yig thin film resonator 2 can readily be fabricated by the thin film forming technology such as liquid phase epitaxy ( lpe ) and mic technology , and therefore a tuned oscillator which is suitable for mass production and inexpensive can be obtained . owing to a high q value of the yig thin film resonator 2 , the thin film yto of this embodiment has low phase noise , and the use of ferromagnetic resonance provides the thin film yto with a satisfactory linear tuning characteristics . accordingly , by using the thin film yto as a local oscillator for communication equipment , high quality communication is made possible . the above - mentioned gaas fet 1 has its source connected to the microstrip line m and its drain is connected to the impedance matching circuit 3 . the gate of the gaas fet i is grounded through a feedback reactance lf . namely , the thin film yto of this embodiment is a tuned oscillator of the common gate , series feedback type . the d . c . magnetic field application means 4 is made up of a main coil 4b wound on a pole piece 4a which constitutes part of the yoke of the magnetic circuit , and a permanent magnet 4c made of nd 2 fe 14 b , ceco 5 , smco 5 , etc . the fixed magnetic field produced by the permanent magnet 4c and the variable magnetic field produced by the main coil 4b are merged to form a d . c . magnetic field h which are applied to the yig thin film resonator 2 perpendicularly to the surface of the yig thin film disk . the yig thin film resonator 2 is inserted in the gap of the magnetic circuit . the d . c . magnetic field h can be controlled in magnitude to allow frequency tuning by varying the current flowing in the main coil 4b . in the magnetic field h needed for frequency tuning , a fixed component is derived from the fixed magnetic field of the permanent magnet 4c and a variable component is derived from the variable magnetic field of the main coil 4b . for example although satellite communication and ground communication using microwave have different bands depending on each system , the communication band width is about 500 mhz per system , and if the thin film yto has a lower limit of a tuning range of 13 ghz , for example , the tuning range becomes 13 ghz to 13 . 5 ghz , and therefore the design is such that the permanent magnet 4c supplies a magnetic field for tuning 13 ghz and the main coil 4b supplies a magnetic field ( about 180 oe ) only for the remaining 500 mhz . consequently , the current of the main coil 4b can be reduced significantly as compared with the conventional yto which uses a yig sphere , and accordingly the power consumption of the main coil 4b can be reduced significantly as compared with the conventional apparatus . as a result , a low - power consumption thin film yto is provided . owing to a smaller number of turns of the main coil 4b , the thin film yto can be more compact . the main coil 4b has its inductance reduced in proportion to the decrease of the turns , and the speed of frequency tuning response can be improved . for example , data communications generally employ a pll synthesizer system because of the need of a high - stability local oscillator , and the local oscillator must have a response of frequency tuning higher than the upper - limit response required for the pll , and the above - mentioned enhancement of tuning response is advantageous in this respect . the main coil 4b is connected with the pll circuit 5 , which is connected to the output of the thin film yto . when channel selection is done with a channel selection circuit 6 connected to the pll circuit 5 , the oscillation output of the thin film yto supplied to the pll circuit 5 is lowered in frequency by a frequency divider , and is then compared with the reference frequency provided by a crystal oscillator , etc ., and a control current which reflects the result of the comparison is produced by the pll circuit 5 and it is fed back to the main coil 4b . in consequence , the current in the main coil 4b , i . e ., the magnetic field h applied to the yig thin fil resonator 2 , is varied in magnitude so that the intended channel is selected . as described , in this embodiment , a direct feedback results from the pll circuit 5 to the main coil 4b , and the circuit arrangement for channel selection can be simplified . the direct feedback from the pll circuit 5 to the main coil 4b is made possible due to the reduction in the number of turns of the main coil 4 , as mentioned above . as shown in fig1 the provision of an fm coil 4d in addition to the main coil 4b and permanent magnet 4c , allows the fm coil 4d to be used as a frequency modulator based on the base band signal . a conceivable method is to have a direct feedback from the pll circuit 5 to the fm coil , but in this case the circuit arrangement for channel selection becomes complex . b . compensation of thermal characteristics of the permanent magnet and the active element . since the permanent magnet 4c and the gaas fet 1 as an active element have inherent thermal characteristics , a change in the temperature causes a variation of oscillator characteristics . this embodiment performs compensation of the thermal characteristics of the permanent magnet 4c and gaas fet 1 , as follows . as described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 745 , 380 , part of the iron ons of the yig are replaced with nonmagnetic ions such as gallium ( ga ) ion in accordance with the thermal characteristics of the permanent magnet , and the thermal characteristics of the yig thin film resonator 2 can be compensated up to the first order temperature coefficient . fig2 shows the results of measurements of the thermal characteristics of the yig thin film resonator , with the replacement amount of ga being varied . in fig2 the abscissa represents the saturated magnetization 4πms of the yig film at room temperature corresponding to the replacement amount of ga , while the ordinate represents the difference of resonance frequencies δf between 60 ° and - 30 ° c . fig2 reveals that δf is virtually nullified when 4πms is about 925 gauss . fig3 shows the result of measurement of the thermal characteristics of the yig thin film resonator having a virtually zero δf . fig3 reveals that the first - order thermal characteristics of the yig thin film resonator is virtually zero . between two closely located curves in fig3 the lower curve is the measurement which results in ascending temperatures , and the upper curve is the measurement which results in descending temperatures ( these are also applicable to fig4 an 6 ). fig4 shows the result of measurement of the thermal characteristics of the thin film yto using the yig thin film resonator . as will be appreciated from fig4 even at zero thermal characteristics of the yig thin film resonator , the variation of oscillation frequency of the thin film yto at - 30 ° to 60 ° c . is - 65 mhz to reflect the thermal characteristics of the gaas fet 1 as an active element . based on fig2 the quantity of replacement of ga is adjusted so that the saturated magnetization of the yig thin film is about 1015 gauss inclusive of the component attributable to the thermal characteristics of the gaas fet 1 as an active element . as a result , the yig thin film resonator has the thermal characteristics as shown in fig5 and the thermal characteristics of the thin film yto using the yig thin film resonator has its first - order coefficient nullified as shown in fig6 . the variation of oscillation frequency due to temperature in this case can be confined to the 10 mhz bend of the thermal characteristic curve shown in fig4 . the compensation of the thermal characteristics component of the active element is dependent on the q value of the yig thin film resonator , i . e ., the thermal characteristics of the resonator becomes dominant as the q value goes higher , and the thermal characteristics of the active element contributes less to the thermal characteristics of the thin film yto . although in the above explanation the thermal characteristics of thin film yto is nullified up to the first - order coefficient through the adjustment of the amount of replcement of ga , it is possible to nullify the thermal characteristics up to the second - order coefficient by the provision of a soft magnetic plate made of soft ferrite in the gap of the magnetic circuit , in addition to the adjustment of the ga replacement quantity as generally shown in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 746 , 884 . c . microwve communication equipment using the thin film yto for the local oscillator the microwave communication equipment has its rf stage divided briefly into an up - converter section which converts an intermediate frequency ( e . g ., 70 mhz or 140 mhz ) signal into a microwave frequency for transmission , and a down - converter section which converts a received microwave frequency into the intermediate frequency . since these sections have virtually symmetrical structures , the following describes only the up - converter section . fig7 shows the arrangement of the up - converter section of a double conversion mode of a microwave transmitter . in the microwve transmitter , the signal of the intermediate frequency ( if ) is mixed by a mixer 11 with an rf signal produced by a fixed oscillator 10 to obtain a signal of 1 ghz , for example , and thereafter a signal in the desired frequency band is extracted by a band - pass filter 12 . next , the signal is amplified by an if amplifier 13 , and then mixed by a mixer 15 with a signal of 13 ghz , for example , provied by a local oscillator 14 constituted by the foregoing thin film yto . consequently , a signal of 13 + 1 = 14 ghz is formed . next , the signal is fed through a band - pass filter 16 , and then amplified by a high power amplifier ( hpa ) 17 to produce an transmission output of 14 ghz . according to the microwave transmitter shown in fig7 the if signal is once converted into a high frequency of around 1 ghz , for example , and it is advantageous in prevent spurious waves from falling at a high level into the communication band . the local oscillator 14 formed by the thin film yto using the yig thin film resonator 2 of high q value enables low ber for data communication and large s / n , to obtain high - quality communication for image communication . moreover , the ability of signal selection in the rf stage simplifies the structure of if stage . next , fig8 shows the arrangement of the up - converter for single conversion mode . in the microwave transmitter , the if signal is amplified by an if amplifier 13 and thereafter mixed by a mixer 15 with the oscillation output of a local oscillator 14 which is constituted by the thin film yto so that it is frequency converted to a signal of 14 ghz . next , the signal is fed through a yig thin film tuning filter ( thin film ytf ) 18 such as described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 626 , 800 so that a signal in the desired frequency band is extracted , and thereafter the signal is amplified by a high power amplifier 17 to produce a transmission output of 14 ghz . according to the microwave transmitter shown in fig8 high - quality communication takes place , as in the transmitter shown in fig7 and at the same time the if stage can be simplified . the use of single conversion mode is advantageous due to the simplicity of the structure as compared with the transmitter shown in fig7 . furthermore , the yig thin film tuning filter 18 is a tracking filter having a sharp response curve , and therefore it prevents spurious wves , such as the oscillation output of the thin film yto and the image signal , from falling at a high level into the communiation band . by separating the thin film yto and the yig thin film tuning filter by an offset frequency equal to if , they can be built in the gap of the same magnetic circuit as shown in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 704 , 739 . in this case , the control current produced by the pll is fed back to the common magnetic circuit , and therefore the tracking error can be eliminated in principle . although only the up - converter section of the microwave transmitter using the film yto as a local oscillator has been described , the up - converter and down - converter sections can share a local oscillator by choosing the tuning frequency of thin film yto between the transmission band and reception band . this example will be described in the following . as show in fig9 the satellite communication is a microwave linkage between ground stations 19 and 20 by way of a satellite ( space station ) 21 . the communication lines connecting the ground stations 19 and 20 necessitate a link from ground station 19 to satellite 21 to ground station 20 and another link from ground station 20 to satellite 21 to ground station 19 . a communication path from a ground station to a satellite is called an &# 34 ; up - link &# 34 ;, while a communication path from the satellite to a ground station is called a &# 34 ; down - link &# 34 ;. generally , different frequencies are used for the up - link and down - link . for example , in satellite communication of &# 34 ; c - band &# 34 ;, 6 ghz and 4 ghz are alloted to the up - link and down - link respectively , and in satellite communication of &# 34 ; ku band &# 34 ;, 14 ghz and 12 ghz are alloted to the up - link and down - link respectively . the ground stations 19 and 20 shown in fig9 have transceiver rf units each consisting of an up - converter section for converting if to the up - link microwave frequency and a down - converter section for converting the down - link microwve frequency to if . by choosing the oscillation frequency of the thin film yto to be between the up - link frequency band and down - link frequency band , the up - converter and down - converter can share a local oscillator formed by the thin film yto . fig1 shows an example of the transceiver rf unit of the double conversion mode for a microwave transceiver using the thin film yto for the local oscillator . as shown in fig1 , the if is converted to 1 ghz by the mixer 11 and is further mixed by the mixer 15 with a 13 ghz signal provided by the local oscillator 14 so that it becomes a 14 ghz signal , as mentioned previously , and after being filtered in filter 16 and amplified by a high power amplifier 17 , it is transmitted as a 14 ghz microwave with a parabolic antenna 22 . on the reception side , a microwave signal of 12 ghz , for example , is received by the parabolic antenna 22 and is amplified by a low noise amplifier ( lna ) 23 and , after a signal in the wanted frequency band has been extracted by a band - pass filter 24 , it is mixed with a 13 ghz signal provided by the local oscillator 14 and converted to a 1 ghz signal . the 1 ghz signal is amplified by an if amplifier 26 , and , after being fed through a band - pass filter 27 , it is mixed by a mixer 28 with a signal provided by the fixed oscillator 10 and an if signal is produced . switching of between transmission and reception is implemented by a duplexer 29 . selection as to whether the oscillation output of the local oscillator 14 is to be delivered to the mixer on the transmission side or the mixer 25 on the reception side is implemented by a hybrid circuit 30 , and selection as to whether the oscillation output of the fixed oscillator is to be delivered to the mixer 11 on the transmission side or to the mixer 28 on the reception side is implemented by a hybrid circuit 31 . since the local oscillator 14 and fixed oscillator 10 are shared by the up - converter and down - converter , the microwave transceiver can be simplified . features including high quality communication and the simplicity of the if stage are identical to the transmitter shown in fig7 and 8 . although specific embodiments of this invention have been described , the invention is not confined to the foregoing embodiments , but various modifications are possible within the technical concept of this invention . for example , in a microwave transceiver , the up - converter and down - converter are arranged in single conversion mode and double conversion mode , respectively , with the local oscillator of thin film yto being shared by the up - converter and down - converter , or vice verse . furthermore , also in the ground microwave communication , it is possible to configure a transceiver using a local oscillator of thin film yto , as in satellite communication . according to this invention , the d . c . magnetic field application means is made up of a permanent magnet for producing a fixed magnetic field component and a coil for producing a variable magnetic field component , and the coil can have its number of turns reduced to the extent equivalent to the fixed magnetic field produced by the permanent magnet , and accordingly the inductance of the coil can be reduced by that amount . consequently , the response speed of frequency tuning can be enhanced . the turning oscillator can be made smaller to the extent of reduction in the number of turns of the coil . furthermore , the coil current can be reduced by the amount equivalent to the fixed magnetic field produced by the permanent magnet , whereby a tuning oscillator of low power consumption can be produced . because of ease of manufacturing the ferrimagnetic thin film resonator , the tuning oscillator is suitable for large scale production and it is also inexpensive . because of the feedback to the coil is based on a pll , the circuit arrangement for channel selection can be simplified . further the local oscillator for converting the if to a transmission frequency is formed of a yig thin film tuning oscillator , which enables the signal selection in the rf stage , and consequently the if stage can be simplified . the yig thin film tuning oscillator uses a yig thin film resonator with a high q value , and therefore the phase noise is low and accordingly high quality communication is assured .
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[ 0042 ] fig1 through 5 , discussed below , and the various embodiments used to describe the principles of the present invention in this patent document are by way of illustration only and should not be construed in any way to limit the scope of the invention . those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the present invention may be implemented in any suitably arranged wireless network gateway . [ 0043 ] fig1 illustrates exemplary communication network 100 , which implements wireless network gateway router 150 according to the principles of the present invention . communication network 100 comprises a plurality of base transceiver subsystems , including exemplary base transceiver subsystem ( bts ) 111 , bts 112 , and bts 113 . the base transceiver subsystems communicate wirelessly with a plurality of wireless terminals , including mobile stations 101 - 104 , which are located in the coverage areas of bts 111 - 113 . the wireless network portion of communication network 100 also comprises a plurality of base station controllers , including exemplary base station controller ( bsc ) 121 , bsc 122 , and bsc 123 . bts 111 - 113 are coupled to and controlled by base station controller 122 . each one of bsc 121 , bsc 122 and bsc 123 transmits voice data to , and receives voice data from , public switched telephone network ( pstn ) 160 via mobile switching center ( msc ) 140 . also , each one of bsc 121 , bsc 122 and bsc 123 transmits packet data to , and receives packet data from , the public internet 170 ( or a similar internet protocol ( ip ) based network ) via packet control facility ( pcf ) 130 and gateway router 150 . in alternate embodiments , pcf 130 may be integrated into bsc 122 . the operation of bsc 122 and pcf 130 is well known by those skilled in the art and has been well - defined in telecommunication standards , including the tia / eia / is - 2001 standard . the connection between pcf 130 to gateway router 150 comprises the radio network - to - packet data services network ( r - p ) interface ( if ). the r - p interface comprises the a10 and a11 interfaces defined in the tia / eia / is - 2001 standard . the a10 interface transfers mobile data bidirectionally between the wireless network and the packet data network . the all interface comprises the control signaling for the r - p sessions . the r - p interface may include one or more of asynchronous transfer mode ( atm ) links , frame relay ( fr ) links , and ethernet links , among others . [ 0046 ] fig2 is a high level block diagram of wireless network gateway router 150 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . gateway router 150 is a massively parallel distributed router comprising master switch module ( swm ) 205 , gigabit ethernet ( e - net ) switch fabric 210 , and a plurality of physical media devices ( pmd ) 215 with forwarding engines ( fe ), including exemplary pmd - fe 215 a , pmd - fe 215 b , pmd - fe 215 c , and pmd - fe 215 d . according to one embodiment of the present invention , each one of pmd - fe 215 a , pmd - fe 215 b , pmd - fe 215 c , and pmd - fe 215 d frames an incoming packet ( or cell ) from an ip network ( or atm switch ) to be processed in an input - output processor ( iop ) and performs bus conversion functions . gateway router 150 also comprises a plurality of input - output processors ( iops ), including exemplary iop 220 a , iop 220 b , iop 220 c , iop 220 d , iop 220 e , and iop 220 f . each one of iop 220 a , iop 220 b , iop 220 c , iop 220 d , iop 220 e , and iop 220 f buffers incoming internet protocol ( ip ) packets from subnets or adjacent routers . each one of iop 220 a , iop 220 b , iop 220 c , iop 220 d , iop 220 e , and iop 220 f also classifies requested services , looks up destination addresses from packet headers , and forwards packet to the outbound iop . finally , gateway router 150 comprises a plurality of physical media device - wireless access gateway ( pmd - wag ) service processors 230 , including exemplary pmd - wag service processors 230 a and 230 b . pmd - wag service processors 230 process the r - p sessions and the corresponding point - to - point protocol ( ppp ) sessions , including compression and encryption requirements . [ 0049 ] fig3 is a detailed block diagram of wireless network gateway router 150 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . gateway router 150 comprises a plurality of racks 310 , including exemplary racks 310 a and 310 b . the racks 310 are coupled to one another by gigabit ethernet switch fabric 210 . exemplary rack 310 a comprises a plurality of input - output physical media devices 315 , including exemplary input - output physical media device ( io pmd ) 315 a , io pmd 315 b , io pmd 315 c , and io pmd 315 d . each io pmd 315 is coupled to one of a plurality of input - output processors 320 , including exemplary input - output - processor ( iop ) 320 a , iop 320 b , and iop 320 c . input - output processors 320 are equivalent to input - output processors 220 in fig2 . input - output physical media devices 315 are equivalent to pmd - fe 215 a — pmd - fe 215 d in fig2 . gateway router 150 also comprises two switch modules 330 , namely switch module ( swm ) 330 a and swm 330 b , one of which functions as a master switch module . gateway router 150 further comprises two switch interface physical media devices 340 , namely switch interface physical media device ( sw if pmd ) 340 a and sw if pmd 340 b , and at least one pmd - wag service processor ( sp ) 230 . according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , gateway router 150 may comprise up to thirty - eight ( 38 ) input - output processors 320 , many of which are coupled to two ( 2 ) input - output physical media devices 315 by separate 64 - bit ix buses . at least one iop 320 is coupled to at least one pmd - wag service processor ( sp ) 230 by a 64 - bit ix bus . each io pmd 315 has up to eight ( 8 ) ports for bidirectionally transferring packet data with external devices according to one or more protocols , including 10 / 100 ethernet connections . according to the advantageous embodiment , each iop 320 is coupled to swm 330 a by a first 1 gbps full duplex connection and to swm 330 b by a second 1 gbps full duplex connection . swm 330 a is further coupled to sw if pmd 340 a by up to four 10 gbps electrical connections and swm 330 b is coupled to sw if pmd 340 b by up to four 10 gbps electrical connections . finally , sw if pmd 340 a is coupled to gigabit ethernet switch fabric 210 by up to four 10 gbps optical connections and sw if pmd 340 b is coupled to gigabit ethernet switch fabric 210 by up to four 10 gbps optical connections . the remaining racks 310 of gateway router 150 , including rack 310 b , are functionally identical to rack 310 a and need not be described in further detail . gateway router 150 takes advantage of the distributed , massively parallel routing architecture and the error recovery mechanisms in the base router design . this design implements support for the r - p and ppp protocols in the pmd - wag service processor 230 and utilizes the master switch module ( swm ) 330 for resource allocation and error ( failure ) recovery . the r - p and ppp sessions are distributed across the one or more pmd - wag service processors 230 by the master swm 330 . gateway router 150 treats pmd - wag service processors 230 as a family of parallel packet data serving nodes ( pdsns ). r - p / ppp sessions are allocated to pmd - wag service processors 230 in a round robin fashion , except where an active binding already exists and is reassigned to the previous pmd - wag service processor 230 where the session existed previously . this architecture for resource allocation and assignment ensures the elimination of ghost sessions within gateway router 150 and the ability to recover from hardware or software failures while providing the capacity to handle the required traffic . r - p and ppp sessions are routed to the assigned pmd - wag service processor 230 . each pmd - wag service processor 230 processes the r - p and ppp protocols and forwards the resulting ip packets back to the corresponding iop 230 , where the iop 230 native routing functionality routes the traffic . each pmd - wag service processor 230 acts as an independent pdsn managed by the master swm 330 within a single logical pdsn that is connect to the wireless network portion of communication network 100 . the published ip address of the pdsn is that of the master swm 330 . thus , the initial r - p session communication establishing a session between the wireless network and the wireless access gateway router 150 is always with the master swm 330 . the master swm 330 keeps track of the binding information that identifies the mobile station ( ms ) and re - directs the session to one of the pmd - wag service processors 230 . the master swm 330 uses a round robin algorithm to allocate the mobile station r - p and ppp sessions . in the event the ms binding is already known to the master swm 330 , the master swm 330 directs the session back to the pmd - wag service processor 230 that last managed the session . advantageously , since the master swm 330 maintains and updates a redundant copy of all of the mobile station ( ms ) binding information for each mobile station , if a pmd - wag service processor 230 providing services to a particular mobile station fails , the communication session can still be saved . since the master swm 330 contains all of the ms binding information , master swm 330 can transfer the ms binding information to a new pmd - wag service processor 230 , which then resumes the communication session in place of the failed pmd - wag service processor 230 . an all r - p session registration message comes into the wireless access gateway router 150 from the wireless network via pcf 130 and is addressed to the master switch module ( swm ) 330 . the master swm 330 responds with a registration - denial message and the ip address of an available pmd - wag service processor 230 . the wireless network responds with another registration request sent to the assigned pmd - wag service processor 230 . the assigned pmd - wag service processor 230 establishes an r - p session with the wireless network . next , the mobile station negotiates a ppp session with the assigned pmd - wag service processor 230 . the assigned pmd - wag service processor 230 then performs aaa ( authentication , authorization , and accounting ) functions and subsequent data compression and / or encryption for the on - going session . thus , the assigned pmd - wag service processor 230 receives ppp packets from the mobile station and forwards the resulting ip packet ( s ) to the appropriate iop 320 for routing to internet 170 . the pmd - wag service processor 230 receives ip packets from internet 170 from an iop 320 and converts the packets to ppp messages that are forwarded to the correct iop card for routing to the mobile station . the link layer / network layer frames pass over the a10 connection between pcf 130 and wireless access gateway router 150 in both directions via , for example gre framing . gateway router 150 accepts the frames , strips the gre header , and processes them as normal incoming frames for the appropriate interface and protocol . packets traveling in the reverse direction are processed in the reverses manner , with wireless access gateway router 150 encapsulating the link layer / network layer data packets in gre frames and pcf 130 stripping the gre header before passing the frames over to the upper layer . at this point , there is a point - to - point link layer / network layer connection between the mobile station and wireless access gateway router 150 . [ 0061 ] fig4 depicts message flow diagram 400 , which illustrates the operation of wireless network gateway router 150 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . fig4 shows a mobile station - originated packet call setup . the message sequence in fig4 is utilized by wireless access gateway router 150 to establish every r - p and ppp session . this approach allows the incoming ms sessions to be distributed across the pmd - wag service processors 230 . only the r - p messages used to setup and close a session with wireless access gateway 150 are detailed below ( see tia / eia / is - 2001 for a description of the other messages ). initially , a mobile station ( i . e ., ms 101 ) begins a packet data call by transmitting an origination message 405 to bsc 122 ( and pcf 130 ) via bts 111 . bsc 122 responds by transmitting a base station acknowledgment ( bs ack ) order message 410 back to ms 101 . bsc 122 also transmits the complete l3 information for the call to msc 140 in a cm service request message 415 . msc 140 responds by transmitting assignment request message 420 back to bsc 122 , thereby assigning wireless network resources to the packet data call . thereafter , ms 101 and bsc 122 exchange messages ( generally designated 425 ) that set up a traffic channel . pcf 130 recognizes that no a10 connection associated with mobile station 101 is available and selects a pdsn ( i . e ., master swm 330 in wireless access gateway router 150 ) for the packet data call . in response , pcf 130 sends all - registration request message 430 to the selected pdsn and starts a timer t ( regreq ). the all - registration request is validated and the pdsn ( master swm 330 ) rejects the connection and proposes pdsn - tn ( one of pmd - wag service processors 230 ). master swm 330 does this by transmitting to pcf 130 an all - registration reply message 435 with a reject code of 88h ( i . e ., registration denied — unknown pdsn address ) and the address of the pdsn - tn in the home agent address field of the all - registration reply message 435 . pcf 130 then stops the t ( regreq ) timer . next , pcf 130 initiates establishment of the a10 connection with the pdsn - tn ( pmd - wag service processor 230 ) by sending an all - registration request message 440 to gateway router 150 . pcf 130 then starts the timer t ( rregreq ). the all - registration request is validated and the pdsn - tn ( pmd - wag service processor 230 ) accepts the connection by returning an all - registration reply message 445 with an “ accept ” indication and the lifetime value set to the configured trp value . both the pdsn - tn ( pmd - wag service processor 230 ) and pcf 130 create a binding record for the a10 connection . pcf 130 then stops timer t ( regreq ). thereafter , pcf 130 transmits assignment complete message 450 to msc 140 . at this point , pmd - wag service processor 230 , acting as pdsn - tn , establishes a ppp connection and performs mobile ip registration ( generally designated 455 ). user data is then transmitted bi - directionally between pmd - wag service processor 230 and ms 101 ( generally designated 460 ). the mobile session is closed when pcf 130 transmits all - registration request message 465 ( with accounting data values ) to pmd - wag service processor 230 . pmd - wag service processor 230 responds by transmitting all - registration reply message 470 back to pcf 130 . after the mobile session is closed , pmd - wag service processor 230 clears the r - p session binding kept by the master swm 330 by transmitting to the master swm 330 an all - r - p registration request message 475 in which the lifetime value is set to zero . the master swm 330 responds to pmd - wag service processor 230 with an all - registration reply message 480 , which indicates the mobile binding has been cleared . [ 0068 ] fig5 is a detailed block diagram illustrating selected software modules in wireless network gateway router 150 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . a mobile station , via pcf 130 , establishes r - p and ppp sessions to communicate with the pdsn in wireless access gateway router 150 . the r - p and ppp protocols are performed by software modules running in the pmd - wag service processor 230 . the master swm 330 a manages all pmd - wag service processors 230 . r - p and ppp session management is accomplished through r - p messages ( i . e ., ip protocol 505 , management r - p protocol 510 ) from the master swm 330 a . when a mobile station session is terminated , the pmd - wag service processor 230 informs the master swm 330 a so that the session information can be removed from ms bindings table 515 a . again , the r - p protocol is used to accomplish clearing mobile session entries from the ms bindings table 515 a . pmd - wag service processor 230 generates a r - p registration request with a lifetime equal to zero , in the same manner that the mobile network ends mobile session with pmd - wag service processor 230 , and forwards the message to master swm 330 a . the mobiles station and pmd - wag service processor 230 binding data in ms bindings table 515 a must remain in synchronization with the corresponding data in redundant backup swm 330 b so that failure of master swm 330 a is recoverable . sync software modules 520 a and 520 b perform the needed synchronization between master swm 330 a and redundant backup swm 330 b . although the present invention has been described in detail , those skilled in the art should understand that they may make various changes , substitutions and alterations herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form .
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fig1 shows a wind turbine 100 having a tower 102 and a nacelle 104 . a rotor 106 having three rotor blades 108 and a spinner 110 is arranged on the nacelle 104 . the rotor 106 is set in rotation by the wind during operation and thus drives a generator in the nacelle 104 . fig2 schematically shows an installation apparatus 1 and illustrates a rotor blade 2 already lifted for installation on a rotor hub . the rotor blade hangs substantially horizontally , which is generally the desired orientation , not only in the shown embodiment . here , the rotor blade has a blade root 4 and a blade tip 6 , however these are both illustrated here merely schematically . in a central region 8 of the rotor blade 2 , the rotor blade 2 is suspended at two fastening points 10 and hangs substantially from a crane rope 12 . a first guide rope 14 is arranged at the blade tip 6 , and a second guide rope 16 is arranged at the blade root 4 in order to be able to guide in particular the orientation of the rotor blade 2 from the ground 18 . each guide rope 14 and 16 has a force sensor 20 and 22 respectively . a tensile force between the first or second guide rope 14 , 16 and the blade tip or blade root 6 , 4 respectively can be recorded via the first or second force sensor 20 , 22 respectively . a sensor station 24 is arranged in the central region 8 of the rotor blade 2 and here forms a transducer . as measuring means , the sensor station comprises a gps compass 26 , an x - y inclination sensor 28 , and a height sensor 30 , as shown in the structure of fig3 . the gps compass 26 can detect the orientation of the rotor blade 2 in a horizontal plane , i . e ., can detect the orientation with respect to the four compass directions in order to show this clearly . the x - y inclination sensor 28 can detect the inclination of the rotor blade or its longitudinal axis and can likewise detect a rotation or a small angle of rotation of the rotor blade about its longitudinal axis . from the viewpoint of the inclination sensor 28 , these are two rotational coordinates that in particular are arranged at right angles to one another . together with the gps compass 26 , the angle of orientation of the rotor blade thus can be detected with respect in particular to three cartesian coordinates . this also illustrates , in the display 50 according to fig4 , the orientation symbol 52 , which represents these three axes of inclination or rotation x , y and z . the sensor station 24 additionally has the task of receiving values from the two force sensors 20 and 22 . the two force sensors 20 and 22 for this purpose each have a radio transmitter 21 and 23 respectively . fig3 illustrates the structure for this , and fig2 illustrates the distance existing between the force sensors 20 and 22 and the sensor station 24 . the sensor station 24 then transmits its data further to a ground station 32 , which is arranged on the ground 18 . the rotor blade 2 and therefore the sensor station 24 may be located for example at a height of 150 meters above the ground 18 . fig3 illustrates an internal structure of the sensor station , which also has a radio transmitter 34 . the radio transmitter 34 , which on account of its function can also be referred to as a collective radio transmitter , obtains wired signals , in any case in accordance with the embodiment of fig3 , from the gps compass 26 , the x - y inclination sensor 28 and the height sensor 30 . these three sensors may provide a plurality of data items to the radio transmitter 34 , for example in each case via a signal in a range from 4 to 20 ma . the radio transmitters 21 and 23 in turn send their information to the radio transmitter 34 . the radio transmitter 34 thus receives measurement data from five sensors , wherein at least the inclination sensor 28 sends data relating to two variables , specifically the inclination of the blade axis and the rotation of the rotor blade about the blade axis . this data is thus received firstly in the radio transmitter 34 and where necessary is pre - processed , but in any case is transmitted via a further radio link to a monitoring station 32 ′. the monitoring station 32 ′ may correspond to the ground station 32 according to fig2 . the monitoring station 32 ′, as shown in fig3 , in turn contains a radio transmitter 36 , which can be referred to as a ground radio transmitter 36 and which primarily receives data transmitted by radio from the radio transmitter 34 of the sensor station 24 . however , the ground radio transmitter 36 of the monitoring station 32 ′ may also transmit signals back to the sensor station 24 , such as fault signals , should there be any problems with the radio transmission , or other protocol data . in the monitoring station 32 ′ there is then a further transmission of the data in a wired manner to an input - output module 38 , which can introduce a further processing and distribution of the data . the data or a selection of the data can be transmitted to a control panel 42 via an sps module 40 , specifically a module having a memory - programmable control system . in addition , the data or some of said data may be transmitted to a network module 44 . the network module 44 , in particular as a wireless network module , can construct a wireless network and transmit to further terminal equipment , such as a laptop , surface equipment or other equipment . the structure according to fig3 advantageously uses three transmission types , specifically a wired transmission 46 , a transmission by wlan 47 and a transmission by radio 48 , i . e ., wirelessly , but different from transmission via known wlan technology . the transmission by wlan 47 is used in particular for transmission to the terminal equipment 49 illustrated symbolically . the display 50 in fig4 , besides the orientation symbol 52 , also shows a wind turbine symbol 54 , which in particular shows the height to be reached , in this example 136 meters . besides the wind turbine symbol 54 , two bar charts 56 and 58 , which illustrate the recorded force of the first and second force sensor 20 , 22 according to 2 , in both cases in the form of a bar , each also output a measurement value as a number . a status display and next to this the possibility to calibrate the sensors , which is indicated by the calibration field 60 , are located above the wind turbine symbol 54 . a calibration may be considered in particular for an air pressure sensor that incidentally also additionally can be received as a further measuring means in the sensor station 24 or can be connected thereto , in particular in order to compensate for weather - induced air pressure fluctuations . a calibration or a comparison may then be performed when the rotor blade has not yet been raised and is still located substantially on the ground . this calibration or comparison may also be performed with respect to the height position of the site of installation , or may be made necessary as a result thereof . the specific values of the orientation of the three coordinates x , y and z are illustrated individually below the orientation symbol 52 by corresponding diagrams , which provide both an analogue and a digital presentation with accurate specification of the respective angle . these are the z - angle display , which shows the orientation of the longitudinal axis in a horizontal plane , the x - angle display 64 , which shows the inclination of the rotor blade or the inclination of the longitudinal axis of the rotor blade , and the y - angle display 66 , which shows an angle of rotation of the rotor blade about its own axis . an assembly aid for the rotor blade mounting is thus proposed . it is thus possible to lift and to mount a rotor blade even with an obstructed view . a rotor blade location and position display is also available for this and is formed on the basis of measurement data . all three angles of rotation of the rotor blade are thus determined using a satellite compass and an x - y inclination sensor , specifically in particular all three possible cartesian angles of rotation . the height , i . e ., the vertical location of the rotor blade , is determined using an air pressure sensor . forces in the guide ropes can be tracked by means of force transducers , which may also be referred to as measuring clips . the sensors that are connected in a wired manner to a radio transmitter 34 in the sensor station 24 can forward their information to this radio transmitter 34 or collective radio transmitter 34 , for example via a measurement signal from 4 to 20 ma . in addition , the sensor station 24 for example may also contain an air pressure sensor . the values thereof can be used directly as air pressure values or can also be used to specify the height . the force transducers 20 and 22 of the guide ropes 14 and 16 respectively send their values by means of radio transmission to the sensor station 24 . from there , all measurement values , in the case of fig3 the 6 measurement values or 6 measurement signals , are sent using a further radio transmitter to the ground station 32 or monitoring station 32 ′. there , the measurement values are evaluated in a memory - programmable control system and are displayed on a control panel . the data is sent on from the ground station 32 or monitoring station 32 ′ via wlan and an ftp server , which is illustrated by the wlan transmission module 47 . it is then possible to display the same image as on the control panel 42 of the ground station 32 or the monitoring station 32 ′, for example using a laptop or other wlan - capable device , in particular using a normal internet browser . further ground staff can thus also follow the course of the installation process .
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referring to the drawings and with particular reference to the claims herein , the present device comprises a body means 10 of thick steel and enclosed cylinder means 11 having a very thick upper end cap or drive head means 12 and a similarly thick lower end or extraction base means 13 being securely attached thereto as by welding at 23 . the base means 13 has an aperture 17 through its approximate center of sufficient diameter for the admittance of a rod member 14 having a shaft segment 15 and stake segment 16 , the rod member having a greater total length than the length of cylinder means 11 . the lower end of stake segment 16 is preferably provided with a point 25 for driving into the holding substrate such as soil , oyster bed , coral , or the like . an anvil 18 is formed or welded on the upper end of shaft segment 15 and comprises a thickened steel plate preferably provided with recesses 27 in its periphery such that it will by - pass air in its up and down cycle and avoid the development of pressure in the cylinder 11 which may develop as a result of the fairly close tolerances between anvil 18 and the inner wall 28 of cylinder 11 , and also the sealing of aperture 17 by dust shield 29 . such pressures would impede a rapid delivery of force to anvil 18 on either a downstroke or upstroke of the body means 10 . as best shown in fig1 and 6 , the inner wall surface 28 of cylinder 11 is preferably closely disposed about the periphery 30 of anvil 18 , e . g ., 10 - 50 thousandths of an inch . the upper surface 31 of the anvil is adapted to be forcibly struck by the inner surface 37 of drive head 12 as body 10 is propelled downwardly for driving stake segment 16 into a hard substrate . surface 37 is preferably slightly domed such as to insure a more axial strike of the anvil . the lower surface 32 of the anvil is equally well adapted to be struck by the lower extraction base means 13 as body 10 is propelled upwardly for extracting stake segment 16 from a substrate . the relatively close tolerances between the anvil periphery 30 and the inner wall surface 28 of the cylinder , as well as the similar tolerances between shaft segment 15 and aperture 17 provide for a smooth sliding action of the anvil and the elimination of uneven striking forces which otherwise would be applied to the anvil with the attendant jarring of the users hands and arms . in order to reduce the prospect of foreign particles such as sand or gravel entering the cylinder 11 through aperture 17 and inhibiting easy sliding action of the anvil and shaft within the cylinder , one embodiment of the present invention provides the aforementioned dust shield 29 affixed to body 10 by bolts 33 . this shield is preferably comprised of a sheet 34 of elastomeric material provided with an aperture 35 for rubbing but sliding contact with shaft segment 15 . the elastomeric material preferably is of flexible but durable polysiloxane , polyamide , tetrafluoroethylene , natural rubber , polyolein or the like and provides a dust seal around shaft segment 15 even as body 10 slides vigorously upwardly and downwardly on said segment . referring to fig1 a preferred indexing mounting generally designated 36 for the handles 24 is shown , which handles are shown oriented in their longitudinal plane 40 , see fig8 and comprise a handle base 38 having a boss portion 42 provided with an annular recess 46 providing an annular shoulder 48 , and having a stud bore 50 . a stud 52 is screwed into a threaded socket 54 in cylinder wall 74 and passes thru apertures 56 and 58 respectively in indexing washers 60 and 62 . the head 64 of stud 52 bears against shoulder 48 of base 38 when the stud is tightened in socket 54 for the purposes described below . washers 60 and 62 are provided with mating undulations such as radially extending ridges 66 and troughs 68 such that forced relative rotation between the two washers about stud axis 70 by the user will , in the first stage of rotation , tend to flatten the ridges as they pass over each other and then as the ridges and troughs again become aligned and the ridges spring back to their original configuration , the handles become angularly stabilized in the positions dictated by the user , e . g ., as shown by the dotted line handle in fig8 . it is noted that the spring characteristics or properties of the metal in the washers , and the dimensions of the washers are selected such that the handles may be rotated to a desired angular position by hand applied torque , administered for example , by an average size and strength female . of course , higher or lower torque requirements may be built into the washers , as desired . in this regard a compressible elastomeric backing such as 72 shown in fig9 or an equivalent means may be employed between washer 62 and wall 74 should it be desired to reduce the torque required to slide the ridges 66 over each other during the handle indexing adjustment operation . washer 62 , is held in non - rotative position in annular groove 76 cut into the cylinder wall 74 by pinning or spot welding or the like . washer 60 is preferably disc shaped and is non - rotatably fixed to boss 42 by spot welding or the like , or the washer configuration itself may be machine cut into the inner surface 82 of the boss . it is noted that each handle is preferably substantially symmetrically structured about its stud axis 70 in order to minimize any force moment which might otherwise occur and jar the user during the generation of high sticking forces . referring to fig7 another embodiment of an angularly adjustable and removable handle assembly 84 is shown and comprises an annular sleeve projection 86 formed on the boss 42 and slidably receives a round in cross - section mounting post 88 which is securely affixed to wall 74 and provides an angular adjustability of the handle around the longitudinal axis 89 of mounting post 88 . in this regard sleeve projection 86 is provided with a plurality , e . g ., six apertures 90 extending diametrically through opposite sides thereof , which apertures are circumferentially spaced around 86 and are adapted to align with hole 91 diametrically formed thru post 88 , whereby the handle can be secured in its desired angular position by stop pin 92 which is inserted through a desired pair of the cooperating apertures 90 and hole 91 . pin 92 may be provided with a means such as hole 43 for receiving a cotter pin or the like for keeping the pin in place during the stake driving or removing operation . the invention has been described in detail with particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof , but it will be understood that variations and modification will be effected with the spirit and scope of the invention .
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aspects of a process kit described herein can provide more efficient plasma processing while reducing the buildup of contaminants on surfaces of the process kit . contaminants on surfaces of the process kit could become particle sources that could contaminate substrates in the chamber and affect chip yield . fig2 a is an exploded side view of a process kit 200 according to various aspects for use in a plasma processing chamber . fig2 b shows the process kit 200 arranged in a plasma processing chamber 300 . the process kit 200 includes at least one or more of a diffuser 202 , an upper shield 220 , and a lower shield 250 , 270 . the diffuser 202 sits within an aperture 222 in the upper shield 220 such that process gas is injected through the diffuser 202 and the upper shield 220 in the middle or center of the upper shield 220 rather than along the perimeter of the upper shield 110 shown in fig1 . the upper shield 220 and the lower shield 250 , 270 include rounded corners that help to smoothly direct contaminants and / or substrate material removed by plasma out of the process region 246 and , as a result , to minimize buildup of such contaminants and / or substrate material on surfaces of the upper shield 220 and the lower shield 250 , 270 . the upper shield 220 includes a top 232 and a cylindrical liner 230 . interior surfaces 234 and 236 of the top 232 and interior surfaces 240 of the cylindrical liner 230 define boundaries of a process region 246 . a bottom 242 of the cylindrical liner 230 defines a plane 244 ( indicated by a dashed line ). the top 232 includes an aperture 222 located at the center of the top 232 . an inward portion of the interior surface 234 of the top 232 extends radially away from the aperture 222 and diverges from the plane 244 at greater radial distances . put differently , a distance ( indicated by arrow d ) from the plane 244 to the inward portion of the interior surface 234 is larger at larger radial distances from the aperture 222 . in various instances , the inward portion of the interior surface 234 could include a conical profile , wherein the distance from the plane 244 to the inward portion of the interior surface 234 increases linearly with respect to the radial distance from the aperture 222 . in various other instances , the inward portion of the interior surface 234 could include a curved profile , wherein the distance from the plane 244 to the inward portion of the interior surface 234 increases nonlinearly with respect to the radial distance from the aperture 222 . for example , as illustrated in fig2 , the inward portion of the interior surface 234 could have a circular profile . for example , in various aspects , the cylindrical liner 230 of the upper shield 220 has a diameter of approximately 16 inches and the circularly - curved inward portion of the interior surface 234 has a radius of curvature r 2 of approximately 35 inches . as another example , the radius of curvature r 2 of the circularly curved interior surface 234 could be between 30 inches and 40 inches . an outward portion of the interior surface 236 of the top 232 extends radially away from interior surface 234 and curves inwardly to meet the interior surface 240 of the cylindrical liner 230 . the outward portion of the interior surface 236 can define a radius of curvature r 1 of 1 . 1 inches in some instances . in various other instances , the outward portion of the interior surface 236 can define a radius of curvature r 1 of between 0 . 9 inches and 2 inches , for example . referring now to fig3 a and 3b , the diffuser 202 can be configured to fit within the aperture 222 of the upper shield 220 . the diffuser 202 includes a body 204 and a gas injection housing 212 . the body 204 can include threaded holes 210 that can align with holes 228 in the upper shield 220 . cap screws or other fasteners can be placed through the threaded holes 210 and into the holes 228 in the upper shield to secure the diffuser 202 to the upper shield 220 . the gas injection housing 212 can include a first outer cylindrical wall 215 and a second outer cylindrical wall 214 . the second outer cylindrical wall 214 can be arranged closer to the interior surface 234 of the upper shield 220 . the first outer cylindrical wall 215 can define a larger diameter than a diameter d 1 of the second outer cylindrical wall 214 . for example , in various instances , the first outer cylindrical wall 215 defines a diameter of 1 . 060 inches and the second outer cylindrical wall 214 defines a diameter d 1 of 1 . 030 inches . the diffuser 202 and gas injection housing 212 define an interior cylindrical cavity 206 that can be in communication with a process gas supply for a plasma processing chamber . an array of gas injection apertures 208 can be arranged in the gas injection housing 212 from the interior cylindrical cavity 206 to the second outer cylindrical wall 214 . as shown in fig3 a and 3b , the gas injection apertures 208 can be arranged around a circumference of the interior cylindrical cavity 206 and / or at different longitudinal locations along the interior cylindrical cavity 206 . in the exemplary diffuser 202 shown in fig3 a and 3b , there are four longitudinal rows of gas injection apertures 208 , and each row of gas injection apertures 208 includes twelve gas injection apertures 208 arranged around a circumference of the interior cylindrical cavity 206 . in various instances , each of the gas injection apertures 208 has a diameter of 0 . 030 inches . in various other instances , each of the gas injection apertures 208 includes a diameter between 0 . 020 inches and 0 . 040 inches . in various other instances , each of the gas injection apertures 208 could have a diameter of between 0 . 010 inches and 0 . 050 inches . fig4 illustrates the diffuser 202 installed in the upper shield 220 . referring also to fig2 , the upper shield 220 includes an aperture 222 that includes a first portion 224 that defines a first diameter and a second portion 226 that defines a second diameter d 2 . when the diffuser 202 is installed in the upper shield 220 , the body 204 of the diffuser 202 sits within the first portion 224 of the aperture 222 and the gas injection housing 212 sits within the second portion 226 of the aperture 222 . the diameter d 2 of the second portion 226 of the aperture 222 is equal to or greater than the diameter of the first outer cylindrical wall 215 of the diffuser 202 . for example , as described above , the diameter of the first outer cylindrical wall 215 of the diffuser 202 could be 1 . 060 inches in some instances . the diameter d 2 of the second portion 226 of the aperture 222 could be between 1 . 060 inches and 1 . 065 inches , for example . as a result , in some instances , the diffuser 202 can snugly fit within the aperture 222 of the upper shield 220 . as discussed above , the diameter d 1 of the second outer cylindrical wall 214 of the diffuser 202 is smaller than the diameter of the first outer cylindrical wall 215 . as a result , the diameter d 1 of the second outer cylindrical wall 214 is also smaller than the diameter d 2 of the second portion 226 of the aperture 222 . the smaller diameter d 1 of the second outer cylindrical wall 214 relative to the diameter d 2 of the second portion 226 of the aperture 222 results in an annular gap 232 between the upper shield 220 and the diffuser 202 . for example , as described above , the diameter d 1 of the second outer cylindrical wall 214 could be 1 . 030 inches . if the diameter d 2 of the second portion 226 of the aperture 222 in the upper shield 220 is 1 . 060 inches , then the resulting annular gap 232 would have a width of 0 . 015 inches . the annular gap 232 is in communication with the process region 246 defined by the upper shield 220 . in various instances , a length of the second outer cylindrical wall 214 is approximately 0 . 60 inches . as a result , an aspect ratio of the annular gap 232 ( defined as the length of the annular gap 232 divided by the width of the annular gap 232 ) would be 0 . 60 inches divided by 0 . 015 inches , or 30 to 1 . in various instances , the aspect ratio of the annular gap 232 can be between 20 to 1 and 40 to 1 . the annular gap 232 is also in communication with the interior cylindrical cavity 206 in the diffuser 202 via the gas injection apertures 208 . in various instances , the gas injection apertures 208 can be arranged in the interior cylindrical cavity 206 such that they exit through the second outer cylindrical wall 214 in the first third of a length of the second outer cylindrical wall 214 closest to the first outer cylindrical wall 215 . in such an arrangement , process gas flows into the interior cylindrical cavity 206 of the diffuser 202 in the direction of arrow g . the process gas then flows through the gas injection apertures 208 ( as indicated by arrows h ) and into the annular gap 232 ( as indicated by arrows i ). the process gas then moves along the annular gap 232 to enter the process region 246 defined by the upper shield 220 ( as indicated by arrows j ). the process gas enters the process region 246 in the shape of an annular ring . in various instances , the process gas can enter the process region 246 in a laminar flow arrangement . in the exemplary instance described above in which there are 48 gas injection apertures 208 each with the diameter of 0 . 030 inches , the total area of the gas injection apertures 208 would be 0 . 017 in . 2 . furthermore , for an annular gap 232 having an inner diameter d 1 of 1 . 030 inches and a gap of 0 . 015 inches , the total area for the annular gap 232 would be approximately 0 . 10 inches . thus , a ratio of the total area for the annular gap 232 to the total area of the gas injection apertures 208 is almost 6 to 1 . in various instances the ratio of the total area for the annular gap 232 to the total area of the gas injection apertures 208 can be between 4 to 1 and 15 to 1 . a combination of the large aspect ratio ( e . g ., 30 to 1 ) and ratio of total areas ( e . g ., 6 to 1 ) can result in a significant pressure drop of the process gas as it flows from the interior cylindrical cavity 206 into the process region 246 . this large pressure drop can ensure that the process gas enters the process region 246 in a laminar flow . referring again to fig1 and 2 , when the process gas enters the process region 246 in the direction of arrow j , electromagnetic energy ignites the process gas ( e . g ., argon ) into a plasma ( e . g ., plasma 130 ). the plasma can then spread radially outward in the process region 246 in the direction of arrow l . the diverging interior surface 234 of the upper shield 220 can encourage radially outward movement of the plasma . most of the plasma is contained in a region above the substrate ( e . g ., substrate 126 in fig1 ) by the electromagnetic energy . contaminants on the substrate and / or substrate material removed by ions from the plasma moves further radially outward in the direction of arrow l and are then deflected in a downward direction , as indicated by arrow m , by the inwardly curved surfaces of the outward portion of the interior surface 236 and the cylindrical liner 230 of the upper shield 220 . the contaminants and / or substrate material are directed toward the lower shield 250 , 270 . the relatively large radius of curvature of the outward portion of the interior surface 236 can promote movement of the contaminants and / or substrate material compared to a sharp corner or a smaller radius of curvature . put differently , a sharp corner or a corner with a small radius of curvature may cause the contaminants and / or substrate material flowing in the direction of arrow m to momentarily stagnate at the corner . such stagnation can allow the contaminants and / or substrate material to accumulate on the interior surfaces 234 , 236 , and 240 of the upper shield . in the exemplary lower shield 250 , 270 shown in the figures , the lower shield includes a first portion 250 in the second portion 270 . fig5 a and 5b illustrate a first portion 250 of the lower shield and fig6 a and 6b illustrate a second portion 270 of the lower shield . the first portion 250 includes a ring - shaped body 252 that includes a plurality of fastener holes 254 arranged around a circumference . a radially - inward facing side of the ring - shaped body 252 includes a plurality of outward - facing undercuts 260 that are arranged between the fastener holes 254 . a plurality of upward facing slots 262 can extend from each outward - facing undercut 260 to a top surface 261 of the ring - shaped body 252 . a plurality of downward - facing slots 258 can extend from each outward - facing undercut 260 toward a bottom surface 259 of the ring - shaped body 252 . for example , the upward facing slots 262 can include three slots 262 a , 262 b , and 262 c and downward - facing slots 258 can include three slots 258 a , 258 b , and 258 c . a set of the three slots 262 a , 262 b , and 262 c can be arranged at the same circumferential location on the ring - shaped body 252 , but at different radial locations . in the exemplary ring - shaped body 252 shown in fig5 a - 5c , slot 262 a is the most radially outboard slot , slot 262 b is the middle slot , and slot 262 c is the most radially inboard slot . similarly , a set of the three slots 258 a , 258 b , and 258 c can be arranged at the same circumferential location on the ring - shaped body 252 , but at different radial locations . in the exemplary ring - shaped body 252 shown in fig5 a - 5c , slot 258 a is the most radially outboard slot , slot 258 b is the middle slot , and slot 258 c is the most radially inboard slot . in certain instances , the slots 258 , 262 can define aspect ratios ( defined as a length of the slot from the outward - facing undercut 260 to an exterior surface of the ring - shaped body 252 divided by a width of the slot in a radial direction ) of 4 . 5 to 1 . for example , the length of each slot may be 0 . 45 inches and the width of each slot may be 0 . 10 inches , resulting in an aspect ratio of 4 . 5 to 1 . in various other instances , the aspect ratio for the slots may be between 3 to 1 and 6 to 1 , for example . in various instances , the bottom surface 259 of the ring - shaped body 252 can be arranged at an angle a relative to a horizontal bottom surface 264 such that the bottom surface 259 increases in height at larger radial distances . such an angle a can provide clearance for the slots 258 from the second portion 270 of the lower shield and from other structures , such as the bracket 312 shown in fig2 b . the outward - facing undercut 260 can include a similarly - angled surface so that the aspect ratios for the slots 258 are maintained . fig6 a and 6b illustrate the second portion 270 of the lower shield . the second portion 270 includes a vertical liner portion 274 and a horizontal liner portion 280 with a curved liner portion 276 there between . the curved liner portion 276 defines a radius of curvature r 3 . in certain instances , the radius of curvature r 3 may be 0 . 40 inches . in various other instances , the radius of curvature r 3 may be between 0 . 2 inches and 0 . 6 inches . the second portion 270 also includes a fastener flange 272 that includes a plurality of threaded holes 278 arranged there around . a transition from the horizontal surface 282 the fastener flange 272 includes a vertical lip 282 . fasteners , such as cap screws , can pass through the fastener holes 254 in the ring - shaped body 252 of the first portion 250 and engage the threaded holes 278 in the fastener flange 272 to fasten the first portion 250 and the second portion 270 together . fig7 illustrates the first portion 250 and second portion 270 of the lower shield assembled together . fig7 also illustrates a bottom portion of the cylindrical liner 230 of the upper shield 220 engaged with the first portion 250 of the lower shield ( e . g ., engaged in the plasma processing chamber 300 shown in fig2 b ). as shown in fig7 , the cylindrical liner 230 of the upper shield 220 can be separated from the first portion 250 of the lower shield such that an annular gap 271 is formed between an outward - facing surface 238 of the cylindrical liner 230 and an inward - facing upper surface 268 of the first portion 250 . the annular gap 271 can have a similar aspect ratio to the slots 262 . such an annular gap could function as a slot in addition to the slots 262 in the first portion 250 of the lower shield 250 , 270 . alternatively , the outward - facing surface 238 of the cylindrical liner 230 could lightly contact or be closely - spaced from the inward - facing upper surface 268 of the first portion 250 of the lower shield . when the first portion 250 of the lower shield is assembled with the second portion 270 , a bottom surface 264 of the first portion 250 rests on the fastener flange 272 . also , a lower inward - facing surface 266 of the first portion 250 is adjacent to the vertical lip 282 of the second portion 270 . in various instances , the inward - facing surface 266 contacts the vertical lip 282 . in various other instances , the inward - facing surface 266 may be separated from the vertical lip 282 by an annular gap . the first portion 250 and the second portion 270 create a flow path for contaminants and / or substrate materials to escape from the process region 246 . fig7 illustrates arrow m which is the flow of contaminants and / or substrate materials from the process region 246 after the materials have been redirected downwardly by the outward portion of the interior surface 236 and the cylindrical liner 230 of the upper shield 220 . the materials are turned radially outward , as indicated by arrow n , by the vertical liner portion 274 , the curved liner portion 276 , and the horizontal liner portion 280 of the second portion 270 of the lower shield . the materials enter the outward - facing undercuts 260 in the first portion 250 of the lower shield . the materials then flow in the direction of arrow o through the upward - facing slots 262 and in the direction of arrow p to the downward - facing slots 258 . fig2 b , illustrates the process kit 200 arranged in a plasma processing chamber 300 and the flow of process gas through the plasma processing chamber 300 . the plasma processing chamber 300 includes a lid 302 and chamber walls 304 . the diffuser 202 of the process kit 200 is installed in and attached to the upper shield 220 . the lower shield 250 , 270 is mounted to a pedestal 310 by a bracket 312 . the pedestal 310 can move up and down ( in the directions of arrow z ). the pedestal 310 may be moved downwardly ( away from the upper shield 220 ) to position the substrate supported on the pedestal 310 below the upper shield 220 to allow the substrate to be robotically transferred from the pedestal 310 . the pedestal 310 can be moved upwardly ( toward the upper shield 220 ) to engage the cylindrical wall 230 of the upper shield 220 with the first portion 250 of the lower shield ( as discussed above with reference to fig7 ) and , as a result , form the process region 246 . an edge ring 314 can surround and partially rest on a top surface of the pedestal . the edge ring 314 can ensure that plasma in the process region 246 extends across the entire substrate . the diffuser 202 , upper shield 220 , and lower shield 250 , 270 are grounded from the pedestal 310 and radiofrequency source . the edge ring 314 may be made of quartz or another electrically insulating material . in various aspects , the bracket 312 that attaches the lower shield 250 , 270 to the pedestal may also be made of an electrically insulating material , such as a plastic material . in various other aspects , the bracket 312 can be made of metal and an insulative material can be arranged between the bracket 312 and the pedestal 312 . a plurality of grounding rings 318 can be attached to a bracket 316 in the plasma processing chamber 300 . for example , referring again to fig5 a , the grounding rings 318 can be spaced apart circumferentially such that each grounding ring 318 is aligned with one of the fastener holes 254 in the first portion 250 of the lower shield . when the pedestal 310 is raised toward the upper shield 220 , the grounding rings 318 contact in the top surface 261 of the first portion 250 of the lower shield 250 , 270 , thereby electrically coupling the lower shield 250 , 270 to the grounded upper shield 220 and lid 302 of the plasma processing chamber 300 . the grounding rings 318 are generally hoop shaped and are elastically deformable in the direction of arrows z . as a result , the grounding rings 318 can maintain contact with the fasteners in the first portion 250 of the lower shield over a range of positions of the pedestal 310 and the lower shield 250 , 270 relative to the upper shield 220 . fig2 b illustrates the flow of process gas ( e . g ., argon ) into the plasma processing chamber 300 , through the process region 246 , and out of the plasma processing chamber 300 . the process gas enters the plasma processing chamber 300 through a port 308 in the lid 302 ( as indicated by arrow g ). the port 308 is in communication with the diffuser 202 such that the process gas passes through the diffuser 202 in the center of the upper shield 220 and into the process region 246 ( as indicated by arrows j ). in the process region 246 , the process gas is ignited into a plasma by electromagnetic energy . the plasma etches contaminants and / or substrate materials from a substrate on the pedestal 310 . the etched contaminants and / or substrate materials ( and any plasma that may escape from the electromagnetic field ) flow radially outward in the direction of arrows l . the etched materials are then deflected downward by the upper shield 220 toward the lower shield 250 , 270 in the direction of arrow m . the second portion of the lower shield 270 directs the etched materials radially outward in the direction of arrow n . the etched materials then pass through the slots 262 and 258 in the first portion 250 of the lower shield 250 , 270 in the directions of arrows o and p , respectively . the etched materials can then pass through the port 306 in the direction of arrow q to leave the plasma processing chamber 300 . testing of plasma processing chambers using the process kit 200 shown in fig2 a demonstrate an improvement in plasma processing efficiency . for example , a plasma processing chamber using a process kit like the process kit 200 shown in fig2 a has shown approximately a four - fold increase in flow of process gas and removed contaminant and / or substrate materials for a given operating pressure ( e . g ., 0 . 007 torr ). additionally , the curved surface 236 on the upper shield 220 and curved surface 276 on the lower shield 250 , 270 show significant reductions in the accumulation of contaminants and / or substrate materials on the upper shield 220 and lower shield 250 , 270 , which should result in fewer required maintenance steps for the process kit 200 .
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the pneumatic conveying apparatus according to fig1 contains a conveyor vessel 1 and an annular storage chamber 2 which is arranged coaxially with the conveyor vessel 1 . the conveyor vessel 1 is open at the lower end and projects into the storage chamber 2 and these two parts of the apparatus are connected to each other like communicating pipes . the conveyor vessel 1 and the storage chamber 2 are provided with a common pneumatic aerating base 4 . a conveyor nozzle 5 passes through the aerating base 4 and above it is located the inlet of a pneumatic feed pipe 6 which passes through the conveyor vessel 1 in a vertical direction . an air vent connection 7 and a material supply connection 9 provided with a bucket wheel charging valve 8 are provided in the upper region of the conveyor vessel 1 . the air - filled upper region 10 of the storage chamber 2 is connected to an air supply connection 12 regulated by a valve 11 and to an air extraction connection 14 regulated by a valve 13 . the space below the aerating base 4 is provided with an air supply connection 15 in which a constant quantity regulating valve 16 is arranged . a further such valve 17 is arranged upstream of the conveyor nozzle 5 . the conveying apparatus formed by the conveyor vessel 1 and the storage chamber 2 is supported on pressure sensitive cells 18 of known kind . in operation , the apparatus according to fig1 functions as follows : if there is atmospheric pressure in the upper region 10 of the storage chamber 2 ( as there always is above the air vent connection 7 in the upper region 24 of the conveyor vessel 1 ), then the respective filling levels 25a and 256 of material in the conveyor vessel 1 and in the storage chamber 2 are the same . the pneumatic aerating pressure ( introduced via the air supply connection 15 ) or the approximately equally great pneumatic pressure at the conveying nozzle 5 corresponds to the filling level in the conveyor vessel 1 or a specific conveying capacity . as such material is then delivered via the material supply connection 9 to the conveyor vessel 1 as is discharged via the conveyor pipe 6 . if for any reason fluctuations occur in the material supply , then the filling level in the conveyor vessel 1 is kept constant at the predetermined value by transferring material from the storage chamber 2 to the conveyor vessel in the event of any lowering of the filling level in the conveyor vessel 1 . this is achieved by increasing the pressure in the upper region 10 of the storage chamber 2 . on the other hand , if the filling level in the conveyor vessel 1 rises above the value corresponding to the desired conveying capacity , then the pressure in the upper region 10 of the storage chamber 2 is reduced and as a result material is transferred from the conveyor vessel 1 to the storage chamber 2 . if the discharge capacity of the conveyor vessel 1 is to be rapidly increased , which necessitates a corresponding increase in the filling level in the conveyor vessel 1 , then a correspondingly higher pressure is built up in the storage chamber 2 so that a filling level 27b is set in the storage chamber 2 and a filling level 27a is set in the conveyor vessel 1 . if a higher discharge capacity is required , material is promptly forced out of the storage chamber 2 into the conveyor vessel 1 . if on the other hand it is desired to reduce the discharge capacity of the conveyor vessel 1 by reducing the pressure in the storage chamber 2 ( effected by opening the valve 13 ) material is quickly transferred from the conveyor vessel 1 to the storage chamber 2 . the calibration of the pneumatic conveying apparatus using the method according to the invention is described below , and with regard to the symbols used reference is made to the explanation of symbols at the end of this specification . in tests of the invention it was established that there is a linear dependence between the conveying pressure p &# 39 ; and the conveying capacity m as shown in fig2 the empty resistance p &# 39 ; o being constant during conveying . the inclination of the straight lines is designated hereafter as the calibration factor k . according to fig2 the following relationship exists between the conveying capacity m , the calibration factor k and the pressure value p ( the difference between the conveying pressure p &# 39 ; and the empty resistance p &# 39 ; o ): it is the object of the calibration to determine the unknown calibration factor k . for calibration the material supply to the conveyor vessel 1 ( via the material supply connection 9 ) is interrupted . the filling level in the conveyor vessel 1 corresponding to the then currently required conveying capacity is kept constant in the manner already described by controlling the pressure in the upper region 10 of the storage chamber 2 . thus during calibration the later supply of material to the conveyor vessel 1 takes place exclusively through the storage chamber 2 . the reduction in the filling weight m of the whole conveying apparatus over the time t is a measurement for the conveying capacity : ## equ1 ## fig3 shows the reduction in the filling weight m occurring during the calibration process . it is assumed here that the calibration begins at the time t 1 and ends at the time t 2 . the filling weight at the beginning of the calibration process is m ( t 1 ) and at the end m ( t 2 ). equations 1 and 2 give : ## equ2 ## if the integration of the pressure value p ( t ) over the time is carried out by means of numeric integration in n sensing steps , then equation 5 can be written as follows : ## equ4 ## this gives the calibration factor which is sought as follows : ## equ5 ## fig4 shows a plot of the pressure p during the calibration process , in which it is assumed that during the calibration two alterations are made to the conveying capacity . with the calibration factor k thus obtained the theoretical value and the actual value for the conveying capacity are corrected . for example in the case of a factor k which is greater by 5 %, the theoretical value and the actual value are also raised by 5 %. the actual conveying capacity is not altered by this . at the beginning and end of the calibration process the filling weight signal is checked to ascertain whether there are any great signal fluctuations which are due to external disturbances . thus , the integration of the pressure value p at t 1 , taking the filling weight m ( t 1 ) existing at the beginning of the calibration , only begins after the filling weight has fallen approximately evenly after interruption of the material supply during a predetermined period of time ( see fig3 ). the integration of the pressure value p is only ended , and at the same time the filling weight m ( t 2 ) then existing is taken , when a minimum quantity δm ( min ) has been extracted and the filling weight has fallen approximately evenly during a predetermined further period of time . the calibration is interrupted when a predetermined maximum quantity δm ( max ) is exceeded . p &# 39 ;: conveying pressure ( air pressure upstream of the conveying nozzle 5 or pressure below or above the aerating base 4 ) pi : values of p at the n sensing times between i = 1 and i = n m ( t 1 ): filling weight at the beginning of the calibration ( time t 1 ) m ( t 2 ): filling weight at the end of the calibration ( time t 2 )
| 1 |
described below are chemical processes for forming partially acetalized polyvinyl alcohol foam particles having particle size , pore size , density and particle porosity that are suitable for inclusion in selected injectable , biologically acceptable , liquid media having a liquid medium specific gravity and desirably are dispersed sufficiently so not to aggregate nor to clump in delivery equipment during an embolization procedure . the particles may be substantially homogeneously suspended in the medium to so prevent the clogging . the methods for producing the partially acetalized polyvinyl alcohol foam or sponge particles are made up of : the steps of mixing polyvinyl alcohol reactant , at least one acidic catalyst , and at least one acetalizing agent under reaction conditions suitable for forming partially acetalized foam particles . the reaction medium may be stirred , perhaps after the combination of at least one substantially non - reactive liquid phase , such as water or an aqueous starch mixture or aqueous polyethylene oxide or aqueous polyethylene glycol mixture , with the polyvinyl alcohol reactant . alternatively , the reaction medium may be air - whipped prior to the acetalization reaction step thereby forming an air - whipped foam . the polyvinyl alcohol reactant may have a viscosity average molecular weight in a range having a lower boundary of 50 , 000 and an upper boundary of 200 , 000 or in a range having a lower boundary of 125 , 000 and an upper boundary of 175 , 000 . the polyvinyl alcohol reactant may have a percentage of saponification in a range having a lower boundary of 75 % and an upper boundary of 99 . 3 % or in a range having a lower boundary of 85 % and an upper boundary of 95 %. the acetalization reaction is acid catalyzed . the catalyst may be : a .) at least one organic acid , such as carboxylic acids , formic acid , acetic acid , propionic acid , butanoic acid , isobutanoic acid , pentanoic acid , caproic acid , caprylic acid , capric acid , benzoic acid and oxalic acid or b .) at least one inorganic acid , such as the salts of hydroacids , hydrochloric acid , hydrobromic acid and hydrofluoric acid ; salts of oxoacids , sulfuric acid , nitric acid , phosphoric acid , carbonic acid , boric acid , chloric acid , silicic acid , perchloric acid , chlorous acid , hypochlorous acid , chlorosulfuric acid , amidosulfuric acid , disulfuric acid and tripolyphosphoric acid ; salts of thioacids , and thiosulfuric acid . obviously , the catalyst may be of mixtures or combinations of any of these . the reactant acetalizing agent may be any compound performing the acetalization function , but may be at least one member selected from the group consisting of formaldehyde , formaldehyde dimethyl acetal , acetaldehyde , propylaldehyde , butyraldehyde , pentaldehyde , glutaraldehyde , long chain aldehydes ( e . g ., containing at least six c atoms ), trioxane , paraformaldehyde , benzaldehyde , phenylacetaldehyde , and their mixtures . typically , the reaction sequence will also include the steps of stirring the mixture , aging the mixture at a modestly elevated temperature , e . g ., about 30 ° c . to about 65 ° c . ( to achieve an acceptable level of conversion to acetal ), washing the mixture to remove extraneous reactants and the acidic catalyst , separating the particles , and grinding , cutting , chopping , or die cutting the particles to suitable sizes . these particles may be separated into specific size ranges by , e . g ., sieving them or by other appropriate sizing or separating procedures . as is shown in detail in the examples below , we have observed that varying the following reaction or reactant parameters directionally from the reaction conditions found in those examples produces the following changes to the particles . lowering the molecular weight of the feed polyvinyl alcohol generally lowers the overall biocompatibility , elasticity , tear strength , and resilience of the resulting particle . raising the molecular weight of the feed polyvinyl alcohol has the opposite effect on those particle parameters . for the practical reaction parameters discussed here , lowering the degree of hydrolysis of the feed polyvinyl alcohol generally increases both the level of achievable hydration and the rate at which the particle may be hydrated or hydrates . such a change increases the elasticity and resilience of the product particle . raising the degree of hydrolysis ( or degree of saponification ) of the feed polyvinyl alcohol causes the opposite effects to occur . similarly , within the scope of practical reaction conditions suitable for the particles discussed here , the extent of the reaction or conversion to acetal may be used to control the following particle parameters : lowering the extent of the reaction or conversion to acetal again increases both the level of achievable hydration and the rate at which the particle may be hydrated or hydrates , elasticity , resilience , and compressibility of the product particle but lowers the resulting modulus . again raising the extent of reaction will have the opposite effects on the product particle . we have observed that an increase of the initial reaction rate , e . g ., perhaps by increase of the initial reaction temperature or by increase in the catalyst or acetalizing agent concentration or any or all of these changes , lowers the particles &# 39 ; cell or pore size . lowering that initial rate increases the size of those pores or cells . the directional changes outlined above are used to tailor a particle suitable for suspension in a selected liquid delivery medium . the overall effects of the product particle parameters in an embolization procedure are these : as the bulk and polymer modulus or the polymer density go down , the particles become generally more compressible , conform to the tissue site more easily , and are able to penetrate further and pack more efficiently at the treatment site . numerically higher values of these parameters also cause higher point forces on delicate vessel surfaces . likewise , if the polymer and bulk modulus and density are higher and compressibility becomes lower , the penetration to a vessel treatment site is compromised or limited due to aggregation of inflexible particles . pore size has the following effect on particle uniformity . larger pores , in comparison to the size of the particle , may yield a particle having extraneous material hanging on the edges . these projections likely accentuate clogging in the delivery device via mechanical interlocking . conversely , particles with pores smaller by comparison with the particle diameter generally have more of a spherical shape and are less likely to clog during delivery . packing in a vascular cavity is typically more efficient , as well . other practical effects of particle pore ( or cell ) size as deposited in the vasculature are that small pores ( generally & lt ; 200 um ) do not permit ease of tissue in - growth . larger cell sizes permit a high degree of tissue in - growth . porosity of the product foam particle ( a value inversely related to the bulk foam , or relative , density ) exhibits the following in this polymer system : lowering the porosity increases the bulk foam density , bulk modulus , and resilience but lowers the particle &# 39 ; s compressibility . raising the porosity has opposite effects . in the reactive phase - separation process ( all of the examples used in this application ), the bulk density and porosity are controlled primarily through the relative proportion of intial pvaoh in the system . a greater amount of non - reactive phase ( lower relative pvaoh ) will ultimately wash out leaving a lower bulk density and higher porosity . care must be taken to include an appropriate starting amount of pvaoh , since too low an initial initial pvaoh amount will result in a collapsed solid mass . in the air - whipped process the bulk density is controlled by the amount of air whipped into the polymer . the greater the proportion of air , the greater the porosity and lower bulk density . the resultant degree of hydration inherent in the produced particle has several effects : if a particle exhibits lower hydration , it is generally less biocompatible and is generally less able to imbibe hydrophilic agents or solutions . the ability to imbibe non - hydrophilic agents is to be observed on a case - to - case basis . a high particle hydration rate , that is , during the period just prior to introduction into the body , is desirable because the particle is more rapidly suspended in the carrier medium . particles having comparatively lower hydration rates may initially float or sink depending upon bulk foam density and morphology and slow the period of time required for the embolization procedure . in any case , the particles produced by these methods and described here form a component of this invention . a following and separate procedure involves selecting appropriate partially acetalized polyvinyl alcohol foam particles produced by the processes discussed above appropriate for a particular injectable , biologically acceptable , liquid medium such that , once hydrolyzed , the particles are substantially suspendable or suspended in the selected liquid medium . the next step involves combining the selected particles and the medium to hydrate the particles and to produce the composition . the embolic composition used for forming an occlusion in a body opening or cavity , is a combination of hydrated , partially acetalized , polyvinyl alcohol foam particles made in the fashion described above and have particle size , pore sizes , and particle porosities selected to be generally suspended in a matched , selected injectable , biologically acceptable , liquid media . the homogeneous suspension generally provides for a predictable and even delivery of the particles to the selected site without clogging the delivery apparatus . the liquid media has a liquid medium specific gravity , generally in a range having a lower limit of about 1 . 0 and has an upper limit of about 1 . 50 , although the liquid medium specific gravity may fall in a range with a lower limit of about 1 . 1 and an upper limit of about 1 . 40 , or a lower limit of about 1 . 15 and an upper limit of about 1 . 40 . the liquid medium may be made up of one or more members selected from the group consisting of saline solution , radio - opacifiers , antibiotics , chemotherapy drugs , pharmaceuticals , growth factors , anti - growth factors , and natural and synthetic hormones or , perhaps one or more imaging or contrast agents . the radio - opacifiers may comprise one or more iodine - based imaging or contrast agents such as the well known and commercially available oxilan 300 , oxilan 350 , ultravist 150 , ultravist 240 , ultravist 300 , ultravist 370 , and omnipaque 350 . for certain uses , the liquid medium may also contain one or more anticoagulants , such as heparin ., or one or more clotting agents , such as thrombin . the particles may have a mean size falling in a range having a lower limit of about 20 μm and an upper limit of about 10 mm , possibly with a lower limit of about 30 μm and an upper limit of about 10 mm or a range with a lower limit of about 45 μm and an upper limit of about 2800 μm . several tailored size ranges are applicable : 1 .) lower limit of about 90 μm and an upper limit of about 2000 μm , 2 .) a lower limit of about 180 μm and an upper limit of about 1400 μm , 3 .) a lower limit of about 300 μm and an upper limit of about 1000 μm , 4 .) a lower limit of about 500 μm and an upper limit of about 750 μm , 5 .) a lower limit of about 180 μm and an upper limit of about 300 μm , 6 .) a lower limit of about 300 μm and an upper limit of about 500 μm , and 7 .) a lower limit of about 500 μm and an upper limit of about 710 μm . similarly , the particle porosity may fall in a range having a lower limit of about 50 % and has an upper limit of about 98 %, perhaps with a lower limit of about 80 % and an upper limit of about 96 %. combinations of these particle sizes and porosities and the liquid medium specific gravity are suitable for the composition , e . g ., where the particle size has a lower limit of about 30 μm and an upper limit of about 10 mm and where the liquid medium specific gravity has a lower limit of about 1 . 0 and an upper limit of about 1 . 50 ; or perhaps , where the particle size falls in a range that has a lower limit of about 180 μm and an upper limit of about 710 μm and where the liquid medium specific gravity has a lower limit of about 1 . 2 and an upper limit of about 1 . 4 . combinations suitable for certain liquid medium include those where the particle porosity has a lower limit of about 50 % and has an upper limit of about 98 % and where the liquid medium specific gravity has a lower limit of about 1 . 0 and has an upper limit of about 1 . 50 ; a particle porosity with a lower limit of about 80 % an upper limit of about 96 % and where the liquid medium specific gravity has a lower limit of about 1 . 2 and an upper limit of about 1 . 4 . the particles may further comprise radio - opacifiers , antibiotics , chemotherapy drugs , pharmaceuticals , growth factors , anti - growth factors , and natural and synthetic hormones as well as imaging or contrast agents such as barium sulfate , gold , tantalum , platinum , tungsten , bismuth oxide , and mixtures . the particles themselves may contain one or more anticoagulants such as heparin and one or more clotting agents , such as thrombin in certain rarely chosen instances . the particles may be sized , e . g ., ground , cut , chopped , or die - cut , to suitable sizes prior to their introduction into the liquid medium . the resulting composition generally is substantially non - clogging when passed through a catheter delivery system ; the homogeneous suspension also generally provides for a predictable and even delivery of the particles . additionally , the particles and medium may be associated , perhaps in a physical kit , for producing the dispersed composition by the hydration procedure discussed above . a mixture of 100 of polyvinyl alcohol ( pvaoh ), having a viscosity average molecular weight range of 85 , 000 to 146 , 000 and a percentage of saponification of approximately 99 % and 736 g of deionized water was heated to 95 ° c . for thirty minutes and set aside and allowed to cool to room temperature . a separate mixture of 20 g of potato starch 180 g of deionized water was heated to 80 ° c . and then added to the pvaoh solution and mixed thoroughly . to this resultant solution was added 45 g of approximately 98 % sulfuric acid and 76 g of approximately 37 % formaldehyde ( formalin solution ) to form the reactant mixture . after thorough stirring the reactant mixture was cured at 35 ° c . for 6 hours and then 55 ° c . for 6 hours and allowed to cool to room temperature . the resultant partially acetalized polyvinyl alcohol ( pvat ) sponge was then washed thoroughly to remove excess formaldehyde and sulfuric acid . the sponge was then ground into particles in a blender operating at approximately 20 , 000 rpm for 10 minutes with added water in ratio to sponge of approximately 2 : 1 . the resultant particles were isolated through a # 325 mesh screen and dried at 50 ° c . overnight . the particles were then separated into size ranges using astm standard sieves according to the table below . the particles hydrated slowly with consequent floating in solution early in the hydration process . we believe this to be due to the relatively high hydrolysis of the base or feed polymer and the consequent relatively high resistance to water absorption . such a result would translate into a relatively slower hydration rate . furthermore , the higher degree of hydrolysis allows for a more ordered association between polymer chains giving a high surface energy and thereby variously inhibiting the wetting ( e . g ., air bubbles were surface trapped ) and slowing the hydration rate . we repeated the same procedure as that of example 1 except that the percentage of saponification of the pvaoh was approximately 88 %. we noted a more rapid hydration of particles with a subsequent suspension in solution early in the hydration process . we believe that although the reaction composition and conditions were substantially identical to those in example 1 , the lower degree of hydrolysis of the base polymer permitted the rapid and more extensive water absorption . this is believed to be due to the less - ordered nature of the polymer chains — residual acetate groups disrupting chain alignment . the extensive water absorption allows for a closer approximation of the particle to the density of the solution ( water ). the same procedure as that of example 2 was repeated except that the temperature profile of the curing step was 55 ° c . for 16 hours . these particles exhibited rapid hydration followed by their ‘ separation ’ from water by sinking . we believe that , although the reaction composition is identical to example 2 ), the extended period of reaction at the elevated temperature caused a greater extent of conversion to the acetal functionality . the acetate residuals inherent in the base polymer permitted for surface hydration , but the extensive degree of conversion and crosslinking resulted in a tight network unable to imbibe water to the same degree . the density of the resultant polymer was greater than the water , thus it sank . the procedure of example 2 was repeated except that the mass of formalin solution was 85 g . these particles rapidly hydrated of particles and sank in the water . although the reaction temperature profile was identical to that of example 2 ), the greater concentration of formaldehyde caused a greater extent of conversion to the acetal functionality . the result was nevertheless the same as seen in example 3 ). in this instance , though , we believe that the result was due to the concentration variance instead of the temperature . the rate and extent of the acetal formation reaction is known to be directly related to temperature and hcho concentration ( arrhenius kinetics and 2nd order with [ pvaoh : hcho ]).
| 0 |
in a binary phase - shift keyed random time hopping impulse radio ( th - ir ) system , the transmitted signal can be represented by the following model : s tr ( t ) = ∑ j = - ∞ ∞ d j k b ⌊ j / n f ⌋ k w tr ( t - jt f - c j k t c ) , ( 1 ) where w tr is the transmitted unit - energy pulse , t f is the average pulse repetition time , n f is the number of pulses representing one information symbol , and b is the information symbol transmitted , i . e ., zero or one . in order to allow the channel to be exploited by many users and avoid catastrophic collisions , a pseudo - random sequence { c j } is assigned to each user . this sequence is called the time hopping ( th ) sequence . the th sequence provides an additional time shift of c j t c seconds to the j − th pulse of the signal , where t c is sometimes called the chip interval . to prevent pulses from overlapping , the chip interval is selected to satisfy t c ≦ t f / n c . we consider coded ir systems where the d j &# 39 ; s are binary random variables , and where d i and d j are independent for i ≠ j , taking each values ± 1 with a probability of ½ , see fishler et al ., “ on the tradeoff between two types of processing gain ,” 40 th annual allerton conference on communication , control , and computing , 2002 . this systems can be regarded as an random — code division multiple access radio signal ( rcdma ) system with t f = t c . in this case , n f represents the processing gain . s j = { d ⌊ j / n c ⌋ j - n f ⌊ jn c ⌋ = c ⌊ j / n c ⌋ 0 otherwise . ( 2 ) then , assuming t f / t c = n c , without loss of generality , equation ( 1 ) can be expressed s tr ( t ) = ∑ j = - ∞ ∞ s j b ⌊ j / n f n c ⌋ k w tr ( t - jt c ) . ( 3 ) we assume that no data modulation is done during the acquisition stage , that is b j / n j n c = 1 ∀ j . in this case , the received signal over a flat fading channel in a single user system can be expressed as r ( t ) = ∑ j = - ∞ ∞ s j w rec ( t - jt c - τ ) + σ n n ( t ) , ( 4 ) where w rec ( t ) is the received uwb pulse , and n ( t ) is white gaussian noise with unit power spectral density . this model approximately represents the line - of - sight ( los ) case , with a strong first component . the number of cells in an uncertainty region is taken to be n = n f n c . one of these cells is the signal cell , while the others are non - signal cells . assuming no data modulation for the purposes of acquisition , then the template signal that is used in a serial search for the signal model in equation ( 3 ) can be expressed as follows : s m 2 ( c ) ( t ) = ∑ n = jn c ( j + m 2 ) n c - 1 s n w rec ( t - nt c ) , ( 5 ) where m 2 is the number of pulses , over which the correlation is taken . for a sequential block search ( sbs ) according to the invention , there are two different template signals . the first template signal is used for searching a block of cells , while the second template signal is similar to the one used in the serial search . the first template signal for the signal model described in equation ( 3 ) can be expressed as follows : s m 1 ( c ) ( t ) = ∑ i = 0 k - 1 ∑ n = jn c ( j + m 1 ) n c - 1 s n w rec ( t - nt c - it c - ( b - 1 ) kt c ) , ( 6 ) where b is the total number of blocks in the uncertainty region , each block including k cells , and where m 1 is the number of pulses , over which the correlation is taken . for simplicity , it is assumed that the total number of uncertainty cells can be expressed as n = kb . the value t c is taken as the minimum resolvable path interval . the output of the correlation of the received signal and the first template signal in equation ( 6 ) is used as a quick test to check if the whole block contains a signal cell , or not . the correlation output of the received signal and the second template signal is then used in a detailed search of a block . the index of the block that is currently being searched is b , with b = 1 initially . then , the sbs method can be described as follows : 1 ) check the b th block using the first template signal s m 1 ( b ) ( t ). 2 ) if the output of the b th block is not higher than a block threshold , τ b , then , go to step 6 . 3 ) if the output of the bth block is higher than the block threshold , τ b , then search the block in more detail , i . e ., cell - by - cell serial search with a signal threshold τ s , using the second template signal s m 2 ( c ) ( t ). 4 ) if no signal cell is detected in the block , go to step 6 . 6 ) set b =( b mod b )+ 1 and go to step 1 . when a false alarm ( fa ) occurs in the serial search part , the search resumes with the next cell after c time units , which is the penalty time in terms of frame time . in step 5 , “ the signal cell is detected ” means that the signal cell output exceeds the signal threshold , τ s . similarly , in step 4 , “ no signal cell is detected ” implies that the signal cell is not in the block , or the output of the cell is lower than the signal threshold τ r , even if the cell is in the block . [ 0045 ] fig1 shows the sbs method . the received signal 101 is correlated 110 with the first template signal of equation ( 6 ), and the output 111 is compared 120 to the block threshold τ b . if the block threshold is not exceeded 121 , the decision unit has a synchronization unit 130 adjusted 131 the delay of the first template signal , and another correlation 110 with the received signal is performed . when the block output 111 is higher than the block threshold τ b , the second template signal in equation ( 5 ) is employed and the cells in the block are serially searched . in other words , decision unit 120 compares the outputs with the thresholds and decides if the signal is detected 122 , or not 121 , while the synchronization unit 130 adjusts 131 the delays of the template signals and sends the corresponding one to the correlation unit . an average block search method is appropriate in harsh nlos conditions . the basic idea behind this method is to use an average value of a number of serial correlation outputs in order to see a considerable increase in the output values . this increase indicates the start of the signal cells . the received signal in this case is expressed as : r ( t ) = ∑ j = ∞ ∞ ∑ l = 1 l α l s j w rec ( t - jt c - τ l ) + σ n n ( t ) , ( 7 ) where α 1 is the amplitude coefficient and τ 1 is the delay of the l th multipath component . consider the outputs of the correlations of the received signal with the following template signal : s m ( c ) ( t ) = ∑ n = jn c ( j + m ) n c - 1 s n w rec ( t - nt c ) . ( 8 ) if the absolute values of the results of these correlations are z 1 , . . . , z n , then we can define w i = 1 k ∑ j = ik + 1 ( i + l ) k z j , ( 9 ) let i be the index of the averaged block currently being searched , with i = 0 initially . then , the abs method can be described follows : 1 ) check difference between successive averages w i mod b — w ( i − 1 ) mod b . 2 ) if the difference is not higher than a first threshold τ α go to step 6 . 3 ) if the difference is higher than τ α , check z ( i mod b ) k + 1 , . . . , z ( i mod b )+ 1 ) k serially , comparing to a second threshold , τ c . 4 ) if no signal cells detected , go to step 6 . 6 ) set i =( i + 1 ) mod b , and go to step 1 . [ 0061 ] fig2 shows abs method and system 200 . in this embodiment multiple correlators 210 averaging units 215 are used in parallel . a received signal r ( t ) 201 is first correlated 210 with a first template signals with different delays . then , the absolute values of these correlations are averaged 220 and compared to the previous averaged value by the decision unit 230 . if there is a significant increase in the average value and if any one of the serial search outputs in the corresponding block exceeds the threshold , the signal is detected 231 . if no detection 232 occurs , then , the delays of the template signal are adjusted by the synchronization unit 240 , and the same steps are followed again . note that even though the block diagram is shown for the case with k correlators and averaging units , the method and system can also be worked with only one correlator . in such a situation , the decision unit can perform the averaging and comparison tasks by storing a predetermined number of outputs of the single correlator . the sequential block search method according to the invention provides a quick method to find the location ( s ) of a signal cell of a uwb signal . first , the method quickly determines a smaller region where signal cells are likely to exist . then , it searches that region in detail to find the exact location of the signal . in this way , the time to acquire the uwb signal can be reduced considerably . in fact , the mean acquisition time of the sbs method becomes proportional to the square root of n for large signal - to - noise ratios . in contrast , the mean acquisition time of a prior art serial search is directly proportional to the number of cells in an uncertainty region . for practical values , the acquisition time using the sbs method is about the half of the serial search mean acquisition time . in harsh multipath conditions , an average block search reduces the acquisition time because the averaged values of serial search outputs are more reliable in detecting the start of the signal in some nlos situations . in this way , instantaneous increases in the single outputs are smoothed so that the frequency of false alarms is reduced . it should be noted that the invention can also be used in direct sequence — code division multiple access ( ds - cdma ) systems . although the invention has been described by way of examples of preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that various other adaptations and modifications may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention . therefore , it is the object of the appended claims to cover all such variations and modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of the invention .
| 7 |
an exemplary sla pertinent to the practice of the invention stipulates , for each stream ( s , σ ), an aggregate offered bandwidth u sσ ( the “ contracted offered bandwidth ”) and an aggregate carried bandwidth v sσ ( the “ contracted carried bandwidth ”), v sσ & lt ; u sσ . implicitly , the ratio v sσ / u sσ is the contracted flow - acceptance ratio for the stream . it should be noted that this ratio cannot be precisely unity , because due to the statistical nature of the incoming traffic , only a network having infinite capacity could guarantee that 100 % of incoming calls will be accepted . for determining whether there is compliance with the terms of the sla , estimates of the actual offered and carried bandwidths are made , based on measurements . bandwidth can be measured directly by examining the offered and carried packets . alternatively , calls can be counted and the total bandwidth inferred from effective bandwidths associated with each of the calls . ( effective bandwidth is described in more detail below .) in either case , it is advantageous for the bandwidth measurements to be performed at the ingress node , i . e ., at the source node of the corresponding stream . initially , we will describe an sla monitoring scheme based on call - level accounting . later , we will discuss an example of sla monitoring based on packet - level ( i . e ., on data - level ) accounting . the numerical studies that we describe below used call - level accounting . an exemplary measurement procedure employs time windows , referred to here as “ sla windows ,” and it also employs exponential smoothing . the sla window length τ and the smoothing parameter α sla are also advantageously stipulated in the sla . let { tilde over ( v )} sσ ( n ) denote a measured value of carried stream bandwidth in time window n , and let ũ sσ ( n ) denote a measured value of offered stream bandwidth in the same time window . because each measurement involves some degree of estimation , we refer to these values as “ estimated ” bandwidth values in the following discussion . in the following discussion , it will be optional whether smoothed or unsmoothed values of { tilde over ( v )} sσ ( n ) and ũ sσ ( n ) are used . ( smoothed values were used in the numerical studies described below .) however , to illustrate one form of smoothing that is useful in this context , we here let { tilde over ( v )} sσ sm ( n ) and ũ sσ sm ( n ) represent smoothed values , and we let { tilde over ( v )} sσ raw ( n ) and ũ sσ raw ( n ) represent corresponding raw , i . e ., unsmoothed , values . then according to an illustrative smoothing technique , { tilde over ( v )} sσ sm ( n + 1 )= α sla { tilde over ( v )} sσ sm ( n )+( 1 − α sla ) { tilde over ( v )} sσ raw ( n ), and ũ sσ sm ( n + 1 )= α sla ũ sσ sm ( n )+( 1 − α sla ) ũ sσ raw ( n ). according to an exemplary sla , a compliant customer is one whose offered stream bandwidth does not exceed the contracted amount . the service provider promises to carry the same fraction of the estimated offered bandwidth as the proportion of contracted carried to contracted offered bandwidth . if the service provider carries a smaller fraction than what is promised , it is declared non - compliant and pays a penalty for each call that is lost ( i . e ., not carried ) while the service provider is in the non - compliant state . on the other hand , the customer is non - compliant if it offers more stream bandwidth than the contracted amount . in that event , the service provider promises to carry only the contracted amount of carried bandwidth . the service provider is declared non - compliant if it fails to carry the contracted amount . in that case it pays a penalty for lost calls , e . g . for lost bandwidth up to the contracted amount . advantageously , the monitoring of customer and service - provider compliance , and the declaration of corresponding compliant and non - compliant states , take place at the ingress node . [ 0027 ] fig1 illustrates an exemplary decision process for sla compliance . at block 5 , the estimated value ũ sσ ( n ) of the offered stream bandwidth is compared with the contracted value u sσ . the estimated value of the offered bandwidth ( and as will be seen below , also the estimated value of the carried bandwidth ) is determined at the end of the n &# 39 ; th sla window . however the variable “ sla_state ”, which takes the value “ compliant ” if the service provider is sla - compliant and the value “ non - compliant ” otherwise , is treated as uniform over the entire window . ( more generally , the pair of variables describing the respective states of sla compliance of the customer and the service provider are treated as uniform over the entire window .) we found that this approximation is helpful for controlling the processing burden , and that it permits averaging and tends to increase accuracy . the output of block 5 is “ yes ” if the estimated value of offered bandwidth is no greater than the contracted value . in that case , the customer is sla compliant , as represented by the left - hand side of the grid at the bottom of the figure , i . e ., quadrants a and b . if the output of block 5 is “ no ”, the customer is sla non - compliant , as represented by quadrants c and d . the test of whether the service provider is sla - compliant ( which , in turn , determines the value of the variable sla_state ) takes different forms , depending on the result of block 5 . in the case of a compliant customer , the test of block 10 applies . in block 10 , ratios are compared of carried bandwidth to offered bandwidth . if the ratio v sσ / u sσ of contracted values is no greater than the ratio { tilde over ( v )} sσ ( n )/ ũ sσ ( n ) of estimated values , the service provider is declared sla - compliant for window n , as indicated in quadrant a of the figure . otherwise , the service provider is declared sla non - compliant , as indicated in quadrant b . in the case of a non - compliant customer , the test of block 15 applies . according to the test of block 15 , the service provider is declared sla - compliant for window n if the contracted amount v sσ of carried bandwidth is no greater than the estimated amount { tilde over ( v )} sσ ( n ), as indicated in quadrant c of the figure . otherwise , the service provider is declared non - compliant , as indicated in quadrant d . every call that is carried generates revenue to the service provider and increments a flow revenue measure w sσ ( n ). for example , as shown in fig2 a previous cumulative revenue measure w sσ ( n − 1 ) ( shown in block 20 of the figure ) is incremented at summing point 30 by the current amount shown in block 25 to form the current cumulative revenue measure w sσ ( n ) for sla window n ( block 35 ). the current increment of block 25 is the product of the number m sσ ( n ) of calls of stream ( s , σ ) carried in window n , and a stream revenue parameter s sσ . by way of example , but not of limitation , we note that in numerical studies we set w sσ equal to the product of the effective bandwidth d s and the mean holding time h s of calls of service class s . the effective bandwidth can be adjusted to account , in a single parameter , for various packet - level factors such as burstiness , delay , jitter , and loss at network elements . if the service provider loses calls while in a state of sla non - compliance , it may be liable to pay a penalty . in the exemplary scheme of fig2 a previous value penalty sσ ( n − 1 ) of a cumulative flow penalty measure ( block 55 ) is incremented at summing point 60 by the current penalty increment to form a current value penalty sσ ( n ) of the cumulative measure for window n ( block 65 ). the current penalty increment is the value shown at block 40 of the figure . however , at multiplier 50 , the current penalty increment is given a multiplicative weight of 0 ( in which case it is not added to the cumulative value in block 65 ) if the service provider is sla - compliant in window n . otherwise , the penalty increment receives a multiplicative weight of 1 . as shown at block 40 , the penalty increment is exemplarily the product of three factors : the stream revenue parameter w sσ , the number n sσ ( n ) of calls of stream ( s , σ ) that are lost in sla window n , and an adjustable penalty multiplier m sσ , which is typically greater than 1 . various alternative penalty structures are also readily implemented . for example , the penalty structure of fig2 penalizes the service provider for all calls that are lost while the sla state of the network lies in quadrant d of fig1 even when the amount of offered bandwidth is grossly in excess of that stipulated in the sla . to discourage gross excesses of offered traffic , it will in some cases be advantageous to limit the factor n sσ ( n ) in block 40 of fig2 so that it includes only the difference between the measured ( i . e ., estimated ) and contracted values of carried bandwidth . at summing point 70 , the cumulative stream revenue value of block 35 and the cumulative stream penalty value of block 65 are combined as respective positive and negative contributions to the net stream revenue w_net sσ ( n ), as shown at block 75 . summing w_net sσ ( n ) over all streams gives a network - wide measure w_net ( n ) of cumulative net revenue , as shown in block 80 . in the preceding discussion , we have treated it as optional whether smoothed or unsmoothed values are used for { tilde over ( v )} sσ ( n ) and ũ sσ ( n ). according to our current belief , however , it will be especially advantageous to base the sla state determination on smoothed values , but to compute the revenue and penalty values based on the unsmoothed measurements of bandwidth offered and carried in each time window . as mentioned above , an alternative to call - level monitoring is to measure the offered and carried bandwidth at the packet ( or data ) level . leaky bucket techniques , for example , are readily used to perform such measurements . ( leaky bucket measurements will tell how much bandwidth was carried and how much was dropped or marked as non - compliant . thus , the amount offered is readily inferred .) in the context of packet - level measurements , we let ω sσ represent the revenue generated by the service provider for carrying a unit amount of data on stream ( s , σ ). thus , an expression appropriate in this context for the incremental gain in revenue for window n is w sσ ( n )− w sσ ( n − 1 )= { tilde over ( v )} sσ raw ( n ) τω sσ . a penalty structure that we believe will be especially advantageous in the context of packet - level measurements is defined by prescriptions ( i )-( iii ), below , for the value of the incremental penalty for time window n , i . e ., for penalty sσ ( n )− penalty sσ ( n − 1 ). the prescription are made with reference to quadrants a - d of fig1 . ( i ) if the network sla state for stream ( s , σ ) lies in quadrant a or c , the incremental penalty is zero . ( ii ) if the sla state lies in quadrant b , the incremental penalty is m s ω s σ τ [ ( v s σ u s σ ) u ~ s σ raw ( n ) - v ~ s σ raw ( n ) ] + ( iii ) if the sla state lies in quadrant d , the incremental penalty is m s ω sσ τ [ v sσ −{ tilde over ( v )} sσ raw ( n )] + the notation [. . . ] + signifies that if the bracketed quantity is less than zero , it should be set to zero . as noted , an off - line design process is advantageously employed for allocating ( in a statistical sense ) the offered traffic for each stream among the admissible routes for that stream . information passed from the design phase to the sla - management process will generally include u sσ and v sσ as well as the designed service - route loads x sr . we have found it advantageous to derive the loads x sr from the raw output of the design , which is based on mean values of traffic bandwidth , in a manner which reserves extra capacity in anticipation of traffic variability . thus , if the design process yields a mean value m sr of aggregate bandwidth carried on a service route , we set the corresponding load parameter x sr equal to m sr plus an additional increment related to traffic variability . although the standard deviation , for example , could be used as such a measure of variability , we have found that an adequate measure is provided by the square root of the mean value . accordingly , we have found it advantageous to set x sr = m sr + γ { square root }{ square root over ( m sr )}, where γ is a small non - negative number , typically about 0 . 5 . similarly , we have found it advantageous to set v sσ = m sσ − β { square root }{ square root over ( m sσ )}, where β is another small , non - negative number , also typically about 0 . 5 . in the preceding expression , m sσ is the mean carried aggregate bandwidth on stream ( s , σ ) obtained from the design process . as β increases , the contracted amount v sσ of carried bandwidth decreases more steeply with increasing traffic variability . thus , increasing β is appropriate for reflecting increasing aversion by the service provider to incurring penalties for lost calls . on the other hand , increasing β also tends to reduce the flow - acceptance ratio v sσ / u sσ contracted for in the sla . a penalty structure for lost calls , as described above , can optionally be included in the design process , although some additional complexity will result . in the numerical studies whose results we report below , we did not include the penalty structure in the design process . alternate revenue structures are also readily implemented . for example , the service provider might wish to demand a premium for carrying calls at the contracted bandwidth value when the amount of offered bandwidth exceeds the contracted value , i . e ., when the network state lies in quadrant c of fig1 . in such a case , a second - tier revenue parameter , larger than the basic stream revenue parameter w sσ , can be applied when the network state lies in quadrant c . such a second - tier parameter can be applied , e . g ., to all carried bandwidth , or it can be made to apply only to carried bandwidth in excess of the contracted amount . in the phase of network management that we refer to as “ route classification ,” each ingress node evaluates , for every time window n , a variable status sr ( n ) based on the bandwidth load , aggregated over calls , of each service route ( s , r ) from the ingress node , and it maintains a database of these variables . each variable status sr ( n ) is computed at the beginning of time window n and remains fixed during the window . this status variable is computed for each admissible route r for each stream having the given node as its ingress node , for each corresponding egress node , and for each service class s . [ 0047 ] fig3 illustrates an exemplary process for evaluating status sr ( n ). at block 85 , the measured bandwidth load z sr ( n ) on service route ( s , r ) at the beginning of window n is compared with the design load x sr . as indicated at block 90 , the loading status of the service route is declared “ undersubscribed ” ( i . e ., status sr ( n ) is set equal to us ) if the measured load is no greater than the design load . as indicated at block 95 , the loading status is declared “ oversubscribed ” ( status sr ( n ) is set equal to os ) if the measured load is greater than the design load . the loading status of service routes is important in the implementation of the phase referred to here as “ routing and admission control ,” which is described below . we will now describe an exemplary procedure for measuring the service - route bandwidth load z sr ( n ) using quantities computed from local measurements at the ingress node . this measurement procedure is based on a window of length τ and on exponential smoothing with a smoothing parameter α . a similar procedure , possibly using different values of the window length and smoothing parameter , is readily applied for computing the offered and carried stream loads ũ sσ ( n ) and { tilde over ( v )} sσ ( n ). let t represent a time value within the n &# 39 ; th window , i . e ., ( n − 1 ) τ ≦ t & lt ; nτ . let y sr ( t ) denote the aggregate bandwidth usage on service route ( s , r ) at time t . we note that y sr ( t ) increments by a unit of the effective bandwidth d s with each new call , and it decrements by the same amount with each call departure . let { overscore ( y )} sr ( n ) denote the mean bandwidth usage on the service route over the n &# 39 ; th window , i . e ., y _ sr ( n ) = 1 τ ∫ ( n - 1 ) τ n τ y s τ ( η ) η . let z sr ( n + 1 ) denote the exponentially smoothed estimate of bandwidth usage , aggregated over calls , on the service route at the start of the ( n + 1 )&# 39 ; th window . then according to our method , z sr ( n + 1 )= αz sr ( n )+( 1 − α ){ overscore ( y )} sr ( n ). it should be noted in this regard that because only the ingress node will have been setting up calls on service route ( s , r ), without interference from other nodes ( which of course may be ingress nodes as to calls for their own streams ), all the necessary load information is available to it . we now turn to a description of control algorithms for routing and admission control . we note first that these algorithms apply a methodology known as virtual partitioning ( vp ). in the vp methodology , the bandwidth capacity of each link l is regarded as a resource which is an object of contention by all service routes in which link l is included . in our application of vp , those contending service routes that are undersubscribed ( at a given time ) are given preference over oversubscribed service routes . as explained below , a procedure referred to here as bandwidth protection ( bp ) implements this preference when new calls associated with a given stream are set up . it should be noted that at call set - up , in an exemplary implementation , the ingress node sends to each link in a service route of interest a request and an indication of the value of status sr ( n ) for the service route of interest and current time window n . we now describe the bandwidth protection procedure with reference to fig4 . this procedure is advantageously performed at the ingress node . let l represent a link traversed by the potential service route , let c l represent the bandwidth capacity of link l , and let y l ( t ) represent the total bandwidth usage on the link at the time t of call set - up . ( obviously , y l ( t ) cannot exceed c l .) let ( s , r ) represent a potential service route that has been selected for routing an incoming call . at block 100 of the figure , a determination is made whether the status of the potential service route in the current window n is undersubscribed ( i . e ., whether status sr ( n ) equals us ). if the service route is identified as undersubscribed , a further determination is made at block 105 whether there is sufficient available bandwidth on the service route to accept the call . at block 105 , there will be deemed sufficient bandwidth only if at the time of call set - up , for every link l traversed by the potential service route , there is enough remaining capacity to accommodate the effective bandwidth d s of the incoming call , i . e ., only if , for all l ε ( s , r ), y l ( t )+ d s ≦ c l . if this condition is satisfied , the call is accepted , as indicated at block 115 . otherwise , the call is rejected , as indicated at block 120 . with reference once again to block 100 , if the service route is determined not to be undersubscribed , it is oversubscribed ( i . e ., status sr ( n ) equals os ). in that case , the determination whether there is sufficient available bandwidth on the service route to accept the call is made at block 110 . the test applied at block 110 is more demanding than the test applied at block 105 . at block 110 , each link l traversed by the service route is required to have remaining capacity not only for the effective bandwidth d s , but also for a quantity of bandwidth r { circumflex over ( d )}, referred to here as the bandwidth reservation . that is , the call is accepted ( at block 125 ) only if , for all l ε ( s , r ), y l ( t )+ d s + r { circumflex over ( d )}≦ c l . otherwise , the call is rejected ( at block 130 ). the bandwidth reservation r { circumflex over ( d )} forces our routing procedure to give preference to undersubscribed service routes in two respects . first , an attempt to route a call on an oversubscribed service route must satisfy a more demanding test than a routing attempt on an undersubscribed service route . second , enforcing the bandwidth reservation assures that after successfully routing a call on an oversubscribed service route , each link along that route will still have capacity to carry a call on at least one undersubscribed service route in which such link is included . ( depending on the value of r , there may be remaining capacity to carry calls on several undersubscribed service routes .) the bandwidth reservation described here is the product of two factors : the bandwidth protection parameter r and a quantity { circumflex over ( d )}. the bandwidth protection parameter is an adjustable , small positive number typically in the range 1 . 0 - 2 . 0 , and exemplarily about 1 . the quantity { circumflex over ( d )} is , e . g ., the greatest effective bandwidth over all service classes ; i . e ., { circumflex over ( d )}= max d s . it should be noted that an attempt to set up a call on a selected service route will succeed only if all the links in the service route accept the call after the bandwidth protection procedure of fig4 has been implemented . as noted , the quantity y l ( t ) represents the total bandwidth usage on a link l at the time t of call set - up . there are various ways for the ingress node to acquire this information concerning bandwidth usage on the links belonging to pertinent routes . one approach is for the ingress node to send out scout requests as needed , exemplarily by sending out specialized scout packets , which solicit usage information from the pertinent routers . such an approach is effective , but it contributes a relatively large amount of signalling traffic overhead to the network , which may be disfavored in at least some cases . an alternative approach , sometimes referred to as “ periodic flooding ,” is for the ingress node to broadcast periodic requests to the network . for usage information . this approach adds less traffic overhead than the use of scout packets , but late in the broadcast cycle , before the next request , the ingress node is generally forced to use outdated information . yet a third approach , which we believe will be advantageous in at least some cases , applies usage information that the ingress node has acquired through previous call set - up requests . the advantage of this approach is that it adds little or no signaling traffic overhead , and for at least some routes is as current as the most recent routing attempt . the use of previous call set - up attempts to acquire link usage information is discussed , e . g ., in the co - pending u . s . patent application ser . no . 08 / 565 , 737 , filed on nov . 30 , 1995 by r . gawlick et al . under the title , “ a method of admission control and routing of virtual circuits ,” and commonly assigned herewith . turning now to fig5 there is represented at block 135 a request to route a new call for stream ( s , σ ). blocks 140 and 145 represent an attempt to route the call according to a procedure known as sticky routing . sticky routing is described , e . g ., in r . j . gibbens et al ., “ dynamic alternative routing — modeling and behavior ,” proc . 12 th int . teletraffic congress , torino , 3 . 4a . 3 . 1 - 3 . 4a . 3 . 7 ( 1988 ). the ingress node has the option of attempting to route the new call on any admissible route for the pertinent stream . according to the sticky routing procedure , the preference is to use the last service route on which a call for the same stream was successfully routed . in our exemplary procedure of fig5 however , such a last service route ( denoted in block 140 as “ current ( s , r )”) may be selected only if it is undersubscribed in the current time window n . thus , if the test for undersubscribed status of block 140 is satisfied , the service route current ( s , r ) is selected for the routing attempt as indicated at block 145 . if the test of block 140 is not satisfied , then as indicated at block 150 , a determination is made whether , in the current time window , there is any service route in the admissible route set r ( s , σ ) that is undersubscribed . if there is at least one such service route , a set r us ( s , σ ; n ) of the admissible service routes at time window n is defined , and as indicated at block 155 , a member of that set , exemplarily a randomly chosen member , is selected for the routing attempt . if at block 150 no admissible undersubscribed service routes are found , then , as indicated at block 160 , a preferred one of the available oversubscribed service routes is selected . the preferred oversubscribed service route is the one that is determined to be maximally underloaded . in this context , the amount of underloading is the amount by which the design load x sr exceeds the aggregate bandwidth usage y sr ( t ) on a service route at time t . thus , the maximally underloaded route is the route of the admissible route set that minimizes the quantity y sr ( t )− x sr . it should be noted that the determination of a maximally underloaded route is readily determined at the ingress node , since the ingress node has possession of the values of y sr ( t ) and x sr . once a service route has been selected , the attempt to set the call up on the selected route is made at block 165 , where the bandwidth protection procedure of fig5 is implemented . a determination is made at block 170 whether the routing attempt was successful . if so , then in accordance with sticky routing , if used , the register containing the last successful service route current ( s , r ) is updated , as indicated at block 175 . if the test at block 170 indicates an unsuccessful attempt , then the call may be lost or , alternatively , a new attempt may be made to route the call according to a procedure , described below , that we refer to as crankback . if sticky routing is being applied , then if the test at block 170 indicates an unsuccessful routing attempt , current ( s , r ) is set to a null value , as indicated at block 180 . when an attempt to set up a call on a selected service route has failed , the likelihood that the service route can accept another call set - up request will be small initially , but will increase with time . accordingly , it will generally be advantageous to remove the selected service route from consideration for a period of time t rec , which we refer to as the recovery time . the removal of such a route from the route selection procedure for a period t rec is indicated in fig5 at block 180 . as indicated at block 185 , monitor data are updated with the results of the call set - up attempt of blocks 135 - 180 . by “ monitor data ” is meant information to be used in status decisions , revenue and penalty calculations , and the like . such information includes , e . g ., entries in databases at the ingress node that keep track of the number of calls carried and blocked , the carried and blocked bandwidth , and the like . as noted , if the call set - up attempt has failed , a new set - up attempt may be made by applying a crankback procedure . according to an exemplary crankback procedure , after block 185 , the procedure of blocks 140 - 185 is repeated until the new call has been routed , or until the set - up request has failed a specified number of times . in at least some cases , it may be advantageous to apply crankback only if certain conditions are satisfied . for example , in one form of selective crankback , a new set - up attempt is made only if loss of the call would cause the service provider to incur a penalty , i . e ., only if the service provider is currently sla - non - compliant with respect to the relevant stream . we have noted , above , that information passed from the off - line design phase to the sla management process will generally include the design value u sσ of offered stream bandwidth , the design value v sσ of carried stream bandwidth , and the mean values m sr of aggregate bandwidth carried on the respective service routes corresponding to each stream . from the values m sr , as noted , we obtain designed service - route loads x sr . we have also noted , above , that a vpn is defined when the sla specifies the amount of bandwidth that is to be made available , on demand , in each of a set of streams identified by the customer . the concept of sla compliance described above in regard to offered and carried stream bandwidth is readily extended to address compliance issues where a vpn has been specified . that is , where previously the tests of blocks 10 and 15 of fig1 were applied to quantities v sσ , u σ , { tilde over ( v )} sσ ( n ), ũ sσ ( n ) specific to a given stream ( s , σ ), the same tests are now applied to analogous quantities v s , σ ( v ) , u s , σ ( v ) , { tilde over ( v )} s , σ ( v ) ( n ), ũ s , σ ( v ) ( n ), which are specific to a given sub - stream ( s , σ ; v ) which belongs to a particular vpn having the index v . we refer to such a sub - stream as a “ vpn stream .” thus , a revenue and penalty structure as discussed above in connection with fig2 is readily devised to govern the net revenue that the service provider can collect from a customer by virtue of operating a vpn for the customer . one or more vpns may be specified as input to the off - line design phase . in such a case , service - route loads x sσ ( v ) that are analogous to the earlier - mentioned loads x sr but are specific to the traffic of particular vpns v , are obtainable , directly or after modification , from the design - phase output . we refer to the loads x sr ( v ) as “ vpn service - route design loads .” we have noted , above , that various service routes ( both for the same stream and for different streams ) contend for limited bandwidth capacity on those links that are shared among the sevice routes . if too much traffic is routed through a given link , a network roadblock can result . our bandwidth protection procedure helps to prevent such roadblocks by reserving link bandwidth on oversubscribed service routes that can be made available to undersubscribed service routes intersecting the same links . when vpns are introduced , additional forms of contention appear . for example , different vpns may now contend for the same link bandwidth , and within a single vpn , different streams as well as different routes belonging to the same stream may contend for the same link bandwidth . these forms of contention are readily dealt with by a simple extension of the bandwidth protection procedure of fig4 . the earlier concept is extended by defining a new variable status sr ( v ) ( n ), which is analogous to the above - defined variable status sr ( n ), but is specific to a service route belonging to vpn v . a vpn service route ( s , r ; v ) is declared undersubscribed , and status sr ( v ) ( n ) is set equal to us , if the measured load z sr ( v ) ( n ) on vpn service route ( s , r ; v ) in time window n is no greater than the design load x sr ( v ) . otherwise , the vpn service route is declared oversubscribed , and status sr ( v ) ( n ) is set equal to os . as in the procedure of fig4 a bandwidth reservation r 1 { circumflex over ( d )} is imposed if a call is routed on an oversubscribed vpn service route . within a given vpn , there also may be contention between the various classes of service associated with that vpn . that is , it will often be the case that the owner of a vpn is less concerned with the call acceptance rate for a particular class of service than he is with the cumulative acceptance rate of calls of all classes . such a vpn owner will wish to prevent calls of a particular service class to dominate the network resources and crowd out calls of other classes . in such an environment , it is useful to characterize a given vpn source - destination pair as oversubscribed if it is getting more than its designed share of traffic . a new call , of any service class , will be routed between an oversubscribed pair only if a bandwidth reservation r 2 ( v ) { circumflex over ( d )} is imposed on the resulting vpn service route . as a general rule , the bandwidth reservation parameter r 1 will be common to all vpns on the network , whereas the bandwidth reservation parameter r 2 ( v ) will be separately negotiated for each vpn . generally , r 2 ( v ) will be at least as great as r 1 . the preceding concepts are described in further detail with reference to fig6 . in box 190 , the variable status sr ( v ) ( n ) takes on the value us or os , as explained above . a further variable status σ ( v ) ( n ) is introduced in box 195 . this further variable is defined with reference to a vpn design load x σ ( v ) obtained by summing the load variables x sr ( v ) over all service classes and all admissible routes . that is , x σ ( v ) = ∑ s ∑ r ∈ ( v ) ( s , σ ) x s r ( v ) , where r ( v ) ( s , σ ) is the admissible route set for vpn stream ( s , σ ; v ). the design load x σ ( v ) is compared with a measured load z σ ( v ) ( n ) equal to the carried bandwidth in time window n for vpn streams ( s , σ ; v ), summed over all service classes . if z σ ( v ) ( n ) is no greater than x σ ( v ) , the variable status σ ( v ) ( n ) is set equal to us . otherwise , it is set equal to os . quadrant a of the figure represents the state in which both status sr ( v ) ( n ) and status σ ( v ) ( n ) are equal to us . in that case , an incoming call is accepted for routing on the proposed service route without imposing a bandwidth reservation . quadrant b of the figure represents the state in which status sr ( v ) ( n ) is os , but status σ ( v ) ( n ) is us . in that case , the call is accepted only if a bandwidth reservation r 1 { circumflex over ( d )} is available . quadrant c of the figure represents the state in which status sr ( v ) ( n ) is us , but status σ ( v ) ( n ) is os . in that case , the call is accepted only if a bandwidth reservation r 2 ( v ) { circumflex over ( d )} is available . quadrant d of the figure represents the state in which status sr ( v ) ( n ) and status σ ( v ) ( n ) are both os . in that case , the call is accepted only if both of the bandwidth reservations described above are available , i . e ., only if a total bandwidth reservation ( r 1 + r 2 ( v ) ){ circumflex over ( d )} is available . those skilled in the art will appreciate from the preceding discussion that vpn traffic can be studied at various levels of aggregation . at a low level of aggregation , traffic can be studied at the level of vpn service routes , identified by the triplet of indices ( s , r ; v ). ( it is understood that all the routes r referred to correspond to some given source - destination pair σ consisting of a source , i . e ., ingress , node σ 1 and a destination , i . e ., egress , node σ 2 .) at a higher level , traffic is aggregated over all routes corresponding to a given stream . this defines the vpn stream level , identified by the triplet of indices ( s , σ ; v ). at a still higher level , vpn stream traffic is aggregated over all service classes . this defines the vpn pipe level , identified by the pair of indices ( σ ; v ). it will be appreciated that the variable status σ ( v ) ( n ), defined above , refers to traffic loading at the vpn pipe level . at yet a higher level , vpn pipe traffic is aggregated over different source - destination pairs σ sharing a common ingress node σ 1 . in other words , all vpn pipe traffic from a given ingress node is aggregated together . this defines the vpn hose level , identified by the pair of indices ( σ 1 ; v ). the method described above with reference to fig6 is designed to regulate the sharing of bandwidth by vpn service - routes and vpn pipes . in at least some cases , it will be advantageous to apply the method of fig6 at a higher or lower level of aggregation than the vpn pipe level . that is , a variable analogous to status σ ( v ) ( n ) is readily devised at the vpn stream level or the vpn hose level , and applied in the method of fig6 in substitution for status σ ( v ) ( n ). we performed a numerical case study based on a fictitious network which has eight nodes ( n = 8 ), of which 10 pairs are directly connected , as shown in fig7 . the network has 20 directed links ( l = 20 ), one in each direction for each connected node pair . the typical bandwidth of a directed link is oc3 = 155 mbps , with the exception of the links connecting argonne ( 3 ) and princeton ( 4 ), and also houston ( 8 ) and atlanta ( 7 ), which have bandwidths of 2 × oc3 = 310 mbps . one measure of total resources in the network is 24 oc3 - hops . there are six service classes : voice , data 1 , data 2 , data 3 , data 4 , and video , indexed by s = 1 , 2 , . . . , 6 , respectively . the effective bandwidths of individual flows of these classes are d s = 16 , 48 , 64 , 96 , 384 and 640 kbps . voice ( s = 1 ) and video ( s = 6 ) are delay sensitive service classes , and their admissible route sets r ( s , σ ) consist only of routes with the minimum number of hops . there are a total of 68 routes for each of these two service classes . the four remaining are data service classes , all delay insensitive . their admissible route sets r ( s , σ ), s = 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , are identical and consist of routes with at most four hops . for each such s there is a total of 160 routes . the mean durations or holding times , h s , of flows of the service classes are as follows : h s = 1 , 1 , 1 , 4 , 4 , 6 . 67 , where the unit of time is 3 minutes . thus video flows last on average for 20 minutes . we next describe the aggregate bandwidths u s σ offered to streams ( s , σ ), that are also stipulated in the sla and used in the design . we define the matrices u s ={ u sσ }, s = 1 , 2 , . . . , 6 , and , furthermore , for compactness we define a single base matrix u from which we obtain u s = k s u , where k s is a scalar multiplier . the multipliers are k s = 0 . 39 , 0 . 14 , 0 . 12 , 0 . 14 , 0 . 11 , 0 . 10 . the total offered traffic for the real time services ( s = 1 and 6 ) are approximately balanced by that for data services . table i gives the matrix u . the conversion from carried flows to revenue is calculated on the basis that 16 kbps bandwidth carried for a unit of time generates unit revenue . the design for the case study was done by the techniques described in d . mitra et al ., “ atm network design and optimization : a multirate loss network framework ,” eeee / acm trans . networking 4 531 - 543 ( 1996 ). the design gives the flow acceptance ratios for individual streams that exceed 0 . 99 . we considered three scenarios , each with a distinctive traffic pattern that is characterized by the set of actual offered aggregate traffic for all streams ( s , σ ), i . e . for all service classes and ingress - egress node pairs . the traffic patterns are : ( i ) normal : the ideal case where the offered traffic u ( s , σ ) is identical to the stipulated quantities in the sla and design . ( ii ) balanced abnormal : half the node pairs , which are selected arbitrarily , have no offered traffic at all , while the other half have offered traffic for each of the service classes which are twice the sla / design values . ( iii ) unbalanced abnormal : 25 % of all node pairs , which are selected arbitrarily , have actual offered traffic for each of the service classes which are twice as much as their respective values in the sla / design , while for the remaining 75 % the actual offered traffic is as expected . the lifetimes or holding times of the flows are assumed to be exponentially distributed . whereas net revenue , w_net ( . . . ), and penalty ( . . . ) have been defined above to be cumulative , the results presented in this section are for unit time , i . e ., obtained from the cumulative quantities by dividing by the length of the simulated time . the sample path ( time and profile of every flow request ) was identically reproduced for all the trials in a given scenario . for every trial , 10 million flows are simulated . the statistics reported here are based on results collected after a transient period chosen to be sufficiently large for steady state to be reached . the number of flows that contribute to the statistics is sufficiently large to make the confidence intervals negligibly small . the parameters of interest in this study are β , the compensation parameter in the design / sla interface ; α and τ , the exponential smoothing parameter and window length in the measurement process , and , importantly , r , the band - width protection parameter . the measurement parameters have been chosen empirically . a larger α implies greater smoothing , just as a larger window length does . increasing either one improves the quality of the measurement but at the cost of a slower response to significant traffic fluctuations . in our studies , we have found that a satisfying compromise is to set τ equal to unity , the order of the average holding time , and to have α of 0 . 8 . also , for the results reported here we have taken the smoothing parameter and window length in the sla monitoring process to be the same as above . effect of the bandwidth protection . the effect of the bandwidth protection on the net revenue is indicated in tables ii , iii and iv for normal , balanced abnormal and unbalanced abnormal scenarios , respectively . for these studies , we fixed the parameters γ and β to 0 . 5 . here we do not apply the selective crankbacks and recovery - time mechanisms . for normal traffic conditions , the effect of the bandwidth protection and the penalty multiplier on the net revenue was found to be small . this is expected because the routing algorithm is optimized specifically for this traffic condition so as to maximize the revenue , and also the sla has been crafted so that the actual carried bandwidth is very close to the offered bandwidth , indicating a small loss ratio . as a consequence , the penalty is insignificant in comparison to the total generated revenue . moreover , the generated total revenue decreases slightly as we increase the bandwidth protection . this behavior indicates that bandwidth protection is being applied even in the normal condition because of the bursty nature of the offered traffic . turning next to the balanced abnormal traffic pattern , for the first time we observe a noticeable gap between the offered bandwidth and the actual carried bandwidth , even though the total offered bandwidth is close to normal . now most important is the effect of the bandwidth protection ; while the protection does not induce a dramatic loss in terms of total generated revenue , the penalty is reduced by one order of magnitude when one unit of bandwidth protection is applied and by another half when two units of bandwidth protection are applied . in the case of unbalanced abnormal traffic , this behavior is accentuated , and in both scenarios we see that a small protection is surprisingly beneficial and sufficient . depending on the penalty multiplier used , our results indicate that here , an optimal value for the bandwidth protection parameter is either 1 or 2 . effect of compensation parameter in design - sla interface . table v illustrates the effect of varying β for the three scenarios when the bandwidth protection parameter r = 1 , the other parameters being the same as above . table i base matrix u , in mbps — 14 . 1 16 . 5 2 . 4 21 . 2 11 . 8 4 . 7 7 . 1 16 . 5 — 56 . 6 7 . 1 73 . 1 35 . 4 14 . 1 21 . 2 18 . 9 58 . 9 — 9 . 4 87 . 2 42 . 4 16 . 6 25 . 9 2 . 4 7 . 1 7 . 1 — 9 . 4 4 . 7 2 . 4 2 . 4 18 . 9 70 . 7 84 . 9 9 . 4 — 54 . 2 18 . 7 30 . 7 11 . 8 33 . 0 37 . 7 4 . 7 49 . 5 — 9 . 4 14 . 1 4 . 7 11 . 8 14 . 1 2 . 4 18 . 9 9 . 4 — 4 . 7 7 . 1 18 . 9 23 . 4 2 . 4 28 . 3 14 . 1 4 . 7 — [ 0110 ] table ii normal traffic scenario penalty r , revenue per unit time net revenue per unit time bandwth per unit time m s = 1 (× 10 4 ) prtctn (× 10 4 ) ( × 10 4 ) m s = 1 m s = 5 m s = 10 0 7 . 46024 0 . 00775 7 . 452 7 . 421 7 . 383 1 7 . 45086 0 . 00585 7 . 445 7 . 422 7 . 392 2 7 . 44299 0 . 00616 7 . 437 7 . 412 7 . 381 3 7 . 34379 0 . 00656 7 . 428 7 . 402 7 . 369 [ 0111 ] table iii balanced abnormal traffic scenario penalty r , revenue per unit time net revenue per unit time bandwth per unit time m s = 1 (× 10 4 prtctn (× 10 4 ) (× 10 4 ) m s = 1 m s = 5 m s = 10 0 6 . 97299 0 . 21680 6 . 756 5 . 889 4 . 805 1 6 . 87995 0 . 01519 6 . 865 6 . 804 6 . 728 2 6 . 87025 0 . 00248 6 . 868 6 . 858 6 . 845 3 6 . 86073 0 . 00486 6 . 856 6 . 836 6 . 812 [ 0112 ] table iv unbalanced abnormal traffic scenario penalty r , revenue per unit time net revenue per unit time bandwth per unit time m s = 1 (× 10 4 prtctn (× 10 4 ) (× 10 4 ) m s = 1 m s = 5 m s = 10 0 8 . 43146 0 . 65547 7 . 776 5 . 154 1 . 877 1 8 . 28662 0 . 09143 8 . 195 7 . 829 7 . 372 2 8 . 22821 0 . 03907 8 . 189 8 . 033 7 . 838 3 8 . 19727 0 . 04961 8 . 148 7 . 949 7 . 701 [ 0113 ] table v effect of β for each traffic scenario traffic scenario β revenue (× 10 4 ) penalty m s = 1 (× 10 4 ) normal 0 . 0 7 . 44299 0 . 00924 0 . 5 7 . 44299 0 . 00616 balanced 0 . 0 6 . 87025 0 . 00710 abnormal 0 . 5 6 . 87025 0 . 00248 unbalanced 0 . 0 8 . 22821 0 . 07051 abnormal 0 . 5 8 . 22821 0 . 03907
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while the present invention is described herein with reference to illustrative embodiments for particular applications , it should be understood that the invention is not limited thereto . those having ordinary skill in the art and access to the teachings provided herein will recognize additional modifications , applications and embodiments within the scope thereof and additional fields in which the present invention would be of significant utility . [ 0020 ] fig1 is an exploded view from the rear of this invention 10 . at the rear or of this invention is the first layer of material 14 . fastened in a medial opening 18 in this first layer 14 is a zipper 22 . next is the second layer of material 26 . both layers 14 , 26 are the same size , approximately rectangular with a width no greater than the width of a standard belt . finally , there are one or more segments of adhesive backed , hook and loop fastener 30 . the hook and loop fastener 30 is shown separated on fig1 . whether the hook 34 or loop 38 portion is outermost or innermost is , obviously , immaterial . however , it is important that the portions 34 , 38 are installed in alignment . on fig1 one can see the adhesive 42 on one portion and the loop face 46 on the other portion of the fastener 30 . [ 0021 ] fig2 is an exploded view from the front of this invention . at the front of the invention are one or more segments of adhesive backed , hook and loop fastener 30 . the hook and loop fastener 30 is shown separated on fig2 . whether the hook 34 or loop 38 portion is outermost or innermost is , obviously , immaterial but again , the portions 34 , 38 must be in approximate alignment . on fig2 one can see adhesive 42 on one portion and the loop face 46 on the other portion of the fastener 30 . next is the second layer of material 26 . finally there is the first layer of material 14 with the zipper 22 fastened in the opening 18 . this invention 10 can be made with any kind of material such as leather , nylon , cotton , etc . the layers of material 14 , 26 can be fastened together around their edges 50 , 54 in any fashion such as by welding , gluing and sewing . once fastened together , they form a flat pouch 58 ( see fig3 and 5 ). the interior 62 ( see fig5 ) of the pouch 58 is only accessible through the zipper 22 . the hook and loop fastener 30 is sold under the trade name velcro ®. it can be procured without adhesive but is typically supplied with double sided adhesive on the rear of each portion . [ 0023 ] fig3 is a view from the rear showing the pouch 58 fully assembled but detached from a belt 66 . in this figure one can see the rear 70 of the pouch 58 and the portions of hook or loop 48 adhered to the rear 74 of the belt 66 . [ 0024 ] fig4 is a view from the rear showing the pouch 58 attached to a belt 66 . the pouch 58 will usually be supplied with several extra portions of adhesive backed hook or loop fastener 30 so that the pouch 58 can be attached to several different belts 66 that the purchaser already owns . [ 0025 ] fig5 is an expanded cross sectional view at the line 5 - 5 of fig4 . what can be seen on fig5 starting at the front , are the belt 66 , the first layer of double sided adhesive 42 , a segment of hook and loop fastener 30 , the second layer of double sided adhesive 42 , and the flat pouch 58 . the segment of hook and loop fastener 30 is comprised of a portion of hook fastener 34 and a portion of loop fastener 38 . again , their exact order is immaterial but it will be noted that they are in alignment so that then can co - operate and make a fastener 30 when the portions 34 , 38 are pressed together . the pouch 58 is comprised of the second layer of material 26 attached around the edges 50 , 54 to the first layer of material 14 with he zipper 22 fastened into the opening 18 . it can be appreciated from fig5 that when the pouch 58 is attached to a belt 66 and the belt 66 is fastened around the user &# 39 ; s waist , the pouch 58 is hidden from view and the zipper 22 is inaccessible . the following reference numerals are used on fig1 through 5 : thus , the present invention has been described herein with reference to a particular embodiment for a particular application . those having ordinary skill in the art and access to the present teachings will recognize additional modifications , applications and embodiments within the scope thereof . it is therefore intended by the appended claims to cover any and all such applications , modifications and embodiments within the scope of the present invention
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the invention relates to novel inhibitors of urokinase for treating malignant tumors and metastasis . the dissemination and metastasis of solid tumors in surrounding tissue is made possible by their ability to break down the extracellular matrix in the environment of the tumor cell and / or penetrate the basal membrane . aside from various matrix metalloproteinases and cathepsins , the plasminogen activator urokinase ( upa ) is , in particular , of central importance in this process ( p . mignatti and d . b . rifkin , physiol . rev . 73 , 161 - 195 , 1993 ). thus , upa activates plasminogens ; the resulting plasmin is able to break down the components of the extracellular matrix ( fibrin , fibronectin , laminin and proteoglycans inter alia ) and also activate metalloproteases and prourokinase to give upa ( u . reuning et al ., int . j . oncol . 13 , 893 - 906 , 1998 ). both prourokinase and upa bind to the upa receptor ( upar ), which is a specific receptor located on the cell surface . this results in the activity of upa , and consequently plasminogen activation , being augmented and focused in the direct environment of the tumor cell . the importance of this cell - associated plasminogen activator system for tumor growth and tumor dissemination has been demonstrated both in cell - biological studies and in animal models . thus , the invasive potential of tumor cells is diminished by inhibiting the enzymatic activity of upa with the natural inhibitors pai - 1 and pai - 2 ( j .- f . cajot et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . usa 87 , 6939 - 6943 , 1990 ; m . baker et al ., cancer res . 50 , 4876 - 4684 , 1990 ). in chick embryos , the formation of lung metastases caused by human carcinoma cells was almost completely inhibited by adding antibodies directed against upa ( l . ossowski et al ., cell 35 , 611 - 619 , 1983 ). in recent years , the clinical relevance of the factors involved in the plasminogen activator system ( upa , upar , pai - 1 and pai - 2 ) for the prognosis of patients who have solid malignant tumors has been intensively investigated . in particular , the content of upa in the tissue of various tumors has been found to be a prognosis factor . thus , patients who have a high upa level have a poorer prognosis than do those who have a low upa concentration in the tumor ( m . schmitt et al ., thromb . haemost . 78 , 285 - 296 , 1997 ; r . w . stephens et al ., breast cancer res . treat . 52 , 99 - 111 , 1998 ). an elevated concentrations of upar in the tumor tissue is also correlated with a poor prognosis ( h . pedersen et al ., cancer res . 54 , 4671 - 4675 , 1994 ; c . duggan et al ., int . j . cancer 61 , 597 - 600 , 1995 ). from the findings regarding the prognostic value of the upa content and upar content in tumor tissue , it can be assumed that synthetic upa inhibitors are able to suppress the invasion and dissemination of tumor cells . however , the number of upa inhibitors which are known thus far is relatively small . the majority possess only slight specificity and potency , as is the case for various benzamidine and β - naphthamidine derivatives ( j . stürzebecher and f . markwardt , pharmazie 33 , 599 - 602 , 1978 ). while the amiloride which is described by vassalli and belin ( febs letters 214 , 187 - 191 , 1997 ) as being a upa inhibitor is a specific inhibitor of upa , the inhibition is only weak ( k i = 7 μm ). 4 - substituted benzothiophene - 2 - carboxamidines have been found to be more active upa inhibitors ( k i = 0 . 16 μm in the case of compound 623 ). inhibitors of this type also inactivate upa which is bound to upar ( m . j . towle et al ., cancer res . 53 , 2553 - 2559 , 1993 ). the benzothiophene derivatives are very specific and they only have a low inhibitory effect on plasmin and tissue - type plasminogen activator ( tpa ); however , it is a very elaborate matter to synthesize compounds of this type . while 4 - aminomethylphenylguanidine derivatives have a comparable specificity , their inhibitory effect on upa ( k i = 2 . 4 μm for the most active compound ) is comparatively low ( s . sperl et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . usa 97 , 5113 - 5118 , 2000 ). in contrast to this , nα - triisopropylphenylsulfonyl - 3 - amidinophenylalanine derivatives achieve micromolar k i values ( 0 . 41 μm in the case of the most active compound ); however , they are very nonspecific upa inhibitors , having the same or a stronger inhibitory effect on trypsin , thrombin and plasmin ( j . stürzebecher et al ., bioorg . med . letters 9 , 3147 - 3152 , 1999 ). wo 99 / 05096 discloses improved β - naphth - amidines which are very effective upa inhibitors . while this patent reports ic 50 values in the nanomolar range , it provides no data with regard to selectivity and biological activity . thus far , only a few peptides which are derived from the substrate sequence have been reported to be upa inhibitors . kettner and shaw ( methods in enzymology , 80 , 826 - 842 , 1981 ) described chloromethyl ketones which , while inhibiting upa irreversibly , are not suitable for in - vivo use . ep 18 32 71 discloses lysine derivatives which inhibit upa to a certain degree ; however , they also inhibit other comparable enzymes and can consequently only be used very specifically , or in a restricted manner , for medical purposes . the same applies to the low molecular weight polypeptides ( approx . 50 amino acids ) which are reported in wo 95 / 17885 to be upa inhibitors and which are derived from natural inhibitors . their peptide nature , and their molecular size , greatly restrict their in - vivo use . however , wo 00 / 05245 has very recently reported peptidyl aldehydes which contain an argine c - terminally and a d - serine in p3 and which effectively inhibit upa . however , the aldehyde function gives rise to instability and low selectivity . after the ser hydroxyl had been acylated , the key compound ibuoco - d - ser - ala - arg - h was observed to have a relative bioavailability of 87 % following s . c . administration ( s . y . tamura et al ., bioorg . med . chem . lett . 10 , 983 - 987 , 2000 ). furthermore , notable advances , with regard to both the inhibitory effect and the bioavailability , were achieved when using tripeptide derivatives of the d - phe - pro - arg type in the search for inhibitors of thrombin , an enzyme which is related to upa , when agmatine , trans - 4 - aminomethylcyclohexylamine or 4 - amidinobenzylamine was incorporated c - terminally . picomolar k i values were achieved and the oral bioavailability was improved ( t . j . tucker et al ., j . med . chem . 40 , 1565 - 1569 and 3687 - 3693 , 1997 ); however , no upa inhibitors were found . thus , while melagatran , which possesses a 4 - amidinobenzylamide residue c - terminally , inhibits trypsin ( k i = 2 . 0 nm ) and thrombin ( k i = 2 . 0 nm ) very nonspecifically , its inhibition of upa , with a k i = 6 . 3 μm , is three orders of size weaker ( d . gustafsson et al ., blood coagul . fibrinolysis 7 , 69 - 79 , 1996 ; wo 94 / 29336 ). the invention is based on the object of specifying an active compound which inhibits urokinase with high activity and specificity , which can be prepared by means of a synthesis which is as uncomplicated as possible , and which is also suitable for therapeutic applications . surprisingly , it has been found that acylated amidino - benzylamine in accordance with the formula i cited in patent claim 1 , in particular compounds of 4 - amidinobenzylamine in which x , r 1 , r 2 and r 3 give natural and / or unnatural amino acids , inhibit urokinase very effectively and selectively . in this connection , amidinobenzylamine forms a particularly active urokinase inhibitor if the amidino group is in the 4 position , gly and d - ser are bonded as amino acids and the compound possesses an n - terminal protecting group r 4 which is composed of an arylsulfonyl radical or aralkylsulfonyl radical . esters , in particular those with oxycarboxylic acids , can be employed as prodrugs if they are hydrolyzed during the course of enteral uptake . it has also been found , surprisingly , that some of these oxycarbonyl derivatives of the compounds according to the invention are also very strong urokinase inhibitors . aside from urokinase , the glycine derivatives inhibited other enzymes to a markedly lesser degree , which means that these amidinobenzylamine derivatives according to the invention constitute a novel group of highly active and very selective upa inhibitors . by contrast , compounds which do not carry any h as r 1 ( e . g . alanine derivatives ) no longer inhibit urokinase selectively but are also strong inhibitors of trypsin , thrombin and plasmin . as a rule , the compounds are present as salts with mineral acids , preferably as hydrochlorides , or as salts with suitable organic acids . the compounds of the formula i can be prepared in a relatively simple manner using known methods , as described below : the starting compound 4 - cyanobenzylamine is prepared by gabriel synthesis ( g . wagner and i . wunderlich , pharmazie 32 , 76 - 77 , 1977 ; b . c . bookser and t . c . bruice , j . am . chem . soc . 113 . 4208 - 4218 , 1991 ) from 4 - cyanobenzyl bromide . the boc - protected acetyloxamidinobenzylamine is obtained from the 4 - cyanobenzylamine which has been prepared in this way . the other amino acids and the r 4 protecting group are coupled on employing standard coupling methods and using boc as the n - terminal protecting group . the second amino acid can also be coupled directly as an n - arylsulfonyl - or n - aralkylsulfonyl - protected amino acid . the peptide analogs are synthesized sequentially , beginning with the acetyloxamidinobenzylamine . in order to synthesize the corresponding esters , the target compound is reacted with the corresponding acid chloride . most of the products crystallize well and can be readily purified in this way . in the final step , the inhibitors are purified by means of preparative , reversed - phase hplc . the invention will be explained in more detail below with the aid of two implementation examples : 20 g ( 0 . 151 mol ) of 4 - cyanobenzylamine were dissolved in 300 ml of h 2 o , 150 ml of dioxane and 150 ml of 1 n naoh . while cooling with ice , 37 . 5 ml of di - tert - butyl dicarbonate were added dropwise and the mixture was stirred at 0 ° c . for one hour and at room temperature for a further 24 hrs . the dioxane was removed in vacuo and the aqueous residue was extracted 3 times with ethyl acetate . the combined extracts were washed 3 times with a 5 % solution of khso 4 and 3 times with a saturated solution of nacl , dried over na 2 so 4 and concentrated in vacuo ( white crystals ). hplc : acetonitrile / h 2 o , elution at 44 . 1 % acetonitrile ; yield : 30 . 48 g ( 0 . 131 mol ), 87 %. as described by judkins et al . ( synthetic comm . 26 , 4351 - 4367 , 1996 ), 30 . 48 g ( 0 . 131 mol ) of boc - 4 - cyano - benzylamide were dissolved in 300 ml of abs . ethanol together with 13 . 65 g ( 0 . 197 mol ) of hydroxylamine × hcl and 34 ml ( 0 . 197 mol ) of diea . the mixture was boiled under reflux for 2 hrs and stirred overnight at room temperature . after that , the mixture was concentrated in vacuo and the residue was dissolved in approx . 200 ml of acetic acid and treated with 18 . 67 ml ( 0 . 197 mol ) of acetic anhydride . after 1 hr , the mixture was concentrated once again and the residue was dissolved in ethyl acetate and this solution was washed in each case 3 times , at 0 ° c ., with a 5 % solution of khso 4 and a saturated solution of nacl . after drying over na 2 so 4 and concentrating in vacuo , a white powder was obtained . hplc : acetonitrile / h 2 o , elution at 32 . 0 % acetonitrile ; yield : 31 . 3 g ( 0 . 102 mol ) 78 %. 5 mmol of boc - 4 - acetyloxamidinobenzylamide are dissolved in 20 ml of 1 n hcl in glacial acetic acid and the solution is left to stand at room temperature for 45 min . the mixture is then extensively concentrated in vacuo , after which the product is precipitated with dry diethyl ether , sintered off , washed once again with fresh ether , and dried in vacuo . in view of the quantitative conversion , the product was used for the next synthesis step without being purified any further . boc - gly - oh ( orpegen , heidelberg ) was coupled to 4 - acetyloxamidinobenzylamine in accordance with frérot et al . ( tetrahedron 47 , 259 ff ., 1991 ). for this , 2 . 064 g ( 9 . 3 mmol ) of 4 - acetyloxamidinobenzylamine × hcl and 1 . 629 g ( 9 . 3 mmol ) of boc - gly - oh were dissolved in approx . 25 ml of dmf . 4 . 84 g ( 9 . 3 mmol ) of pybop and 3 . 878 ml ( 27 . 9 mmol ) of tea were then added at 0 ° c . and the ph was adjusted to 9 with tea . after the mixture had been stirred at room temperature for 1 hr , it was concentrated in vacuo and the residue was taken up in ethyl acetate and this solution was washed , in each case 3 times , acidically , basically and neutrally , after which it was dried and concentrated . yield : 3 g ( 8 . 2 mmol ) 88 %. 3 g ( 8 . 2 mmol ) of boc - gly - 4 - acetyloxamidinobenzylamide were dissolved in 200 ml of 90 % acetic acid . 300 mg of 10 % palladium on active charcoal were then added under argon . the argon was replaced with a hydrogen atmosphere and the mixture was hydrogenated for 24 hrs while being stirred vigorously . the catalyst was filtered off and the filtrate was concentrated in vacuo . yield : 2 . 9 g ( 7 . 9 mmol ) 96 %. 2 . 9 g ( 7 . 9 mmol ) of boc - gly - 4 - amidinobenzylamide were dissolved in 100 ml of 1 n hcl in glacial acetic and the solution was left to stand at room temperature for 45 min . it was then extensively concentrated in vacuo and the residue was precipitated with dry diethyl ether ; after that , it was sintered off and the product was washed once again with fresh ether . after the product had been dried in vacuo , it was used without any further purification for the synthesis as described in item 1 . 8 . 229 mg ( 1 . 173 mmol ) of h - d - ser ( bz )- oh ( bachem , heidelberg ) and 408 μl ( 2 . 345 mmol ) of diea were dissolved in 50 ml of 50 % acetonitrile . 335 mg ( 1 . 76 mmol ) of benzylsulfonyl chloride were then added and the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 12 hrs . it was then concentrated in vacuo and the residue was taken up with ethyl acetate and this mixture was washed , in each case 3 times , acidically and neutrally . after drying over sodium sulfate , the mixture was concentrated in vacuo . yield : 289 mg ( 0 . 827 mmol ) 71 %. 151 mg ( 0 . 433 mmol ) of benzylsulfonyl - d - ser ( bz )- oh and 121 mg ( 0 . 433 mmol ) of h - gly - 4 - amidinobenzylamide × 2 hcl were dissolved in a little abs . dmf . while cooling with ice , 225 mg ( 0 . 433 mmol ) of pybop and 230 μl ( 1 . 32 mmol ) of diea were added . after it had been stirred at room temperature for 1 hr , the mixture was concentrated in vacuo and the product was purified by hplc ( acetonitrile / h 2 o , 0 . 1 % trifluoroacetic acid , elution at 37 . 4 % acetonitrile ). 50 mg of hplc - purified benzylsulfonyl - d - ser ( bz )- gly - 4 - acetyloxamidinobenzylamide × tfa are dissolved in 50 ml of 90 % acetic acid and hydrogenated , at room temperature for 48 hrs , using 50 mg of 10 % palladium on active charcoal . after that , the catalyst is filtered off and the filtrate is concentrated in vacuo . the product is purified by hplc ( acetonitrile / h 2 o containing 0 . 1 % tfa , elution on analytical hplc at 21 . 4 % acetonitrile ) and converted into the hcl form using an ion exchanger . 30 mg ( 0 . 062 mmol ) of benzylsulfonyl - d - ser - gly - 4 - amidinobenzylamide × hcl are dissolved , at room temperature , in 3 ml of pyridine in the added presence of 1 ml of acetonitrile . 16 . 1 μl ( 0 . 124 mmol ) of isobutyl chloroformate are added while cooling with ice . the mixture is stirred for 30 minutes while cooling with ice and then stirred overnight at room temperature . the solvent is removed in vacuo and the product is purified by hplc ( elution on analytical hplc at 37 . 9 % acetonitrile ) and converted into the hcl form using an ion exchanger . configura - position of r 4 tion of r 3 r 3 r 2 x — r 1 amidino k i , μm h l ch 2 — oh h ch 2 4 21 boc l ch 2 — oh h ch 2 4 23 h d ch 2 — oh h ch 2 4 12 ac d ch 2 — oh h ch 2 4 41 bz — so 2 d ch 2 — oh h ch 2 4 0 . 036 cme — so 2 d ch 2 — oh h ch 2 4 0 . 048 bz — so 2 d ch 2 — o — bz h ch 2 4 0 . 84 bz — so 2 d ch 2 — oh h ch 2 — ch 3 4 0 . 0077 bz — so 2 d ch 2 — o — coo — h ch 2 4 0 . 39 ch 3 bz — so 2 d ch 2 — o — coo — h ch 2 4 0 . 50 ibu bz — so 2 d ch 2 — o — coo — h ch 2 — ch 3 4 0 . 043 ibu h d ch 2 — o — bz h ch 2 3 & gt ; 1 000 boc d ch 2 — o — bz h ch 2 3 & gt ; 1 000 bz — so 2 d ch 2 — o — bz h ch 2 3 & gt ; 1 000 in order to determine the inhibitory effect , 200 μi of tris buffer ( 0 . 05 m , 0 . 154 m naci , 5 % ethanol , ph 8 . 0 ; contains the inhibitor ), 25 μi of substrate ( bz - βala - gly - arg - pna in h 2 o ) and 50 μl of sc - urokinase were incubated at 25 ° c . after 3 min , the reaction was interrupted by adding 25 μi of acetic acid ( 50 %) and the absorption was determined at 405 nm using a microplate reader ( dynatech mr 5000 ). the k i values were determined in accordance with dixon ( biochem . j . 55 , 170 - 171 , 1953 ) by linear regression using a computer program . the k i values are the mean of at least three determinations . ac acetyl boc tert - butyloxycarbonyl bz benzyl diea diisopropylethylamine dmf n , n - dimethylformamide pybop benzotriazol - 1 - yl - n - oxytris ( pyrrolidino )- phosphonium hexafluorophosphate tea triethylamine tfa trifluoroacetic acid thf tetrahydrofuran cme cyclohexylmethyl ibu iso - butyl
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the inventors experimentally confirmed the fact that the combustion gas temperature and the exhaust gas temperature are indispensable to be taken into account in removal of the pollutants of the exhaust gas . for example , nitrogen oxides generally are produced at a high temperature and the ratio of increasing amount of the products of nitrogen oxides sharply increases at about 1 , 800 ° c . carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons tends to self - react when the exhaust gas temperature reaches a predetermined level . such self - reaction triggering temperature is about 750 ° c . with these facts in mind , when reading the graph in fig5 it will easily be seen that the conventional engine is completely ineffective in reducing of the pollutants in exhaust gas . as indicated by the dotted line in fig5 the combustion gas temperature is by far above 2 , 000 ° c . and then reduces to be 1 , 000 ° c . to 1 , 200 ° c ., and the temperature of the gas exhausted to the exhaust port passage through the exhaust valve port further reduces to 350 ° c . to 800 ° c . that is , the amount of nitrogen oxides generated is very large because of a high combustion temperature , and unclean exhaust gas including carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons are emitted to the exterior since the temperature of the gas exhausted to the exhaust system suddenly falls below the self - reaction triggering temperature . another experiment by the inventors confirmed the following facts , as shown in fig3 . first , carbon monoxide reduces in proportion to the air fuel ratio , and its reduction stops in the vicinity of the stoichiometric ratio ( 14 . 7 ). the amount of hydrocarbons is reduced with an increase of the air - fuel ratio and is increased as the air - fuel ratio increases over the stoichiometric ratio . second , nitrogen oxides increase with increase of the a / f ratio and reaches the peak near the stoichiometric , and then decreases with an increase of the a / f ratio . other experiments by the inventors show that the amount of the nitrogen oxides in the exhaust gas was proportionally related to the ratio of the piston stroke to the cylinder bore , as shown in fig4 and the exhaust gas temperature exhibited a tendency of increase with retardation of the ignition timing , as shown in fig6 the details of which will be referred to later . incidentally , the exhaust gas temperature in the fig6 experiment was measured in accordance with the 10 mode measuring method , japanese exhaust emission test procedure . the present invention is based on all of these experimental facts . in the present invention , the port passage in the cylinder head is formed into a siamese port passage communicating with the adjacent cylinders . the stroke - bore ratio of the engine is small . a heat insulating means is provided along the inner wall of the siamese port passage in the cylinder head . the exhaust pipe is also provided with a heat insulation structure . the ignition timing is so timed that the combustion gas temperature in the conbustion chamber is below 2 , 000 ° c . with such construction , the exhaust gas temperature is maintained above 750 ° c . over a volume of the exhaust passage following the exhaust valve port corresponding in amount to the engine displacement volume . in the present invention , these features mentioned above are systematically cooperatively combined so that the gas temperature distribution from the cylinder to the exhaust valve becomes more effective for reduction of the pollutants in exhaust gas , as indicated by the solid line in fig5 . it is to be noted that the ratio of surface area to volume in the combustion chamber may be made large for effecting a slower rate of combustion , and the exhaust valve , may set to open near the bottom dead center so as to retain the combustion gas in the combustion chamber for a long time for promoting oxidation in the cylinder . referring now to fig1 and 2 , there is shown an internal combustion gasoline engine of the type of a horizontal opposed - piston engine of which each bank is provided with two cylinders 15 incorporating the present invention , having an air cleaner 1 and a carburetor 2 as conventional , but improved so as to supply a relatively lean air fuel mixture ( 15 to 20 of the air - fuel ratio ) to the engine . there are provided an intake tube 3 and a combustion chamber 4 which is of a flat shaped type with about 4 cm - 1 ratio of surface area to volume ( s / v ). both exhaust valves 5 and 5 of the cylinders in each bank are arranged adjacent to each other and both exhaust valve ports communicate with a common port passage 16 in the cylinder head 14 , each via a branch port passage 17 , to provide a siamese port passage 6 . the siamese port passage 6 is provided with a liner 13 extending from the exhaust valve port to the common outlet of the siamese port passage 6 . reference numeral 8 designates an exhaust pipe following the siamese port passage 6 . the exhaust tube 8 is covered with a heat insulating pipe 7 over a region thereof . the heat insulated exhaust passage &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; comprising the siamese port passage 6 and the heat insulated region of the exhaust pipe 8 has a volume equal to the displacement volume of the corresponding cylinders . according to our experiments it is preferable to design the heat - retaining portion in the exhaust passage to physically correspond to the engine displacement volume . by such construction of the exhaust passage , the exhaust gas passing therethrough is heat - retained over this length of the exhaust passage . further , as shown in fig6 the exhaust system provided with the above liner and the heat - retaining means provides by far a higher exhaust gas temperature at both the a and b portions shown in fig2 when compared with that in the exhaust system without the liner and the heat - insulating means . moreover , in this invention , the ignition timing is adjusted to be retarded somewhat ( 10 ° to 20 ° of crank angle ) from the minimum advance for best torque ( mbt ). as described above , the air fuel mixture supplied is a lean mixture with the air fuel ratio ( 15 to 20 ) larger than the stoichiometric a / f ratio ( 14 . 7 ). the result is that , as seen from fig3 the pollutants of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons are reduced and the oxidation in the exhaust gas continues since a relatively large amount of oxygen resides in the exhaust gas . for further , improving such a reduction process of the pollutants , the ignition timing is delayed by a retarding ignition timing unit 18 , thereby to raise the exhaust gas temperature , as shown in fig6 and the port liner 13 and heat - retaining means are employed . as a result , the self - reaction of the pollutants , carbon monoxides and hydrocarbons , continues and the oxidation rapidly progresses , resulting in a remarkable reduction of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons . with respect to the shape of the combustion chamber , the s / v ratio is designed to be large so that the combustion chamber has a flat shaped space with a long flame propagation space . therefore , the combustion in the combustion chamber mildly progresses , so that the maximum combustion temperature may be lowered , thereby reducing remarkably the amount of the nitrogen oxides in the exhaust gas . such slow rate combustion causes the temperature of the combustion gas when exhausted from the exhaust value to rise with the result that the oxidation is further promoted in the port passage and the exhaust pipe . moreover , the ignition timing is set to be delayed as compared with the conventional engine and thus the maximum combustion temperature is restricted low . accordingly , this , together with the unique shape of the combustion chamber , serves to further reduce the amount of the nitrogen oxides in the exhaust gase . this also facilitates the oxidation of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons . as previously described , the retardation of the ignition timing causes the exhaust temperature to rise , as shown in fig5 thereby to provide a good condition for the oxidation after the gas is exhausted . the port passage 6 is wholly lined with the liner 13 which ends near the exhaust valve seat . the liner 13 serves to impede the transfer of heat to the cylinder head 14 and thus the fall of the exhaust temperature may be controlled to a minimum . the gas exhausted from the cylinder in response to the opening of the exhaust valve is most intensively oxidized in the port passage and is continuously oxidized in the exhaust pipe being maintained at a given temperature , thereby extremely reducing the pollutants in the exhaust gas . this results from the fact that the liner 13 is provided over the inner wall of the port passage and the exhaust valve is heat - insulated for heat retention so that the exhaust gas temperature may be maintained in the temperature range permitting the oxidation , i . e . above 750 ° c . it should be noted that the two exhaust valves 5 and 5 of the adjacent cylinders 15 and 15 are arranged adjacent each other and both adjacent exhaust valve ports of the respective adjacent exhaust valves 5 and 5 communicate with the common port passage 16 via branch port passages 17 and 17 , respectively , to form the siamese port passage 6 in the cylinder head 14 . the siamese port passage has the advantage of reducing carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons . more particularly , each branch port passage 17 is heated by the other adjacent branch port passage 17 , since both branch port passages 17 and 17 are closely disposed next to each other . therefore , the exhaust gases passing through the branch port passages may be maintained at a high temperature , so that oxidation of co and hc may be further enhanced . in addition , since the siamese port passage 6 is provided in the cylinder head 14 , a high heat maintainance effect may be expected and it is not necessary to provide an external , complex exhaust manifold , whereby the exhaust passage and exhaust pipe 8 are simplified and manufactured easily . the following table shows the result of the internal combustion gasoline engine according to the present invention in comparison with the conventional one . comparison is made with respect to three poisonous components in the exhaust gas and the temperatures at different places in the exhaust system . measurement for this comparison was made according to the japanese exhaust emission test procedure , 10 mode measuring method . __________________________________________________________________________ exhaust gas temperature ( 10 m test .) amount of exhaust gas a portion b portion co hc nox__________________________________________________________________________conventionalengine 600 ° c . 350 ° c . 12 g / km 2 . 2 g / km 1 . 8 g / kmengine ofthis invention 800 ° c . 750 ° c . 1 . 8 g / km 0 . 15 g / km 0 . 9 g / km &# 39 ; 75 emission mean mean meanstandard ( 20 m ) 2 . 10 0 . 25 1 . 20japan ) evaluation in conventional reduction reduction reduction engine , heat of about of about of about dispersion is large . engine of 85 % 93 % 50 % this invention has a remarkable heat - fulfils retaining . &# 39 ; 75 emission regulations__________________________________________________________________________ as seen from the above table , the three poisonous components of nirogen oxides , carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons are substantially reduced and the result of the reduction thereof satisfactorily fulfils the requirements of the japan &# 39 ; s strict 1975 emission standards . the engine of this invention with the additional known exhaust gas recirculation device can meet the more strict emission regulations to be enforced after 1975 . as seen from fig4 the engine with the small ratio of stroke to bore is effective in nitrogen oxide reduction because , in this case , the flaming distance is large and the combustion of the gas in the cylinder continues for a long time ( see fig4 ). in case the exhaust value is set so as to open at 50 ° before the bottom dead center to 20 ° after bottom dead center by mechanism 19 therefor ( although , in the case of the conventional one , it is opened at 47 ° to 60 ° before the bottom dead center ) and additionally the ignition timing is delayed , the combustion gas at a high temperature may remain in the combustion chamber for a long time with the result of facilitating oxidation . a known air injection system for secondary air supply may partly be used in the engine of this invention . the data results from many experiments by inventors which showed that there was no need for a secondary air supply for the reason that the a / f ratio is large when the car runs at a light load , i . e . it runs on a level road at a normal speed . on the other hand , when the car runs at a heavy load ( on the road of a high grade , for example ), the a / f ratio of the mixture taken in is small . thus , in this case , the supply of secondary air is necessary for increasing the a / f ratio . to cope with this problem , the internal combustion gasoline engine is provided with an intake passage 11 for secondary air communicating with the exhaust port passage 6 with its opening near the exhaust valve 5 and also communicating with an air cleaner 10 . a check valve 9 is disposed in the intake passage 11 , and is operated by the pulsation of the exhaust gases to open when the inner pressure of the exhaust passage is lowered below the atmospheric pressure , and to close when the former rises above the latter . the negative pressure given by the pulsation results in introduction of secondary air from the air cleaner 10 into the exhaust passage . in this case , the check valve 9 may be used in a manner that it is interlocked with an accelerator pedal and secondary air is supplied immediately after or with some time dleay after operating the pedal . the check valve 9 may also be controlled in its opening in response to the change of the negative pressure in the intake passage . when the car runs at heavy load , the temperature of the exhaust gas is high . in such case , the supply of secondary air may be controlled on the basis of the change of the exhaust gas temperature . referring now to fig5 the gas temperature of the present invention is compared with that of a conventional engine , whereby it may be noted that with the present invention the ignition timing is retarded to restrict the combustion gas temperature to under 2000 ° to reduce the amount of nitrogen oxides , and the exhaust passage temperature is maintained higher than that of the conventional engine to enhance the oxidation therein of co and hc .
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the present invention is directed to a multi - part jumper cable for boosting the battery of a vehicle or for charging a vehicle battery using hermaphroditic connectors . the jumper cable system and battery charging system of the present invention are used by a myriad of vehicles , including motorcycles , all - terrain vehicles , snowmobiles , jet - skis , as well as a host of other larger type vehicles such as automobiles , semi - tractors , farm tractors , trucks , cargo and passenger vans , all of which utilize an electric battery source for starting an internal combustion engine . fig1 a , 1b , and 1 c illustrate the disposition and operational uses of the embodiment of the invention . specifically , fig1 a shows a cutaway view of a vehicle 10 showing a vehicle battery 80 , a first portion 12 of the multi - part jumper cable connected at one end to the battery terminals 34 , and a housing 90 containing a second portion 14 and a third portion 16 of the jumper cable . fig1 b and 1c show the versatility of the jumper cable system , by interchangeably jump starting various vehicles , equipped with the permanently installed cable portion , or not equipped with the permanently installed cable portion . fig1 b and 1c show the vehicle 10 having a deenergized battery being connected to an energized battery source , from at least another vehicle , with the modular cable connection therebetween . by utilizing the hermaphroditic connectors on the various cable portions , the polarity of the cable conductors is maintain between the batteries . thus ensuring the jump - start of the deenergized battery as a quick and ‘ foolproof ’ with reduced risk to damage , injury , and death . fig2 a shows a detailed view of a kit including all three sections that make up the multi - part jumper cable , i . e ., sections 12 , 14 , and 16 . the permanently installed cable section 12 includes two electrical cables 32 color - coded to distinguish between the positive cable ( typically red in color ) and the negative cable ( typically black in color ), so that a person using the cable will maintain proper polarity during use , i . e ., when “ jumping ” or “ boosting ” the deenergized battery . however , it is well known in the art that the specific color coding is solely arbitrary , so long as the two colors are individually distinguishable from each other . the housing 90 defines a storage compartment for the second and third portions , 14 and 16 . depending upon the type of vehicle , the storage compartment may be located under the seat as shown . alternatively , the storage compartment may be elsewhere , such as to the rear or either side of the seat . in other words , the storage compartment the second portion 14 of the multi - part jumper cable has first and second ends including hermaphroditic connectors , 42 and 48 , respectively , and a fuse 50 intermediate the two ends on one of the two cables , generally the positive cable 22 , the rating of the fuse should be on the order of 30 amperes . it , is noted that the fuse is disclosed in the second section 14 , however , it is well within the purview of the scope of the embodiments of the invention , that the fuse may be in any one or more of the segments . in this manner , the overall safety features would be a self - backup variation on the use of a defective fuse having an improper rating . the third portion 16 of the jumper cable is provided at one end with a hermaphroditic connection 46 . the opposite end of the third portion 16 of the jumper cable has positive and negative cables , 36 and 38 , respectively , and terminates in alligator type clamps 72 and 74 which are adapted for attachment to the terminal posts of a post - type charging battery , such as the type commonly used on passenger vehicles . as seen in fig2 b , the kit may include a myriad of connectors for the first section 12 and third section 16 . typically , the ends may have alligator clips 72 , 74 , additional end type connectors may be selected from the types of eyelets 34 or forked connectors 34 a , or any other type of end connectors available in the automotive industry for making temporary or permanent battery connections . when the battery 80 is undercharged and requires a “ jump ” or a “ boost ” from another battery , such as from a car battery , the vehicle is placed in relative proximity to the car ( or other vehicle ). jumper cable section 16 is removed from the storage compartment 90 and clamps 72 and 74 are attached to the respective positive and negative terminal posts of the post - type charging battery . then cable section 14 is removed from the storage compartment and one end ( i . e ., either connector 42 or 48 ) is connected to connector 40 of the first section and the opposite end ( i . e ., remaining connector 48 or 42 ) is connected to connector 46 of the second section , thereby completing the boosting circuit . hermaphroditic connectors 40 and 42 may be any known type of hermaphroditic connector in which the connectors are identical , and which can only be connected in a manner in which the polarity is ensured , i . e ., in which the positive terminal of the fully charged battery is directly connected with the positive terminal of the undercharged battery and the shape of the positive terminal on each connector is identical . preferably the hermaphroditic connector is of a type exemplified by the connector taught in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 963 , 102 , previously incorporated herein . it is noted that although the reference teaches a three - conductor cable , the same connector is used herein for connecting a two - connector cable , i . e ., a cable having a positive and a negative cable corresponding to the positive and negative poles of a vehicle battery . on the positive cable wire 22 a fuse 52 is provided . the fuse is contained in its own housing 50 with a protective cap 54 . the fuse is preferably a thirty ampere ( 30 a ) blade fuse that corresponds with the wire gauge size capable of “ jumping ” batteries , e . g ., ten gauge awg . thus , the second section 14 may be used either to connect a first jumper cable section 12 fixed to the battery of the vehicle receiving the jump start to a another first jumper cable section 12 attached to the charging battery on a second vehicle , or as an extension cable between the first jumper cable section 12 and third jumper cable section 16 to extend the length of the jumper cable when charging from a passenger car or other vehicle . a general length of the cable portions 12 and 16 should be approximately 3 feet , while cable portion 14 has general length of approximately 6 feet . when two vehicles are equipped with a 3 - piece kit as shown in fig1 b and 1c , one of the vehicles can then be used to “ jump - start ” the second by simply connecting the installed cable section 12 of the two vehicles together with the second section 14 . fig3 shows an optional battery charger 120 including a hermaphroditic connector 44 that ensures proper polarity in the wires 56 and 58 during use . the battery charger 120 shown in fig3 is switchable between a trickle charge mode for deep charging of the battery , and a starting mode for providing a current boost to the dead battery during starting of the vehicle . the hermaphroditic connector 44 may be attached directly to connector 40 of the first jumper cable section 12 , or indirectly through connector 42 or 48 of extension cable 14 . battery charger 120 may be included with the kit 110 ( fig2 ). alternatively , a rechargeable battery booster equipped with cables , 56 and 58 , and hermaphroditic connector 44 may be substituted for battery charger 120 . the jumper cable kit may be provided with as little as two parts , for example , the kit may be included as a accessory item for a model vehicle having a permanently connected first section manufactured in the vehicle , as seen in fig1 . the accessory item kit would therefore include the second section cable portion and the third section cable portion having only a single connection adapter ( e . g ., alligator clamps ). the jumper cable kit may include a myriad of components , making the versatility of the kit useable for virtually every battery powered electric starter internal combustion engine . in addition , a total kit may further include a battery charging device ( see fig3 ), including the three jumper cable portions , first section 12 , second section 14 and third section 16 . both the first and third sections 12 and 16 may each include plural segments having the various end connections as alternatives . it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above , but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims .
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fig1 shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention . one - man operated lifter 1 is utilized to lift hot water heater 2 onto elevated platform 3 . in the embodiment shown in fig1 , pan 4 sits on top of table 3 and lifter 1 is able to lift heater 2 over the top edge of pan 4 so that heater 2 is placed inside pan 4 . preferably , lifter 1 is fabricated from lightweight , strong aluminum and weighs approximately 65 pounds . prior to lifting heater 2 , strap 5 is wrapped around heater 2 as shown . fig2 a shows further details of strap 5 as it is wrapped around heater 2 . protective pads 9 are placed underneath strap 5 to protect heater 2 . the ends of strap 5 are looped around water heater pipe nipples 6 ( see also fig3 ) utilizing hooks 7 . ratchet 8 is utilized to tighten strap 5 securely around heater 2 ( see also fig4 ). after strap 5 is secured around heater 2 , lifter 1 is connected to rings 9 b of strap 5 ( fig5 ). fig5 shows ring 9 b connected to strap 5 . ring 9 b connects to loop 10 of lifter 1 as shown . fig6 shows a front view of inner lifter arm 14 , outer lifting arm holding tubes 11 b . outer lifting arms 11 are slid into outer lifting arm connector tubes 11 b and are connected to straps 5 of heater 2 . in fig7 the user has pressed downward on outer extension arm 12 c of lifter 1 to cause heater 2 to be lifted . pivot stabilizer arms 13 are shown connected to inner extension arm 12 b . in one preferred embodiment the distance from the far end of outer extension arm 12 c to wheels 15 is approximately 11 feet , the distance from wheels 15 to the far ends of outer lifting arms 11 is approximately 5½ feet . connecting arms 13 preferably hold inner lifter arm 14 and inner extension arm 12 b separated at an angle of approximately 110 - 125 degrees . fig8 shows pivot stabilizer arms 13 connected to inner extension arm 12 b and inner lifter arm 14 . pivot stabilizer arms 13 hold inner lifter arm 14 rigid at a preferred angle for lifting , as shown in fig8 . lifting arms 11 are lifting heater 2 off the ground ( fig8 ). the user has pushed lifter 1 towards table 3 and lifter 1 has rolled towards table 3 on wheels 15 . heater 2 is positioned above pan 4 on table 3 . in fig9 the user has eased up downward force on outer extension arm 12 c which has caused heater 2 to be lowered into pan 4 on table 3 . heater 2 is now in the correct position on table 3 inside pan 4 . the user now will disconnect lifter 1 from straps 5 and then remove straps 5 from heater 2 . after heater 2 has been installed the user will need to disassemble lifter 1 so that he can easily roll it to his vehicle , place it inside the vehicle and transport it to the next job location . in fig1 , the user has removed outer lifter arms 11 from outer lifter arm connector tubes 26 and has set them aside . in fig1 the user has disconnected inner lifter arm 14 from pivot stabilizer arms 13 by removing connector pins . the user has positioned inner lifter arm 14 on the ground as shown . in fig1 the user has disconnected inner extension arm 12 b from pivot stabilizer arms 13 by removing connector pins . the user has positioned inner extension arm 12 b on the ground as shown and has set pivot stabilizer arms 13 aside . in fig1 , the user has removed the connector pin that holds middle extension arm 12 a and outer extension arm 12 c in an extended position attached to inner extension arm 12 b . the user is pushing middle extension arms 12 a and outer extension arm 12 c inside inner extension arm 12 b for storage . in fig1 the user has pivoted pivotally attached inner extension arm 12 b so that it is lying on top of inner lifter arm 14 . the user has inserted connector pin 93 to secure inner extension arm 12 b to inner lifter arm 14 . in fig1 the user has inserted outer lifter arms 11 into connector tubes 26 of inner lifter arm 14 . outer lifter arms 11 are held in place by connector pins 94 . outer lifter arms 11 allow for lifter 1 to be stored upright as shown . in fig1 and 17 the user has connected pivot stabilizer arms 13 to inner extension arm 12 b by using connector pins 95 . fig1 shows lifter 1 fully disassembled and then reassembled so that it is ready for easy transport . the user can now easily roll lifter 1 to his vehicle for storage and transport . fig1 shows another preferred embodiment of the present invention . for lifter 100 , inner extension arm 52 b is pivotally connected to inner lifter arm 102 . outer extension arms 11 are inserted into outer lifter arm tubes 102 a and 102 b , as shown . lifter 100 includes pivot stabilizer arm 101 . pivot stabilizer arm 101 is preferably a flexible cable that is threaded through holes in inner lifter arm 102 and connected to connection pins 105 . flexible cable 101 allows for easier assembly and disassembly of lifter 100 . for example , in fig1 the user has removed outer lifter arms 11 and has pinned them to inner lifter arm 102 . outer lifter arms 11 hold lifter 100 upright as shown . in fig2 the user has pivoted inner extension arm 52 b upward and has pinned it to inner lifter arm 102 likewise the user has clasped pivot stabilizer arm 101 to inner extension arm 52 b as shown . lifter 100 is now ready to me transported and stored . fig2 shows another preferred embodiment of the present invention . in fig2 inner lifter arms 102 have been separated by approximately 8 inches . this allows for greater separation of outer lifter arms 11 which is important when lifting very large hot water heaters . fig2 shows closer separation of inner lifter arms 102 similar to that depicted in fig1 . although the above - preferred embodiments have been described with specificity , persons skilled in this art will recognize that many changes to the specific embodiments disclosed above could be made without departing from the spirit of the invention . for example , it is possible to use rings 77 in place of hooks 7 . it is also possible to substitute cam buckles 78 for ratchets 8 ( see fig2 b ). therefore , the attached claims and their legal equivalents should determine the scope of the invention .
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fig2 a and 2b illustrate example camera fields of view with blocking zones in accordance with this invention . fig2 a corresponds to fig1 a , and illustrates blocking zones 230 surrounding each tree 130 . fig2 b corresponds to fig1 b , and illustrates blocking zones 260 , 250 encompassing the doorway 160 and mirror / window 150 . these blocking zones are illustrated as rectangles , although one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the shape of the zone is immaterial to the principles of this invention . in a preferred embodiment of this system , a graphic interface is provided , wherein a reference image corresponding to a field of view of a camera is presented to a user , and the user identifies the bounds of each blocking zone by “ drawing ” each blocking zone on the reference image . from the user &# 39 ; s drawing , the coordinates of the bounding vertices of the blocking zone are determined and stored . preferably , each blocking zone 230 , 250 , 260 is sufficiently sized to include the extent of motion of objects that may appear within the zone but may not constitute reportable motion . that is , a blocking zone 260 is typically associated with a relatively stationary object that exhibits some movement , such as a tree that sways , or a door that swings in a doorframe , and generally encompasses the extent of the movement . for example , the blocking zone 260 about the doorframe 160 includes the extent of the swing of the door , so as to potentially exclude the motion of the door from the reportable motion . a blocking zone 260 is also typically associated with segments of an image within which inconsequential / immaterial movement may occur , such as views through a window or doorway to an area beyond the secured area , movements within a mirror image , and so on . in a preferred embodiment of this invention , the blocking zone 260 is defined relative to a given view of the camera , rather than relative to the display screen . in this manner , if the view of the camera changes , such as via the use of a pan - tilt - zoom ( ptz ) camera arrangement , the blocking zone 260 will retain its relationship to the object to which it is associated , such as the doorframe 160 . fig3 illustrates an example flow diagram of a surveillance system that includes blocking zones in accordance with this invention . for ease of understanding , this invention is described with reference to a single camera surveillance system , although one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the principles of this invention are not limited to a single camera system . at 310 , an image is received from a camera , and optionally recorded . this image may be processed before recording , to reduce storage requirements ; for example , the image may be converted into an mpeg format and stored in this form . in like manner , the image may be processed to facilitate subsequent operations or processes that use the image . for example , stationary background images may be subtracted from the current image , to highlight foreground objects . similarly , some image processing may be applied to reduce the effects caused by varying lighting or other environmental changes . optionally , the recording of the images from the camera may be postponed until some suspicious activity is detected , or until some alarm is signaled . at 315 , the image is processed to identify potential objects of interest , using techniques common in the art . for example , to qualify as an object of interest , identified clusters of pixels may need to be at least some minimum size , some reasonable shape , and so on . at 320 , the track , or path , of each identified object of interest is recorded , using techniques common in the art . if the object is newly identified , a track is created for this object . if the object is determined to correspond to an object in prior images , the current location of the object is concatenated to the existing track . optionally , only the track of each reportable object ( detailed below ) is recorded ; but , because the storage requirements for tracking is relatively insubstantial , all detected objects are tracked . if an object disappears from view without having been declared reportable ( detailed below ), the track of that object is deleted . also optionally , albeit less efficient , if the track of a non - reportable object is not recorded , when the object is determined to be a reportable object , the recorded images can be used to “ backtrack ” the path of the reportable object to create a complete track of the object &# 39 ; s movements . the loop 330 - 375 processes each object , using the aforementioned blocking zones of this invention . for ease of presentation and explanation , all regions of a scene are considered to correspond to one or more zones , and these zones include both blocking and non - blocking zones . blocking zones may overlap , so that an object can be located in more than one zone at any given time ; a non - blocking zone is defined as any region that does not include a blocking zone . at 335 , the status of the object is checked . all objects are initially marked as being non - reportable . if the object has previously been deemed to be reportable , no further processing is required for this object . if , at 340 , the non - reportable object is a new object , the initial status of the object is determined , at 345 - 355 . if , at 345 , the new object is located within one or more blocking zones , a list of the initial blocking zones that include this new object is created , at 350 . if , on the other hand , at 345 , the new object is located in a non - blocking zone , the object is marked as being reportable . if , at 340 , the non - reportable object is not a new object , the object &# 39 ; s prior zone ( s ) is checked , at 360 , to determine whether a zone - change has occurred . a zone - change is defined herein as a movement / transfer of an object from one zone into another zone . if the object , for example , transfers from a blocking zone to a non - blocking zone , or from a set of multiple zones into a single zone , or into a different set of multiple zones , a zone - change has occurred . if an object merely disappears from a zone , and does not appear in another zone , a zone - change has not occurred . ( one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that if an object disappears and does not appear in another zone , it will not be identified as an object in 315 , and hence will not be included in the loop 330 - 375 . the prior statement is included in the event that this invention is embodied differently from the flow diagram of fig3 .) if a zone change has not occurred , at 360 , no further processing is required , and the object remains as a non - reportable object . if , on the other hand , at 360 , a zone change has occurred , the zone or zones from which the object has departed is / are removed from the list of initial blocking zones that was created at 350 . if , at 370 , this deletion results in an empty list of blocking zones , the object is marked as reportable , at 355 ; otherwise , if there remains at least one blocking zone in the list associated with the object , the object remains non - reportable . if an object initially appears outside all blocking zones , the object is deemed to be a reportable object , at 355 . if an object initially appears within a single blocking zone , such as a blocking zone that includes a mirror or window , the single blocking zone is included in the list of blocking zones associated with the object , at 350 . if the object eventually disappears from the single blocking zone and reappears in another zone , the single blocking zone is removed from the list , the list is determined to be empty , and the object is deemed to be a reportable object . note that if the object is merely a reflection in a mirror , or an image outside a window , and the initial blocking zone includes the mirror or window , the list associated with this object will never be depleted , because the object will not undergo a zone - change , at 360 , and its status as a non - reportable object will not change . if , on the other hand , the object is a person standing in front of the mirror or window , the object will be deemed to be reportable , at 355 , as soon as the object leaves the blocking zone surrounding the mirror or window , at 360 - 365 . if an object initially appears in a set of overlapping blocking zones , such as the overlap of blocking zones 230 a and 230 b in fig2 a , the list associated with the object will contain blocking zones 230 a and 230 b . if the object moves to the right , and leaves zone 230 a , this zone , 230 a , will be removed from the list of initial blocking lists that was created at 350 of fig3 . at this point , the list will still contain blocking zoned 230 b , and thus will not be empty , and the status of the object will remain as non - reportable , at 370 . if the object continues to move to the right , or turns around and travels to the left , and eventually also leaves blocking zone 230 b , then zone 230 b is removed from the list , the list is determined to be empty , and the object is deemed to be reportable . on the other hand , if the object is a branch of one of the trees in zones 230 a , 230 b that appears in the overlap of 230 a , 230 b , it will not be deemed to be reportable unless it travels beyond 230 a and also travels beyond 230 b , which is highly unlikely if the zones are properly defined . thus , branches swaying within the overlay area and somewhat beyond will not be deemed to be reportable , whereas a person who appears in the overlay area and eventually moves beyond the overlap areas 230 a , 230 b will be identified as a reportable object . note that the list that is used to determine whether a non - reportable object becomes a reportable object is created when the object is initially identified within one or more blocking zones , and the only actions on this list are potential deletions . once the list becomes empty , the object is declared to be reportable , and thereafter the blocking zones have no effect on the tracking of the reportable objects . in this manner , the masking effects provided by the conventional exclusion zones is effectively provided for objects that never travel beyond their original blocking zone , whereas , as contrast to the conventional exclusion zones , the blocking zones have no effect on objects that travel beyond their initial blocking zones , or objects that initially appeared outside of a blocking zone . the loop 380 - 395 assesses each reportable object to determine whether to sound an alarm , at 385 - 390 , using techniques common in the art . because only reportable objects are assessed , non - reportable objects , such as reflections in mirrors , swaying branches , and the like that remain within their initial blocking zone do not generate false alarms . for completeness , fig4 illustrates an example surveillance system in accordance with this invention . one or more cameras 410 provide images to an image processor 420 . the images are also provided to a recorder 470 , in either their original form or in a processed formed , such as an mpeg encoding . the image processor 420 optionally pre - processes the images to facilitate the recognition of objects within each image , for example , by subtracting a stationary background image from each image . an object recognizer 430 receives the images from the image processor 420 , and identifies potentially reportable objects , using conventional techniques such as recognition based on size and / or shape of groups of adjacent pixels exhibiting common motion . an object tracker 440 records the track or path of each identified object . the object tracker 440 also distinguishes between reportable objects and non - reportable objects , based on whether each object that initially appears within a blocking zone eventually leaves the blocking zone , as detailed above . the object tracker 440 provides the identification and track of each reportable object to an alarm detector / processor 450 , for subsequent notification to a user terminal 460 of any potential or actual alarm conditions . the foregoing merely illustrates the principles of the invention . it will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements which , although not explicitly described or shown herein , embody the principles of the invention and are thus within its spirit and scope . for example , one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the object tracking , at 320 in fig3 , could be limited to the tracking of reportable objects , by placing the tracking process after the loop 330 - 375 . similarly , in fig4 , the object recognizer 430 could be configured to only report reportable objects to the object tracker 440 . in like manner , the detection of a zone - change at 360 in fig3 could be limited to a comparison of the current zone of the object to the list of initial blocking zones to determine whether the object has departed the initial zones . these and other system configuration and optimization features will be evident to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of this disclosure , and are included within the scope of the following claims . a ) the word “ comprising ” does not exclude the presence of other elements or acts than those listed in a given claim ; b ) the word “ a ” or “ an ” preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements ; c ) any reference signs in the claims do not limit their scope ; d ) several “ means ” may be represented by the same item or hardware or software implemented structure or function ; e ) each of the disclosed elements may be comprised of hardware portions ( e . g ., including discrete and integrated electronic circuitry ), software portions ( e . g ., computer programming ), and any combination thereof ; f ) hardware portions may be comprised of one or both of analog and digital portions ; g ) any of the disclosed devices or portions thereof may be combined together or separated into further portions unless specifically stated otherwise ; and h ) no specific sequence of acts is intended to be required unless specifically indicated .
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the following detailed description is of the best presently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention . this description is not to be taken in a limiting sense , but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating general principles of embodiments of the invention . the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims . in certain instances , detailed descriptions of well - known devices and mechanisms are omitted so as to not obscure the description of the present invention with unnecessary detail . fig1 - 9 illustrate one embodiment of a trash can assembly 20 according to the present invention . the assembly 20 has an outer shell 22 and an inner liner 24 that is adapted to be retained inside the outer shell 22 . the outer shell 22 is a four - sided shell that has four side walls , including a front wall 42 . it is also possible to provide the outer shell 22 in a generally cylindrical , oval or egg shape . the inner liner 24 can have the same , or different , shape as the outer shell 22 . the lid is made up of two separate lid portions 26 and 28 that are split at about the center of the outer shell 22 , each of which is hingedly connected to an upper support frame 130 ( see fig7 ) along a top side edge of the outer shell 22 in a manner such that the lid portions 26 , 28 pivot away from each other ( see arrows aa in fig4 ) when they are opened . the outer shell 22 and its lid portions 26 and 28 can be made of a solid and stable material , such as a metal . the upper support frame 130 can be secured to the opened top of the outer shell 22 , and can be provided in a separate material ( e . g ., plastic ) from the outer shell 22 . each lid portion 26 , 28 has a side edge 30 that has a sleeve 32 extending along the side edge 30 . a shaft ( not shown ) is retained inside the sleeve 32 and has opposing ends that are secured to one side edge of the upper support frame 130 , so that the lid portion 26 , 28 can pivot about an axis defined by the shaft and its corresponding sleeve 32 . an l - shaped bracket 34 is secured at the rear end of each lid portion 26 , 28 . one leg of the bracket 34 is secured to the underside of the lid portion 26 , 28 , and the other leg of the bracket 34 has an opening 40 that is adapted to receive an upper hooked end 36 of a corresponding lifting rod 38 . in addition , a toe - kick recess 44 can be provided on the outer shell 22 adjacent the base 46 of the outer shell 22 , and is adapted to receive a foot pedal 48 that is pivotably secured to a pedal bar 60 in the base 46 . the toe - kick recess 44 can be formed as part of the base 46 , and the outer shell 22 would define a curved cut - out to receive the recess 44 . the curved cut - out in the shell 22 can be made by first cutting out a properly sized and configured hole in the body of the outer shell 22 , and then inserting a plastic curved panel that defines the actual recess 44 . the recess 44 extends into the interior confines of the outer shell 22 ( as defined by the periphery of the outer shell 22 ). the recess 44 also extends upwardly for a short distance from the base 46 . the pedal bar 60 is made of a material ( e . g ., metal ) that carries some weight , and extends from the foot pedal 48 along the base 46 and is then pivotably coupled to the lifting rods 38 that extend upwardly along the rear of the outer shell 22 to connect the lid portions 26 , 28 . the pedal bar 60 and the lifting rods 38 operate to translate an up - down pivot motion of the pedal 48 to an up - down pivot motion for the lid portions 26 , 28 . each of these components will be described in greater detail hereinbelow . referring now to fig3 - 6 , the base 46 of the outer shell 22 has a raised or domed base panel 52 and a skirt or flange portion 50 that extends from the base panel 52 . in one embodiment of the present invention , the base panel 52 , the skirt 50 and the recess 44 can be formed in one plastic piece . the pedal bar 60 is retained under the base panel 52 and inside the skirt 50 . the pedal bar 60 has two short side walls 64 . the front of the pedal bar 60 is attached to the pedal 48 , and the rear of the pedal bar 60 has two opposite holes 62 . one of the holes 62 is provided on each of the two opposing side walls 64 , and each hole 62 receives a lower hooked end 66 of a corresponding lifting rod 38 . a fulcrum rod 68 extends through the two side walls 64 of the pedal bar 60 at a location that is closer to the front of the pedal bar 60 than the rear of the pedal bar 60 . thus , the pedal bar 60 can be pivoted about a pivot axis defined by the fulcrum rod 68 . in particular , the pedal bar 60 can be pivoted between two positions , a first rest position as shown in fig2 where the pedal 48 is at a vertically higher position than the rear of the pedal bar 60 , and a second open position ( where the lid portions 26 , 28 are opened ) as shown in fig5 where the pedal 48 is pressed to a vertically lower position than the rear of the pedal bar 60 . thus , the fulcrum rod 68 is positioned at a location that is closer to the front of the pedal bar 60 than the rear of the pedal bar 60 so that the portion of the pedal bar 60 that is rearward of the fulcrum rod 68 would be greater ( and therefore heavier ) than the portion of the pedal bar 60 that is forward of the pedal bar 60 , thereby causing the rear of the pedal bar 60 to be at a vertically lower position than the pedal 48 when in the rest position of fig2 . as shown in fig5 , the base panel 52 defines a recessed region 70 with a soft material 72 ( e . g ., a foam sponge ) secured below the recessed region 70 . the recessed region 70 acts as a stop member in that it prevents the rear of the pedal bar 60 from being raised to a vertical level that exceeds the vertical position of the recessed region 70 , as shown in fig5 . the soft material 72 therefore functions as a noise and contact absorber so that there will be minimal noise and wear on the pedal bar 60 when it contacts the recessed region 70 . in many applications , given the dimensions of the base 46 , it will be difficult to first position the pedal bar 60 inside the base 46 and then attempt to fit a lengthy fulcrum rod inside the base 46 and insert the fulcrum rod through the pedal bar 60 . therefore , the present invention provides a novel method for securing the fulcrum rod 68 in its desired position with respect to the base 46 and the pedal bar 60 . first , referring to fig6 , the base panel 52 is provided with a column 74 that extends vertically downwardly from the base panel 52 , and the column 74 has a horizontal bore ( not shown ) that opens towards the center of the base 46 . next , the fulcrum rod 68 is extended through opposing and aligned openings in the two side walls 64 so that the two opposing ends 76 , 78 of the fulcrum rod 68 extend beyond the side walls 64 . in the next step , the pedal bar 60 and the fulcrum rod 68 are positioned inside the base panel 52 , with one end 76 of the fulcrum rod 68 positioned inside the bore of the column 74 . the other end 78 of the fulcrum rod 68 has a flat configuration with a hole ( not shown ), so that a screw 80 can be threaded through the hole in the end 78 to secure the fulcrum rod 68 to the base panel 52 . a pair of springs 84 and 86 are provided to normally bias the lid portions 26 , 28 to the closed position shown in fig2 . referring to fig2 - 4 , each spring 84 , 86 has a first end 90 that is secured to the base panel 52 , and a second end 92 that is secured to a bent portion 94 of one of the lifting rods 38 . thus , when the assembly 20 is not experiencing any external forces ( i . e ., it is in the closed position ), the springs 84 , 86 will normally bias the lifting rods 38 in the downward vertical direction , thereby causing the lid portions 26 , 28 to be closed . the springs 84 , 86 also prevent the lower hooked ends 66 from becoming disengaged from the rear of the pedal bar 60 , and takes out any slack in the linkage involving the lifting rods 38 . the assembly 20 provides a motion damper 96 that functions to dampen the closing motion of the lid portions 26 , 28 so that the lid portions 26 , 28 can close slowly and not experience a hard slamming motion . the motion damper 96 is illustrated in greater detail in fig9 , and can be embodied in the form of the “ rotary motion damper ” sold by itw delpro of frankfort , ill ., although other known and conventional motion dampers can be utilized without departing from the scope of the present invention . the motion damper 96 has a toothed bar 98 with a row of teeth 100 positioned along a side thereof . one end of the toothed bar 98 has a pair of aligned openings 102 . a platform 104 has a pair of guides 106 that receive the toothed bar 98 . a toothed damping wheel 108 is carried on the platform 104 and is adapted to engage the teeth 100 on the toothed bar 98 as the platform 104 experiences relative movement in both directions ( see arrows a and b ) along the toothed bar 98 . assuming that the damping wheel 108 remains stationary , when the toothed bar 98 moves in the direction b , the damping wheel 108 does not offer any resistance so the toothed bar 98 can move smoothly and quickly in the direction b . however , when the toothed bar 98 moves in the direction a , the damping wheel 108 does offer resistance so the toothed bar 98 can only move very slowly in the direction a . the motion damper 96 is positioned in the interior of the outer shell 22 , and is secured to both the base panel 52 and the pedal bar 60 . in particular , the platform 104 has a connecting element 110 that is secured to a bracket ( not shown ) in the base panel 52 . the bracket can be secured to the base panel 52 by a screw 116 as shown in fig2 . in addition , the end of the toothed bar 98 with the aligned openings 102 extends through an opening in the base panel 52 , and a damping rod 112 secured to the pedal bar 60 extends through the openings 102 ( see fig5 and 6 ) to couple the toothed bar 98 to the pedal bar 60 . thus , the platform 104 of the motion damper 96 is essentially fixed at a stationary position with respect to the base panel 52 , and the toothed bar 98 can be moved up or down ( i . e ., in the directions b or a ) as the rear end of the pedal bar 60 is pivoted up or down by the pedal 48 . the operation of the trash can assembly 20 will now be described . when the assembly 20 is not in use , the lid portions 26 , 28 are normally closed as shown in fig2 . at this position , the springs 84 and 86 are relaxed and do not exert any bias . to open the lid portions 26 , 28 , the user steps on the pedal 48 , which pivots the pedal bar 60 about the fulcrum rod 68 with the pedal 48 moving vertically downward , and the rear end of the pedal bar 60 being pivoted vertically upwardly . the soft material 72 provides a buffer or absorber to minimize any noise that may be caused by the pedal bar 60 contacting the recessed region 70 . as shown in fig3 - 5 and 7 - 8 , the rear end of the pedal bar 60 pushes the lifting rods 38 upwardly , so that the lifting rods 38 will push the lid portions 26 , 28 open about the pivoting of the shafts in the sleeves 32 . the lid portions 26 , 28 will pivot away from each other to expose the top of the of the outer shell 22 . simultaneously , the damping rod 112 will push the toothed bar 98 upwardly ( i . e ., in the direction b in fig9 ). as described above , the damping wheel 108 will not offer any resistance to the movement of the toothed bar 98 , so the entire lifting motion of the rear of the pedal bar 60 and the lifting rods 38 will be smooth and relatively quick . at this opened position , the springs 84 and 86 are stretched and therefore biased . as long as the user maintains his or her step on the pedal 48 , the bias of the springs 84 , 86 is overcome , the rear of the pedal bar 60 will remain in the position shown in fig5 , and the lid portions 26 , 28 will remain opened . when the user releases the pedal 48 , the combined weight of the pedal bar 60 ( i . e ., a pulling force ) and the lid portions 26 , 28 ( i . e ., pushing forces ), as well as gravity and the natural bias of the springs 84 , 86 , will cause the lid portions 26 , 28 will pivot downwardly to their closed positions . in other words , the lifting rods 38 , the toothed bar 98 and the pedal bar 60 will all experience a downward motion . in this regard , the fact that the fulcrum rod 68 is positioned closer to the pedal 48 ( i . e ., the front of the pedal bar 60 ) means that the rear of the pedal bar 60 is actually heavier , and will exert a force to aid in pulling the lifting rods 38 down in a vertical direction . however , the damping wheel 108 will resist the downward vertical movement ( i . e ., in the direction of arrow a in fig9 ) of the toothed bar 98 , so the entire downward motion of the rear of the pedal bar 60 and the lifting rods 38 will be slowed . by slowing this downward motion of the pedal bar 60 and the lifting rods 38 , the lid portions 26 , 28 will close slowly , and the pedal bar 60 will be lowered slowly , all to avoid any annoying loud slamming actions or noises . referring now to fig2 and 7 , the upper support frame 130 has a border shoulder 132 that extends along its inner periphery which is adapted to receive the upper lip 140 of the inner liner 24 so that the inner liner 24 can be suspended on the shoulder 132 inside the outer shell 22 during use . the support frame 130 has opposing ends 134 and 136 , with a scalloped groove 138 formed in each end 134 , 136 . the scalloped grooves 138 allow the user to insert his or her fingers into the grooves 138 under the upper lip of the inner liner 24 to lift the inner liner 24 from the interior of the outer shell 24 when the lid portions 26 , 28 are opened . this provides a convenient way for the user to remove the inner liner 24 from the outer shell 22 , without requiring the user to grab or grip unnecessarily large portions of the inner liner 24 . the hinged connection of the lid portions 26 , 28 to the upper support frame 130 shown in fig7 can be modified as shown in fig1 - 14 . in fig7 , each lid portion 26 , 28 has a metal shaft that is retained in a sleeve 32 and has opposing ends that are secured to the upper support frame 130 in a manner such that the corresponding lid portion 26 or 28 can pivot about an axis defined by the shaft and the sleeve 32 . the sleeve 32 can be formed by curling part of the edge of the metal lid portion 26 , 28 in a manner that leaves a longitudinal opening along the length of the sleeve 32 between the outermost edge of the sleeve 32 and the lid portion 26 , 28 . this curling is best illustrated in fig1 in connection with the sleeve 32 a . the metal shaft can be retained inside this sleeve 32 . unfortunately , the metal - on - metal contact between the shaft and the sleeve 32 causes wear and tear , and result in the generation of squeaky noises when the shaft pivots inside the sleeve 32 . in addition , after extended use , food , dust and other waste matter may enter the interior of the sleeve 32 via the longitudinal opening , which may impede the pivoting motion of the shaft inside the sleeve 32 . the present invention provides a modified connection in fig1 - 14 that overcomes these drawbacks . the same numeral designations will be used to designate the same elements in fig7 and 10 - 14 , except that an “ a ” will be added to the designations in fig1 - 14 . in the embodiment shown in fig1 - 14 , the metal shaft 200 is retained inside a non - metal ( e . g ., plastic ) tube 202 , which is in turn retained inside the sleeve 32 a , as best shown in fig1 . the tube 202 has a generally cylindrical configuration with a protruding edge 204 extending along the length of the tube 202 . the protruding edge 204 is configured as a somewhat rectangular block that is adapted to fit snugly into the longitudinal opening of the sleeve 32 a , thereby blocking the longitudinal opening and preventing dust and particles from entering the interior of the sleeve 32 a . as best shown in fig1 , the tube 202 does not completely fill up the interior space of the sleeve 32 a . the tube 202 has an interior bore 206 through which two separate shaft pieces 208 can be inserted . both shaft pieces 208 can be identical in construction , with one provided at each of the opposing ends of the tube 202 . the shaft pieces 208 can be made from metal . as best shown in fig1 , each shaft piece 208 has a smaller - diameter inner section 210 and a larger - diameter outer section 212 . the inner section 210 is inserted into the bore 206 at one end of the tube 202 , and the outer section 212 has a larger diameter to ensure that part of the shaft piece 208 remains outside the bore 206 . to assemble the lid portion 26 , 28 , the user or manufacturer first inserts the tube 202 into the sleeve 32 a in a manner such that the protruding edge 204 is snugly fitted into the longitudinal opening of the sleeve 32 a . the sleeve 32 a and its tube 202 are then placed into the appropriate location on the side edge of the upper support frame 130 as shown in fig1 . then , as shown in fig1 , the inner section 210 of each shaft piece 208 is inserted through bores 218 in the upper support frame 130 that are aligned with the bore 206 of the tube 202 when the sleeve 32 a and its tube 202 are positioned in the upper support frame 130 . the inner section 210 will extend through the bore 218 in the upper support frame 130 and then into the bore 206 of the tube 202 . a portion of the outer sections 212 of the shaft pieces 212 will be exposed to the outside of the bore 218 , but most of the outer sections 212 will be positioned inside the bore 218 . with one shaft piece 208 provided at each opposing end of the tube 202 and sleeve 32 a , the lid portions 26 , 28 can pivot about the axis defined by these shaft pieces 208 . a small opening 220 is provided on the protruding edge 204 adjacent each end of the tube 202 . the free end of the inner section 210 of each shaft piece 208 is positioned adjacent this opening 220 . as a result , a user can remove the lid portions 26 , 28 by inserting a sharp - tip object ( e . g ., screw - driver ) through the openings 220 ( see fig1 ) and pushing the inner section 210 of each shaft piece 208 out of the bores 206 and 218 . thus , the provision of the non - metal tube 202 provides two immediate benefits . first , the protruding edge 204 prevents dust and particles from entering the interior of the sleeve 32 a . second , the non - metal material of the tube 202 eliminates the metal - on - metal contact or grinding of a pivoting metal shaft within a metal sleeve . fig1 and 15 also illustrate another modification , where a non - metal ( e . g ., plastic ) washer 230 can be provided to prevent the undesirable metal - to - metal grinding between the bracket 34 and the upper hooked end 36 of the lifting rod 38 . specifically , a plastic washer 230 can be positioned in the opening 40 in the bracket 34 . the washer 230 can have a sleeved configuration with a flange 232 so that the upper hooked end 36 can extend through the washer 230 . as a result , the washer 230 acts as a separating layer between the metal upper hooked end 36 and the metal bracket 34 . fig1 - 9 illustrate the use of one inner liner 24 , but it is also possible to provide two or more inner liners . for example , fig1 and 17 illustrate two inner liners 24 a and 24 b that can be configured to fit snugly , and in side - by - side fashion , inside the outer shell 22 . the provision of two inner liners 24 allows the user to sort the trash , for example , to separate recycleable waste matter from other waste matter . the above detailed description is for the best presently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention . this description is not to be taken in a limiting sense , but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating general principles of the invention . the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims . in certain instances , detailed descriptions of well - known devices , components , mechanisms and methods are omitted so as to not obscure the present description with unnecessary detail .
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fig1 shows diagrammatically an electric impedance imaging system in the form of a magnetic resonance imaging system that is adapted for performing electric properties tomography imaging of an object . a magnetic resonance generation and manipulation system 1 applies a series of rf pulses and switched magnetic field gradients to invert or excite nuclear magnetic spins , induce magnetic resonance , refocus magnetic resonance , manipulate magnetic resonance , spatially and otherwise encode the magnetic resonance , saturate spins , and the like to perform mr imaging . more specifically , a gradient pulse amplifier 3 applies current pulses to selected ones of whole - body gradient coils 4 , 5 and 6 along x , y and z - axes of the examination volume . a rf transmitter 7 transmits rf pulses or pulse packets , via a send -/ receive switch 8 , to a rf antenna 9 to transmit rf pulses into the examination volume . a typical mr imaging sequence is composed of a packet of rf pulse segments of short duration which taken together with each other and any applied magnetic field gradients achieve a selected manipulation of nuclear magnetic resonance . the rf pulses are used to saturate , excite resonance , invert magnetization , refocus resonance , or manipulate resonance and select a portion of a body 10 positioned in the examination volume . the mr signals may also be picked up by the rf antenna 9 . for generation of mr images of limited regions of the body 10 , for example by means of parallel imaging , a set of local array rf coils 11 , 12 , 13 are placed contiguous to the region selected for imaging . the array coils 11 , 12 , 13 can be used to receive mr signals induced by rf transmissions effected via rf antenna 9 . however , as described above , the array coils 11 , 12 , 13 may also be used to sequentially transmit rf pulses into the examination volume . the resultant mr signals are picked up by the rf antenna 9 and / or by the array rf coils 11 , 12 , 13 and demodulated by a receiver 14 preferably including a preamplifier ( not shown ). the receiver 14 is connected to the rf coils 9 , 11 , 12 and 13 via send -/ receive switch 8 . a host computer 15 controls the gradient pulse amplifier 3 and the transmitter 7 to generate any of a plurality of imaging sequences , such as echo planar imaging ( epi ), echo volume imaging , gradient and spin echo imaging , fast spin echo imaging , and the like . for the selected sequence , the receiver 14 receives a single or a plurality of mr data lines in rapid succession following each rf excitation pulse . a data acquisition system 16 performs analog - to - digital conversion of the received signals and converts each mr data line to a digital format suitable for further processing . in modern mr devices the data acquisition system 16 is a separate computer which is specialized in acquisition of raw image data . ultimately , the digital raw image data is reconstructed into an image representation by a reconstruction processor 17 which applies a fourier transform or other appropriate reconstruction algorithms . the mr image may represent a planar slice through the patient , an array of parallel planar slices , a three - dimensional volume , or the like . the image is then stored in an image memory where it may be accessed for converting slices , projections , or other portions of the image representation into appropriate format for visualization , for example via a video monitor 18 which provides a man - readable display of the resultant mr image . for practical implementation of the invention , the mr device 1 comprises the programming for carrying out the above described method . the program may be carried out for example by the reconstruction means 17 or a further computer or hardware component attached to the device 1 . with respect to fig2 , an example implementation of the described iteration to determine τ u is sketched . a suitable function set ƒ k has to be chosen to decompose the unknown phase distribution τ u = σ k a ku ƒ k using the superposition coefficients a ku . an appropriate function set , which reflects the typically smooth nature of σ u , ensures a minimum number of coefficients a ku required to approximate τ u . the easiest function set is given by delta peaks . in this case , however , each voxel is iterated separately , yielding the maximum number of required a ku . a polynomial or fourier function set is more appropriate to describe τ u during the iteration . the iteration can start , e . g . with a constant or randomly determined phase or with δ uv . the determination of τ u inside the volume of interest ( voi ) can be split into separate iterations on subvolumes of the voi . this typically accelerates the calculation . however , for decreasing subvolumes , the risk of multiple solutions of eq . ( 4 ) increases , and a suitable compromise has to be found . a suitable error function e has to be chosen for minimization , e . g . e =( σ u − σ v ) 2 + λ ( ε u − ε v 2 , ( 28 ) a simulation has been performed assuming two transmit ( tx ) channels . a subvolume of 10 × 10 × 5 voxels inside an elliptical , off - center phantom with constant ε has been chosen . the 3d phase distribution was decomposed into ( a ) four 0 ./ 1 .- order polynomials , ( b ) ten 0 ./ 1 ./ 2 .- order polynomials . fig2 shows the error function for 100 iterations . as can be seen , including not only 0 ./ 1 .- order polynomials but also 2 .- order polynomials improves results . using up to second order polynomials , the two underlying ( regularized ) terms of the error function are shown . using up to first order polynomials yields larger iteration errors than using up to second order polynomials . using up to second order polynomials , the two underlying terms of the error function eq . ( 28 ) are shown , regularized with λ = 0 . 001 . fig3 illustrates simulated conductivity profiles of a spherical phantom . ept reconstruction was performed on segmented compartments . as mentioned above , the segmentation can be performed e . g . on the anatomic mr images acquired for the b1 or b0 mapping performed for ept . in fig3 , a comparison between ept reconstruction with and without segmentation is given , using a simulated , spherical phantom with σ = 0 . 3 ( 0 . 5 ) s / m in the left ( right ) hemisphere . a strong ringing artefact along the compartment boundary can be removed by the described segmentation technique in combination with the flexible calculus operations . further , according to the above described method , boundary voxels were extrapolated from the next two non - boundary voxels of the corresponding compartment . a pixel - by - pixel reconstruction is plotted in fig3 . as can be seen in fig3 , the conductivity 100 determined without segmentation deviates strongly from the true conductivity 102 at the area of transition from the left to the right hemisphere of the phantom . in contrast , by segmented ept reconstruction a respective determined conductivity 104 reflects well the conductivity transition from the left phantom part to the right phantom part and vice versa . fig4 illustrates b1 maps simulated with fdtd for an eight channel transmit system . exemplarily , local sar was estimated via ept and h + was simulated for the legs of a person in an eight channel transmit system . the simulation was performed using fdtd with the visible human at 5 mm grid resolution . the quadrature excitation ( h + & gt ;& gt ; h − ) was compared with a b1 shimmed excitation ( h 30 ˜ h − ). fig4 a shows a transversal cut through the mr bore of the device . shown are the feet of a person , wherein the feet have a geometrical symmetry plane 400 . the position of coil number 1 ( reference numeral 402 ) is given by a reflection of the spatial position of coil number 8 ( reference numeral 404 ) against said symmetry plane 400 . the same holds for the other illustrated coils 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 and 7 . the top row in fig4 b shows a simulated map of the positive circularly polarized magnetic field component of the excitation rf field or each respective coil of the coils with numbers 1 - 8 . respective simulated maps of corresponding negative circularly polarized magnetic field components at the respective coil positions are illustrated in the second row of fig4 b . as expected , h + and h − have only a low correlation . in a further step , second maps of the negative circularly polarized magnetic field components at the respective coil positions are reconstructed in the following manner : in order to reconstruct h − for coil number 1 which is located in fig4 a opposite to coil number 8 , the map of the positive circularly polarized magnetic field component of the excitation rf field at coil position 8 is reflected against the geometrical symmetry plane 406 . the position of this symmetry plane 406 is equivalent to the position of the symmetry plane 400 in the object . as a consequence , a right - left mirrored map of h + coil 8 is obtained , which correlates very well to h − at coil position 1 , as shown in fig4 b . consequently , due to the patient &# 39 ; s approximate left - right symmetry , the mirrored h + maps have a correlation of 95 to 99 % with the corresponding h − maps . employing this technique , local sar profiles can be obtained in a highly reliable manner , as shown in fig5 . in fig5 a , a quadrature excitation was employed , whereas in fig5 b an rf shimming method was used . in both , the quadrature and the rf shimming case , h − has a high correlation with the correct local sar as assuming h + = 0 , particularly for the rf shimming case . consequently , the simulation example shows that a proposed invention yields significantly better conductivity and local sar reconstruction than neglecting h − . in the following , an alternative approach for determining the local sar is discussed : the local sar given above in eq . ( 5 ) can be rewritten to in order to estimate the local sar in accordance with the alternative approach outlined above with respect to eq . ( 29 ), the following simplifications are performed : by using a quadrature body or head coil , h − = h z = 0 can be assumed . further as described above , by measuring the phase φ + employing for example by a ( turbo -) spin echo sequence and setting the amplitude h + constant , σ can be obtained from eq . ( 26 ) b . for example the amplitude h + is set constant to the nominal rf field strength of the scan proportional to b 1max and flip angle , i . e . of the order of 10 μt . in opposite to the calculation of σ or ε , an absolute value is required for local sar . further , for the estimation of the local sar , ε is required . here , three possibilities may be employed . first at all , since for most human tissue types ωε & lt ;& lt ; σ is fulfilled , ε = 0 may be assumed . alternatively , eq . ( 27 ) a can be used to estimate ε via the measured φ + , i . e . by setting the amplitude h + constant . alternatively , ε can be set to a constant value , e . g . to the ε of water . in the following , the practical applicability of this approach for determining the local sar is demonstrated : first , the electromagnetic fields for a sphere with homogeneous electric properties in a quadratic body coil are simulated using the software package concept ii ( concept ii , technical university hamburg - harburg , dep . theo . elec . engin ., germany ). then , eq . ( 29 ) is applied assuming h + = const . this simulation was multiply repeated with 0 . 1 s / m & lt ; σ & lt ; 1 . 9 s / m and 0 . 01 s / m & lt ; ωε & lt ; 0 . 19 s / m . the correlation of local sar between standard ept and phase - based ept was determined . as shown in fig6 , this correlation is found to be more than 95 % for all reported types of human tissue ( crosses ) at a main magnetic field of 1 . 5 t . in the following , the practical applicability of this approach for determining the permittivity and conductivity is demonstrated : to this goal , the approach is applied to simulations based on the visible human ( nlm 1996 , “ the visible human project ”). both the reconstructed σ assuming h + = const as well as the reconstructed ε assuming φ + = const yields reasonable results . this can be seen from fig7 . fig7 a and 7 b compare the reconstructed a of the head of the visible human for the case of full reconstruction ( fig7 a ) and for the case of a reconstruction assuming h + = const as discussed above ( fig7 b ). the correlation of the images is ˜ 99 %. fig7 c and 7 d compare the reconstructed ε of the head of the visible human . for the case of full reconstruction ( fig7 c ) and for the case of a reconstruction assuming φ + = const as discussed above ( fig7 d ). the main differences between the images are in pixels dominated by boundary errors , thus irrelevant . thus , the main impact of the assumption φ + = const on the reconstructed ε are found in pixels dominated by boundary errors , which is thus irrelevant and demonstrates well the practical applicability of this approach .
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referring initially to fig1 a disc player 1 is presented in accordance with the present invention . the disc player 1 can be seen to comprise a lid 2 , a base 3 , a spindle motor 4 and an optical pick - up unit ( opu ) 5 . on the perimeter of the base 3 is a locking mechanism 6 ( described in detail below ) and a series of operating controls 7 for the disc player 1 . further details of the base 3 are presented in fig2 . here the base 3 is viewed from the underside in the absence of a bottom section and the locking mechanism 6 . the base 3 can be seen to further comprise a chassis section 8 , a wind vane locating pin 9 and fixing pins 10 for securing the bottom section . the chassis section 8 comprises an opu locator 11 , a spindle motor locator 12 and an integrated damping system 13 . the integrated damping system 13 itself comprising five moulded plastic springs 14 located at the perimeter of the chassis section 8 . referring to fig3 , details of the locking mechanism 6 can be seen . the locking mechanism 6 comprises a wind vane 15 , shown in isolation in fig4 , an air vent 16 and a latch 17 . the latch further comprises a catch 18 and a side arm 19 , while the wind vane 15 comprises a locator 20 , a side arm 21 and a bias means ( not shown ). with the wind vane 15 located such that the locator 20 interacts with the wind vane locating pin 9 , the wind vane 15 is free to pivot between a locked position and an unlocked position . the locking mechanism 6 operates on the following principal . air pressure generated from the internally spinning disc is employed to activate the wind vane 15 , thus moving it from the unlocked position to the locked position . in the locked position the wind vane 15 prevents the manual operation of the latch 17 hence stopping the lid 2 from being opened . when the disc spins the air is drawn to the perimeter of the base 3 thus creating an air pressure build up around the edge of the disc . this air passes through the air vent 16 and wafts against the wind vane 15 causing it to pivot about the wind vane locating pin 9 . as long as the disc remains spinning , the airflow is maintained and locking mechanism 6 is maintained in the locked position , preventing the lid 2 from being opened . when the operator requires to open the lid 2 , they manually activate the software to stop the disc , thus resulting in the air pressure acting against the wind vane 15 subsiding and so the bias means acts to return the wind vane 15 to the unlocked position . the present invention has the advantage that the incorporation of an integrated damping system 13 within the base 3 of the disc player 1 eliminates the requirement for the manufacture and assembly of separate rubber av mounts . additionally , because the damping system 13 is integrated with the base 3 , this component can be manufactured to with greater accuracy , such that that the allowed clearance between the disc and the inner surface of the base 3 can be reduced . this reduction enhances the miniaturisation of the dimensions of the disc player . as a direct result of this miniaturisation the overall wind drag experienced by the disc is reduced , thus having the effect of reducing the current required to drive the spindle motor . an obvious advantage of this will be an increase in the lifetime of battery cells employed by portable disc players . further advantages of the present invention are that the locking mechanism 6 prevents the need for a disc break , since the disc will always be stationary before the lid 2 is opened . the locking mechanism 6 also removes the need for the electronics normally associated with a write lock . in addition , since the locking mechanism 6 is activated by the airflow generated by a spinning disc there is no need for it to use any electrical components such as motors , solenoids or associated gear mechanisms . as the locking mechanism 6 draws no current it provides a particularly attractive feature for portable devices that employ battery power sources . a yet further advantage of the present invention is that as there are no wires or connectors required for the operation of the locking mechanism 6 the disc player 1 is both easier and cheaper to assemble . the foregoing description of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed . the described embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . therefore , further modifications or improvements may be incorporated without departing from the scope of the invention herein intended .
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the sensor of the present invention may easily be fabricated using any of the techniques known in the art of microchip fabrication . in fact , due to the relatively large size of the sensors and their interconnects ( well in excess of 1 μm ) fabrication processes which are now approaching obsolescence for microchip fabrication find renewed life when used to fabricate the present invention . an example of a typical process flow is illustrated in fig1 a - 1e below . fig1 a shows a picoslider ( approximately 1 . 25 mm × 1 mm × 0 . 3 mm ) in preparation for sensor fabrication . unlike the invention of imai , the present invention can be fabricated directly on a standard al 2 o 3 . tic slider ( 100 ). a thin layer of polysilicon ( 110 ) is deposited using low pressure chemical vapor deposition ( lpcvd ). this layer ( 110 ) is typically greater than about 100 å thick . a second layer comprised of dielectric material ( 120 ) is then formed . a preferred embodiment uses a sio 2 formed by thermal oxidation of the polysilicon layer ( as shown in fig1 b ). however , dielectrics such as silicon nitride or silicon oxynitride may be deposited using lpcvd to form the dielectric material ( 120 ). the dielectric layer ( 120 ) is formed to a thickness sufficient to electrically isolate subsequently formed layers from the underlying slider and polysilicon . the dielectric layer ( 120 ) is pattern masked with photoresist ( not shown ). the pattern allows the formation of a lower electrode ( 135 ) and the lower electrode interconnects ( 130 ) ( as shown in fig1 c ). the electrode and interconnects are made of conducting materials which include , but are not limited to , polysilicon , doped polysilicon , silicides , and metals . a preferred material is aluminum . once the electrodes are formed , the surface is masked again ( not shown ) and zno ( 140 ) is sputtered onto the electrode ( 135 ) to a thickness of approximately 2 μm ( as shown in fig1 d ). the mask is removed . alternatively , pure zn metal can be sputtered onto the electrode ( 135 ). the zn is later thermally oxidized to form piezoelectric zno . at this point , the zno ( 140 ) can be masked while an optional layer of electrically isolating material ( 150 ) is formed on the surface ( as shown in fig1 e ). this isolating layer prevents subsequently formed interconnects from shorting with the lower electrode interconnects ( 130 ). typically , the isolation layer ( 150 ) is comprised of sio 2 but may be practiced using other electrically isolating materials ( such as silicon nitride , silicon oxynitride , boropolysilicate glass , etc .). shorting may also be avoided by forming subsequent interconnects such that they do not overlap with previously formed lower electrode interconnects ( 130 ). the surface is masked again and a layer of electrically conducting material is formed over the zno sensor ( 140 ), as the top electrode ( 165 ), and as top electrode interconnects ( 160 ). the preferred material is al , but any conducting material will serve the purposes of the present invention , including , but not limited to , polysilicon , doped polysilicon , suicides , and metal . subsequently , the top can be covered with an optional passivation / protection layer ( 170 ), which is composed of electrically isolating material , typically comprised of sio 2 . during glidehead testing , asperities in the disk surface collide with the glidehead . these collisions produce a series of dynamic reactions in the glidehead , each of which must be accounted for , measured , and analyzed . fig2 a - 2f show a series of glideheads subject to typical deformation patterns caused by impacts with asperities on a disk surface . the x - axis represents horizontal motion with the y - axis representing vertical motion . each impact causes vibrational modes in the glidehead . these modes are dependent on how asperities impact and deform a glidehead during use . each of the torsional and bending shapes depicted have specific natural resonant frequencies ( or modes ) which may be used to analyze asperities on the disk surface . as can be seen from the wide range of vibrational conformations of fig2 a - 2f , sensors must be placed at a variety of locations in order to fully analyze the impact of each asperity . a the sensors of the present invention can be fabricated on any surface of the glidehead , but the preferred embodiments construct the sensors on the top and side surfaces of glideheads . fig3 a shows an overhead view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention as fabricated by the previously described method . fig3 b is a perspective of the same slider and sensors . fig3 b shows five zno sensors ( 310 , 310 t ) fabricated on a al 2 o 3 . tic slider ( 300 ). the comer sensor ( 310 ) dimensions are variable and may be as large as 100 μm × 100 μm × 2 μm , but , typically are 100 μm × 20 μm × 2 μm . these sensors ( 310 ) are each located on or near the four corners of the glidehead . electrical interconnects ( 320 ) connect each sensor to analyzing instrumentation ( not shown ) through connection site ( 330 ). typically , the bottom electrode ( 135 of fig1 e ) is grounded . the top electrode is typically connected to amplification circuits ( not shown ) which amplify the signal during signal processing . a somewhat larger sensor ( 310 t ) may be fabricated and used to detect flexing stress or temperature variation in the slider . the larger sensor ( 310 t ) is fabricated onto the side surface of the glidehead . the length dimension of this sensor may be quite long , extending nearly the entire width of the slider ( 300 ). this sensor is also connected using an interconnect ( 320 ). the fabrication methods used to construct sensors ( 310 ) are largely the same for sensor ( 310 t ). the signals sent by the five sensors can be processed by using any of a number of methods known in the art . a typical example is set forth in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 581 , 021 by flechsig , et al . using such methods the sensors of the present invention sense vibrational response of the sliders to contact with disk asperities , while by careful frequency ( or mode ) selection the signal - to - noise ratio is enhanced . such techniques provide an accurate picture of the disk surface . although the present invention has been described with reference to certain specific embodiments , it should be understood that numerous substitutions and variations can be made in materials selection , sensor orientation , sensor enhancement , and manufacture without departing from the true nature and scope of the present invention as set forth in the following claims .
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referring more specifically to the drawings , for illustrative purposes the present invention is embodied in methods and apparatus generally illustrated in fig1 through fig4 . it will be appreciated that the apparatus embodiments may vary as to configuration and as to the details of the parts , and that the methods may vary as to the specific steps and sequence , without departing from the basic concepts as disclosed herein . the present invention relates to devices and methods for high - speed high - contrast imaging in one , two or three dimensions that enable image acquisition of transparent media without the need for chemical staining that may be applied in a broad range of applications from semiconductor process monitoring to biological screening . the embodiments of fig1 and of fig2 a and fig2 b are variations of the same theme and are used to illustrate the preferred apparatus of the invention . turning now to the schematic diagram of fig1 , one embodiment 10 of the apparatus of the invention is schematically shown . the illustrated apparatus 10 is one adaptation of the invention for differential interference contrast serial time - encoded amplified microscopy of a sample in one dimension . however , two dimensions can be acquired by two orthogonally oriented 1d spatial dispersers etc . three dimensions can also be acquired by extracting the depth information of the object to be imaged . initially , a broadband laser pulse is provided from a broadband laser 12 . in the embodiment shown , the broadband laser pulse source 12 is preferably a femtosecond mode - locked fiber laser 14 with a center wavelength of 1560 nm and a pulse repetition rate of ˜ 37 mhz . a highly nonlinear fiber 16 and optical band - pass filter 18 following the laser produce a train of pulses with ˜ 20 nm bandwidth centered at 1591 nm as an illumination beam . it should be appreciated that a broadband pulsed beam can be generated in numerous ways without departing from the teachings of the present invention . the optical pulses from laser 12 are sent to an optical fiber collimator 20 to ensure a collimated beam 26 in free - space . a half - wave plate ( hwp ) 22 and a quarter - wave plate ( qwp ) 24 are optionally used before the diffraction gratings 28 and 30 to ensure maximum diffraction efficiency of the diffraction gratings . using a pair of diffraction gratings 28 , 30 with around 1100 lines / mm groove density , pulses that are spatially - dispersed into a 1d rainbow pattern are produced and ultimately enable a 1d line - scan of the object . an alternative to creating a 1d rainbow pattern is to use virtually imaged phased arrays ( vipa ). another alternative is to use prisms to create the specially dispersed 1d rainbow pattern . in this illustration , the 1d spatially - dispersed beam from the diffraction gratings 28 , 30 is re - sized using two pairs of cylindrical telescope lenses ( a vertical pair 32 and a horizontal pair 34 ) to allow manipulation of the beam in both vertical and horizontal directions . in another embodiment , the beam is resized using a pair of spherical telescopic lenses or by adjusting the orientations of diffraction gratings . then , the manipulated 1d spatially - dispersed beam is sent to a half - wave plate 36 and a polarizer 38 to rotate the polarization state of the light and ensure an approximately 45 - degree linear polarization incident on the nomarski prism 40 . the nomarski prism 40 splits the illumination beam into two orthogonally - polarized 1d rainbow patterns ( 0 and 90 degrees ). another cylindrical lens 42 is used to make the two orthogonally - polarized 1d rainbow patterns parallel with respect to each other . also , a cylindrical lens 42 , spherical lens 44 and an objective lens 46 are used to focus the illumination onto the sample 48 and ensure a collimated rainbow pattern on the sample object 44 . the design of the nomarski prism 40 and the following optics 42 , 44 and 46 in this illustration are such that the two orthogonally - polarized beams are ˜ 3 μm apart at the object in the direction normal to the direction of the line scan , illustrated schematically in fig3 . referring specifically to fig3 , the beam trace of each wavelength component of the illumination beam through the nomarski prism 40 and a single objective lens 46 is generally shown . the θ shown in fig3 is the angle of linear polarization . the two polarized beams are incident to the transparent object such that two incident points on the object are illuminated by each wavelength but with two different polarizations . a mirror 50 is placed at the back of the sample object 48 in the embodiment of fig1 and fig3 in order to return the phase - encoded beams back to the same optics . this scheme results in double passing of the illumination beams through the object 48 , and as a result doubles the phase shifts . after recombining the phase - encoded beams using the same lenses 42 , 44 and 46 and nomarski prism 40 , the spectrally - encoded beam is spatially - compressed using the same pair of diffraction gratings 28 , 30 , and associated optics . the beam is directed back into an optical fiber 68 using an optical - fiber collimator 20 . in this configuration , the polarizer 38 before the nomarski prism 40 acts the analyzer in the conventional differential interference contrast microscopy . the spectrally - encoded returning beam from fiber 68 is directed to a spool of dispersive fiber 54 ( with a preferred dispersion value of − 662 ps / nm ) via an optical circulator 52 to perform amplified dispersive fourier transformation . the dispersive fiber 54 is optically pumped by four continuous - wave lasers 56 , 58 , 60 and 62 providing center wavelengths at 1450 nm , 1470 nm , 1490 nm , and 1505 nm for distributed raman amplification . in the dispersive medium 54 , the spectrum of each interfered pulse is converted into an amplified temporal waveform . the time - encoded optical pulses are then captured by a high - speed photodetector 64 ( bandwidth & gt ; 10 ghz ) and digitized by a real - time digitizer 66 with a 16 ghz bandwidth and 50 gs / s sampling rate , for example . digital signal processing including background and noise removal may be performed offline to reconstruct the image of the object 48 under examination . turning now to the embodiment of fig2 a and fig2 b , an alternative configuration of the apparatus is generally shown . this embodiment is particularly suited for high - throughput imaging such as cellular screening applications . the broadband pulse laser source 70 is preferably a femtosecond mode - locked fiber laser 72 with a center wavelength of 1560 nm and a pulse repetition rate of ˜ 37 mhz . a highly nonlinear fiber 74 and optical band - pass filter 76 following the laser produces a train of pulses with ˜ 20 nm bandwidth centered at 1591 nm as an illumination beam . although this configuration is preferred , other laser sources can also be used . the optical pulses from broadband laser source 70 may be sent to an optical fiber collimator 78 to ensure a collimated beam in free - space . the beam is directed through a half - wave plate ( hwp ) 80 and a quarter - wave plate ( qwp ) 82 to the first diffraction grating 84 to a second diffraction grating 86 . the optional half - wave plate 80 and a quarter - wave plate 82 are used before the diffraction gratings to ensure maximum diffraction efficiency of the diffraction gratings . a pair of diffraction gratings 84 , 86 with approximately 1100 lines / mm groove density is preferred but any groove density may be used . the groove density of the diffraction grating determines the spatial resolution i . e . the number of resolvable points and the higher the groove density the better the spatial resolution . accordingly , the spatial resolution of the diffraction gratings can be selected based on the characteristics of the objects to be imaged . the 1d spatially - dispersed beam from the second diffraction grating 86 is re - sized using two pairs of cylindrical telescope lenses ( vertical 88 and horizontal 90 ) in vertical and horizontal directions . then , the 1d spatially - dispersed beam is sent to a half - wave plate 92 and a polarizer 94 to rotate the polarization state of the light and ensure a 45 - degree linear polarization incident on the nomarski prism 96 . the nomarski prism 96 splits the illumination beam into two orthogonally - polarized 1d rainbow patterns ( 0 and 90 degrees ). another cylindrical lens 98 is used to make the two orthogonally - polarized 1d rainbow patterns parallel with respect to each other . also , a spherical lens 100 and an objective lens 102 are used to focus the illumination onto the sample object 104 and ultimately ensure a collimated rainbow pattern on the object 104 . the design of the nomarski prism 96 and the following optics are such that the two orthogonally - polarized beams are preferably separated between approximately ˜ 1 μm and approximately ˜ 5 μm apart at the object in the direction normal to the direction of the line scan . another objective lens 106 and a spherical lens 108 are present on the other side of the sample object 104 to collect the transmitted beams . a cylindrical lens 110 then focuses the two orthogonally - polarized beams on the cross point of the second nomarski prism 112 . the second nomarski prism 112 is normally identical to the first nomarski prism 96 . an analyzer ( i . e ., polarizer ) 114 picks up the interfered components of the recombined beam . after recombining the phase - encoded beams using the second nomarski prism 112 , the spectrally - encoded beam is re - sized and spatially - compressed using two pairs of cylindrical lenses ( horizontal 118 and vertical 120 ) and a pair of diffraction gratings ( preferably the same groove density as the first pair ), respectively . accordingly , the beam from the half wave plate 116 is preferably sized by telescoping lenses 118 and 120 and directed to the third diffraction grating 122 and fourth diffraction grating 124 . the beam is then coupled into an optical fiber 142 using an optical - fiber collimator 126 in fig2 b . the resulting spectrally - encoded beam is directed to a spool of dispersive fiber 128 ( with dispersion value of − 1373 ps / nm ) to perform amplified dispersive fourier transformation , in this embodiment . the dispersive fiber 128 is optically pumped by four continuous - wave lasers 130 , 132 , 134 and 136 at 1450 nm , 1470 nm , 1490 nm , and 1505 nm for distributed raman amplification . optical amplification of the dispersive fiber 128 allows detection of low signals and therefore improves the sensitivity of the technique . in the dispersive medium 128 , the spectrum of each interfered pulse is converted into an amplified temporal waveform . the time - encoded optical pulses are then captured by a high - speed photodetector 138 ( bandwidth & gt ; 10 ghz ) and digitized by a real - time digitizer 140 with 16 ghz bandwidth and 50 gs / s sampling rate . digital signal processing including background and noise removal can then be performed offline to reconstruct the image of the object 104 . a differential phase contrast image of the object 104 is obtained with very fast shutter speed and high frame rates . referring now to the flow diagram of fig4 , one embodiment of the method 100 for differential interference contrast serial time encoded amplified microscopy is generally shown . the apparatus shown schematically in fig1 and in fig3 are illustrations of an apparatus that is capable of performing the method . at block 110 , at least one spatially dispersed orthogonally polarized laser beam is produced from a laser light source , a spatial disperser and a nomarski prism . the light source can be incoherent light source , a broadband pulse laser light source and a swept frequency continuous - wave laser light source , for example . as illustrated in fig1 and fig2 a and fig2 b , the beam from the laser light source is prepared for exposure on the sample by being spatially dispersed and polarized before being directed through the nomarski prism to the sample . spatial dispersion is preferably accomplished with a pair of diffraction gratings but other spatial dispersers may also be used . the spatial dispersive element may also include optical lenses for focusing or half wave plates and quarter wave plates to maximize diffraction efficiency if diffraction gratings are used . the prepared spatially dispersed beam is directed to the sample at block 120 of fig4 , preferably with one or more objective lenses . the spatial information from the exposed sample is encoded onto the spectrum of the beam at block 130 . at block 140 , the exposed spatially dispersed beams are reflected back through the sample specimen with a reflector as shown in the embodiment shown in fig3 . the back reflection from the sample goes back through the objective lens , nomarski prism and disperser in this embodiment . the encoded back reflection is mapped into a temporal waveform with a temporal disperser to produce a serial time - domain waveform at block 150 of fig4 . at this point the optical spectrum that is encoded with the image of the sample appears as a serial sequence in time . the temporal dispersive element is preferably a dispersive fiber and a process called amplified dispersive fourier transform ( adft ) is preferably used to map the encoded spectrum into a temporal waveform using group velocity dispersion . other transforms may also be used . at block 160 , the serialized images are processed . typically they are detected by a photodiode and then digitized and manipulated with digital processing . it will be seen that the apparatus and the embodiments illustrated in fig1 through fig4 , map an image into a serial time - domain waveform that allows the images to be captured with a single - pixel detector , eliminating the need for ccd / cmos imagers and the associated trade - off between imaging sensitivity and speed . this mapping is generally accomplished in two steps . the first step is space - frequency mapping . the spatial information of an object is encoded into the spectrum of a broadband laser pulse using a spatial disperser and nomarski prism . two spatially - dispersed orthogonally - polarized beams are produced such that each wavelength component of the beam travels through adjacent points on the object with different polarizations . consequently , the beams experience different phase shifts associated with the optical path lengths ( i . e ., the product of the refractive index and thickness ) of the two incident points on the object . by recombining the two phase - encoded beams using the same or another nomarski prism , the differential phase information is converted into an intensity modulation . in other words , the optical path length difference between the two incident points results in constructive / deconstructive interference for each wavelength . the second step is frequency - time mapping . the image - encoded spectrum is then converted into a temporal data stream and stretched in time , preferably through a process called amplified dispersive fourier transformation ( adft ). adft maps the spectrum of the encoded optical pulse into a temporal waveform using group velocity dispersion . at the same time , the dispersive fiber is pumped with supplemental laser light sources to amplify the image signal and compensate for losses . the time stretch allows the image to be digitized by a conventional electronic digitizer . also , the optical image amplification overcomes the loss of signal at high frame rates . the present invention can provide one - dimensional , two dimensional or three - dimensional imaging . the one - dimensional schemes like those shown in fig1 or fig2 a and fig2 b use diffraction gratings or prisms to generate a 1d pattern for illuminating a specimen . the two - dimensional schemes use two orthogonally oriented 1d dispersers and the frequency - time mapping process is the same as with the 1d schemes . three - dimensional imaging is acquired by recovering the absolute phase shift that is caused by the sample as compared with the relative phase shift recovered in the 2d scheme and the use of a reference beam split before the nomarski prism . by interfering the reference beam with the sampling beam , the absolute phase shift converts into intensity information . the invention may be better understood with reference to the accompanying examples , which are intended for purposes of illustration only and should not be construed as in any sense limiting the scope of the present invention as defined in the claims appended hereto . in order to prove the concepts of the invention , a computer model was created for the system described schematically in fig2 a and fig2 b that used a crenated sample with a 30 μm width to test the system . the model specimen was meant as a crude example of a typical application such as identification of a certain type of diseased cells . in this simulation , the resolution is assumed to be 0 . 5 micron and the two adjacent points are 0 . 2 μm apart . these are typical numbers for a conventional dic microscope . the model of fig2 a and fig2 b was used and a broadband pulse laser was adopted to generate the probe beam . the beam was mapped into space using a spatial - disperser such as diffraction grating or prism . the spatially - dispersed beam was split into two beams with orthogonal polarization states using a nomarski / wollaston prism . the two beams were focused on the sample such that every two adjacent points were illuminated by a certain wavelength but with two different polarizations . after traveling through the sample , the two polarized beams are combined using a second nomarski / wollaston prism . the optical path difference between the two adjacent points results in constructive / deconstructive interference of certain wavelengths . the spatially dispersed and spectrally - encoded pulses are spatially compressed using another diffraction grating ( or prism ). the amplified dispersive fourier transformation was performed to convert the spectrum of the pulses into time and amplify them simultaneously . distributed amplification can be achieved using raman amplification and dispersion compensating fibers . a single - pixel photodetector and a commercial digitizer can be used to receive the time - encoded pulses . post - signal processing is performed to construct the images . in one implementation , a broadband laser pulse is dispersed in one dimension using a diffraction grating . it therefore performs a 1d line scan of the sample . the process is repeated by subsequent laser pulses that arrive at the laser pulse repetition frequency ( typically tens of mhz ). at the same time , the samples — cells in the flow cytometry application — are moving in the axial direction — perpendicular to the line - scanning direction . hence each line scan creates a single 1d image but at an incrementally different axial line compared to the adjacent pulses . two dimensional images are then obtained by these line scans . the scan rate of this technique is determined by the repetition rate of the pulse laser . the technique can also be extended to 3d imaging by recovering the absolute phase shift caused by the sample , compared to the relative phase shift in 2d approach described above . in the 2d configuration , the interference process converts to amplitude the relative phase shift difference between the two orthogonally - polarized beams . this provides information about the relative optical path length between two adjacent in - plane points . the axial information , which must be recovered for 3d imaging , is contained in the absolute phase shift . this phase shift can be recovered by adding a reference beam . as seen in the embodiment of fig2 a and fig2 b , the beam is split into two beams before the nomarski prism and combined back after the second nomarski prism . therefore , the overall intensity detected by the photodetector can be written as : as can be seen in the expression above , the amplitude modulation is now a function of both the absolute phase shifts ( φ 1 and φ 2 ) and the differential phase shift ( φ 2 − φ 1 ). assuming φ 2 − φ 1 & lt ;& lt ; φ 1 , φ 2 , the terms cos ( φ 2 ) and cos ( φ 1 ) cause faster modulations compared to the term cos ( φ 2 − φ 1 ). by low - pass filtering i t , dc term and the low frequency term ( cos ( φ 2 − φ 1 )) are extracted . thus , absolute phase values , φ 1 and φ 2 , and therefore the sample thickness ( axial dimension ) at both points can be found , leading to a 3d image . in contrast to conventional light microscopes , the methods can image samples with refractive index similar to their surroundings . moreover , picking up the sample profile of two points , which are ≧ 0 . 2 μm apart , will result in unrivaled resolution among standard optical microscopes . in order to illustrate the methods for fabrication and the functionality of the differential interference contrast serial time encoded amplified microscopy system , an imager apparatus was constructed according the general schematic shown in fig1 . both one dimensional and two dimensional images of a sample were obtained . the second dimension of the images was obtained by translating the sample in the direction orthogonal to that of the line scans . the sample was a transparent material with periodically refractive - index modulation ( i . e . a transmission grating with groove density of ˜ 70 lines / mm ). the optical source was a mode - locked laser with a center wavelength of 1560 nm and a pulse repetition rate of 36 . 1 mhz . a highly nonlinear fiber and optical band - pass filter following the laser produced a train of pulses with ˜ 20 nm bandwidth centered at 1591 nm was used as an illumination beam . using a pair of diffraction gratings with 1100 lines / mm groove density , the pulses were spatially - dispersed into a 1d rainbow pattern enabling 1d line - scanning of the test object . the 1d spatially - dispersed beam was sent to a half - wave plate and a polarizer to rotate the polarization state of the light and ensure 45 - degree linear polarization incident on the nomarski prism . the nomarski prism split the illumination beam into two orthogonally - polarized 1d rainbow patterns ( 0 and 90 degrees ). the design of the nomarski prism and the optics that followed were such that the two orthogonally - polarized beams were ˜ 3 μm apart on the object in the direction normal to the direction of the line scan as shown in fig3 . a mirror was placed at the back of the sample to return the phase - encoded beams through the same optics , which resulted in double passing of the illumination beams through the object , and hence , doubles the phase shifts . after recombining the phase encoded beams using the same nomarski prism , the spectrally - encoded beam was directed to a spool of dispersive fiber ( with dispersion value of − 662 ps / nm ) via an optical circulator to perform amplified dispersive fourier transformation . the time - encoded optical pulses were then captured by a high - speed photodetector and digitized by a real - time digitizer with 16 ghz bandwidth and 50 gs / s sampling rate ( tektronix — dpo71604 ). digital signal processing including background and noise removal was performed offline to reconstruct the images . the number of image pixels was found to be n = d . δλ . fdig = 662 , where d is the total dispersion in the dispersive fiber ( d =− 662 ps / nm ), δλ is the optical bandwidth ( δλ = 20 nm ), and fdig is the sampling rate of the digitizer ( fdig = 50 gs / s ). the number of resolvable points was estimated to be ˜ 100 from the spectral resolution of the adft process . accordingly , the dwell time ( shutter speed ) was found to be ˜ 60 ps from the bandwidth of each subpulse or wavelength component ( 20 nm / 100 ) in the line scan . the temporal waveform indicated the repetitive pulses ( corresponding to the line scans ) detected by a single - pixel photodetector had a 36 . 1 mhz frame rate . in other words , real - time capture of time - domain pulses enabled pulse - to - pulse ( frame - by - frame ) image acquisition at 36 . 1 mhz rate in this example . the design of transmission grating was such that the refractive - index modulation is small and the reflections from different points on the sample were below the sensitivity of a conventional steam imager . with the nomarski prism , the system provided the differential phase - contrast in imaging of the sample and showed significant contrast - enhancement using the apparatus . the observed high - intensity lines in the obtained image were ˜ 14 μm apart , which agreed with the specifications of the transmission grating ( i . e ., 70 lines / mm groove density ). in order to further demonstrate the functionality of the methods and imager , the apparatus shown in fig1 was constructed and used for high - speed , high - contrast imaging of fast - flowing unstained white blood cells . white blood cells were isolated from whole blood by hypotonic lysis of red blood cells and re - suspended in phosphate buffered saline . the optical source that was used was a mode - locked laser with a center wavelength of 1560 nm and a pulse repetition rate of 36 . 1 mhz . a highly nonlinear fiber and optical band - pass filter following the laser produces a train of pulses with ˜ 20 nm bandwidth centered at 1591 nm as an illumination beam . using a pair of diffraction gratings with 1100 lines / mm groove density , the pulses were spatially - dispersed into a 1d rainbow pattern enabling 1d line - scanning of the object . the 1d spatially - dispersed ( i . e ., 1d rainbow ) were sent to a half - wave plate and a polarizer to rotate the polarization state of the light and to ensure a 45 - degree linear polarization incident on the nomarski prism . the nomarski prism split the illumination beam into two orthogonally - polarized 1d rainbow patterns ( 0 and 90 degrees ). the design of the nomarski prism and the following optics are such that the two orthogonally - polarized beams are ˜ 3 μm apart at the object in the direction normal to the direction of the line scan as illustrated in fig3 . a mirror 50 was placed at the back of the object to return the phase - encoded beams to the same optics , which results in double passing of the illumination beams through the object , and hence , doubles the phase shifts as illustrated in fig1 . after recombining the phase - encoded beams using the same nomarski prism 40 , the spectrally - encoded beam is directed to a spool of dispersive fiber ( with dispersion value of − 1373 ps / nm ) via an optical circulator to perform amplified dispersive fourier transformation . the time - encoded optical pulses are then captured by a high - speed photodetector and digitized by a real - time digitizer with 16 ghz bandwidth and 50 gs / s sampling rate ( tektronix — dpo71604 ). digital signal processing including background and noise removal was performed offline to reconstruct the image of the object under test . also , in order to uniformly position and flow cells to be imaged , inertial microfluidic technology was employed . this technology enabled focusing and ordering of cells at very fast flow rate , while eliminating the need for sheath fluid . the cells had a flow speed of ˜ 1 m / s in the direction orthogonal to that of the line scans providing 400 - 500 image pixels in the flow direction . the number of image pixels in this demonstration was found to be n =| d | δλf dig = 1373 , where d is the total dispersion in the dispersive fiber ( d =− 1373 ps / nm ), δλ is the optical bandwidth ( δλ = 20 nm ), and f dig is the sampling rate of the digitizer ( f dig = 50 gs / s ). the number of resolvable points was estimated to be ˜ 175 from the spectral resolution of the adft process . accordingly , the dwell time ( shutter speed ) was found to be ˜ 40 ps from the bandwidth of each sub - pulse or wavelength component ( 20 nm / 175 ) in the line scan . the temporal waveform that was observed indicated the repetitive pulses ( corresponding to the line scans ) detected by a single - pixel photodetector and illustrates the operation of apparatus at a 36 . 1 mhz frame rate . in other words , real - time capture of time - domain pulses enables pulse - to - pulse ( frame - by - frame ) image acquisition at a 36 . 1 mhz rate . for purposes of comparison , 2d images were obtained with the apparatus and with a conventional steam imager . the two dimensional images captured by the apparatus were based on the relative phase shift between the illumination beams when propagating through the cell , while the images captured by steam showed the reflectivity from the surface of the cell . interestingly , the image contrast of the white blood cell captured by apparatus was & gt ; 10 times higher than that of captured by a conventional steam apparatus . this was due to poor refractive - index contrast of unstained white blood cells compared to their aqueous surrounding . interestingly , since the apparatus reveals the optical density of the cell ( i . e ., the product of refractive index and size ), it is capable of distinguishing different types of cells that are similar in size , and provides a path to high - throughput imaging - based flow cytometry and cell sorting . from the discussion above it will be appreciated that the invention can be embodied in various ways , including the following : 1 . an apparatus for optical imaging , comprising a broadband pulsed laser light source ; a spatial disperser stage operably coupled to the light source producing a polarized spatially dispersed beam ; a nomarski prism operably coupled to the spatial disperser stage ; an objective lens configured to direct a spatially dispersed beam from the nomarski prism to a specimen ; a mirror ; a temporal disperser stage configured to map a back - reflected spectrum into a temporal waveform ; an optical detector ; and a digitizer . 2 . the apparatus of embodiment 1 , wherein the broadband pulsed laser source comprises : a mode - locked laser ; a highly non - linear fiber ; a bandpass filter ; and a fiber collimator . 3 . the apparatus of embodiment 1 , wherein said spatial disperser stage comprises : a half - wave plate ; a quarter - wave plate ; a pair of diffraction gratings ; a pair of vertical telescoping lenses ; a pair of horizontal telescoping lenses ; a half wave plate ; and a polarizer . 4 . the apparatus of embodiment 1 , the objective lens further comprising : a cylindrical lens operably coupled to the nomarski prism ; and a spherical lens operably coupled with an objective lens . 5 . the apparatus of embodiment 1 , wherein the temporal disperser stage comprises : an optical circulator ; a spool of dispersive fiber operably coupled to the optical circulator ; and a plurality of optical pumping continuous wave lasers coupled to the dispersive fiber operating at different center wavelengths . 6 . an apparatus for optical imaging , comprising : a broadband pulsed laser light source ; an encoding spatial disperser stage operably coupled to the light source producing a polarized spatially dispersed beam ; a first nomarski prism operably coupled to the spatial disperser stage ; a first objective lens configured to direct a spatially dispersed beam from the nomarski prism to a specimen ; a second objective lens ; a second nomarski prism operably coupled to the second objective lens ; a second spatial disperser stage ; a temporal disperser stage operably coupled to the second spatial disperser stage ; an optical detector ; and a digitizer . 7 . the apparatus of embodiment 6 , wherein said broadband pulsed laser source comprises : a mode - locked laser ; a highly non - linear fiber ; a bandpass filter ; and a fiber collimator . 8 . the apparatus of embodiment 6 , wherein the first and second spatial disperser stages comprise : a half - wave plate ; a quarter - wave plate ; a pair of diffraction gratings ; a pair of vertical telescoping lenses ; a pair of horizontal telescoping lenses ; a half wave plate ; and a polarizer . 9 . the apparatus of embodiment 6 , wherein the first and second objective lenses further comprise : a cylindrical lens operably coupled to the nomarski prism ; and a spherical lens operably coupled with and an objective lens . 10 . the apparatus of embodiment 6 , wherein the temporal disperser stage comprises : an optical circulator ; a spool of dispersive fiber operably coupled to the optical circulator ; and a plurality of optical pumping continuous wave lasers coupled to the dispersive fiber operating at different center wavelengths . 11 . a method of optical imaging , comprising : generating orthogonally polarized spatially dispersed beams with a broadband pulsed laser source , a spatial disperser and a nomarski prism ; exposing a sample to the spatially dispersed beams ; encoding spatial information of the sample into the spectrum of the exposed spatially dispersed beam ; mapping the encoded spectrum into a temporal waveform with a temporal disperser to produce an encoded serial time - domain waveform ; processing the encoded serial time - domain waveform to produce an image . 12 . the method of embodiment 11 , wherein the broadband pulsed laser source is produced by passing a laser beam from a mode - locked laser through a highly non - linear fiber , bandpass filter and fiber collimator . 13 . the method of embodiment 11 , wherein the spatial disperser comprises a first diffraction grating , a second diffraction grating , optical lenses and a polarizer . 14 . the method of embodiment 13 , wherein the spatial disperser further comprises a half wave plate and a quarter wave plate disposed in a beam path prior to the first diffraction grating . 15 . the method of embodiment 11 , wherein the exposed spatially dispersed beam from the sample is further directed through an objective lens , a second nomarski prism , an analyzer , a half wave plate , optical lenses , a third diffraction grating and a fourth diffraction grating before temporal mapping . 16 . the method of embodiment 11 , further comprising : amplifying the mapped encoded serial time - domain waveform by optical pumping of a temporal dispersive element with at least one secondary light source . 17 . the method of embodiment 11 , further comprising : exposing the sample to a second spatially dispersed beam generated from a broadband pulsed laser source , a spatial disperser and a nomarski prism oriented orthogonally to a first spatially dispersed beam . 18 . the method of embodiment 17 , further comprising : recovering the absolute phase shift caused by the sample ; and generating a three - dimensional image . 19 . the method of embodiment 11 , wherein the processing comprises : capturing the waveform with a photodiode ; digitizing the captured waveform to provide a digital signal ; and processing the digital signal to produce an image . 20 . a method of optical imaging , comprising : generating a plurality of spatially dispersed beams with broadband pulsed laser source , a spatial disperser and a nomarski prism ; exposing a sample to the spatially dispersed beams ; encoding spatial information of the sample into the spectrum of the exposed spatially dispersed beam ; reflecting the exposed spatially dispersed beam back through the sample and nomarski prism ; mapping the encoded spectrum into a temporal waveform with a temporal disperser to produce an encoded serial time - domain waveform ; processing the encoded serial time - domain waveform to produce an image . although the description above contains many details , these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention . therefore , it will be appreciated that the scope of the present invention fully encompasses other embodiments which may become obvious to those skilled in the art , and that the scope of the present invention is accordingly to be limited by nothing other than the appended claims , in which reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “ one and only one ” unless explicitly so stated , but rather “ one or more .” all structural , chemical , and functional equivalents to the elements of the above - described preferred embodiment that are known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the present claims . moreover , it is not necessary for a device or method to address each and every problem sought to be solved by the present invention , for it to be encompassed by the present claims . furthermore , no element , component , or method step in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element , component , or method step is explicitly recited in the claims . no claim element herein is to be construed under the provisions of 35 u . s . c . 112 , sixth paragraph , unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “ means for .”
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referring more particularly to fig1 of the drawings , there is shown a general block diagram of a computer hardware system comprising a central processing unit ( cpu ) 10 and a random access memory ( ram ) unit 11 . computer programs stored in the ram 11 are accessed by cpu 10 and executed , one instruction at a time , by cpu 10 . data , stored in other portions of ram 11 , are operated upon by the program instructions accessed by cpu 10 from ram 11 , all in accordance with well - known data processing techniques . cpu 10 may , of course , comprise multiple processors and interact with multiple memory units 11 by way of caches for data and / or instructions , all as is also well - known in the data processing art . as suggested by line 17 , cpu 10 may , in fact , be one of a plurality of central processing units in a multiprocessor or distributed processing system . similarly , as suggested by line 18 , ram 11 may be one of a plurality of random access memories serving the data processing system of fig1 . central processing unit ( cpu ) 10 also controls and accesses a disk controller unit 12 which , in turn , accesses digital data stored on one or more disk storage units such as disk storage unit 13 . in normal operation , programs and data are stored on disk storage unit 13 until required by cpu 10 . at this time , such programs and data are retrieved from disk storage unit 13 in blocks and stored in ram 11 for rapid access . central processing unit ( cpu ) 10 also controls an input - output ( io ) controller 14 which , in turn , provides access to a plurality of input devices such as crt ( cathode ray tube ) terminal 15 , as well as a plurality of output devices such as printer 16 . terminal 15 provides a mechanism for a computer operator to introduce instructions and commands into the computer system of fig1 and may be supplemented with other input devices such as card and tape readers , remotely located terminals , optical readers and other types of input devices . similarly , printer 16 provides a mechanism for displaying the results of the operation of the computer system of fig1 for the computer user . printer 16 may similarly be supplemented by line printers , cathode ray tube displays , phototypesetters , graphical plotters and other types of output devices . the constituents of the computer system of fig1 and their cooperative operation are well - known in the art and are typical of all computer systems , from small personal computers to large main frame systems . the architecture and operation of such systems are well - known and , since they form no part of the present invention , will not be further described here . in fig2 there is shown a graphical representation of a typical software architecture for a computer system such as that shown in fig1 . the software of fig2 comprises an access mechanism 20 which , for simple personal computers , may comprise no more than turning the system on . in larger systems , providing service to a larger number of users , login and password procedures would typically be implemented in access mechanism 20 . once access mechanism 20 has completed the login procedure , the user is placed in the operating system environment 21 . operating system 21 coordinates the activities of all of the hardware components of the computer system ( shown in fig1 ) and provides a number of utility programs 22 of general use to the computer user . utilities 22 might , for example , comprise assemblers and compilers , mathematical routines , basic file handling routines and system maintenance facilities . one such utility software program is shown as resource locking mechanism 29 . mechanism 29 serves to assign resources such as one of the memories such as memory 11 , one of the disk storage units such as unit 13 , or one of the processing units such as unit 10 , to the various software processes forming the other components of fig2 . locking mechanism 29 utilizes a plurality of resource request queues 19 to insure the assignment of resources to the requesters in the same order as the requests are made . locking mechanism 29 will be described in greater detail in connection with fig3 and 4 . the computer software system of fig2 typically also includes a plurality of application programs such as application software 23 , 24 , . . . 25 . application software 23 - 25 might , for example , comprise an editor , a spread sheet program , a graphics package , a data base manager , and so forth . each of the application programs 23 through 25 includes or provides access to a plurality of programmed processes 26 , 27 , . . . 28 , respectively . it is the programmed processes 26 through 28 which actually perform the tasks necessary to carry out the purpose of the corresponding application program . in order to make effective use of these application packages , the user must be able to execute the processes 26 - 28 at the time , and in the sequence , necessary to accomplish the user &# 39 ; s goals . in many applications such as those depicted in fig2 it is vital that failed processes be detected in order to carry out a desired failure recovery procedure . the present invention is concerned with methods and apparatus for performing such failure detection . each of the processes 26 , 27 , . . . 28 includes the necessary routines to carry out this failure detection as shown in the flow charts of fig3 , 5 and 6 . the routines shown as flow charts in fig3 , 5 and 6 , are also shown as pseudocode in the appendix to this specification . it is believed that the creation and execution of the computer programs necessary to carry out these processes are readily apparent to those skilled in the programming art from the present disclosure . in fig3 there is shown a flowchart of an exclusive lockout algorithm useful in realizing the fault detection scheme of the present invention . the algorithm of fig3 assigns a resource ( imaginary in the present case ) exclusively to one resource which is at the top of a queue of requesters for that resource . the procedure of fig3 is disclosed in greater detail at pages 56 and 57 of the aforementioned text by m . raynal . the procedure illustrated in fig3 is contained in the resource locking mechanism 29 of fig2 . beginning at terminal box 30 , box 39 is entered where a variable qno ( i ) is set to zero . each of the processes of the system of fig2 is represented by a separate entry on a resource queue in request queues 19 of fig2 . each entry on each of the queues is accompanied by a priority number qno which represents the sequence in which the entries are to be retrieved from the queue . this priority number for the monitored process is set to zero in box 39 to insure the highest priority to the monitored process . the qno &# 39 ; s , of course , determine the order in which the imaginary resource is assigned to the various requesters , starting at the lowest qno and proceeding to ever greater qno &# 39 ; s . since all of the qnos are initialized to the highest possible number ( maxno = infinity = all 1 &# 39 ; s ), they cannot assigned to the resource until their queue number is set to some lower value . in box 31 , the monitored process , process ( i ), is then assigned a priority number , qno ( i ), which is greater than any other finite priority number on the queue for that resource , i . e ., qno ( i )= maxqno + 1 . where maxqno = max {( qno ( i ): iε { 1 , 2 , . . . , j ( max ); qno ( i )≠∞} and j ( max ) is the total number of processes , monitored and monitoring , requesting a lock . the process to be monitored is normally the first process to request the imaginary resource , and hence has the lowest queue number , qno ( i )= 1 . all of the other processes of the system ( the monitoring processes ) request shared locks on this resource after the exclusive lock is granted , and hence have lower queue numbers and are not assigned the resource at this time . it is possible that two or more requesters will simultaneously request the same resource and be assigned the same queue number . as will be seen , this ambiguity is resolved by arbitrarily numbering the requesters , and using the requester &# 39 ; s number to resolve the ambiguity that arises when two different requesters are assigned the same qno . the lockout algorithm of fig3 is therefore able to deal with any number of simultaneous requests , thereby insuring an exclusive assignment regardless of ambiguities in the ordering of requests . the resource requester queues 19 of fig2 are each an array with a number of entries corresponding to the number of requesters , i . e ., the number of processes in the monitoring strategy . if j is an index into this array , then the value of j varies from 1 to j ( max ), where j ( max ) is the total number of requesters . in box 32 , the index j is set to &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. in decision box 33 , the current value of j is tested to determine if this value is less than j ( max ). if the current value of j is less than j ( max ), box 36 is entered where j is incremented by one . box 37 is then entered to determine if the value of j is equal to the value of i , the priority value of the process requesting the exclusive lockout . if they are equal , decision box 33 is re - entered to test for the next entry in the array . if i and j are not equal , box 38 is entered , where the procedure simply waits until either the queue number for this process is less than the queue number for the jth process , or the queue numbers are the same , but the index number i for this process is less than the index number j . in either case , decision box 33 is re - entered and loop 36 - 37 - 38 repeated until the last entry in the queue has been visited . at that point , decision box 33 is exited to box 34 where the imaginary resource is assigned exclusively to the current process . in box 35 , the queue number of this process is then assigned the largest possible value to prevent the assigned resource from participating in future competitions for this resource . as previously indicated , the algorithm of fig3 can be used to assign an imaginary resource in the exclusive mode to each of the processes of fig2 to be monitored . thereafter , these same imaginary resources are requested by all of the other processes of fig2 in a shared mode . one procedure for assigning shared mode locks is shown in fig4 . turning then to fig4 there is shown an algorithm for assigning shared locks to all of the monitoring processes in the system of fig2 . the procedure of fig4 is also implemented in the resource locking mechanism 29 of fig2 . starting at terminal box 40 , box 41 is entered where each process requests a shared lock on the imaginary resource assigned to another process . in decision box 42 , it is determined whether or not an exclusive mode lock currently exists for this resource . if not , the process is assigned a shared lock on the imaginary resource , indicating that the process having an exclusive lock on this resource has relinquished that exclusive lock and hence has failed . if the exclusive lock is in place , the shared lock cannot be granted and the procedure terminates in terminal box 44 . in fig5 there is shown a detailed flowchart of the exclusive lock request procedure taking place in each process to be monitored . starting at terminal box 50 , box 51 is entered to request the exclusive lock . once the exclusive lock has been requested , all of the other monitoring processes are notified to release their shared lock to permit the exclusive lock to be granted . in decision box 52 it is determined if all of the processes have been notified . if not , box 55 is entered to notify the next process , and decision box 52 re - entered to determine if all of the other processes have yet been notified . once all of the other processes have been notified , box 53 is entered to perform whatever other functions have been assigned to this process . the process then terminates in terminal box 54 . it can be seen in fig5 that each process to be monitored requests and exclusive lock on an imaginary resource and notifies every other process to release its shared lock on that resource . after these shared locks are released , the exclusive lock is granted to the process to be monitored . the processes with such exclusive locks can now be monitored as shown in fig6 . turning to fig6 there is shown a detailed flowchart of the procedure by means of which the processes are monitored . starting in terminal box 60 , box 61 is entered to request a shared lock for the imaginary resource exclusively assigned to the process being monitored . in decision box 62 , if the shared lock request is granted ( by the procedure of fig4 ), decision box 68 is entered to determine if the process being monitored has started execution . if the monitored process has started execution ( box 68 ), and if the shared lock has been granted ( box 62 ), that indicates that the monitored process which had the exclusive lock has failed . in box 63 , that failure is reported to the failure recovery apparatus . if the shared lock is not granted , or if the monitored process has not yet started , or after process failure has been reported , decision box 64 is entered to determine if an exclusive lock on that resource has been requested , indicating that the failed process has been restarted and is now operative . if so , box 65 is entered to release the shared lock on that resource , thereby allowing the restarted process to obtain an exclusive lock on the imaginary resource . in box 66 , the shared lock is again requested to reset the monitoring function . thereafter , in box 67 , the other functions assigned to this process are performed . if there is no extant request for an exclusive lock , as determined in decision box 64 , indicating that the failed process is still out of service , box 67 is entered directly to continue to carry out the functions of this process while the failed process is being repaired and restarted . it can be seen that the procedures of fig3 , 5 and 6 cooperate to provide a monitoring function for all of the software processes of a data processing system . the failure of a software process is signaled by the release , by that process , of an exclusive lock on an imaginary resource , exclusively assigned to that process . such a release of the exclusive lock is detected by the granting of a shared lock to one of the other processes in the system for the very same imaginary resource . such imaginary resources are no more than names or other identifications by means of which the failed processes can be uniquely identified . the fail - safe nature of the resource assigning algorithms insures the detection of all software failures , which can then be used to trigger a failure recovery algorithm . one such failure recovery algorithm is disclosed in the copending application of m - t . chao , ser . no . 158 , 228 , filed feb . 19 , 1988 , and assigned to applicant &# 39 ; s assignee . it can be seen that the processes of fig3 , 5 and 6 cooperate to provide a dynamic detection of software failures in any of the other processes of fig2 . pseudo - code listings for each of these failure detection processes are included in the appendix . the correspondence between the listings and fig3 , 5 and 6 are obvious and will not be further described here . also shown in the appendix is a combined listing of all of the pseudocode required to implement the present invention in a multiprocessing environment . this &# 34 ; combined multiprocess code &# 34 ; includes both the &# 34 ; exclusive request &# 34 ; function and the &# 34 ; process monitoring &# 34 ; function . the combined code of the appendix deals with a system comprising n processors p ( 1 ), p ( 2 ), . . . , p ( n ) in which a failure of any process p ( k ), where k = 1 , 2 , . . . , n needs to be detected . each of the processes p ( 1 )- p ( n ) monitors the other ( n - 1 ) processes . the failure of any process is then reported by any one of the remaining ( n - 1 ) processes and the failure reporting capability will remain intact as long as there is one other process to report the failure . it should also be clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments of the present invention may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the teachings of the present invention . ## spc1 ##
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with reference to the drawings , fig1 shows a computer - type circuit including two digital - to - analog converters 12 and 14 . binary numbers are supplied to the digital - to - analog converter 12 as indicated by the inputs 16 . an output voltage e ref appears on lead 18 interconnecting the digital - to - analog converter 12 with the converter 14 . the level of the voltage e ref will be proportional to the magnitude of the binary number which is applied on the input leads 16 to the converter 12 . a second binary number is supplied to the converter 14 on leads 20 . with a signal corresponding to the reference voltage being supplied to a weighting network of the type disclosed below , the output on lead 22 will be an analog signal which is proportional to the product of the first binary number applied on leads 16 and the second binary number applied on leads 20 . accordingly , the circuit shown in fig1 is a high speed multiplier having a digital input and an analog output . a widely used method of implementing digital - to - analog conversion employs a ladder network to establish the required binary weighting between the various bit currents , which are switched in accordance with the binary digits or &# 34 ; bits &# 34 ; which are present at the input signals . the biasing on the ladder network is commonly provided by a voltage - to - current conversion circuit which establishes a current in the ladder network which is directly proportional to a voltage reference source . fig2 illustrates a schematic circuit diagram showing a known method of accomplishing the biasing of a ladder network such as network 24 of fig2 from a reference voltage e ref such as that applied to input terminal 26 of the circuit of fig2 . in fig2 a sum node is created at the positive input 28 to the operational amplifier 30 by virtue of the negative feedback produced by the inversion of the output from the operational amplifier 30 by the transistor q 0 and the subsequent feedback from the collector 32 of transistor q 0 to the input terminal 28 of the operational amplifier 30 . the resistor 34 is also designated r ref and is at the input to the operational amplifier terminal 28 . the current i ref flowing through the resistor r ref is given by the following formula : where e ref is the voltage applied to the input terminal 26 , and r ref is the resistance of the designated input resistor . in formula ( 1 ), it is assumed that the sum node at point 28 is a virtual ground . if the input bias current to the operational amplifier 30 is assumed to be negligibly small , then the current in the collector 32 of transistor q 0 will be equal to i ref and the current i 1 in the collector circuit of transistor q 1 will be directly proportional to i ref with transistors q 0 and q 1 being viewed as a precision current mirror and with the ratio of i 1 to i ref being determined by the ratio of r s to r and the relative emitter scalings or areas of transistors q 0 and q 1 . typical element values used in actual designs might involve a reference voltage e ref having a maximum value of approximately 10 volts , r ref = 20 , 000 ohms , ( or 20k ); r s = 8k , r = 4k , and r / 2 = 2k , with the letter k standing for thousands of ohms in reference to resistor values , and with the area of the emitter of transistor q 1 scaled to be twice that of transistor q 0 . these typical values would result in i ref equal to about 0 . 5 ma ( milliampere ) and i 1 = 1 ma , with equal current densities in both transistors q 0 and q 1 . in fig2 the current ladder 24 including the network of resistors r and r / 2 is conventional . current flows continuously through the transistors q 0 , q 1 , q 2 , q 3 . . . q n , with the current through each successive transistor q 1 , q 2 , q 3 . . . q n being equal to i 1 , i 1 / 2 , i 1 / 4 , i 1 18 . . . i 1 / 2 n . the binary input to the digital - to - analog converter of fig2 is provided by switches , shown schematically in fig2 by the mechanical switches s 1 , s 2 , s 3 . . . s n , with the state of the successive switches corresponding to the successive digits of the input binary number . instead of the mechanical switches shown in fig2 transistor switching circuitry is normally employed , of course . an analog representation of the input digital signal is developed in terms of the summation of currents flowing through selected transistors q 1 , q 3 and q 4 , for example which are directed by the switches to flow through the sum output lead 39 . as the input voltage e ref changes , the biasing current to all of the transistors q 1 , q 2 etc . changes , and the binary currents shift correspondingly , while still retaining their binary weighting relative to one another . the circuit of fig2 provides two important functions . first , the current i 1 and the subsequent binary multiples are all directly proportional to the voltage e ref . secondly , the effect of temperature is compensated as long as the emitter - to - base voltages of transistors q 0 and q 1 do not change significantly with respect to one another with changes in temperature , and as long as the sum node 28 remains a virtual ground . and this last proviso will be maintained , as long as the offset voltage temperature coefficient of the operational amplifier 30 is not unduly large . as mentioned above , the circuit of fig2 does have the disadvantage that a relatively large number of devices are required to implement the operational amplifier and the associated compensation circuitry . further , the size of the compensation capacitor , which is normally equal to approximately 20 to 80 picofarads , will limit the slew rate of the amplifier and the corresponding speed at which e ref is permitted to change while maintaining the required output accuracy from the unit . the present invention as described below in connection with fig3 and 4 , maintains the two important functions of the circuit of fig2 while alleviating the main disadvantages . fig3 illustrates a basic form of the circuit of the present invention . the arrangement of fig3 provides that the point 38 between the input resistor 40 ( r ref ) and the emitter of transistor q 11 will set at approximately ground potential for any value of e ref , in a manner similar to point 28 at the input to the operational amplifier 30 in fig2 . in the following analysis it will be initially assumed that all transistor base - to - collector gains β are very large . the fact that base currents are finite may be corrected by subsequent minor additions to the circuit as discussed below . where v be1 and v be2 are respectively the base - emitter voltage drops of transistors q 11 and q 12 . the current i ref is split equally at the emitters of q 11 and q 13 , assuming that q 11 and q 13 are identical devices . thus , neglecting base current error , the current at the collector of transistor q 13 will be i ref / 2 . q 15 and q 14 form a precision current mirror , having a factor of 2 , with the emitter area of transistor q 14 being twice as large of that of transistor q 15 , and resistor r 14 being one - half the value of resistor r 15 . the mirror arrangement of transistors q 14 and q 15 forces equal current densities through the two transistors , and accordingly forces twice the current through transistor q 14 as through transistor q 15 . the current at the collector of transistor q 11 is i ref / 2 by virtue of the equal split of the emitter currents flowing through transistors q 11 and q 13 . accordingly , in order to satisfy the requirements of kirchoff &# 39 ; s current law at node 42 , the collector of transistor q 12 must supply a current equal to i ref / 2 . the mirror arrangement of transistors q 14 and q 15 has therefore forced identical currents through the emitters of transistors q 11 and q 12 . with transistors q 11 and q 12 being identical devices , then at equal currents their base - to - emitter voltages will be equal . that is , the following relationship will obtain : it may be noted that this relationship is identical to that of equation ( 1 ) for the circuit of fig2 . the ladder network of resistances 24 , the current control transistors q 1 , q 2 etc ., and the switching circuitry for fig3 is the same as that described above in connection with fig2 . the current bias supplied to point 46 will vary proportionally to the input voltage e ref supplied to the terminals 48 and 50 at the input to the circuit of fig3 . to indicate the order of magnitude of typical voltages which might be present in the circuit of fig3 the input voltage e ref might typically range from 0 to 10 volts depending on the output of the previous digital - to - analog converter 12 ( see fig1 ). the negative voltage supplied to terminal 52 may be minus 15 volts . the voltage drop across resistor r in the emitter circuit of transistor q 1 may be about 4 volts maximum . with r being taken equal to 4 , 000 ohms , the current i 1 may be about 1 milliampere . for the mirror - connected transistors q 14 and q 15 , in order for transistor q 14 to carry twice as much current as transistor q 15 the emitter area of transistor q 14 is twice that of transistor q 15 , and the resistance of resistor r 14 associated with transistor q 14 is half that of resistance r 15 . the relative magnitudes of the resistors r 14 and r 15 , and that of the resistors in the ladder network including resistor r in the emitter circuit of transistor q 1 may be chosen for appropriate division of current , and more specifically , r 14 may be chosen to be equal to r , with the resistance of resistor r 15 therefore being equal to 2r . instead of having q 11 and q 13 identical , as discussed above , the emitter areas of these two transistors may be varied , with transistor q 13 drawing several times the current of transistor q 11 , for example . the configuration of the mirror connected transistors q 14 and q 15 and their associated resistors would then be varied , to still force twice the current flow through transistor q 14 as through q 11 so that the transistor q 12 ( still identical to transistor q 11 ) will carry equal current , to produce the desired virtual ground at point 38 . also , if desired , or if other circuit parameters make it desirable , the emitter of transistor q 12 may be fixed at some constant voltage level other than ground . then , point 38 will not be at a virtual ground potential , but at the constant voltage level of the emitter of transistor q 12 . fig4 shows a further implementation of the basic circuit of fig3 and includes the emitter followers q 16 and q 17 to reduce the base current errors introduced by the fact that the base - collector gain β of all devices is finte . in addition , the resistors r x and r y are included to provide a voltage drop so that the collector potentials of the current mirror elements q 11 - q 13 , and q 14 - q 15 more closely match . the implementation shown in fig4 shows an important feature in the use of the split collectors on transistor q 16 to compensate for the base current loss of transistors q 11 , q 12 and q 13 . the base current is in essence summed back into the collector outputs to keep current levels independent of the lateral pnp collector gain factor b , as long as all units track , or maintain their relative operating characteristics with varying temperature . in fig4 the resistor 54 may be provided with the terminal 56 to provide a high impedance negative input terminal , and its other terminal connected to point 58 , the grounded emitter of transistor q 12 . by locating the optional resistor 54 having a resistance value equal to 40k , twice that of r ref , as indicated by the dashed lines in fig4 emitter current is supplied to q 12 and a high impedance node is created at point 58 , as far as the external connection is concerned . concerning currents in various circuit branches of fig4 they are estimated to be as follows . the emitter current to transistors q 11 and q 13 from r ref is approximately one - half milliampere , or 0 . 250 microamp each ; base current of q 12 to point 60 , about 10 microamperes ; base current of transistor q 11 to point 60 , about 5 microamperes ; emitter current to q 16 , about 15 microamperes ; collector current from q 13 , about 245 microamperes ; base current from transistor q 16 to point 62 , about 245 microamperes ; current in lead 64 , about 10 microamperes ; current in lead 66 , about 5 microamperes ; current in lead 68 , about 250 microamperes ; and current to collector of transistor q 14 , about 500 microamperes . in summary , relative to the present invention , it has the advantages , as compared with the circuit of fig2 that ( 1 ) the implementation is much simpler , and requires less integrated circuit chip area ; ( 2 ) no frequency compensation is required to stabilize the circuit against oscillation ; and ( 3 ) the circuit has a faster time response . for completeness , it is noted that so - called &# 34 ; current mirrors &# 34 ; have been described in a number of texts , and one such text disclosing some mirror circuits is &# 34 ; integrated circuit engineering &# 34 ;, by arthur b . glaser et al ., addison - wesley publishing co ., reading , mass ., 1977 . in closing , it is to be understood that the above - described preferred embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention . thus , by way of example and not of limitation , mirror circuit modifications , or the use of other components to accomplish specific disclosed functions , are within the contemplation of the invention . accordingly , the present invention is not to be limited to the specific disclosed and described embodiments .
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reference will be initially made hereinafter to fig1 to 2 and 5 of the drawings . as shown therein , the bleed valve consists of a cylindrical housing 1 which is closed off on the topside 1 ″ by means of a preferably detachably inserted cover 2 , and of a generally likewise cylindrical floating body 3 which is disposed in the housing 1 in such a manner as to be able to move in the direction of the longitudinal axis 5 thereof . the floating body 3 can be guided in a non - rotatable manner inside the housing 1 in relation to the axis thereof by virtue of means which are known per se and are effective in a positive - locking manner . the housing 1 is provided on the topside with two mutually adjacent inlet orifices 4 and an outlet orifice 6 which extends in a coaxial manner with respect to the axis 5 is located in the cover 2 . the outlet orifice terminates on the outer side in a connecting piece 7 which is intended for the connection of an output line . the floating body 3 is supported in a manner known per se on the underside by way of a spring ( 32 ), on the base 1 ′ of the housing 1 , the mode of operation of the spring will be explained hereinafter . the floating body is provided with an annular - cylindrical chamber 8 which is open towards the underside 3 ′ of the floating body and extends substantially coaxially with respect to the axis 5 , wherein the spring is supported on the closed chamber base 9 of the chamber . the topside 3 ″ of the floating body 3 is characterised by a ring - like arrangement of identically configured support fingers 10 which extends substantially coaxially with respect to the longitudinal axis 5 . the support fingers are integrally formed with the floating body 3 at uniform peripherally spaced intervals and protrude from the otherwise planar topside , which is radial in relation to the axis 5 , of the floating body . the reference numeral 11 designates an approximately conically - shaped guide mandrel which is located in a central position inside the ring - like arrangement and protrudes from the topside 3 ″ and whose significance will be explained hereinafter . in the illustrated exemplified embodiment , the guide mandrel extends a shorter distance axially in the direction towards the topside 1 ″ than the support fingers 10 ( see fig2 ). the reference numeral 12 designates a support disc which in the peripheral region forms an annular step which is adjoined by an annular flange 13 . the support disc 12 comprises a central circular opening 14 , into which protrudes a cylindrical projection 16 which is formed integrally with a sealing disc 15 and by means of which the sealing disc is releasably connected to support disc 12 . the sealing disc 15 overlies the support disc 12 on its side facing away from the floating body 3 , i . e ., the support disc has a counter surface 12 ′ for bearing against the sealing disc ( see fig2 ). the annular step of the support disc 12 encompasses the outer side of the arrangement of support fingers 10 and as a result thereof is subjected to a substantially axially directed guiding movement . a guiding or centring effect is also exerted by virtue of the guide mandrel 11 which protrudes into the open end 16 ″ of the projection 16 facing towards the guide mandrel . the projection 16 also forms a continuous connection 16 ′ ( a fluid conduit ) between its open end 16 ″ facing towards the guide mandrel 11 and its open end 16 ′″ facing towards the valve seat 19 . the reference numerals 17 , 17 ′ designate two angular retainer elements which are attached in a mutually diametrically opposed manner to the floating body 3 , each having an abutment section 17 ″ extending over the annular flange 13 , and which are intended to engage the top of the annular flange 13 as seen in fig4 to lock in place a pivot axis 30 of the support disk 13 and thus the sealing disc 12 at an incline as further discussed below . the axial lengths of the retainer elements are different in dimension as shown . this means that the potential movements of the support disc 12 with respect to the two retainer elements 17 , 17 ′ accordingly will be different . in each case , according to the dimensions of the two retainer elements 17 , 17 ′ the entire system consisting of a support disc and sealing disc 12 , 15 is subjected to an approximately cardanic suspension or mobility on or with respect to the floating body . put another way , when the valve is in the fully closed position as shown in fig3 , the support disc and sealing disc 12 , 15 , can pivot about the mandrel 11 generally in any direction relative to the floating body 3 , i . e ., pivotally move about two mutually perpendicular pivot axes 30 and 31 as shown in fig5 . the pivot axis 30 passes through the retainer elements 17 , 17 ′ as shown . however , when the valve starts to open , i . e ., as the float moves downwardly as illustrated in fig4 , the abutment section 17 ″ of the shorter retainer element 17 engages the support disk 12 before the longer retainer element 17 ′ does , thereby causing the pivot axis 30 to move to and be locked into an inclined pivot axis position 11 ′ relative to the longitudinal axis 5 . on the other hand , the other pivot axis 31 which is not affected by the retainer elements 17 , 17 ′ can remain perpendicular to the axis 5 and thus is not inclined . as used herein , a non - inclined pivot axis 30 , 31 would be perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 5 , while an inclined pivot axis 30 ( 11 ′) would not be perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 5 . thus , when the pivot axis 30 is inclined as shown by 11 ′, this pivot axis causes the support disc and sealing disc 12 , 15 to be in the inclined position having a longitudinal axis 5 ′ relative to the housing longitudinal axis 5 . this allows the left side of the sealing disk 15 to pull away from the valve seat 19 before the right side as shown in fig4 and as further described below . the outlet orifice 6 is characterised by a comparatively short tubular element 18 which extends coaxially with respect to the axis 5 and protrudes into the housing 1 and whose free end 19 ′ forms a valve seat 19 for the sealing disc 15 . as shown in detail in fig6 , a bleed valve of this type is intended for installation into the topside wall 20 of the fuel tank 21 of a vehicle . the fuel tank is filled to a permissible level 22 , so that in the type of installation shown where the housing 1 is located almost completely inside the tank , the inlet orifices 4 communicate merely with the head space 23 above the fluid . other types of assembly of the bleed valve , in which the housing is located substantially outside the tank , are equally possible , wherein the inlet orifices have to be placed in different positions accordingly . however , this will be not be discussed further hereinafter . as is known per se , the position of the floating body 3 inside the bleed valve , which is oriented vertically in the installed condition , is determined according to the forces which act upon the floating body , namely a resilient force which acts upon its underside 3 ′, a lifting force in dependence upon the fluid level inside the housing 1 and a mass force , wherein the spring in conjunction with the material of the floating body 3 is selected with the proviso that in the open position of the valve as illustrated in fig2 which is normally characterised by the absence of a lifting force , the resilient force is overcome by the mass force of the floating body 3 including the parts which are connected thereto and the floating body 3 sinks to the base 1 ′ of the housing 1 . in this case , a continuous connection ( ventilation flow path ) is established between the inlet orifices 4 and the outlet orifice 6 , so that it is possible to ventilate and similarly bleed the tank substantially without any hindrance . the sealing disc 15 in this position thus does not have any contact with the valve seat and the support disc 12 lies on the underside on the guide mandrel 11 which at the same time exerts a centring effect upon the sealing disc or the support disc . a radial guiding effect is also exerted by the support fingers 10 , the radial outer sides of which are disposed at a small spacing with respect to the radial inner side of the annular step of the support disc 12 . reference will also be made hereinafter to the fig3 , 4 of the drawings , in which functional elements which correspond to those illustrated in fig1 , 2 , 5 or 6 are designated with like reference numerals so as to obviate any repetition of the description in this respect . the closed state of the bleed valve as illustrated in fig3 is characterised by virtue of the fact that e . g . under the influence of a lifting force which is effective in addition to the resilient force and the mass forces , the floating body 3 has moved inside the housing 1 upwardly in the direction of the cover 2 , so that the sealing disc 15 lies against the valve seat 19 . the stabilising effect of the support disc 12 provides a reliable and reproducible sealing effect . at the same time , in this position the projection 16 is urged into sealing abutment against the guide mandrel 11 . the retainer elements 17 , 17 ′ do not function when the valve is in this position . the closed state of the bleed valve can occur as a result of the tank being overfilled or in the event of an orientation of the position of the axis of the valve which deviates substantially from the vertical orientation and which can be instigated by corresponding vehicle movements , in particular swinging movements , the negotiation of turns with a change in orientation , but also as a result of an accident , e . g . a vehicle overturning . the cardanic suspension of the sealing disc 15 serves to provide a uniform sealing effect , to an extent dependent upon the different dimensions of the retainer elements 17 , 17 ′, along the valve seat 19 and the guide mandrel 11 even when the valve is in an inclined position , since any offset of the axes of the floating body 3 and of the housing 1 can be compensated for . the state illustrated in fig4 where the valve starts to open anew following on from a closed state is characterised by the fact that the sealing disc 15 becomes gradually detached from the valve seat 19 , wherein the detachment procedure is initiated as a result of the movement of the floating body 3 in the direction towards the base 1 ′ of the housing 1 by virtue of the retainer element 17 which in axial terms is relatively shorter , and correspondingly the valve begins to open at a point on the periphery of the valve seat , so that the sealing disc 15 assumes a temporary inclined position with respect to the axis 5 . the expenditure of energy required for the detachment can be kept low in this manner , i . e ., it is easier to unseat the sealing disc from the valve seat . furthermore , the detachment procedure also initially causes the projection 16 to lift off from the guide mandrel 11 , with the consequence that starting from the inlet orifices 4 a continuous connection 16 ′ is established via the projection 16 to the outlet orifice , thus further facilitating the detachment procedure . a bleed valve of this type , in particular its housing , can be disposed in the wall of the fuel tank , in this case it can form a supporting structure on the outer side or can even protrude at least partially into the tank . as an alternative to this wall attachment , it is also possible to use a particular holding device , in which the housing is received and which provides a connection to the outlet orifice , wherein this holding device is held on a pump unit or another component or is disposed together with an independent line system on the inner side of the tank . as a result , a structural element intended for use in a fuel tank is provided with the bleed valve in accordance with the invention and is characterised by a simple structural design and satisfies all operational requirements in a reliable and reproducible manner .
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referring first to fig1 the firearm barrel muzzle end portion mounted complete firearm sight and mount is illustrated and is designated generally by the number 10 . as illustrated , the combined sight and mount 10 is shown attached or mounted on the muzzle end barrel portion 12 of a small arm firearm designated generally by the number 14 , which in this case is a rifle . it should be understood that the sight and mount invention can be mounted on any type of small arm firearm including , but not limited to rifles , carbines , shotguns , machineguns , submachineguns , long barreled pistols and revolvers and the like and any reference herein to small arm or small arm firearm or firearms or small arm firearm or small arm firearms is meant to include all of these types of weapons or firearms . it will be noted in fig1 that the center of gravity c . g ., designated by the number 16 , of the sight and mount 10 is illustrated as being a distance x from the breech end of the rifle barrel 20 that is designated by the number 21 . the significance of this distance x and the center of gravity c . g . 16 as well as the weight , represented by the letter w of the sight and mount 10 will be hereinafter described in detail . fig2 and 3 illustrate an enlarged view of the sight and mount 10 set forth in fig1 with portions thereof broken away for clarity . it should be noted that the optical sight portion 22 is integral with the sight mount portion 24 and that both of these portions 22 and 24 are made from a suitable plastic material that in the preferred embodiment is acital , abs , or polyethylene and graphite compositions and any reference herein to plastic shall mean such a material or materials unless specifically stated or modified by appropriate qualifying language . as illustrated in fig2 the forward or muzzle pointing end 26 of the sight and mount 10 has a substantially circular hollow ring shaped member portion 28 that holds an optical lens 30 that is made from optical quality plastic materials . located at the opposite mount end portion from the portion 24 is the breech or rear pointing portion 32 . the sight portion on this rear pointing portion 32 has a hollow housing 34 with an opening 36 and a hollow interior 38 . a light emitting diode or the like 40 is located in position within the interior 38 to project a light beam 42 so that an illuminated dot 44 appears on the lens 30 . the diode or the like 40 is electrically connected to and is powered by a battery 46 that is also located in the cavity or hollow interior 38 , or elsewhere at a suitable location . as illustrated in fig2 the upper portion of the muzzle end 26 of the mount portion 24 has a generally rectangular shaped slot 48 that extends through the mount portion 24 that is sized and shaped to receive a mounting band 50 . in a similar manner , the breech or rear pointing portion 32 also has a generally rectangular slot 52 located in and that extends through the upper portion of the mount portion 24 and this slot 52 is also sized and shaped to also receive another mounting band 50 . each strap or mounting band 50 has a closing or fastening device designated by the number 51 , the sight and mount invention 10 also includes an elongated member 54 whose length is substantially equal to the length of the sight portion 24 that is sized and shaped to be located below the firearm barrel muzzle end portion 12 . as best illustrated in fig3 the elongated member 54 has a cross section that forms part of a portion of a circular shaped ring and its interior surface 56 is shaped to substantially conform to the exterior of the muzzle end barrel portion 12 . the same is true with the interior surface 58 of the sight mount portion 24 in that the interior surface 58 is also shaped to substantially conform to the exterior of the muzzle end barrel portion 12 . the elongated member 54 is made from the same type of plastic material as the integral optical sight and mount 10 . both the elongated member 54 and the bands 50 serve to clamp the optical sight portion 22 with the integral sight mount portion 24 to the muzzle end barrel portion 12 . it should be noted in fig3 that both elevation and windage are provided respectively by the threaded screws 60 and 62 that are threaded into respective threaded holes in a diode base 64 that rigidly mounts the light emitting diode 40 . fig4 and 5 illustrate another embodiment of the firearm barrel muzzle portion mounted complete firearm sight and mount that is designated generally by the number 66 . this combination optical sight and sight mount 66 has a hollow tubular sight tube 68 and an elongated semi - circular cross section integral sight mount 70 located adjacent to and below the hollow tubular sight tube 68 . both the sight tube 68 and the sight mount portion 70 are combined together and are made from the same plastic material as the previous embodiment 10 in fig2 and 3 . the sight tube 68 has a plurality of clear optical quality plastic lenses 72 and 74 . in addition , the sight tube 68 has a reticle disk 76 , or the like , that is made of clear optical quality material that may be a plastic material and has a reticle 78 . the term reticle as used herein means any type of device that can be used within a firearm scope sight for aiming or assisting in aiming the firearm including but not limited to dots illusionary or otherwise , rectangles , so called cross hairs , duplex reticles , tapering posts , and any combination of the foregoing . two adjusting knobs 80 and 82 are provided for respectively adjusting the reticle 78 for windage and elevation . the reticle 78 can be self illuminating to make it easier to see especially at night or during periods of low light or visibility . this can be accomplished by coating the reticle 78 with a florescent material such as tritium or the like in a manner known in the art . two rectangular shaped slots 84 and 86 are provided in and extend through the upper portion of the sight mount 70 that are similar to the slots 48 and 52 illustrated in fig2 . these slots 84 and 86 are sized and shaped to receive respective mounting bands 50 that are the same as those set forth in fig2 and 3 . an elongated member 88 , that is similar to the previously described elongated member 54 in fig2 and 3 , is also provided and this member 88 also has a cross section that forms part of a portion of a circular shaped ring and also its interior surface 90 is shaped to substantially conform to the exterior of the muzzle barrel end portion 12 . the same is true with the interior surface 91 of the sight mount portion 70 . this elongated member 88 may be made from the same type of plastic as the combined sight tube 68 and the sight mount 70 . both the elongated member 88 and the bands 50 serve to clamp the combined optical sight and sight mount 66 with its tubular sight tube 68 and and elongated semi - circular cross section integral sight mount 70 to the muzzle end barrel portion 12 in a manner similar to for the elongated member 54 and the associated bands 50 set forth in fig2 and 3 . fig6 and 7 illustrate a sight mount only without any sight for use on the muzzle end portion 12 that is designated generally by the number 92 . an elongated member 94 is also provided for use as part of the mount assembly 92 that is substantially similar to the elongated members 54 and 88 that were previously discussed . both the curved inner surface 96 of an upper sight mount portion 97 and the curved inner surface 98 of the elongated member 94 are substantially shaped to correspond to the exterior of the muzzle end barrel portion 12 . it will also be noted that three substantially rectangular shaped slots 100 , 102 , and 104 are provided in and extend through the upper portion of the sight mount 92 that are sized and shaped to receive the three mounting bands 50 that were previously described . both the elongated member 94 and the bands 50 serve to clamp the optical sight mount 92 to the muzzle end barrel portion 12 in a manner similar to the embodiments set forth in fig2 through 5 . the sight mount 92 also includes a series of projections 106 located on the upper surface 108 of the sight mount 92 that are sized and shaped to receive standard type scope mounting rings such as those known as weaver type rings . fig8 through 10 illustrate another embodiment of the firearm barrel muzzle portion mounted complete firearm sight and mount that is designated generally by the number 120 . this combination optical sight and sight mount 120 has a hollow tubular sight tube 122 and an elongated integral sight mount designated generally by the the number 124 located adjacent to and below the hollow tubular sight tube 122 . both the sight tube 122 and the sight mount portion 124 are combined together and are made from the same plastic material as the previous embodiment 10 illustrated in fig2 and 3 and the previous embodiment 66 set forth in fig4 and 5 . as illustrated in fig1 , the sight tube 122 is cut away to show the internal structural features of the sight tube 122 that are similar to those set forth in fig2 for the embodiment of the invention 10 . as illustrated , the sight tube 122 has an optical lens 126 in the interior of its forward portion 128 that is similar to the optical lens 30 illustrated in fig2 . in addition , a light emitting diode or the like 130 is located in position within the interior of the rear portion 132 of the sight tube 122 to project a light beam 134 so that an illuminated dot 136 appears on the lens 126 . the diode or the like 130 is electrically connected to and is powered by a battery 138 that is located in a cavity 140 in the hollow interior of the rear portion 132 , or elsewhere within the sight tube 122 in a manner similar to that for the embodiment set forth in fig2 . as illustrated in fig9 the sight mount portion 124 is substantially cylindrical with a hollow substantially circular shaped interior surface 142 to substantially conform to the outside generally cylindrical surface 144 of the firearm muzzle end barrel portion 12 . as best illustrated in fig8 and 9 , the sight mount portion 124 is split or has two portions 146 and 148 . the purpose of this split or two portions 146 and 148 is to allow the installation of the sight mount portion 124 on the muzzle end barrel portion 12 even when the muzzle end barrel portion 12 has a fixed or rigid iron front sight such as the fixed sight 150 illustrated in fig8 through 10 . each of these portions 146 and 148 that provide the split or openings g1 and g2 have two respective spaced apart projecting tab portions 154 , 156 and 158 , 160 that are located opposite each other as illustrated in fig8 and 9 . as indicated in fig8 and 10 , the the sight mount portion 124 has a portion thereof designated by the number 161 that is cut away or removed so that the sight mount portion 124 is divided into two clamping portions 163 and 165 . the removed portion 161 and resulting two clamping portions 163 and 165 comprise means for reducing the weight of the sight mount portion 124 of the combination of the sight and sight mount 120 . the respective tabs 154 and 156 and 158 and 160 of the tab portion pairs are secured to each other by the respective screws 162 and 164 . through the use of these bolts or screws 162 and 164 the respective tab portions are clamped together or biased toward each other . this results in the interior surface 142 of the sight mount portion being clamped against the outside surface 144 of the firearm muzzle end barrel portion 12 to secure the sight mount portion 124 and the combined sight and mount 120 in place on the firearm muzzle end barrel portion 12 as illustrated in fig8 through 10 . in order to locate the sight and mount 120 on the firearm barrel 12 , the bolts or screws 162 and 164 are removed and the combined sight and mount 120 is rotated about the long axis a of the firearm muzzle end barrel portion 12 to a position where the front sight 150 can pass through the resulting respective gaps g1 and g2 located between the tab portions 154 and 156 and 158 and 160 that are illustrated in fig8 . then the combined sight and mount 120 would be pushed onto the muzzle end barrel portion 12 with the sight mount portion 124 surrounding a portion of the muzzle end barrel portion 12 and the front sight 150 would pass through the respective gaps g1 and g2 . the combined sight and mount 120 would then be rotated about the long axis a of the firearm muzzle end barrel portion 12 to its desired position and then the bolts or screws 162 and 164 would be inserted into their respective holes 166 and 168 and into their respective nuts 167 and 169 and tightened to secure the combined sight and mount 120 in place on the muzzle end firearm barrel portion 12 . removal of the combined sight and mount 120 would be accomplished by removing the screws 162 and 164 and rotating the combined sight and mount 120 to a position where the front sight 150 could pass through the gaps g1 and g2 and then the combined sight and mount 120 would be pushed or pulled forward and off of the firearm muzzle end firearm barrel portion 12 . consequently , the combined sight 120 and mount is easily and rapidly installed or removed from the firearm muzzle end barrel portion 12 . the previously described firearm barrel muzzle portion mounted self contained or complete firearm sight and mount embodiments 10 , 66 . 120 and the mount or base 92 are manufactured and used in the following manner . all of the large components of the sight and mount are made from a light weight plastic that should be high in strength , not affected by oil , water or the like and should not have discernible physical changes when subjected to atmospheric temperature variations . the various lenses should be made from a high grade optical material that can be a clear optical grade plastic that should be shock and abrasion resistant . the mounts and sighting tubes should be made from plastic that in the preferred embodiments has a color additive that will be compatible with the firearm upon which it is intended to be used , or most likely to be used , such as black or silver . this can be accomplished by the inclusion of colored particles such as those designated by the numbers 110 , 112 , 114 and 170 in the respective firearm sight and mount embodiments 10 , 66 and 120 and the mount 92 . in the preferred embodiments , the various windage and elevation knobs can also be made of plastic with a color additive to match the scope tube . with respect to the weight of the sight and mount combination 10 , 66 , 120 or the sight mount 92 with its sight ( not shown ), such as that represented by the letter w in fig1 it is important that the weight and the distance x , in inches , from the breech end 21 of the barrel 20 to the center of gravity c . g . of the sight and mount combination 16 , such as the combination 10 , 66 , or 120 be governed by the following equation to determine the maximum weight w for that firearm : ## equ1 ## in order to use the embodiments 10 or 66 it is only necessary to attach the appropriate embodiment 10 or 66 to the firearm muzzle end barrel portion 12 by use of the appropriate mounting bands 50 that can be tightened through various means known in the art , such as by screws or clips ( not shown ). this will cause the appropriate sight mount portion 24 or 70 and the associated elongated members 54 and 88 to conform to the outside surface of the muzzle end barrel portion 12 at or near the location of the bands 50 . the same is true with respect to the mount or base 92 and its elongated member 94 and the associated mounting bands 50 and the firearm muzzle end barrel portion 12 . in order to use the embodiment 120 it is only necessary to attach the combined sight and mount 120 to the firearm muzzle end barrel portion 12 by use of the the bolts or screws 162 and 164 in the previously indicated manner . since only plastic comes into contact with the firearm muzzle end barrel portion 12 in all of the embodiments , marring of the finish of the muzzle end barrel portion 12 is completely avoided . although the invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments , it will be appreciated and understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims .
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the method and the device for communication for a host device with an ipv4 application according to the embodiments of the invention will be illustrated in detail below by specific embodiments in conjunction with the drawings . in the transition stages from ipv4 to ipv6 , a situation in which ipv4 , ipv6 and dual stack technologies coexist will appear for a considerably long time . the implementation of such three technologies on terminals , networks and service platforms determines that different application scenes will appear in the network . various service scenes , which are caused by different deployment environments , the change of service implementation modes , and different technology combinations of host device application type , host device protocol stack type , network type and service platform type , are possible to appear in the transition stages from ipv4 to ipv6 . in order to implement different host device translation functions in specific application scenes , in the embodiments of the invention , a dynamic loading mechanism of translation function is put forward on the host device , the dynamic loading logic of which is as shown in fig1 . when the ipv4 - ipv6 translation function of the host device is started , ipv6 applications will not be effected , and the translation function will only process data and call requests initiated by an ipv4 application . after the translation function of the host device is initialized , a dynamic loading logic will learn a type of the current network via a network type judging function . when the host device lies in an ipv6 network , a judging logic starts an ipv4 - ipv6 stateless translation function through a host device translation loading module , the start of the function may guarantee that data packets sent from all the ipv4 applications on the host device can be translated via the host device translation module , so that the data packets may be transferred over the ipv6 network . because this function will not effect ipv6 applications , the ipv6 applications on the host device will develop a service in a normal communication mode . when the host device lies in an ipv6 network , under the situation that the type of the communication opposite end is an ipv6 communication opposite end , a logic judging function will start an ipv4 - ipv6 stateful translation function via the host device translation loading function , i . e ., the host device will establish an ipv4 - ipv6 mapping state information locally , thereby realizing the mapping of an ipv6 address of the communication opposite end to an ipv4 address in the host device , so as to be identified by the ipv4 application . under the situation that the type of the communication opposite end is an ipv4 or dual stack communication opposite end , the host device translation function will keep the ipv4 - ipv6 stateless translation . when the host device lies in an ipv4 - ipv6 dual stack network , according to the type of dns response , when the type of the communication opposite end is an ipv6 communication opposite end , the host device will start the ipv4 - ipv6 stateful translation function , so that an ipv4 application on the host device under this environment can obtain a capability of communicating with the ipv6 communication opposite end . during a specific implementation , the type of the communication opposite end ( i . e ., address type ) may be determined according to the type of the dns response information related to the current application session . the type of the dns response information reflects the service type , and also reflects the type of the communication opposite end and the type of the data packet processed by the communication opposite end . generally , in the dns response information that belongs to an ipv4 service , the type identification is a , and it is referred to as a - type dns response information . a - type dns response information indicates that the address of the communication opposite end is an ipv4 address and the data packet processed by the communication opposite end is an ipv4 data packet . however , for the dns response information that belongs to an ipv6 service , the type identification is aaaa , and it is referred to as aaaa - type dns response information . aaaa - type dns response information indicates that the address of the communication opposite end is an ipv6 address and the data packet processed by the communication opposite end is an ipv6 data packet . when a host device with an ipv4 application communicates with a communication opposite end via an ipv6 network , delivery via the ipv6 network after converting an ipv4 packet header of an ipv4 data packet into an ipv6 packet header is concerned . therefore , the embodiments of the invention provides a method for converting an ipv4 packet header of an ipv4 data packet into an ipv6 packet header , the method includes the following process . the host device combines an ipv4 source address in the ipv4 data packet with an ipv6 prefix allocated to the host device to generate an ipv6 source address in the ipv6 packet header of a converted ipv6 data packet ; and combines an ipv4 destination address in the ipv4 data packet with a set well - known prefix ( wkp ) to generate an ipv6 destination address in the ipv6 packet header of the converted ipv6 data packet . the above conversion method according to the embodiments of the invention will be illustrated in conjunction with specific flows . as shown in fig2 , one embodiment of the invention provides a method for data communication for a host device with an ipv4 application , the method includes the following steps . s201 : the ipv4 application generates an ipv4 data packet to be sent to a communication opposite end . s 202 : the host device with the ipv4 application converts an ipv4 packet header of the ipv4 data packet into an ipv6 packet header when determining that the type of a network the host device lies in is an ipv6 network , and sends the converted data packet to the communication opposite end via the ipv6 network . in order to transmit the generated data packet in the ipv6 network , the host device converts the ipv4 packet header of the generated ipv4 data packet into the ipv6 packet header . specifically , the host device converts the format of the packet header of the generated ipv4 data packet into the format of the packet header of the ipv6 data packet , and converts the ipv4 addresses of the host device and the communication opposite end in the packet header into ipv6 addresses , but the transmission layer and data part of the data packet are not converted . the protocol in the ipv4 packet header is converted into next header in the ipv6 packet header , and tos in the ipv4 packet header is converted into traffic class and flow label in the ipv6 packet header ; total length in the ipv4 packet header is converted into payload length in the ipv6 packet header ; ttl in the ipv4 packet header is converted into hop limit in the ipv6 packet header ; version in the ipv4 packet header is converted into version in the ipv6 packet header , where the conversion of packet header format refers to converting the content of each field in the ipv4 packet header into the corresponding field of the ipv6 packet header . the specific method of address conversion is as follows : the conversion from an ipv4 address into an ipv6 address employs a stateless address translation mode , thereby realizing the packaging of a data packet sent by the host device to the ipv6 network . specifically , a 96 - bit ipv6 prefix is added to the front of the ipv4 address to form an ipv6 address . the ipv6 prefix belongs to well - known prefix , which may be specified by the network operator . the ipv4 addresses of the host device and the communication opposite end in the packet header are converted into the corresponding ipv6 addresses according to a corresponding relationship table . during a specific implementation , the step of sending the converted data packet to the communication opposite end via the ipv6 network includes : the host device sends the converted data packet to an nat device via the ipv6 network when determining that the type of the communication opposite end is an ipv4 communication opposite end ; and the nat device converts the ipv6 packet header of the received data packet into an ipv4 packet header , and forwards the data packet to the ipv4 communication opposite end . the nat device does not need to convert the whole data packet , no conversion of the transmission layer and data part of the data packet is concerned , and the ipv4 data packet may be obtained by only converting the packet header part , thus the ipv4 data packet is forwarded . thus , in comparison with a prior art device set on the border of the ipv6 and ipv4 networks , the parsing and converting works on a data packet may be greatly reduced , and the processing load on the system may be lowered , so that single point of failure may be avoided as best as possible . if the type of the communication opposite end is an ipv4 communication opposite end , after the ipv4 communication opposite end receives the data packet forwarded by the nat device , the method further includes : the ipv4 communication opposite end sends an ipv4 data packet returned to the host device to the nat device ; the nat device converts an ipv4 packet header of the ipv4 data packet into an ipv6 packet header , and delivering the data packet to the host device via the ipv6 network ; and the host device returns the received data packet to the ipv4 application . during a specific implementation , a mapping table of the corresponding relationship between ipv4 addresses and ipv6 addresses is also maintained in the host device , and before the ipv4 application generates the ipv4 data packet to be sent to the communication opposite end , the method further includes : the host device maps an ipv6 address of an ipv6 communication opposite end into an ipv4 address as an ipv4 destination address in the ipv4 packet header of the ipv4 data packet , according to the stored mapping table of the corresponding relationship between ipv4 addresses and ipv6 addresses , when determining that the type of the communication opposite end is the ipv6 communication opposite end . during a specific implementation , when the host device with an ipv4 application determines that the type of the network in which the host device lies is ipv6 - ipv4 dual stack network and the type of the communication opposite end is an ipv6 communication opposite end , before the ipv4 application generates the ipv4 data packet to be sent to the communication opposite end , the host device maps the ipv6 address of the ipv6 communication opposite end into an ipv4 address as an ipv4 destination address in the ipv4 packet header of the ipv4 data packet , according to the stored mapping table of the corresponding relationship between ipv4 addresses and ipv6 addresses . based on the same technical conception , one embodiment of the invention provides a host device with an ipv4 application , the host device includes : a dynamic loading module , configured to judge the type of a network in which the host device lies , and load a packet header translation module when judging that the type of the network in which the host device lies is an ipv6 network ; the packet header translation module , configured to convert an ipv4 packet header of an ipv4 data packet , generated by the ipv4 application and to be sent to a communication opposite end , into an ipv6 packet header ; and an interface module , configured to send the data packet converted by the packet header translation module via the ipv6 network . fig3 is a flow chart showing a method for a host device with an ipv4 application to obtain an ipv4 address of a communication opposite end and carry out data communication via an ipv6 network according to one embodiment of the invention , and the method includes the following steps . step s 301 : the ipv4 application generates an ipv4 dns request data packet according to an obtained ipv4 address and a dns address . step s 302 : the host device converts an ipv4 packet header in the ipv4 dns request data packet into an ipv6 packet header , generates a dns request data packet carried by ipv6 , and sends it to a dns server corresponding to the dns address via the ipv6 network . step s 303 : the ipv4 application receives a dns response message data packet returned by the dns server , and determines the ipv4 address of the ipv4 communication opposite end to be communicated with . step s 304 : the host device converts an ipv4 packet header in a generated ipv4 data packet into an ipv6 packet header , and sends the data packet to a network address translation ( nat ) device via the ipv6 network . step s 305 : the nat device converts the ipv6 packet header in the data packet received from the ipv6 network into an ipv4 packet header , and sends the data packet to the ipv4 communication opposite end . in another embodiment , when the host device with the ipv4 application has learned the ipv4 address of the communication opposite end , the host device directly generates the ipv4 data packet to be sent to the ipv4 communication opposite end , and then the above step s 304 and step s 305 are executed , thereby realizing the data communication with the ipv4 communication opposite end . in order to realize the communication between a host device with an ipv4 application and an ipv4 communication opposite end , as an example , one specific signaling interaction process for the above method according to the embodiment of the invention may be realized by employing the following scheme 1 . scheme 1 : an ipv4 packet header is converted into an ipv6 packet header by newly adding a packet header translation module and an address translation module on the host device , where the specific functions thereof are as follows . the packet header translation module ( header translation ) mainly accomplishes the conversion of an ipv4 packet header generated by an ipv4 application into an ipv6 packet header . after the packet header translation module receives an ipv4 data packet sent by the ipv4 application , it translates the source ipv4 address and the destination ipv4 address of the data packet into ipv6 addresses , thereby realizing the conversion of ipv4 packet header to ipv6 packet header . during the translation process , the translation methods for the source address and the destination address are different . where the ipv6 source address is formed by combining the ipv6 prefix allocated by the operator network and the ipv4 source address , while the ipv6 destination address is formed by combining a well - known prefix ( wkp ) set in the embodiment of the invention and the ipv4 destination address . by the above processing , the ipv4 packet header in the original data packet is replaced by the ipv6 packet header . during the packet header conversion process , the transmission layer and data part of the data packet , except for the icmp packet , are kept unchanged . the address translation module ( address translation ), when the packet header translation module executes an address translation from the ipv4 packet header to the ipv6 packet header , maintains prefix information needed in the mapping process from the ipv4 address to the ipv6 address and provides a translation rule for the packet header translation module . specifically , two types of prefix information are saved by the address translation module , i . e ., the ipv6 prefix allocated by the operator and the well - known prefix ( wkp ) set by the embodiment of the invention , which are used to translate the source address and the destination address respectively . for the source address , the address translation module adds the ipv6 prefix allocated by the operator to form an ipv6 source address ; but for the destination address , a wkp is added to form an ipv6 destination address . in conjunction with the above modification on the host device , the host device obtains an address allocated via a dynamic host configuration protocol ( dhcp ) server in the ipv6 network , then sends a dns request for the communication opposite end and communicates the related data stream according to the opposite end address replied by the dns . the specific flow is as shown in fig4 , which includes the following steps . 1 ) before communication , the host device requests the dhcp server to allocate an address , and sends a dhcp discovery message . 2 ) the dhcp server responds to the request message , and allocates an ipv6 prefix , an ipv4 address and a domain name system ( dns ) server address to the host device ; the ipv4 address may be a public address or a private address ; the returned dns server address may be an ipv4 address , or an ipv6 address of a dns device located in the ipv6 network . when the returned dns server address is an ipv4 address , related dhcp extension needs to be performed . fig4 illustrates a flow when the returned address is an ipv4 address . when the returned address is an ipv6 address of a dns64 , the related processing procedure is as shown in fig5 below . 3 ) the ipv4 application in the host device initiates an ipv4 dns request according to the obtained ipv4 address , where the request message is captured by the packet header translation module before it is sent to the ipv6 network , and the address information of the packet header is converted . 4 ) the packet header translation module sends source address information and destination address information in the ipv4 data packet to the address translation module for processing . 5 ) for the destination address , the address translation module adds the wkp to form an ipv6 destination address ; for the source address , the address translation module adds the ipv6 prefix allocated by the dhcp to the host device to form an ipv6 source address . after the above translation , the address translation module returns the ipv6 address header information to the packet header translation module . 6 / 7 ): the packet header translation module sends the corresponding data packet of the dns request message to a network address translation nat 64 device ( in the embodiment of the invention , the nat64 device is an example of the network address translation device ) according to the obtained ipv6 header information . 8 ) after the nat64 device receives the dns request message data packet , it accomplishes the conversion from the ipv6 packet header to the ipv4 packet header . during the conversion process , if the ipv4 address used by the ipv4 application is a private address , the translation process of the nat64 is a stateful translation , and it needs to map the resource ipv6 address into a public ipv4 address , while the wkp needs to be removed from the destination ipv6 address ; if the ipv4 address used by the ipv4 application is a public address , the translation process of the nat64 is a stateless translation process , and it only needs to remove the corresponding prefix when processing the source address and the destination address . the conversion from the ipv6 packet header to the ipv4 packet header is accomplished in the above process . 9 ) the nat64 device sends the request message data packet to an ipv4 dns server . 10 ) the ipv4 dns server returns an ipv4 address of the communication opposite end ( taking the address of the ipv4 server as an example ) to the nat64 device . 11 ) the nat64 device processes the dns response message , adds the corresponding prefixes to the source address and the destination address respectively , and accomplishes the stateless conversion from the ipv4 packet header to the ipv6 packet header . if the ipv4 application uses a private address , it further needs to find the corresponding ipv6 source address information according to the mapping state information stored on the nat64 device . 12 ) the nat64 device sends the dns response data packet to the host device . 13 ) after the host device receives the dns response message , it returns the dns response message to the ipv4 application . 14 ) the host device initiates an application data request according to the obtained ipv4 address of the communication opposite end , where the application request message is captured by the packet header translation module before it is sent to the ipv6 network , and the address information of the packet header is converted . 15 ) the packet header translation module sends the source address information and the destination address information in the ipv4 data packet to the address translation module for processing . 16 ) for the destination address , the address translation module adds the wkp to form an ipv6 destination address ; for the source address , the address translation module adds the ipv6 prefix allocated by the dhcp to the host device to form an ipv6 source address . after the above translation , the address translation module returns the related ipv6 address header information to the packet header translation module . 17 / 18 ) the packet header translation module sends a data request data packet to the nat64 device according to the obtained ipv6 header information . 19 ) after the nat64 device receives the data request message data packet , it accomplishes the conversion from the ipv6 packet header to the ipv4 packet header . during the conversion process , if the ipv4 address used by the ipv4 application is a private address , the translation process of the nat64 is a stateful translation , and it needs to map the resource ipv6 address into a public ipv4 address , while the wkp needs to be removed from the destination ipv6 address , and the related application layer gateway ( alg ) processing is performed . if the ipv4 address used by the ipv4 application is a public address , the translation process of the nat64 device is a stateless translation process , it only needs to remove the corresponding ipv6 prefixes when processing the source address and the destination address , and no alg processing is needed . the conversion from the ipv6 packet header to the ipv4 packet header is accomplished in the above process . 20 ) the nat64 device sends the request message to the communication opposite end , i . e ., the ipv4 application server . 21 ) the ipv4 application server returns a response message to the nat64 device . 22 ) the nat64 device processes the response message returned by the ipv4 server , adds the corresponding prefixes to the source address and the destination address respectively , and accomplishes the stateless conversion from the ipv4 packet header to the ipv6 packet header . if the ipv4 application uses a private address , it further needs to find the corresponding ipv6 address information according to the mapping state information stored on the nat64 and perform alg - related processing . 23 ) the nat64 device sends the application response data to the host device . 24 ) the host device receives the application response data and then returns it to the ipv4 application . when the dhcp server responds to the request message and allocates an ipv6 prefix , an ipv4 address and a dns server address to the host device , if the returned dns server address is an ipv6 address of dns server , the related processing procedure is as shown in fig5 , which includes the following steps . 1 ) before communication , the host device requests the dhcp server to allocate an address , and sends a dhcp discovery message . 2 ) the dhcp server responds to the request message and allocates an ipv6 prefix , an ipv4 address and an ipv6 address of a dns server to the host device ; here , the ipv4 address may be a public address or a private address . 3 ) the ipv4 application initiates a dns request according to the obtained ipv4 address , where the request message is captured by the packet header translation module before it is sent to the ipv6 network , and the address information of the packet header is converted . 4 ) the packet header translation module sends the source address information in the ipv4 data packet to the address translation module for processing . 5 ) the address translation module adds the ipv6 prefix allocated by the dhcp to the host device to form an ipv6 source address . the destination address is an ipv6 address , and may be directly used . after the above translation , the address translation module sends the ipv6 address header information to the packet header translation module . 6 / 7 ) the packet header translation module sends a dns request data packet to the dns server located in the ipv6 network ( dns6 ) according to the obtained ipv6 header information . 8 ) after the dns server located in the ipv6 network receives the request message , it queries whether the corresponding ipv4 address record of the communication opposite end is stored . 9 ) when the corresponding ipv4 address record of the communication opposite end is stored on the dns server located in the ipv6 network , the dns server located in the ipv6 network directly sends the dns response data packet to the host device . 10 ) after the host device receives the dns response message , it returns the dns response message to the ipv4 application . 11 ) when no corresponding ipv4 address record is stored on the dns server located in the ipv6 network , the dns server located in the ipv6 network forwards the related dns request to the ipv4 dns server and converts the ipv6 address in the dns request message into an ipv4 address . 12 ) the dns server located in the ipv6 network sends the related dns request to the ipv4 dns server . 14 ) after the dns server located in the ipv6 network receives the response message from the related ipv4 dns server , it converts the ipv4 packet header thereof into an ipv6 packet header . 15 ) the dns server located in the ipv6 network sends the dns response message data packet to the host device . 16 ) after the host device receives the dns response message , it returns the dns response message to the ipv4 application . after the ipv4 application determines the ipv4 address of the communication opposite end according to the received dns response message , the process of data packet delivery with the communication opposite end is the same as steps 14 - 24 in fig4 , and the description thereof is omitted . as shown in fig6 , one embodiment of the invention provides another method for data communication for a host device with an ipv4 application , the method includes the following steps . s 601 : the ipv4 application invokes an ipv4 socket api function to initiate an application data request to a communication opposite end . s 602 : the host device with the ipv4 application converts the invoking of the ipv4 socket api function into the invoking of an ipv6 socket api function when determining that the type of a network the host device lies in is an ipv6 network , generates an ipv6 data packet , and sends the ipv6 data packet to the communication opposite end via the ipv6 network . specifically , the host device employs socket translation method : after the host device converts the ipv4 socket api function for packaging a data packet into an ipv6 socket api function and converts the parameters of the ipv4 socket api function into the parameters of the ipv6 socket api function , it packages the information sent by the ipv4 application into an ipv6 data packet by invoking the ipv6 socket api function . during a specific implementation , the step of sending the ipv6 data packet to the communication opposite end via the ipv6 network includes : the host device sends the ipv6 data packet to an nat device via the ipv6 network when determining that the communication opposite end is an ipv4 communication opposite end ; and the nat device converts an ipv6 packet header of the received ipv6 data packet into an ipv4 packet header , and forwards the data packet to the ipv4 communication opposite end . based on the same technical conception , one embodiment of the invention further provides a host device with an ipv4 application , including : a dynamic loading module , configured to judge the type of a network in which the host device lies , and load a socket translation module when judging that the type of the network in which the host device lies is an ipv6 network ; the socket translation module , configured to convert the invoking of an ipv4 socket api function into the invoking of an ipv6 socket api function and generate an ipv6 data packet , when the ipv4 application module executes the ipv4 application and invokes the ipv4 socket api function to initiate an application data request to a communication opposite end ; and an interface module , configured to send the ipv6 data packet generated by the socket translation module via the ipv6 network . fig7 is a flow chart showing another method for a host device with an ipv4 application to obtain an ipv4 address of a communication opposite end and carry out data communication via an ipv6 network according to one embodiment of the invention , and the method includes the following steps . step s 701 : the host device with the ipv4 application requests a dhcp server in the ipv6 network to allocate an address . step s 702 : the host device judges whether the dns response returned by the dhcp server conveys an ipv4 record or an ipv6 record ; when the obtained dns response conveys an ipv4 record , the flow turns to step s 703 ; and when the obtained dns response conveys an ipv6 record , the flow turns to step s 705 . step s 703 : the ipv4 application generates an ipv4 dns request data packet according to the obtained ipv4 address and the dns ipv4 address . step s 704 : the host device converts an ipv4 packet header in the ipv4 dns request data packet into an ipv6 packet header , generates a dns request data packet carried by ipv6 , and sends the dns request data packet carried by ipv6 to a dns server corresponding to the dns ipv4 address via the ipv6 network ; then the flow turns to step s 707 . step s 705 : the ipv4 application invokes an ipv4 socket api function to initiate a dns request according to the obtained ipv4 address and the dns ipv6 address . step s 706 : the host device converts the invoking of the ipv4 socket api function into the invoking of an ipv6 socket api function , generates a dns request data packet carried by ipv6 , and sends the dns request data packet carried by ipv6 to a dns server corresponding to the dns ipv6 address . step s 707 : the ipv4 application invokes the ipv4 socket api function to initiate an application data request to the ipv4 communication opposite end , after receiving a dns response message data packet returned by the dns server and determining the ipv4 address of the ipv4 communication opposite end to be communicated with . step s 708 : the host device converts the invoking of the ipv4 socket api function into the invoking of the ipv6 socket api function , generates an ipv6 data packet , and sends the ipv6 data packet to an nat device via the ipv6 network . step s 709 : the nat device converts the ipv6 packet header in the data packet received from the ipv6 network into an ipv4 packet header , and sends the data packet to the ipv4 communication opposite end in the ipv4 network . in another embodiment , when the host device with the ipv4 application has learned the ipv4 address of the ipv4 communication opposite end , it directly generates an ipv4 data packet to be sent to the ipv4 communication opposite end , and then the above step s 705 to step s 709 are executed , thereby realizing the data communication with the ipv4 communication opposite end . in order to realize the communication between a host device with an ipv4 application and an ipv4 communication opposite end , as an example , one specific signaling interaction process for the above method according to the embodiment of the invention may be realized by employing the following scheme 2 . scheme 2 : a dns judging and processing module , a socket translation module , a packet header translation module and an address translation module are newly added to the host device . the dns judging and processing module is configured to judge whether a received dns response is an ipv4 record or a ipv6 record ; when it is a ipv4 record , the packet header translation module is started ; and when it is a ipv6 record , the socket translation module is started . the socket translation module is configured to realize the mutual translation between an ipv4 socket api function and an ipv6 socket api function . when a socket function invoking initiated by an ipv4 application is detected , the function invoking may be intercepted and replaced by an ipv6 api function corresponding to the ipv4 api function . during the conversion process , a conversion from ipv4 parameters to ipv6 parameters may also be carried out on the related api input parameters . the packet header translation module ( header translation ) mainly accomplishes the conversion from an ipv4 packet header of an ipv4 dns request message generated by the ipv4 application to an ipv6 packet header . after the packet header translation module receives the dns request message initiated by the ipv4 application , it translates a source ipv4 address and a destination ipv4 address of the data packet into ipv6 addresses , thereby realizing the conversion of ipv4 packet header to ipv6 packet header . during the translation process , the translation methods for the source address and the destination address are different . where the ipv6 source address is formed by combining an ipv6 prefix allocated by the operator network and the ipv4 source address , while the ipv6 destination address is formed by combining the well - known prefix ( wkp ) set in the embodiment of the invention and the destination ipv4 address . by the above processing , the ipv4 packet header in the original data packet is replaced by an ipv6 packet header . during the packet header conversion process , the data part of the dns request is kept unchanged . the address translation module ( address translation ), when the socket translation module needs to carry out a conversion from ipv4 input parameters to ipv6 input parameters , may maintain prefix information needed in the mapping process from an ipv4 address to an ipv6 address and provide the mapping information to the socket translation module . specifically , two types of prefix information may be saved on the address translation module , i . e ., the ipv6 prefix allocated by the operator and the well - known prefix ( wkp ) set in the embodiment of the invention , which are used to translate the source address and the destination address respectively . for the source address , the address translation module may add the ipv6 prefix allocated by the operator to form an ipv6 source address ; but for the destination address , the wkp may be added to form an ipv6 destination address . in conjunction with the above modification on the host device , during the implementation of scheme 2 , the host device obtains an address via a dhcp server , then sends a dns request for the communication opposite end and communicates the related data stream according to the opposite end address replied by the dns . the specific flow is as shown in fig8 , which includes the following steps . 1 ) before communication , the host device requests the dhcp server to allocate an address , and sends a dhcp discovery message . 2 ) the dhcp server responds to the request message and allocates an ipv6 prefix , an ipv4 address and a dns server address to the host device ; here , the ipv4 address may be a public address or a private address ; the returned dns server address may be an ipv4 address , or may be an ipv6 address of a dns device located in the ipv6 network . when the returned dns server address is an ipv4 address , related dhcp extension needs to be performed . fig8 illustrates a flow when the returned dns server address is an ipv4 dns server address . when the returned address is an ipv6 address of a dns64 , the related processing procedure is as shown in fig9 below . 3 ) the ipv4 application in the host device initiates an ipv4 dns request according to the obtained ipv4 address and the dns ipv4 address , where the request message may be captured by the packet header translation module before it is sent to the ipv6 network , and the address information of the packet header may be converted . 4 ) the packet header translation module sends the source address information and the destination address information in the ipv4 data packet to the address translation module for processing . 5 ) for the destination address , the address translation module adds the wkp to form an ipv6 destination address ; for the source address , the address translation module adds the ipv6 prefix allocated by the dhcp to the host device to form an ipv6 source address . after the above translation , the address translation module returns the ipv6 address header information to the packet header translation module . 6 / 7 ) the packet header translation module sends the corresponding data packet of the dns request message to a network address translation nat64 device according to the obtained ipv6 header information . 8 ) after the nat64 device receives the dns request message , it accomplishes the conversion from the ipv6 packet header to an ipv4 packet header . during the conversion process , if the ipv4 address used by the ipv4 application is a private address , the translation process of the nat64 device is a stateful translation , and it needs to map the resource ipv6 address into a public ipv4 address , while the wkp needs to be removed from the destination ipv6 address ; if the ipv4 address used by the ipv4 application is a public address , the translation process of the nat64 is a stateless translation process , and it only needs to remove the corresponding prefixes when processing the source address and the destination address . the conversion from the ipv6 packet header to the ipv4 packet header is accomplished in the above process . 9 ) after packet header conversion , the nat64 device sends the dns request message to an ipv4 dns server . 10 ) the dns server returns an address of the communication opposite end ( for example , an ipv4 server ) to the nat64 device . 11 ) the nat64 processes the dns response message , adds the corresponding prefixes to the source address and the destination address respectively , and accomplishes the stateless conversion from the ipv4 packet header to the ipv6 packet header . if the ipv4 application uses a private address , it further needs to find the corresponding ipv6 source address information according to the mapping state information stored on the nat64 . 12 ) the nat64 device sends the dns response data packet to the host device . 13 ) after the host device receives the dns response message , it sends the dns response message to the ipv4 application . 14 ) the ipv4 application in the host device initiates an application data request according to the obtained ipv4 address of the communication opposite end . the socket translation module may capture the current system invoking and carry out an ipv6 socket api conversion . the ipv6 parameter information needed by the socket api function may be obtained by querying the address translation module via the socket translation module . 15 ) the socket translation module sends the source address information and the destination address information in the ipv4 data packet to the address translation module for processing . 16 ) for the destination address , the address translation module adds the wkp to form an ipv6 destination address ; for the source address , the address translation module adds the ipv6 prefix allocated by the dhcp to the host device to form an ipv6 source address . after the above translation , the address translation module sends the related ipv6 address header information to the socket translation module . 17 / 18 ) the socket translation module invokes an ipv6 socket api according to the obtained ipv6 header information , and this process realizes the packaging of the ipv4 application request data in an ipv6 data packet , and the original data part is kept unchanged . subsequently , the host device sends the data packet to the nat64 device . 19 ) after the nat64 device receives the data request message , it accomplishes the conversion from an ipv6 packet header to an ipv4 packet header . during the conversion process , if the ipv4 address used by the ipv4 application is a private address , the translation process of the nat64 is a stateful translation , and it needs to map the resource ipv6 address into a public ipv4 address , while the wkp needs to be removed from the destination ipv6 address , and the related alg processing is performed . if the ipv4 address used by the ipv4 application is a public address , the translation process of the nat64 is a stateless translation process , it only needs to remove the corresponding prefixes when processing the source address and the destination address , and no alg processing is needed . the conversion from the ipv6 packet header to the ipv4 packet header is accomplished in the above process . 20 ) the nat64 device sends the application request message to the ipv4 application server of the communication opposite end . 21 ) the ipv4 application server returns a response message to the nat64 device . 22 ) the nat64 device processes the returned response message , adds the corresponding ipv6 prefixes to the source address and the destination address respectively , and accomplishes the stateless conversion from an ipv4 packet header to an ipv6 packet header . if the ipv4 application uses a private address , it further needs to find the corresponding ipv6 address information according to the mapping state information stored on the nat64 and perform alg - related processing . 23 ) the nat64 device sends application response data to the host device . 24 ) after the host device receives the application response message , it sends the application response message to the ipv4 application . when the dhcp server responds to the request message and allocates an ipv6 prefix , an ipv4 address and a dns server address to the host device with an ipv4 application , if the returned dns server address is an ipv6 address of dns server , the related processing procedure is as shown in fig9 , which includes the following steps . 1 ) before communication , the host device requests the dhcp server to allocate an address , and sends a dhcp discovery message . 2 ) the dhcp server responds to the request message and allocates an ipv6 prefix , an ipv4 address and an address of a dns server located in the ipv6 network to the host device ; here , the ipv4 address may be a public address or a private address . 3 ) the ipv4 application initiates a dns request according to the obtained ipv4 address , where the dns request is initiated by invoking ipv4 socket api - gethostbyname q . the socket translation module may capture the current system invoking , carry out the conversion to ipv6 socket , and use the corresponding api - getaddrinfo ( ) to form the corresponding dns request . the ipv6 parameter information needed by the related api may be obtained by querying the address translation module via the socket translation module . 4 ) the socket translation module sends the source address information in the invoked ipv4 socket api function to the address translation module for processing . 5 ) the address translation module adds an ipv6 prefix allocated by the dhcp to the host device to form an ipv6 source address . the destination address is an ipv6 address , and may be directly used . after the above translation , the address translation module sends the ipv6 address header information to the socket translation module . 6 / 7 ) the socket translation module invokes an ipv6 socket api according to the obtained ipv6 header information , forms a dns request message , and sends it to the dns6 device . 8 ) after the dns server located in the ipv6 network receives the request message , it queries whether the corresponding ipv4 address record of the communication opposite end is stored locally . 9 ) when the corresponding ipv4 address record of the communication opposite end is stored on the dns server located in the ipv6 network , the dns server located in the ipv6 network directly sends the dns response data packet to the host device . 10 ) after the host device receives the dns response message data , it returns the dns response message data to the ipv4 application . 11 ) when no corresponding ipv4 address record of the communication opposite end is stored on the dns server located in the ipv6 network , the dns server located in the ipv6 network may forward the related dns request to a dns server located in the ipv4 network ( dns4 ) and convert the ipv6 address in the dns request message into an ipv4 address . 12 ) the dns server located in the ipv6 network sends the related dns request to the dns server located in the ipv4 network . 13 ) the dns server located in the ipv4 network returns a dns response message . 14 ) after the dns server located in the ipv6 network receives the response message from the related dns server located in the ipv4 network , it converts the ipv4 packet header thereof into an ipv6 packet header . 15 ) the dns server located in the ipv6 network sends the dns response data to the host device . 16 ) after the host device receives the dns response message , it returns the dns response message to the ipv4 application . after the ipv4 application determines the ipv4 address of the communication opposite end according to the received dns response message , the process of data packet delivery with the communication opposite end may be the same as steps 14 - 24 in fig8 , so the description thereof is omitted . a structural diagram of a host device with an ipv4 application corresponding to the above scheme 1 is as shown in fig1 , the host device includes : an ipv4 application module 1001 , configured to execute an ipv4 application ; a packet header translation module 1002 , configured to convert an ipv4 packet header in an ipv4 data packet sent by the ipv4 application module 1001 into an ipv6 packet header ; and an address translation module 1003 , configured to provide a mapping between an ipv4 address and an ipv6 address . where the packet header translation module 1002 is configured to capture the ipv4 packet header in the ipv4 data packet , send an ipv4 source address and an ipv4 destination address in the ipv4 packet header to the address translation module 1003 , receive an ipv6 source address and an ipv6 destination address returned by the address translation module 1003 and form the ipv6 packet header . the address translation module 1003 is configured to receive the ipv4 source address and the ipv4 destination address sent by the packet header translation module 1002 , combine the ipv4 source address with an ipv6 prefix allocated to the host device and generate an ipv6 source address , and combine the ipv4 destination address with a stored well - known prefix and generate an ipv6 destination address , and return the ipv6 source address and the ipv6 destination address to the packet header translation module 1002 . a structural diagram of a host device corresponding to the above scheme 2 is as shown in fig1 , the host device includes : an ipv4 application module 111 , configured to execute an ipv4 application ; a dns judging and processing module 112 , configured to judge whether the received dns response conveys an ipv4 record or an ipv6 record ; when it is an ipv4 record , a packet header translation module is started ; and when it is an ipv6 record , a socket translation module is started ; a packet header translation module 113 , configured to convert an ipv4 packet header in an ipv4 data packet sent by the ipv4 application module into an ipv6 packet header ; a socket translation module 114 , configured to convert the invoking of an ipv4 socket api function into the invoking of an ipv6 socket api function , when the ipv4 application module 111 executes an ipv4 - related application to invoke the ipv4 socket api function ; and an address translation module 115 , configured to provide a mapping between an ipv4 address and an ipv6 address . where the packet header translation module 113 is configured to capture the ipv4 packet header in the ipv4 data packet , and send an ipv4 source address and an ipv4 destination address in the ipv4 packet header to the address translation module 115 , receive an ipv6 source address and an ipv6 destination address returned by the address translation module 115 , and form the ipv6 packet header . the socket translation module 114 is configured to capture the invoking of the ipv4 socket api function , send an ipv4 source address and an ipv4 destination address in the invoked ipv4 socket api function to the address translation module 115 , receive an ipv6 source address and an ipv6 destination address returned by the address translation module 115 , and convert into the invoking of the ipv6 socket api function . the address translation module 115 is configured to receive the ipv4 source address and the ipv4 destination address sent by the socket translation module 114 , combine the ipv4 source address with an ipv6 prefix allocated to the host device and generate an ipv6 source address , and combine the ipv4 destination address with a stored well - known prefix and generate an ipv6 destination address , and return the ipv6 source address and the ipv6 destination address to the socket translation module 114 . in conclusion , by the invention , at the same time an ipv6 system is deployed , the normal communication of a traditional ipv4 application may be guaranteed , and it is made transparent and imperceptible for the application , thereby realizing an ipv6 transition technology that has a backward compatibility with the ipv4 . during the communication process of a host device with an ipv4 application via an ipv6 network , a two - way stateless address translation process may be realized , the data packet processing load of a border nat gateway may be lowered , and the extensibility of system deployment may be further improved . different prefixes are allocated to the source address and the destination address , so that the routability and accessibility of application data may be guaranteed , and at the same time , the polymerizability of prefix in the original routing system will not be destroyed . those skilled in the art may understand that all or a part of the steps for realizing the method of the above embodiments may be accomplished by instructing related hardware via a program , and the program may be stored in a computer - readable storage medium , for example , a rom / ram , a diskette and a compact disc . it may also be understood that the device structures shown in the drawings or the embodiments are illustrative only and represent logic structures . where a module shown as a separated part may or may not be physically separated , and a component shown as a module may or may not be a physical module . the above description only illustrates preferred embodiments of the invention . it should be noted that various modifications and variations can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention , and all these modifications and variations are intended to be contemplated by the invention .
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a digital fluorography apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to fig1 . as shown in fig1 the digital fluorography apparatus comprises x - ray tube 1 , high - voltage generator 2 , i . i . 4 , optical attenuator 5 , tv camera 6 , image processing unit 7 , tv monitor 8 , reference video signal setting device 9 , video signal comparing unit 10 , fluorographic condition control unit 11 , and imaging condition control unit 12 . x - ray tube 1 is driven by a high voltage applied from high - voltage generator 2 , and radiates x - rays toward object 3 . x - rays transmitted through object 3 are converted into an optical image by i . i . 4 , and the optical image is supplied to tv camera 6 through optical attenuator 5 . optical attenuator 5 comprises at least one optical attenuation filter detachably arranged midway along the optical path for the optical image extending from i . i . 4 to tv camera 6 , and an optical aperture for focusing a light beam propagating along the optical path . attenuator 5 can thus vary the amount of light carrying optical image data stepwise or continuously within a predetermined range upon manual operation or in response to a control signal . for example , an nd ( neutral density ) filter is used as the optical attenuation filter . image processing unit 7 performs necessary image processing of a video signal obtained from tv camera 6 . tv monitor 8 displays an image - processed video signal from unit 7 or a non - image - processed video signal as a visible image . reference video signal setting device 9 produces a reference video signal level for obtaining an x - ray image having an appropriate contrast and density on tv monitor 8 . video signal comparing unit 10 consists of maximum value detector 21 and comparator 22 , as shown in fig2 . maximum value detector 21 detects the maximum value of a video signal supplied from tv camera 6 through unit 7 . comparator 22 compares the maximum value detected by detector 21 with a set value from setting device 9 , and produces a signal corresponding to a difference therebetween . the signal generated from comparing unit 10 ( comparator 22 thereof ), i . e ., a signal corresponding to the difference between the maximum value detected by detector 21 and the set value from setting device 9 , is supplied to fluorographic condition control unit 11 . fluorographic condition control unit 11 is enabled in a fluorography mode , and controls the voltage from high - voltage generator 2 upon reception of the signal from comparing unit 10 . more specifically , unit 11 comprises tube voltage change setting device 25 , initial voltage setting device 26 , voltage data storage device 27 , and adder 28 . initial voltage setting device 26 supplies initial voltage data in the fluorography mode to storage device 27 . since the initial voltage set by device 26 is an initial value for automatic tube - voltage control , it need not be accurately determined , and is selected in advance by an operator in accordance with parameters such as the thickness of an object . device 25 supplies data indicating an appropriate change amount of the voltage to adder 28 in response to the output from comparing unit 10 . adder 28 adds data stored in storage device 27 to the output from device 25 ( if the output from device 25 is a negative value , the output therefrom is subtracted from the data stored in device 27 ). the sum from adder 28 is supplied to high - voltage generator 2 as a fluorographic tube voltage setting output . at the same time , the sum from adder 28 is stored in device 27 , and is added to the next output from device 25 . control unit 12 is enabled in the imaging mode , and controls high - voltage generator 2 in response to the storage content of device 27 of control unit 11 , thus controlling a - voltage of x - ray tube 1 in the imaging mode . more specifically , control unit 12 comprises imaging condition setting device 31 , attenuation ratio setting device 32 , imaging tube current setting device 33 , and imaging voltage setting device 34 , as shown in fig3 . in the imaging mode , setting device 33 supplies set data for an imaging current set in advance by manual operation to high - voltage generator 2 . condition setting device 31 produces parameter data corresponding to the thickness of object 3 based on fluorographic voltage data stored in device 27 of unit 11 . attenuation ratio setting device 32 stores a table for obtaining optimal attenuation ratio data of optical attenuator 5 that corresponds to parameter data in the imaging mode , and obtains the attenuation ratio data of attenuator 5 in response to the output data from device 31 . imaging voltage setting device 34 stores a table for obtaining an optimal imaging voltage corresponding to parameter data and imaging current data , and obtains optimal tube voltage data of high - voltage generator 2 in response to the parameter data supplied from device 31 and imaging tube current data supplied from device 33 . the attenuation ratio data output from device 32 is supplied to attenuator 5 , and the attenuation ratio of attenuator 5 is controlled accordingly . the imaging tube voltage data from device 34 is supplied to high - voltage generator 2 together with imaging current data from device 33 , and x - rays are radiated in accordance with these data to perform an imaging operation . the operation of the digital fluorography apparatus with the above arrangement will now be described . the following control operation in the fluorography mode is performed using the initial fluorographic tube voltage set by device 26 of unit 11 . x - rays are radiated from x - ray tube 1 by the high voltage supplied from generator 2 . the x - rays radiated from tube 1 pass through object 3 , and an image corresponding to the transmitted x - rays is converted into an optical image by i . i . 4 . the optical image output from i . i . 4 is attenuated at an attenuation ratio manually set in optical attenuator 5 in advance , and is then supplied to tv camera 6 . the optical image is converted into a video signal by tv camera 6 , and is subjected to appropriate image processing by image processing unit 7 to be displayed on monitor 8 . during the fluorography , the video signal generated from unit 7 is supplied to comparing unit 10 . in unit 10 , detector 21 first detects a maximum luminance level in the input image ( one frame ) from the video signal . the maximum luminance level is supplied to comparator 22 . comparator 22 also receives an optimal luminance level set in setting device 9 , and compares it with the detected value . from the comparison result , comparator 22 supplies control unit 11 with a signal corresponding to a difference between the maximal value of the video signal and the optimal luminance level set in device 9 . in control unit 11 , setting device 25 supplies adder 28 with a control signal corresponding to a change amount of the voltage for making the maximum level of the video signal equal to the optimal luminance level set in device 9 , in accordance with the signal supplied from comparator 22 . adder 28 adds the change amount to the voltage stored in storage device 27 ( an initial value set by device 26 ), and the sum is supplied to high - voltage generator 2 as a voltage setting signal . the voltage setting signal is also supplied to storage device 27 to update the storage content thereof . in this way , automatic control of the fluorographic tube voltage by control unit 11 is performed . the storage content of device 27 is supplied to control unit 12 when the system is switched to the imaging mode , and is used to control imaging conditions . setting devices 32 and 34 of control unit 12 store the relationship ( fig4 ) between the fluorographic tube voltage and imaging voltage , which are obtained as follows . for the thickest object 3 , the gain of a tv camera system consisting of i . i . 4 , attenuator 5 , tv camera 6 , unit 7 , and tv monitor 8 is adjusted so that the optimal imaging voltage of x - ray tube 1 coincides with the upper limit ( e . g ., 80 kv ) of an effective imaging voltage range . in this state , different object 3 having different thickness are sequentially sampled to measure the relationship between the respective thicknesses of object 3 and the optimal voltage of x - ray tube 1 , and the measured data is stored as a table corresponding to line a in fig4 . next , thickness p of object 3 , with which the optimal voltage of x - ray tube 1 is below lower limit p of the effective imaging voltage range ( e . g ., 60 kv ), is obtained with reference to line a . the attenuation ratio of attenuator 5 between the output section of i . i . 4 and the incident section of tv camera 6 is adjusted to attenuate the amount of light incident on tv camera 6 , so that the optimal voltage for object 3 having thickness p coincides with upper limit p &# 39 ; of the effective imaging voltage range . in this state , the relationship between thickness p of object 3 and the optimal tube voltage of x - ray tube 1 is measured , and the measured data is stored as a table corresponding to line b ( fig4 ). in addition , with reference to line b , thickness q of object 3 , with which the optimal voltage of x - ray tube 1 is below lower limit q of the effective imaging voltage range , is obtained . again , the attenuation ratio of attenuator 5 is adjusted to attenuate an amount of light incident on tv camera 6 , so that the optimal voltage of x - ray tube 1 for object 3 having thickness q coincides with upper limit q &# 39 ; of the effective imaging voltage range . in this state , the relationship between thickness q of object 3 and the optimal imaging voltage is measured , and the measured data is stored as a table corresponding to line c ( fig4 ). such relationships are sequentially obtained until the optimal imaging tube voltage of x - ray tube 1 for the thinnest portion of object 3 exceeds the lower limit of the effective imaging voltage range . the relationships shown in fig4 are then stored in devices 32 and 34 of control unit 12 as tables for the optical attenuation ratio and the voltage , with the thickness of object 3 being a parameter . when the system is switched from the fluorography mode to the imaging mode , the fluorographic tube voltage resulting from automatic control of unit 11 is stored in storage device 27 . the thickness of given object 3 can be estimated from the fluorographic voltage when object 3 having an unknown thickness is subjected to fluorography and the fluorographic voltage is automatically controlled to make the luminance of the output image constant . the optimal voltage can thus be obtained from the estimated thickness of object 3 , with reference to the relationship in fig4 . therefore , when the system is switched from the fluorography mode to the imaging mode , the voltage stored in storage device 27 is converted into parameter data corresponding to the thickness of object 3 by setting device 31 of control unit 12 . an imaging current is set in setting device 33 in advance by manual operation . the parameter data is supplied to setting device 32 to obtain an optical attenuation ratio corresponding to the thickness of object 3 . the parameter data and the imaging current data are supplied to setting device 34 to obtain an imaging voltage . attenuator 5 receives the attenuation ratio data obtained by setting device 32 , and high - voltage generator 2 receives the imaging tube current data set by device 33 and imaging voltage data set by device 34 . therefore , the attenuation ratio of attenuator 5 in the tv camera system is set in accordance with the attenuation ratio data and , at the same time , x - ray tube 1 is driven by generator 2 at the voltage and current in accordance with the imaging voltage and current data . upon x - ray radiation under these conditions , x - ray imaging and image processing are performed , thus obtaining an image having the highest diagnostic effect . in the first embodiment , a case has been exemplified wherein mainly the voltage is controlled . next , a second embodiment will be described wherein a voltage and a current are controlled at the same time . in the second embodiment , a combination of a voltage and a current is predetermined , and control is performed in accordance with this combinatorial function in an automatic condition setting mode . as shown in fig5 in the combinatorial function , the voltage is gradually increased by minimum control units while the current is set at a lower limit value ( minimum value ) for actual application until it reaches the lower limit of the effective voltage range . within the effective voltage range , after the current is increased by minimum control units ( one or several steps ), the voltage is increased by one minimum control unit ( one step ). the number of current steps corresponding to one step of the voltage is a value obtained by dividing the number of current steps from the upper to lower limit of the tube current with the number of voltage steps from the upper to lower limit of the effective voltage . over the upper limit of the effective voltage range , the voltage is increased while the current is set at the maximum value . control of the imaging voltage and the current associated with the thickness of an object is performed in accordance with the above combinatorial function , so as to form tables for the optical attentuation ratio , the imaging voltage , and imaging current with respect to parameter data corresponding to the thickness of the object , as previously described . when both the voltage and current are controlled , a thickness range of object 3 within which optimal fluorography can be performed can be widened . in this case , in imaging condition control unit 12 &# 39 ; shown in fig6 parameter data output from imaging condition setting device 41 is commonly supplied to attenuation ratio setting device 42 , imaging current setting device 43 , and imaging voltage setting device 44 , the attenuation ratio of optical attenuator 5 is controlled by device 42 , and high - voltage generator 2 is controlled by devices 43 and 44 . in a third embodiment of the present invention , a combinatorial function of a tube voltage and a current is determined so that an output x - ray dose increases linearly . in general , an x - ray dose changes exponentially in accordance with a voltage , and changes linearly in accordance with a current . for this reason , with the combinatorial function of the second embodiment , a change in dose can be generally expressed as shown in fig7 ( in practice , however , it is not expressed by a smooth curve but by complicated polygonal lines ). in contrast to this , as shown in fig8 when the current is decreased by a predetermined amount each time the voltage is increased by one step , a combinatorial function which allows linear increments of output dose can be formed , as shown in fig9 . when the combinatorial functions shown in fig8 and 9 are utilized for control in the imaging mode , the output dose can be smoothly controlled by simultaneously controlling the voltage and current . in this way , a thickness range of an object which allows fluorography can be widened , and optimal imaging can be realized for a variety of objects having various thicknesses . the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings , and various changes and modifications may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention . for example , when a combinatorial function of a tube voltage and a current is used as in the second and third embodiments , an x - ray dose can be controlled over a wide range . therefore , even if control of optical attenuator 5 in the imaging mode is omitted , a practical apparatus can be provided . in the above embodiments , in the fluorography mode , automatic control is performed using a constant current while changing only a voltage . however , control by means of the combinatorial function of the tube voltage and current shown in fig5 or 8 can be performed for controlling the fluorographic conditions . in this case , since an x - ray dose determined by the combination of the voltage and current in the fluorography mode corresponds with the thickness of an object , parameter data can be obtained from this x - ray dose . when fluorographic condition control using the combinatorial function of the voltage and current is performed , parameter data corresponding to the thickness of the object can be more precisely obtained than that obtained from only the voltage , which changes stepwise . therefore , high - precision control can be realized . in addition , the present invention is not limited to an apparatus of continuous x - ray radiation type , which continuously radiates x - rays , but can be applied to an apparatus of intermittent radiation type , which radiates x - ray pulses . in the apparatus of this type , a radiation time , i . e ., a pulse width , can be controlled in place of control of a current , or in combination therewith .
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a disc according to this invention is played in a device that contains an optical disc drive and a software player environment , which is capable of playing back content stored on the disc . alternatively , the device may contain an optical disc drive and a hardware playback environment . in one embodiment , disc drive is housed within a mobile phone and the content comprises entertainment content such as a full - length movie . in other embodiments the disc drive may be housed within other types of devices , such as pdas , and the disc may contain other types of content , such as educational content . fig1 a and 1b are external views of a mobile phone 10 containing an optical disc drive of the kind described above . the components of mobile phone 10 are enclosed in a housing 11 , typically made of plastic . the front side of housing 11 supports a keypad 12 and a video display 14 . between keypad 12 and display 14 is a set of disc drive controls 16 , including , for example , “ play ,” “ fast forward ,” “ pause ” and “ reverse ” buttons . as shown in fig1 b , the back side of housing 11 includes a battery compartment access door 18 and an optical disc drive access door 20 . when a disc eject button 22 is depressed , drive access door 20 and a cartridge load module 32 swing outward , allowing a cartridge 34 containing the optical disc to be inserted into a cartridge load module 32 . a block diagram of optical drive electronics 70 and a battery 75 and cpu / memory 80 inside mobile phone 10 are shown in fig2 . cpu / memory 80 can be connected to optical drive electronics 70 via a bus 600 . optical drive electronics 70 contains two basic components : an optical controller section 602 and a pick - up module 604 . the main element of optical controller section 602 is an optical controller ic 606 . the optical controller section 602 also contains a voltage regulator 608 , a flash memory 610 , a static random - access memory ( sram ) 612 , a motor driver ic 614 and a laser driver ic 616 . motor driver ic 614 and laser driver ic 616 receive control signals from the optical controller ic 606 . voltage regulator 608 is powered by a direct connection 618 to battery 75 of mobile phone 10 and is controlled by an on / off control line that is connected to cpu / memory 80 via bus 600 . the software player would typically reside in a nonvolatile memory in cpu / memory 80 the other major component of optical drive electronics 70 is pick - up module 604 . pick - up module 604 includes a media detect switch 620 , an opto - electric ic ( oeic ) and forward photodiode ic ( fpic ) 622 , course tracking control circuitry 624 , fine tracking control circuitry 626 , focus control circuitry 628 and the spindle motor control circuitry 630 . the digital controller ic within optical controller ic 606 includes the servo digital signal processor ( dsp ) required to implement the servo / seek functions of the optical disc drive , the microprocessor required to control the disc drive and the interface between the disc drive and mobile phone 10 , the analog - to - digital ( a / d ) and digital - to - analog ( d / a ) converters required to interface to optical pick - up module 604 , the read - back channel , the encoder - decoder ( endec ), the error correction circuitry ( ecc ), the media detect switch , and the physical format circuitry . the front - end processor within optical controller ic 606 includes the analog circuitry required to interface the electronics within the pick - up module 604 , such as the oeic / fpic 622 , with the digital controller ic . the front - end processor also contains the analog electronics required to control motor driver ic 614 and laser driver ic 616 in addition to analog equalizers for the data channel . flash memory 610 contains the operating software ( firmware ) for the microprocessor within optical controller ic 606 and sram memory 612 can be used to buffer the data being read from optical disc 400 . motor driver ic 614 is required to drive the carriage drive ( coarse tracking ) motor 370 , the fine servo motor 500 , and the motor in spindle assembly 50 . a user begins the process of playing the optical disc by opening the door 20 and inserting cartridge 34 into mobile phone . closing the door 20 causes the software player inside the disc drive to read and identify the type of content stored on the optical disc within cartridge 34 by means of flags in the lead - in portion of the disc . if the disc is marked to contain the desired type of content , the optical drive reports this information to the mobile phone , which then activates the software player environment . the optical disc contains a description file in extensible markup language ( xml ). the software player initially requests an xml description file that is stored on the disc . the xml description file contains one or more screens to be shown in display 14 or on an external display with the video signal transmitted through an analog or digital video output port . together the series of screens form a menu that is used to access the entertainment or other content on the disc . upon parsing the xml description file , the player will identify the screen that has been marked as the default screen . if no screen is marked as default , the first screen listed in the xml description file is then considered the default . the software player then begins to parse the information in the first screen in the xml description file , which may include graphic , video and audio objects . these objects are referenced by the xml description file and the file associated with each object is stored on the disc . the software player then requests the files referenced by the screen . once each file of the screen has been received by the player , the player decodes the file and begins to use the screen layout description to composite the screen for presentation to the user on display 14 or on an external display with the video signal transmitted through an analog or digital video output port . thus screens are built from the definition listed in the xml description file and the graphic , audio and video objects stored on the disc . a single screen typically provides a graphical interface to the user to obtain access to at least one presentation and potentially to additional screens . objects defined in a screen may have actions associated with them that instruct the player . the user has the option of instigating these actions by means of navigating through the objects of the screen and selecting one . ultimately , the user begins the playback of the main audio / video content by instigating that action via the graphical interface provided by a screen . the audio / video content ( presentation ) contains audio and video data that is presented to the user sequentially . to summarize , the xml description file provides file location information , menu layout and functionality information , and audio / video presentation information for the content stored on the optical disc . the former contains a general information section , which provides information allowing a content owner to easily identify the content associated within the xml description file ( for example , the title of the main content and a copyright notice ), and a presentation information section , which contains a list of the audio / video content ( presentations ) stored on the disc . the menu information section is a part of the menu system resource data that allows the software player to present an organized system of access control to the user in the form of a graphical interface . this graphical interface allows a user to select screens or audio / video content to view and alter the compositing of a screen . in one embodiment , the maximum recommended size of the menu system resource data is 15 megabytes ( mb ). a single xml document , named vvd_menu . xml , is located at the root of the disc file system . the vvd_menu . xml document may be created during content authoring and may be required to be validated against a schema document . preferably , the schema document is valid to the w3c xml schema , which can be found at http :// www . w3 . org / 2001 / xmlschema . the definition of the menu system xml schema is shown in the appendix . the “ function element ” contains a limited set of application program interface ( api ) commands . by limiting the set of available commands that the software player is responsible for exhibiting , a limited set of functionality and incompatibilities between commands is lowered . the commands include the ability to begin playback of a presentation , begin playback of a presentation at a specific time in the presentation , as cross - referenced to an element contained in the xml description file , begin playback of a presentation and return to the graphical interface screen that contained the command to initiate playback , begin playback of a presentation at a specific time in the presentation , as cross - referenced to an element contained in the xml description file and return to the graphical interface screen that contained the command to initiate playback , change graphical interface screens from the current screen to another screen defined in the xml description file , set the audio or subtitle track that will be used during playback of a presentation , change menu object source , compositing location , compositing dimensions . the display frame of the screens which constitute the access control system is quantified in pixels to match the common sizing methodology of graphical content creation applications and output displays . the access control display frame is fixed at the highest resolution of primary video output with an aspect ratio of 16 : 9 anamorphic widescreen . the content of presentations is encoded using mpeg4 avc ( h . 264 ). however , the set of mpeg4 avc bitstream decoding elements is reduced so as to limit the resources required by the software player while maximizing the quality of the video output . beginning with mpeg4 avc standard profiles ( e . g ., profile high ) and levels ( e . g . level 3 ) and discarding specific elements , a finely - tuned list of decoder requirements is established . non - essential elements , such as the 4 : 0 : 0 color format and video field decoding are removed from the player decoding requirements list . interlaced source data is deinterlaced using the highest quality methods before it is encoded and stored on the disc . additionally , the average and peak bit rates of both video and audio content are limited to decrease the chances that different content titles will tax the software player beyond its playback capabilities . in one embodiment , the combined average bitrate is limited to 2048 kilobits per second ( kbps ). video data is limited to 1597 kbps ; audio data is limited to 448 kbps ; and the security and subtitle data is limited to 3 kbps . the peak bitrate of the combined data stream is limited to 8000 kbps and the maximum duration of the peak bitrate is set at 3 seconds . a presentation may be encoded on the disc in one of several frame sizes ( width / height ) and may be shown on an output display in one of several frame sizes , e . g ., the format of ntsc , pal , enhanced definition tv , hdtv as well as common computer displays such as 320 × 240 , 400 × 240 , 640 × 480 , 480 × 272 , 800 × 480 , 854 × 480 . therefore , the data must be scaled , and for this purpose various data points of the intended display content and the identified output resolution are incorporated into a scaling algorithm . the scaling algorithm is designed to ensure that no unintended distortion and any intended distortion of the content is incorporated into the scaling process with the final output matching the output display resolution . par = pixel aspect ratio ( as stored in the mpeg4 file format header ) else h t = h d /((( w e * par )/ h e )/ w d / h d ) the target height and target width represent the height and width to which the encoded data are scaled to provide an optimal full - screen playback the player software creates a black matte to fill the top / bottom or left / right of the display if the video frame does not match the display frame . the video frame is centered in the display frame . for 16 : 9 displays , the player software provides a stretch function to present a 4 : 3 presentation in full - screen height and width , with no black areas along the edges of the display . in addition , the player is capable of “ zooming ” to fit the presentation to the height and width of the display , i . e ., by cropping or discarding data from the top / bottom or left / right sides of the frame . the pixel width and height of all encoded frames must be divisible by eight . except as necessary to satisfy the multiple - of - eight requirement , black matte is not included in the encoded content frame . for presentations encoded in a 4 : 3 format , a pixel aspect ratio ( par ) of 1 : 1 is specified in the mpeg4 file header . the encoded frame size is 640 pixels wide by 480 pixels high . for widescreen presentations , the encoded frame size is from 648 to 720 pixels wide and up to 480 pixels high . the pixel aspect ratio ( par ) is specified in the mpeg4 file header . the following are several examples : 1 . 5 : 1 content is 720 × 480 , encoded at 720 × 480 with a par of 1 : 1 . 1 . 66 : 1 content is 800 × 480 , encoded at anamorphic 720 × 480 with a par of 1 . 11 : 1 . 1 . 78 : 1 content is 854 × 462 , encoded at anamorphic 720 × 480 with a par of 1 . 186 : 1 . 1 . 85 : 1 content is 854 × 462 , encoded at anamorphic 720 × 464 ( matte of two total lines of black , top and bottom ) with a par of 1 . 186 : 1 . 2 . 40 : 1 ( 2 . 39 : 1 ) content is 854 × 356 , encoded at anamorphic 720 × 360 ( matte of four total lines of black , top and bottom ) with a par of 1 . 186 : 1 . while specific embodiments of this invention have been described , it is to be understood that these embodiments are illustrative and not limiting . many alternative or additional embodiments in accordance with the broad scope of this invention will be apparent to persons of skill in the art . used to specify the list of screens within the menu system on the disc used to specify an instance of a single screen within the menu system used to specify the layering order of a single instance of a layer . layers used to specify a single instance of an object within a layer . as a button . the lack of the button element with an object used to specify the relative path and file name to a piece of media used to specify the relative path and file name to a piece of media used to specify a unique id number for the focus of a button used to specify the id of a different button which will become button of focus if the user navigates “ up ”. if not specified , used to specify the id of a different button which will become button of focus if the user navigates “ down ”. if not specified , used to specify the id of a different button which will become button of focus if the user navigates “ left ”. if not specified , used to specify the id of a different button which will become button of focus if the user navigates “ right ”. if not specified , used to specify a parameter sent to the function of an action on focus as opposed to requiring a user activate the button used to specify an interval in milliseconds after which the action
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as illustrated in the drawing , a hollow tube 10 of stainless steel , copper , carbon fiber reinforced plastic or other suitable material , preferably of about 1 . 8 cm in outside diameter and about 1 . 6 cm inside diameter is approximately 87 cm in length . a first set 12 a of five gas release perforations 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 and 16 , each of about 0 . 16 cm in diameter are formed in the tube 10 in alignment with longitudinal tube axis 17 . the perforation 12 is spaced about 38 cm from tube end 20 and each of the subsequent perforations 13 , 14 , 15 and 16 are spaced , commencing with the perforation 13 and progressing toward opposite tube end 21 by successive distances of about 7 . 6 cm , measured each from the next adjoining of the perforations . a set 22 a ( fig2 ) of five gas release perforations ( of which only perforations 18 and 22 are shown in the drawing ) are similar to the first set 12 a of the perforations 12 through 16 . the set 22 a , however , is formed on the side of the tube 10 , that is opposite to the side of the tube 10 occupied by the perforation set 12 a . the perforations in the second set 22 a , also are in alignment with the longitudinal tube axis 17 but are staggered relative to the spacing for the first set 12 a of the perforations 12 through 16 . thus , the gas release perforation 22 in the second set 22 a is spaced 3 . 8 cm from the perforation 15 and 3 . 8 cm from the next adjacent perforation 16 in the first perforation set 12 a . the tube end 20 ( fig1 ) has a shank 23 that is welded or otherwise appropriately secured in hollow center 24 ( fig2 ) of the tube 10 . as shown , the shank 23 is designed for engagement by a chuck ( not shown ) for a battery powered drill ( also not shown ). a sears “ craftsman ” hand impact drill , identified through product number 11581 , has been satisfactory for use in accordance with the invention . to establish fluid communication with the hollow center 24 ( fig2 ) of the tube 10 , a nipple 25 ( fig1 ) is brazed , or otherwise joined to a matching opening ( not shown in the drawing ) in the surface of the tube 10 . for the purpose of the invention , a galvanized steel screw nipple is preferred for this use . a threaded end 26 protrudes from the nipple 25 to engage a corresponding female thread in valve outlet 27 to establish a gas - tight connection with a valve 28 . it has been found that a 0 . 6 cm inside diameter brass ball valve , manufactured by mueller / b & amp ; k and identified through product number 107 - 701 has been suitable for helium gas flow control in accordance with the invention as described subsequently . inlet 30 for the valve 28 , moreover , has a gas adapter 31 with a surface that is serrated in order to make a gas tight connection between the valve 28 and one end of a flexible clear vinyl conduit 32 . in turn , the other end of the conduit 32 establishes gas communication with a small , portable helium canister 33 . with respect to the helium canister 33 , two canisters , each having 0 . 25 cubic meters of helium gas under a pressure ( when full ) of at least 260 pounds per square inch ( psi ), for a total of 0 . 5 cubic meters at standard atmospheric pressure and temperature provide a suitable herbicidal effect when the canister 33 ( only one of which canisters is shown in the drawing ) are applied in sequence in accordance with the invention . further in this connection , helium canisters sold by balloon time under product number sku 114710 with a helium purity of 94 % to 96 % were used with the method and apparatus described herein and have produced the desired kudzu vine herbicidal result . naturally , for kudzu eradication over larger areas , large helium tanks also have been used with great success . in operation , the chuck on a battery powered drill ( not shown in the drawing ) connects the drill to the drill shank 23 . the tube 10 is placed near a kudzu vine stem as that stem protrudes above the earth with the longitudinal tube axis 17 of the tube 10 generally perpendicular to the surface of earth 35 to press drill bit 11 against the soil . preferably a 1 . 6 cm diameter black oxide coated drill bit is suitable for this purpose . the drill is energized and the torque applied by the drill turns the tube 10 and the drill bit 11 , causing the drill bit 11 and the balance of the tube 10 to bore into the earth . the drilling is continued until all of the perforations in the two perforation sets 12 a and 22 a are well below the surface of the earth , whereupon the drill is deactivated and disconnected from the shank 23 . a first of the two helium canisters 33 is then coupled through the flexible conduit 32 and the gas adapter 31 to the valve 28 . valve handle 34 is shifted to a valve open position and helium gas flows from the canister 33 , through the valve 28 and into the hollow center 24 ( fig2 ) of the tube 10 . once in the tube 10 , under the gas pressure supplied by the helium canister 33 , the helium gas disperses into soil 36 surrounding the tube 10 through the perforations in the sets 12 a and 22 a and migrates in the soil 36 to kudzu vine root 37 . upon depletion of the helium in the canister 33 , the valve handle 34 is shifted to close the valve 28 . with the valve 28 closed , the helium canister 33 is removed and replaced with a fresh , full helium canister , whereupon the process practiced with the first canister 33 is repeated until the helium in the second canister also is depleted . field trials have shown that four weeks after exposure to helium in the manner described above , in two test sites all of the kudzu vines so treated were destroyed . at a third test site an estimated 95 % of the kudzu was destroyed . the effect , moreover , of this kudzu vine treatment on surrounding plant life was found to be surprisingly beneficial , as observed not only through the growth of new grass but also through new leaf growth . after treatment , the second , depleted canister and the associated flexible conduit 32 are detached from the gas adapter 31 . the drill is reconnected to the shank 23 and the drill is reenergized , albeit with the torque reversed , to enable the tube and the bit to be withdrawn from the ground . when treatment is complete and the tube 10 and the associated drill bit 11 have been withdrawn from the earth , the spoil ( not shown in the drawing ) from the original drilling is used to fill the hole left by the tube and the drill bit . in passing it can be inferred from the accumulated data that other inert gases — argon , neon , krypton and xenon , for instance , might also be commercially acceptable kudzu vine herbicides .
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[ 0043 ] fig4 shows a schematic diagram of a magnetic memory device according to each of embodiments of the present invention , arranged in a magnetic field . in the magnetic memory packaging shown in fig4 a magnetic guide 2 of a high permeability magnetic material is arranged in contact with or in close proximity to a magnetic memory 1 . in this way , the effect of the disturbing magnetic field on the magnetic memory 1 can be reduced by the passing of the magnetic flux leakage in the vicinity of the magnetic memory 1 through the magnetic guide 2 without the introduction of the magnetic flux leakage into the magnetic memory 1 . ( 1 ) the magnetic guide of a high permeability magnetic material is arranged for the magnetic memory . ( 2 ) the permeability of the magnetic guide is at least ten times larger than that of the storing layer of the magnetic memory . ( 3 ) the magnetic memory is not hermetically sealed by the magnetic guide , but at least one side of the parallelepipedal magnetic guide is open . by meeting the requirements ( 1 ) and ( 2 ), the magnetic flux of the disturbing magnetic field are prevented substantially from passing through the storing layer of the magnetic memory . in the case where the requirement ( 3 ) is met , the package can be prevented from becoming bulky . further , it is unnecessary to make measurable changes on the conventional packaging technique and thus a magnetic memory device for household use can be obtained without the increase of the cost . the optimum distance between the magnetic memory and the magnetic guide , the size , material , permeability , etc . of the magnetic guide are determined in accordance with the specific device structure of the magnetic memory . [ 0053 ] fig5 a shows a magnetic memory device according to an embodiment of the present invention . the package structure is that of normal sip package . a magnetic memory chip 11 is mounted on a die pad 12 a of a lead frame 12 and bonded thereon by a die bonding agent ( adhesive ). the terminal pad of the magnetic memory chip 11 and the inner leads 12 b of the lead frame 12 are connected to each other by bonding wires 14 , and then the die pad 12 a of the lead frame 12 , the magnetic memory chip 11 , the inner leads 12 b of the lead frame 12 , and the bonding wires 14 are molded with a resin 13 . [ 0055 ] fig5 b is a plan view showing a pattern of a lead frame 12 of the magnetic memory device shown in fig5 a . the lead frame 12 of the magnetic memory device includes the die pad 12 a , the inner frames 12 b and the outer frames 12 c . in the magnetic memory device of this embodiment , the die pad 12 a of the lead frame 12 is located at a center of the package . however , as shown in fig6 a lead frame may be employed in which the die pad 12 a of the lead frame 12 is located at a corner of the package . generally , the material used for this type of lead frame is a cu material or a fe material ( see japanese patent application kokai no . 9 - 74159 , for example ). according to this embodiment , in contrast , the lead frame 12 is configured of a conductive magnetic material of high permeability . as a result , the lead frame 12 constitutes a magnetic guide and the effect of the disturbing magnetic field on the magnetic memory can be suppressed . in order to reduce the contact resistance of the bonding portions between the magnetic memory chip and the inner lead portions 12 a of the lead frame 12 , the inner lead portions are plated with a precious metal . on the other hand , in order to improve the solderability for connection of the outer lead portions 12 c of the lead frame 12 with connection pads of an external substrate , the outer lead portions are plated with a precious metal or solder . preferable magnetic materials of the lead frame 12 include the grain - oriented electrical steel , permalloy , a permalloy alloy with various elements added , a metal crystal material such as sendust and finemet , a metal amorphous foil , a ferrite material , etc . the shield performance is determined by the permeability of these magnetic materials . in a strong magnetic field , however , the saturation magnetization of the film should also be taken into consideration . thus , a material may be selected in accordance with the required shield performance . let b be the saturation magnetization of the film , μ the specific permeability of the shield material , and hmax an expected maximum external magnetic field . then , the relation b & lt ; 4 πμmax is the condition required of the shield material . in the case where hmax is 20 oe and μ is 10 3 , for example , b is about 2 t , in which case the grain - oriented electrical steel with fe as a main component is useful . in the case where hmax is 50 oe and μ is 10 3 , on the other hand , b is about 0 . 7 t , in which case an alloy of the permalloy group is effective . hmax is determined taking into consideration only the vector component of the direction of easy axis of magnetization of the storing layer of the memory . a resin mixed with a high - permeability magnetic particulate may be used as the resin 13 . a suitable high - permeability magnetic material includes an oxide such as ferrite of spinel type or ferrite of garnet type . more specifically , a resin with mn — zn ferrite and an additive , or a resin with yttrium iron garnet and an additive is used . the addition of these magnetic materials may reduce the insulation characteristic of the resin . therefore , a normal resin may be used for the portions contacted by the outer lead portion while a high - permeability magnetic material is added only for the other portions . the lead frame 12 described with reference to fig5 a , 5b and 6 is a high - permeability magnetic material in its entirety . as an alternative , the surface of the conventional lead frame body of cu or fe is covered with a high - permeability magnetic material as a magnetic guide . the high - permeability magnetic film can be formed by plating , vacuum deposition or sputtering . as another alternative , a resin paste containing high - permeability magnetic powder such as ferrite can be coated . [ 0066 ] fig7 shows a magnetic memory device according to another embodiment of the present invention , in which the magnetic memory device is of a multi - chip package type . the magnetic memory chips 11 a , 11 b are superposed on the die pad 12 a of the lead frame 12 and bonded by die bonding agents 15 a , 15 b . the chips 11 a , 11 b may not always be both a magnetic memory chip , but the chip 11 a may be a logic ic chip , while the chip 11 b may be a magnetic memory chip . also according to this embodiment , like in the aforementioned embodiments , the lead frame 12 is configured of a high - permeability magnetic material . as an alternative , a high - permeability magnetic material covered frame may be used , in which the surface of the conventional lead frame body of cu or fe is covered with a high - permeability magnetic material as a magnetic guide . the high - permeability magnetic film can be formed by plating , vacuum deposition or sputtering . as another alternative , a resin paste containing high - permeability magnetic powder such as ferrite can be coated . in the configuration shown in fig7 the lead frame 12 is made of a nonmagnetic metal of high heat radiation characteristic , and at least one of the die bonding agents 15 a , 15 b for bonding the chip contains a high - permeability magnetic material . as a result , the die bonding agents 15 a , 15 b act as a magnetic guide . such die bonding agents may be a resin agent of coating type with particulates of a high - permeability magnetic material mixed in the resin agent . as another alternative , as shown in fig8 a sheet member may be used , which comprises a foil member 22 of high - permeability magnetic material is held between the adhesive resin sheets 21 a , 21 b . in the configuration of fig7 the lead frame 12 and the die bonding agents 15 a , 15 b may be the same as the conventional ones , while the sealing resin 13 may be modified to function as a magnetic guide . in this case , the resin with high - permeability magnetic particulates mixed therein is used for only one of the portion 13 b of the resin 13 which covers the upper surface of the chip and the portion 13 a of the resin 13 covering the lower surface of the chip . a suitable high - permeability magnetic material includes an oxide such as ferrite of spinel type or ferrite of garnet type . more specifically , a resin with mn — zn ferrite and an additive , or a resin with yttrium iron garnet and an additive is used . the addition of these magnetic materials may reduce the insulation characteristic of the resin . therefore , a normal resin may be used for the portions contacted by the outer lead portion while a high - permeability magnetic material is added only for the other portions . the third to fifth embodiments described above may be combined . specifically , in the configuration of fig7 the lead frame 12 is used as a magnetic guide , while the die bonding agents 15 a , 15 b are also used as a magnetic guide . as an alternative , the lead frame 12 is used as a magnetic guide , while the upper portion 13 b or the lower portion 13 a of the sealing resin 13 is used as a magnetic guide . as another alternative , the die bonding agents 15 a , 15 b are used as a magnetic guide , while the upper portion 13 b or the lower portion 13 a of the sealing resin 13 is used as a magnetic guide . as a further alternative , these members can all be used as a magnetic guide . [ 0078 ] fig9 shows a magnetic memory device according to a further embodiment of the present invention . in the package structure in this embodiment of fig9 a ceramic laminate board 31 is fixed on the peripheral portion of a heat sink 33 , and a magnetic memory chip 11 is bonded to the central portion of the heat sink 33 by a die bonding agent 34 . the outer terminal of the magnetic memory chip 11 is connected by bonding wire 36 to each layer wiring 37 of the ceramic laminate board 31 , and the wiring of each layer is connected by a through - wiring 38 to solder balls 32 arranged on one surface of the laminate 31 . the magnetic memory chip 11 and its peripheral portion are sealed by resin molding 35 . in this package structure , according to this embodiment , the heat sink 33 is configured of a high - permeability magnetic material and used as a magnetic guide . in the case where a high heat radiation characteristic is required , the body of the heat sink 33 is formed of cu , al or the like , and a high - permeability magnetic film is formed on the surface of the heat sink body , as in the second embodiment , as a magnetic guide . in the package structure shown in fig9 the heat sink 33 is formed of a non - magnetic metal , and the die bonding agent 34 is mixed with a high - permeability magnetic material . as an alternative , a sheet member with a high - permeability magnetic foil member held by resin sheets as shown in fig8 is used as a die bonding agent 34 . in this way , by using the die bonding agent 34 as a magnetic guide , the effect of the disturbing magnetic field to the magnetic memory can be suppressed . in the package structure of fig9 the heat sink 33 and the die bonding agent 34 are the same as the conventional ones . a resin with high - permeability magnetic particulates mixed therein is used as a sealing resin 35 which may function as a magnetic guide . a suitable high - permeability magnetic material is an oxide such as ferrite of spinel type or ferrite of garnet type . more specifically , a resin with mn — zn ferrite and an additive or a resin with yttrium iron garnet and an additive is used . the seventh to ninth embodiments can be combined . specifically , in the configuration of fig9 the heat sink 33 is used as a magnetic guide , while the die bonding agent 34 is also used as a magnetic guide . as an alternative , the heat sink 33 is used as a magnetic guide , while the sealing resin 35 is also used as a magnetic guide . as another alternative , the die bonding agent 34 is used as a magnetic guide , while the sealing agent 35 is also used as a magnetic guide . further , all of these members can be used as a magnetic guide . [ 0088 ] fig1 shows a magnetic memory device according to a further embodiment of the present invention . in the package structure in this embodiment of fig1 , a wiring 42 for leading a terminal of the magnetic memory chip 11 formed on a surface of a base board 41 , and a solder ball 43 is formed on the wiring at the peripheral portion of the wiring 42 . a magnetic memory chip 11 is face - down bonded on the surface of the base board 41 , and the chip portion is covered with the sealing resin 44 . in this package structure , the base board 41 is made of a high - permeability magnetic material and used as a magnetic guide . in the package structure of fig1 , the base board 41 may be the same as the conventional ones containing no magnetic materials . a resin with high - permeability magnetic particulates mixed therein is used as a sealing resin 44 , which can thus be rendered to function as a magnetic guide . an oxide such as ferrite of spinel type or ferrite of garnet type is suitable as a high - permeability magnetic material . more specifically , a resin with mn — zn ferrite and an additive or a resin with yttrium iron garnet and an additive is used . as an alternative , the base board 41 is made of a high - permeability magnetic material while a resin with high - permeability magnetic particulates dispersed therein is used as a sealing resin 44 , and both of them are rendered to function as a magnetic guide . [ 0095 ] fig1 shows a magnetic memory device according to a further embodiment of the present invention . in the package structure in this embodiment of fig1 , a base board 51 having a chip mounting portion formed as a depression is a two - side wiring board , and the wirings 52 and 53 on the two sides thereof are connected by way of via - contact layer 54 . a magnetic memory chip 11 is bonded on the base board 51 by a die bonding agent 55 , and covered with a sealing resin 56 . in this package structure , the die bonding agent 55 is mixed with a high - permeability magnetic material . as an alternative , a sheet member having a high - permeability magnetic foil sandwiched by resin sheets is used as a die bonding agent 55 , as shown in fig8 . by using the die bonding agent 55 as a magnetic guide in this way , the effects of the disturbing magnetic field on the magnetic memory can be suppressed . in the package structure of fig1 , a resin with high - permeability magnetic particulates are mixed in the sealing resin 56 is used , which functions as a magnetic guide . as an alternative , both the sealing resin 56 and the die bonding agent 55 can be used as a magnetic guide . it will thus be understood from the foregoing description that according to the embodiments of the present invention , a magnetic memory device free of the effect of the disturbing magnetic field can be easily provided . additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art . therefore , the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described herein . accordingly , various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents .
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the present invention will be clearer from the following description when viewed together with the accompanying drawings , which show , for purpose of illustrations only , the preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention . referring to fig1 - 6 , a three - dimensional measurement system for a marked line for adhering a sole to an upper and a three - dimensional measurement method therefore in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention are shown . the three - dimensional measurement system c in accordance with the present invention is used to measure the sole a and the upper b which are moved in pair by a conveyor d of a shoe production line . the “ sole a and upper b in pair ” here means that the sole a and the upper b can constitute a complete shoe . fig1 shows that a shoe is formed when the sole a is adhered to the upper b . fig2 shows that the sole a is concave structured and therefore has a three - dimensional sole inner surface a 1 , and a contour line a 2 defining the area of the three - dimensional sole inner surface a 1 . fig3 shows that the upper b is convex structured and therefore has a three - dimensional upper lower surface b 1 , and a processing marked line b 2 defining an adhering area to which the sole inner surface a 1 of the sole a is to be adhered . referring to fig4 and 5 , the three - dimensional measurement system c includes : a database 10 , a processor 20 , a three - dimensional scanner 30 and an identification device 40 , and is used to measure the three - dimensional surface data of the sole inner surface a 1 , so that the location of the processing marked line b 2 of the upper b can be obtained by processing the three - dimensional surface data of the sole inner surface a 1 and the three - dimensional surface data of the upper b . the database 10 is stored with three - dimensional surface data 101 of various to - be - adhered uppers b . in this embodiment , the upper b is made based on a cnc ( computer numerical control ) shoe last , therefore , the upper b is conformed to the shape of the shoe last . the three - dimensional surface data of the last corresponding to specific uppers b can be stored in the database 10 and used as the three - dimensional surface data 101 of the uppers b . the method for obtaining the three - dimensional surface data 101 of the uppers b is not limited thereto and can also be obtained by digitizing the scanned images . the three - dimensional scanner 30 is mounted on the conveyor d via a slideway 31 to scan the sole a . a projector 33 and a video camera 34 are slidably mounted on the slideway 31 via a rack 32 . the projection lines l of the light rays 331 generated from the projector 33 are located within the coverage area z of the video camera 34 . the projection lines l of the three - dimensional scanner 30 are projected onto different parts of the sole inner surface a 1 of the sole a to create a set of deformation 301 along with the movement of the sole a . measuring the displacement distance between the rack 32 and the slideway 31 can create a projection - line displacement data 302 . in this embodiment , the measurement is performed by the three - dimensional scanner 30 based on triangulation principle , and the projector 33 is a laser projector for projecting laser rays . the identification device 40 is used to identify a built - in identification data 401 in a tag of the various uppers b which are carried by the conveyor d . in this embodiment , each of the uppers b on the conveyor d is provided with a rfid tag 42 . the identification device 40 is equipped with a reader 41 to read and send the built - in identification data 401 of the rfid tag 42 to the processor 20 . or , each of the uppers b can be provided with a barcode label 43 in which is stored the built - in identification data 401 , so as to enable the reader 41 of the identification device 40 to identify the uppers b . the processor 20 is connected to the database 10 , the three - dimensional scanner 30 and the identification device 40 , and serves to read the three - dimensional surface data 101 of the database 10 and the built - in identification data 401 to obtain a three - dimensional surface data 202 of the upper which is conformed to the upper b . then the processor 20 reads the set of deformation 301 and the projection - line displacement data 302 of the three - dimensional scanner 30 to create a three - dimensional inner surface data 201 of the sole . the processor 20 conducts calculation based on the three - dimensional inner surface data 201 of the sole and the three - dimensional surface data 202 of the upper , and transfers the contour line a 2 of the sole inner surface a 1 of the sole a to the upper lower surface b 1 of the upper b to form a processing marked line b 2 . what mentioned above are the structural relations of the embodiment of the present invention , for a better understanding of the operation and function of the three - dimensional measurement system c for a marked line for adhering the upper to the sole in accordance with the present invention , reference should be made to fig1 and 4 - 6 in conjunction with the following description . referring to fig5 and 6 , the three - dimensional measurement method in accordance with the present invention is used to measure the sole a and the upper b which are carried in pair by the conveyor d of a shoe production line , so as to obtain a digital data of the processing marked line b 2 for adhering the sole to the upper , and thus achieving the purposes of automatic production , improving production efficiency and quality . the three - dimensional measurement method in accordance with the present invention comprises the steps of : a step s 1 of obtaining a three - dimensional surface data of a sole , a step s 2 of obtaining a three - dimensional surface data of an upper , a step s 3 of modifying the sole inner surface , and a step s 4 of marking line on the upper . the step s 1 of obtaining a three - dimensional surface data of a sole includes : moving the sole a carried by the conveyor d into the coverage area z of the video camera 34 of the three - dimensional scanner 30 , shooting and measuring with the three - dimensional scanner 30 the set of deformation 301 formed by the projection lines l moving along with the movement of the sole a and the projection - line displacement data 302 which are then outputted to and processed by the processor 20 , so as to obtain the three - dimensional inner surface data 201 of the sole inner surface a 1 of the sole a . the step s 2 of obtaining a three - dimensional surface data of an upper includes : moving the upper b carried on the conveyor d to the identification area of the identification device 40 , the processor 20 uses the identification device 40 to read a built - in identification data 401 in a tag of the upper b and read the three - dimensional surface data 101 of the upper from the database 10 via the identification data 40 , thus obtaining a three - dimensional surface data 202 of the upper which is conformed to the upper b . the step s 3 of modifying the sole inner surface includes : processing , by the processor 20 , the three - dimensional inner surface data 201 of the sole and the three - dimensional surface data 202 of the upper , digitally controlling the sole inner surface a 1 of the sole a to create a three - dimensional surface which is conformed to the upper lower surface b 1 of the upper b on the sole inner surface a 1 of the sole a . in this embodiment , the step s 3 further includes : a step s 3 of obtaining cross sectional data and a step s 32 of modifying . the step s 31 of obtaining cross sectional data includes : processing , by the processor 20 , the three - dimensional inner surface data 201 of the sole and the three - dimensional surface data 202 of the upper , obtaining curve data of plural cross sections formed when the sole inner surface a 1 of the sole a is superimposed on the upper lower surface b 1 of the upper b . the step s 32 of modifying includes : outputting , by the processor 20 , the curve data of plural cross sections to a digital control machine 50 , and modifying , by the digital control machine 50 , the three - dimensional surface which is formed by the sole inner surface a 1 of the sole a is superimposed on the upper lower surface b 1 of the upper b , based on the curve data of plural cross sections . the step s 4 of marking a line on the upper includes : processing , by the processor 20 , the three - dimensional inner surface data 201 of the sole and the three - dimensional surface data 202 of the upper , and transferring the contour line a 2 of the sole inner surface a 1 of the sole a to the upper lower surface b 1 of the upper b to form the processing marked line b 2 . in the step s 4 of this embodiment , the processor 20 obtains the contour line data of the sole inner surface a 1 of the sole a by processing the three - dimensional inner surface data 201 of the sole , then integrates and processes the contour line data of the sole inner surface a 1 of the sole a and the three - dimensional surface data 202 of the upper to obtain the positional data of the marked line of the upper b , and outputs the positional data to the digital control machine 50 to allow the digital control machine 50 to process within the area defined by the processing marked line b 2 of the upper lower surface b 1 of the upper b . referring to fig7 , steps s 41 to s 46 are carried out to calculate the contour line . steps s 41 , s 42 include inputting sole inner surface data and the last inner surface data into the processor 20 , the step s 43 includes performing primary positioning based on known coordinates , and then performing detailed positioning based on adhering area . then the step s 44 is performed to project the inner surface data of the sole onto the upper , meanwhile , material elasticity can be set to simulate the effect when the sole is attached to the upper . finally , in the step s 45 the contour line after deformation is projected onto the upper data , so as to complete the contour line calculation of the step s 46 , and the calculated contour line is outputted for later roughening and glue application . it should be noted that when the sole a and the upper b which are carried in pair are arranged in a parallel manner on the conveyor d , the three - dimensional measurement system c of the present invention can be provided with another scanner to scan the three - dimensional surface data of the upper b in addition to the three - dimensional scanner 30 for scanning the sole inner surface a 1 . when the three - dimensional scanner 30 are arranged linearly in a front and back manner on the conveyor d , the three - dimensional scanner 30 can scan and send the three - dimensional inner surface data of the sole a and the three - dimensional surface data of the upper b to the processor 20 . in summary , with the three - dimensional measurement system c and the three - dimensional measurement method thereof in accordance with the present invention , the sole a and the upper b can be moved on the production line during the adhering operation . the three - dimensional scanner 30 is capable of acquiring the precise three - dimensional inner surface data of various soles a , which is then used in combination with the three - dimensional measurement method and the three - dimensional surface data of the upper b , to allow the processor 20 to calculate the processing marked line ( for adhering the sole to the upper ) which can be used as reference parameters for automatic roughening treatment and glue application of the upper b , thus achieving the purposes of automatic production , improving production efficiency and quality . while we have shown and described various embodiments in accordance with the present invention , it is clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention .
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referring to fig1 , a video surveillance system 10 is shown in block diagram form . video surveillance system 10 comprises a plurality of cameras from 1 through n , which are labeled 12 , 14 , and 16 , connected to a network 18 . network 18 can be a closed network , local area network or wide area network , such as the internet . a digital video recorder 20 is also connected to network 18 for recording the video from cameras 12 , 14 , and 16 . if desired , video surveillance system 10 can include a plurality of digital video recorders , which can be network video recorders or digital video recorders which can be connected directly to a display or workstation . as used herein , recorded video includes full - motion video and still photographs taken at intervals . storage 22 is connected to network 18 to provide additional storage for recorded video which can be transferred from dvr 20 for short - term or long - term storage . storage 22 can be connected to network 18 as shown or directly to dvr 20 , such as an expansion box . workstation 24 is connected to network 18 to provide a user with a display and input capability . workstation 24 can be a general purpose computer with software for implementing the present invention and provide a graphical user interface for searching recorded video data or it can be simply a display and user input device for accessing video surveillance system 10 and utilizing the video data search capabilities of the present invention . the graphical user interface software for searching the recorded video data can reside anywhere in the system such as , for example , dvr 20 or storage 22 . fig2 illustrates one embodiment of workstation 24 for implementing the present invention . processor 26 is connected to rom 28 , ram 30 , and storage 32 , which can be a hard disk drive , compact disc drive , optical drive , and the like . processor 26 implements a software program for displaying a graphical user interface that is stored in rom 28 or storage 32 . processor 26 provides output signals to display 36 to display the graphical user interface for implementing the present invention . user input device 34 can be a mouse , jog / shuttle controller , keyboard , or other suitable input device connected to processor 26 to provide user input to search the stored video data according to the present invention . the recorded video data searched by workstation 24 can be stored in dvr 20 or storage 22 of video surveillance system 10 , or in storage 32 . a graphical user interface for implementing the present invention is displayed in fig3 . window 38 contains icons 40 , 42 , and 44 , which graphically represent cameras 12 , 14 , and 16 from fig1 . window 46 is the area for the display of recorded video . window 46 is shown in quad mode , i . e ., a two by two matrix in which a different camera could be displayed in each quadrant ; however , other configurations can be used as well as is known in the art . window 48 contains a time graph 50 which , by way of example , shows the time period from september 2003 to september 2005 . line 52 shows the chosen point in time on time graph 50 . for illustration purposes , line 52 is shown at time jul . 19 , 2004 — 05 : 55 : 36 pm . line 52 can be moved , for example , by using a mouse to move pointer 56 onto slider 54 , clicking a mouse button and moving slider 54 to the desired time and then releasing the mouse button . the scale of time graph 50 can be changed by the user , for example , by rotating the wheel on a mouse . the scale of time graph 50 an be changed from years as shown in fig3 to months , days , hours , minutes , and seconds as shown respectively in fig4 - 8 . fig4 shows the time period on time graph 50 from jun . 17 through sep . 29 of 2004 . fig5 shows the time period on time graph 50 from jul . 23 through aug . 1 of 2004 . fig6 shows the time period on time graph 50 from 11 : 46 am through 8 : 46 pm of jul . 24 , 2004 . fig7 shows the time period on time graph 50 from 16 : 38 pm through 17 : 07 pm , i . e ., 4 : 38 pm through 5 : 07 pm of jul . 24 , 2004 . fig8 shows the time period on time graph 50 from 4 : 54 : 37 pm through 4 : 55 : 06 pm of jul . 24 , 2004 . as the mouse wheel is rolled , time graph 50 changes to the next scale or farther with a fluid motion . at the same time , slider 54 can be moved along time graph 50 to the desired point in time . if the mouse wheel is rotated in the opposite direction , time graph 50 changes to the next longer period of time , such as from seconds to minutes , or farther depending upon the amount of rotation of the mouse wheel . accordingly , the user can move through time by moving slider 54 back and forth across time graph 50 and rotating the mouse wheel to zoom in or out in time as desired . the scale of time graph 50 can be changed in other ways , such as by moving pointer 56 to icon 66 to go to a scale showing a shorter time period such as from hours to minutes or by moving pointer 56 to icon 68 to go to a scale showing a longer time period such as from hours to days . bar 58 indicates that video was recorded at that time . the width of bar 58 indicates the length of the recorded video , and depending upon the scale of time graph 50 , varying degrees of detail of recorded video are shown . this can be seen clearly by referring to fig8 where bar 60 indicates a segment of recorded video that is significantly longer than bar 62 . depending upon the scale , bars 60 and 62 may be indicated as a single bar as the user zooms out in time or may not be shown at all . in addition , bar 58 can be displayed in different colors to indicate different types of recordings , such as an alarm event , motion detection event , or continuous recording such as on a recorded schedule . other user input devices can be used to interact with the graphical user interface , such as a jog / shuttle controller , keyboard and similar devices . once slider 54 has been moved to the point of interest as shown in fig8 , the video segment of interest indicated by bar 64 can be displayed by clicking the mouse button . this process can be implemented in a number of ways , for example , by clicking the left or right mouse button , double clicking one of the mouse buttons or any other user input to signal processor 26 to retrieve and play the desired video . the user selects the video data to be searched by selecting the camera of interest . the user moves pointer 56 onto the desired icon , i . e . one of icons 40 , 42 , and 44 , clicks and holds a mouse button , drags the selected camera icon to time graph 50 , and then releases the mouse button to indicate to processor 26 that data for the selected camera should be displayed on time graph 50 . other methods can be used for selecting the camera , for example , pointer 56 can be moved to icon 70 and the mouse button clicked to indicate to processor 26 that the user wishes to select a camera . the user then moves pointer 56 to one of icons 40 , 42 , or 44 and selects the desired camera to be active on time graph 50 . icon 72 can be used to indicate to processor 26 that the video recorded at the time selected on time graph 50 should be displayed . in addition , the system and method of the present invention facilitates the exporting of selected video . the desired video can be searched as previously described . once slider 54 has been moved to the beginning of the desired video clip , pointer 56 is moved to icon 74 and activated by a click of a mouse button . slider 54 is then moved to the end of the desired video clip . pointer 56 is then moved to icon 74 and activated again by a click of a mouse button to provide user input to processor 26 indicating the end of the video clip to be exported . pointer 56 is then moved to icon 78 , and the user then clicks a mouse button to indicate to processor 26 to retrieve the selected video data from storage 32 , storage 22 , or dvr 20 , and provide the video data to the device selected by the user , for example , to a compact disc drive for recording on a compact disc or to network 18 for transmitting to another location connected to network 18 . to remove the export designations placed by the foregoing process , the user moves pointer 56 to icon 76 and clicks a mouse button . window 48 includes an indication of which camera is currently active on time graph 50 . numeral 80 points to this indication , which is shown for illustration purposes as camera 1 . window 48 also contains an indication of the type of search is being displayed in window 46 . numeral 82 indicates that a quick search is currently active , referring to the use the functions associated with time bar 50 . in addition , other types of searches can be performed by special algorithms , and is indicated by numeral 84 referring to enhanced search results , which can be activated by moving pointer 56 to box 86 and clicking a mouse button . in addition , different screen configurations can be chosen by placing pointer 56 on the desired configuration , such as a 2 × 2 screen displayed indicated by numeral 88 . any number of other screen configurations for window 46 can also be used , such as 1 × 1 , 3 × 3 , 4 × 4 , 1 × 5 , and 1 × 12 or other suitable screen configuration to meet the user &# 39 ; s information display needs . multiple cameras can be selected and displayed in separate quadrants of window 46 with all of the displayed video being video that was recorded at the chosen point in time . the video streams are recorded separately along with an indication of the time the video was recorded . the cameras are synchronized by a system clock for surveillance system 10 that can reside in workstation 24 , dvr 20 or any suitable location on network 18 so that any combination of cameras can be selected for viewing the recordings at a selected point in time . this function can be implemented , for example , by using pointer 56 to drag the additional cameras to the desired quadrant of window 46 to indicate to processor 26 that the user also want to also view the recorded video , if any , from the additionally selected cameras that was recorded at the selected time on time graph 50 . fig9 illustrates the steps that a user goes through in utilizing the present invention . at block 100 , the user selects a display configuration for the video display window , for example , 2 × 2 , as shown in fig3 . the user then selects the camera of interest to search the recorded video on time graph 50 . at blocks 104 , 106 , and 108 , the user then moves slider 54 back and forth and zooms in or out in scale to select the time on time graph 50 at which the recorded video is to be displayed . at block 110 , the user provides a user input signal , such as clicking a mouse button to indicate to processor 26 that the display of the selected recorded video should be initiated . fig1 illustrates the steps that processor 26 performs in waiting for , receiving , and responding to user input when the search function of the present invention has been initiated . at decision point 112 , processor 26 waits for an input from a user indicating that a video clip has been selected for display . if the appropriate user input is received , processor 26 displays the selected video clip at block 114 . if the appropriate user input is not received at decision point 112 , processor 26 checks to see if a change graph scale input has been received from a user at decision point 116 . if the appropriate user is received , at block 118 processor 26 changes the graph scale . if the appropriate user input is not received at decision point 116 , then processor 26 returns to decision point 112 and the process continues until the search function has be discontinued by the user . it is to be understood that variations and modifications of the present invention can be made without departing from the scope of the invention . it is also to be understood that the scope of the invention is not to be interpreted as limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein , but only in accordance with the appended claims when read in light of the foregoing disclosure .
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hereinafter , a preferred embodiment of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings . [ 0029 ] 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 . [ 0035 ] 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 . [ 0049 ] 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 .
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reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of the invention , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings . the present invention relates to a method and circuit for setting a programmable delay cell in a signal path and using a reference clock to calibrate the oscillator clock frequency of an oscillator that includes the delay cell . the circuit preferably uses two counting circuits or counters that are controlled by calibration and control logic in which one counter is clocked by the reference clock and the other is clocked by the oscillator circuit clock . in general , after a predetermined time , the calibration and control logic compares the two count values and determines if the programmable delay cell of the oscillator circuit needs to be adjusted . in a preferred embodiment , the sequence followed in the method is to clear the counters , start the counters , stop the counters , compare the counts , and , then , accordingly adjust the programmable delay cell value and / or repeat the earlier steps . if the oscillator circuit is determined to need adjustment , the calibration and control logic circuit so adjusts the programmable delay cell . the present invention may then provide a suitable delay path formed from a portion of the oscillator circuit for passing an external or source clock signal . fig1 shows a functional block diagram of an embodiment of a circuit of the present invention . as shown in fig1 , the major components of the scheme are two counters 10 , 50 , calibration and control logic 30 , and an oscillator 60 - 100 that includes a programmable delay cell 70 . the programmable delay cell 70 may be implemented through complementary metal oxide semiconductor ( cmos ) inverters , differential delay cells , buffers and multiplexers , or the like . the oscillator is preferably a ring oscillator . the first counter 10 is clocked by a reference clock refclk and the second counter 50 is clocked by the clock generated by the ring oscillator . the first counter 10 and the second counter 50 are capable of counting up to a certain number and resetting to begin counting again . in a preferred embodiment , the total size of the circuit is determined by the size of the programmable delay cell 70 and a few hundred logic gates . except for the programmable delay cell , all other cells used to design the logic are not timing critical . in one embodiment , the calibration and control logic 30 starts both counters simultaneously and stops the counters simultaneously after a predetermined period of time . then , the calibration and control logic 30 compares the count values to determine the operating frequency of the oscillator clock with respect to the reference clock . optionally , prior to the calibration and control logic 30 , combination logic 20 and 40 may be used to generate the waveforms shown in fig2 . any correctable discrepancy determined by the calibration and control logic is resolved by making an adjustment to the programmable delay cell . if the programmable delay cell is adjustable only in increments , the calibration and control logic or other calculating and control circuitry provides the nearest delay value to the programmable delay cell to approximate the desired frequency of the oscillator clock . fig2 shows a timing diagram relating inputs to the calibration and control logic . the reference clock counter generated pulse n_out , one of the two illustrated inputs , is shown as having a duration of a * n where n represents the number of counts before reset by the reference clocked counter 10 and a represents the clock period of refclk . the period of the reference clock refclk is given as a nanoseconds although a different unit of time may be used , such as picoseconds , microseconds , or milliseconds . thus , the duration of n_out ( from the beginning to the end of the count ) is a * n . similarly , if the propagation delay of the ring oscillator is given as b nanoseconds ( or other unit of time such that a and b are measured in the same units of time ), then the period of the ring oscillator is given as 2 * b nanoseconds . if the number of cycles count_m counted by the ring oscillator counter is m , then the duration of m_out ( from beginning to end of the count ) is 2 * b * m . the waveform m_out may be a low duty cycle waveform as shown in fig2 in which the high level pulse occupies a relatively small portion of the count period or may be a 50 - 50 duty cycle waveform or a high duty cycle waveform . the present invention uses the reference clock as a guide for setting the ring oscillator frequency through the programmable delay cell . for example , if it is desired that the oscillator clock frequency be twice the reference frequency , the programmable delay cell is set ( to the closest approximation or exactly ) to 90 degrees of the period a ; in other words , b is set to a / 4 ( equation 1 ). if duration_n equals duration_m by adjusting the delay of the programmable cell , then a * n = 2 * b * m ( equation 2 ). substituting b = a / 4 yields m = 2 * n ( equation 3 ). thus , satisfying equations 1 and 2 provides equation 3 . in the case where the desired programmable delay is 90 degrees , the counter value of count_m is set equal to twice the number of count_n . for the purposes of this example , the value of the left side of equation 2 , a * n , is fixed . in order to satisfy equation 2 , the value of b may be changed by adjusting the delay of the programmable delay cell until 2 * b * m equals a * n . in one embodiment , the calibration and control logic ( or similar circuitry ) detects the durations of duration_n and duration_m and sends control settings to adjust the delay of the programmable delay cell until it finds the two durations are equal . once equations 2 and 3 are satisfied , the propagation delay of the ring oscillator will be one fourth of the period of the reference clock a . for any given frequency of the reference clock , m and n can be properly chosen to get the desired phase shift / delay . then the counters may be deactivated to save power as well as to reduce switching noise . no pvt variations will change the counter values or the period of the reference clock ( i . e ., the values of m , n and a remain the same ). in the case of multiple circuits , each delay network ( or device ) of an oscillator circuit will adjust the delay of its programmable delay cell to satisfy equation 2 . thus , the value of b for different delay networks or different devices will still be the same regardless of the pvt conditions . thus , b is the only variable for adjusting oscillator clock frequency and / or setting a delay . fig3 shows a functional block diagram an embodiment of the circuit in which the delay scheme is embedded into a clock tree circuit . the path r is the ring oscillator , which consists of a nand gate 320 , a multiplexer 340 , the programmable delay cell 350 , and three clock buffers 360 , 370 , and 380 . the reference clock refclk may be provided by an off chip voltage controlled oscillator , a crystal oscillator , or the like , proximately disposed to the ring oscillator circuit . the resolution of the programmable delay buffer increments determines a number of cycles needed in a count cycle and the delay adjustment ( or , deskew ) capability . with reasonably sized counters , the circuit can accurately set the delay settings . the accuracy depends on the step size of the programmable delay cell . the present invention can set the desired delay to within one step size and has the ability to calibrate the set delay for process , voltage , and temperature variations for every device used with it . using current technology , designing a delay cell with the step sizes of 20 picoseconds or smaller is quite achievable . the clock tree in fig3 may have two , three , four , or more levels and may use temporary clock nets each of which are turned on or off independently , as described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 429 , 714 , entitled “ process , voltage and temperature independent clock tree deskew circuitry - temporary driver method ,” herein incorporated by reference in the entirety . the clock tree may be implemented through various combinations of transistors , resistors , capacitors , flip flops , electrically erasable programmable read only memory , microcontroller , firmware , flash memory , and the like . each level of the clock tree may be phase detectable and phase adjustable ( or , skew detectable and skew adjustable ). the calibration and control logic circuit preferably performs boolean and arithmetic operations . during the calibration mode , the multiplexer 340 selects the r path . the calibration logic continues to adjust the delay of the programmable delay cell until it finds the desired delay value . then , the multiplexer 340 switches input to the other input . the desired phase / delay includes the delay of the programmable delay cell as well as the propagation delay of the whole clock network . the delay is also adjusted to current conditions of processing , voltage , and temperature . that eliminates the need of delay adjustment on the data path . once the period of the reference clock and the values of the two counters are set , the desired delay will be the same device to device although the delay settings to the programmable delay cells will not necessarily be the same . this is because process , voltage , and temperature might not be the same for different devices . since the delay along the clock nets of the clock tree connected to the initial “ clock ” buffer may not be identical due to intra die interconnect process variations and due to different neighboring routes , the first level of clock buffers may not all turn on at the same time . additional differences in turn on times may be caused by intra die transistor variation , variations in signal line lengths , and differing capacitive effects . however , the input signal paths of each clock buffer 360 , 370 , 372 , 380 , 382 , 384 , and 386 of a given level may be designed to be of the same length , to have a symmetric layout with other input signal paths of the same level , and to have a layout similar in other respects such as to experience various environmental affects , such as parasitic capacitance , in the same way and to the same degree . thus , the clock signal into each level of clock buffer is presumed to be identical to the clock signal of the other clock buffers of the same level ( e . g ., 380 , 382 , 384 , and 386 ). in other words , the clock buffer signal paths are balanced which results in fewer and minimal adjustments . the path distances of a clock tree used with the oscillator circuit having a programmable delay cell may be balanced and symmetric to enhance the synchronization of the clock signals in different branches of the clock tree . after the calibration mode , the counters and the rest of the logic can be disabled to save power . in fig3 , the oscillator circuit path r may be disabled by disabling nand gate 320 while a signal path is still provided that has a desired propagation delay value . then , an external clock ( or , source clock ) 330 may be switched through by multiplexer 340 to provide a clock signal with a desired delay value . since the programmable delay cell and clock buffers are also used in the actual circuit , there is almost no additional power consumption . the programmable delay cell may be implemented in numerous configurations . fig4 - 6 illustrate three examples of implementations of the programmable delay cell . features of the various implementations may be combined to achieve desired operational results . fig4 shows a multiplexer 430 that selects one of n delays through the value of the address bits input to the multiplexer . each delay each is formed of a pair of serial inverters 410 - 412 , 414 - 416 , and 418 - 420 . fig5 shows a multiplexer 530 that selects one of n delays determined by a selected input that is tied to a unique capacitive load in which a higher capacitive value leads to a greater delay value because of the rc time constant established by the selected capacitance 514 , 518 , 522 , 526 and multiplexer switch input resistance . the first stage buffer 510 and second stage buffers 512 , 516 , 520 , 524 may be inverters . fig6 shows an embodiment in which the delay is formed of a fixed number of stages 602 , 604 , 610 , 616 , 622 , 628 , 634 in which the input of one or more of the stages may be switchable connected to a capacitance 608 , 614 , 620 , 626 , 632 through a switch 606 , 612 , 618 , 624 , 630 . the capacitances 608 , 614 , 620 , 626 , 632 may be of the same capacitive value , may each be of a unique capacitance value , may have capacitive values scaled in relation to the other capacitors , or the like . other variations of the programmable delay cell are contemplated by the present invention . fig7 illustrates an embodiment of a method of the present invention . the counters clocked by the reference clock refclk and the oscillator clock osc clk are cleared or reset 710 . a delay is loaded into a stage of the oscillator 715 from the calibration and control circuit , through a latch loaded by an external device , or in another manner . both counters are enabled simultaneously through the release of the reset line 720 . the oscillator clock may be derived from the reference clock or may be generated through a ring oscillator . after a period of time , the counting is stopped simultaneously for the two counters 725 . the stopping may be a function of the reference clock counter reaching a certain count value . likewise , the oscillator clocked counter may determine the end of the count period . alternatively , the calibration and control logic or other circuit may determine when to stop counting . the reference clocked count and the oscillator clocked count are compared 730 . if the clocked count values are sent to the calibration and control logic , the comparison may be performed by an arithmetic logic unit or other circuitry . if reference clock counter generated pulse n_out and oscillator clock counter generated pulse m_out are sent to the calibration and control logic , the comparison may be performed using a shift register to measure the relative durations of the two pulses or a counting circuit may count the number of m_out pulses during the period of time n_out is a logic high value . if the oscillator clock frequency is determined to be within the desired parameters , such as within an acceptable range or of a desired value 735 , the counters are reset 740 and calibration stops 745 . otherwise , a new delay is determined and the new delay value is loaded into the programmable delay cell of the oscillator 750 , the counters are reset 755 , and counting resumes 720 . the present invention may be practiced through a variety of implementations . for example , the counters of fig1 and 3 may be reset on a particular count , may be stopped by control logic , or may rollover continuously . the duty cycle of the waveforms generated from the counter outputs may be altered to comply with a particular application . the calibration and control logic may receive as input either a clock frequency the oscillator is to operate or a delay value . an initial delay value may be preset at the time of manufacture , may be set by dual in line switches , may be loaded into the calibration and control logic circuitry , or may otherwise be input . periodic calibrations may be employed to guard against frequency drift problems . the reference clocked counter and the oscillator clocked counter preferably are reset together , but may be reset independently through the calibration and control logic , through an operator , or through other circuitry . the propagation delays of the counter and combination logic timed by the reference clock is preferably closely matched with or identical to the propagation delays of the counter and combination logic timed by the oscillator clock . instead of combination logic that receives the count values and generates a corresponding waveform , the count may be provided directly to the calibration and control logic . an arithmetic logic unit may be used to compare the two count values . it is believed that the present invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood by the forgoing description . it is also believed that it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form , construction and arrangement of the components thereof without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention or without sacrificing all of its material advantages , the form hereinbefore described being merely an explanatory embodiment thereof . it is the intention of the following claims to encompass and include such changes .
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the phrase “ nucleated red blood cells ” or “ nrbcs ” refer to blood cells that are generally larger and more immature than reticulocytes and mature red blood cells ( rbcs ). these immature , nucleated stages of the erythrocyte generally occur within the bone marrow . they appear as metarubricytes in small numbers in response to acute blood loss or anemia . circulating nucleated rbcs can be metarubricytes or younger cells , such as rubricytes . the phrase “ genetic status ” may include any chromosomal or single gene status of the fetus which is different from that of the mother . usually , it will be desirable to screen the fetus for abnormal conditions where it will be apparent that the mother does not possess the condition and therefore would have a different genetic status . examples of chromosomal abnormalities for which screening may be desired include aneuploidy , of chromosomes 13 , 18 , 21 , x or y , and the like . examples of single gene disorders for which screening may be performed include huntington &# 39 ; s disease , cystic fibrosis , and the like . in addition to screening for abnormal conditions , the fetus gender may be determined by screening for the y chromosome which will necessarily be absent in the mother . a preliminary separation of red blood cells may be obtained by a single density gradient to separate mononuclear cells , including nucleated red blood cells , from a whole blood sample . since nrbcs are more dense than white blood cells , it is necessary to use greater density gradients to recover a high yield of nrbcs . using a 520 mosm , single density gradient of 1 . 119 g / ml , a minimum of 4 cells / ml are identified ( kwon , et al ., prenat diagn ( 2007 ) 27 ( 13 ): 1245 - 50 ). the sample is then applied to a slide such that the cells are in a monolayer at a density sufficient to view about 1000 cells in a single field . the fixed cells are differentially stained for nuclear and cytoplasmic material using may - grunwald - giemsa staining mavrou , et al ., prenat diagn ( 2007 ) 27 : 150 - 153 ). identification and location of cells may be based on simple color and intensity discrimination of various cell types after staining red blood cells will be anuclear . red and white blood cells , containing a stained nucleus , will be have a dark blue nucleus and a light blue cytoplasm , nucleated red blood cells will have a bright pink / purple cytoplasm and a dark blue nucleus . fetal nucleated blood cells need not be separately identified from maternal nucleated blood cells . for example , the fetal cells are not distinguished from maternal cells , e . g ., by the labeling of a specific fetal marker ( s ), e . g ., fetal hemoglobin , ε - globin , etc . an auto - focusing microscope may be used to image areas on a cell plate holding 1000 cell equivalents per image , with a 1000 pixels per cell ( a megapixel camera equivalent ). the illumination comes from a fiber bundle with a multiplicity of selective wavelengths of light . images are then sequentially taken , e . g ., using wavelengths selected to enhance color enhancement and contrast , including without limitation red and blue wavelengths . ratiometric techniques , known in the art , are used to discriminate between cell types . image ( pixel ) coordinates combined with stage coordinates are used to “ locate ” the cells on the substrate . the digital microscope also provides the thermocycling and the display for the technician to perform fish subsequent to location . the successful use of automated auto - focusing microscopes for the detection and analysis of rare cell populations , including fetal nucleated blood cells circulating in maternal blood , has been demonstrated . see , e . g ., oosterwijk , et al ., am j hum genet ( 1998 ) 63 : 1783 - 92 ; bajaj , et al ., cytometry ( 2000 ) 39 : 285 - 94 ; merchant and castleman , human reproduction update ( 2002 ) 8 ( 6 ): 509 - 21 . autofocusing microscopes and accompanying software are known in the art and commercially available . see , e . g ., u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 239 , 170 and 5 , 790 , 710 ; pct publ . nos . wo 2000 / 075709 and wo 1996 / 001438 . microscopes with digital autofocus systems are commercially available from , e . g ., olympus america and oplenic , hangzhou , china ( on the worldwide web at oplenic . com ). imaging software is available from , e . g ., genetix , hampshire , great britain , and meyer instruments , houston tex . currently available techniques for analysis include fish and standard pcr methods . fish is the preferred method of analysis as it is fda cleared and can be applied to cells that are still tethered to the slide , removing the need to extract cells from the plate . both whole cell techniques and free - dna techniques require discrimination between fetal in origin genetic material , i . e . fetal specific markers ( on the worldwide web at cellbio . dote . hu / angol / description_maygrunwald . pdf ; toeger , et al ., molecular human reproduction ( 1999 ) 5 ( 12 ) 1162 - 1165 ); and wataganara et al ., ann n y acad sci . ( 2004 ) 1022 : 90 - 9 ). in addition , free dna techniques are statistical in nature due to the uncertainty of not knowing how many cells the genetic material originated from . analysis of samples employ an effective method that combines the strengths of both cell - based techniques and free - dna techniques by analyzing a combined sample , thereby removing the need to determine maternal or fetal origin while retaining the knowledge of the number of cells . for aneuploidy , the method involves looking for a number of chromosomes / number of nucleated cells greater than 2 , or by looking for the occurrence of at least one nucleated cell which is positive for aneuploidy ( an abnormal number of a specific chromosome ). thus , a sample of maternal blood may be separated and then applied to a slide . in an exemplary embodiment , separation is accomplished using a density gradient column that retains most mononuclear cells and discards most non - nucleated red blood cells . nucleated red blood cells ( nrbcs )— both maternal and fetal — are identified by computer image processing of visible - light microscopic images . fish analysis is performed on all nrbcs applied to the slide , e . g ., at least about 1 , 5 , 50 , 75 , 100 , 150 , 200 , 300 , or more , fnrbcs , and statistical techniques are used to infer the existence of certain genetic traits or disorders in the fetus . a positive finding of aneuploidy indicates a chromosomal abnormality . a positive finding of a y chromosome , indicates that the fetus is male . the methods find use in the determination of the presence of chromosomal abnormalities ( e . g ., aneuploidy ) or in determining the gender of the fetus . the methods find further application in the prediction of potential hypertensive events that may lead to premature birth ( e . g ., pre - eclampsia ), e . g ., by testing for elevated numbers of nucleated red blood cells in relation to a range considered to be normal numbers of nucleated red blood cells ( lana , et al ., am fam physician ( 2004 ) 70 : 2317 - 24 ; and mavrou , et al ., prenat diagn ( 2007 ) 27 : 150 - 153 ). evaluating populations of nucleated red blood cells from the mother can also be used to evaluate the fetus for the presence genetic disorders including cystic fibrosis , or for rhd incompatibility using diagnostic methods known in the art ( on the worldwide web at americanpregnancy . org / prenataltesting /). the following examples are offered to illustrate , but not to limit the claimed invention . draw whole blood into edta or into cpd , cpd - a to prevent coagulation . preserve a smear of the blood sample . transfer a sample of blood into a 15 ml tube . if the hematocrit is appreciably higher or lower than 50 %, use less or more blood as appropriate to end with a packed red cell volume of ˜ 3 ml after centrifugation . the blood is centrifuged to reduce the serum content , to reduce clot formation during the lysis and fixation phase of the procedure . spin at 2000 g for 10 minutes . remove the vial from the centrifuge and verify that the volume of the packed red cell layer is approximately 3 ml . the serum and platelets can be discarded to concentrate the target cell population ( nucleated rbc &# 39 ; s ). the nucleated red cells have a density close to wbc &# 39 ; s and younger rbc &# 39 ; s that are found close to or in the buffy layer . the buffy coat layer which separates the packed rbc &# 39 ; s from the serum , should not be removed as waste . using a pipette , remove the top serum layer . remove as much serum as possible , while making sure to leave the buffy coat undisturbed . this step requires care . transfer the buffy and red cell layer ( along with whatever is left of the serum ) into a 50 ml tube . measure the volume of the packed red cells , and add approximately 6 times that volume of nufix ™ ( qcsciences , richmond , va .). nufix lyses the non - nucleated rbc &# 39 ; s but stabilizes nucleated cells such as nrbc &# 39 ; s and wbc &# 39 ; s . the blood cells have to be mixed and resuspended in the nufix because the cells are denser than the liquid . if the cells are not adequately suspended , the nufix will not lyse all the rbc &# 39 ; s to completion . gently mix the tube using a back - and - forth motion by hand to suspend the packed red cells . set the sample upright for 30 minutes ( give or take 10 minutes ). spin the nufix - blood sample at 450 g for 12 minutes . while the sample is spinning , prepare a glycerin - nufix solution ( 1 : 3 glycerin : nufix by volume ). extract the supernatant from the nufix - blood sample , leaving 1 ml of solution in the bottom of the centrifuge tube . mix the remaining supernatant through the pellet to resuspend the cells . pour 1 ml of glycerin solution into a 15 ml round - bottom tube . pipette the 1 ml of nufix - blood solution down the side of the tube so that it forms a layer above the glycerin solution . spin at 450 g for 6 minutes . remove the supernatant without disturbing the pellet . gently mix the remaining supernatant through the pellet to yield approximately 0 . 5 ml of resuspended cells in solution . preserve at least one smear of the final sample . the resuspended cells in solution include nrbc &# 39 ; s , other nucleated cells , erythrocyte ghosts , and some platelets . the cell suspension contains the target cell population at higher concentration compared to the starting whole blood sample . removal of most of the rbcs reduces the number of hemoglobin containing cells that need to be interrogated to identify a nucleated rbc . reducing the number of rbc &# 39 ; s also reduces the volume of cells to be analyzed . a relatively small volume of cells can be more conveniently turned into a relatively small monolayer , several orders of magnitude smaller than a monolayer composed of billions of rbc &# 39 ; s , compared to a monolayer composed of millions of nucleated cells . a capillary fixture for monolayer creation is assembled using two microscope slides ( 50 mm × 75 mm × 1 mm ) [ premiere microscope slides — vwr # 48300 - 309 ]. the slides are cleaned using soapy water and rinsed with isopropyl alcohol to accelerate drying . the cell immobilization substrate ( bottom slide in the capillary ) is coated with a cell affixing medium such as poly - d - lysine [ bd biosciences , vwr # 47743 - 736 ]. the top left corner of the cell immobilization slide is marked using a carbide tipped scribe such that the 75 mm edge is parallel to the x axis , the 50 mm edge is parallel to the y axis , and the poly - d - lysine side is facing up . teflon ® tape [ mcmaster - carr 76475a41 ] is used to create 300 um tall standoffs 2 . 5 mm wide along the short edges of the capillary cap ( top slide ). after the coating process is completed and the standoffs are attached to the top slide , the slides are affixed face to face to create a capillary in such a way that the long edges of the slides are coincident , the spacing between the slides is 300 um , and the coated surface of the immobilization slide is toward the inside of the capillary . the internal volume of this capillary cavity is approximately 1 ml . the cell suspension that results from the enrichment step is diluted to a final volume of 1 ml using phosphate buffered solution [ accugene 1x pbs — vwr # 12001 - 764 ]. the diluted solution is gently resuspended into the pbs by gently shaking the centrifuge tube . the diluted cell suspension is introduced into the capillary using a pipette . after the cells have been allowed to settle for approximately 30 minutes , the excess liquid is drawn out of the capillary using an absorbent cloth [ kimwipe — vwr # 21905 - 026 ] held against the edge of the capillary opening . after the excess liquid has been removed from the capillary chamber , the cells are allowed to dry in room temperature air for 30 minutes . after drying , the capillary cap ( top slide plus teflon spacers ) is removed and the immobilization slide is allowed to air dry at room temperature for another 30 minutes . after drying , the immobilization slide is placed onto an upright microscope [ olympus bx40 fitted with ludl mac2000 controller ] with the poly - d - lysine coated side facing up , toward the microscope objective . the slide is clipped into place on a mechanical microscope stage capable of moving to and recording accurate xyz locations [ micos ms - 4 for xy , z is read from the focus control of the ludl mac2000 ]. this microscope is configured to allow imaging of the slide using light transmitted through the cells to be interrogated . the immobilization slide is aligned by centering the top left , bottom left , and bottom right corners at the center of the field of view , aligned with the center of the microscope reticle . at each of these locations , the xy and focus location of the mechanical positioners is recorded by a computer controlling the motion system . the computer then calculates a motion path to allow digital images to be acquired in such a manner that the complete immobilization slide is imaged . this is accomplished by moving to xy and focus locations that are separated in x and y by the size of the camera &# 39 ; s field of view and stepping through all of these locations until the entire slide has been imaged . at each location , three images are acquired : one using 420 nm transmitted light ( blue ), one using 520 nm transmitted light ( green ), and one using 620 nm transmitted light ( red ). nucleated red blood cells in each field of view are identified and distinguished from white blood cells based on the absorption ratios of the three wavelengths of light . each time a field of view including nucleated red blood cell is located , the xy location is stored in a data file to allow that field of view having the nrbc &# 39 ; s to be revisited after the genetic testing has been performed . after the complete slide has been imaged , the slide is processed for genetic testing using a fluorescent in - situ hybridization ( fish ) protocol as follows . the cells are not stained with giemsa . store slides with smears or monolayers covered with seal wrap at room temperature . to conserve reagents , isolate the target cells to be probed with a marking pen underneath the slide or monolayer , or use a pap - pen directly on the smear or monolayer . the pap - pen will provide a barrier so that the reagents will not run across the entire slide . to prevent non - specific binding of the reporter containing the fluorescent tagged antibody to the probe , block the target cells with 10 % normal mouse serum in tbst ( 1 . 2 ( w / v ) % tris , 8 . 7 ( w / v ) % nacl , 0 . 5 % ( v / v ) tween - 20 , 0 . 1 ( w / v ) % sodium azide ) for 10 min under 740 torr vacuum chamber at room temperature . incubate slides for 10 min in 2 × ssc ( 0 . 15 m nacl and 0 . 015 m sodium citrate , ph 7 . 0 ) prewarmed to 37 ° c . in a staining container in a 740 torr vacuum chamber . dehydrate sequentially in 70 %, 85 % and 100 % ethanol series , 2 min each at atmospheric pressure . air dry . redraw the circle with a pap - pen . vysis ® dna probes are prepared by combining 7 μl buffer ( comes together with vysis probes ), 1 μl dh2o , 1 μl of each probe ( for example cep6 , spectrum green probe and cep17 spectrum orange probe ). centrifuge 1 - 3 seconds , vortex , and recentrifuge . heat for 5 min . at 73 ° c . in a water bath to denature . use immediately ( or keep for a short while longer at 73 ° c . if required ). place denaturant solution ( 70 % formamide / 2 × ssc ) in 73 ° c . water bath inside staining jar . denature slide for 5 min . dehydrate in 70 %, 85 % and 100 % ethanol for 2 min . each . air dry . apply 10 μl denatured probe and cover with a cover glass . mark hybridizing area on the slide using a diamond scribe or pap - pen . seal carefully with rubber cement . place slides in a pre - warmed humidified box ( wrapped in metal foil to protect against light ) and incubate 2 hours in a 740 ton vacuum at 42 ° c . place 0 . 4 × ssc / 0 . 3 % np - 40 in a 73 ° c . water bath . remove cover glass and immediately place into wash tank with 0 . 4 × ssc / 0 . 3 % np - 40 . leave all slides in staining jar for 2 min . place slides in 2 × ssc / 0 . 1 % np - 40 at room temperature 1 min . air dry slides in darkness . apply 20 μl of vectashield with dapi solution to the target area and put on cover glass ( make sure it covers hybridized area ). examine slides on a fluorescence microscope . denaturant solution : 49 ml formamide , 7 ml 20 × ssc , 14 ml dh2o , ph to 7 . 0 - 8 . 0 , store at 4 ° c . after the cells have been processed according to the fish protocol and the target nrbc &# 39 ; s labeled , the immobilization slide is placed onto an upright microscope [ olympus bx40 fitted with ludl mac2000 controller ] with the poly - d - lysine coated side facing up , toward the microscope objective . the slide is clipped into place on a mechanical microscope stage capable of moving to and recording accurate xyz locations [ micos ms - 4 for xy , z is read from the focus control of the ludl mac2000 ]. this microscope is configured to allow imaging of the slide using coaxial fluorescent imaging . the immobilization slide is aligned by centering the top left , bottom left , and bottom right corners at the center of the field of view , aligned with the center of the microscope reticle . at all of the locations previously determined to be nucleated red blood cells , analysis of the fish results is performed based on the specific fish protocol that is followed . the results of many nucleated red blood cell fish analyses are combined using statistical algorithms to improve the confidence in the final data that is reported . it is understood that the examples and embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only and that various modifications or changes in light thereof will be suggested to persons skilled in the art and are to be included within the spirit and purview of this application and scope of the appended claims . all publications , patents , and patent applications cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes .
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